Tragedy strikes: I’ve been hoping, praying, begging on my knees for a dry New Year's Eve. Rain ruins the fun, especially since my outfit involves more feathers, rhinestones, and fringe than actual fabric, plus my hair looks terrible in the rain. I checked Weather.com today and it's not looking good for us. The weather people predict temperatures in the high 30s and a 24% chance of rain tomorrow night. I hope they’re wrong! 

Don’t drink and drive! It’s free to ride transit tomorrow in King County. Do it! Or don’t drink! One or the other, people!

I regret to inform you: Sorry if this Slog PM is such a downer. I’m in a mood. But I have to tell you the painful truth: I was not invited to appear on KING5’s New Year’s Eve special. I know! Shocking. I tried so hard. I tweeted one time, vaguely asking to be a part of it. I followed every KING 5 reporter I could find on social media. I even played binaural beats videos on YouTube to help me manifest it in my sleep. I guess I’ll have to actually ask someone if I can make an appearance next year!

Wait, should we go? My co-worker, arts and culture extraordinaire Jas Keimig went to the new cafe/bar that replaced Cafe Pettirosso, Gemini Room. It looks kinda cool and I think I’ll take the girlies there soon. 

Self-promo: Okay, enough about Jas. Back to ME. I spent this week reviewing the greatest hits and biggest flops of 2022. I tried to put it in one post, but it ended up being like 3,500 words lol. So, we divided it into three City Council factions—progressives, moderates, and conservatives. The blocs I defined are all relative, so try not to cry about it too much. 

Another roundup I enjoyed: I’m something of a Capitol Hill Seattle Blog super fan and I enjoyed reading J Seattle’s look back at what happened in and around Capitol Hill.

Tiny shelter mail fiasco: Remember on Thursday when I told you that the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) announced it will no longer collect mail for residents at its tiny shelter villages? And that LIHI doesn’t think it's a big deal because residents don’t stay in the villages for very long, they can get their mail somewhere else, not every village collected mail to begin with, and mail theft became an issue? Well, I have another update. Organizers from the mutual aid group Stop the Sweeps, which initially sounded the alarm on the issue, called bullshit on most of LIHI’s explanation. For one, mail theft happens in apartment buildings too. You don’t see apartment buildings throwing up their hands and ending mail service. Second, a well-funded non-profit should be able to figure out a secure way to provide mail services in every village, regardless of how long a tenant sticks around. 

More in mail: Mail-receivers from Whatcom county and King county told KING 5 that they’re experiencing mail delivery delays. Some said they have not received mail in three whole weeks. According to Brian Wiggins, Washington State Association of Letter Carriers, it's a labor issue. Hundreds of mail routes statewide are without a full-time carrier. Couldn’t be me. My mail carrier is a Stranger superfan and brings me my credit-card-offer junk mail, no problem. 

You’ll be missed: On January 21, Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post will produce their final print editions. Northwest Asian Weekly will continue its online publication, but this is the end of the road for Seattle Chinese Post, both print and online. 

Tacoma police shooting: An unnamed Tacoma police officer shot and killed a 39-year-old man earlier this morning. According to the police department's account of events, the cops fired first and bullet holes in a cop car indicated that the man shot back. The department didn’t say much else—not how many shots they fired, how much the victim fired back, not how many cops shot at him, or why they felt compelled to play judge, jury, and executioner for someone suspected of unlawful possession of a firearm and illegal discharge of a weapon.

A break in the case: Cops finally tracked down Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a 28-year-old man suspected of murdering four University of Idaho students nearly six weeks ago. Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. Probably the most disturbing aspect of the suspect, he’s a PhD criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University's Pullman campus, a short drive from the victims' home in Moscow, ID. And, according to Daily Mail, he posted a call on Reddit earlier this year to find participants for his research project which aimed to “understand how emotional and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.” 

He’s got a whole dozen: TV personality Nick Cannon welcomed baby number 12 earlier this month. In 2021, after having his seventh child, Cannon told the Breakfast Club podcast that he wants 10 or 12 children total. So maybe he’s all done now. We shall see. 

Presidential pardons: Today, President Joe Biden announced his end-of-the-year pardons. He pardoned an 80-year-old woman who killed her abusive husband, a 77-year-old man who sold distilled spirits at 18, a 66-year-old man who "facilitated" a cocaine sale at 22, a 50-year-old who was involved in a "marijuana trafficking conspiracy" at 23, a 72-year-old man who grew marijuana plants in a rental at 45, and a 37-year-old man who took ecstasy and drank alcohol while serving in the military at 19.

Happy New Year! I can't in good conscious post the last Slog before the New Year without including this Taylor Swift classic. Beautiful.