Posted Fri, Apr 27, 9:18 a.m.

High name recognition isn't always a good thing. Does Nickles really think Seattle voters have forgotten why they gave him the boot 4 years ago, despite the overwhelming organizational and financial advantages he enjoyed in the campaign? Even for those who may no longer remember his arrogant style in the ...

Posted Wed, Apr 25, 10:18 a.m.

As a longtime Capitol Hill resident and regular customer at Bauhaus (and LeFrock), I see this development scheme as nothing less than a blight on my neighborhood. It will undoubtedly have the effect of lowering the quality of life there. But because there seems to be no regulatory or governmental ...

Posted Thu, Apr 5, 11:05 a.m.

Regarding whether Bobby Jindal could 'carry' any state besides his home state of Louisiana--I don't think ANY Veep pick could be counted on to 'carry' any state other than the one where he or she enjoys 'favorite son (daughter)' status. The fact that Gov. Jindal comes from a southern state ...

Posted Wed, Apr 4, 1:14 p.m.

How about Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal?

Posted Fri, Mar 16, 11:28 a.m.

If anyone reading this piece is a dues-paying member of Amnesty International, guess what? You're a Nobel Peace Prize laureate! (At least according to the author of this article.) Go tell all your friends!

Posted Fri, Mar 16, 11:21 a.m.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to describe Dr. Caldicott as an "internationally acclaimed anti-nuclear activist" than as a "Nobel Peace Prize winner"? But I guess, then, her words and views would lose some of the unquestioned authority and legitimacy that this article strives to give them.

Posted Fri, Mar 16, 10:15 a.m.

Given that this article makes such a big deal about Dr. Caldicott being the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, I really have to question its accuracy. The Peace Prize Foundation has a Web site which lists all the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, and I don't find Dr. ...

Posted Fri, Mar 16, 9:59 a.m.

I am trying to find out which year Dr. Caldicott received the Nobel Peace Prize. Could someone please help me out on that?

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 10:20 p.m.

My comment was simply to point out a possible motive for this 'surprise' announcement coming when it did--based on evidence that has somehow escaped the notice of the local press. I wasn't making any judgment calls on the Congressman's ethics, or the value of his work to the people of ...

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 11:16 a.m.

Maybe this link to the Post Story will work: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/earmark-investigation-rep-norm-dicks-and-puget-sound/2012/01/19/gIQAj3VZxQ_story.html

Posted Tue, Mar 6, 11:14 a.m.

As for the 'timing' of this decision by Congressman Dicks to terminate his long-running public career, might it have anything to do with with a slow-simmering scandal involving Congressional earmarks that have gone to the state agency headed by his son, David Dicks? There was a front-page article about this ...

Posted Sun, Jan 1, 12:03 p.m.

The knee-jerk defenders of Seattle's 'image' with a constant chip on their shoulder are what makes this town seem so small and more easily mistaken for Tacoma than Portland will ever be.

Posted Sun, Dec 4, 9:35 a.m.

Why can't Seattle bars do what a lot (most?) bars in big cities around the world do and simply let their customers continue drinking their drinks after sales have been cut off--in other words, let them finish the drinks they've already purchased beyond the 2:00 AM mark? That will mean ...

Posted Mon, Nov 28, 11:23 a.m.

But if pepper spray hadn't been developed as a crowd control agent until the 1980s, how could anyone have "reached for the pepper spray" back in the early Seventies?

Posted Fri, Nov 18, 9:47 a.m.

Question 1: If the plastic bags that we throw away here in Seattle end up in landfills, how is it that we hear so much about their presence in local waterways? Do they somehow migrate from their landfill locations? Rather, I should think that the plastics that go into our ...

Posted Wed, Nov 9, 3:37 p.m.

Well, Skip, if indeed "the last vestiges of Prohibition are finally gone," what about that curious institution, the State Liquor Control Board? After it finishes with the immense new assignment of offloading its retail and distribution empire, what core functions of government will it continue to provide--which could not, perhaps, ...

Posted Wed, Nov 9, 9:51 a.m.

I was surprised by the margin of victory for this year's liquor privatization measure, especially when considering the trouncing a similar measure got only a year ago. Some of its success may be attributed to the changes in the proposal to address some of last year's criticisms, and to Costco's ...

Posted Tue, Nov 8, 8:51 a.m.

New York, like any of the world's really BIG cities, is a place where you hardly ever find yourself alone in a public space. There's always someone else around within your field of vision. So the fact that there were lots of people strolling along Highline Park when I visited ...

