Juneteenth is one week away. There’s lots of great activities planned – scroll through them all over on EverOut.

Maybe that dark fluid leaking down his face at the press conference was Kahlua. One of the highlights of the January 6 hearing today was the disclosure that a drunk (well, allegedly drunk) Rudy Giuliani insisted that Trump should declare victory in 2020. Also, former Attorney General William Barr described Trump as “detached from reality.” No surprises, only reminders that we live in a super normal, stable country.

Well I got a flash for you, joy boy. The fantastic actor Philip Baker Hall passed away today – you may remember him as a library detective in one of the single best-written, best-acted sitcom scenes of the last few decades. He was 90 years old, and his television career stretched from M*A*S*H to Modern Family.

What’s she done for us lately? The Urbanist will be chatting with Port Commissioner Toshiko Grace Hasegawa tomorrow evening, asking questions about high speed rail, labor, and other burning issues. You can register to join the conversation here.

Coming soon: Hamburgers. After a long renovation, Dick’s Capitol Hill location will reopen on June 23, which happens to be Frances McDormand’s birthday. (Probably a coincidence.) That location was the subject of various health and safety complaints from former workers last year, and the state issued 12 formal citations (7 for serious violations).

And it only took twelve years. Work will get underway this week on major improvements to Melrose Ave – you know, that weird, smog-choked shelf above I-5. Designers hope that someday Melrose will serve as a “front porch” for Capitol Hill – lol, sure, if you like sitting back and watching traffic roar by while slowly inhaling your way to an early stroke. Lidding the freeway – or, better yet, removing it altogether – is the only way to make Melrose truly tolerable.

Is this computer alive? You will probably find it hard to stop thinking about this Google engineer who says that the company’s most sophisticated chatbot is no longer just an algorithm but a sentient entity.

Welcome aboard. Details are a little spotty about this one, but the Coast Guard rescued four people whose boat sank near Port Angeles. Three people were picked up by helicopter, one by boat. 

Coming soon to Tukwila: $17.54/hour. A campaign to reform Tukwila’s minimum wage is moving ahead, with organizers turning signatures in today. The proposal would bump up the wage from the current $14.49 to match SeaTac’s $17.54 over the next few years. Tukwila is home to numerous workers who service the airport, among other major employers.

Or as I call it, “a week exactly like the other 51 out of the year.” We’re still a few months away from Week Without Driving 2022, but a group of local leaders just recorded a video encouraging you to participate. 

Trains! Metro is hiring rail track maintenance people. The salary ranges from around $62K to $88K with nice benefits, chief among them being able to brag about how fucking awesome your job is. Applicants should have two years of experience working on railroad tracks.

School’s out. An 11 am bomb threat has sent Roosevelt High students home early today. After a search of the school, no evidence of any real danger was found.

Congrats to Rebel Wilson. But anti-congrats to the Sydney Morning Herald, which threatened to out her last week. Wilson scooped them on her own Instagram by disclosing that she’s dating a woman, depriving the outers of their exclusive. And while it’s very nice that she’s in a happy relationship (with a track-suit designer—have you ever heard of anything so sapphic?) it is utterly gross to see outing wielded as a weapon against someone who has never done any harm to the queer community. 

The Aurora upgrade just keeps getting bigger. Things were finally looking up when the State Legislature allocated $50 million to fix part of Aurora earlier this year. The idea was that SDOT and WSDOT would work together on making the street safer for all users. But now Metro’s getting involved, and Seattle Public Utilities, and the cost of full upgrades is estimated to have grown to somewhere around $200 million. Maybe they’ll find a way to cough up the extra money, but I’m getting nervous that trying to do too much will doom the entire project.

It’s June, June, June. Here’s a little story you may enjoy.