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King County

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Viaduct politicians reach a big moment of truth

Posted Tue, Dec 30, 5:33 p.m.

Delaying the decision was supposed to allow a consensus version to appear magically. Didn't happen. Instead there are three new champions and three new variants. This baby seems headed for the big scary Legislature.

READ MORE 9 COMMENTS

The Metro Bus Blues

Posted Mon, Dec 29, 6 a.m.

The ever-courteous and helpful Metro drivers of the recent past need to reclaim their hold on loyal customers.

READ MORE 3 COMMENTS

Please pass the (road) salt

Posted Wed, Dec 24, 12:01 p.m.

A Seattle transplant sums up the region's snowstorm-response failings.

READ MORE 22 COMMENTS

The real reason Dino Rossi lost

Posted Wed, Dec 3, 6 a.m.

A veteran public affairs consultant argues that the Rossi race was on track to a win with one month to go. As the Market plummeted, reminding voters of Bush's unpopularity, it took Rossi down with the Dow.

READ MORE 25 COMMENTS

Up yours, Virginia

Posted Tue, Dec 2, 6 a.m.

Dispatch from the War on Christmas: Atheists make fools of themselves in Olympia while violence breaks out at Wal-Mart. The sacred season is now a very, very sick season.

READ MORE 18 COMMENTS

Two ways to make deep cuts in government services

Posted Mon, Nov 24, 6 a.m.

Our local politicians are coping with austerity by sharing the pain and keeping nearly all programs alive for a future return. But what about the chance to be rid of programs that don't work?

READ MORE 17 COMMENTS

Ron Sims' maverick phase

Posted Fri, Oct 10, 3 a.m.

He's increasingly isolated politically and has his eye on global problems. On the other hand, he is turning into a rarity: a fearless foe of conventional wisdom who matters.

READ MORE 7 COMMENTS

Seattle: Coming back to earth

Posted Thu, Oct 9, 4 a.m.

Some good news about right-sizing the city, and saving money, too.

READ MORE 11 COMMENTS

Frank Chopp's megaduct comes out of hiding

Posted Thu, Sep 25, 1 a.m.

The state House speaker finally goes public with a dramatic idea for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct on Seattle's waterfront. It involves a long, block-wide structure with a highway within, commercial development below, and an intriguing park on top.

READ MORE 33 COMMENTS

The murky dealings of Brightwater

Posted Wed, Sep 17, 3 a.m.

King County officials allocated money from the massive Brightwater sewage-treament project to fund mitigation in Snohomish County and to help a business in the vicinity of the facility relocate. That's illegal, say plaintiffs in a lawsuit. If they win, King County will take a sizable financial hit, calling the very nature of its leadership into question.

READ MORE 17 COMMENTS

The freaky economics of a ride to Sea-Tac Airport

Posted Thu, Sep 11, 3 a.m.

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.

READ MORE 18 COMMENTS

Extreme Seattle

Posted Wed, Aug 27, 1 a.m.

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.

READ MORE 11 COMMENTS

Paying for our growing pains

Posted Mon, Aug 25, 4 a.m.

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.

READ MORE 6 COMMENTS

The future of 'nowhere'

Posted Mon, Aug 18, 5 a.m.

Urban planners love to hate the suburbs, but what's going to become of them? Will Bellevue eventually become a post-carbon ghost town or a new urban hybrid? Some reflections on the urban/suburban debate.

READ MORE 27 COMMENTS

Seattle's money madness

Posted Wed, Aug 6, 5 a.m.

The region is facing an economic slowdown, multiple budget crises, and big tax increases. Without a rapid, realistic response by voters and policy makers, November could be ugly.

READ MORE 20 COMMENTS

Time for a bus-fare reality check

Posted Wed, Aug 6, 5 a.m.

King County's Metro Transit service is under pressure from a surge in ridership and higher fuel costs. There are solutions to these problems, but they aren't painless, says this transportation analyst. Among other things, riders should be paying more — a lot more — and Metro should consider privatizing some routes.

READ MORE 11 COMMENTS

In Seattle, let the people 'chill'

Posted Sat, Aug 2, midnight

Politicians have resorted to some some pretty childish arguments in defense of policies in recent days.

READ MORE 17 COMMENTS

Seattle City Hall stares at $50 million in cuts

Posted Thu, Jul 31, midnight

As the economy shrinks tax revenue, the mayor and City Council are making cuts, with more to come next year. One possible casualty would be 20 to 25 promised new cops.