Posted Mon, Oct 31, 4:21 p.m.

smacgry wrote: "Motorcycles or scooters + potholes + rain, rain, rain + clueless car drivers not a good combination." I think bicycles and skateboards (I live on Capitol Hill) could be added to the list as well.

Posted Mon, Oct 31, 9:04 a.m.

Whenever an article like this comes up, I can't help thinking about how it might apply to Seattle. So I'll ask the big question: What is the topography of Minneapolis like? Is it hilly like Seattle, or flat like--say--Amsterdam? I think the 'lay of the land' is the most important ...

Posted Thu, Oct 20, 10:01 a.m.

ddmiller proposed: "5 Councilmembers elected by districts, four elected at large." I like that proposal. When voters were asked a few years ago to approve a system that would have had ALL Council members elected by district, I voted "No" because I thought it would give the mayor, who is ...

Posted Fri, Oct 7, 10:16 a.m.

I agree with the Italian appeals court judge that both Knox and Solliceto know more about what happened that night than they have ever been willing to admit to the authorities. While I don't think they are actual murderers, at the same time I doubt if their hands are entirely ...

Posted Mon, Sep 12, 8:48 a.m.

I've always liked the Smith Tower and both the Quad and Suzallo Library at UW, as well as Saint Mark's Cathedral.

Posted Wed, Aug 17, 8:40 a.m.

2004--The monorail 'recall' initiative is overwhelmingly defeated at the polls after project backers vastly outspend their opponents, thereby ending the public debate on the project. 2005--The monorail project implodes on its own in the face of insufficient funding. 2011--The initiative to reject the waterfront tunnel is trounced at the polls ...

Posted Wed, Aug 10, 9:07 a.m.

chapala21: The only 'views' that David and Senator Murray care about are those of their developer friends, according to which nothing else now matters than taking down that development-obstructing viaduct. Oh, it's so ugly! (Matter of opinion.) Oh, it's so dangerous! (Yet hundreds of thousands of vehicles drive over it ...

Posted Tue, Aug 2, 11:51 p.m.

I'd say, in the present and foreseeable economic environment, the tunnel's finances look far more shaky and less likely to hold up than the viaduct's columns. To say, then, that the viaduct is a "goner" is just more wishful thinking on the part of an ardent tunnel advocate. (Besides, even ...

Posted Tue, Aug 2, 9:08 a.m.

Yet again, the people who favor an elevated solution, whether by refurbishing the existing viaduct, or by replacing it with some other soaring structure, are sidelined. The 43% who voted for a new viaduct in the 2007 advisory election must have somehow melted into the ground, along with those who ...

Posted Mon, Aug 1, 4:50 p.m.

McDermott taking the extremist position--This is news??

Posted Mon, Aug 1, 10:48 a.m.

I just want to respond to the statement by 2cents that "[the] only option tunnel opponents offer is the surface/transit option." Not true. There are lots of tunnel opponents (like myself) who favor either shoring up the existing viaduct or replacing it with some other elevated highway. (It's just that ...

Posted Wed, Jul 20, 2:35 p.m.

toughbretts: What you've said is one of the reasons for keeping the Viaduct structure in tact no matter what happens. If the tunnel project can't be stopped, then perhaps the Viaduct could be turned into a highrise park as per the much-touted High Line in New York City. I prefer ...

Posted Fri, Jul 15, 10:27 a.m.

bjan wrote: "Regarding Capitol Hill, an additional station north of the planned station would cost literally about 100 times more than a Graham St station -- probably half a billion." So, if we do the math, it looks like bjan estimates that the proposed Graham station would actually cost $50 ...

Posted Fri, Jul 15, 10:03 a.m.

I can never get over the disingenuity (or strategic forgetfulness) of those who like to tout this town for its advertised braininess and then turn around and treat its citizens as being dumber than stumps. Can they really think that the mere association, however tenuous, of a purported political bogeyman ...

Posted Fri, Jul 15, 9:18 a.m.

Please note that Capitol Hill, with way more residents and greater density, will only be getting one station. If anything, any excess money that ST has should be used for an additional station there. This article sounds like a lot of whining.

Posted Thu, Jul 14, 8:54 a.m.

The author says that the bag ban ordinance allows for certain exemptions, such as "free bags for low-income shoppers." How will the store clerks determine who's a 'low-income shopper'?

Posted Sat, Jul 9, 12:51 p.m.

Maybe I missed it. Did this article really say anything about Seattle? It also happened to single out Portland for having devised a successful strategy for keeping a route that it might have otherwise lost. How does that translate into a 'Seattle wins/Portland loses' kind of scenario, as the heading ...

