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Danny Westneat: In Eastern Washington, the Great Depression is not forgotten
U.S. Congress »About that Oregon arrow-manufacturer's tax break: It's not what it seems
Business / Technology »Bill Virgin on the 'perps' at WaMu: 'It is not a crime in this country to be bad at business'
Health / Medicine »The King County budget crisis threatens the public health agency with 'death by thousand cuts'
Law / Justice »Changes are urged for the state's involuntary commitment and other laws regarding mental illness
2008 Election »Once a necessity for women, a businesslike demeanor could be hurting the governor
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- Gregoire and Rossi debate in Spokane
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'He's always smiling': Dino Rossi tries to close the deal
2008 Election »How Sound Transit critics transformed an $18 billion system into $107 billion
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Congestion conjecture: Eyman's I-985
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Amid a swirl of national affairs, two rock-steady debaters
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The screws of Buildergate tighten on Dino Rossi
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The prospect of a POTUS with PTSD
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Crosscut most recent
Sausage Links, Postman stops ringing edition
It's a sad day for state journalism. Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman, the author of the ever-popular Postman on Politics, announced today that after some 14 years at the paper, he will leave to join Vulcan Inc., a company founded and run by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The Capitol press corps appears to be devastated. I sure am. ...
Sausage Links, partisan hats and T-shirts edition
Republican presidential candidate John McCain might be the "anti-earmark candidate," but as The Seattle Times reports, McCain's VP pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, requested more than $197 million in federal earmarks for her state in 2008. Randy Stapilus at Ridenbaugh Press notes how "Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure $6.1 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor" in 2002. Meanwhile, Boise, Idaho, a town of more than 200,000, received $6.9 million in 2008. ...
Sausage Links, top-two primary Cuban cigar edition
Today is "Top-Two" Primary's Eve, and as usual, the pundits have circled and speculated about tomorrow's big turnout. But we'll get to that in a second. First, Oregon congressional candidate Mike Erickson has a lesson for us titled What not to do when going on a "humanitarian trip" to Cuba. In 2004, Erickson said he visited a Cuban "medical center, met with doctors, and attended a presentation on the plight of the disabled." But according to a recent story in The Oregonian, the medical center Erickson said he visited does not exist. The story goes on to say that Erickson and some friends spent nearly $1,698 each for the weeklong Cuban vacation, which conveniently coincided with the Habanos Festival, an annual celebration of Cuban cigars. ...
Seattle outpaces Portland in income growth
The current issue of Marple's Pacific Northwest Letter ($) tallies up personal income figures for Northwest metro areas. One shocker is how low the figure is for Portland, a booming area that is still shy on high-paying jobs. Or, conversely, how affluent Seattle is.
Sausage Links, slow news day edition
The editorial board at the Stranger posted their interview with Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire yesterday — and boy, did she get defensive. Along with saying Republican challenger Dino Rossi's latest ads were "racist" and offensive, the governor got fussy on rapid transit relief, gay marriage, and the economy. Meanwhile, Fox News is making its case reporting on Gregoire's continuing battle with Republicans over tribal gaming compacts, while Rossi will reportedly be endorsed by the Seattle Police Officers' Guild later today. ...
There's a reverse flow of population in the West, drifting from expensive coastal cities to interior boomtowns. It's definitely changing the politics of the Rockies, while also stirring resentments at "Aspenization."
Sausage Links, fancy-pants luncheon edition
The Queen of fist-bumps, New Yorker cover girl Michelle Obama, is in Seattle today to headline a fundraiser for Gov. Chris Gregoire. The event is expected to bring in $400,000 for Gregoire's re-election campaign. Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman will have live coverage of the event as it develops, while Eli Sanders at the Stranger already has pictures from the WaMu Theater. ...
Sausage Links, cougar-hunting edition
Praise the Lord and release the hounds — because our good state Legislature has enacted a law which makes it legal once again to use dogs to hunt cougars. Now, I didn't even know cougar hunting was legal in Washington — minus Cougars wearing crimson — but apparently, it is. While the bill was actually passed by the Legislature in February, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting on Friday to discuss whether the pilot program should continue for another three years.
Meanwhile, Micheal Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of some other curious laws enacted by the Washington Legislature this year. My personal favorite: Violators may face up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail for selling raw or unprocessed huckleberries without a permit.
Sausage Links, mayor-about-town edition
Oh, Greg. You are trying to break our hearts! Just when we vilify you for airballing the Sonics all the way to OKC for a cool $45 million — you show you're a real Mayor-about-town houses and plastic bag taxes.
For better or worse, everybody's talking about Mayor Nickels' proposals today. Erica C. Barnett at The Stranger says she spotted a "Plastic Monster" at last night's public-comment meeting about the proposed plastic bag tax, while Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat warns if we don't choose paper the plastic bag police will get us. Meanwhile, the folks at Sound Politics rail against Nickels for the new town house plan, which they argue will regulate affordable housing "out of existence." ...
Sausage Links, "freedom to get drunk and blow stuff up" edition
Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald has today's top story, reporting this morning that Tim Eyman's Initiative 985 and the Service Employees International Union-backed Initiative 1029 would — if passed by voters in November — increase the state's budget deficit by an estimated $300 million.
Polimedia lunch links, flip-flop edition
Jim Camden at the Spokesman-Review mined his YouTube account for videos of Barack Obama's now infamous switch on campaign financing, while also noting John McCain's back flip on the off-shore oil drilling ban. ...
Polimedia (late) lunch links, 'Belch if you love democracy' edition
The Right blogosphere is all over the GOP's call to investigate Gov. Christine Gregoire's gambling compact with a Washington state native tribe, here and here — while Eric Earling at Sound Politics also makes an interesting observation about The Seattle Times' lack of coverage on the issue.
It was, the Brookings Institution admitted, a flawed study. But it's the best data we have on the impact of urban areas on climate. This business of quantifying carbon emissions is as complicated as technological urban life itself.
A primer of regional separatist movements, real and imagined.
March Madness: A rational view
Me, I don't really get March Madness. I mean, I get it as a journalist and armchair shrink, but I don't get it. But I'm happy to feed your madness. Here's a quick guide to Northwest teams and coverage.
NBC's much-hyped prime time with the disgraced Idahoan indeed showed that Matt Lauer is no Mike Wallace. But would Eric Idle have done better? Say no more.
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When the Northwest was red
There's a cool Web site that lets you look at the electoral college results in presidential races since 1789. It features a U.S. map that shows the color of states as they were carried every four years: red for Republican, blue for Democrat, purple for Whig. It's fun to look at the Great Nearby and see the trends.
Seattle: Coming back to earth
Government workers caught knapping
Survival tips for Seattle theaters
The SSO starts to look beyond Maestro Schwarz
Trying to diagram Palin's sentences
The state's economic strength helps Gregoire
Government-owned AIG is still lobbying the government
Warren Buffett overtakes Bill Gates as the richest American
Circular behavior
The 'Troopergate' report says Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska governor
Montana governor was a Palin before Palin
In the garden: apples and generosity
'Zero net energy' homes: an experiment in Issaquah
What does Tina Brown's new Web site have?
The FAA is looking into You Tube videos shot in Horizon Air cockpits
The Butchart Gardens
The travel industry hits air turbulence
San Francisco voters buried in a blizzard of ballot measures
The geniuses who aren't on Wall Street
When brain surgery isn't brain surgery
Remember the Sonics? There are no political repercussions from their departure
The next Seattle Mariners general manager could be a woman
Washington State holds tryout, picks new quarterback
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