It seems ironic that here in God's green country (or Goddess's, if you swing that way), the heist of choice for auto-parts thieves is the catalytic converter. The Columbian of Vancouver, Wash., reports on the trend, noting that there's motivation to rip off these pricey emission-limiting parts then sell them to smelters which extract the valuable metals. If you run a smelter, this means that you can probably buy a hot catalytic converter easier than a box of Sudafed at the pharmacy. [Writer's note: This last bit is an update. Columbian reporter Justin Carinci nicely took the time to explain to me why the gizmos don't simply get sold as secondhand auto parts.]
By day (usually), Yazmin Mehdi runs the Business/Marketing side of Crosscut.com. Last night, however, she was one of the 975 volunteers who fanned out across King County to count the homeless. This is what she discovered:
I am continuing my Johnny Appleseed book tour while absorbing national and regional vibrations. I have found an intense interest not only in the presidential nominating campaigns and candidates but also the major international and domestic issues on our table. With no incumbent on the ballot for the first time since 1952, Americans are paying close attention. Paying less-close attention, it would appear, is The New York Times.
For 40 years, the exterior of the 1916 building has been blighted by 1960s-era aluminum panels. There had been $109,000 in the $4.9 billion King County budget to study restoration of the exterior, but it was vetoed by Executive Ron Sims. In his debut as a Crosscut writer, architect and former Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck says the County Council should override that veto.
When it comes to the debate over historic preservation, the members of the Seattle Times editorial board ought to read their own paper. They might learn something.
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