Weekend weather: Haters will say, "Bring on the cold, bring on the gloom," but you and I? We know better. We love the sunshine and we are grateful for this beautiful, warm September, regardless of whether or not it concerns climatologists... Mainstream weather nerds in Seattle want you to believe that fall is just around the corner and that the blue skies are a fluke. But no. This weekend will be another warm one. Temperatures will reach the upper 70s this Saturday and Sunday, according to the Weather Channel. 

What's the move: I know, I know. You want to sit down and watch Hocus Pocus to ring in October, but in case the sunny skies lure you out of your apartment, EverOut put together a convenient list of cheap things to do in the city this weekend. I might just take my cat to Caturday this time around—in her stroller, of course. 

A day without cars: Tomorrow, the U-District Partnership will shut down traffic on the Ave so the public can enjoy the iconic street as it should be: car-free. In addition to significantly lowering your risk of becoming roadkill, you can head over to the U-District tomorrow for a $4 Food Walk, booze, and two concerts. Sounds fun, thought I'd share. 

Bird watching: It was a good week to have a pair of binoculars and some extra time on your hands. When someone saw a rare sharp-tailed sandpiper off the 520 floating bridge, word spread throughout the birder community, and as the Seattle Times already brilliantly said, the birders "flocked" to the site, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the small shorebird themselves. 

I'm so preceptive: Couldn't tell you why, but I had a HUNCH that something might be going on with the Mariners. Nothing to do with sports Twitter. Anyway, I was right. As per usual. After a win last night, the Mariners came one step closer to making the playoffs. Now, the team only needs to win one more game out of seven remaining in the season. 

Good luck seeing them though: With excitement for the Ms at a high, tickets have become harder and harder to come by. Fans bought up all the tickets from official sources, giving scalpers a prime opportunity to turn a profit. According to KOMO, some sports capitalists priced resale Mariners tickets at over $1,000 to see the game on Friday where the team may qualify for the playoffs. 

L Pod takes an L: At the Southern resident orca population's peak, scientists counted 98 whales. As of this summer, scientists counted only 73 of the endangered animals. Over the past year, the J pod gained a healthy baby girl, the K pod lost two whales and gained a new offspring, and the L pod, the largest pod, saw its lowest numbers since 1976. KING 5 has the whole story. 

More whale news cuz I love them sm: A group of about 15 transient orcas got testy with two humpback whales yesterday near Port Angeles, KIRO 7 reported. Captains with the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) called it a very rare sighting. The captains saw orcas chasing humpbacks and then the humpbacks turning the tables and chasing the orcas back. The spectacle, complete with breaching, tail spinning, and lots of loud whale noises, lasted about three hours. This could have ended badly for the humpbacks, even though they are typically larger. Orcas occasionally get tired of their usual diet of porpoises, seals, and sea lions, and hunt humpbacks. With 15 on one side versus two on the other, my money would be on the dudes that got the nickname "killer whale." Just saying. However, the PWWA said that it hasn't seen an orca kill a humpback in the Salish Sea.  

Okay, one more thing about animals: In a touching found-family story, a herd of cows in Germany adopted a li'l piglet named "Frieda" who lost her pig family, likely when crossing a river, according to NPR.

Torture porn: In case you didn't get turned off to Netflix's latest serial-killer fetishization series by the fact that the victims' families said this series re-tramautized them, this reporter said Netflix got a bunch of shit wrong! And she told the story first! And not so you could be entertained by the horrific deaths of Black queer men! 

No government shutdown: Hours before the deadline, the US House passed a funding package to keep the government up and running until Dec. 16, staving off a government shutdown. The bill also includes funding for Ukraine relief and disaster relief here in the States. Some were miffed that the bill did not specifically put money toward the deadly and destructive Hurricane Ian, but rather disaster in general.

Speaking of Hurricane Ian: According to CNN, Ian is no longer a hurricane. It is now a lower classification of storm known as a "post-tropical cyclone." This downgrade comes after doing a number on South Carolina and Florida. The storm killed at least 42 people in Florida, but we won't know the full toll of the storm for weeks, after rescue crews conduct searches and families report lost loved ones, according to Bloomberg.  

Sanibel Causeway: This storm will cost a lot of money in repairs to infrastructure. For example, the hurricane destroyed parts of Sanibel Causeway, which connects Florida to about 6,500 people who live on Sanibel Island. Officials ordered Sanibel Island residents to evacuate, but the Mayor of the island said that about 200 households stayed behind, resulting in at least 12 reported deaths.

For your ears: