News: May 2009 Archives

It was pretty tough to watch the Fox reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance last night, as they aired the Seattle and L.A. auditions. We had mentioned the auditions back in March and now we are just getting to see Seattle's dancing talent pool. And wow, it was bad. Really, really, bad. Even the judges and entertainment media agree with us. However, the one glimmer of dancing hope came from Mill Creek's 18-year-old Kelsea Taylor, who sold us with her quirky contemporary dance style. In total, the Seattle auditions produced only 13 dancers to advance in the reality show competition.

Exciting night for the Seattle Police Department, as they responded to a DUI collision involving two parked cars at the 6200 block of Seaview Avenue N. The believed-to-be-intoxicated suspects, a 17-year-old male driver and a 20-year-old male passenger, were armed and running (slowly) in circles. Witnesses spotted the driver hiding an AK-47 in the bushes shortly before the two suspects were arrested. Officers hit the weapons jackpot upon finding the rifle loaded with a 30 round "banana" clip, two baseball bats, and an illegal "butterfly" knife on the passenger. The SPD also reported a red bandanna--gang colors!--found in the back of the black sedan. Both were booked on various DUI and weapons charges.

King County Superior Court's Judge Palmer Robinson sentenced James A. Williams to a 35-year sentence for the slaying of 31-year-old Shannon Harps on Capitol Hill, on New Year's Eve 2007. "Williams pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last week rather than proceed to trial and, conceivably, mount an insanity defense," reports the P-I, which earlier took an in-depth look at how a known paranoid schizophrenic with a long history of violence and assault was walking around Capitol Hill. In 2006, the cost of prison incarceration in Washington was $26,736. At 35 years, that's $935,760. Mental health care in Washington was cut nine percent in the proposed 2009-11 budget.

For the second night in a row another black bear was spotted up in Everett. Last night he was spotted strolling along Madison near I-5, while the previous night the bear was on a mission--we think a serious case of the munchies--spying (and lurking) around a gas station at Beverly and Broadway. Once again the bears outwitted the police and their canine team. So we can only assume, if it's not fame they're after, the black bears must have heard about the Copper River salmon and want to get in on some of that action. Yup, we will go with that, until someone else has anything better to report.

Attempting to compete with the wide world of Google search, this morning Microsoft introduced their newest (overhauled) search engine, Bing. The new engine has been designed as a "decision engine," to help navigate through the ridiculous amounts of trash we have cluttering the Internetz and provide a more productive and highly organized Internet search experience, as fast as computer-ly possible. The new search-a-roo, at www.bing.com is expected to be live on June 3.

Don't plan on getting too comfy next time you're heading to the library or best yet, just bring the snooze of a book home, before you get caught up in one of the newest (and toughest) rule changes approved by the Seattle Public Library Board. A 20 percent increase in recent library traffic and 1,300 plus violations have prompted the board to take a tough-love approach, granting libraries the power to place a two-year ban on repeat offenders. Most common violations include: bringing in extra large luggage, removing clothing or getting naked, and (the biggest culprit) sleeping, aka nodding off, cat napping, dozing off or "resting my eyes."

UPDATE: The folks at Seattle Public Library wanted us to review their existing rules and provide more clarification on the the two-year ban, before your next trip to the library. The SPL Communications Director informed us, "There is no two year ban for nodding off at libraries. There are, however, different length exclusions depending on the severity of the violation. The maximum exclusion someone can get for sleeping is 30 days. It’s usually just a few days after an educational warning." Apparently, committing a criminal act will get you a year-long exclusion. As for a two year ban that's for what, SPL says, "the person who is ALREADY excluded for a criminal violation, reoffends in that same period. Then they would be excluded for another year (making it a total of two years)."

This time there is no holding back for the City of Newcastle, as they (again) petition the United States Postal Service to get their very own zip code. Since the creation of Newcastle in 1994, homeowners and businesses had to identify themselves with one of Renton's two zip codes (98056 and 98059). After 15 years of confusion, Newcastle wants to hear the zip code rants to support their petition for postal independence. They hope this will prevent further zip code headaches that include the loss of sales tax dollars based off of zip codes and the directional hot mess where most addresses in Newcastle are considered an "unknown location" by most computers and even delivery drivers.