Posted Thu, Jun 16, 2:45 p.m.

One of my reasons for supporting last year's liquor privatization initiative (the one that was sponsored by Costco) was that it would have made it more convenient for consumers to purchase liquor in their neighborhoods. By abolishing the state-sponsored liquor stores and allowing private enterprise to sell these products, consumers ...

Posted Tue, May 17, 8:37 a.m.

We're talking about 2013. Two years is an awful long time in politics...

Posted Wed, May 11, 10:30 a.m.

Is the word 'civilization' being bandied about too loosely here?

Posted Mon, May 9, 3:38 p.m.

Another place that might fit the ideal being sought here is a diner near the Museum of Flight housed in what was originally (I believe) a Denny's Restaurant dating from the early Sixties. It's called Randy's Restaurant now (as it's been for the last 30 years) and is owned by ...

Posted Mon, May 9, 1:46 p.m.

Although it would be in a higher price category than Skip may have in mind, I'd choose, as an introductory experience for out-of-town guests--the 13 Coins on Boren Avenue North. I like old-time greasy spoons-cum-bars like the 5-Point and the Mecca, but the 13 Coins has interior decor that makes ...

Posted Sat, May 7, 10:53 a.m.

For a "positive article about the tunnel," it sure has little to say about the project itself. I suppose we should all be grateful for any recognition by tunnel supporters that there is still a debate raging over their pet boondoggle--as their favored narrative is that the debate is 'over', ...

Posted Mon, May 2, 10:57 a.m.

I guess what's being said here is that Seattle is more culturally advanced than Berlin because the art of taxidermy is considered less 'tasteful' here. Ever been to the bar called Smith on 'trendy' Capitol Hill? It opened up about 4 years ago, and it's got lots of taxidermy on ...

Posted Tue, Apr 26, 9:39 a.m.

I thought about attending the Town Hall event but then realized that my only interest sprang from cupidity--a love of money and fascination with its power. I knew there'd be a mob scene there because lots of people here have nothing but dollar signs in their eyes. (Maybe they thought ...

Posted Mon, Apr 25, 10:46 a.m.

Would "having the city stay in the process at all levels" include citywide votes via the referendum process?

Posted Mon, Apr 25, 8:46 a.m.

What I don't like about the Hammering Man is that it's more product than art work. There is nothing unique about it--there are at least 6 more of these scattered around the US (including such places as Dallas, Texas, and Gainsville, Florida) as well as in various places around the ...

Posted Thu, Apr 21, 12:14 p.m.

Danreedmiller wrote: "perhaps there could be a couple of trains per day each direction (especially during daylight hours) that are "scenic route" versions of the Cascades." Would such an idea be feasible? If so, I think it sounds good to me!

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 8:22 a.m.

"Some of the most physically attractive scenery on the Northwest Corridor will be gone, referring to the views passengers get along the more roundabout shoreline route." Speaking as a passenger who has made the train trip to and from Portland on several occasions, I believe trading those 15 minutes of ...

Posted Mon, Apr 11, 4:19 p.m.

Do 'rising cities' support local arts by breaking faith with their local taxpayers and by turning taxes that had been billed as 'temporary' into permanent revenue streams? I think our region and cities can do better than that.

Posted Thu, Mar 31, 1:28 p.m.

I just hope some viable challengers step forth and force the Council incumbents running for re-election to explain their support for the tunnel. Whether or not the 2 anti-tunnel measures survive court challenges and make it onto the ballot, the fall elections should serve as a referendum on this important ...

Posted Thu, Mar 17, 11:34 a.m.

I've often mused how the Ray Conniff Singers would have handled "The Messiah" (so to speak).

Posted Thu, Mar 3, 10 a.m.

I suppose that calling the existing taxes "tourist taxes" appeals to the ingrown fondness that some of my fellow Americans have for "taxation without representation." Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but most of the people chowing down in our local restaurants happen to be locals (who sometimes vote here) ...

Posted Fri, Feb 18, 11:10 a.m.

Or maybe they could do a story about Manhattan (i.e., the one in Kansas)?

Posted Wed, Feb 16, 2:35 p.m.

Stand firm, Mr. Mayor, the people are with you!

Posted Tue, Feb 15, 1:35 p.m.

Mr. Sucher, your comments about this design forum being 'eyewash' to drum up political support for the Tunnel reminds me of a similar public relations ploy by the Seattle Monorail Authority when it asked the public to submit various proposals for aspects of its controversial project. I hope the Tunnel's ...

