Your unvaccinated ass should be more worried about COVID, sir.
Your unvaccinated ass should be more worried about COVID, sir. Gig Harbor Cops

Have a heart: Maybe even a pig heart, one day. A 57-year-old in Maryland made headlines around the world today after he became the first person with life-threatening heart disease to receive a genetically altered pig heart. The surgeon who operated is "optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future."

Some Improving Seattle news: Thanks to help from the city, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ballard is redeveloping its land into 292 total apartment units, reports MyBallard with the first look. The spot will have "80 affordable housing units and over 200 market-rate apartment homes." And St. Luke’s isn't going anywhere—the land, right next to Ballard Commons, will include a new space for the congregation.

“The St. Luke’s redevelopment project will bring desperately needed, affordable, family housing right to the heart of Ballard," Councilmember Dan Strauss said in a press release last month.

This is the same church that people reportedly sent death threats and hate mail to because they offered free breakfasts to people living in Ballard Commons.

One day down, 59 to go: It's a short year for the Washington State Legislature, and there's plenty to get through. Will state legislators have time to make pickleball the official state sport? Probably, regrettably. There's a public hearing currently scheduled for Wednesday.

We’re going to need a COVID tracker for the Senate at some point: In addition to the COVID infections Matt mentioned this morning, Sen. Mark Mullet ("D"-Issaquah) tested positive today. Mullet said his wife tested positive for COVID-19 last Tuesday, and he somehow thought it was a good idea to still drive into work in Olympia. "As recently as Saturday night I tested negative," he said, "but after my positive test in Olympia this morning I just got in my car and headed back home to prepare for a week of remote work." Mullet's boosted and vaxxed and said he's not experiencing symptoms.

Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), also vaccinated, announced this morning that she joined her colleagues in catching the virus and, like them, will be legislating from home for a bit.

Honey, COVID shrunk the staff: Staffing shortages forced two Seattle schools (Franklin High and Kimball Elementary) to cancel classes today. Seattle Public Schools is "weighing" if it should send students back to remote learning, reports the Seattle Times. The Washington State Superintendent warned families last week that "your local school district may need to close" temporarily over the next month due to rising cases and short staff. If schools did pivot back to remote learning, it would likely only be for a few weeks, but we're not trying to make any predictions in this climate.

The CDC warns Americans to think twice before traveling to Canada: The "Do Not Travel" warning isn't to protect Canadians against our high COVID case counts, but to protect us from theirs. Meanwhile, us:

Nearly a thousand more employees enter the metaverse: Meta, FKA Facebook, is on a hiring spree, reports Puget Sound Business Journal and Geekwire, as it plans to lease around 100,000 square feet of office space near T-Mobile Park. Meta is currently hiring for more than 900 positions split between Seattle and Bellevue. "The company's current Puget Sound-area headcount is over 7,000, making it the fourth-largest tech employer in the area behind Amazon, Microsoft, and T-Mobile US," notes Puget Sound Business Journal.

Wild weather continues all over the state: The sea level is "on steroids," reports KUOW, with "some of the highest tides ever recorded" hitting Seattle and the Washington coast during the first week of the year. And this week, another atmospheric river is headed our way, with the "river" sitting over our area for about two days starting late tonight. Stay up-to-date with the road conditions if you're trying to travel anywhere, and don't end up like this guy:



Pivoting elements: A fire commissioner in New York City said a faulty portable electric space heater is what sparked Sunday's deadly fire in a Bronx apartment building that killed 17 people, including nine children. It's believed to be the deadliest fire in NYC since 1990. The commissioner said "none of the victims appeared to have been burned, but instead suffered 'severe' smoke inhalation," reports Spectrum News in NYC. Here are some tips on how to use a space heater safely.

Got something to say about SPD's Proud Boy ruse? Then sign up for remote public comment right before tomorrow's 9:30 AM Public Safety and Human Services Committee, when the director of Seattle's Office of Police Accountability and the Senior Deputy Mayor will hold a 30-minute “briefing and discussion" with the Council, reports Capitol Hill Seattle blog.

Good news:

RIP Golden Globes? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which puts on the Golden Globes, has bounced back before, but it's hard to imagine they'll recover after all this.

The Golden Globes, usually a hobnobbing all-nighter between drunk celebrities and a lily-white foreign press, went on last night without a television-broadcasted show. NBC dropped the Globes after multiple investigations revealed accusations of racism and a “culture of corruption," with the HFPA acting as a "kind of cartel." I mean, come on, the HFPA showered Emily in Paris with praise while forgetting I May Destroy You. Cartel behavior.

So, the Globes had to carry out its award show on... Twitter. And the tweets were an exercise in schadenfreude. The Daily talked about it all today with Kyle Buchanan.

In case you're wondering: Last night's Golden Globe winners included West Side Story, Will Smith, Succession, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and more.

Welp: Netflix renewed Emily in Paris again. Somewhere in France, Van Gogh is rolling in his grave.


As a palate cleanser: Let's end our day with this new trailer for Jackass.