Nathalie Graham

A group of shark scientists bobbed underwater near a whale carcass caught in a tangle of plastic refuse. A shark barreled toward them. This shark was bigger than normal, twice the size it had been when the scientists had last seen it.

What does the TSA even do? A woman in her 30s made it through a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport checkpoint without a boarding pass on Monday, stayed overnight in the terminal, and then walked onto a Delta flight bound for Hawaii—again sans ticket. The stowaway made it to Hawaii and off the plane, but was soon caught and arrested in a bathroom on suspicion of criminal trespass and making a false statement.

Jimmy Carter is dead: Georgia's own one-term president, Jimmy Carter, died on Sunday at the age of 100. The post-Watergate president oversaw the Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt. However, his four years weren't enough to turn around the economy in America and he lost his bid for a second term. Carter lived out his values in his post-presidency. He established the Carter Center "to promote peace, combat disease, and tackle social inequality." Carter spent a whopping 22 months in hospice, clinging to life maybe, some mused, so he could vote for and see the first woman president take office. Instead, he shuffled off this mortal coil just in time to avoid witnessing the horrors of a second Donald Trump term. His funeral will be on Jan. 9.

I hope you had a nice New Year celebration! Bad omen: Tahlequah, the southern resident orca J pod-member who carried the body of her dead calf around

You too can join the circus of city hall dysfunction! As long as you don't suck! 400tmax/Getty Images

Science Rules: Seattle's second biggest celebrity, Bill Nye the Science Guy, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom over the weekend. Nye started his career as a Boeing engineer, but made a huge pivot to star in Seattle's sketch comedy "Almost Live!" and developed the "Science Guy" brand. He became a household name and a classroom favorite as the star of the children's science show. Now, Nye advocates for climate and environmental policy. He was one of 19 people who Biden bestowed the award upon on Saturday.

Austerity Bob: Ahead of his swearing-in on Jan. 15, Governor-elect Bob Ferguson released his proposed budget priorities. Instead of levying a wealth tax on Washington's wealthiest residents and adding more business taxes to fill glaring budget holes as Gov. Jay Inslee proposed

Pack up the Patagonia rain shell, babe, there's no rain this week. Rosanna U / Getty

Upthegrove is speaking for the trees: On day one as the new public lands commissioner, Dave Upthegrove made good on one of his campaign promises. He announced he'll put a pause on logging sales in some old-growth forests. Conservationists are pleased Upthegrove is protecting dwindling and environmentally important mature forests. The logging industry is ruffled. Old trees are necessary for things we rely on, like utility poles and engineered wood, according to the Washington State Standard. Additionally, logging revenue supports school and county government budgets. So, it's complicated.

In less than a week, the Seattle City Council will choose one of six finalists to fill Councilmember Tammy Morales'seat and represent District 2, which spans from the Chinatown-International District to Rainier Beach. With such a short timeline, there's little time to get familiar with the D2 hopefuls.