During his “Closer Look” segment on Wednesday night, Seth Meyers commented on President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks for several key roles, including Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth leading the Department of Defense. “While Biden’s looking for ways to accommodate Trump, Trump’s looking for ways to tear down everything Biden did. […]

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Seattle's only news roundup. by Ashley Nerbovig

Ok weather to vote in! Should be a pretty nice day to stroll down to your nearest ballot box, with a high of 52 degrees and partly sunny, and a slight chance of rain after 2 p.m. 

So go vote! Don't let anything stop you. As Hannah said yesterday, you can still vote! I voted last year on the last possible day, and I hadn't registered yet at that point. I just jogged down to Lumen Field though and it was super easy to register, vote, and leave. Even if you're feeling left out because you're not in a swing state and the entirety of the country's future doesn't rest on your shoulders, the future of this state and city really does! Dropping some helpful links to make sure you have everything you need to make your voices heard. First, how to register to vote. Second, how to replace a lost ballot. Thirdly, ballot box locations. Finally, our handy cheat sheet for help filling out your ballot. 

Done your civic duty already? Well then sit back and enjoy the final hours of uncertainty at one of the many election night parties happening across the city tonight. The Stranger is throwing one at the Crocodile—it’s sold out, but we think it’s worth it to take your chances on standby tickets. There might be some no-shows, and we can squeeze you in. But if you don't wanna chance it, check out this list of parties you can attend from our sister publication Everout. Stranger reporters will be dotted around the city to bring you coverage of the election from various candidate election parties as well.

Speaking of voting: The Boeing machinists approved a contract last night ending their strike after 53 days, according to the Seattle Times. The latest contract, approved by 59% of membership, includes a 38% general wage increase over the next four years, which equates to 43% when you factor in raises on top of raises. The contract did not restore the pension that they lost in a contentious vote 10 years ago. Union president Jon Holden said the union should be proud of what they accomplished and that it was time to get back to building planes.

Alleged sex abuse in youth detention: An additional 176 people made allegations against Washington state for failing to protect them from sexual abuse while they were children at youth detention centers in the state, according to the Seattle Times. Combined with another lawsuit filed in September, that brings the total number of people claiming they were sexually abused in Washington's detention centers up to almost 400. Meanwhile, the Seattle Times Editorial Board continues to decry and complain about youth diversion programs meant to help kids avoid being sent into lock up.

Seattle Steel Pan Project Evicted: The Seattle Steel Pan Project, dedicated to teaching the art of steel plan music and performance, needs a new space to operate in after MLK FAME Community Center in the Central District evicted the group this week, according to an Instagram post from the project. In the post, the group accused MLK FAME of bowing to the demands of neighborhood "Karens" who complained about the groups weekly practice. I reached out to MLK FAME for a response, who did not immediately reply, but I'll update if they do. In the meantime, the project is asking everyone they know if they have any ideas where they can house their steel pan band. Their email address is steelpanproject@gmail.com. Here's a little taste of what they do:

Ok. Moving on. Let's talk about the presidential election: Let's be real, no one knows how this election will shake out. The polls are insanely tight in swing states. Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire town that votes at midnight every year on Election Day, tallied up their six votes which resulted in a tie, with three votes for Vice President Kamala Harris, and three for former President Donald Trump. There is a very good chance we don't know the election result tonight, and maybe not for a couple days.

Battleground states prepare for certification fight: Given the resistance to certifying the vote in swing states in the last election cycle, many officials have already started to prepare to quash attempts by county officials to squabble over valid election results, according to Politico. Election officials fear if Trump loses, he won't just fade quietly into the night, and instead will mount another attempt to overturn election results.

Meanwhile, the two parties also are wrestling for control of congress. New York stands out as a battleground state for the House, as the congressional seats they lost in 2022 helped Republicans take the chamber back, according to Politico. Meanwhile in Texas, Democrats continue to try to take Senator Ted Cruz's seat, and while Cruz continues to lead, Representative Colin Allred is within spitting distance of him. But, it's wholly unpredictable who will control what in 2025.

But for some good news: One of my top five favorite creatures in the world continues to beat the odds. A cloned black-footed ferret mother in Virginia gave birth to two little baby ferrets in June, according to the Washington Post. Unclear why we're only hearing about it now. We should have rang the bells. If you don't know much about black-footed ferrets, you're really missing out. These little bandits scurry across our prairie lands, and has supposedly gone extinct twice, but they're resilient AF. Now with the cloning and the babies, we could continue to see this species soldier on. Ugh I love them so much, I've been obsessed with them ever since I lived in Montana. And I'm not a ferret girl, it's just they're little markings make them look like they have a tiny black Zorro mask across their smol faces. Here is a video of them being adorable:

I'm so excited about this cloning thing: Instead of a musical recommendation, another video about black footed ferrets.

Antonia, a cloned black-footed ferret at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, has produced two healthy offspring that will help build genetic diversity in their recovering population

Sibert and Red Cloud, black-footed ferret siblings at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, are the first members of an endangered species born to a cloned animal.

As the northern hemisphere started transitioning from summer to fall, Milan Fashion Week invites fashionistas to dream about the next warm weather season

Study shows how stopping one enzyme could help drugs treat an important class of cancers more effectively

File: California school employees can now take their required training to spot child abuse and neglect by going online.; Credit: Cayoup/Flickr

Public school employees can take their required annual training to spot child abuse or neglect online, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced Monday.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our students,” Torlakson said in a written statement. “The new online training lessons will help school employees carry out their responsibilities to protect children and take action if they suspect abuse or neglect.”

A new California law requires school employees, including teachers, teacher aides, and substitute teachers, to show proof to their employers that they’ve taken the training.

“We were hearing anecdotally that there may have been suspicions of abuse and neglect that was not always reported and we wanted to do something about that issue,” said Stephanie Papas, a California Department of Education consultant.

Recent high-profile cases, such as that of former Miramonte Elementary teacher Mark Berndt, revealed that school employees failed to report allegations of abuse. Los Angeles Unified agreed to pay a record $140 million to settle claims filed by one group of students in the case and $30 million to a second group. Berndt is serving a 25-year sentence after pleading no contest to the charges of committing lewd acts on children.

Papas, who helped create the new two-hour online training, said the course will help employees tell if a child has been hurt from abuse or from an accident, for example.

“We have photos that are examples of, say, a welt that is in the shape of a belt buckle or a slap on a child’s cheek that’s left a hand imprint,” she said.

In-person trainings are more effective, she said, but they’re more expensive than online trainings. That pushed the Department of Education to provide the free online training for school districts still under budget constraints.

She said current employees have until this fall to show their school districts proof that they’ve taken the training.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

She gets around, little Miss Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. First she was the face of super trendy and super expensive Burberry. Then she launched her own line for People Tree.

The model, 23, showcased the earliest trends for the next fall season as she rocked a grey leather jacket complete with a grey fur trim around the collar.

Rotch Library - HT371.D963 2018

Rotch Library - HT151.U73 2018

Study shows how stopping one enzyme could help drugs treat an important class of cancers more effectively