Bob Mackin
Regional rationing means lawn watering is temporarily banned in FIFA World Cup host city Vancouver beginning June 8.
But there is no danger the temporary hybrid grass pitch inside B.C. Place Stadium will turn brown before it hosts the first of seven matches on June 13.
Metro Vancouver issued the stage 3 conservation notice because of a low snowpack, forecasts for a dry summer and less drinking water from the North Shore getting through due to the Stanley Park water supply tunnel project.
“While this crossing is offline, the system has less flexibility during periods of very high water use,” Metro Vancouver said.
A statement from stadium management says staff work closely with City of Vancouver to adhere to municipal bylaws.
“As part of venue operations, water use for B.C. Place’s grass maintenance is acceptable under stage 3 restrictions of the Metro Vancouver Drinking Water Conservation Plan.”
Under stage 3, sand-based playing fields can be watered no more than five days in a seven-day period, between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. For soil-based fields, the allowance is three days.
Now, onto your hump day headlines from the Pacific Rim and the Pacific Northwest.
Around the Rim
Taiwan News reports that two soldiers and a citizen were indicted over allegedly leaking military secrets to China via messaging apps. In return, they were paid in cryptocurrency.
One of those charged by prosecutors in Taoyuan is a sergeant and the other a private.
Taiwan News reports that “irregularities were discovered within the military unit and reported by the armed forces. After investigators gathered evidence, they carried out searches and detained the three suspects, later securing court approval for pretrial detention without visitation rights.”
Could Japan be the next country to regulate the age of social media users?
A draft report said social media companies must perform stricter age verification, but the communications ministry panel said a “blanket age-based ban” may not be appropriate.
Why? “The role of social media as an important communication tool,” according to the story in Kyodo News.
The goal is to “reduce youth dependency on such services to mitigate the burden on their mental and physical health.”
Amazon, eBay and Chinese e-commerce sites Temu and AllExpress are selling banned kids products in Australia, according to ABC News Australia.
“These include fake novelty cigarettes that create a puff of smoke, cigarette lighters that look like toys and removable tongue studs that can easily come loose and become choking hazard.
Also of serious concern are flammable garments and products containing small choking hazards and potentially deadly button batteries, which may be in breach of safety standards.”
Consumer group CHOICE complained to the Australian consumer watchdog and is urging the government to act against sellers of dangerous goods.
Cascadia Calling
No, this is not from the satirical series Portlandia.
The Oregonian reports that sportswear company Patagonia and drag queen Pattie Gonia could be closer to a trademark settlement. The Bend drag queen offered to drop a trademark application if Patagonia drops its lawsuit.
Patagonia said it wants Pattie Gonia to also “stop using our logos” and “stop selling and promoting apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia.”
Also in the Oregonian, Portland city council is mulling whether to make magic mushrooms a “low police priority.”
“It would also establish the Portland Psychedelics Advisory Commission as an advisory body to make recommendations to the city on public education and harm reduction.”
Commercial real estate woes in Seattle, as Blackstone is looking to sell the US Bank Center at a 54% loss, reports the Seattle Times.
That would be $280 million or less than half it paid for the 44-storey tower seven years ago. Spear Street Capital has agreed to buy the tower.
“Central business district office values have fallen 44% on average in the past five years, according to analytics company MSCI,” said the story, which originated in Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, up in Bellingham, Ron Judd is out at the Cascadia Daily News.
Judd, a guest on theBreaker.news podcast before the 2024 presidential election and in May 2025, was executive editor of the independent newspaper since its 2022 launch.
CDN reported that Judd was fired May 26 by owner David Syre over a dispute about the launch of a new quarterly magazine, Cascadia Daily Life.
CDN covered the firing and later published an ode to Judd, a former Seattle Times reporter and columnist.
He is always welcome to be a guest on theBreaker.news podcast.
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