Posted Fri, Apr 20, 11:14 a.m.

This interesting conversation reminds me of the continuing saga of print newspapers versus online -- the sea change of how we access media. As an old AP guy, I love newspapers and subscribe to several, but I get the lion's share of my eyeball time online. On books, I haven't ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 8:40 a.m.

Bass is one of my favorite observers of the travails & promise of current mainline Protestant churches. She is also at Trinity Pres in Tacoma at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Posted Wed, Mar 14, 8:28 a.m.

nice even-handed description of a contentious battle of word-smithing.

Posted Mon, Mar 5, 8:50 a.m.

superb analysis. The "changing of the guard" and finding some "new normal" sounds healthy and energizing to me.

Posted Wed, Dec 21, 8:49 a.m.

Looks like an amazing read! And thanks for the great reminders of the enormous lasting value of our museums, historical societies, archives ... and people who are skilled at interpreting our story.

Posted Mon, Dec 12, 10:50 a.m.

excellent update are where we are, and interesting and perceptive point about the separation-of-power dynamic at work. And having one party with both houses and the governor's mansion doesn't make it a whole lot easier.

Posted Wed, Nov 16, 8:37 a.m.

good, clear, unbiased update from a great journalist and journalism educator.

Posted Thu, Sep 8, 9:07 a.m.

Greatly enjoying Pete's curating of regional news and commentary thereon. He is a smart and perceptive observer and writer, and I understand he comes from a good family.

Posted Mon, Aug 8, 5:12 p.m.

Excellent piece on a leader I admired for many years for integrity and smarts, even when it went against the grain. As a Vancouver kid in the 1960s, Hatfield and McCall were "ours" as quasi-Oregonians.

Posted Tue, Jul 26, 8:26 a.m.

excellent and evocative piece that reminds us that we are, in the finest moments, one family. I have no Norwegian blood, but greatly appreciate the world-view and civility and bravery of her people. This tragedy is doubly jarring coming in a place I associate with safety and civility.

Posted Mon, Jun 20, 11:35 a.m.

good and helpful piece.

Posted Thu, Jun 16, 8:14 a.m.

I remind the writer and others that there will not be a "Democratic primary" for this or any other office. We have a Top 2 system that advances the two most popular primary vote-getters, without regard to party preference. No party gets a guaranteed November slot for their "nominee." Presumably, ...

Posted Fri, Jun 10, 8:31 a.m.

A reminder that we no longer have battles for party "nominations" for congressional, state and local office -- the top two primary victors move forward to the general, without regard to party preference. In 1996, for instance, Gary Locke and Norm Rice were the top vote-getters and would have faced ...

Posted Thu, May 19, 8:29 a.m.

Seattle Pro Musica is amazing -- creative, surprising, sublime, always fresh, nourishing. It's a treasure for Seattle, and worth the drive up from Oly.

Posted Tue, Apr 26, 9:02 a.m.

Nice piece, although I have no idea what "inflection point" means. Sounds important, though. I wish President Young well as he takes over at my alma mater, now a public-private institution, which I dearly love and have deep concerns for. Maybe that is inflection point.

Posted Tue, Apr 26, 8:57 a.m.

nice piece. i almost didn't read it, figuring it was just another verse of the same song, but Knute did a good job of giving the reader a more nuanced and interesting look at a truly intriguing guy. I was actually kind of charmed when Paul Allen made fish-out-of-water visits ...

Posted Mon, Apr 4, 12:06 p.m.

Great reflective piece on two elders who mentored me, as well, and to whom I owe a great deal.

Posted Tue, Mar 29, 8:34 a.m.

thanks for the excellent review. Wish I had made the drive from Oly! The previous St. James weekend of Seattle Pro Musica's Handel material was amazing. It still rings in my brain.

Posted Tue, Feb 22, 11:18 a.m.

Kindness is never wrong. Suggestions for constructive improvement can be helpful, if offered in helpful fashion and not as an opportunity for controlling or put-down in the guise of advice. BTW, my reflections are from one who has spent far too many hours judging people and telling folks how they ...

Posted Tue, Feb 22, 8:38 a.m.

I generally agree with the thesis of this ... but I am also reminded that praise of any kind, affirmation of any kind, is much preferable to the hyper-critical world we live in, where parents, bosses, pastors, co-workers and others either withhold positive comments or, worse, are hyperjudgmental and heap ...

Posted Tue, Jan 25, 8:33 a.m.

interesting piece. One tiny fix: Senate didn't flip Republican in '94. That happened in the '96 election.

