Happy Tuesday!

🌧️ Today's weather: Slight chance of light rain then mostly sunny, with a high of 66.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Larry Bailey, Joash Narainsamy and Erik Guttridge!

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🗳️ Situational awareness: The Supreme Court struck down the U.S. Postal Service's rule restructuring mail-in voting yesterday, halting a major Trump administration priority.

• Washington was among the states that challenged the administration's plan. Read more.

This newsletter is 983 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Gas prices are closing in on $6 a gallon.

Why it matters: The extreme price spikes analysts feared this spring — a statewide average above $7 and $10 gas at Seattle's priciest stations — haven't materialized, though the threat hasn't disappeared.

The latest: Seattle will "almost definitely" reach a $6 average if the latest surge in oil prices holds through the week, Ryan Cummings, an economist at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, tells Axios.

• But Cummings now thinks the prices he warned about this spring are unlikely before year's end.
• Demand has fallen more sharply than analysts expected as prices rose, Cummings says, while China's massive prewar oil stockpile has reduced its need to compete for scarce barrels.

Yes, but: Cummings cautioned that further disruptions could send prices higher.

By the numbers: In the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area, regular gas averaged $5.71 a gallon yesterday — up 35 cents from a month ago and nearly 90 cents from a year ago, per AAA.

• That's about $1.39 above the national average and 15 cents above the state average.

What they're saying: Gas prices, on average, have never been this high this late in the year, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis.

Where to fill up: As of yesterday, the GasBuddy app showed some of the cheapest regular gas at Arco on Roosevelt Way ($5.03), Space Age on 35th Ave SW ($5.18), Costco on Fourth Ave. S ($5.29) and QFC on NE 145th St ($5.29)

The bottom line: $10 gas may be less likely, but the pain at the pump is still real.

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Seattle and King County are suing to block a new Trump administration rule they say will drive immigrant families away from public benefits those families can legally receive.

Catch up quick: The rule, which takes effect this week, gives immigration officers broader discretion to deny green cards and visas based on immigrants' use of public benefits.

• The plaintiffs argue the change will deter immigrant families from using Medicaid, SNAP and housing assistance programs.

What they're saying: The rule targets "immigrants who are legally establishing their status" if they use "any public program for any amount," King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion said.

• "Needing a little help along the way should never be used against someone in an immigration context," Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans said.

Zoom out: New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Santa Clara County are parties to the lawsuit.

• Washington state is challenging the rule as part of a separate legal complaint.

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🔍 The State Patrol is investigating after a video showed a driver using the bicycle and pedestrian lane of the I-90 bridge. Troopers are trying to identify the driver and determine how they got on the path. (KING 5)

🛒 Plans for a new WinCo grocery store in North Seattle appear to be moving forward. The site on Aurora Avenue North previously was home to a Sam's Club, but has been vacant since 2018. (Seattle Times)

🚈 Sound Transit is asking the public for cost-saving ideas for the Ballard Link light rail project as planning and budgeting continue. (My Ballard)

Seattle rapper Macklemore has been removed from the rest of Ed Sheeran's "Loop" tour after saying "Free Palestine" onstage and using the term "genocide" to refer to Israel's actions in Gaza. (New York Times)

🛏️ Mayor Wilson unveiled a plan yesterday to add 960 shelter beds by the end of her second year in office. The plan effectively walks back her previous campaign promise to add 1,000 beds per year. (Seattle Times)

September is prime time to tackle garden troublemakers, fill bare spots and put down new roots before rain settles in.

Why it matters: Warm soil, cooler days and returning rain make this month ideal for planting, repairing damage and getting ahead of next year.

🥬 Plant for fall and winter: The window is closing for sowing many overwintering crops. Get spinach and other hardy greens in now or sow a cover crop in empty beds.

🌳 Put down roots: Fall is one of the best times to plant trees, shrubs and perennials in Western Washington. Cooler temperatures and rain reduce stress on new plants and help roots get established.

🌱 Give the lawn some love: September is among the best times to overseed bare or thin patches and aerate compacted areas while grass is still actively growing.

🌿 Tackle invasives: Get after Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, garlic mustard and other unwanted invaders before fall rains take over.

• Just check the recommended control method first — especially for knotweed, which can spread from tiny root and stem fragments.
• Pro tip: Invasives generally can't be tackled in one season. But you can start small — one plant, one square foot, one patch at a time.

🍂 Don't clean up too much: Weed, add compost and mulch bare soil, but consider leaving healthy perennial stems, seed heads and some fallen leaves for insects and birds.

The bottom line: The garden may be slowing down, but now is no time to call it quits.

Tell a gardener

🎡 Melissa is planning a Puyallup Fair trip after her kid came home from school with free tickets and a lot of expectations.

🚪Clarridge is closing the doors and windows.

This newsletter was edited by Hadley Malcolm.