Awkward photo but you get the picture.
Awkward photo but you get the picture. Leon Neal/Getty

Zzzz... Sort of a snoozy news day—besides WAR—but let's get into it...

Happy President's Day I guess: Just in the nick of time, former President Donald Trump launched his new social media platform called Truth Social. According to The Guardian, the site has an eerie resemblance to Twitter, which Trump is banned from, and debuted with tons of technical errors. Truth Social (TS? T Social?) has billed itself as an uncensored alternative to the bird app, but some users reportedly couldn't even make an account. Former U.S. Congressman and current CEO of Trump's tech company Devin Nunes says the app will be fully operational by March. Good luck with managing the porn, buddy!

False spring is over, get ready for some cold: Thousands in Snohomish County were left without power this morning thanks to overnight snowfall Sunday night, reports the Seattle Times. This week in the Seattle area, we can expect to see overnight lows of 20 degrees and King County is currently working on opening cold weather shelters to help people manage the below-freezing temperatures.


Fuck yes: Today, the highest court in Colombia decriminalized abortion which "paves the way for the procedure to become widely available across this historically conservative, Catholic country," reports the New York Times. Mexico and Argentina have also either decriminalized or legalized abortion, meaning that people in three of the four most populous countries in Latin America now have greater access to the procedure.

Drama at the Spokane Sheriff's Office: Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich fired his deputy, Craig Chamberlain, less than a week after Chamberlain submitted papers to run to replace him, reports The Spokesman-Review. Knezovich said that Chamberlain was let go "for lying during an internal investigation," but Chamberlain claims that his firing is "politically motivated" as the current sheriff has endorsed another candidate for the position. Read The Spokesman-Review's Garrett Cabeza on it here (via the Seattle Times).

Saving to read later: Vulture talked to the people behind The Razzies about why they still exist.

Here's a little treat for no reason: Recently, a clip of Willem Dafoe talking about his character from The Boondock Saints went viral on TikTok. The sound that popped off starts at 11:31, but I would encourage you to watch the entire half-hour journey through some of the most notable films in Dafoe's career. He's truly had one of the most notable filmographies in the biz (popular stuff like Spiderman, freaky shit like Antichrist) and speaks with such generosity and wisdom. And he's funny! I learned so much.

Good news for all you feral Seattleites out there: Cucci's Critter Barn is back on March 5, making its debut inside Kremwerk's newest venue Cherry. Get your tickets here.

Shooting on Capitol Hill: Yesterday evening, police say a man was shot on the 1700 block of Summit Ave, reports KOMO. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he later died of his injuries. Authorities are still on the hunt for a suspect and motive.

Not to be all Capitol Hill-centric: But the renderings for what the new City Market mixed-use building dropped and they are pretty sexy. Wood construction...98 residential units...a rooftop deck...vertical landscaping...corrugated steel...the distinct smell of jojos from City Market's fryers wafting through the air. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog has the scoop on the process to get these designs approved as well as those sick renderings. Gotta love a render.

Oil spill in White Center: According to KING 5, all eastbound lanes on SW Roxbury Street between 8th Ave SW and Myers Way S are closed as crews clean up the goop. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes. No word yet on what or who caused this spill. UPDATE: The stretch of road has now reopened.

Paul Farmer is dead: The renowned humanitarian, global heath champion, and founder of Partners in Health died "unexpectedly" in his sleep while in Rwanda. He was 62. News of his death sparked an outpouring of messages from other officials in the public health community.

Arthur is officially over: After 25 seasons, the adventures of Arthur and his pals of different species have officially come to an end. The final episode, which aired today, called "All Grown Up" gives us a glimpse into the characters' long-delayed post-pubescence. Arthur is giving strong he/they energy as an author (of course) while Buster is a teacher who DEFINITELY listens to Joe Rogan. D.W. is a fucking COP, an egregious misstep by the creators (she should have been an influencer). And Francine is gay. Probably. Anyway, watch the full episode here if you care.

War update: According to the New York Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a busy day—he recognized two Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, threatened more bloodshed, and ordered troops to conduct "peacekeeping" operations there. The U.S. responded by saying the Biden administration would impose economic sanctions on the separatist regions, but stopped just short of sanctioning Russia. Now, Ukraine has called for an emergency security council meeting.

God is a stickler for getting it right: A Catholic community in suburban Detroit is reeling over the news that almost 800 baptisms performed by Deacon Mark Springer from 1986 to 1999 are invalid because he said "We baptize" instead of "I baptize," reports NBC News. Not a Catholic, but this tickles me. Imagine not getting accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven not because of something cool like being gay or fucking in a graveyard, but on a technicality! Couldn't be me.

For your listening (and viewing) pleasure: Yves Tumor's "Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to the Both of Them."