In my world the 2010’s were very much “cloud” and “devops”

Now it’s 100% “AI”

Obama was a dynasty? I must’ve missed those other Obama elections.

Aggregating some information in this comment based on what I’ve read throughout the internet.

1. Authorities have identified the vehicle of the one in Oregon (and likely Washington) and probably know who’s behind it at this point. AP News
2. Authorities have arrested the person responsible for the ballot fires in Phoenix ABC Phoenix
3. There was a conversation on Truth Social from a user named Elwoodblues50 that suggested doing just this. I have no idea how coordinated it was, but it definitely sounds like something that has been going around right wing circles for a bit. sorry Reddit link
4. These ballot boxes have measures to protect the ballots in the case of fire. One of the ballot boxes had up to 100 ballots destroyed, the others were in the single digits.
5. Oregon and Washington both have websites that allow you to check the status of your ballot. If you know anyone in who may have been impacted by this, have them check the websites and request a new ballot if theirs wasn’t accepted. Oregon. Washington

In a similar punk/pop-punk vein, I saw The Matches are doing a few reunion shows and found myself diving headfirst into their 3 albums again. I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed them.

Bob Newhart, everybody!

This appears to be related to the same Snowflake breach that compromised Ticketmaster. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about more companies impacted by this.

I applaud OP for making an effort to get involved locally but can sympathize with their struggles. Local government elections typically have a more new candidates that don’t have a track record of experience to go back on. Additionally, there are a handful of boilerplate campaign promises that you’ll see over and over again (smart spending, lower taxes, etc). I’ve personally found some success with the following approaches:

1. Even if you don’t get a ton of info from the candidate themselves, it’s still worth it looking at their website and seeing what they choose to make the centerpiece of their campaign.

2. Look up your local Democratic and Republican Party websites and see who they endorse. Often, even if a candidate is unaffiliated, the local political parties will have some insight as to who THEY would prefer. That tells you something too.

3. Try to attend local government events. You’ll learn a TON by attending a city council or school board meeting. In my local area, I’ve seen representatives half asleep or reading newspapers during discussions. At the very least, look at who takes the position seriously. Additionally, try to see who is asking smart questions, and conveys that they understand the subject matters well.

I think we should be encouraging more people for get involved locally. That’s how grassroots efforts turn into more options nationally.

I’m interpreting OPs original comment in a way that makes me think he doesn’t entirely trust what the candidates themselves say. I think that says something about where our society is today.

Sigh. The ol “We investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing.”

So I guess buying a water filter for my tap at home isn’t going to save me.

Now that I know about it, I’ll sub!