Another year, another American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT). Your 2024 champion is Paolo Pasco, whom you might remember as the first of my guest constructors while I went on paternity leave in the fall. He came oh so close to winning it last year, so it was only fitting that he break through as this year’s winner. He even told me that he “panic-solved” (in his words) my “Playing the Hits” puzzle not long before he went up onstage to tackle the championship puzzle. If this helped him conquer the ACPT even a little bit, then I feel I’ve done something good for the world. Well done, Paolo!
Washington
Analysis | Solution to Evan Birnholz’s April 14 crossword, ‘Boxed In’
I finished in 42nd place, but with a mistake. In fact it was the same exact error that bit me last year — I left a blank square by accident in Puzzle 6. I think what’s happened now two years in a row is that I get so amped up from finishing the challenging Puzzle 5 successfully that I let my guard down for the next puzzle, which is always much easier. Without the blank square I’d have finished in 24th, which still was not enough to make the B division finals (this year I’d have needed to finish 15th or higher to make it). Then again, I was operating with literally the world’s greatest excuse for why I wouldn’t solve well at all: being a new dad! Elliot came with us to the Stamford Marriott, and the sleep I got on Friday night was … not good, to say the least. Even with that added difficulty, I still had only one mistake for the whole tournament, so I should probably consider myself lucky I didn’t have several more. The tournament was still a blast and, of course, my son was the real star of the weekend. We brought Elliot into the lobby on Saturday evening, and just about everyone within 10 meters of his orbit came up to say hello and show him their best smiles. A few friends suggested that I should have entered the Pairs division with Elliot and then used him to distract everyone else. I think this strategy would have worked brilliantly and no one would have been mad about it. He’s too adorable.
So let’s do the ACPT next year again, shall we? In the meantime, you can order the set of ACPT puzzles for solving at home, and you can start planning for some other crossword tournaments on the horizon. There’s Westwords in Berkeley, Calif., on June 23, Lollapuzzoola in New York City on Aug. 24, and the Midwest Crossword Tournament in Chicago on Oct. 5.
Today’s puzzle will look unusual immediately upon seeing the grid. There are five sets of black squares that create enclosed boxes in 3×3 sections, with a single white square in the middle of each box. In addition, if you solved the puzzle in print, you’ll notice that the grid featured gray squares rather than black ones, though they were regular black squares in the online version. Another odd feature is that several answers in the puzzle don’t seem to fit their clues. 38A: [Gives up] is … PAC? 17D: [One predicting disaster] is … DOO? These don’t look right, but note that both answers run perpendicular to the enclosed box in the upper-left corner.
You’ll get your first hint to the theme at 23A: [Confined, like five letters in this puzzle that spell an apt word] which is TRAPPED. So those five isolated white squares contain letters, but the bigger hint is at the bottom of the grid, with an especially long clue at 122A: [Portal represented 20 times in this puzzle that lets you in and out of a confined space (Note: These special letters, reading left to right, row by row, will produce an apt four-word phrase)]. That answer is DOORWAY. The idea is that you have to create passages in and out of the enclosed boxes to make sense of ten clues in this puzzle. How do you do that? By finding the correct letters hidden inside 20 black squares (or gray squares, for print solvers) and in the five isolated white squares.
- 38A: [Gives up] is PACKS IT IN. It starts with PAC at 38A, continues through the enclosed box with K-S-I, and ends with TIN at 39A, which has a normal clue of its own ([Shortest element]). The last three or four letters of these theme answers are all regular words with standard clues, so you’ll have to spot how the word exiting the box is connected to the word entering it on the opposite side.
- Crossing PACKS IT IN at 17D: [One predicting disaster] is DOOMSAYER. It starts with DOO at 17D, continues through the box with M-S-A, and ends with YER at 50D. The intersection of these two theme answers — the isolated square in the middle of the box — is an S.
- 40A: [Units of exposure to X-rays] is ROENTGENS. A potentially tough word if you don’t know it — it’s named after the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen — but there is a way to make it easier to figure it out without needing to look it up. We’ll come back to this.
- Crossing ROENTGENS at 13D: [Weapons and equipment in the “Medal of Honor” video game franchise, say] is COMBAT GEAR. The isolated square here is a T.
- 72A: [Not intimidated] is UNDAUNTED.
- Crossing UNDAUNTED at 45D: [Looked upon with resentment] is BEGRUDGED. The isolated square here is a U.
- 102A: [Parsnips, turnips, etc.] is ROOT CROPS.
- Crossing ROOT CROPS at 76D: [Perfect, just perfect] is IMPECCABLE. The isolated square here is a C.
- 104A: [Second leg of the Triple Crown] is PREAKNESS.
- Crossing PREAKNESS at 80D: [Loser to Barack Obama in a 2004 Senate race] is ALAN KEYES. The isolated square here is a K.
The isolated squares inside the boxes spell STUCK. That’s the apt five-letter word referenced in the clue for TRAPPED 23A.
Now, go back to the clue for DOORWAY at 122A. It said “These special letters, reading left to right, row by row, will produce an apt four-word phrase.” The more theme answers you uncover, the more doorway letters you’ll reveal. When you’ve got enough of them, you can maybe begin to predict what the final four-word phrase is and then fill in any gaps with tougher answers like ROENTGENS.
The secret doorway letters, when you read them row by row in the puzzle, spell MAKING A GRAND ENTRANCE.
