Crashing on the job: Last July, a ferry crashed into the pilings outside of Fauntleroy. Nobody was injured, but the crash incurred $6.7 million in damage to the vessel. The cause of the crash? The ferry master fell asleep. Well, the report is calling it a "microsleep." The ferry master, who had been with Washington State Ferries since 1985 and earned master status in 2007, said he was functioning on five to six hours of sleep a night due to dealing with a family member's health issues. He retired the day after the crash. 

Two Beers Brewing Co. turns off the tap: Seattle local brewery Two Beers Brewing Co. announced it will be stopping production this December after 16 years in the biz. The brewery cited financial struggle and increased competition as the reason for the closure. 

A new sign for the Cinerama: The Cinerama is no more. A "Siff Cinema" sign went up on the Belltown building on Thursday. I'm kinda bummed they didn't give it a fun name. The "Sifforama" was right there. 

Child poverty is up in the Evergreen state: According to a new report outlined in a press release, child poverty in Washington nearly tripled between the years 2021 and 2022. In 2021, about 63,800 children were considered impoverished. In 2022, that number climbed to nearly 186,500. The Washington Community Alliance blames "the expiration of the federal Child Tax Credit and the lack of any cash benefits specifically aimed at alleviating child poverty" for this increase. 

Still no Speaker: The Republicans haven't decided on a Speaker of the House replacement after the ousting of Kevin McCarthy. The Grand Ol' Party's top pick to replace McCarthy, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, couldn't bridge the gap between the caucus' internal fractions. The hard-right contingent wouldn't support him, so he withdrew from consideration. Now, it looks like Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ultraconservative far-right Donald Trump darling and House Freedom Caucus co-founder, will throw his name in for consideration again. Will Republicans unite behind an extremist like Jordan? 

The worst person you could possibly ask for his two cents about this: George W. Bush weighed in on the Israel/Gaza situation. I wish he wouldn't. I wish he would just paint his little paintings instead of discussing geopolitical issues. Bush, who called himself "kind of a hardliner," said, "My view is: One side is guilty. And it's not Israel." Bush believes Israel dropping around 6,000 bombs on Gaza in five days is Benjamin Netanyahu "protecting his country."

Israel likely perpetrating war crimes: On Friday, Israel announced all civilians living in the northern half of the Gaza needed to evacuate to the southern half of the strip immediately. Around 1.1 million people live in that region. They have to move within 24 hours, Israel said, or they'll get caught up in a planned ground assault. According to Reuters, "The United Nations said evacuating everyone was impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences." Due to the Israeli blockade, the power is out in Gaza and food and water are running low. Israel's actions likely amount to war crimes. Ah, another thing George W. Bush can relate to. 

Speaking of war crimes: Human Rights Watch and the Washington Post confirms that Israel used white phosphorus in its recent attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. The chemical weapon causes "excruciating burns and lifelong suffering." Its use in civilian areas violates international law. The Israeli Defense Forces deny using the munition. Israel used white phosphorous on civilian areas "repeatedly" in 2009. 

Here is a video from a Gaza hospital: Warning, it's a bit graphic. The reporter is a Gaza resident. "You never want to become the story," he said, as he broke down in tears while reporting in a Gaza hospital overrun with the injured and the dead.

In strike news: The United Autoworkers Union expanded its strike to include Ford's biggest plant, a truck plant in Kentucky. Ford leadership, meanwhile, said they were "at the limit" for what they could provide workers in wages and benefits. The situation at Ford could be a wake-up call for General Motors and Stellantis, since their offers fall short of Ford's. 

More strike stuff: The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers stepped away from the negotiating table and suspended talks with SAG-AFTRA, the striking actors' union. AMPTP said the union's demand to receive a cut of streaming platform revenues was essentially outrageous and would cost studios $800 million annually. According to SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, the studios are over-inflating that number.

Don't hire teens to kill your ex: A Bellevue woman learned this the hard way. In 2020, she allegedly paid two teens $13,000 to kill her ex-husband. The teens shot the husband nine times, but he survived. Now, the woman has pleaded guilty "to solicitation to commit murder in the second degree" and faces up to 13.75 years in prison. 

The rain comes tonight: Friday will be the last sunny and dry day before an expected cloudy and wet weekend. Get those rain jackets out for the University of Washington vs. University of Oregon football game. I'll be there. I'm a Husky. My brother is a Duck. It's a whole thing. My rain jacket is green, though, so I'll need to raid a Goodwill or something before Saturday. 

NASA launched an asteroid probe: NASA launched a spacecraft on Friday that will go on a six-year journey to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Once there, it will check out the asteroid named Psyche. The enigmatic asteroid has fascinated scientists for decades. They suspect Psyche could be made of more metal than rock, that the asteroid could actually be the core of a baby planet. I guess we'll learn more in six short years.