A group working with King's Cathedral Maui forms a line to provide supplies after dozens were killed and displaced by wildfire. Credit: Justin Sullivan / GETTY

Maui fire death toll reaches 55: No warning signals sounded to alert Maui residents of the oncoming wildfires that killed at least 55 people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina. Hawaii reportedly has “the largest integrated outdoor all-hazard public safety warning system in the world,” which includes “about 400 sirens positioned across the island chain” to alert people about natural disasters. Survivors of the Lahaina fire say they didn’t hear anything. Most of the alerts came via text, television, or radio—but widespread power outages may have limited the reach of those. 

This is likely the worst natural disaster in Hawaiian history, according to Hawaiian Gov. Josh Greene.

Lahaina’s historic Banyan Tree is still standing: 

Washington’s Sourdough Fire still 0% contained: The fire, which started in July, has spread to 1,710 acres. Over 300 fire fighters are trying to slow the spread of the flames, but they have still made no real progress to contain the fire. Highway 20 closed to traffic again because of the blaze. 

Detroit woman finds frog in salad: A suburban Detroit woman bought a sealed salad from the grocery store. There was a frog inside! She returned the salad and the frog. The store gave her a refund and released the frog outdoors. The Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development said they shouldn’t have released the frog because it may not have been native. 

Orange juice is basically a luxury good now: After Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Nicole, an uncharacteristic freeze, and an ongoing battle with an incurable citrus greening disease, Florida orange farmers produced their smallest crop of oranges in over a century. Orange juice prices are expected to climb even higher. 

Community safety meetings to resume after shooting: The Rainier Valley shooting that injured five people during a meeting of the Boys and Girls Club of King County’s SE Network SafetyNet group won’t stop the group from gathering, they announced Thursday. Meetings will resume in the near future. The group’s community meetings were started as an attempt to curtail gun violence. 

Lil Tay lives: Reports of 14-year-old rapper Lil Tay’s death circulated online earlier this week. Lil Tay gained internet notoriety for being a foul-mouthed 9-year-old who mimics the vernacular and braggadocio of gangster rappers. An Instagram post earlier this week announced Lil Tay’s and her brother’s deaths. Yesterday, her management announced she was alive and her Instagram had been hacked. However, Rolling Stone believes the whole thing was a publicity stunt to drive people to Lil Tay’s cryptocurrency, Lil Tay Token, which went live a day after her reported “death.”

And now a quick update from Ashley!

Million-dollar settlement in Auburn Police killing: Auburn must pay $5.9 million to settle a lawsuit for the actions of Officer Kenneth Lyman, who in 2019 shot Enosa “EJ” Strickland in the back of the head while he lay face down, according to a release from the plaintiff’s attorneys. The firm called the settlement one of the highest in Auburn’s history for an excessive use of force claim.

Thanks, Ashley! Back to me. 

Let’s stick with the fucked up Auburn PD for a sec: What is going on with this department? The two cops involved in Strickland’s death have together cost the city $11 million because of their violent policing tactics in over 100 violent use-of-force incidents. You’d think the department would’ve stepped in well before these guys used violent force over 100 times. The cop who shot and killed Strickland has since left the department. The other cop, who killed another person 11 days after Strickland’s death, is on leave and is still receiving his annual salary of $102,656 while he awaits that trial. That cop has killed three people. 

The peak of the Perseid meteor shower comes this weekend: Late Saturday and early Sunday, the sky will put on a dazzling show for you. Get out of the city to watch the Perseid meteor shower at its peak this weekend. Or, do your best to see it while you’re in the city. I watched it once from Magnuson Park and it was just fine. 

Some weather for your Friday: Enjoy our 70-degree days while they last. A big warmup, with temps reaching the 90s, is shaping up for midweek next week. 

Nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2022: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 49,449 Americans died by suicide last year. That’s the most deaths by suicide ever and a 2.6% increase over 2021 numbers. The greatest jump was an 8.1% increase in suicide deaths from people 65 years old and up. 

New column! For my latest “Play Date,” I joined the Dead Baby Bike Club for their annual race. One of my sources texted me after the article went live to say his only regret was not reciting the Bicycle Jesus’ Lord Prayer to me. 

Light rail service interruption reminder: Hey, don’t forget it’s going to be a real pain in the ass on the light rail this weekend. Service between SODO station and Capitol Hill station is stalled. You’ll need to board a shuttle bus if you’re going anywhere south of Capitol Hill or north of SODO:

Supreme Court vs. the Sacklers: At the behest of the Biden administration, on Thursday, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement reached with PurduePharma, the makers of OxyContin, last year. The deal would shield all of the Sackler family members, the owners of the company, from “civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.” It also would allow the company to “emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity” with profits focused on fighting the opioid crisis. 

I’m so tired: PINE—The People’s Initiative of New England—is a group that helped out in Vermont after this year’s floods. They’re the softer, more palatable mask for the neo-Nazi street gang, NSC-131. Apparently, neo-Nazi groups are ingratiating themselves to people and embedding themselves in communities more subtly by helping in climate change-caused disaster relief efforts. Experts expect this tactic to grow as climate disasters continue and worsen. 

Sorry to do this: Due to her death and resurrection this week, I feel obligated to put a Lil Tay song here. So, here’s her song, “Money Way.” She was nine when this came out. Please analyze and discuss in the comments: 

More in NEWS

Local (and not-so-local) news from your favorite writers.

The AI Wars Come to Ravenna

There’s a contentious election in a normally sleepy North Seattle legislative district, with out-of-state money pouring in. Blame the robots.

Nathalie Graham covers anything she finds fun, weird, or interesting. You can find a lot of that in her column, Play Date. Her work has also appeared around town in The Seattle Times, GeekWire, and the...