Posted Thu, Jan 20, 8:50 a.m.

I completely understand the idea of framing everything in terms of jobs, but it's too bad heritage, history, preservation, archaeology, humanities and the arts have to offer that kind of defense in order to be seen as worthy of public (and private) funding. Their small sliver of the budget is ...

Posted Wed, Jan 19, 8:28 a.m.

thanks for your remembrance. he always seemed like an admirable man and he and the whole Shriver family seem to have really exemplified public service.

Posted Tue, Nov 23, 8:49 a.m.

very interesting piece, and how refreshing to have intelligent and thoughtful reader comments and debate, both on the underlying issue and the media stuff.

Posted Tue, Nov 9, 9:19 a.m.

An excellent "appreciation" for one of a true gentleman of letters, combining the best of state history and first-rate journalism. I was privileged to work with John in both contexts.

Posted Wed, Oct 6, 9:21 a.m.

interesting piece. re governor's race, please note that we don't have party nominating primaries anymore. Top 2 changes all that. Presumably we'll have and R and a D finalist, but not necessarily.

Posted Tue, Sep 7, 1:42 p.m.

What an excellent piece by one of our promising young legislators -- a think-outside-the-box guy whom I've known for a number of years. I've read Gladwell's previous books, and this one is on my coffee table, ready for me to dive in, once I finish "Team of Rivals."

Posted Tue, Jun 15, 8:42 a.m.

Good piece. I hope Seattlepi.com and The Times remain economically viable. They provide crucial professional journalism in the region. I recognize that some readers see bias or various shortcomings, but the alternative of a weakened or absent PI.com & Times certainly does no one any good. The blogosphere, largely opinion/analysis ...

Posted Thu, May 20, 8:41 a.m.

Excellent review, and I look forward to getting my book tonight, when David does a book-signing at 5 p.m. at the state Capital Museum in Oly, at the Lord Mansion, 211 21st Avenue SW about six blocks south of the Capitol. RSVP line is 360-586-0167). David and Clay Jenkinson, director ...

Posted Tue, May 18, 5:11 p.m.

I appreciate the contribution Crosscut makes to the civic, and civil, dialogue in these parts. I check in daily and always find an interesting, often provocative blend of original and linked articles. Here's to another 3 years ... and more.

Posted Wed, Apr 28, 2:35 p.m.

I will miss Mark. He was the first one I can remember pointing out that our "public" universities have morphed into a quasi-private system that relies increasingly on non-state dollars, moving more to private, federal and tuition dollars. We are arriving at the high tuition-high financial aid stage. It must ...

Posted Wed, Apr 21, 9:05 a.m.

A reminder that there are no longer party primaries for these offices mentioned in Chris Vance's piece. It's a Top 2 environment and the two faves for each office will go forward. In most cases, that will be a prefers-R and a prefers-D, but the August 17 primary will not ...

Posted Mon, Mar 22, 8:30 a.m.

Enjoyed the piece, despite all the teasing/harassment/ageism you'll encounter. The Udalls have been an amazing force in American life, and I loved Liz Carpenter, especially her humor and biting social commentary.

Posted Tue, Mar 16, 9:36 a.m.

Thanks for this, Peter. FYI, SecState Sam Reed is hosting Egil Krogh for a free "brown bag" conversation at the state Capitol on April 2 at 11:45 a.m. RSVP to Stephanie Horn -- stephanie.horn@sos.wa.gov It's free. His topic is "Watergate, Elvis & Everest." This is an e-invite that will be ...

Posted Wed, Mar 3, 10:20 a.m.

Seattle politics certainly looks goofy, and that's saying a lot for someone who's watched the Olympia bigtop for 4 decades. How do y'all get anything done?

Posted Wed, Mar 3, 10:15 a.m.

I like the premise that news consumers now more than ever need to actively search out a variety of sources, both the "mainstream" media and the blogs, and not just focus on the sources who mirror our own biases. I have my own set of daily must-reads.

Posted Tue, Mar 2, 8:38 a.m.

Whether you call it a sense of superiority or not, I think we're all aware that we live is a special region of the world and that lots of people and groups are working very hard to live harmonious,creative and productive lives I don't think we're called to be a ...

Posted Wed, Feb 17, 11:50 a.m.

Geoff, point taken. But the generalization is also true that the majority caucuses in the Senate and House are divided on the level of new revenue, and that those from urban Washington, representing a more liberal electorate, are more inclined to a heavier mix of taxes. Other than Senator Sheldon, ...

Posted Mon, Feb 15, 9:45 a.m.

good piece. the caucus tension pits urban liberals (from safe districts)wanting more spending and more revenue, versus more spending cuts and fewer new dollars. BTW, lt gov can't vote on final passage, so ya need a "constitutional" majority of 25 on final passage in the Senate.

Posted Thu, Dec 3, 8:34 a.m.

Cool memories, Jean. And thanks for your new career, too.

Posted Fri, Nov 13, 8:09 a.m.

exactly right. after being upset for a moment at (sort of) being taken in, i laughed. Ivar must be chortling in his beer, wherever he is. He was always pulling our leg, and selling us tons of food and good cheer. I second the motion that we lighten up.

Posted Tue, Nov 10, 8:35 a.m.

This looks like a fun and educational exhibit. The Society's exhibit on the centennial of women's suffrage in Washington, curated by historian Shanna Stevenson, the director of the state Women's History Consortium, was outstanding, and is now touring the state for the next year (Wenatchee right now). As a former ...

Posted Mon, Nov 9, 10:54 a.m.

i'm surely enjoying your posts, today included ...

Posted Fri, Nov 6, 8:43 a.m.

Greatly enjoyed yr piece. I don't agree with a lot of what Michelle says, but I do like her thoughts on group-think and the lack of tolerance by lefties for alternative thought. I caught a great speech she gave to a college audience (it aired on C-SPAN) where she decried ...

Posted Mon, Oct 12, 10:39 a.m.

Bryan has long been one of the grown-ups in the TV-radio biz -- serious, as unbiased as reporters can be, and a helluva good story-teller. And what a great milestone!

Posted Fri, Aug 14, 9:19 a.m.

Enjoyed this piece, as a longtime follower of all things Oregon and of Blumenauer's career. I reminded of the old saw, that no good deed goes unpunished. And wouldn't it be nice if the health care debate focused on the true policy differences, and not on weird sidestreets of misinformation?

Posted Wed, Jul 22, 9:20 a.m.

As an Olympia guy, I'm definitely looking forward to a tourist ride, but also wondering whether the rail line will be a significant part of solving the congestion problems that make me dread even going to or through Seattle. Hope so. In Olympia, we have wonderful buses, but passenger rail ...

Posted Tue, Jul 14, 8:57 a.m.

it actually looks like a pretty good class, with an emphasis on hyperlocal, an AP bureau chief and a potpouri of media. kind of where we are today. The DC-NY axis, which will survive the meltdown just fine, doesn't really need the bulk of the Nieman seats ...

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 8:41 a.m.

i like this post. both for learning more about Lovett and because i have San Juan Island cabin envy.

Posted Mon, Jun 15, 11:04 a.m.

Gregoire and the Democratic majorities in Olympia aren't behaving as their colleagues of yore -- or Oregon's. In the old days, when there was a revenue shortfall, they'd solve it with a combo of cuts and new revenue (last big example involved passing $1 billion in taxes, tuition and fees ...

Posted Mon, Jun 8, 9:52 a.m.

Back-to-basics with logo and ads, and the buck-til-10,000 sound like good strategies to me. you should be on retainer.

Posted Mon, Jun 8, 9:48 a.m.

What a great story. I am so impressed that this family does more than make money, to they do good.

Posted Fri, May 15, 9:44 a.m.

Re Benjamin Lukoff's post -- me, too. I'm involved in local nonprofits, tent city, the heritage community, church work, etc. But it's really a false choice. If the tax relief bill hadn't passed, i'm quite certain the budgetwriters wouldn't have added a single penny to appropriations. Separate decisions by different ...

Posted Thu, May 14, 8:33 a.m.

some of the points were valid, in my view, but I'd offer several dissenting points to consider: 1. It isn't just The Times' tax relief, for Pete's sake, but for all newspapers within the state. I know many love to whack at the Times and preceived inconsistence on the tax-and-cut ...

Posted Mon, May 11, 9:32 a.m.

the gov plans to sign the budget on the 19th. what's not clear to me is how her veto pen fixes the Legislature's action. unless it's spelled out as a mandated cut, a veto can't create an appropriation.

Posted Fri, May 8, 9:10 a.m.

great piece. i do want to offer a word of praise for Tim Ceis, who is one of the brightest idea factories and administrators in this state.

Posted Fri, May 8, 9:06 a.m.

Bipartisanship requires both the majority party's genuine offer of collaboration and the good-faith acceptance by the minority. Sometimes it seems the out-of-power party is more interested in putting together talking points and recorded votes for the next election than in coming to the table and getting their fingerprints on bills.

