crosscut.com : Washington

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 neighorhoods 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.

57 states — and the Soviet of Washington?

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:43:01 PDT

Sen. Barack Obama must be drinking some of the same Seattle water as secessionist Mayor Greg Nickels. In Beaverton, Ore., he told the crowd that he'd visited "57 states" with "one left to go." He goes on to say that the only states he hasn't been to during his presidential bid are Alaska and Hawaii, which means Obama thinks the U.S. has 58 states, though by his own count there should be 59.

Gregoire and Rossi, together again

Crosscut — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:10:01 PDT

For the first time in nearly four years, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and her Republican re-challenger, Dino Rossi, found themselves in the same room Friday night, May 9. The occasion was a retirement party at the Washington Supreme Court for veteran Associated Press reporter Dave Ammons, who has gone to work for Secretary of State Sam Reed.

Fast times and loads of fun, despite expensive gas

Crosscut — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:01 PDT

Photo story: Drag racing today is a AAA-sanctioned activity for high school students — on a track, without alcohol, and with plenty of supervision. But high-priced fuel takes a toll.

The Northwest's real fairy tales

Crosscut — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:08:01 PDT

When it comes to Northwest legends, we usually think big: There's Bigfoot, D.B. Cooper's Big Heist, Paul Bunyan and his Big Blue Ox — even the Big White Worm of the Palouse. This tradition goes back. When Jonathan Swift documented Gulliver's travels in the early 1700s, he placed the land of the giants, Brobdingnag, in the Pacific Northwest — somewhere between what we know today as British Columbia and Alaska. But we have our mini-myths, as well. Yes, Northwest giants are fun to think about (remember Olaf?), but take a minute to think about our munchkins.

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 plea bargain douses the scandal of the Thirtymile Fire

Crosscut — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

The darkest moment in U.S. Forest Service history won't be told — not to a jury, anyway.

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

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

The Great White hope

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

It may be the season for finding big white enigmas. In March, scientists spotted a long-rumored white killer whale in Alaska. Closer to home, researchers who have been pawing the sod in search of the Great White earthworm of the Palouse have come up with some surprising new clues about the elusive and possibly endangered creature. Two recent discoveries, one near Moscow, Idaho, and one near Leavenworth, Wash., suggest that the worms are not only out there, they may live farther afield than previously thought.

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.