WA State Senate passes police hog-tie ban: Hog-tying is already banned in most of Washington because it can suffocate people in custody. In 2020, 33-year-old Manuel Ellis died while hog-tied facedown on a Tacoma sidewalk as he told officers he could not breathe. In December, a jury acquitted the three officers charged with his death. Earlier this month, Ellis's sister, Money Carter-Nixon, testified in support of the legislation. She called hog-tying “animalistic” and pointed to its use as a restraint for animals before branding or slaughter. While the Tacoma Police Department has banned the practice, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department was the only department statewide to defend it.

Update on the Liquor and Cannabis Board: Last week, angry gays lined up to chastise the Liquor and Cannabis Board for raiding four gay bars over antiquated regulations of nudity in spaces that sell alcohol. But by Thursday, the LCB relented. They paused enforcement of the lewd conduct law and promised to hear some sort of proposal from staff on Tuesday. Instead of proposing a concrete plan, the proposal amounted to more information about how the agency could initiate the rule-making process; it could accept or reject one of six petitions filed to repeal the law, or it could just start the process itself. One staff member briefing the board revealed that some of the law's language dated back to at least 1975, and it sure reads that way. For example, it references "sodomy," and it carved out some exceptions for "traditional ethnic dancing." Yikes.

Time to end this stupid alcohol law: Last week, prominent members of the city’s queer community published a letter in support of legislation that would allow strip clubs to sell alcohol. It really shouldn’t be so controversial. Washington is the only state that doesn’t allow it, and we know people just get sloshed outside, where bartenders can’t monitor their intake. The biggest barrier to the law actually changing is House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and an unofficial temperance caucus in the House. Ashley wrote more about it here.

Don’t forget your retention bolts, dear: When Boeing delivered that blowout jet to Alaska Airlines, it forgot four things. All of them were bolts. The ones that hold the mid-exit door in place. That's according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators said Boeing mechanics in Redmond removed the plug so a team from Kansas could repair some shoddy rivet work next to the door. A photo taken by mechanics shows the door put back on the plane without the retention bolts, and the company hasn't produced documentation showing they were ever put back on. Boeing CEO David Calhoun said in a statement that whatever conclusions the NTSB reached, the company would be accountable. Yeah, dude, we all agree. The head of the FAA said despite oversight from his agency, Boeing was still "not delivering safe aircraft."

Amazon lays off hundreds more employees: The company told employees Tuesday it would axe jobs from its "One Medical" chain of doctors offices. Since 2022, Amazon has laid off 27,000 people to cut costs after rapid expansion during COVID. Across the tech industry last year, at least 32,000 people lost their jobs.

Two young teens charged with Seattle hit-and-runs: Prosecutors say a 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl purposely hit two people with a stolen car on Aurora Avenue in November. Prosecutors charged the 15-year-old boy with two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of hit-and-run, and two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle. They charged the 13-year-old girl with two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of taking a motor vehicle without permission. They haven’t been charged as adults.

Draft plan of Gaza ceasefire from Hamas: Al Jazeera obtained a draft plan from Hamas that suggests a three-stage plan that includes withdrawal of Israeli forces and a phased-exchange of prisoners between Israel and Palestine. At least 27,708 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, while 1,139 Israelis have died in the conflict.

Not wearing a mask wasn’t free speech, an appeals court ruled: In a blow to annoying assholes everywhere, a federal court in New Jersey ruled against residents who refused to wear masks during school board meetings in early 2022, when masks were still required. The plaintiffs claim school boards retaliated against them, but in at least one case the litigant failed to produce any evidence of that. The court found that skeptics are free to “and did” (lol) voice their opposition to COVID policies, but disobeying mask requirements was not a protected right.

It’s getting weird in Texas: Last month, the Texas National Guard took control of a 2.5 mile stretch of a city park on the border after migrants had crossed there in December. They erected a barrier with anti-climb razor wire that keeps not only migrants out but also Border Patrol agents. Those agents took their shit and left; then Texas began arresting migrants there. The Biden Administration threatened to sue the state and Gov. Greg Abbott, but so far it hasn't done anything to reclaim control of that area. Three Biden officials told NBC News that they didn’t want a standoff with the Texas National Guard, but they are still considering legal action. 

Mom found guilty of son's school shooting: Jennifer Crumley, whose son, Ethan, killed four students at an Oxford, Michigan high school in 2021, was found guilty of four counts of voluntary manslaughter. She could spend up to 15 years in prison, and her husband will face the same charges in March. The court found her “grossly negligent” for giving her then 15-year-old a gun and failing to get him proper mental health treatment. The prosecution made her out to be an inattentive mother more interested in her horses and an affair than in Ethan. Sure, she doesn’t seem like a very good mom. Her kid needed help, and she didn't help, but the precedent is troubling. I’m skeptical that throwing jail sentences at this problem is going to do more than put more people in jail. Dead kids are the problem, and expanding criminal accountability won't help.

NPR founding mother retires: 80-year-old Linda Wertheimer announced her retirement Tuesday after 50 years at NPR. She joined before national public radio was on air, when All Things Considered was barely an idea and women did not have much power in newsrooms. She was a congressional correspondent, a political correspondent, a co-anchor on national election coverage, and a 12-year host of All Things Considered. You can read her thoughtful retirement note here.