The faux maverick's sidekick

Sen. John McCain's got a perception problem, and Gov. Sarah Palin is the solution.

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An Alaska-sized gamble — and possibly a brilliant one

Our grizzled national political writer, an Obama supporter, found himself rooting for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during her coming-out party. Her choice by Sen. John McCain could be a game-changer — if she doesn't make any big mistakes between now and the election.

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The Filson of my dreams

A Seattle clothier makes a jacket so tough and so dear, it's hard to part with, even for a new one.

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Mile-high political spectacle

Sen. Barack Obama's fiery, seminal acceptance speech set the stage for what will be a fiercely contested campaign.

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The making of an effective arts board

It's no easy task in a non-profit world of growing financial pressure. Two essentials: A board must partner with staff, and everyone needs to keep focus on furthering the community mission.

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A bipartisan mayor who's fond of prayer

Dave Edler of Yakima is an unusual politician in a bastion of conservatism.

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At last, McCain scrutiny

In his acceptance speech, Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden commenced the assault on Sen. John McCain with an effective, point-by-point deconstruction of the GOP candidate. But possible McCain running mate Mitt Romney is in the wings and already on the offensive. It's going to be a hard-fought battle between now and November.

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How to H&M

Our style expert provides tips for surviving a visit to Southcenter Mall's H&M, the newest effort to help Northwesterners find fashion.

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Extreme Seattle

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.

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On the fire line

The U.S. Forest Service considers changing its firefighting protocol in the wake of sentencing over handling of the Thirtymile Fire, which claimed the lives of four firefighters.

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The mayor's block party weekend

Greg Nickels is putting on a series of car-less Sundays in Seattle. The first one on Capitol Hill was rained out, and many cars were ticketed and towed. Infuriating? Yes, but you know what you can do ...

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Michelle Obama will be a tough act for Cindy McCain to follow

The Democratic first lady candidate sets a high bar with an intelligent speech at the Democratic National Convention.

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Paying for our growing pains

The Growth Management Act serves as a tug-of-war between environmentalists and property-rights advocates, who disagree over rules governing wetland buffers and vegetation removal, and so far, the environmentalists are losing the contest. But it's more complicated than that. Opponents of strict provisions on rural areas say they shouldn't have to pay for the environmental sins of the cities.

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The greening of Greg Nickels

Seattle Mayor Nickels' Climate Action Plan brought him global glory as "America's green mayor." But is it civic transformation or eco-opportunism? Or how about both?

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A tribute to eccentrics

Our garden writer shares why those who refuse to follow the herd can best teach us.

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The funny thing about Seattle ...

Our humor writer shares the top ten jokes he's collected in a not very funny city.

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For Gates, global health should drive foreign policy

Gates Foundation-funded research is putting war deaths three times higher than conventional ways of counting them. In turn, good data might drive good international politics.

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Northern fights

Next in the Alaska scandals roundup: An errant senator's son and Troopergate. Part 2 of 2

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Angles of ambition

Recent probes into what forces and experiences shaped our presidential candidates offer an opportunity to analyze them more closely. What they have in common is an aggressive ambition that makes them less than perfect but human.

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The real games are in Alaska

How to keep up with all the scandals rocking Alaska's government? A veteran Juneau politics reporter offers this primer. Part 1 of 2

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