Storms result in state of emergency: Govenor Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency in Washington following heavy rainstorms that caused flooding, landslides, and power outages throughout the state. Many rivers remain under flood warnings, with some of the most severe flooding happening in Cowlitz, Lewis and Snohomish counties. In addition to increasing water levels, many Washington residents are without power. Puget Sound Energy, the largest electrical utility in Western Washington, reported 42,221 power outages just before noon on Wednesday. Stay up to date with the latest information here.

Good news for local Star Wars fans! According to GeekWire, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area ranks No. 1 in men and women who reference Star Wars in their Match.com dating profiles. GeekWire notes that there is a discrepancy involving usage, as men are more likely to reference the franchise than women. However, the site also boasts that there are many female fans residing nearby in Portland. Apparently our neighbor city ranked No. 4 as the best area to find a female fan. As the release of the new SW film draws near, there are a slew of spots gearing up with fun events. See them all here.

Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump’s twitter feud: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos articulated the inner thoughts of many Americans on Monday when he suggested sending presidential candidate Donald Trump to outer space. The insult was in response to a series of Trump’s tweets that claimed Bezos makes little money and owns The Washington Post as a means to keep his taxes down. Bezos used his barely active twitter account (the exec had only tweeted three times prior) to state: “Finally trashed by @realDonaldTrump. Will still reserve him a seat on the Blue Origin rocket. #sendDonaldtospace.” Within this diss, Bezos is refers to his rocket company, Blue Origin, that launched and landed a reusable rocket last month. 

Nordstrom embraces the holiday spirit with new advertisement: As HuffPost Gay Voices reported, Nordstrom has released a heartwarming holiday commercial called “The Homecoming,” which stars a real-life, engaged gay couple and their dog. Nordstrom is not the first to present a gay-themed holiday ad; however, the Seattle-based retailer does have a history of being inclusive. Huffpost notes, “In 2013, the company released ‘The Ultimate Wedding Party,’ a commercial which showed pairs of heterosexual and same-sex couples celebrating at a reception, just months after coming out in support of same-sex marriage.” Check out the charming video below: