Hopefully he doesnt violate his probation.
Hopefully he doesn't violate his probation. GLITTERD/GETTY IMAGES

White Center rapist got out of jail, attacked his victim again, possibly fled to Mexico: Francisco Carranza-Ramirez, 35, was convicted of raping a White Center woman last September. He went to jail for nine months. Upon his release, on June 13, he was given permission by the judge to return to his native Mexico in lieu of serving a year of community service. He's believed to be in Mexico now with a new appearance. But in between release and relocation, Carranza-Ramirez allegedly sought out the victim, pushed her out of her wheelchair, choked her, and beat her. Bystanders intervened.

Oh good, no war yet: While we were sleeping, President Donald Trump was contemplating retaliating against Iran and drone striking three different sites. But he apparently stopped after learning that 150 people would probably die. I guess even Trump has a terribleness threshold (note: this is not a confirmed fact). Of course, all of this information was disseminated via Twitter.


More on those escalating tensions: On Thursday, June 20, Iran shot down a US drone. It was a toss-up between who was at fault—Iran for shooting down the drone or the United States for being in Iranian airspace. Tehran said that the drone turned off all identifying equipment and moved in full secrecy, which is a violation of international rules. Russia thinks that the US was the instigator here and was driving tensions to the brink.

Nonprofit for the blind runs out of money: The about 1,200 vision-impaired people treated by Sight Connection, the Mount Vernon nonprofit for the blind, are shit out of luck. Sight Connection is out of cash. In fact, they've been hemorrhaging money—operating at a loss of $470,000 out of revenues of $1.1 million in 2018. An abundance of costs, a lack of donors, and the loss of a contract with Value Village's parent company all contributed to its demise. It will shut down by August 31.

Boeing testing new plane: Forget the besmirched 737 MAX 8, Boeing is in the taxi-testing stage for a new plane, the 777X. It's a plane so big that Boeing had to give it state-of-the-art foldable wing tips so that it could park at gates. The wingspan is 235 feet. The plane underwent its first taxi run at Everett's Paine Field. It was expected to be in action by now, but General Electric noticed some engine issues during testing in Ohio.

Congrats, it's a [checks notes]... Tacoma light rail extension! Light rail's prophesized manifest destiny across the Puget Sound region is not limited to the Seattle area. Tacoma's light rail route is getting an extension and construction is finally in full swing. According to KOMO, the extension will run "from the Old City Hall north and curves around through the Hilltop." I don't know where anything in Tacoma is. The longest time I've spent there was for this nearly-naked scooter ride I did last year. All types of scooters will be such a nice last mile solution to pair with all this light rail.

Have you thought about the viaduct recently? Me either. Here's where the demolition progress is. This process has been such a prolonged goodbye.

The Seattle Times agrees that we should get a new city flag: Because, as Chase and I said, it looks like sperm seeking an egg. And, listen, as much as I'm for the miracle of life, that's not really how I want my city represented. Chase announced we were going to be doing a flag redesign contest and now, hmm, so did the Times. Great minds?

Happy solstice!: Good luck with your 16-hour day.


Flooding is going to break the bank: You know all those warnings about how we're going to have to pay for the effects of climate change sooner rather than later? Well, bad news. Sooner is now. The Center for Climate Integrity has said in a new report that coastal cities will have to invest now and invest big. Seawalls and other imminent sea level rise preventative barriers will have to be installed by 2040. That's going to cost a total of $400 billion. For Washington, it will cost $40 billion. But many experts were surprised by the report—are seawalls the answer? And are they right for Washington?

The only footage of the giant squid was recorded in 2012: That was off the coast of Japan. The squid's big humanoid eye gives me the heebie-jeebies.

But! For the first time in seven years, we have new giant squid footage: This time it was recorded in the United States, about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans. Scientists have been waiting years for a giant squid to show its very long face again. Finally, one did. According to a cephalopod expert, the squid the scientists caught on camera was a giant squid called "Architeuthis, the famous colossus of literature." And right after they got the footage, lightning HIT THE SHIP the scientists were on. The footage was safe, but damn.

Me, in a tweet:


New York is on the right track: The state legislature voted Thursday to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Low-level weed offenders will also have their records expunged, according to the vote.

Russia has released thousands of whales from captivity: Go, you beautiful beasts, go and be free of whale jail! Nearly 100 orcas and belugas are being released.

Happy Friday: At least you aren't here.


A fun fact for your Friday: China has a facial recognition app for pandas.

The best Seattle entertainment options this weekend include: A night of comedy with Chelsea Handler, the Fremont Fair, and the Urban Craft Uprising Summer Show.