Police are still looking for the attacker(s) who stabbed two men in the chest, early Wednesday morning over in the Eastlake neighborhood. One of the two attacks took place about 2:39 a.m. near the 1800 block of Eastlake Ave., leaving the victim with a life-threatening chest wound. While investigators estimate the second stabbing happened a half hour later, where the victim--whose condition is still unknown--was found 1814 Minor Avenue. Police believe the two victims were involved in an altercation with two other men earlier in the night, which could have ultimately led to the attacks. Both men were taken to Harborview Medical Center.

A revamped Seattle PostGlobe--courtesy of those crazy kids at Instivate--has rolled out, and along with it, they've rolled out a refocused mission: to be "the source for economic and local civic news." The ex-P-I crew is divvying up the city thusly: Kathy Mulady is on elections coverage; Larry Lange, transportation issues; and Kery Murakami takes City Hall. Plus they've nabbed PubliCola's Josh Feit for local politics input. But wait there's more! They've got video from KCTS 9 and new reports from KPLU 88.5 FM. We applaud their work integrating local blogs into the site, too. Now to integrate the money...

Seattle councilwoman Jan Drago has announced today (and via Facebook) that she will be lacing up her political shoes to run for mayor. The former preschool teacher has served on the city council for 16 years and has been a reliable ally (not anymore) for Mayor Greg Nickels over the years--who is seeking his third go-at-it as mayor. Having been around the "city" block before, Drago's bid makes her a serious contender against Nickels. The other mayoral candidates vying for the top job include: environmentalist Michael McGinn, corporate headhunter Norman Sigler, 82-year-old lefty grandma Dorli Rainey, former Sonic James Donaldson and T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan.

The lead-footed driver of a Porsche Carrera woke up West Seattle's Alki neighborhood early this morning, after driving the car straight into the Puget Sound. Having overlooked the curve in the road, the driver and his fast-moving and pretty-penny-of-a-car went flying off the road, over the seawall, and submerged about 10 yards offshore. The male driver in his 50s managed to escape from the sinking car uninjured. Police officers were able to tow the car out of the water shortly after the crash.

Probably the only World Series Seattle will see this year, as the University of Washington's softball team advanced to the Women's College World Series on Sunday after shutting out Georgia Tech 7-0. Pitcher (and big hitter) Danielle Lawrie threw a three-hit shutout to give the Huskies their ninth appearance in the World Series and their first since 2007. Their final game against Georgia will be play on Thursday in of all places, Seattle-Sonics-basketball-team-stealing Oklahoma City.

Yesterday the Seattle Times reprinted a New York Times article on the "third wave" of foreclosures--foreclosures on people who had good credit and reasonable mortgages, but who have fallen behind due to job loss or pay or hours reduction. The first wave came when flippers and speculators got caught by plunging real-estate prices, and wave number two arrived when option-ARM mortgages reset at higher rates. Foreclosures are terrible for the value of surrounding homes. In Seattle, says the PSBJ, the "average price of a Seattle home dropped 16.4 percent in March from a year earlier, which is moving closer to the national average decline of 18.7 percent."

Another short start for Jakubauskas leads to the M's once again getting their ass kicked. Johjima broke a toe in the game, he'll miss at least 15 days. Box score. Next game Tuesday @ OAK, 7:05 p.m.; Washburn vs. Braden.

Hear! Hear! Come near! Tidings of good cheer! Griff and Beltre both homer in a game for the first time this year! Box score. Next game Monday @ OAK, 1:05 p.m., C. Jakubauskas vs. B. Anderson.

Lowe's eighth-inning collapse cost the M's the game, but the offense continues its punchless shame. Box score. Next game Sunday vs. San Fran, 1:10 p.m.; King Felix vs. Zito.

Keller made saves worthy of "My Oh My"s, letting the injury-plagued Sounders gain one point with a tie. Sounders goals: Montero, Jaqua. Match report. Next game Tuesday vs. Rapids @ Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila (US Open Cup).

Jose Lopez' walk-off single wins it, after stingy pitching by Vargas and the bullpen kept the M's in it. Randy Johnson threw six innings in his return, getting a standing ovation. Still, the offense's struggles continue to confound Mariner Nation. Box score. Next game Sat. vs. SF, 7:10 p.m.; Olson vs. Cain.

Board game titan Hasbro said it was officially "game over" yesterday for the Seattle office which created the clay-modeling, tune-humming, backwards-spelling, charades-loving board game company Cranium back in 1998. However, it wasn't until early 2008 that Hasbro decided to purchase the local award-winning game franchise for $77.5 million, adding to their growing portfolio which already included Renton's Wizards of the Coast. The R.I.-based company decided it was best to consolidate the Cranium brand and start leveraging all the bells and whistles Hasbro can provide under their own roof. Eight of the 19 employees will be moving to continue working for Hasbro, while the rest are left to mold a new job out of clay.

