Get a load of this pinko.
Get a load of this pinko. bywriter/getty images

Mitt Romney gets a warm welcome. Or at least, as warm as he could possibly hope for — thousands of people booing at him. Mitt was speaking at a Utah Republican convention, and he brought up Trump’s “character issues,” which prompted the crowd to get hostile. Some called him a “communist,” which … you know what, I’m not going to try to understand it, I’m just going to enjoy it.

Two injured in a Tukwila mall shooting. Police have not released any details about suspects, and say it was an “isolated incident.” Uh huh, sure — also this weekend, three people were injured in a mass shooting in Saint Paul; four injured in a mass shooting in Delaware; two were killed and four injured in New Orleans; one killed and four injured in New Rochelle; one killed and three injured in Atlanta; five injured in Massachusetts; and one killed and three injured in Florida. What a lot of isolated incidents!

The usual May Day activities. El Comité’s annual march for immigrant and workers' rights went off without a hitch, though the Seattle Times reports smaller numbers than normal.

A couple hundred people marched, according to jseattle, though by the time I caught up with one march later in the afternoon there were probably just a few dozen people left, well outnumbered by the police, who sure did devote a lot of resources to following the march. Cops claim to have arrested fourteen people. Here’s a clip of officers showing their respect to the community:

Some more respect for the neck of this community member:

Meanwhile, this thing's in the middle of the bike lane on Broadway. Maybe when the police are done sending dozens of bike cops to follow May Day protestors, they could do something about actual hazards in the street. Haha, just kidding, judging by the wall still in place around the East Precinct, SPD loves hazards in the roadway.

That doesnt go there.
That doesn't go there. Matt Baume

Goodbye, Olympia Dukakis. Star of Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, Tales of the City, and many many many many fantasies about having a world-weary grandma who protects you at all costs and tells you how the world really works. Her NY Times obit mentions just a few of the must-see performances that you should catch in her memory.

Biden’s first 100 days: Not bad. Biden’s mostly made good on his campaign pledges regarding LGBTQ+ issues, with some executive orders, queer and queer-friendly appointments, and reversals of Trump-era policies. It’s a good start, but he could probably be doing more to push the Equality Act; Republicans are using the filibuster to stall it in the Senate.

Belgian police helped anti-maskers correct their behavior. Police fired water cannons at a giant anti-masking party in Brussels, producing some particularly entertaining photos. Imagine if Seattle cops gave a shit about enforcing safe mask rules.

The West Seattle Junction parking lots may be put out of their misery. Solving an absolutely ludicrous misuse of space in a city, the lots may eventually become affordable housing. Community Roots Housing has put in an offer to buy the space for about $15 million. It’s located in an otherwise very pleasant, walkable neighborhood, much like the Capitol Hill development that has already done wonders for the area around the light rail station. Check out the comments on West Seattle Blog for pearl-clutching over the precious, precious parking spaces.

Voting is now open for the 2021 Good Furry awards. Among the nominees is Pepper Coyote, whose music we profiled here after it popped up during the protests over police violence in Portland.

Caitlin Jenner wants trans girls excluded from sports. Of course. Of course she does. Why would you even suspect otherwise? “I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls' sports in school. It just isn't fair,” she told TMZ. Jenner is running to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election, and look, I can’t say I love Gavin, but I remember what it was like when the Gray Davis recall went from a hilarious joke to the state getting stuck with Schwarzenegger for years.

Elon Musk is to comedy what Elon Musk is to transportation. Next weekend, the emerald-mine heir will host Saturday Night Live, and he’s been tossing out some comedy ideas on Twitter. They are all hilarious!!!!! How about this one: “Woke James Bond.” Also very promising: “Baby Shark Tank.” That’s the joke.

Mountlake Terrace crow killer stopped. Some guy has been driving around Mountlake Terrace shooting crows — often near playgrounds — with a body count of at least 75. A mysterious tip led police to a suspect (for now unidentified) and after apprehending him the shootings have stopped. Charges will likely be filed soon. The cops released a report that includes details on the investigation, and it is FASCINATING — skip to page 16 for the start of this Marple-esque journey, which includes an oblique reference to a crime map assembled by a citizen-formed “task force.”

Filming has begun on the Dungeons & Dragons movie. Ohhhh boy, is this going to be good? The first D&D movie, made in 2000, is a notorious stinker — please read this account of how it was made, in part, after some random 19-year-old called the company to ask if he could have the film rights, please, and somehow wound up getting them.


Do you want an oak tree? Seriously, do you? I’ve got one sprouting in one of my planters, likely as a result of a forgetful squirrel or crow; I also have a three-year-old oak growing out of my strawberries, and several avocado trees emerging from pits that, I’ll confess, I put in another planter without having a plan for what I was going to do with them if they sprouted. I don’t know what I’m going to do with these things if they get any bigger but I feel bad killing a tree, even if it’s only a few inches tall. Now what?