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Why wasn’t I made aware of this “search for astronauts” that Dutch nonprofit Mars One began in 2013? One Seattle man was privy to it and so far he’s made the cut, topping the group’s list of 100 people (narrowed down from 200,000) who might one day leave Earth and head to Mars. King 5 reports that Carl LeCompte is one of the 100 finalists–50 men and 50 women–who will continue onto the third round of interviews for a chance to head to the Red Planet in 2024.

Another day, another transit option: Transit proponents at the grassroots organization Seattle Subway say an additional bus tunnel through downtown would make a world of difference when it comes to the speed of bus trips from areas such as West Seattle, Ballard, Burien and the like. This latest transit concept has surfaced just prior to Sound Transit’s 2016 expansion vote, in which The Seattle Times says “proposed tax increases could pay for a Ballard-downtown light-rail route, a Ballard-University District light-rail route or laying tracks from the Chinatown International District to the tip of West Seattle. But not necessarily all three.” Should ST consider the tunnel idea or stick to light rail?

What are the kids into these days? Apparently, vaping. USA Today reports that “between 2008 and 2012, the number of e-cigarettes sold grew from 50,000 to 5 million a year.” And now Governor Jay Inslee and other legistlators are proposing bills that would tax the e-cigarettes, “require retailers to become licensed to sell vaping products, prohibit Internet sales and restrict marketing aimed at youth,” according to Crosscut.