The original Ballard bear, nicknamed Leif Bearickson, was spotted making a grand appearance in Shoreline early this morning. Clearly, we have one media whore of a bear on our hands here, people. Especially as this comes just after the ersatz Beacon Hill bear took over the media spotlight yesterday. We now know that "Leif" has a sweet tooth but for goodness sakes, where's the wildlife paparazzi when we need them? Will Leif find love, or become Seattle's Beargelina? Forget the SIFF celebrities, we want to know about the wild life of the black bear.

Just the other day we were tut-tutting Bainbridge for their Bella Unionizing (gratuitous Deadwood reference). Now we read in the pixelized P-I that an Eastlake massage business and alleged brothel, the Sacred Temple, was raided by the po-po yesterday. (So was the Moon Temple at the 10000 block of Greenwood Avenue North.) The Sacred Temple's hilarious About Us page [Google cache] says: "Our work is sensual in nature, often intimate, and the intent is to honor and restore every part of the body, from the bottom of your feet to the tips of your fingers and the top of your head. We ask that you please refrain from discussing any sexual activities over the phone or in your emails to us."

Beacon Hill blog is covering what we have to believe is the sighting of a second bear near 17th and Ferdinand. Our first bear was last seen heading north up in Shoreline. In fairness, not everyone is in love with our bi-locatory new power animal: a commenter on the KING 5 story says: "Geeeezus just give him one behind the ear and call it good. Stop wasting so much money trying to find and trap the damn thing."

The ethics pissing match surrounding the Seattle Fire Department finally came to a halt, after the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission determined fire lieutenant Milton Footer abused his power while working at Qwest Field. Milton was accused of soaking up free parking passes and concert tickets, and giving the "gimme or else" attitude to get his hands on Hannah Montana backstage passes. In return, he didn't bill Qwest Field for $200,000 in fire services. Eyebrows had been raised over Milton's actions over the years, that just so happened to be overlooked by Fire Chief Gregory Dean--who received a slap on the wrist from the Mayor. The actions by Milton only came under investigation after a whistleblower, a fellow fire fighter, brought the claim to the Superior Court in March.

TechFlash reports that a legaldango smackdown is brewing between Zoodango and Jobdango. As you know, dango is a word that means a start-up paid way too much to their naming and branding agency. Despite coming late to the dango party, after both Fandango and Handango, Jobdango's attorneys are asking Zoodango stop using that name. TechFlash says, "James Sun, the chief executive of Zoodango, called the trademark issue 'silly.'" No, James, your name is silly. Thank Jobdango for alerting you to that fact and move on. Oh, you have? New name is GeoPage? Now, why does that sound familiar?

It's a new game that teens from Port Angeles recently took up, called--and we do not kid--"lighter fluid tag." All it takes is a squirt of lighter fluid, the swipe of a lit match, and TAG you're it! Until they (being friends?) beat out the flames. Ultimately, you lose the game and become charred barbecue. Awesome. Sounds like great fun, no? Even the crazy grizzly-obsessed man, who lived among--and was eaten by--the Alaskan grizzlies pales in comparison. Lighter fluid tag is truly Darwinism at its best.

In an attempt to reassemble New York City piece-by-piece, Seattle's Parks and Recreation department is shopping around the idea to put in a downtown ice-skating rink next winter. Park officials plan to place the (presumably) tourist-filled skating rink to take over in Pioneer Square's Occidental Square Park. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. (What recession?) But where will all the bums go who currently claim the park? Should we have them strap on some hockey skates and give 'em a go at hockey greatness with a bum-rush hockey league? Or maybe a broomball league?

While Nike and Starbucks get applause for their leadership in sustainability--especially Nike, which joined Johnson & Johnson in publicly scolding the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its opposition to global warming legislation--Sightline wonders why Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing aren't putting their lobbying efforts where their corporate climate policies are. "Google has," says Sightline's Fahey, twisting the green knife (our italics), and linking to a video of Google's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, testifying to Congress. Her point is, "Standing on the sidelines of the debate in the state legislatures and in Congress can be as damaging as standing in the way."

