Seattle's economy is complicated. Inflation, tariffs, AI, layoffs. It's a lot to keep track of.

That's where we come in. I'm Joshua McNichols. And I'm Monica Nicholsberg.

We host Booming, a podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.

Every week, we dig into the big questions about our economy and where you fit in.

Find booming on the KOWW app or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hey, good morning. I'm Patricia Murphy. It's Thursday. This is Seattle now. Washington is quickly embracing clean electric energy, but there's only so much of it to go around, especially during extreme weather. So now electric companies are looking to lessen the load by remotely controlling energy use.

Seattle Times Climate Lab reporter Greg Kim, we'll talk about this new

program in a minute, but first, let's get you caught up.

You can weigh in tonight on Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed library levy. It would raise $410 million. If approved, it would pay for a number of things, including books, all ages programming, and seismic upgrades at the Columbia City branch. The owner of a median valued home would pay about $160 a year in property taxes. There's a public hearing tonight before the Seattle City Council.

It starts at 5.30. Speaking of the council, members will get an update this morning on Seattle's NBA

readiness. Leaders with Climate Pledge Arena, the Seattle Sports Commission, and even former NBA player in Seattleite Spencer Hawes will be there.

Last week, the NBA Board of Governors voted to explore expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas.

Tip off for this morning City Council meeting is at 9.30.

And the Tacoma City Council is calling on the Sound Transit Board to prioritize light rail projects

planned for Tacoma and Pierce County.

The agency recently announced that some future projects may be delayed or killed altogether due to a long-term budget shortfall of $35 billion.

Tacoma leaders say the need for high-capacity transit in South Sound has never been greater,

and the long-promised

Tacoma Extension has already been delayed five years. We'll be back with more headlines on

tonight's episode of Seattle now. As a climate-conscious city, Seattle aims to embrace electricity

over fossil fuels. Because of that,

our local electric utilities can struggle to supply enough electricity. Demand for power is up,

...