Readers Seth Farber and Al Boss voiced concerns about how we deal with our toughest issues. Carrie, John, Katrina Akioko, and Jordan Goldwarg aired their worries about Seattle’s policies around housing and homelessness. And Vicki Weeks and Seth shared frustrations about our region’s schools and education funding. There was a ton of great stuff they pointed out. The quick teaser?

• “What I would like to see improved in the Seattle area is our commitment to the common good.” — Seth Farber
• “I am very concerned about the state of education in our city – in our state, actually. We are underfunded and we underperform in a state, in a city that is very progressive.” — Vicki Weeks
• “We’re not creating opportunities for people of color, for low income people, for any sort of vulnerable community to be able to live in our neighborhoods and to bring the full richness and diversity of our city and of our humanity to our neighborhood.” – Jordan Goldwarg

🔊 Listen to your fellow readers in their own words here. 🔊

What do we do about all these issues? That’s one of the driving questions behind our ongoing project, the Evergrey Giving Guide. We’ll be exploring the best ways we can all give back and help out right along with you. Stay tuned for more. And props to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for making this project possible.

Crane break. Seattle has the most construction cranes of any major city, and a lot of them are … just going to sit there. That’s because a union of construction workers and engineers just went on strike yesterday, and a lot of them are crane operators. No word yet on exactly why they rejected their new contract, but working those cranes is not an easy gig — it’s a darn stressful one, by the looks of it — and parts of this big construction boom are going bust until they figure it out. (The Seattle Times)

Keep breathing. The wildfire smoke that’s been tormenting our city like some toxic summer supervillain (they closed our pools! 😮) has some of us worried sick. Should we wear face masks? Should we go out for a walk? What about our pets? Some quick things to know: Doctors aren’t recommending that all healthy people wear masks yet (you’d need N95 or N100 masks with a real good seal to keep bad air out), it’s good to keep pets indoors, and if you’re freaking out about how the smoke in our air could be as bad as the smoke from cigarettes, don’t. “It’s really apples to oranges,” pulmonary physician Dr. Carolynn Sack told Crosscut. (Crosscut, The Seattle Times)

‘Everyone needs to understand what harassment is.’ We’re 10 months into the mainstream #MeToo movement, and Seattle’s had to deal with some high-profile ugliness. In particular, allegations of sexual misconduct against big-name author Sherman Alexie and Seattle bar and music entrepreneur David Meinert. What’s a city’s food, music, and arts scene to do? Crosscut got seven influential local women together for some real talk. Next up: A roundtable with local men. (Crosscut: Part 1, Part 2)

What a scientist looks like. A new park is opening up in Greenwood next year. It needed a name, a then-third grader named Jesse Ballnik thought it should be called Alice Ball Park, and our parks and rec department just made it official. Who was Alice? A black chemist who was born in Seattle, graduated from the University of Washington, and oh yeah — discovered what was then the world’s best treatment for leprosy. For extra credit, check out the video Jesse made about Alice. (PhinneyWood)

‘Why is every article about [homelessness] so slanted?’ a local asked a group of us media outlets about homelessness. “Where are the stories about the negative impact [homeless people] have on the rest of the city?” This week, Seattle Patch’s Neal McNamara — one of our partners in a collaborative project to answer your questions about a tough issue — is out with an answer. He looked at more than 300 headlines about homelessness from media outlets around Puget Sound. What he found was stories that run the gamut, outlets that see the issue from different angles, and a narrative of “filth and contagion” that lingers. Perceptions of bias and “slant” can get dicey, and this is a thought-provoking read. (Seattle Patch)

‘THROW ROCKS AT THE SMOKE TO MAKE IT GO AWAY’

“The smoke is preventing us all from going outdoors and going to work, and doing pretty much everything,” wrote the creator of this parody Facebook event. “I strongly believe with enough rocks, we can make the smoke leave. So throw your rocks! (Preferably towards Canada).”

More than 35,000 people are “going” to this, so … heads up.

See ya tomorrow. — The Evergrey