If you didn't catch it, bolts of lightning lit up the dreary Seattle skyline last night. The electrically charged bursts went straight for our Space Needle turned giant lightning rod. For once, the city had a good ol' down pourin' thunderstorm. Not this b.s. dribbling rain. (Still, no where near a rocking Midwest T-storm.) You could even smell it in the air, a real down and dirty thunder and lightning storm. With some hail throw in for good measure.

Oh, Bainbridge! A prim and proper community no more, as the police broke up a Bainbridge Island brothel hosting hook--err..."ladies of the night." When strange men kept re-appearing at few neighborhood homes asking for certain laaaadies, local residents and police caught on to what was going on behind closed doors. Oh, the scandal! The turnstile brothel, which was located on the southwest part of the island, has since closed up. Juicy info like this means it's only a matter of time until our own Elliot Spitzer-esque hooker scandal breaks. Popcorn, anyone?

Griffey homered (#615), but Felix couldn't stop his losing skein. Box score. Next game Wednesday vs. Angels, 7:10 p.m.; Chris Jakubauskas vs. Ervin Santana.

This afternoon a 12-inch water main broke in Wedgwood, near the corner of NE 80th Street and 24th Avenue NE. Homeowners are in for a soggy surprise, a reported six homes have already been flooded as the water continues to gush throughout the neighborhood. No time estimate until Seattle Public Utilities can stop the leak and begin repairing the main.

Don't underestimate the power of a sunny day. On Sunday, one Bellevue family learned that the hard way, when the culprit of their house fire turned out to be the family dog's glass water bowl and a little bit o' sunshine. This past weekend temperatures hit the 70s, and if you recall from your childhood heyday, with just a magnifying glass and some sun there's the potential to fricassee ants. Well, the Bellevue dog bowl did just that, but instead of ants, the hot-hot-heat from the sun's rays permeated through the glass bowl and ignited the home's wooden deck. The dog was safe, but the freak of nature fire left $215,000 in damages for the family. Damn dog.

In Renton late last night, a speeding SUV took the turn at Sunset Blvd. N too quickly, the driver losing control of the vehicle as it raced through a few lanes of traffic, shrubbery and then brilliantly crashed into the side of Burger King. The two uninjured fast food employees were working in the kitchen--but certainly not having it their way--as the SUV missed them and struck the storage area. The three people inside the SUV suffered injuries and were taken to Harborview Medical Center. Police think drugs or alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

The black bear we mentioned this morning seems to have somewhere pressing in mind. So far it's cruised from Magnolia, through Ballard, and "made a stop in Twin Ponds Park in Shoreline," says MyBallard, who have created a bear-tracker map. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has put its hunt on hold because there are too many people running around, but that doesn't bother Seattlest Jack: "I am gleeful over the fact that even in a major city, in the 21st century, one might still encounter a bear, or giant bear-like raccoons."

Seattle Bubble directed us to this Bloomberg article the Seattle Times picked up suggesting there might be a "lost generation" of U.S. home values. Baby boomers are downsizing and it's "unlikely that Generation X, born between 1965 and 1976 (or more derisively called 'baby busters'), will bid up home prices. They are only 44 million strong, not as wealthy and even more in debt from college loans." On the bright side, there's probably never been an easier time to buy an apartment near Green Lake.

Today at 10:30 a.m. we are expecting to see Gov. Chris Gregoire sign the "everything but marriage" bill into law; that will expand the rights of same-sex domestic partners to sorta-kinda-not-really equal rights with the state's legally married couples. Oh, the haters are going to haaaate this one. We've already begun to see organizations assembling their signatures in hope of reaching the magic number which could stall the law and move it to a vote come November.

The neighborhood blogosphere lit up over the weekend as a black bear was sighted first at Discovery Park, then in Ballard. Apparently the bear swam over to Ballard, and who could blame it, with all the traffic congestion from the Norwegian parade? Plus, it was hot. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says to call 911 if you see it.

A Gooters walk-off single give the M's a series win. Next up the Angels, so let's hope they can do it again. Box score. Next game Monday vs. Angels, 7:10 p.m.; Jarrod Washburn vs. John Lackey.

An early deficit left the M's odds stacked, but Ichiro's two homers brought them back. New closer Aardsma recorded the save, as the M's rise from their losing streak grave. Box score. Next game Saturday vs. Boston, 7:10 p.m.; Garrett Olson vs. Josh Beckett.

