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Alaska

Crosscut most recent

Cascadia, where moral hand-wringing is an Olympic sport

Posted Mon, Mar 1, 9:09 p.m.

The Vancouver Olympics captured nicely the two opposing impulses of the Pacific Northwest: the desire to extol our green virtues, and to exploit our future.

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What's Obama got against historic preservation?

Posted Tue, Feb 16, 2 a.m.

The Great Recession and federal and state budget cuts are creating hurdles for heritage advocates who see historic preservation and urban revitalization as a way out of the economic doldrums. Obama's budget is a major setback because it slashes cherished programs.

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The unsinkable Silver Slug

Posted Wed, Feb 10, 2 a.m.

Some want to sink the Kalakala, the historic streamlined Seattle ferry that was once a local icon. But its owner has other ideas and hopes to discuss them with Obama.

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The Fat Lady often sings for historic stadiums

Posted Thu, Jan 7, 2 a.m.

While Portland preservationists fight to save their historic Coliseum, another sports venue is destined for a cheesy end.

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The birth of modern Seattle

Posted Fri, Nov 27, 2 a.m.

How the 1909 World's Fair, and the 100th anniversary of that fair, have led to a greater understanding of the best and worst of our city. Seattle was built on a foundation of progress, racism, and a carnival of wonders.

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Dancing the Alaska state of mind

Posted Sun, Nov 8, 8:35 a.m.

An Argentina group interprets a dark, conflicted "Alaska" in a new work at On the Boards

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Denali: The best park of 'America's Best Idea'

Posted Wed, Sep 30, 6 a.m.

A memorable stay at a wilderness lodge in Denali National Park shows a rare example of faithfully carrying out the Park Service's mission of conserving wildlife unimpaired. For now.

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The little tugboat that could

Posted Fri, Jun 12, 6 a.m.

The legislative session wasn't generous to the environment, especially Puget Sound. But there was one victory of 'dumb doggedness': the rescue tug at Neah Bay, a key to fighting oil spills.

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Godless in Cascadia

Posted Thu, Apr 23, 6 a.m.

What are the public policy implications of living in the None Zone, where religious affiliations are limited? A comparison between New England and the Northwest offers hints.

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Are we happier in the West?

Posted Sat, Mar 14, 6 a.m.

A new poll suggests Western states report a better sense of well-being, but neither prosperity not recession seem to be making most Americans happier.

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Is Seattle's growth unstoppable?

Posted Mon, Feb 23, 6 a.m.

Walling off migration is not possible. But there are ways to downsize our ambitions to a Lesser Seattle, which might be good for America and the environment.

READ MORE 27 COMMENTS

Mr. Mayor: Can we afford our city payroll?

Posted Wed, Feb 18, 6 a.m.

It's time to face the facts about coming cuts at City Hall. And will the high-earners suffer, or just the folks who tend the parks and fix the potholes?

READ MORE 3 COMMENTS

Redistricting in God's Country

Posted Tue, Feb 10, 6 a.m.

God is making a slight comeback in the Pacific Northwest, no longer the most church-averse region in the U.S. Meanwhile, Big-Tent Obama is playing footsie with the seculars.

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A few kind words for earmarks

Posted Mon, Feb 9, 6 a.m.

Congress is damned if (as in earmarks) it directs where the money goes , and berated if (as in the new stimulus package) it doesn't. Sober up, government bashers!

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Setting sail for the Salish Sea

Posted Fri, Jan 23, 6 a.m.

Forget cleaning up Puget Sound: we have bigger waters to take care of. A new name for the Pacific Northwest's inland sea challenges us to rethink the region and its identity.

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A court blocks an Arctic Ocean drilling plan by Shell

Posted Mon, Nov 24, 11 a.m.

A coalition of environmental groups just won a court decision, blocking Shell from drilling exploration wells in the Beaufort Sea. The ruling bears on the impacts of noise on bowhead whales.

