So long, Ron: After a 30-point loss last week in Iowa and ahead of likely more embarrassment to come after the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race. I can't say I'm too sad to see him go. So, now it's Donald Trump duking it out against former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. But how much duking will there be really? As DeSantis said in his dropout announcement, "It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance." 

Seattle-to-Portland trains stalled 'til Tuesday: Amtrak canceled train service between Seattle and Portland after a landslide south of Kelso obstructed the tracks. They only realized this Friday night when a train couldn't make it through Kelso, requiring passengers to hop in shared Lyfts and Ubers to make it the rest of the way to their destinations. Hopefully all the trouble initiated a nice meet-cute for someone. Service should resume Tuesday.

Sound Transit's last-minute station shutdown: On Saturday evening, an hour before a planned pro-Palestine protest at the University District station, Sound Transit announced the station's closure. The protest, organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Answer Seattle, and the Party For Socialism and Liberation, aimed to gather in the station to "denounce the links between the publicly-funded Sound Transit and multinational conglomerate, Siemens, who works to enhance Israeli occupation and colonization in Palestine." Protesters still gathered outside the station. Sound Transit reopened it at 9:30 pm. The closure occurred on a weekend when construction closed a slew of other link stations.

More trouble ahead for street car: The beleaguered project to build out the rest of the South Lake Union street car line downtown and connect it to the First Hill street car seems like a pipe dream at this point. New cost estimates for the perpetually-stalled project are 43% higher than previous estimates made back in 2018. The total cost is now estimated somewhere around $445 million with a completion date of 2031. That said, recent highway projects have gone way over budget. Completing the street car isn't outside the realm of possibility from a financial perspective. However, with a new Seattle City Council made up of jokers who probably haven't set foot on public transit in the last calendar year, I doubt we'll see any progress on a completed street car system. 

Doom and gloom season: Rain, rain, rain. That's what the heavens have in store for you on Monday. Get used to it, things will be equally wet the rest of the week. 

Trump could testify in sex abuse trial: Trump is expected to be in court today for the ongoing defamation trial surrounding comments he made in 2019 calling the writer E Jean Carroll "a liar who faked a sexual attack to sell a memoir." Carroll accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump may testify in the case as soon as Monday. However, since a different jury did find Trump assaulted Carroll, Trump will not be able to say anything about how Carroll "concocted the allegation or that she was motivated by financial or political considerations," according to the Associated Press. That restriction could be tough for this blowhard. 

Can we get a Trump trial tally? Sure, yeah. The former president and current GOP frontrunner is currently facing four criminal cases, a civil fraud case, and this defamation lawsuit. 

Lost in the move: While cleaning out the freezer of a recently-sold house, people in Colorado stumbled across human hands and a human head. Hm. You probably want to take your incriminating human remains with you whenever you move houses. Just a thought. Anyway, there are no further details. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is working to identify the remains. 

What's the deal with these respiratory illnesses? In Washington, hospitalizations for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV are down. However, community transmission remains high. Do all your public health best practices (wash your hands, wear a mask, get your shots) to keep infections at bay. 

Alaska Airlines' PR nightmare continues: I want to be a fly on the wall of the crisis communications team meeting that happened after this SNL sketch came out. 

Better check these Boeings, too: The door plugs on the 737 Max 9 need inspecting after that Alaska Airlines mishap, we know this. The Federal Aviation Administration thinks another Boeing model—the Boeing 737-900ER planes—may have faulty door plugs as well, since the plane uses the same door plug design as the Max 9.  

Stop the Stanley madness: The craze over Stanley tumbler cups has gone too far. These things are reusable. Please stop buying, like, 50 of them at a time. They're not even cute. They're drinking vessels, not status symbols! I should be preaching this to the woman in California busted by police for stealing almost $2,500 worth of cups, or to the parents of the teen who spent $3,000 to get her every style of Stanley cup. 

Snoring kills: Two neighbors in Philadelphia had a long-lasting dispute over snoring. One of the neighbors snored so loudly the other guy could hear it through his walls. The issue reached a breaking point last week when the non-snorer came over to confront the snorer. He opened the snorer's window while the snorer ate dinner and asked if he could help pay for the snorer's nasal surgery. Then, after a verbal confrontation, the snorer stabbed the guy to death with a military-style knife. 

Some feelings for your Monday: I didn't think parkour would ever stir an emotion in me, but then I saw the Palestinian parkour team doing their sport on the crumbling remains of their bombed out home.