crosscut.com : Seattle

Strange figure sighted at the City Council

Crosscut — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:50:01 PDT

Oddly enough for a public figure, but Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is rather shy. And one place where he rarely shows his face is at City Hall, except around his top-floor offices. So it was big news when he suddenly showed up in City Council offices Thursday, working the corridor and greeting the councilmembers. "It made for a lot of buzz," said Tim Burgess, one councilmember who had been urging Hizzoner to "come on down."

The M's need a smarter management team

Crosscut — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:01 PDT

As the team continues to occupy the bottom of the standings, it's time to look at who's at the top — of the decision-making tree, that is.

Spin the bottle: The climate-action mayor misses the point on drinking water

Crosscut — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Seattle's tap water is the "gold standard," says Greg Nickels. Really? No, not really. It could be a lot better.

Memo to the owners of the Mariners

Crosscut — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:00:01 PDT

In calling attention to some scathing advice for the team's ownership, penned by USS Mariner blogger and local author Derek Milhous Zumsteg, I'm giving short shrift to a very thoughtful, statistics-rich analysis of the poorly performing Seattle Mariners. But DMZ says what mainstream writers dare not, or at least in a way they would not, and it's worth highlighting the last three paragraphs of his assessment:

The need for cruise control

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:00:01 PDT

An environmentalist explains why better federal regulations are needed to police polluters among the world's fleet of cruise ships: State and local authorities can only do so much. Over six months this year, Puget Sound will see 211 big ships bearing 835,000 passengers call on Seattle.

Your chance to join the Mod Squad

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:01 PDT

A number of events are coming up for people interested in preserving Northwest modernism, from Googie to Brutalism to starship chic. Here's a quick rundown and reminder of doings connected to stories I've been covering on Crosscut.

There's nothing new in a plan to save Puget Sound

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

While the Puget Sound Partnership works to include citizen comment in the process of developing a plan to save the Sound, some scientists say they already weighed in — back in 2006 — but it looks as if their comments are being ignored.

Comcast's high-definition baseball asterisk

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:47:01 PDT

Those Comcast high-def customers who flipped to Mojo (Channel 664) Monday night, May 12, after Kenji Johjima smacked a game-tying, three-run homer in the 12th instead saw George C. Scott starring in The Exorcist III.

Another devaluation of the Seattle Times Co.

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:10:01 PDT

Last week was tough for the folks at the Seattle Times Co. The flagship Seattle Times carried through on a plan to cut the paper's staff of 1,845 by about 7 percent, or 125 employees. Meanwhile, in a federal securities filing last Friday, May 9, Sacramento-based McClatchy Co., which owns 49.5 percent of the Times Co. voting stock, disclosed it is continuing to devalue its stake in the company.

Puget Sound on Prozac

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Pretty as it is, our signature waterway is a chemical dump for everything from oil to sewage — and even anti-depressants. You may be surprised (and disgusted) by what turns up there.

Perhaps Oklahoma City would also be interested in a baseball team

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:00:01 PDT

OK, probably not — they already have a pretty good triple-A minor league team. So what the heck is going wrong at Safeco Field?

Seattle neighborhoods at one table

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:00:01 PDT

Chapter 3: Members of the City Neighborhood Council refer to the body's role as "holding the city's feet to the fire," but that expression is more incendiary than the reality. The role is advisory, but sometimes its influence can be seen in City Hall initiatives born or programs saved.

A Seattle software exec makes sure that the buffalo don't roam

Crosscut — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:35:01 PDT

In the 19th century, tourists used to slaughter bison herds from passing trains, blasting the big beasts into near extinction just for fun. That ugly tradition is echoed in the recent massacre of buffalo in Colorado, which has also touched off a classic confrontation over rights between two ranchers. The Northwest connection: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's John Cook points out that the man behind the recent massacre is the chairman and CEO of one of Seattle's top software companies, Jeff Hawn of Attachmate. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

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 — 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.