Yesterday, Gov. Chris Gregoire sought to help prevent further injury for the millions of athletes who suffer sports-related concussions, by signing one of the nation's first and toughest laws regulating high school athletes' level of activity after sustaining a concussion. The new motto is, "When in doubt, the player has to come out." The Zachery Lystedt Law--inspired by the 16-year-old Maple Valley football player, who suffered a life-threatening brain injury--mandates adolescent athletes who have suffered a concussion cannot come back to play until they have a written approval from a doctor.

In the bus tunnel, at least, where there's smoke there's not always fire. In fact, there may not even be smoke, as KIRO reports: "Tunnel traffic was rerouted to surface streets and the entrances were closed, but no fire was found, said Linda Thielke of Metro Transit." Doesn't sound like commuters were told why their routes were disrupted, so if you're curious, now you know. A tipster tells us: "Our 550 was just exiting the tunnel around 7:30 a.m. when the dispatcher announced over the driver's headset that the tunnel was closing and all tunnel bus drivers need to take the surface streets. (Our bus was full of sleepy commuters and was pretty quiet so I totally eavesdropped). At this point, our driver made some comment along the lines of 'good thing we just missed it'."

What's going on with kids these days? The 14-year-old boy who spiked his teacher's coffee with vomit-inducing ipecac pleaded guilty yesterday to fourth-degree assault. The Federal Way middle school student was then sentenced to eight months of community supervision and 24 hours of community service. His partner in crime, a 13-year-old boy, will be headed for his day in court next Friday. The teacher has since sworn off middle schoolers and plans to make the switch to teach elementary school kids.

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! M's lose on a walkoff homer for the second game in a row! Morrow--twice the victim--ought to lose his closer's role, as the Mariners have gone from red hot to ice cold. Box score. Next game Friday vs. Boston, 7:10 p.m.; Chris Jakubauskas vs. Jon Lester.

Some Montlake residents had fetch their mail from the Union Street post office early this week because of a dog with mail issues. Turns out, the USPS stopped delivering the mail to the entire block due one family's dog on the loose. The carrier, who has warned the family about their dog's behavior several times over the past two years--and fined them--finally went postal nuclear by alerting the postmaster, who promptly put the whole block on “Dog Hold.” It's a draconian response to the timeless battle between dogs and mailmen--is the assumption that the mail-less neighbors will grab the pitchforks and torches and rush over to ensure compliance? We're not sure, but since no one on the block knew why their mail had stopped coming, we think we see a flaw in this strategy.

Jobless and need a re-fill for your prescription of Viagra or Lipitor? Well, you are in luck. Starting tomorrow, Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drug company, will begin offering 70 of their widely prescribed medications to the unemployed and uninsured across the U.S at no cost--at all. The catch. This new PR stunt program is set to help only those jobless since Jan. 1 and on a Pfizer drug for three months or more. If you meet those requirements, plus a few others you'll be able to continue with your daily dose of meds while not having to pay for a year or until you find a new gig.

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard over in Bremerton said goodbye to a dear old broken-down friend yesterday, as they officially decommissioned the 1,100-ft. aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. The 48-year-old carrier has been the Navy's oldest active (and run down) warship since 1998, known--mainly by sailors--for its talent at breaking down and leaving many stranded, hence the name "Shitty" Kitty. As the Navy's last diesel-fueled aircraft carrier, it had been stationed in Japan (they tend to frown upon nuclear-powered anything near their shores) over the past decade. The decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk will now join the other retired aircraft carriers in Bremerton's shipyard and hope for a chance at museum glory.

Every music cliche could be used right now to describe--but we won't--the financial state of the ailing Bellevue Philharmonic, who was nearly forced to perform their very last show--for good. The donations were not coming in, forcing the hands of the philharmonic to seek any and all options that would prevent the loss of tradition and musical expression for the city. It was then, when the Bellevue City Council came forward, check in hand for $35,000 to help save the Bellevue Philharmonic, giving them a bailout another season of songs. This Sunday, the Bellevue Philharmonic will be playing their season finale concert and hoping that it really won't be their last.

The 16-member Blue Ribbon Committee has made the call and is sticking with their two recommendations for the interim office of King County Executive: former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and interim County Executive and former Executive Chief of Staff Kurt Triplett (leaving former County Council members Steve Hammond and Louise Miller off their favorites). However, the King County Council has the final say on May 18, when they choose one of the four candidates to fill the seat of the newly crowned deputy secretary of HUD, Ron Sims.

