I cant stop thinking about his moth joke.
I can't stop thinking about his moth joke. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Times a-tickin' for Newsom: We are just a few hours away from polls closing in California, where voters are deciding whether or not they should recall their governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, and potentially replace him with a conservative idiot. According to CNN, the first ballot drop—which will be released right after voting ends at 8 PM PT—is likely to lean blue. After, we can expect to see "more Republican votes as in-person ballots come in" then another wave of mail-in ballots.

That said, the New York Times said it's "unclear" how long it'll take for Californians (and the rest of the country) to know whether or not the state will recall Newsom. If the race is close, "weeks could pass while the counting drags on." Early exit poll analysis from FiveThirtyEight says that COVID is front of mind for many voters, and they "don't want to backslide" any progress the state has made during the pandemic. Here's CBS's live coverage if you want something in the background while you make dinner:

From The Stranger Cheat Sheet to Teen Vogue: The online teen publication recently profiled three abolitionist candidates running for office across the country—one of them being Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, candidate for Seattle City Attorney. “What abolition looks like, to me, is building a community and a society where everyone has their basic needs met," NTK told Teen Vogue. Read the full article here.

Meanwhile: NTK's conservative opponent, Ann Davison, doesn't have as much experience as she proclaims. According to Erica C. Barnett over at Publicola, a "review of court records in King and Snohomish Counties suggests Davison has represented clients in the Puget Sound region in just a handful of court cases, none of them after 2010." Obama's first term!

Authorities have located the source of that White Center fire from Monday: "Discarded smoking materials" caused the three-alarm fire that started in a strip mall near 16 Avenue SW, reports KING 5. No injuries have been reported, and the King County Sheriff's office has released no further information about the fire.

Putin got exposed to Ms. 'Rona: The Russian president is now self-isolating after "people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus," reports Yahoo News. Putin has gotten vaxxed—with the ol' Sputnik V vaccine—and has tested negative for the virus.

Norm Macdonald is dead: The former SNL cast member and beloved comedian died at 61 after struggling privately with cancer for the last ten years. Eventually, he and the disease decided to call it a draw. Let's revisit one of my favorite Macdonald moments: "Turd Ferguson."

Take a moment and step into the future of North Capitol Hill with me: Ryan Packer with Capitol Hill Seattle Blog laid out what the East Roanoke Street freeway lid will look like in 2030—and it's pretty sweet. The lid will be formed by joining 10th Ave and Delmar Drive together "by an open space lid almost as large as Roanoke Park to the north of it." There will be walking and biking paths, a central green space, and a new "underpass under 10th Ave E connecting the lid and Harvard Ave E at E Miller Street south of 520." Sexy!

Senate Dems are trying to pass a new voting bill that would "make Election Day a public holiday, ensure that every state offers same-day voter registration, set minimum federal standards on mail voting and ban partisan gerrymandering," reports NPR. The effort is co-sponsored by perennial thorn-in-the-ass Sen. Joe Manchin after the Democrat opposed earlier, further-reaching voting rights legislation. The act faces a perilous future as the GOP sees the bill as a "federal takeover of state election policy," as NPR puts it.

New images of the corporate-sponsored Kraken helmets just dropped: And it's bad all around! Not only will players have to wear a helmet stickered with that annoying Amazon smirk at home games, but they will also wear the white helmets during their away games with perhaps the most poorly designed logo I've seen in a while.


Can't wait for rival teams in other cities to see the Kraken rep "Th Climat Pledg"!

Some orcas are pregnant, so pay your respects: There are three pregnant J-pod orca whales swimming around Puget Sound, reports KING 5. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as NOAA Fisheries, are asking recreational boaters to chiiillllll out for a bit and give these mamas some room to breathe and gestate. Researchers say these endangered sea creatures need as much peace and quiet as possible towards the end of their pregnancies. It's literally the least you could do.

Mark your calendars, baseball fans: Rumor has it that T-Mobile Park will host The MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in 2023.

Lots of state workers are trying to dodge the vaccine requirement: According to the Seattle Times, at least 8% of state government employees "have so far requested medical or religious exemptions" from the vaccine mandate. This means that “at least 4,799 exemptions have been filed by workers at 24 state agencies in the governor’s executive cabinet." Though it shows how much resistance there is towards getting vaxxed up, not every exemption request will be granted.

Alanis Morissette does not approve of the new HBO documentary about her life: The Canadian singer-songwriter said that Jagged—a documentary directed by Alison Klayman and having its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival—has "implications and facts that are simply not true." In a statement to Variety, Morissette says she was "lulled into a false sense of security, and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film." Klayman says "the movie really speaks for itself."

For your listening pleasure: Tirzah's "Hive Mind."