What a storm! Thunderstorms rolled in Saturday night and brought rumbles, flashes, and a deluge of rain with them. The Puget Sound area bore witness to 3,300 lightning strikes. Did you sit outside and watch the free sky theater? It was glorious. I like when weather makes me feel small. Along with the spectacle came the real price: the storm knocked out power for 18,000 people in Western Washington, and it lit a brush fire now burning near Leavenworth. 

A little lightning: I can't possibly move on from the storm subject without showing you lightning. 

More weather stalls train: Was the link late yesterday? I mean later than usual? Large wind gusts caused a power outage in Rainier Valley on Sunday that screwed up light rail stations near SODO and Columbia City.  

One dead in SODO nightclub shooting: A 22-year-old man was shot multiple times in the abdomen inside a nightclub early Saturday morning. He died from his injuries on Sunday. Police are searching for the shooter. 

Washington baseball teams keep losing: Puyallup's South Hill baseball team lost in the Little League World Series this weekend. They lost 12-2 in four innings to Pennsylvania's Council Rock Newtown team. Disappointing! 

Sex offender island might not be working that well: In Washington, we send our worst sex crime offenders to McNeil Island for rehabilitation after they've served their prison time. About 515 people have been detained there in the 35 years since the behavioral treatment program known as the Special Commitment Center began. The program costs a staggering $440,000 per person. And, yet, whatever treatment these sexual criminals receive may not be sticking for some. A new report from the Seattle Times found that of the people released from the program. One in four people "have reoffended" in some way, one in seven have "reoffended in a serious or violent manner," and half of that 1/7 "involved sexual violence," which works out to about 36 people.  In all, the program has a 15% recidivism rate for "serious or violent" crimes, which compares to 82% on the national level and north of 30% in Washington. 

Seattle's Only News Quiz: Have you taken The Stranger's weekly news quiz yet? If not, then do it!! Jeopardy champions Sally Neumann and Leah Caglio read Slog AM every week and then write up some very funny questions about all of the little horrible, deeply strange, and occasionally heart-warming things we write about here. If you sign up for the Slog AM newsletter, you'll get the morning news roundup AND the quiz delivered straight to your inbox. Have fun teasing your brains. 🧠

Russian volcano blows its top: A 7.0 earthquake off of Russia's eastern coast triggered the Shiveluch volcano to erupt over the weekend. The volcano is about 280 miles from the nearest city. So far, the eruption hasn't disrupted civilian life, though it's spewed a five-mile high ash column and belched out lava. 

DNC kicks off: The Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago on Monday. President Joe Biden will speak tonight about his legacy. It'll be the first step of the official torch-passing ceremony as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accept the presidential and vice presidential nominations, respectively, on Thursday. The DNC plans to be all energy and optimism. Vibes election, baby.

Outside the DNC is another story: Tens of thousands of protesters are planning demonstrations outside the convention. Their vibe? Fuck Israel's slaughter of Palestinians and the Biden administration's role in it. In recent days, protesters have set their sights on Harris, who, as the presumptive nominee, will take the reins in the whole "supplying-arms-to-facilitate-genocide" thing. Many are drawing comparisons between this gathering of activists with the 1968 DNC, which was held after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and after President Lyndon B. Johnson said he wasn't running for another term. Tensions were high back then. They're high now. 

Meanwhile: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "eleventh hour" negotiations around a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Last week, international mediators (US, Qatar, and Egypt) signaled a breakthrough could be close and that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a "bridging proposal." However, as of Monday, Israel and Hamas officials don't seem to think a breakthrough is on the horizon. 

The gloves came off in Turkey's parliament.

Don't blame the orcas for this one: Early Monday morning, a super yacht sank near Sicily. A fierce storm featuring over-water tornadoes known as "waterspouts" struck the area overnight, sinking the yacht. Onboard were 10 workers and 12 passengers. Emergency response crews rescued fifteen people so far and recovered one dead body. Seven people—six passengers and one crew member—remain missing. A mother and her one-year-old daughter were among the rescued. The mother said she held her baby above the waves "with all my strength," screaming for help in the darkness, until rescuers arrived. 

Breaking Bend: Gary Hewitt, the executive director of St. Vincent de Pau of Bend, a nonprofit geared toward helping the unhoused, in Bend, Oregon was arrested last week "on methamphetamine delivery and possession charges [and] accused of selling commercial amounts of the drug from his Redmond home." Inside Hewitt's house, detectives found "a commercial quantity of meth, along with scales, packaging material, and US currency." 

You simply can't make this up: 'Most Wanted' fugitive sought in 2004 murder found working as police officer

Huge upset in Michigan mayoral election: Residents of Omena, Michigan selected Lucky the Horse as their new mayor, shocking residents. The position had only been held by a dog. Well, and once by a cat. Usually, a cat can only win if the dog vote is split. But, there's drama in Lucky's ascension to the position. According to the campaign manager for Topsy & Turvy, two cats who would have been co-mayors, Lucky doesn't even live in Omena. 

A song for your Monday: You like jazz?

This post has been updated.