Submersible expedition still missing: Rescuers race against rapidly depleting oxygen to find the five people who went missing Sunday while onboard a submersible vessel in the North Atlantic. The group wanted to dive and see the Titanic shipwreck. One of the people missing is Seattle resident Stockton Rush, who founded OceanGate Expeditions, the Everett-based company that organized the trip. An OceanGate advisor estimated the group had about four days worth of oxygen when they dove down Sunday.
Speaking of Seattle innovators: Vivian sat down with the creator of Stardew Valley, Seattle-based game designer Eric Barone, and wrote a mouthwatering Q&A about his inspiration for the recipes he put in the game. Now I’m craving a maple bar and tom kha soup. And for 12 hours of uninterrupted Switch time.
Which would be perfect given today’s weather: Broke out my SAD light this morning. This dreary, drizzly weather is supposed to lift a little Wednesday, though.
50 degrees & raining, one day before the summer solstice.
Classic Seattle.
— Seattle Weather Blog (@KSeattleWeather) June 20, 2023
Seattle Police Department reacts to recent shootings: Heavier policing is expected in downtown, South Seattle, Aurora Avenue, and in the Central District, according to the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. SPD Chief Adrian Diaz announced the new gun violence task force to try to reduce shootings over the next 60 days. He referenced a handful of shootings leading to the formulation of the task force, he but highlighted the death of business owner Eina Kwon, who was eight months pregnant when she was shot and killed in Belltown last week. Diaz also said officers knew the alleged shooter struggled with mental health. No word from the Mayor’s office on any new resources to help people going through mental health crises.
New state law to eliminate copays for more breast cancer screenings: Insurance companies in Washington must remove copays for MRI and ultrasound breast cancer screenings starting at the end of July, according to MyNorthwest. A previous law removed copays for mammograms. People with breast tissue, get your screenings.
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to misdemeanor tax charges: The president’s son worked out a deal with the Justice Department earlier this year that will allow him to avoid a charge of lying about his drug use when he purchased a handgun in 2018, according to the New York Times. Republicans miffed about the deal called it a “slap-on-the-wrist.” Hunter Biden is expected to also avoid jail time and instead serve probation.
Behind the scenes of DeSantis’s state supreme court: The Florida State Supreme Court has one of the most significant conservative leans in the country. DeSantis made sure of that, according to the Washington Post. If elected president, he plans to move the US Supreme Court even further right.
Election Day in Virginia: Voters decide on all 140 seats in the Virginia State Legislature Tuesday. As it stands, Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate and Republicans have a similarly loose hold on the House. A proposed 15-week abortion ban hangs in the balance, according to Politico.
Housing First model subject to right wing attacks: Housing First means getting people into housing without attaching any preconditions, then addressing underlying issues and connecting people to voluntary services, according to the New York Times. Despite studies showing the strategy’s early success, conservatives now push back against the program.
Bebe Rexa is OK! She got hit in the face with a phone while performing in New York, according to the Associated Press. She’s a little bruised and bandaged. Police arrested the guy who threw it at her, and now he faces misdemeanor charges. He told someone he thought it would be funny. 🙄
Let us give Bebe a little love today by amplifying her shameless plug of her new song in her TikTok about the incident. Have a good Tuesday, bebes.