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Joe the Bigfoot Hunter

Posted Mon, Nov 10, 6:46 p.m.

The campaign symbol that got away. Plus: tales of ravenous locusts, obese bears, Bigfoot's B.C. invasion, and more animal news.

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The incredible, shrinking Northwest GOP

Posted Fri, Nov 7, midnight

As Washington and Oregon become increasingly urban, Republicans are increasingly scarce. They remain in control of isolated, rural counties, but their numbers are no match for Democrats.

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New media, old media, and the Palin defect

Posted Fri, Oct 31, midnight

The Alaska governor's vetting in the media was abetted by new forms of journalism and polished by old.

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Sarah Palin, comic book heroine

Posted Tue, Oct 28, 4:33 p.m.

A Bellingham publishing entrepreneur sees force and fortune in the Palin story, no matter how it turns out.

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Alaska Blog posts

Local disaster? Idea gets a Chile reception

Posted Tue, Mar 2, 1:47 p.m.

The quake and tsunami in South America is a sobering reminder of the double-punch disasters Seattle and the Pacific Northwest face.

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We're irreligious out here, but be not proud

Posted Sun, Jan 17, 11:48 a.m.

Both Alaska and the New England states outdo Oregon and Washington in ranking low on the religiosity scale. A new survey finds that belief correlates strongly with Red states.

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Weird but true: Alaskan tall tales

Posted Mon, Dec 21, noon 2009

Everyday headlines in Alaska can make you weep or shudder. Here's a small sampling, touching on Noorvik dancing, chorus frogs, moose meat, and druggy dogs. (Note: no Sarah Palin.)

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Searching for Sister Sarah

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 6 a.m. 2009

Big-game hunting in Juneau, looking for the lair where Palin once lived.

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Hey, it's a whale-meat shish kabob

Posted Wed, Sep 16, 6 a.m. 2009

What one vessel caught in Alaska this summer, and other tales of how eco-unfriendly cruise ships are.

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Alaska's loose harpoon still distorts the health care debate

Posted Fri, Aug 14, 12:42 p.m. 2009

The sanity wing of the GOP makes a feeble effort to stamp out the misrepresentations about 'death panels,' before reverting to Palin politics once more

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Mossback of the Week!

Posted Wed, Apr 29, 5 p.m. 2009

A story about old growth on a young man. Portland claims to be the beardiest city in the Northwest, so how come the World Beard Champion is from Olympia?

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A very bad night on the Iditarod trail

Posted Wed, Mar 18, 12:20 p.m. 2009

The temperature dropped. The wind blew hard. The dogs died. Things looked bad.

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Nominated Seattle landmark vandalized

Posted Thu, Feb 5, 8:10 p.m. 2009

Historic Gold Rush house stripped in "architectural theft."

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Why Sarah Palin might really see Russia

Posted Tue, Jan 27, 2:33 p.m. 2009

With Arctic melting, territorial claims are bringing it closer to Alaska.

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Clicker

Who owns the Arctic? Who will save it? In a new book, University of British Columbia international law expert Michael Byers examines how the Arctic can be saved from global warming and international rivalries.

Frank Rich: The brazen hypocrisy of Palin-style populism The Tea Party Republicans pose as the opponents of government pork while being heavy consumers of the same.

The growing media-political machine behind Sarah Palin Fox News is installing a TV studio in her living room in Wasilla. Media-savvy advisers provide daily briefings, by phone and email. GOP power brokers dating back to Richard Nixon give counsel.

Lean times for Alaska's Iditarod Trail sled dog race The 1,000-mile race from Anchorage to Nome will be run in March as usual but this year there won't be TV coverage as broadcast and other sponsors drop out and total prize money drops by one-third.

A tiny Alaska island with a great big climate-justice lawsuit Courts are becoming the new battlefields in climate fights, and an Eskimo village of 400 is at the forefront.


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