Posted Thu, May 7, 8:38 a.m.

great piece. i carefully watched Lisa Brown all session. she's one of the most interesting and original pols in Washington. Chopp deservedly gets tons of attention, in part because he marries policy with caucus election politics, but Brown is changing the landscape.

Posted Thu, Apr 30, 9:22 a.m.

nice job with this analysis.

Posted Wed, Apr 29, 8:33 a.m.

excellent piece, including the national context. as a Husky alum (class of '70), i love the place and all it contributes to our state and country. but i think after the bitterness dies down, Emmert has broken the code, that it's time to look at new approaches. Senator Jacobsen and ...

Posted Wed, Apr 29, 8:26 a.m.

smart analysis, particularly when coupled with Austin's earlier reportage on how subterranean the budget process was. i'm wondering how Gregoire's rather backstage handling of the session will play out in the public view of her. finally, i agree that the Demo-labor-social services crowd-education advocates rift will eventually heal. who else ...

Posted Tue, Apr 21, 8:58 a.m.

what does "the city fell hard" mean? Vancouver? Really?

Posted Tue, Apr 21, 8:56 a.m.

thanks for this appreciation. i knew Stim only by reputation, but always admired his wonderful values and civic qualities. who are our new Stims?

Posted Tue, Apr 14, 10:08 a.m.

good piece, Peter. in all the years i've watched budgets being written, higher ed is almost always the budget-balancer, without constitutional or entitlement protection.

Posted Wed, Apr 8, 8:26 a.m.

fun piece, Jean. The globe is indeed a real piece of our region's charm and our collective sense that we are part of something bigger than just us. i hope it will guide over the online PI on the waterfront for a long time, and i welcome any protection that ...

Posted Mon, Apr 6, 11:36 a.m.

How lucky we are to have such thoughtful analysis available at the click of a mouse. My one comment is that I don't think Obama is overreaching so much as Congress is underreaching. Good grief, what part of multitasking don't they get? This is the moment to act. All too ...

Posted Mon, Mar 30, 10:05 a.m.

a very smart piece. i side with those who believe Gregoire is being strategic, not disengaged. in an ironic way, i think gregoire is enjoying being governor more than ever.

Posted Thu, Mar 19, 12:18 p.m.

Cuts, freezes, fund-grabs, ignoring initiative spending mandates, and use of Obama dollars will be the main response, regardless of whether taxes and fees are sought. Besides the tax package, which seems more likely than not to me, the governor and others have also mentioned statewide bond votes, something Governor Evans ...

Posted Tue, Mar 3, 8:21 a.m.

this describes the anomie nicely, and now we collectively wonder about what the new normal will look like for US media.

Posted Fri, Feb 20, 9:04 a.m.

Helpful piece. I agree with Austin's big-picture math assumptions, and his previously reported word that taxes are on the table. Tough times. The last major recessions, in the early '80s and the early '90s, resulted in the party-in-power raising taxes and losing their majorities pronto. Will the result be the ...

Posted Thu, Feb 12, 11:30 a.m.

thanks so much for keeping track of this very important issue. Public disclosure and transparency are exceedingly important. BTW, Initiative 276 passed in 1972.

Posted Fri, Feb 6, 8:42 a.m.

I really liked this piece, Ted. Lots of smart analysis and your background at the highest levels of government really give it the ring of reality. I agree with your major conclusions and appreciate your writing.

Posted Wed, Feb 4, 10:11 a.m.

I personally greatly admire comity, tolerance, and a certain indirectness. And I don't think an individual or city necessarily has to compare and contrast with other individuals or places to find clarity and identity. I actually find Seattle fresh and creative and not smug.

Posted Tue, Jan 27, 9:55 a.m.

I know it's counterintuitive, but I personally wouldn't rule out a bid for a third term by Gregoire. We'll be cycled out of recession by then and she'll have time to mend fences, this time with some conservative bona fides as well as her traditional center-left base. I agree with ...

Posted Tue, Jan 27, 9:50 a.m.

i enjoyed both posts, as a longtime print guy who still loves and values that platform, and also blogs and Facebook. i don't know what the new normal will be, but i sure hope it is a rich array of good, solid information that people can use for making their ...

Posted Mon, Jan 19, 9:34 a.m.

"The market" decided it wants content for free and online ... and decided to take their classified business elsewhere. The PI's work was and is terrific, and their workers and we citizens have a right to feel depressed. It's true that new platforms have emerged, and I surf many of ...