The Charleena Lyles settlement, COVID-19, and Mt. Baker Shootings, this week.

Bill Radke reviews the week's news with Seattle Met Deputy Editor Allison Williams, South Seattle Emerald Publisher and Seattle Times columnist Marcus Green, and New York Times technology correspondent Karen Weise.

Bill Radke reviews the week's news with Seattle Met Deputy Editor Allison Williams, South Seattle Emerald Publisher and Seattle Times columnist Marcus Green, and New York Times technology correspondent Karen Weise.

A new variant just dropped…again. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is the latest to send pandemic shockwaves through the world, though local officials are saying it’s too soon to know what this means for Washington State. “Don’t panic, it’s too early” was the messaging from the Washington Department of Health this week. But with cases already being detected in New York and California, concern is mounting. “Don’t be surprised when we get a positive case somewhere, and don’t be surprised if you get a positive case of the omicron variant here in the state of Washington” said Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah. What are we hearing from local officials as to how this latest variant will effect quarantine and emergency measures? What do we know about omicron’s transmission ability, and vaccine efficacy?

This week Seattle announced it will pay Charleena Lyles family $3.5 million as part of a wrongful death lawsuit. Lyles was killed by Seattle police four years ago after placing a 911 call to report a burglary at her apartment, near Magnuson Park. Seattle officers Steven McNew and Json Anderson, who are both white, shot Lyles in front of her four children. She was also pregnant at the time. Lyles’ estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2017, but former King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector dismissed the case in 2019. That decision has since been appealed and reversed, which led to this week’s settlement. The officers’ response has come under scrutiny numerous times since the incident. Officer Anderson was not carrying a Taser at the time of response, which is against Seattle Police policy. Also, just weeks prior, Lyles experienced a mental health crisis and waved scissors at police after they responded to a call she’d placed. Lyles was a victim of domestic abuse and had a documented history of mental illness. Attorneys for the Lyles’ family say they still want Anderson and McNew to face criminal charges, and an inquest, as requested by King County Executive Dow Constantine, is currently pending. Where does this case go from here? Former Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad this week, a move that many feel is just another letdown in what has already been a dismal season. Not only is Peterson in the twilight of his career keeping on-field expectations low, but in 2014 Peterson was indicted on felony charges of reckless or negligent injury of a child. Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch, which he consistently referred to as a “switch,” removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly.

Peterson pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault as part of plea deal with prosecutors to resolve his felony child abuse case. As part of the deal, Peterson will avoid jail time and instead be ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, court costs and 80 hours of community service. The NFL suspended him for the last 6 games of the rest of the season, Many found all of these punishments rather light. This, in the same season that Russell Wilson was advocating for the signing of Antonio Brown, who has been accused of sexual assault. The GM promised years ago not to hire players accused of misdeeds. What is the team saying about it now?

This week South End residents met privately with City and County officials to discuss options for preventing violence at the Mount Baker light rail station. After a fatal shooting last week, residents are saying they’re frustrated with the lack of safety improvements from officials at multiple levels of government. As the South Seattle Emerald reports, a nearby preschool is hoping to install ballistic fencing around its playground. In addition to last week’s shooting, there was a fatal shooting in January and a nearby fire at a tent encampment. City officials met in January to discuss a solution, but residents are saying little has changed. For example, nearby residents hadn’t heard for 48 hours that someone was killed at the station. Sound Transit has promised to increase security patrols of the area, though one resident said that the effect seems minimal, and questions how long increased patrols will realistically last How can light rail stations become safer?

Signs around Seattle were seen suggesting that Thursday the internet would be coming to an end. The signs read “1 2 0 2 2 0 2 1 INTERNET ENDS.” 12-02-21, or December 2, 2021, is the longest palindrome date of the year, meaning the numbers can be read the same forward and backwards. It’s also an ambigram, meaning that – depending on how you write your 1s and 2s – it can be read the same upside down as right side up. As another bonus, it’s the only date where you don’t need to shorten the year to two digits for it to work. There is no real indication as to who was responsible for these signs, or what the date or palindrome has to do with the idea that the internet would come to an end. A website, 12022021endofinternet.com had a countdown clock to the end of the internet happening at 2 PM Thursday. After passing that deadline, the site appears to be promoting a self-described “searing anti-cyberpunk novel.’ Any question that this was nothing more than a marketing ploy?