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Rarely am I captivated by a headline, but when I read "Psycho killer raccoons terrorize Olympia" I knew I found something special.

That sensationalized AP story is a condensed version of The Olympian's story, "Cat-killing raccoons on prowl in west Olympia." The article says, "Raccoons have killed about 10 cats in a three-block area near the Garfield Nature Trail at Harrison Avenue West and Foote Street Southwest... Five raccoons actually ganged up on and carried off a little dog, who survived."

"You've got to watch which ones are bad," says Kari Hall, who started a neighborhood Raccoon Watch. "It's not all of them. We just have to arm ourselves with pepper spray."

Resident Lisann Rolle was bitten when she tried to save her cat from an attack by three raccoons. "I'm afraid of them," she says. "I carry an iron pipe with me when I go out at night."

The Olympian suggests the following tips to keep raccoons away:

  • Don't feed them.
  • Don't leave any food out that they can get to.
  • Clean your grill. The odor can attract them.
  • Don't put your trash can out where they can get to it.
  • Keep your lights on. Raccoons like to avoid being seen.
  • Keep gates closed to make it harder for them to get close to the house.

I personally like a solution proposed by "Tyler," who left the following comment in the article's comment section online:

"A .22 injection keeps both raccoons and possums from bothering cats -- takes the fight right out of them..."

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An observation about John Mark Karr, a former schoolteacher facing charges for the death of JonBenet Ramsey: He's disturbed.

Anthony Hopkins could have studied this guy for his role as Hannibal Lecter. The pale, empty look is striking and familiar. I couldn't place it until I thought of "The Silence of the Lambs."

I honestly question if Karr is guilty though. His ex-wife, who filed for divorce years ago when he was detained on charges of possessing child pornography, says he was with their family at the time of Ramsey's murder. Recently, Karr has been hanging out in Thailand teaching and preparing for a sex change, the AP reports. He's already undergone laser surgery to remove his sideburns and chin hair.

Karr sought out to get exactly what he wants: attention. He's a disturbed man who is most likely obsessed with Ramsey but has nothing to do with her. He's enjoying the limelight and is probably relishing news stories like this one, reporting the meals he ate on his flight to Colorado:

"Before takeoff, Karr took a glass of champagne from a flight attendant and clinked glasses with Spray [investigator with the Boulder County district attorney's office], who sipped orange juice.

Karr first dined on pate, salad, fried king prawn, steamed rice, broccoli and chocolate cake. He also had a beer — crushing the empty can with his hands — and then had a glass of chardonnay. Karr appeared to order the drinks himself.

He later dined on roast duck with soy sauce and yellow noodles, and for his third meal had pizza, chocolates and a bottle of Evian."

The media is literally feeding this monster with stories about what he eats. I'd rather watch "Silence of the Lambs" than segments on this guy. At least I can convince myself that the movie isn't real, right?

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Tonight I went to the last of Bellingham's Downtown Summer Sounds Concert Series. Latin Expression played in the alley right next to the Wild Buffalo and the bar hosted a sweet beer garden. Here's some pictures I took:


Quick story: Walking to Pita Pit after the concert, I dodged a crazy skinhead with a 2 by 4 in hand chasing another skinhead dude and yelling variations of "I'll get you, you dirty &igger!" I'm assuming the guy getting chased dishonored the Clan in some way. He ran into the Royal for sanctuary. This really set off the crazy skinhead with the 2 by 4 because (a) he lost potential pinata and (b) the Royal is a hot spot for minorities. I opted not to take a picture of this guy and risk my life, so you'll have to settle with what's above.

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Bellingham just won't be the same without...

Casa Que Pasa (those of you thinking "Paolo" get points, too). According to the Bellingham Herald, which receives points as well for writing its own story, rather than stealing one from the AP (but loses points for spelling Matt DeVeau's name wrong in the article):

"The restaurant, owned by Abel Jordan under the name Advanced Renovations LLC, owes the Department of Revenue $44,452 in unpaid taxes and penalties, according to documents filed at Whatcom County Superior Court. The company also has several federal tax liens, including $42,123 filed against it by the Internal Revenue Service in May 2005 and a $6,625 lien filed in April."

As a result, Casa had its business license revoked by the Washington State Department of Revenue and was shut down earlier this month.

Casa gained some press last December for openly detesting the state-wide smoking ban and earned international respect for its high-quality, low-cost burritos. I have fond memories, some blurred by tequila, of the restaurant. After meeting in the dorm, Matt and I ate our first meal together there. It was at that meal when I decided I would groom Matt into the womanizer he is today.

Let us all have a moment of silence for Casa's potent margaritas and potato burritos.