Posted Mon, Feb 14, 9:08 a.m.

Considering Mr. Corner's past involvement with the High Line Park project in Manhattan, I should think that converting the Viaduct into such a park will be given more than passing consideration at this forum. While I agree with jmrolls that keeping the Viaduct in its present capacity as a public ...

Posted Thu, Jan 27, 1:33 p.m.

I just wish DOT would apply the same logic to the preservation of the Alaskan Way Viaduct itself and give retrofiting a more serious look than it has in the past. And by the way, have all the DOT documents pertaining to its decision to nix the retrofit option been ...

Posted Thu, Jan 27, 9:19 a.m.

"Discovering Bellevue has more diversity" Than it used to?

Posted Wed, Jan 19, 8:12 a.m.

Forget realignment, JUST DROP IT!

Posted Tue, Jan 11, 8:59 a.m.

www.scatnow.com

Posted Tue, Jan 11, 8:58 a.m.

These artists are some of the first victims of the Deep Bore Tunnel project and should get onboard with Initiative I-101, the "Stop the Tunnel" initiative. Its goal is to trigger a citywide vote on the tunnel project, most likely in May. The campaign has already gathered enough signatures to ...

Posted Sat, Jan 8, 9:53 a.m.

I've been waiting for decades for direct rail service between Seattle and Vancouver that runs at convenient times (NOT early in the morning and late in the afternoon). So construction of this coal-loading facility will endanger the forever-unrealized plans that I've been waiting for? If it obviously takes so little ...

Posted Sat, Jan 1, 11:46 a.m.

Seattlelifer joins with some other tunnel apologists in attempting to distort the views of people who don't share their fondness for boondoggles. I, a fairly vocal and active opponent of the Deep Bore Tunnel project, none the less voted for light rail in 1996 and have favored its construction ever ...

Posted Wed, Dec 29, 8:31 a.m.

Will someone at Crosscut please remove the ads (by jifdosa89aa and strade51) that are defacing and abusing this "comments" section?

Posted Wed, Dec 8, 9:34 a.m.

I love train travel, and would like very much to visit Vancouver (BC) via rail. However, the 2 daily runs that the train makes from Seattle to Vancouver are at what I consider to be inconvenient times (i.e., starting really early in the morning or late in the afternoon). Amtrak ...

Posted Wed, Dec 1, 9:03 a.m.

If the tunnel issue is truly 'settled' in Olympia, then somebody needs to stir the pot. Be it Mayor McGinn or Shadow-Governor Eyeman, let the stirring begin...

Posted Wed, Dec 1, 8:57 a.m.

Yeah, and why should we stop there, Mr. Giovanni? Maybe ALL products deemed in any way 'harmful' should only be sold in state-ownd stores...

Posted Tue, Nov 30, 11:49 a.m.

When I voted against public funding for the baseball stadium, and when the "No" campaign won, I thought it would mean NO PUBLIC FUNDING for the stadium. (If private interests wanted to use their own money to build a profit-making baseball palace with anti-egalitarian 'luxury box suites', that was fine ...

Posted Tue, Nov 30, 10:47 a.m.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, jmrolls, but if there's one thing the Gregoire and McGinn crowds can agree on right now, it's tearing down the Viaduct. This park idea has the potential to shatter that rare point of unanimity.

Posted Mon, Nov 29, 12:11 p.m.

I hate to plug this too much because I really view it as the fall-back option if my preferred choice (i.e., a retrofit that allows the Viaduct to continue functioning as a highway) fails to happen. But as to the question of how many people would be attracted to use ...

Posted Mon, Nov 29, 9:36 a.m.

Closer to home, there is the High Line Park project in Manhattan. I toured it in late September and couldn't help imagining myself in similar surroundings on our Viaduct. A link to this project is as follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line_(New_York_City)

Posted Mon, Nov 29, 8:24 a.m.

For those who claim that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is nothing but an aesthetic blight on our downtown shores, please take note of this article. And don't be so eager to tear down something that you might regret later.

Posted Sun, Nov 28, 6:34 p.m.

Wells: Are you auditioning for a Pemco ad?

Posted Sun, Nov 28, 10:58 a.m.

I see that the author is based in New York City. Any impressions that he may have had Seattle in mind while writing this piece are most likely illusory. On the subject of bicycles, what works in Manhattan or in other urban areas with fairly level terrain will not necessarily ...

Posted Mon, Nov 22, 11:41 a.m.

