Eastside

The Future Shack awards suggest some design principles that could help us shape the city and region for the better.

Dense, denser, densest

Posted Wed, Aug 26, 6 a.m.

A look at Seattle's densest and most intensely developed neighborhoods, the least dense, and Pugetopolis' fastest growing towns.

Inside a Tent City near Microsoft

Posted Mon, Aug 10, 6 a.m.

By Judy Lightfoot

As a national video shows, these encampments have much to commend them. But they are no substitute for more permanent living places.

Is Seattle's best mayor in Bremerton?

Posted Thu, Apr 30, 11:15 a.m.

Cary Bozeman may have insulted Seattle's leadership, vision, and downtown icons with his blunt critique of the city, but he's mostly right.

The Cascadian Dream

Posted Thu, Apr 9, 6 a.m.

Can a Pacific Northwest utopia be shaped on the shared belief that nature is sacred? This latest installment in a series on regional identity looks at the patron saint of the environmental movement, John Muir, and how his thinking informs the desire for a new, greener, and elusive entity some call Cascadia.

The Rise of Pugetopolis

Posted Fri, Feb 13, 6 a.m.

By Dick Morrill

Our population has quadrupled since 1950. Where are all those people going?

Suburbs: cul-de-sac communes or apocalypse?

Posted Fri, Feb 6, 6 a.m.

As Puget Sound sprawls, the debate continues over how to reclaim, redeem, or raze the suburbs. To rethink the burbs, you first need to recognize their virtues.

At last, E-Day

Posted Mon, Nov 3, 10:53 p.m.

By Clark Fredricksen

Got time to read the state's hulking voter guide at the last minute? Neither do we. Here's the two-sentence version, our quick-and-dirty recap of the presidential, federal, statewide, and local races.

Life is an electric highway

Posted Mon, Oct 20, 7:46 p.m.

By Clark Fredricksen

At $109,000, it's not for everyone. But it's cutting the edge, it's fast, and you can get a sales-tax exemption if you buy a Tesla Roadster.

'Zero net energy' homes: an experiment in Issaquah

Posted Wed, Oct 8, 2 a.m.

By Francesca Lyman

A Seattle-area developer and local governments have teamed up to build townhouses that, in theory, will give back more energy than they use. Will that work? It will depend in part on who lives in them.

Puzzling bailout votes by the Washington delegation

Posted Fri, Oct 3, 3 p.m.

By Ted Van Dyk

The House finally passes a porkier version of the measure. Meanwhile, we head into a recession.

Remembering Keith Grinstein

Posted Thu, Oct 2, 4 p.m.

By Pete Jackson

A friend recalls a good guy of the dot-com generation of executives, a dynamo who knew the importance of living in the now.

Three advocates make the case for Sound Transit expansion

Posted Mon, Sep 29, 4 a.m.

By Aaron Reardon, Deanna Dawson, and Paul Roberts

These Snohomish County political leaders favor passage of Proposition 1, the measure on the ballot this November. Their rationale: The package's light rail component represents the future of transportation; increased bus and commuter rail will alleviate overcrowding; and it's a good value.

The freaky economics of a ride to Sea-Tac Airport

Posted Thu, Sep 11, 3 a.m.

By Peter Lewis

Because of fuel prices and out-of-sync regulatory bodies, it's actually cheaper right now to take a taxicab to or from Sea-Tac Airport than a shared van, which until recently was always the cheaper choice. But cab fares, too, will be going up, on Oct. 1. Here's how airport transportation pricing works.

A state agency eyes public-private transportation funding

Posted Tue, Sep 2, 2 a.m.

By Matt Rosenberg

No less than the Washington State Investment Board, which oversees public pensions, is giving serious consideration to government-business partnerships to make infrastructure improvements. Experts identify several possibilities, including the Highway 520 bridge rebuild, I-5 across the Columbia River, and improvement of ferry service.

Extreme Seattle

Posted Wed, Aug 27, 1 a.m.

By Richard Morrill

New demographic figures make clear what a statistical outlier Seattle is, with few families, few kids, high education, and rapid gentrification. Only San Francisco can compare.

Midsummer night music, over the lake

Posted Wed, Aug 13, 3 p.m.

By Tom Luce

Vigorous, intelligent playing at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival's second home at Overlake School.

Bellevue's 'Little Eichmann'

Posted Tue, Aug 12, 5 a.m.

Finding the banality of Nazi evil close to home.

Other media

Bellevue City Council races a referendum on transportation Nine candidates are scrapping for four council seats. How to deal with traffic in the Bel-Red corridor is a central issue.

Danny Westneat: I-1033 a windfall for the rich Over time, the columnist says, state and local-government property taxes would be reduced all the way to zero. The biggest beneficiaries would be wealthy landowners like Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who oppose Tim Eyman's initiative, and Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, who supports it.

POLITICS NORTHWEST (SEATTLE TIMES BLOG)

NARAL ads go after Hutchison on abortion The campaign, targeted to the Eastside, takes issue with the candidate's claim that abortion is outside King County's purview.

Office vacancy rate in Seattle is highest in 20 years It was nearly 19% in September, says Realtor Cushman & Wakefield, and it's still going up. Bellevue's office vacancy rate was about 15% last month.

Bellevue is merging into the bike lane Designed with cars in mind, the city has a plan to encourage bicycle commuters, including building 80 miles of new bike lanes, along with more sidewalks and trails.

Blog posts

From 'Evening Magazine' to Sammamish City Council

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 2 p.m.

by Feliks Banel

Former TV host John Curley looks like the winner in his first run for office. He's got experience "regurgitating" information, he says.

Real radio is found in Bellevue

Posted Tue, Oct 6, 4:27 p.m.

by Feliks Banel

Worried about radio's future? Just tune in Bellevue High School's KASB, 89.9 FM.

'Get Your Leather On'

Posted Fri, Oct 2, 4 p.m.

by Sue Frause

That Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, playing during a runway walk, isn't a bad description of Bellevue's "Fashion Week '09." A non-fashionista drops in at the Hyatt Regency.

Upside of the downturn

Posted Mon, Mar 9, 9:37 p.m.

Conspicuous consumption is going out of fashion.

Happy Nazi New Year

Posted Thu, Jan 1, 4:50 p.m.

2009 starts with a bang in terms of Nazi stories, which were a strong theme in 2008 too. In addition, we gained insights into the similar reading habits of Bush and Hitler.

All I want for Christmas is a suburban swinger

Posted Sat, Dec 20, 11 a.m. 2008

From Republicans to The Stranger, everyone wants to grab a piece of crab grass.

What is it about Bellevue and Nazis?

Posted Wed, Nov 26, 9:39 p.m. 2008