READ MORE 5 COMMENTS

Vision 2040 for Pugetopolis

Posted Tue, Jul 29, 3 a.m.

An urban geographer uses un-rose-tinted glasses in peering into the crystal ball. He finds that we will not be able to do much about growing income segregation, congestion, gentrification in Seattle, and leapfrog development. Nor will rail transit help make things better.

READ MORE 32 COMMENTS

A dramatic vote in favor of a rail transit plan

Posted Fri, Jul 25, 10 a.m.

The weight of 40 years of paralysis about transit planning played a role in the Sound Transit decision to try one more time to convince the voters of the need for more light rail.

READ MORE 25 COMMENTS

King County Council and executive's office. Bookmark this page (Cntrl+D in Windows and Linux, Cmd+D on a Mac) if you'd like to check this topic regularly.

Other media

Starting today, local fast-food chains must post calories and fat on menu items The new King County law doesn't apply to all restaurants, and it's vague enough to take a while to phase in.

Metro: caught by the storm without a backup plan It tried cutting back service slightly, and then cut it way back, communicating the new plan poorly.

As Ron Sims prepares to run for fourth term, some advise against it Others confirm Sims is being vetted for possible federal appointment. Gary Locke is also being checked by F.B.I. for possible appointment.

House assessments still rising, and so are appeals Assessments reflect recent run-up of prices, sending many angry homeowners to the tax offices.

An annual license fee for King County bicyclists? James Vesely proposes the $25-a-year license, arguing that bicylists would happily pay for it if it helped improve trails and safety. But, he adds, no local politician would have the guts to push for the fee.

Blog posts

Is Ron Sims catching a bus to D.C?

Posted Sat, Dec 13, 5:10 p.m. 2008

Transportation may be his ticket out of King County Executive post

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So much for non-partisanship

Posted Tue, Dec 9, 6 a.m. 2008

Take away the label and you don't take away the partisanship. You just keep the public in the dark.

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The precinct report

Posted Tue, Nov 4, 4:03 p.m. 2008

Long voting lines? Nope. Huge turnout? Yep.

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Puzzlers at the polling booth

Posted Tue, Nov 4, 1:30 p.m. 2008

Four issues that almost had this writer flipping a coin before going with the flawed-but-tried over the better-but-ain't-gonna-happen.

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Our guide to newspaper endorsements

Posted Tue, Oct 28, 4:30 p.m. 2008

We've created a printable chart of Washington newspaper endorsements for selected races in next week's election, with which you can see, at a glance, who's favored by the dreaded mainstream media.

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Sausage Links, food for thought edition

Posted Tue, Oct 28, 2:53 p.m. 2008

Here's why Mayor Greg Nickels is fond of cutting programs he didn't create, why Dino Rossi's future may be growing dim, and why King County will have extra time off next year.

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Sausage Links, undecided voter edition

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 2:23 p.m. 2008

Do undecided voters really still exist? Really? Really? Really.

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Sausage Links, my lobbyist took me to lunch edition

Posted Thu, Oct 16, 2:16 p.m. 2008

What's better than being a lobbyist? How about being a politician who gets freebies from lobbyists? Better yet: being one of the politicians who received more than $18 million in campaign contributions from lobbyists.

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Sausage Links, Weathermen edition

Posted Wed, Oct 8, 3:10 p.m. 2008

Joel Connelly has finally admitted to consorting with known terrorists. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist writes today that, along with his late dog, S'Murphy Brown, he made a cup of tea and a toasted bagel for Weatherman Bill Ayers, the 1960s anti-Vietnam War radical who targeted the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol in a series of bombings. GOP operatives have been trying desperately to link Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to Ayers — the two are not close, but have met several times over the years and served on a charitable board together — in an effort to curb Obama's sizable lead in the polls and turn the focus of the campaign away from the economy. So far, the plan hasn't been a success. Connelly, meanwhile, is ashamed:

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Sausage Links, townhall debate edition

Posted Tue, Oct 7, 3 p.m. 2008

Tonight is the second presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, and it represents what could be a knock-out punch for the Democrats. That is, if you're still convinced the election isn't over. (Hint: It is.) If the current polls are any indication, McCain's only chance of winning this election are if Obama walks onto stage tonight wearing an Arab headdress and an Irani lapel pin, and after giving a shout-out to Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers, tells the television audience that Sarah Palin is a trollop.

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