I think when GOP leaders recruit candidates for office, they should consider the future as well as the past. In Rossi, Republicans were taking a candidate who had done fairly well in the past (though without actually winning statewide) but who had no future in case he lost--which he did. ...

Posted Thu, Nov 18, 9:54 a.m.

How dare the "New York Times" overlook us!!? (I'm surprised Jean Godden didn't write this article.)

Posted Thu, Nov 11, 10:51 a.m.

If everyone stopped eating meat, would that mean all the cows, pigs, horses (in France), chickens, etc., would go around saying to themselves "OK, I'm safe now" (to quote the last words used in the "Seattle Times" article)? If so (and if these animals could really have such a sense ...

Posted Thu, Nov 4, 10:06 a.m.

Gee, I don't own an SUV or shop at Costco, yet I was a fervent supporter of I-1100. The campaign against it essentially consisted of sowing confusion, stoking fear, and spewing disinformation among the voters--all time-honored methods for stealing elections. And, apparently, it still works. At a time when the ...

Posted Fri, Oct 29, 11:26 a.m.

I agree with beaky about that suspiciously high number. (If true, I-1098 doesn't stand a chance.)

Posted Fri, Oct 29, 9:40 a.m.

Based on your reasoning, bkochis, the state should really do a Venezuela on both pharmacies and gun stores in this state. In fact, any product that the state deems necessary to control on 'the prevention end' should be taken over and sold in state stores. Seems to me the Soviets ...

Posted Thu, Oct 28, 1:27 p.m.

To "R on Beacon Hill": Deceptive tactics of this sort designed to fool voters and siphon off votes from prospective front-running candidates are not confined to this state and are therefore NOT a result of its unusual 'top-two' primary system. There are lots of masquerades of this kind going on ...

Posted Thu, Oct 28, 12:03 p.m.

Does I-101, the anti-tunnel city initiative that is currently gathering signatures, not rate as one of the opponents' arrows? If nothing else, if it succeeds in getting on the same ballot as either the primary or the general election next year, it might have an effect on the second arrow ...

Posted Thu, Oct 28, 11:03 a.m.

I agree with charlie651 on everything except one very important point. If you want to privatize the sale of hard alcohol in the state of Washington, then vote "Yes" on I-1100 but "No" on I-1105. We don't want to see both of these measures passing because if they do, the ...

Posted Tue, Oct 26, 2:12 p.m.

Just more fallout from the abortive monorail project, the gift that keeps on giving.

Posted Fri, Oct 22, 9:37 a.m.

To paraphrase James Carville's old Clinton campaign slogan: It's the topography, stupid! Bicycling in a town with this many hills, and in some parts some pretty steep ones, is simply not practical (or safe) for the general population. I grant you it works for a small core of athletic-minded individuals, ...

Posted Sat, Oct 16, 9:57 a.m.

Maybe I'm posting this too late to get a response, but here goes: It was noted in the article that panelists Ceis and Vance both share a "strange bedfellows" alliance in opposing the initiatives which seek to abolish state liquor stores. I can understand the former's opposition because he's a ...

Posted Sat, Sep 4, 3:15 a.m.

I had heard that one of the 'improvements' Amtrak was contemplating was to 'straighten out' the train route down in the Tacoma area--in effect cutting out the loop around the peninsula which affords some of the finest water views you'll ever witness on a train ride. Although I can understand ...

Posted Thu, Sep 2, 2:16 p.m.

Gadfly refers to a recycled railroad structure in Paris and says that because the Alaskan Way Viaduct lacks its "airy structure" it could never be treated in the same way--i.e., turned into an elevated public park. But the model for this sort of thing is really the High Line Park ...

Posted Wed, Sep 1, 11:32 a.m.

Ruffner's idea may have something to do with the success of High Line Park in Manhattan (which I intend to visit a couple weeks from now). The idea of recycling large pieces of used infrastucture as parks was spearheaded by that project and is now inspiring similar efforts around the ...

Posted Sat, Aug 28, 10:02 a.m.

"serial-catowner" claims that those of us yelling "Stop the tunnel!" are short-time residents who don't plan on sticking around for very long. I'm part of the "Stop the tunnel" crowd, but the folks I know in that movement (myself included) don't fit this stereotype in the slightest. In my own ...

Posted Wed, Aug 18, 8:33 a.m.

I don't consider that ribbon of concrete to be "long-blighting" as it's described in the caption to the article's top photo. That's a subjective value judgment which is not held universally. Unfortunately, I think it's either such value judgments or the lure of state pork (as, say, for architect services) ...

