Bob’s Billion Dollar Boats: Gov. Bob Ferguson announced via his supplemental budget plan that he intends to buy three new ferry boats ($1 billion) and spend cash ($150 million) to keep the current aging fleet alive. It’s not cheap to save the Washington State Ferry system, but, in spite of all bad budget news, Ferguson thinks it’s possible through the magic of selling bonds.
Shred Season: The good news from all this weather is snow finally fell in the mountains. Crystal Mountain Ski Resort will open on Saturday after being graced with over a foot of snow. Getting to the slopes should be fun—the main route to Crystal Mountain, Highway 410, was damaged in the weather and will be operating a single lane of alternating traffic.
It’s easy to forget now that we have snow, but this past fall was the warmest ever on record for the Pacific Northwest. The lack of snowpack accumulated throughout these last few months is alarming.
Speaking of the Weather: It should be chilly and dry today. Maybe we’ll even see our old pal the sun again. Don’t get too used to that guy, though. Rain returns Saturday.
Rachel Savage Shutters Shop: Failed Republican candidate and incense maven Rachel Savage announced her crystal shop, The Vajra, will be closing its one Broadway location in Capitol Hill at the end of this year. “We’re not really going anywhere. We’re just going virtual, baby,” Savage said. To be fair, she probably read this in her tarot cards. If anyone wants some discount candles, the store is having a clearance sale.
Oh, That Explains It: In Seattle, 32 percent of the adult population is made up of millennials. It’s the most represented generation here.
Suspected Brown Shooter and MIT Killer Is Same Guy: Police found the man suspected of carrying out the mass shooting at Brown University last weekend, killing two students and injuring another nine. Police also believe the man was responsible for the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days after the Brown shooting. They found the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage facility. A Reddit tipster helped identify the man. His motives are unclear but he attended Brown University decades ago and appeared to have known the MIT professor who he allegedly killed.
The Suspect Was a Portuguese National: He studied at Brown University starting in 2000. Eventually, in 2017, he received a green card through a lottery program. Learning all of this, Donald Trump used the man’s immigrant status as an excuse to suspend the green card lottery program which issues 50,000 each year to countries not well represented in the US. The suspension will likely trigger a legal challenge.
Pause for One Sec: I want to do the New York Times’ faces of 2025 quiz and then I’ll get back to writing the news.
Need a Last Minute White Elephant Present? Several hundred thousand files Epstein files are getting released today. They’ll come in all different forms, like photographs and “other materials,” according to deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. Some files will be held back to protect victims, Blanche said. That might only be temporary, though. Blanche said the department plans to release even more documents in the coming weeks.
Because I Know You Care: The Seahawks had a crazy come-from-behind victory last night in overtime against the dreaded Los Angeles Rams. They’re now sitting pretty at the top of the division. Here is the weird, wonky moment that tied the game for the Hawks even though their 2-point conversion attempt failed:
THIS is how the Seahawks tied things up against the Rams:
— Dianna Russini (@diannarussini.bsky.social) December 18, 2025 at 8:04 PM
That Sounds Familiar: Trump announced that next year, in celebration of America’s 250th birthday, he’ll be hosting the first ever Patriot Games. No, not the 1992 Harrison Ford thriller. This will be a four-day tournament where high school athletes—one boy, one girl—from each state or territory compete. Sounds a whole lot like The Hunger Games, huh? Supposedly, this will not be a fight to the death, but I guess we’ll see.
Blaze It: Trump reclassified marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. This doesn’t really do anything—it doesn’t legalize weed or stop people from getting arresting for having it in place where it’s still illegal—but it makes it easier to conduct research on the drug.
No, Really, Blaze It: But also water your tree. Or, if yours is like mine and it refuses to drink water, hope for the best?
You might be thinking, “CPSC, does a dry Christmas tree really burn that much faster than a well-watered tree?”
Friend, let’s find out together by watching this PSA.
— U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (@cpsc.gov) December 19, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Do You Want to Know What It’s Like to Eat at Travis Kelce’s and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Steakhouse? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. This Defector restaurant review dives into all the weirdness at 1587 Prime, the hot new fancy steakhouse by the Kansas Chiefs superstars.
FBI Investigates Domestic Terrorism From Anti-ICE Protests: The FBI is busy conducting “criminal and domestic terrorism investigations” into anti-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement protests. A memo from Trump in the wake of far-right podcaster Charlie Kirk’s death steered the FBI to stop “violent and terroristic activities” associated with “anti-fascism,” according to The Guardian. Ah, yes, the domestic terrorism of checks notes fighting fascism. Anyway, anything seen as “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity” could warrant an anti-terrorism investigation. So far, the FBI has launched investigations in 23 regions and seems to be focused on anti-ICE actions.
Is That Enough News? Okay, good. If you need me, I’ll be over here learning about animal sleep.
A Song for your Friday: I like a holiday song that makes me want to cry.