Even though the grid features letters hidden by darker squares, this crossword was not inspired by the total solar eclipse earlier week. I don’t think it had any direct inspiration other than just wanting to break a typical crossword convention and see what I could do with enclosed spaces. What I found especially difficult was finding a set of answers that could accommodate both the meta answers and real words outside of the boxes. The -NTG- string crossing the -ATG- string in the upper-right box gave me a lot of trouble until I found COMBAT GEAR with its helpful COMB and EAR words on the outside.
The final four-word meta answer MAKING A GRAND ENTRANCE is also the reason this puzzle was printed in gray squares rather than black ones. 20 secret letters is a lot to write inside black squares, and the boxes are spread somewhat far apart from each other, making the final answer hard enough to read already. I figured that making the squares a lighter shade would help you see the hidden letters more easily. Don’t expect to see gray squares again soon, though; I wouldn’t want to tip you off early about hidden letters all the time.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office released video of deputies using a drone to track down a man wanted for damaging a car.
On Saturday, May 30, a 911 caller reported a man damaging a car outside their home on Southwest 179th Avenue in Aloha. The sheriff’s office said it was reported the suspect, 21-year-old Santos Paulino Castro-Ramirez, was punching the car.
Deputies used a drone to follow the suspect as he ran toward Southwest Barcelona Lane. The sheriff’s office said Castro-Ramirez then entered a white SUV that did not belong to him on SW Barcelona.
Deputies arrested Castro-Ramirez. He was booked into the Washington County Jail for first-degree burglary and attempt to commit a crime – second-degree theft.
Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
Beirut, Lebanon – On Tuesday, representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC – the first session of a two-day round of negotiations that Lebanese negotiators hope will end an invasion of their country.
The negotiations, which started at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), come as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon pushes deeper than at any point since the year 2000 and as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade attacks. Israel has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
With the war raging on, what do Lebanon and Israel have to discuss and will the talks lead to an end of the Israeli assault?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What will Israel and Lebanon discuss?
Similar to past meetings, the two sides are ostensibly looking to come to some kind of deal following fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with strong doubts it will be achieved.
Lebanon’s government is still pushing for a total ceasefire. However, as talks started, Israel was striking various parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon is also trying to get Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south, so that more than 1.2 million displaced people can return home, and so the state can resume finding a way to disarm Hezbollah and rebuild areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
Israel is meanwhile looking to get assurances that Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, a prospect analysts say Israel knows is complicated by the continuation of its military operations and occupation of swaths of southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel appears to be trying to fuel sectarian tensions inside Lebanon, leading to chaos and internal strife.
What has happened so far?
An initial meeting took place in April between Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States. A second round took place in May with a larger delegation on both sides.
On Friday, a meeting took place with Lebanese and Israeli military representatives, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, is not involved in the meetings.
Israel claimed the two sides found common ground in that they both wanted to see Hezbollah disarmed. Some Israeli officials suggested there may soon be trade agreements and an exchange of tourists between the two countries. Lebanon, however, said it preferred to find a deal closer to the 1949 armistice agreement between the two countries.
In the last meeting, Beirut reportedly outlined the damage done by Israeli attacks since the 2024 ceasefire agreement and presented detailed maps showing homes destroyed or razed by Israel.
Is there a chance for a ceasefire?
That remains to be seen, but for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military would continue attacking Lebanon.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced that attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would resume, despite a ceasefire. Apart from two targeted attacks, Israel has not struck the suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, since April.
Iran, which has attempted to include Lebanon in a wider ceasefire between themselves, on one side, and Israel and the US on the other, then intervened by threatening to attack northern Israel.
US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to stop Israel’s attacks. He announced another ceasefire, after his previous announcement of one between Israel and Lebanon on April 16, after claiming he had gotten the approval of Netanyahu and spoken to Hezbollah.
“There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.
But attacks from Israel and Hezbollah are continuing.
How do Lebanese people feel about the talks?
Not everyone is on the same page.
Some Lebanese support the talks and say they are the only option the state, which has little leverage, has. Among those who believe direct talks are the best way forward are Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“There is no option other than negotiation,” Aoun said in a statement on Tuesday.
Others, however, oppose direct talks. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies, Hezbollah, have said indirect talks are preferred and that negotiations cannot be conducted while attacks are ongoing.
How are Iran and the US connected?
Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, killing the country’s longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is Hezbollah’s primary benefactor, and two days after Khamenei’s assassination, Hezbollah fired six rockets towards Israel on 2 March.
Hezbollah’s response brought a huge response from Israel, who have crossed the Litani River – the supposed buzzer zone in southern Lebanon it had created – towards the Zahrani River.
Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel had never stopped attacking Lebanon, while Hezbollah had only responded once in December 2024.
Iran has attempted to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal it has with the United States and Israel, who say this theatre is not part of the agreement.
Although Trump has now announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel twice, the invasion of southern Lebanon continues.
Are there other actors involved?
Gulf states have also intervened. Saudi Arabia has been working behind the scenes to get Lebanon’s leadership – Aoun, Salam and Berri – on the same page. Meanwhile, analysts say Saudi Arabia and Qatar engaged the Trump administration to stop an escalation in Lebanon.
The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 1 drawing
02-42-47-57-58, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 1 drawing
11
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 1 drawing
8-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Match 4 numbers from June 1 drawing
07-08-09-18
Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Hit 5 numbers from June 1 drawing
03-10-28-32-33
Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Keno numbers from June 1 drawing
04-05-08-14-16-17-23-24-27-28-31-32-38-43-45-47-51-58-65-66
Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from June 1 drawing
05-09-10-15-21-26
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 1 drawing
02-07-35-44-57, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
Olympia Headquarters
Everett Regional Office
Federal Way Office
Spokane Department of Imagination
Vancouver Office
Tri-Cities Regional Office
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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