Give A Little, Change A Lot!
Resolve to support local journalism in 2026.

Donate Now
Avatar photo

Rich Smith

Rich Smith writes about politics, books, and performance for The Stranger. You can hear his impersonations of Bernie Sanders and Jeff Sessions on Blabbermouth, and you can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com
Posted inBooks

Killer Prophets?

Leah Sottile’s When the Moon Turns to Blood Examines Mormon Extremism at the Roots of Alleged Murders
Avatar photo Rich Smith

In June of 2020, Idaho police found the remains of Lori Vallow’s two children buried in her husband’s backyard. The following year, prosecutors charged Vallow and her husband, the apocalyptic novelist Chad Daybell, with murder. The exact motives and details of the killings continue to unfold, but in her new book on the case, When […]

Posted inHousing

Tacoma Police Boot Homeless and Housing Activists from Vacant School

Avatar photo Rich Smith

Gault Middle School closed in 2009 and has sat vacant ever since. Tacoma Police used the building for training between 2015 and 2017, according to a police spokesperson, but they stopped due to mold. Courtesy of Tacoma Housing Now [The following report was originally published by our sister publication, The Stranger.—eds] After occupying a vacant […]

Posted inNews

The Governors of Oregon, Washington, and California Strongly Urge You Not to Kill Your Family

Avatar photo Rich Smith

Now the whole West Coast wants you to cancel your fucking Thanksgiving travel plans. GETTY IMAGES In a press release Friday morning, Governor Brown issued a travel advisory “recommending a 14-day quarantine for interstate and international travel” and “encouraging” Oregonians “to stay home or in their region and avoid non-essential travel to other states or […]

Posted inNews

Seattle Rep. Jayapal Leads Call for DHS to Investigate “Uterus Collector” Complaint

Avatar photo Rich Smith

Jayapal sat down with some attorneys representing the detainees and said there “may be at minimum 17 to 18 women who were subjected to unnecessary medical gynecological procedures.” JOHN BOAL [The following was originally published in our sister publication, The Stranger, in Seattle.—eds] On Tuesday Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal (and a couple other reps from […]

Posted inNews

Seattle Police Deploy Blast Balls, Pepper Spray, and Arrest Dozens After Declaring “Riot” on Capitol Hill

Avatar photo Rich Smith

Feels like old times on the Hill. RS [The following reporting is from our sister publication The Stranger in Seattle. Follow them here.—eds.] On Saturday many in Seattle anticipated a Portland-like clash between protesters and Trump’s newly arrived security forces, who were sent to town “on standby” allegedly to reinforce Federal Protective Services at a […]

Posted inNews

Seattle Mayor Orders Cops to Sweep CHOP, Protesters Vow to Keep Marching

Avatar photo Rich Smith

They’re back! RS [The following is an article originally published by our sister journalists at The Stranger in Seattle.—eds] At the direction of Mayor Jenny Durkan, “hundreds” of cops cleared the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area (AKA “CHOP”) starting around 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. The officers, many of whom wore “mourning bands” but not state-mandated […]

Gift this article