crosscut.com : Seattle

Heart attack on McCain

Crosscut — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:21:01 PDT

I saw this coming. Last night after John McCain's GOP convention speech, the hall was blasted with the sounds of Seattle band Heart's rocker "Barracuda," which became the convention's theme music for Sarah "Barracuda" Palin (Barracuda was a high-school nickname). I figured an objection would be raised.

If you can read this, congratulations

Crosscut — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:56:01 PDT

You've no doubt noticed our site has been sluggish or even inaccessible the past few days. It's because we posted a wildly popular article by a woman in Alaska about Gov. Sarah Palin's days as mayor of Wasilla. Her essay, which originally was an e-mail to friends, has been quoted widely on the Web, but Crosscut was one of the few sites to post it in its entirety. Click, click, click.

Sausage Links, Postman stops ringing edition

Crosscut — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:00:01 PDT

It's a sad day for state journalism. Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman, the author of the ever-popular Postman on Politics, announced today that after some 14 years at the paper, he will leave to join Vulcan Inc., a company founded and run by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The Capitol press corps appears to be devastated. I sure am. ...

Our Convention Center has growing pains

Crosscut — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:01:01 PDT

Seattle's Convention Center is taking a close look at expanding, perhaps at a different location. It might complicate the coming legislative session if it puts its hand in the state trough of money for tourism-related taxes. Also crowding around the trough are the Huskies, King County arts, Seattle Center, KeyArena, low-income housing, Puget Sound cleanup, and more. And the Convention Center might topple some other interesting transportation dominoes.

Sausage Links, 'Limbaugh with lipstick' edition

Crosscut — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:59:01 PDT

Sarah Palin has a zinger for you. And you. And me. The Alaska governor-turned-Trophy Vice-turned-bulldog with lipstick sent a fiery pot-shot-filled message to the nation and the media with her speech yesterday at the Republican National Convention. I believe it went something like this. ...

Sausage Links, partisan hats and T-shirts edition

Crosscut — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might be the "anti-earmark candidate," but as The Seattle Times reports, McCain's VP pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, requested more than $197 million in federal earmarks for her state in 2008. Randy Stapilus at Ridenbaugh Press notes how "Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure $6.1 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor" in 2002. Meanwhile, Boise, Idaho, a town of more than 200,000, received $6.9 million in 2008. ...

Stymied by mosquitoes and bacteria

Crosscut — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:01 PDT

Impatient for solutions to AIDS, tuberculosis, and infectious disease, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation put out a call for anyone who thought they had an idea — and more than 4,000 poured forth. A second request for grant applications goes out today.

Sausage Links, Pac 10 edition

Crosscut — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:51:01 PDT

It's been a busy year for University of Oregon graduates Jill Hazelbaker and Tucker Bounds. Recently named the "Dynamic Duck duo" by The Oregonian, Bounds and Hazelbaker are two of the McCain campaign's top communications officers — the Republicans' first wave of defense against Democratic attacks. As reporter Jeff Mapes points out, it's not an easy job. ...

A state agency eyes public-private transportation funding

Cascadia Center — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:00:01 PDT

No less than the Washington State Investment Board, which oversees public pensions, is giving serious consideration to government-business partnerships to make infrastructure improvements. Experts identify several possibilities, including the Highway 520 bridge rebuild, I-5 across the Columbia River, and improvement of ferry service.

Miller times

Crosscut — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:13:01 PDT

Between national party conventions, I took an advance look at Joseph Miller's upcoming memoirs, The Wicked Wine of Democracy, to be published next month by University of Washington Press. The book provides an almost too-candid portrayal of politics and lobbying in the Northwest and nationally over 50 years and is an intriguing chronicle of some of the main figures in Northwest political life.

One man's one-man team

Crosscut — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:00:01 PDT

Biding time until coach Tyrone Willingham is gone, cranky University of Washington football fans at least get to watch an NFL quarterback prospect excel. Jake Locker does so in spite of those around him.

A Seattle gold rush house is endangered

Crosscut — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:00:01 PDT

There's little question that Seattle was put on the map by the Klondike Gold Rush. The man credited with setting off that rush, George W. Carmack, spent the last dozen years of his life living in a big Colonial Revival home in what is now Seattle's Central District. The National Park Service says the George Carmack House is fit for the National Register, but it may be too late. A for sale banner hangs on it today touting the property as a 4,800-foot lot ripe for redevelopment.

The Filson of my dreams

Crosscut — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:01 PDT

A Seattle clothier makes a jacket so tough and so dear, it's hard to part with, even for a new one.

Is Sound Transit really one of 'the world's biggest boondoggles'?

Crosscut — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:01 PDT

A new magazine called Miller-McCune has compiled a list of "The World's Biggest Boondoggles," and right up there in fourth place is Seattle's Sound Transit Link Light Rail (phase 1, not the proposal we'll vote on next November). Here's the dishonorable mention:

Sausage Links, tears for Obama edition

Crosscut — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Who says there's no crying at conventions? Michael at NW Progressive, a delegate for Sen. Hillary Clinton blogging from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, says he "broke down and cried" when the former first lady moved to suspend the rules of the convention and nominate Obama by acclamation yesterday. "That was the low point of the entire week for me — emotionally and physically drained, and a bit numb," wrote Michael. Not exactly a rosy picture for party unity. But after more tears, hugs, handholding, and a classic Bill Clinton mid-speech lip-bite, most Democrats, even die-hard Clinton supporters, rallied behind Obama. Speaking of tears, Eli Sanders at the Stranger wonders why this convention has been awash in them. ...

Nickels peeks under the Cascade Curtain and gets pissed off

Crosscut — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:06:01 PDT

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Joel Connelly, blogging from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, had a nugget from Seattle's strongman mayor, Greg Nickels.

Sausage Links, 'piece of cake' edition

Crosscut — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:01 PDT

So. What did you think about Hillary Clinton last night? Most opinion writers in the media say the former first lady's speech at the Democratic National Convention was one of her finest moments. As Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly put it, the speech "erased the bad blood of a lengthy nomination battle ... and raised the party's blood for the fall campaign." Eli Sanders at the Stranger said she was "magnanimous," also calling it her "best, most selfless moment." I'm not sure I buy it. But I'll leave it up to you. Discuss. ...

Extreme Seattle

Crosscut — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:00:01 PDT

New demographic figures make clear what a statistical outlier Seattle is, with few families, few kids, high education, and rapid gentrification. Only San Francisco can compare.

The Olympics, Seattle-style

Crosscut — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:00:01 PDT

Maybe what we need around here, to unstick our sluggish planning and get some major projects built, is a Summer Olympics. Or, better, a Phantom Olympics that delivers the benefits but without the Olympics. Calm down, and let me try a mostly-in-jest thought-experiment.

Sausage links, Clinton overkill edition

Crosscut — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:01:01 PDT

Michelle Obama's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention has the pundits praising — and rightly so. Like Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial cartoonist David Horsey wrote: She "hit it out of the park." But as Camp Clinton prepares to take the stage in Denver tonight and Wednesday, the convention buzz has turned to back to speculation about Hill and Bill. And I'm getting tired of it. ...