crosscut.com : Seattle

Meet the dynamos who make Portland's art music snap and crackle

Crosscut — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:01 PDT

Four who are scene-shifting classical musicians talk about why they came to Portland, and why "a big small town" can be a more promising place than bigger Seattle for an art-music revolution.

A city of scolds

Crosscut — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Seattle City Hall has cracked down on drinking and clubs, it's on the verge of banning fast food and taxing plastic grocery bags, and now even plastic-bottled water is a civic sin. Switch to tap water! says the mayor. Mossback thinks enough is enough.

A great ex-pat life â�� but a long way from home

Crosscut — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: Ensconced in metro Puget Sound, French nationals nonetheless feel the inevitable tug of the homeland. Conclusion

Big Bach at Big Ben

Crosscut — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:35:01 PDT

Seattle's Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, also contains a fine organ, which is the most prominent visual feature as you look at the stage of Big Ben (as opposed to the recital hall, or Little Ben). This year, the Symphony has promoted a series of three Bach organ recitals on the Watjen Concert Organ, designed by the leading American organ builder, C.B. Fisk. Joseph Adam of St. James Cathedral was the soloist, and last week Dr. Adam concluded the series before a large and rightly enthusiastic audience.

The city's own series of tubes

Crosscut — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Would municipal broadband service for all residents be better and cheaper than what the free market is providing now? Seattle City Hall wants to find out.

Educated abroad, they are France's new foreign legion

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: Today's graduates are more likely to have studied abroad, and they're more open to leaving France for career opportunities — glamorous and humble. Many of them are settling in metro Puget Sound. Part 3

As long as we're beating up on the mayor today ...

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:00:01 PDT

Seattle Mayor for Life Greg Nickels is issuing press releases fast and furiously. There are, after all, only 546 days until the election — the 2009 election. And although he has no real opponent as yet, His Excellency has only $129,639.98 in the bank for the 2009 campaign and only took in $29,430.90 in March — and hired fundraiser Colby Underwood got $3,500 of that.

So it's no wonder Nickels' staff is cranking out press releases that attach his name to everything that happens in this town.

Annals of Northwest secession

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

A primer of regional separatist movements, real and imagined.

Greg Nickels' rebel yell

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:01 PDT

Seattle's mayor waves the flag of secession. In so doing, he may have waved goodbye to a future in state politics.

For the French, Seattle's cachet is bio

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: There are thousands of emigrants in metro Seattle. They generally like our green and organic values, but the social norms here are an acquired taste. Part 2

Parlez-vous a software language?

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: Thousands have invaded metro Puget Sound, many of them in search of opportunities and attitudes in technology that simply don't exist at home in France. Part 1

Lawrence Brownlee shines in Seattle Opera's Puritani

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

A night to cheer Bellini fans: absolutely splendid music, excellent singers, and a chance to see a rising star tenor.

Maybe they just need some home cookin'

Crosscut — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:00:01 PDT

Maybe it's a lot worse than that. The Mariners finish a dismal 1-5 road trip.

Seattle area, San Juans lead the local wealth parade

Crosscut — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:22:01 PDT

Mike Parks, editor of the valuable Marple's Pacific Northwest Letter ($), has posted some fascinating data about levels of wealth in Washington and Oregon, digging into the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis figures for 2006, the most recent year available. The figures show how much Washington's richest counties are outstripping other nearby states.

How the West was nuked

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:56:01 PDT

One of the best trends in historic commemoration is a greater willingness to honestly embrace history some would like to forget. In the bill containing Washington's new Wild Sky Wilderness that just passed Congress, there is funding for a National Park Service memorial on Bainbridge Island commemorating the shameful internment of Japanese civilians during World War II. The internment proposal was pushed hard by Rep. Jay Inslee and Sen. Maria Cantwell. Coming to terms with our nuclear past is another problematic area, but one that is also getting a more attention in the West.

Washington's million-dollar university president

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:00:01 PDT

As Mark Emmert joins two local corporate boards, boosting his yearly income well into seven figures, it's worth asking if he's really earned it. He's a prominent public face for the institution, but he's no scholar and doesn't actually run the university.

Seattle is a ghost town for ghost bikes?

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

There's a new and growing effort to memorialize cyclists hit by motor vehicles — and in the process, raise awareness for bicycle safety and sharing the road. The first "ghost bike" reportedly appeared in St. Louis, Mo., when Patrick Van Der Tuin witnessed someone on a bike getting hit by a car.

Mods versus snobs

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Modernist architecture is for the elite, right? Not any more. The movement to preserve modern structures is finding new energy in populist appeal and as a counterbalance to today's McMansions and Viagra villas. The debate over a Ballard Denny's is just one squabble in a growing national discussion about preservation, proportion, and pedigree.

Thousands trade four wheels for two during Bike to Work Month

Crosscut — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:00:01 PDT

Rising gas prices, crowded buses, concern for the environment, and the desire to squeeze in a workout are motivating more people to commute by bike. Here's what you need to know if you're thinking about joining them.

Psst! Wanna see the Viaduct disappear?

Crosscut — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:58:01 PDT

The debate about Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct used to be a very public, contact sport, but as many local politicians were carted off the field, the controversy moved to a 30-person stakeholders group, who meet very quietly. Meanwhile, the politicians edge back onto the playing field and hint at solutions.