San Juan County adopts a 32-hour work week: The good people of San Juan County recognize we all work too damn much, and so they are cutting County workers' hours without reducing their pay, with the exception of emergency workers and law enforcement, who will work the same schedules. The County is one of the first local governments in the US to adopt the 32-hour work week. Research from the UK shows the change could increase productivity, while keeping county operations under budget and giving people more time to actually enjoy life.

🎵 I’m leavin' on a jet ski, don’t know when I’ll be back again 🎵: Authorities believe the man who washed up with a jet ski and barrels of fuel on the coast of South Korea is a Chinese dissident who fled the country fearing for his safety. The man, known only as Mr. A, was detained for breaking immigration law, but since it was super James Bond of him, they should be really nice about it.

Families still searching in Maui: The official death count of 115 already makes the Maui wildfires the worst in a century, but the FBI says at least 1,000 people are still missing, including immigrant hotel workers who don’t speak fluent English, elderly folks without cell phones, and houseless people. Officials took DNA from surviving relatives of the missing to help identify remains, but they’ve heard almost nothing so far. The number of dead hasn’t changed much in days. Searchers have already sifted through 87 percent of rubble and ash on the island.

This year, 33 states introduced 81 bills to ban Chinese nationals from land ownership: Yeah, it’s as dumb and racist as it sounds. Twelve states–including Idaho, Florida, Alabama, and Virginia–have actually made it law. These policies broadly target Chinese investments in the US by prohibiting Chinese citizens from buying land near military bases. They argue China could spy on the US from these lands, or threaten food security by acquiring too much agricultural land (seriously?). Central Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse said as much when citing this report from the US Department of Agriculture.

The report shows Chinese investors only own 1 percent of American agricultural land. Only 0.3 percent of that is farmland. Asian American advocacy groups say the policies go too far and could encourage discrimination of Chinese Americans at a time when hate crimes are already a rising problem. The legislative movement took off after that Chinese spy balloon floated over in February.

On Edutainment: The Seattle Department of Labor Standards is asking local artists for quotes to create communist propaganda educational art panels about the City’s labor ordinances that protect gig and contract workers. The City will display the panels at the Seattle Center. Artists, you have until September to submit a quote.

Kraken team dog, Davy Jones, taking a step back: Was it drugs? (No.) The frenetic atmosphere of hockey games at Climate Pledge stressed Davy out, which I can completely understand. Davy wasn’t getting along with the dogs at his first home either, and he is now living in Tacoma with a season ticket holder who adopted him. He’s still the team dog, but he probably won’t be back for games.

North Cascades Highway reopens: State Route 20 should be drivable again after a week-long closure between Newhalem and Silver Star campground in response to the wildfires burning in the North Cascades. Popular spots are still closed, such as Diablo Lake, Ross Lake, Gorge Lake, and Colonial Creek North. The Sourdough Fire, the largest one burning in the area, has grown to nearly 6,000 acres and was just 12% contained as of yesterday.

Thurston County Woman sues Tacoma Frugals over listeria outbreak: The woman’s husband and two others died after drinking bacteria-contaminated milkshakes at the restaurant this spring. Three others got sick but survived. State health officials announced the outbreak this month, but they only determined the source last week. Food safety advocate and personal injury lawyer Bill Marler is representing the woman.

Vivek Ramaswamy told the Atlantic Bush did 9/11 (kind of): *Ahem* And I quote, “I think it is legitimate to say how many police, how many federal agents, were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers,” Ramaswamy said. “Maybe the answer is zero. It probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero.” The GOP presidential candidate claimed the Atlantic misquoted him, but the magazine released the audio. Guess what? He totally said it!

John Eastman surrenders on election fraud charges: The conservative attorney is implicated in a plot to overturn the 2020 election to keep former President Donald Trump in power. He turned himself into the Feds on Tuesday. A grand jury indicted Eastman, Trump and 17 others last week. Trump said he’ll surrender to authorities on Thursday.

On another Federal Trump case: A federal witness in the classified documents case retracted “prior false testimony” and is now implicating the former president in a plot to delete security footage, according to the Justice Department. The witness, identified as the IT director at Mar-a-Lago, initially told prosecutors he could not recall prior conversations about security footage. He changed his tune after switching lawyers.