A CAUTIONARY TALE Credit: Angelo D'Amico/Getty Images
A CAUTIONARY TALE
A CAUTIONARY TALE Angelo D’Amico/Getty Images

Whidbey Island not aware that it’s a haven for skinheads: Every year on Dec. 8, skinheads and neo-Nazis come to Whidbey Island to commemorate one of their leaders who died there in the 80s. Whidbey Island residents are foggy on the details, many were completely in the dark about the history. But, this year, a group of self-professed neo-Nazis got in a brawl with a black DJ after their Whidbey Island visit and were arrested for alleged violations of the stateโ€™s hate-crime law. Island residents have been thinking a lot more about neo-Nazis. They’re usually gabbing about broccoli cheddar quiche, one resident said.

Snowpack surges after late-December storms: The snowpack is up to 89 percent of normal. It was at 38 percent on Dec. 7. But, despite the fresh powder under your skis, that may not be enough to stave off drought in 2019. Winter weather is supposed to dry up and get milder. What will water supply look like in 2019? Will Eastern Washington be a tinder box this summer? Only time will tell!

Seattle wants to end youth homelessness: The way to go about that? Copy the Aussies. The Geelong Project from, well, Geelong, Australia, monitors at-risk students and connects them early on in their education to services that will reduce their chances of becoming homeless. Those are things like counselors and mentors and rental assistance, according to the Seattle Times. Since 2013, the project has reduced youth homelessness 40 percent. The Raikes Foundation in Seattle is exploring how it could be replicated here.

Without 911, Washington tests cellphone alert system: Centurylink fucked up last Thursday and made 911 inaccessible to most people in Washington. In response, emergency managers tested the Wireless Emergency Alert to notify people about the outage and to tell them who to call if there was an emergency. The technology for this is brand spankin’ newโ€”government agencies only gained access to push alerts to everyone’s cellphones on Dec. 11. That and a new 911 text feature are two new innovations in emergency responses.

Get ready for 2019, Seattle: The fireworks show off the Space Needle is going to be top-fucking-notch. I’ve never been in Seattle for New Year’s Eve. Seems like it might be cool. I learned that factโ€””that it might be cool”โ€”from this incredibly dry and informative (but boring) GeekWire video:

Washington residents are excited about the very real prospect of ‘becoming a tree’: That dream of sprouting into a beautiful Douglas Fir could very soon be realized. Washington is on its way to be the first state to legalize human composting. It’s called “recomposition.” Your body, the shattered remains of what you once were, is put in a vessel in nutrient rich soil to speed up decomposition. Then you sprout or something. It’s less expensive than cremation or burial and way more environmentally friendly. Start thinking about what kind of tree you’d like to be when you shuffle off this mortal coil. I’d like to be a willow. Or a redwood.

Ring in the new year with this refresher: We passed some laws in 2018. KOMO breaks down which go into effect starting in 2019.

This was the needle warming up last night: He’s beautiful.

Liz is running: It’s starting. What’s the spread on when Jay Inslee announces? I’m saying he let’s us know before Jan. 5.

Texas man arrested on his way to church shooting: He was holding a firearm when he asked restaurant workers for directions to the nearest Baptist church yesterday. The workers called 911. The man was wearing tactical-style clothing and said he was on his way to “fulfill a prophecy.” He was arrested.

Yikes: Louis C.K. said he wanted to “step back and listen” after he was inundated by multiple sexual assault and harassment allegations. C.K., who admitted and apologized (albeit, it was a thin apology at best) for masturbating in front of women, didn’t remain out of the spotlight for long. In his most recent comedy set, C.K. mocks non-binary people and school shooting survivors. Here’s the audio:

Portland hotel workers fired after racial discrimination: The DoubleTree in Portland has fired two of its workers after they called the cops on a man in their lobby. The man, who was staying at the hotel, was talking to his family on the phone when he was approached by a security guard. The man was black. Everyone else involved was white. The cellphone video of the interaction went viral after the man posted it. DoubleTree apologized and fired the two employees involved.

Nathalie Graham covers anything she finds fun, weird, or interesting. You can find a lot of that in her column, Play Date. Her work has also appeared around town in The Seattle Times, GeekWire, and the...