Standard Ryanair Flight: A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany had to make an emergency landing after a piece of the engine broke off, flew at a window, and dislodged it, nearly sucking a passenger out of the plane right after takeoff. His head and shoulders were out the window, according to Greece’s Athens New Agency. His seatbelt and other passengers kept him inside the plane. The plane was a Boeing 737. Another day in paradise for our local airplane manufacturer.
Standard Mass Transit System: The light rail ground to a halt during yesterday’s morning commute after a power line broke, stopping service at 11 stations for an hour and a half. Stations from Northgate to Capitol Hill were without service for 15 hours. The Etsy witch the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce paid to keep the trains running mostly smoothly during the FIFA World Cup had reached the limit of her powers. Even the most powerful magic cannot stop the light rail from its natural state.
Portrait of a Car on Fire: The 575-acre Ryegrass Coulee Fire burning near the town of Vantage “began accidentally from a vehicle traveling on the Vantage highway,” according to investigators. They have not elaborated about what the hell that means.
Hell Returns: The Revive I-5 construction project on the Ship Canal Bridge is done with its World Cup hiatus and is back with a vengeance. TAll northbound lanes of I-5 from I-90 to Northeast 45th Street will close for the weekend at 11:59 pm on Friday, and only two will reopen on Monday morning. Sorry, drivers.
Don’t Believe Me? Well, maybe you’ll believe Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet.
Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red: The underground Hobbit-hole vacation rental known as the Hobbit Inn burned in the Chelan Hills fire that blazed across 15 square miles last weekend. The Hobbit Inn featured “a wood bathtub and floors, and a whittling station so guests could immerse themselves in the lifestyle of a hobbit.” Kristie Wolfe, who built the space in 2015, said she had dreamed up the Hobbit, a woodworker, who lived there. Now the imaginary halfling is out of a home and travelers have one less whimsical place to rest their weary bones.
What’s the Deal on Free Meals? Two months ago, Mayor Katie Wilson announced a plan to direct $3 million from the voter-approved Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy toward a year of universal free meals for all Seattle Public School students and continue that service with funds from the Millionaires Tax (if it survives a ballot initiative and the State Supreme Court). But Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth and Councilmember Dionne Foster have undercut that plan. They co-sponsored an amendment this week to give free lunches to only the poorest students on weekends and holiday breaks, allowing the poorest students to receive them, a move that is about equity, they say. Creating a means-tested program could establish more barriers to getting those free meals, reports PubliCola.
Check Out This Interview with an Innovative AI Company’s Only Employee: Look at what you can do with AI!
Madison Square Garden’s VIP Database: Madison Square Garden’s security system is serious about collecting and categorizing personal data. Criminal hacker collective ShinyHunters got their hands on the database MSG keeps on VIP and celebrity attendees. Of the nearly 40,000 entrees, 400 have a “risk score.” These scores mostly correlate to negative things celebs have said about MSG or New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan. (If you bash Dolan, you’re off the free tickets list.) For whatever reason, MSG security labeled 93 on the list as “LGBTQIA,” including Ricky Martin, Phoebe Bridgers, and Geese’s guitarist Emily Green.
Houston ICE Killing: A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican homebuilder who lived in the US for more than 35 years and was completing his citizenship process, during a traffic stop. He had no criminal record. Despite initial claims from ICE that he was the target of their operation, US Rep. Sylvia Garcia said ICE confirmed to her on Thursday that Salgado Araujo had not been the target. There is still no evidence to back up ICE’s claims that Salgado Araujo tried to ram officers with his car, prompting an agent to open fire. In fact, witnesses say that did not happen.
Eight Indicted in UFC Plot: The eight men accused of plotting a drone and sniper attack during Donald Trump’s UFC cage-fighting birthday extravaganza were indicted on murder and conspiracy charges. The group’s alleged targets were “Trump, Vice President JD Vance, other federal officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, trillionaire businessman Elon Musk, and ‘other high value targets,’” reports the Associated Press.
Huh, Interesting: According to the New York Times, the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, “lacks the same defensive countermeasures” as the old model. In Trump’s rush to fly in a flashy new plane, the new presidential aircraft didn’t receive “all the equipment usually found on Air Force One.” But who would kick a gift plane in the engine? The donated plane is supposedly a placeholder while Trump awaits the completion of two Boeing jets for the permanent presidential fleet.
As the only person who actually likes soccer at this godforsaken rag, I am obligated to say “How does he do it?” about France’s Kylian Mbappé and share this video with you of his goal from yesterday’s match against Morocco. Plus, I have a vested interest in France.
