Now under new ownership. Credit: Lester Black
Now under new ownership.
Now under new ownership. Lester Black

IKEA will be closed for Thanksgiving: So will H&M, JOANN, REI, Crate & Barrel, Mattress Firm, and a bunch of other major U.S. retailers who are letting their employees eat with friends and family instead of selling mattresses and decorative pots for minimum wage this Thanksgiving.

The Queen Anne diner and bar Mecca Cafe reopened, now owned by David Meinert: Meinert has been accused by 11 women of allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to rape. The previous owner, Karon Hanke, told The Stranger‘s Lester Black in June that she was “not worried” about the safety of “anybody on [her] staff,” and disputed allegations that Meinert used the Mecca as his “hunting ground.” Eater Seattle reports that Meinert took control of the Mecca on September 19. The diner and bar was closed during that time for renovations, although Eater writes that “the diner’s retro interior has mostly been left as it was (with minor additions such as some dubious new artwork apparently showing a biker flipping the bird).” Here’s that “dubious new artwork”:

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New Art.

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Mike Pence is becoming more entangled in the impeachment inquiry: The House Oversight and Reform Committee has subpoenaed Vice President Pence, asking for “a lengthy list of documents detailing the administration’s dealings with Ukraine, to be produced by Oct. 15,” reports the New York Times. The Times called the move “unusual” and Pence’s office suggested he would not comply.

Oregon is also banning flavored vaping products: Temporarily, due to the growing vape-related health crisis. Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s decision mirrors action from governors in other states, including Washington’s Governor Inslee, who directed the state health board to ban flavored vapes in late September. “The safest option for Oregonians right now is to not use vaping products of any kind. Until we know more about what is causing this illness, please, do not vape,” Brown said.

In other Oregon news: An Oregon man has sued Starbucks for $10,000 after he was served almond milk. He ordered soy milk, goddamnit. His severe nut allergy landed him in the emergency room.

The 2020 cyberattacks are already starting: Microsoft confirmed that hackers, apparently backed by the Iranian government, “made more than 2,700 attempts to identify the email accounts of current and former United States government officials, journalists covering political campaigns and accounts associated with a presidential campaign,” reports the NYT. Donald Trump’s campaign seems to have been directly targeted.

Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has been arrested and charged with kidnapping: He was arrested early Friday morning after “an alleged domestic violence incident with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jen Harley,” reports BuzzFeed News. He allegedly kidnapped their 18-month-old daughter and had to be tased.

Warren and Sanders beat Biden in fundraising: Thanks to mostly small donors, Warren and Sanders outraised Biden in the third quarter. Warren’s campaign announced today that it raised $24.6 million. Earlier this week, Sanders announced $25.3 million in fundraising this quarter. Biden’s campaign announced he raised $15.2 million.

Bernie Sanders is out of the hospital: His campaign staff confirmed that he suffered a heart attack. “After two and a half days in the hospital, I feel great, and after taking a short time off, I look forward to getting back to work,” Sanders said in a statement.

Remember that surprising study that recommended we should eat more red and processed meat? It turns out the study’s lead author didn’t disclose that he has past research and financial ties to the meat industry.

RIP Diahann Carroll: The singer and actress died today. She was 84. Carroll was known for performing on the TV shows Julia, Dynasty, and The Colbys, and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Claudine. That film is one of Stranger writer Jasmyne Keimig’s favorite films, and she recently wrote about it for our Unstreamable column.

More whistle-blowers? The NYT just published an article that details a second official who is “weighing whether to file his own formal whistle-blower complaint and testify to Congress.” The scoop here.

Impeachment: More and more people want it.

Let’s finish the week with some Chinese cooking shows on YouTube: Like the writer of this feature for Mel Magazine, I have no idea what’s going on in these videos but I’m into them.



Chase Burns is The Stranger's former editor. He's covered everything from gay luchadores to chemical weapons to Isabella Rossellini's favorite pets.