Posted Tue, Aug 17, 8:10 a.m.

Words are nice, but I intend to get some anti-tunnel petitions from the SCAT folks for the purpose of gathering signatures at this year's Bumbershoot. You guys can keep debating...

Posted Wed, Aug 4, 10:52 a.m.

For many politically-minded folks in Seattle (and in places like Seattle), the word 'progressive' has become a code word for bestowing approval and a shibboleth for identifying people who share their own views. With an uncertain meaning (especially with regards to lots of local matters) it can be hurled indiscriminately ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 7:02 p.m.

A retrofit is punting. Should have been done 9 years ago.

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 12:29 p.m.

mhays: If McGinn's 'switch' was on behalf of "a small percentage of [fence-sitting] voters", wasn't it also pretty risky to possibly alienate his base while sabotaging his own credibility? My own take is that McGinn's switch narrowed the final election outcome--that his margin of victory would have been bigger if ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 11:32 a.m.

David wrote: "Mayor Mike McGinn owes his election to a last-minute switch to favor (technically, not to block) the tunnel, the same position of the runners up, Joe Mallahan and Greg Nickels." Whenever I read that analysis, I feel the need to refute it. For the statement to be true, ...

Posted Wed, Jul 28, 7:21 p.m.

Gee, just when you thought that the body politic was taking a little breather from this whole tunnel debate, out charges Jean Godden to take another whack at it. Isn't there a skybridge somewhere that she could be jousting at? Or some strip club parking stalls? Or maybe this is ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 8:40 a.m.

(I think the jewelry ad disguised as a "comment" by Vivian needs to be scrapped.) Could it be that the City Council actually 'did the right thing' by slowing down in its hasty efforts to show that the tunnel plan is a 'done deal' which nothing can stop? Very possibly--but ...

Posted Sat, Jul 17, 11:30 a.m.

Mr. Baker, I agree with your statement that the anti-tunnel camp shares an opposition but not a vision of what ultimately should be done about the viaduct. Among the subset that favors an elevated highway (whether new or used) as the solution, the one advantage offered to them by the ...

Posted Fri, Jul 16, 7:53 p.m.

In trying to analyze public sentiment towards the tunnel project in the absence of an actual vote (unless you include the one in March of 2007, which tunnel supporters dismiss because the tunnel plan that it overwhelmingly rejected had some technical differences with the project now being proposed), one is ...

Posted Thu, Jul 15, 1:49 p.m.

Mr. Urbanist, may I humbly submit that the tunnel might be seen as a 'compromise' among those who hate the viaduct, but a lot of us want to keep it. Preserving it only during the tunnel's construction phase fails to address our goals. It's easy to speak of 'compromises' when ...

Posted Thu, Jul 15, 9:56 a.m.

I'm part of the "anti-tunnel crowd." I'm glad that our adversaries now recognize us to be more than just a few oddball whiners with no real support in the community. The fact is, we've got plenty of support--and they know it. That's why they resist having any kind of public ...

Posted Thu, Jul 15, 9:26 a.m.

If McGinn 'gets his way,' the viaduct stays put and a retrofit would be in order--which it should have been all along. Then we can finally turn our attention to the seawall. That's my hope.

Posted Wed, Jul 14, 2:13 p.m.

It’s not the rushed sales of alcohol at 2:00 AM which causes the problems we’re seeing today. It’s the rushed consumption, which exacerbates drunkenness. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to do what’s done in most other large cities around the world and allow bar patrons to finish off their drinks ...

Posted Sat, Jul 3, 11:35 a.m.

Outside of the matter of 'staggered hours' being considered for local bars, there is another aspect to this essay which particularly struck me. It seems to go along with a trend I had noticed over the last year or so. What appears to be happening is that the engine of ...

Posted Fri, Jul 2, 10:01 a.m.

Bars have to spend some time cleaning up and breaking down anyway. Given their potential liability in case someone has a car accident after drinking on their premises, I should think allowing patrons more time to finish their drinks more slowly and thereby diluting their effects should be a no-brainer ...

Posted Fri, Jul 2, 3:17 a.m.

I've eaten there. It's good. But I can't help but wonder how the Polish food from the mobile kitchen in Portland compares to this. (It's cheaper). I'd hope such a food-mobile would be included among those that the city decides to allow in a future city-sponsored food court. Polish food ...

Posted Thu, Jul 1, 1:36 p.m.

