Alex Jones owes nearly a billion dollars for Sandy Hook claims. A Connecticut jury hit Jones with $965 million in damages today, stemming from his claims that the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre were actors. An economist testified that Jones is “worth” somewhere around $200 million, as if money can in any way reflect the value of a person’s character.

Pay it no mind. There’s a lovely new mural taking shape on the side of Broadway’s Crossroads Trading building, featuring the face of queer icon Marsha P. Johnson. Johnson was present for the 1969 Stonewall uprising (though the nature of everyone’s involvement is a bit murky, given the chaos of those nights). She was an active figure in New York’s queer liberation scene until she was found floating in the Hudson with a massive head wound after a Pride event. Witnesses reported hearing a man claim that he killed her. Police deemed it a suicide.

Do you like walking and art? Well, then you’ll probably like tomorrow’s West Seattle Art Walk. Dozens upon dozens of artists, performers, and restaurants are participating, and the fun starts around 5 pm and goes until “late.”

That should not have taken so long. Los Angeles Council Member Nury Martinez is out, finally resigning from her seat several days after a recording emerged of her engaging in racist banter with colleagues. Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León are holding onto their seats
 for now. It’s hard to imagine how the city council can function at all with them still there.

Hey buddy, want to buy a solar panel? Some evildoer seems to be planning to steal solar panels from bus stops. If you see cuts like these, let King County Metro know about it.

Judge’s Starbucks order includes reinstatement and backpay for fired workers. A National Labor Relations Board judge has issued a strong rebuke to the coffee ogre, ruling that Starbucks illegally fired pro-union employees and told cops to attack workers with picket signs. The company acted out of “substantial animus,” according to the ruling.

Still searching for the unsubscribe button. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is taking a hard look at misleading subscription services, following the release of a study estimating that 3.5 million Washingtonians may have been tricked into subscriptions that they thought were one-time purchases. If you’ve been a victim of such a scheme, he wants to hear from you.

I can’t believe we’re debating whether a person with a disability should be allowed to hold elected office. The race between John Fetterman and Dr. “Miracle Berry” Oz took another lousy detour today, following Fetterman’s interview in which he used closed captions. People looking for a reason to attack him claim that this is evidence he’s unfit to hold public office. People who know what they’re talking about disagree.

Your food is ready. Safeway is expanding its delivery services, designating a Rainier Avenue store as a “micro fulfillment center” where workers pack online orders and ship them out to neighbors. 

An unhelpful cop? Shocking! There's been a several-days-long issue at 12th Avenue and E Union Street, where a construction worker has been commandeering the bike lane. Cyclists report that when they complain, the traffic guard berated them. I guess it's appropriate that someone would celebrate Columbus Day by seeing space that someone else is already using and then just claiming it as their own. Anyway, the traffic guard is with Seattle Blue, a company that hires real police officers to work for private companies.

The solar system is rippling. Is this a good thing or a bad thing??? Probably neither. There is no good or bad in space, just endlessness, emptiness, and a planet where apes evolved from men.

It looks like you’re composing an artistic fever dream, would you like help? Microsoft is rolling out a new feature for Designer, their graphic-design app that’s basically like PrintShop Pro without the pleasure of watching a dot matrix printer slowly reveal your creation. Designer, currently in beta, allows users to generate AI art to go along with their flyers, book covers, and (inevitably) pornography. On a side note, I am again begging MS to allow users to disable the “ribbon” in their apps, as it can be an accessibility nightmare for people like me with certain neurological disorders.

Oh, by the way, I’m back. I was out for the last few days on a little writing retreat near Mount Baker. It was pretty! I was doing edits on my book, the final draft of which is due next week and no I'm not freaking out at ALL why do you ask?