Another solid start by Washburn goes for naught. This time the bullpen's the cause of the rot. Brandon Morrow blew the save, failing to protect the lead Wlad's extra-inning double gave. Box score. Next game Thursday, 11:05 a.m.; Felix Hernandez vs. Matt Harrison.

Or not. While Craigslist is making a big deal out of "shutting down" its erotic services category, it's actually creating a new one called adult services that will cater to much the same clientele (but posts will be reviewed by CL employees). The CL murders seem to be more of a motivator than Craig first let on. To close on the lighter side, we direct you to this CL ad for an agency copywriter--you have to write "aggressive, shocking yet diplomatic headlines" and are advised "it is not necessary to have medical experience, but if you do, and are edgy, you'll be at the top of our list!" Somehow we're still thinking "CL murders."

Seattle Public Schools confirmed that they will have to implement an "R.I.F." (Reduction In Force), meaning lay off nearly 200 Seattle school teachers by May 15. First of all, who says "R.I.F."? That acronym is just tacky and screams tombstones. Great last impression, right? So now as the force of teachers dwindle, we're expecting more classroom congestion, chaos, and for the love of it all, who will be left to teach high schoolers math from their brand new Discovering Mathematics textbooks series?

Agreed, traffic sucks. But when you're driving alone, at what point do you make the (illegal, mind you) decision to cross the solid white line and make a quick run into the 3+ person HOV lane? Tsk, tsk. We know you're out there. We can see you. We also curse and shake our fist at you. It's happening more and more. HOV cheaters are breezing by, as the rest of us law abiding drivers are stuck in the onslaught of 520 traffic congestion, brought on by the construction chaos of I-90. Just remember, cheaters, what comes around goes around and those HOV lanes violations will set you back $124.

Christopher Harris is in a coma and on life support after being chased by two King County Sheriff's Department deputies, says the Seattle Times: "He suffered life-threatening skull fractures when his head struck a concrete wall as one attempted to arrest him early Sunday in Belltown." To be precise, his head had some help in striking that wall. A video is said to show one of the deputies smashing into Harris after he halted--having run as two men started shouting and heading toward him from out of a dark alley. We're not sure if the online P-I will append this to their "Conduct Unbecoming" series, exposing a troubling history of brutality in the King County Sheriff's Department, but it feels like nearly killing an innocent person should raise some questions on how the Sheriff's Dept. is doing on all that reform we were promised.

Have we in Washington reached our economic tipping point, yet? The state's Revenue Forecast Council believes that the end of this recession may be in sight. (Shut up!) The council has been keeping a sharp eye on the rise (and fall) of the state's unemployment benefit claims and says (bravely), that as the pace of job losses decline, we will still continue to see more job loss. But, it looks like we have apparently reached our unemployment peak. So we aren't there yet, but the signs are pointing in the right direction.

Upon tying the game in the seventh, the M's had a glow. But then they gave the ball to Mark Lowe. He allowed six runs, including Josh Hamilton's go-ahead homer. In this case, "relief" was a misnomer. Box score. Next game Weds. @ Texas, 5:05 p.m.; Jarrod Washburn vs. Brandon McCarthy.

There must be some deep-seated rage that manifests during a ride on Seattle Metro buses. Recent Metro reports show that the rate of "incidents" per rider is the highest it's been in a loooong time. Seattle's top five sketchy buses (174, 7, 358, 106, and 36) have all seen their fair share of of chaos. The war stories are real from those who ride the bus. We have seen the shenanigans that goes on; take your pick: fighting, pervs, arguing, peeing, assaults, flashing, boozing, and the random acts from your local bat-shit crazy. We just hope the pretty new Link (that opens in 66 days) won't end up with stats and stories like these.

Next time you get pulled over by a Washington State Patrol, take a moment to admire their uniform, because you're getting a ticket from one of the nation's best dressed law enforcement agencies. Indeed our troopers have style, so says the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors, who judge the annual contest. The reigning WSP were matched with the southern charm of the Mississippi Highway Patrol and tied for this years title. We'll get 'em next year fellas, just be glad you're not up against those UPS guys, they show a little too much leg.

A giant boulder merrily rolled down the hillside just before 2 a.m., landing in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass and hitting a passing semi-truck. Eeek! The injured driver was taken to Harborview. Officials have reopened the roadway since the boulder had its excellent adventure this morning. Now drivers heading towards the Pass just need to be prepared for snowy, slushy crap weather. Remember, defensive driving.