I have read a little about this concept of 'staggered' bar closings. I can't help but wonder whether it would be legal under this state's present liquor laws. And I also wonder if it seeks to do something in a complicated way that might be largely accomplished by a more ...

Posted Mon, Jun 28, 10:55 a.m.

So alright, the opponents of R-71 have made their point, and had it validated by the Supreme Court, that the signers of the initiative were engaged in a public action which does not automatically entitle them to anonymity. So at this late stage in the game, I just have to ...

Posted Sat, Jun 19, 10:16 a.m.

I just want to add that it's become fashionable these days, when confronted with ideas which disagree with their own, for liberals to question the motives and/or impulses driving the persons who disagree with them--rather than engaging the issues head-on. (Take all the analysis of the Tea Party movement going ...

Posted Fri, Jun 18, 4:15 p.m.

I wonder if the Deep Bore Tunnel project will be an issue in the 2012 governor's race? If so, I hope there's a McGinn-like candidate who will run on the platform of putting a stop to this budget-busting thing. Democratic candidates for state office have long relied on Seattle's rubber-stamped, ...

Posted Fri, Jun 18, 11:43 a.m.

McGinn was elected to buck the entrenched power structure in this town, and I think he's doing a pretty good job of it. Articles like this are just part of the push-back effort going on. But so long as the Mayor stays committed to serving the people of Seattle rather ...

Posted Fri, May 28, 9:33 a.m.

It's been pointed out that real-sounding monikers can be just as phony as the obviously manufactured ones being bandied about on the Web. If it makes anyone any happier, you can think of me as "Maurice Watteau" when I post. Now I think I'll mix myself another cool one.

Posted Thu, May 27, noon

So what if Costco stands to benefit if the measure is adopted? The state needs to slim down and focus on its core responsibilities, and selling booze is not one of them.

Posted Sat, May 8, 10:02 a.m.

I'm also putting faith in arties4453's prediction. It has 4 things going for it: McGinn (despite his preference for the so-called 'surface/transit' option), Chopp, the power of inertia, and a rapidly growing distaste for government deficits. One way or another, this tunnel project has to be stopped.

Posted Thu, May 6, 3:45 p.m.

As today's Stock Market semi-crash indicates, our economy is quite fragile and the the recession may not yet have run its course. I'm glad that SOMEONE is looking out for the future of Seattle by saying "NO" to this boondoggle tunnel project. One Brightwater is enough.

Posted Thu, Apr 29, 9 a.m.

"And did I mention that McKenna is on the side of gay-rights activists in this case? They are the ones who benefit by being able to have access to the signatures in this case, which was an initiative opposing domestic partnership benefits." OK, if McKenna 'wins,' and the gay rights ...

Posted Mon, Apr 12, 9:55 a.m.

I reside in a Capitol Hill apartment building that was built in 1928. I can sleep well at night. This article really makes me wonder about the buildings going up in recent years--those that are supposedly built "to code" and according to "modern standards."

Posted Thu, Apr 1, 10:52 a.m.

A friend of mine who had a condo in the Pioneer Square area hosted a party for watching the Kingdome implode. Even though I'm a partying kind of guy, I couldn't bring myself to attend such an event. Why? Out of principle. I had voted against Paul Allen's stadium proposal ...

Posted Wed, Mar 31, 1:40 p.m.

What is mhays talking about when he says that a retrofit for the Viaduct would "desecrate our city for another 25 year"? Is that an aesthetic judgment? Well, then, here's another: When one looks at the waterfront from out on the water, the sight of cars zooming by the upper ...

Posted Thu, Mar 18, 10:41 a.m.

Pearl just celebrated its first anniversary? It sits on the same location as Bellevue's Trader Vic's restaurant, which managed to hold on for twice that long--and then closed its doors. Give Pearl another year to see if it can do better.

Posted Thu, Mar 11, 11:01 a.m.

Wasn't this tax originally promoted (and adopted) as a temporary ad hoc measure to fund the stadiums, with no other purposes in mind? I think trying to pile on other uses and extending this tax reneges on this original promise and sows voter distrust of Olympia. These other groups seeking ...

Posted Fri, Feb 26, 10:51 a.m.

I did not watch the C-Span broadcast, only the wrap-ups on both PBS and via the print media. As a result, this is the first time I learned that Washington state's great senator, Patty Murray, was in attendance--and even got the chance to speak(!) It's good to know that Washington ...

Posted Fri, Feb 19, 11:15 a.m.

bkochis is intolerant of smokers and wants the rest of us to be intolerant as well. But I for one am not intolerant of smokers and don't want to be forced to be so by the intolerant-minded, like bkochis. It's people like that I can't tolerate.

