The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Nathalie Graham Austerity Bob: Ahead of his swearing-in on Jan. 15, Governor-elect Bob Ferguson released his proposed budget priorities. Instead of levying a wealth tax on Washington's wealthiest residents and adding more business taxes to fill glaring budget holes as Gov. Jay Inslee proposed on his way out of office, Ferguson favors cutting state budgets. Lame duck Inslee's bold plan would have garnered $13 billion in revenue. Ferguson is "deeply skeptical" of new taxes, reports the Seattle Times, and sees them as a last resort. His proposed 6% cut to the state general fund would result in $4.4 billion in spending reductions. He also wants to add $800 million to new programs. Ferguson's plan is still a sketch and much could change, but it does not bode well.  Goodbye via bus: King County Metro will hold a memorial for bus driver Shawn Yim who was killed last month when a passenger stabbed him. The memorial will begin at King County Metro Atlantic and Central Bases in SODO at 10 am. Following remembrances, a procession of buses and transit vehicles will drive through downtown Seattle. About 100 buses are expected to participate. Some are even driving down from Canada to join. Keep in mind that we're likely to see some transit disruptions today—any member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 is welcome to take off after 9 am. If you need to take transit today, lightrail is your best bet.  Some weather: It'll be mostly cloudy today. Perhaps there will be snatches of sun. If you see any, enjoy them quickly before the afternoon showers come.  Meanwhile, snow in the South: Southern states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia could see up to eight inches of snow through Saturday as part of the polar vortex battering a big chunk of the country. Climate change contains multitudes.  Fires keep ravaging LA: Five fires are still burning in Los Angeles. At least 10 people are dead and more than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. This is possibly the worst wildfire event in California and could be the costliest natural disaster in US history. While the winds should subside Friday, they will return again on Sunday. As an LA native (a badge I don't bear often on this blog), I know multiple people who have lost homes. Landmarks on the map of my childhood have been erased. It's been a decade since I've lived there and my remaining family in the area is far south from the flames, so the horror is numbed and the sorrow is more distant, but it is hard to rationalize the impermanence of everything we all hold dear.  My little house that I loved: Thousands of people have lost their homes across the LA area. The fires have extinguished personal histories and flattened communities.    Fran lost the home she has lived in for 26 years in Altadena. She poured everything into it. pic.twitter.com/I2avp8aObe — Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) January 9, 2025   Everyone evacuate: Thursday afternoon when a new fire broke out in the San Fernando Valley officials accidentally sent an evacuation notice to everyone in LA County. That's 10 million people.    Just an unbelievable water drop by this helicopter on the rapidly spreading Kenneth Fire near West Hills and Calabasas. Heroes. pic.twitter.com/FVPFr7QVdP — Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) January 10, 2025   Washington sends aid: The Evergreen State is sending "45 engines, 11 trucks, and 146 personnel" to help fight the fires. Who else is fighting those fires? The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation deployed nearly 800 incarcerated people to fight the LA fires. Those firefighters only earn between $5.80 and $10.24 a day, plus an extra $1 an hour during active emergencies. If it's a disaster, they could earn $26.90 for a 24-hour shift.  Pet plane: Seattle will take in 60 cats and dogs from Los Angeles shelters to free up space for the wave of pets coming in their doors after being left behind or lost in the wake of wildfire evacuations. These pets, previously housed at shelters and not fire refugees, will be available for adoption starting Tuesday. As everyone knows, it's impossible to have seasonal depression if you have a pet!  As a reminder: Everyone should read the prescient "Parable of the Sower."  Ding dong, Anita Bryant's dead: The 84-year-old anti-LGBTQIA+ bigot died last month. Bryant, who began her career as a pop star and model, spearheaded the anti-gay "Save Our Children" campaign in the 1970s which successfully overturned an anti-discrimination ordinance in Miami-Dade County. Bryant also inspired a Florida ban on gay parents adopting children which was only struck down in court in 2010.  Everyone's shitting and puking: Are lots of people you know residents of vomit city these days? The norovirus is wreaking havoc on Americans at the moment—there were 91 outbreaks of the stomach bug at the beginning of December. That's more outbreaks at this time of year that have occurred since 2012. To keep your bowels solid and your cookies un-tossed, wash your fucking hands.  Queening out in Oregon: Beaverton's 16-year-old Zoey Tang became Oregon's first woman grandmaster in chess. Of the 2,000 or so chess grandmasters worldwide, only 42 have been women.  Jobs are up, slightly: The economy added 256,000 jobs in December, sending unemployment back down to 4.1%.  Trump sentenced: The Supreme Court did not delay President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing hearing in his New York hush-money case, so Trump called in to court from Mar-a-Lago this morning. Trump said that "this has been a very terrible experience" and that he was "totally innocent" despite prosecutors finding him guilty of trying to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Sadly, the judge went with the rare and lenient "unconditional discharge," a no-penalty sentence. According to the Associated Press  that means "no jail time, no probation and no fines would be imposed, but nothing is final until the proceeding is done." The sentencing, however, cements Trump as a felon. He is the first US president to be criminally sentenced.  I'm listening... After Trump's comments about taking over Canada, Canadian Green Party leader Elizabeth May suggested instead that California, Oregon, and Washington join Canada as provinces and receive universal healthcare and stricter gun laws. Where do we sign? A song for your Friday: The most important meal of the day is Japanese Breakfast.