Pic of me during summer if this bullshit keeps up.
Pic of me during summer if this bullshit keeps up. VMJONES/GETTY IMAGES

The Ferries are Dying: Now that’s what KOMO should have called their hour-long special because maybe then we would have actually learned something and then nobody would have been exploited. Transportation budgets are getting kicked around Olympia this week for final changes before going to a vote. The biggest issues are the state’s aging fleet of ferries, road culverts that block fish access to streams, and some big infrastructure projects planned for 2019. If you’re a longtime ferry rider, you could see your rates go up sooner than originally planned. Guess how much a brand new ferry costs. I’ll wait. Ready? $160 million, that’s how much.

Happy April Fools Day, you fools: Journalism's never been a place that welcomes practical jokes (aka lies) so I will resist the urge to prank you all. Just know that I could if I wanted to and it would be hilarious, but we’re a serious news organization. Companies on Twitter might not be as scrupulous as we are, so watch out for a bunch of stupid attempts at sparking online outrage today. Here are some Twitter posts that made my bullshit-meter spike.






Investigators will release their preliminary reports on Ethiopia’s Boeing 737 crash: It’s expected to confirm what we already suspect to be the cause of the first crash in Indonesia last October. The anti-stall system suspected of overcompensating the pitch of the plane and automatically pushing the nose down, the MCAS, left the pilots with nowhere to go but down. Boeing is working on a software patch to fix a couple of key flaws in this system. The media will be briefed later today so hopefully those details will be out by Slog PM!

Fatal boat crash near Vashon Island following bull-riding event: A motorboat crashed into a moored sailboat without its lights on, causing one man to fall into the water late last night. He was pulled out of the water but medics were not able to revive him. Three others are now in satisfactory condition after undergoing surgery at Harborview, according to the Seattle Times.

Trump could be approaching a “red-line moment” in Venezuela: It’s Syria all over again. Trump criticized Obama for drawing “red-lines” in Syria over chemical weapons attacks that he then walked back when they came to fruition. Now Trump has one of his own. Russia is helping to prop up the beleaguered president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, despite international recognition of interim president Juan Guaidó as the true leader. Maduro still has control over the military so has all the power. Russia sent “military advisors” to help him keep his power, but U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton is laying down some very tough talk about establishing military presence in the Western Hemisphere.

March was bone dry: For reference, February broke all sorts of snow records for King County. Now we’re setting records for least amount of rainfall. We’ve been blessed (or cursed, if you really think about it) with dry, sunny weather. The flowers are out, especially on the University of Washington quad where dozens of cherry trees are in full bloom. Go early in the morning to beat the crowds.




Rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in Los Angeles: He was reportedly shot outside his clothing store yesterday and police are still piecing together the details at the scene. Two other people nearby were shot, but neither sustained life threatening injuries. Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was a model citizen and rapper on the rise who spent much of his time and money reinvesting in the LA community. His death is mourned by many, not only in the hip hop community, but in Los Angeles at large.

Joe Biden accused of making a Nevada politician feel “uneasy:” She accused him of standing behind her, smelling her hair, and kissing her on the back of the head backstage before an event. Biden, who is reportedly going to announce his bid for the presidency soon, said he did not recall the incident, but said that it’s important for women like Lucy Flores, the woman who made the accusation, to be heard.

Skrillex stops mosquitoes from having sex: The bass-thumping dubstep producer’s breakout hit "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" was found to stop a species of mosquito from reproduction because the low frequency sounds block mating signals between insects, according to a new study. These mosquitoes are known for spreading yellow fever, a rare but deadly disease, so low-frequency interventions could be a good way to slow their reproduction, but on the other hand you have to listen to dubstep. Can we just appreciate the fact that scientists even studied this in the first place? I love science.

I’m scared but I also want to jump directly into it: The itsy-bitsy spider did not prepare me for a waterspout of this magnitude.


Now listen here: Alright people, we’re starting something new! Every Monday, you’re getting a hand- picked song from yours truly that will be the perfect start to your week. It might be happy, it might bum you the fuck out, it might be part of a theme, or just whatever I want you to listen to that day. All I can say is that you’ll dig it. You have my full permission in advanced to show these songs to your friends and take full credit for finding them.

It’s been a sunny, beautiful summer for the past week and it’s got me in a jolly mood, so here’s a happy song to start your day. Well at least it feels happy. The lyrics are less happy, they’re more those mundane little bits of life we don’t even realize are important until we look back. This song comes to us from the greatest band of the last 25 years, Ween. Please direct all outrage about that comment directly to the comment section, I will read each and every one.

One lyric talks about seeing the sun come out, deciding to go on a run, having your lungs fail, and dragging your ass back home. I literally did that earlier this week and I don’t think I’m alone. It’s a happy song that doesn’t feel like sugar, it feels just the like the sun coming out after five months of overcast clouds.

Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: A Seattle tour stop with Japanese interstellar overdrivers Acid Mothers Temple, a screening of O Brother, Where Art Thou? at Central Cinema, and a reading with Russian Jewish poet and translator Ilya Kaminsky.