Daily Digest: Will NDP leader lose his BC seat? Homeless funds in crisis and support indie bookstores!

Hey, good morning! I have a favor to ask... will you help support independent, opinionated journalism across Cascadia? I'm trying to add twenty paid subscriber before the end of the month... It's just $5. Thanks! --Andy

Will NDP leader Singh lose his seat in Canada's election?

CBC reports on the upcoming Canadian federal election, and notes that the left-of-center NDP, which has some of its strongest support in British Columbia, is losing ground to Mark Carney's Liberal party – and its possible that NDP party leader Jagmeet Singh could lose his seat in Burnaby Central in the Vancouver suburbs. The Narwhal has an interactive feature that lays out the environmental policies of the five competing parties in federal election on April 28: the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Green party.

Portland metro area proposes slashing homeless funds

Multnomah county chair Jessica Vega Pederson's proposed budget cuts funding for homeless services by 22%, OPB reports. Meanwhile, the Urbanist looks at how Washington state and King County are each confronting huge budget deficits – and without raising taxes could have to drastically cut funding for the social safety net. PubliCola reports that a Washington state program designed to house people in encampments near state highways, will likely see its budget cut from $75 million to $45 million per year. Katie Wilson, who's running against Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, says in an op-ed for The Urbanist that the city's approach is "cosmetic" and focused more on sweeps than long-term solutions.

Seattle law firm fights Trumps retaliation

US News and World Report looks at the court case involving Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie, which along with WilmerHale, is fighting back against the Trump administration's attempt to retaliate against firms it sees as enemies of its agenda. The Washington state attorney general's office has written brief defending the various law firms under attack, including Perkins Coie and Susman Godfrey, which won a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News (I was honored to profile Stephen Shackelford, the attorney who led that case for Super Lawyers in 2023).

Support indie bookstores this weekend!

Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, so do your part to support your local bookstores across Cascadia. The Inlander profiles Spokane's best bookstores, while the South Sound Book Crawl offers a guide to great bookshops in Tacoma and Olympia. Seattle's book crawl offers a 25% off coupon to those who visit all 29 participating stores in a one-week period. Eugene Weekly profiles Hodgepodge Books, a bookstore and brewery, and EverOut has the scoop on all sorts of Portland-related Indie Bookstore Day events in the metro area.

Have a great weekend! --Andrew Engelson