Posted Mon, Feb 15, 10:46 a.m.

I like how our representatives in Olympia are proposing a "temporary" increase in the sales tax to help cover the state's expenses--while at the same time extending the stadium tax on hotels and restaurants that was originally billed as "temporary." Now that the stadium costs have been paid, one would ...

Posted Fri, Jan 15, 10:37 a.m.

By turning a safety issue into a land-use issue, tunnel supporters (and surface option supporters, for that matter) have up-ended what should have been a fairly clear-cut solution and made a mess of this whole thing. Perhaps this seawall proposal is an attempt to focus our thoughts back on safety. ...

Posted Tue, Jan 12, 5 p.m.

Waterfront tunnel supporters were quite willing to delay, and even obstruct, action on the Alaskan Way Viaduct as long as Olympia's preferred solution was another elevated highway. Somehow the issue of public safety got trumped by the need to 'seize the opportunity' to 'open up' Seattle's downtown shoreline (i.e., to ...

Posted Tue, Jan 12, 4:23 p.m.

If Governor Gregoire used to favor privatization of Washington liquor sales, she sure didn't trumpet it very loudly. (Wouldn't such a stance have caused discomfort among the public employee unions in her camp?) Yet if she appears to be moving from good ideas to bad ones, it's just part of ...

Posted Mon, Dec 28, 6:52 p.m.

I agree with Art's analysis. A retrofit is--and always has been--the way to go. And if we keep at it over the years, Seattle's waterfront viaduct could last as long as the aquaducts that have stood since Roman times. And yes, I think transportation policy trumps land-use in this particular ...

Posted Tue, Dec 15, 4:09 p.m.

Both "The Wall Street Journal" and now David Brewster espouse the view that McGinn owes his victory to tunnel supporters mollified by the last-minute softening of his anti-tunnel position. Frankly, I just don't see how that could have been a major electoral factor. After all, the policy differences between McGinn ...

Posted Mon, Dec 7, 10:56 a.m.

This seems like so much Seattle-centric navel-gazing. If you step outside of that narcissistic bubble, the French journalist's astonishment seems quite natural.

Posted Sat, Dec 5, 7:18 p.m.

I have heard--as a rumor right now (though supposedly based on a news story)--that Maurice Clemmons had a Twitter account and might have been listening in on the various 'tweets' indicating supposed sightings of the culprit and police movements in response. The same person who told me this rumor also ...

Posted Mon, Nov 23, 4:05 p.m.

As long as this state keeps its monopoly on selling liquor--when I'm sure letting private enterprise do the job would both save the state overhead and pension monies and actually bring in more revenue from additional liquor sales--, then I can't take any of its so-called belt-tightening tactics very seriously. ...

Posted Wed, Nov 18, 3:56 p.m.

"Bodies" is a ripoff version of "Body Worlds" (a rough English translation of "Korperwelt", the original German title). The latter bills itself as "the Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies," and is run by the acclaimed anatomist Gunther von Hagens, who invented (and patented) the modern plastination techniques on which ...

Posted Sat, Nov 14, 9:51 a.m.

I guess I haven't been following this story closely enough and have a very limited vocabulary of sexually explicit phrases--because I saw nothing derogatory or offensive in Knute's use of the word "Teabagger." In fact, his treatment of both the right and left throughout the piece seems pretty balanced. This ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 11:38 a.m.

On the state level, I think real change would have to include taking out another "early-20th-century reformist leftover": the State Liquor Control Board and its monopoly on selling distilled spirits in Washington state. I still can't believe how former Gov. Gary Locke's much-publicized effort to wittle down state government to ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 10:54 a.m.

A couple years ago a fellow worker in my office loudly announced that she had 'voted twice' during that year's election--once for herself and once on the absentee ballot that her lazy husband had given her, merely signing his name where it was required. This is just one small instance ...

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 4:37 p.m.

As an ardent tunnel opponent (for numerous reasons that have already been stated many times before), I am extremely disappointed by McGinn's about-face on this issue. It seems like everyone--the stakeholders, Gregoire, and now even Mike McGinn--seem to cave before the clout of Seattle's business & labor establishment. And the ...

Posted Mon, Sep 28, 9:49 a.m.

In making the statement "[everyone] wants the best AWV replacement possible, excluding another hideous elevated," Wells is at least guilty of gross exaggeration. I for one favor an elevated solution; and we can leave the aesthetic appraisals alone, since I doubt whether any amount of discussion will change them.