Where should Seattle put a new dog park?: Today So Far

• Seattle is looking into its parks to find space for new off-leash dog parks.
• The FBI is offering a total of $50,000 for information about two attacks on substations in the Northwest.
• Hollywood hairstylist chats with KUOW about Oscar nomination.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for March 10, 2023.

Cosmo is a smart dog. He's pretty great on the leash, very social, and wants to wrestle with just about every other dog around, whether they want to or not.

But Cosmo is also a runner, which means once the leash is off, he launches like a rocket. There is a trail nearby my place where I can take him and let him fly. And he does fly. There's also an actual dog park in our area, but that involves a car ride that takes about 15 minutes. I say all that because a lot of dog families are in a similar spot.

A lot of dogs in Seattle long for a nearby dog park, to make friends or at least get the energy out. The city currently has 14 off-leash parks, which for a major city like Seattle, with tens of thousands of pets, is not a lot. Perhaps that is why the officials are looking at about 30 parks with the potential of establishing more off-leash areas. In the end, however, only two new off-leash areas will be produced. The city aims to spend $3.46 million on the two sites, which seems like a lot. So to any Seattle officials out there, for a lot cheaper, I will go out and put up some fencing, poop bags, and water bowls, and even post on Facebook saying, "Hey look, it's a new dog park." Again, for cheaper ... like a million bucks. Feel free to reach out.

The new dog parks could come along "soonish," according to KUOW's Casey Martin, who has the full story here. My Dyer prediction, however, is that any timeline is going to be pushed back a bit. No matter what site the city gets its paws on, there will be some anti-dog park folks who will say they're barking up the wrong tree, and things could get ruff.

The FBI is offering a total of $50,000 for information about two attacks on substations outside of Olympia and Portland back in November 2022. It's $25,000 for each incident.

The attacks were similar. Someone used a firearm to shoot at the substations, damaging them and knocking out power in the area. One was a Puget Sound Energy facility in Tumwater. The second was at a Bonneville Power Administration substation in Oregon City, a couple days after the Tumwater attack.

“This was not an accident. It wasn't just someone conducting mischief,” said Richard Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle office. “They made a deliberate and nefarious decision to use that weapon to cause damage to the infrastructure and the power grid.”

Check out the full story here.

You've likely seen Camille Friend's work, which is featured in films spanning Marvel movies to Jordan Peele and Quentin Tarantino productions. Her work has been on screen going back to the '90s on shows like "3rd Rock from the Sun," but such work doesn't garner the same attention as a director, editor, or actor. Yet, Friend's work helps set the scene and the vibe of a movie.

Friend is a Hollywood hairstylist featured in the credits for 64 films. This year is the first time she has been nominated for an Oscar, for "Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling." KUOW arts reporter Mike Davis got an opportunity to chat with Friend about her work over the years, and how it goes beyond the type of hairstyle work you might expect from your local salon or barber.

Take "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," the film that earned Friend an Oscar nomination. This film utilizes various mythologies spanning different cultures. So Friend consulted with Professor Gerardo Aldana of UC Santa Barbara to develop culturally appropriate hairstyles for Meso-American characters. Could you imagine calling up your stylist at a salon to set an appointment, but saying, "Hey, first I need to you call a professor to get this right"? The work on the film posed certain challenges, too. Much of the movie takes place underwater. Friend developed a spirit gum-based hairspray glue that could hold up while actors were filming underwater. Check out the full story here.

The Friday Five: News you may have missed this week, and other cool stuff on KUOW.org

• Mike's adventures in art: A letter from Evan Hansen
• No Spoilers: Talking ECCC and our love for cordyceps
• Washington needs more than 1 million homes in 20 years, study says
• There are about 3 U.S. train derailments per day. They aren't usually major disasters
• Credit Card Nation: How we went from record savings to record debt in just two years

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Lisa Faye Gavin-McIntosh, 9, hands a wild celery root bunch to her grandmother, Shawna Gavin, who will sort the new tender roots from the dry, old “grandparent” stalks. Shawna Gavin, 65, is the eldest of the group of gatherers and was accompanied by her daughters and granddaughters on the dig. “We have to repeat what we hear, and we have to repeat and remember what we see,” says Mission Longhouse Leader Armand Minthorn, when speaking about the tribe’s sacred traditions. (Annie P. Warren / Northwest News Network)

DID YOU KNOW?

It is a bit odd for a TV show to debut in March. Shows usually get their start in the fall with the hopes of building an audience. Despite airing its first episode on March 10, 1997, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" grew to become a pop culture phenomenon, spanning seven seasons. It spurred a spinoff series, "Angel," and launched various careers. The show has been so potent among fans and pop culture, that people still flocked to see "Buffy" actors Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, and Kristine Sutherland at Emerald City Comic Con last weekend, 20 years after its last episode aired.

Buffy was first seen in a 1992 film of the same name. That film was more of a basic comedy, using the premise as a cheesy gimmick. The original writer and creator of the character was disappointed by this rendition, but was eventually offered the chance to make it into a TV show. That effort was picked up by The WB channel, and history was made. Though, not everybody felt "Buffy" had good chances of success. The decision to debut the show in March probably reflects that. "Buffy" was a midseason replacement for another show that got canceled, called "Savannah," which was more of a soap opera. "Buffy" swooped into the time slot to fill up a few months of airtime. That's why the first season of "Buffy" was only 12 episodes, instead of the usual 22. But ratings for the show piqued the interest of decision makers at The WB. The audience was younger, it was still pulling in a few million viewings (not great, but decent for the small channel), and there was no real competition for it on the big four networks. It only grew from there and basically inspired the channel's direction moving forward (other supernatural shows like "Charmed" and "Supernatural" eventually emerged). Its influence kept evolving, to the point that my college (and many other universities) began offering "Buffy" courses that dug into everything from the literary aspects of the show, to philosophy and its cultural impact.

ASLO ON OUR MINDS

In Florida, far-right groups look to seize the moment

Josh Nunes, the leader of the small band of white nationalist extremists, keeps a lookout for police while another man aims the laser onto the skyscraper, careful to avoid helicopters flying overhead and possible detection. He projects a rolling ticker tape onto a 37-story building that reads, "Why are child friendly drag shows legal? @ Ron DeSantis." This demonstration might not seem like much, but for these far-right groups, it's a way to punch above their weight and get noticed.

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