Maine police checked on shooter six weeks ago: Back in September, the Maine National Guard asked someone from the Sagadahoc County and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices to check on Robert Card, a reservist who shot and killed 18 people last week. A soldier reported he feared Card would "snap and commit a mass shooting." Officers from the sheriff's department went to Card's house, but they never made contact with him. The officer may have filed a missing person's report for Card as a result of the failed wellness check, but they did nothing about Card's access to firearms. 

Striketober success: Good news for the United Autoworkers. After six weeks of striking, the UAW reached a tentative deal with all three of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers. Ford struck a deal on Wednesday, Stellantis fell in line on Saturday, and General Motors caved Monday morning. If ratified by union members, the deal will give workers a 25% wage increase, cost-of-living adjustments, and other benefits. GM said the strike cost the company $800 million.

Updates from Gaza: Israel continues to bombard Gaza with airstrikes and an extended ground invasion. Israel leadership warned northern Gaza hospitals to evacuate. Over the weekend, Gaza lost internet and phone access—a total blackout. As of Sunday, partial phone and internet service were restored. Israel has killed around 8,000 Palestinians so far. Hundreds of thousands of people in cities around the world this weekend marched in pro-Palestinian, pro-cease fire demonstrations. 

Reports of antisemitism are up: Cornell University dispatched police to the campus' Jewish center after people posted antisemitic threats of violence against the university's Jewish population. The threats listed the address for Cornell's Center for Jewish Living. 

Happy almost-Halloween: It'll be chilly and dry with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Rain returns on Wednesday. 

Matthew Perry is dead: The Friends star was found unresponsive in his hot tub on Saturday. Initial reports said his cause of death was drowning, however the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is awaiting the results of a toxicology report before determining an official cause of death for Perry. He was 54. 

Three dead in wrong-way crash: At around midnight Monday, a car drove onto I-90 near Mercer Island going the wrong direction. The wrong-way driver struck a car, killing themselves and the driver and passenger in the other car. 

Halloweekend horrors: Gun violence broke out at Halloween parties around the US this weekend. In San Antonio, a 20-year-old man shot and killed a man, 40, and woman, 35, in the front yard of a house party during an argument. He also shot the pair's 13-year-old daughter. The girl's mother and father died at the scene. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries. In Chicago, a man fired a gun into a Halloween party. He injured at least 15 people, six women and nine men. Two remain in critical condition. In Tampa, a fight between two groups at a Halloween street party turned into gunfire. Two people were killed and 18 were injured.  

Halloweekend whimsy: The world is not all bad. Sometimes witches paddle board, and that's nice.

And sometimes a little dog wears a Big Suit.

Back to the horrors: Former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson died during a hockey game in England. Johnson, who was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game, died when an ice skate sliced his neck during the second period. The Panthers called Johnson's death a "freak accident." 

Packing heat in Hong Kong: About a week after Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, accidentally brought his pistol on an international flight, a Hong Kong judge dismissed the gun possession case against him. Wilson said he realized he forgot to take his pistol out of his bag when he was in the air on a plane bound for Hong Kong. When he landed, he told customs agents about the pistol. They arrested him and detained him for several days. With the judge's ruling, Wilson is out of custody and has his passport back. He did not get his gun back. All of that is fine and dandy, but what I want to know is how TSA let a gun onto a plane. Were they too busy throwing away little bottles of lotion to notice a literal pistol? 

TSA apparently sucks at its job: Back in 2017, during tests, TSA missed 70% of fake weapons undercover testers brought through security lines. That's an improvement, too. Back in 2015, TSA missed 95% of fake weapons from a similar test. I think about these articles about how stupid and useless the TSA is a lot. 

Last day of online voter registration: Monday—today—is the last day you can register to vote online before the Nov 7 election. On election day, you can register to vote in person, but why do that when you can become an active member of our democracy from the comfort of your own home? 

Sound Transit needs more railcars: The Sound Transit board needs to act quickly if it wants to purchase 10 new light rail railcars in order to provide more space for passengers and—fingers crossed—increase train frequency. The cars, which will be built by Siemens at their California factory, will cost between $60 million and $100 million and will be delivered by 2027. The Sound Transit board must decide if it wants to buy these cars by November. 

A conspiracy theory I get a kick out of: People on the internet think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wears high heels, or lifts, disguised as other shoes to give him a surreptitious boost in height. The evidence is compelling. 

Spain soccer president banned for three years: FIFA banned former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales from participating in the sport for three years due to his inappropriate conduct toward his players. Rubiales non-consensually kissed one of his players on the mouth after the Spanish women won the World Cup this summer. 

A song for your Halloween Eve: Don't be afraid of what you can't see.Â