Top of the News

Chosen and ranked by Crosscut editors. Click date for previous days.

Mouse over headline for description.

more top of the news

Advertisement

Advertisement

Margaret Pugh O’Mara

Recent Stories

We are not 'the next Silicon Valley'

Nor should we be. An expert on the original high-tech nexus explains why all these technology clusters are unique and not able to be imitated. Instead, Seattle should build on its local strengths while remaining a key part of the global network of technology industries.

Seattle's transportation malaise is nothing special

Seattle perversely prides itself on its transportation stalemates, as if they're part of our brand. Alas, thinking locally, defying regional scale, and torpedoing big governmental projects is a grand American tradition, widely shared.

Amazon joins a parade of high tech to the urban core

The New Economy started in the suburbs, but the new trend is back to urban neighborhoods. Amazon is a good match for South Lake Union, but the danger is that it could be too big, with too few small companies clustering around.

Margaret Pugh O’Mara is an assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington and a research scholar at Stanford. Her research focus is urban history and the globalization of the high-tech industry. You can reach her in care of editor@crosscut.com.
Advertisement
Mossback » Channeled scablands.

More fun than Deliverance!

Spend your summer vacation in Eastern Washington, an exotic locale where lakes are slippery, the Scablands surprising, and wheat farmers are smashing stuff for fun.

RFK Jr.'s plot to destroy the planet

Our cultural amnesia

Arts Beat » Jon Nakamatsu's hands.

A Portland festival for pianoheads

This annual gathering of students and teachers is unique in America, and another example of Portland's distinctive musical culture.

Writer Rick Bass recounts his shift to being a wilderness advocate in Montana

How art reflects nature: an interview with David Guterson

Advertisement
Business / Technology »

Starbucks and WaMu: 'There's no more growth to paper over mistakes'

Writes columnist Bill Virgin: "In their growth phase, companies like Starbucks and WaMu spend considerable time scouting out new locations and negotiating leases. Once a company cuts back on physical growth, however, the focus shifts to 'executing better with what you've got,'" says an analyst.

Sausage Links, transit migraine edition

Newark fights to save a beacon amid blight: the downtown Starbucks

Advertisement
Lifestyle / Leisure »

What she's wearing: a 'shrug' sweater

Lightweight knits are one of my favorite staples for Northwest wardrobes. Ideally, they are washable, don't need to be ironed, and can be layered for year-round wear. This particular day was overcast and warm but breezy, so I needed just a little extra coverage for an outdoor birthday party and then dinner at a friend's house.

Endangered in Oregon: the state fair

Starbucks' withdrawal symptoms? Slate wants to help you

Food »

'Lazy locavores' have someone else grow food in their backyards

The grow-local trend appeals to those who don't have time for gardening, and entrepreneurs are filling the need.

In the garden: U-pick blueberries

Bite of Seattle

Sports »

Security costs for Vancouver's Olympics seem seriously understated

The Vancouver organizing committee budgeted $175 million for security, but recent other Olympic cities say they should expect costs to be $1 billion or more.

Now there's peanut-free seating for allergic Mariners fans

It's official: The Mariners are returning to KIRO-AM in 2009

Flip Side » Golf ball core.

Esprit de core competency

If the government can exclude food and energy from the "core" inflation rate, there are plenty of other cores to be exploited.

Editorial cartoonists join the endangered list at newspapers

David Horsey replies with McCain cartoon spoofing New Yorker cover

Recreation / Outdoors »

Writer Rick Bass recounts his shift to being a wilderness advocate in Montana

He's not the most popular guy to have moved into the Yaak Valley, and his activism has pushed aside his fiction writing. A new book explains his journey.

The Taylor Shellfish encroachment case raises issues over state land boundaries

Canada's first old-growth logging attempt in nearly 20 years

Travel » Jon Nakamatsu's hands.

A Portland festival for pianoheads

This annual gathering of students and teachers is unique in America, and another example of Portland's distinctive musical culture.

Endangered in Oregon: the state fair

Next up for landmark status: Hanford

Advertisement
Sign up for Crosscut's free weekday newsletter e-mail.
About Crosscut
Advertising Info
Crosscut's list of RSS feeds.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


About Crosscut »
Crosscut Seattle is an online newspaper for the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. It's a guide to local and regional news, a place to report and discuss news, and a platform for new tools to convey news.

• More about Crosscut

Contact Crosscut

Tools

Sign up for Crosscut's daily newsletter
About Crosscut
Advertising Info
Crosscut's list of RSS feeds.
Advertisement