In 2022, more than 580 people died from drug overdoses in Seattle: In response to this public health crisis, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell held a press conference Monday afternoon to announce some of his plans to improve the City's response to overdose calls, arrest more drug dealers, and "activate" downtown.

Apart from adding another unit to a current crisis response program and a proposal to create an "overdose diversion facility" to catch people after non-fatal overdoses, the announcement about all this death mostly focused on ways to increase foot traffic downtown. One of those ideas included encouraging "more frequent closings of downtown streets for special events, such as on-street Pickleball competitions." I'll have more on the Mayor's vision for a ~*cool*~ downtown later today.

Speaking of city stuff: The Seattle City Council is set to vote today on a $10 late fee cap for renters. The drama is high as The Stranger's Hannah Krieg will be live to see whether Council Member Andrew Lewis will find his spine. 

People vandalized a Capitol Hill synagogue: Temple leaders discovered the anti-semitic graffiti Monday morning, according to KIRO. The vandals targeted the synagogue the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day, which Anti-Defamation League Associate Director Stephen Paolini told KIRO wasn't a coincidence. The vandalism comes after the ADL reported a 36% uptick in anti-semitic incidents in 2022. 

A car crashed into the Ballard public library: No one was injured when a car crashed into the wall at about 2 pm Monday, according to the Seattle Times. The driver had a medical emergency. A person was freed from the car after the crash. The car hit the library's meeting room wall, which is next to its children's section. 👀 

Apparently this is something Seattleites are doing now? In 2022, a car or truck hit a building every three and a half days, the most since 2012, according to data obtained by the Times.

Mariners are 8-9, and that is fine: Mariners lost to the Brewers last night, ending our four-game winning streak, according to Ryan Divish at the Seattle Times. The Rangers are leading the AL West right now with a 10-6 record. At least it isn't the Astros, who are tied with us right now. 

Don't forget to vote before April 25: One week to vote on whether the county should fund crisis care centers. We say vote yes!

I saw a A Midsummer Night’s Dream last Friday: The Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is performing the Shakespearean Ballet as part of the company's 50th anniversary season. The ballet opens with small children running across the stage dressed as bugs, and the good vibes keep going from there. At one point, a giant frog was perched in a tree as part of the set design. Every time the scrim went transparent I lost my mind. The person acting with a giant donkey mask over their face deserved an Oscar. Plus, the story is a classic love triangle, which is always good. The show runs April 14-23, and PNB does a pay-what-you-can Thursday show for people looking for cheap date ideas. 

Still thinking about him. Angela Sterling

The Fox News defamation lawsuit begins today: Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News for airing false allegations of election fraud, according to the Associated Press. Dominion said the coverage caused local governments to terminate contracts with the company. People also threatened Dominion employees because of the claims. Fox's attorneys have said the broadcast news outlet was only repeating the claims of public officials. However the case shakes out, the witness list is high-key drama. Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Rupert Murdoch are all expected to testify during the six-week trial. The lawsuit is also giving us an endless stream of text messages from inside Fox. Incredible.

After a white man shot a Black teen, the man yelled, "Don't come around here," according to a statement. Missouri prosecutors charged 84-year-old Andrew Lester Monday for shooting a Black teen who'd gone to the wrong house to pick up his brothers, according to the Associated Press. Neither Lester nor 16-year-old Ralph Yarl said anything to each other when Yarl went to the wrong door. Lester just shot Yarl, once in the forehead and once in the arm, according to the probable cause statement. Prosecutors in the case say race played a part in the shooting. Yarl is recovering at home after he was released from the hospital.

A man shot and killed a woman in New York who drove up the wrong driveway: Prosecutors filed charges against 65-year-old Kevin Monahan for the shooting death of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, according to the New York Times. The woman was driving with three friends looking for another friend's house when they approached Monahan's house. The friends said they realized they went up the wrong drive and Gillis was turning the car around when Monahan stepped out of his house and fired at least two shots. Because of the rural location of Monahan's house, the group drove for about six miles before they could get a hold of 911.

Slow rainy day music for Tuesday: Hopefully the sun comes out soon.Â