At about 2:12 this afternoon, there was a major Haz-Mat response to the UW's Hall Health Center building, at 4060 East Stevens Way. A tipster tells us: "A bystander said the people in the waiting room started coughing from something in the air." It looks like a half-dozen medic units rolled, in addition to something called DECON1. The Seattle 911 blog says "a substance spilled in the basement." We'll update as we hear more details. [UPDATE: the UW now says the Haz-Mat team couldn't find anything Haz-Matty to report, after poking around for a bit. No one knows what might have set off the breathing problems.]

Seattle is the 24th richest city in the world, behind Madrid, Detroit, and Toronto. It is the 7th most Twittering city. We're 50th, worldwide, in terms of quality of life, outranked by Honolulu and San Francisco. And we're 5th in the list of the top 100 U.S. tech centers. But since Fast Company has called Seattle the most creative city of 2009, if you look down, you'll probably see a shark.

At 2:01 EST / 11:01 PST today, you can watch West Seattle H.S. and UW alum, Gregory C. Johnson and six other astronauts of mission STS-125 blast off into outer space. Up, up and away! Johnson will be piloting the space shuttle Atlantis throughout its 11-day service mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.The big ol' telescope--sent up into space in 1990--needs some tender loving care since its last fix seven years ago. The crew of STS-125 have scheduled five spacewalks to fix the snafus and update camera technology that's expected to last until 2014. Godspeed.

We remember when it cost 29 cents to mail a letter. Bless online bill pay, because starting today the USPS is jacking up (albeit by only two cents) the price of a first-class stamp to 44 cents. Is it in poor taste to have mailed holiday cards a wee bit early?

On Friday, the White House released the news that Louis Caldera--the guy who authorized scaring the bejesus out New Yorkers for a photo opp of an Air Force One knock-off buzzing lower Manhattan--had "resigned." Pretty much, he got canned. Ideas for stunts like these are the reason why we use Photoshop in the first place. Hell, it would have been better than the actual photo. So, next order of business, add "Find new director of the White House Military Office" on Obama's never-ending list of things to do.

Memories of the '90s: Griffey hits a clutch homer, and a frightening bullpen nearly gives the lead over. Four in the eighth--two on Griffey's blast--led the M's back, and Morrow held the Twins off though his control was real whack. Box score. Next game Tuesday @ Texas, 5:05 p.m., Jason Vargas vs. Scott Feldman.

A contentious match (there were 27 fouls). Qwest Field fans showered the refs with howls. Riley red carded early in the second on a call that seemed raw, but the Sounders held on to get the draw. Goals -- SEA: Le Toux 22, L.A.: Gordon 35. Match report. Next game Saturday @ Dallas.

Wow, we're really starting to reek. Even King Felix couldn't stop the losing streak. If you're looking for a bright side to the day, the M's finally got a homer from Beltre. Box score. Next game Sunday @ Minnesota, 11:10 a.m.; Erik Bedard vs. Nick Blackburn.

April showers bring May flowers. It's supposed to go like that. But the M's started with flowers and are now on to showers. They need a winning streak, stat. Box score. Next game: Saturday @ Minnesota, 4:10 p.m.; Felix Hernandez vs. Francisco Liriano.

We were a little startled to see Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a new law yesterday, that will require tattoo artists and people who preform body piercings to be licensed by the state. (!!!) Ummm... you mean to tell us, that the people who were sticking us with needles--granted some are very talented--were not licensed or had strict health regulations monitoring unsanitary practices? For fuck sake people, your barber or manicurist are licensed by the state. In Oregon--considered to have strict tattoo laws--they require artists to complete 250 hours in training and pass a written a test before they get their license. Until now, Washington artists have been wielding around tattoo guns or piercing needles keeping to their own safety practices. What part of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections did the state's Health department or lawmakers not understand? All businesses will need to be in compliance by July 2010, giving the Health department ample time to start adopting rules about the sterilization of instruments, human branding and scarification.

The Seattle Police Gang Unit is shaking things up a bit with a new strategy and initiative--plus overtime--this summer to prevent and control the rise in gang violence shifting daily between Central and South Seattle. Honestly, we prefer not writing about the slew of shootings and gang violence taking over parts of Seattle, because we are lovers, not fighters here. But it's getting bad out there. Last year alone, there were 28 homicides due to gang violence. So for everyone's sake we hope whatever new strategies SPD has up their bullet-proof sleeves, they work.