They're giving out pieces of the viaduct: Want to frame a piece of rubble? Want to worship some pavement? Great news: You can pick up your very own Alaskan Way Viaduct fragment today through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Friends of Waterfront Seattle. There are only four columns left of the 66-year-old raised highway. I forgot the demolition was even happening! Boy, do these things take time.
Back to the drawing board, Boeing: In 2018, the first person to die on a US airline in the last decade died because of an engine malfunction. The National Transportation Safety Board ordered Boeing to redesign engine casings on all of its 737 NG airplanes. Other airlines must "retrofit more than 6,800 planes currently in service worldwide," the Seattle Times reports.
It's a juicy day at the impeachment hearings: Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, is testifying. Follow along on Slog for impeachment updates. Here is his opening statement:
HAPPENING NOW: EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland gives opening statement https://t.co/rEoy7Nnhjo pic.twitter.com/HrpzH7hMJV
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 20, 2019
"We followed the president's orders": Welp. This seems big.
Sondland: “Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky.”
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) November 20, 2019
Showbox may be bought: By Historic Seattle and Seattle Theatre Group. The organizations have banded together in an attempt to purchase the at-risk music venue. If the bid they placed in October is successful—they're remaining tight-lipped about how much they offered—they'll allow the current tenant, AEG, to operate through at least 2024.
Beekeepers in Australia seek therapy: Bushfires across the continent have destroyed countless beehives. Many apiarists in the region say it will take anywhere from 3 to 20 years to recover from the losses. Additionally, many beekeepers who are checking up on the hives in fire-threatened areas have heard the bees screaming as they burn. The sound is so horrifying that many of the beekeepers need to seek counseling.
Another video-store death: Tacoma's Backstage Video is closing after 34 years. It just got a bit harder for Tacomans (Tacomanites? Tacomians?) to watch anything unstreamable.
Road rager opens fire at semitruck: In Fife, a man was driving when a semitruck accidentally bumped into his car. According to charging records, he then opened fire at the semitruck. The truck driver didn't realize at first that he'd been shot at but quickly put two and two together. He called 911. The man claimed he was shooting into the air.
Some weather:
Patchy morning fog, afternoon sun for the rest of the work week! More active pattern returns later in the weekend into next week! #wawx pic.twitter.com/HmCV2HmVkG
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 20, 2019
A courtroom tragedy: In a South African courtroom, a gun was presented as evidence in a robbery. It accidentally discharged and shot a prominent lawyer in the hip. She died later in the hospital. Police are trying to figure out who is culpable in the homicide and why the gun was still loaded.
Turns out there's a Democratic debate tonight: It's in Atlanta. We're down to 10 candidates on the debate stage. It starts at 6 p.m. on this coast on MSNBC.
Elon Musk has to go to court: Because he called one of the cave divers who saved that Thai soccer team a "pedo guy." Musk is being accused of defamation.
US bill supports Hong Kong protesters: The bill, passed with a veto-proof majority, will impose sanctions and penalties on Hong Kong and Chinese officials who are guilty of human-rights abuses. It's a pro-democracy bill. This comes at a significant time where protests are still raging across Hong Kong. The bill will also require a review of Hong Kong's trade status.
Matt Damon finally experiences tragedy: God, it would be so annoying to have an actor parent.
Matt Damon Confesses He Can’t Get His Kids to Watch Good Will Hunting https://t.co/BqgLmlXQzX
— People (@people) November 20, 2019
Have you heard of this North Carolina law? Apparently, people in North Carolina can do anything they want to opossums for five days a year. It's a law! Which I'm choosing to understand as a sort of Purge situation, but five days long and centered only on opossums? Anyway, activists are trying to change it since there's this practice called "opossum dropping," which apparently "involves suspending an opossum in a transparent box on New Year’s Eve and slowly lowering it to the ground as people count down to midnight." Be the change!
You can't make this shit up: Julia Roberts "was first choice" to play black abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Hot damn, this lede https://t.co/QqFq5EkEOV pic.twitter.com/i1kCpVqxdi
— Joshua Benton (@jbenton) November 19, 2019
Today's EverOut picks are: A talk on Pacific Northwest seafood with cookbook author Naomi Tomky, HUMP!, and a metal show with Liturgy. See more on our EverOut Things To Do calendar.