News: November 2009 Archives

Well, we can’t be number one at everything. Washington, DC-based CQ Press has just released its list of the most crime-ridden cities, and Seattle didn’t even crack the top 100.

University of Washington’s cross country teams head down to Terre Haute, Indiana this weekend for the NCAA National Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship races, which take place on Monday morning. Should be interesting, it’s no big deal--the women are only returning as defending National Champions since they clinched the very first NCAA Championship in program history last year.

Whew! What a week for weird crimes. So far we've had self-styled ninjas wounding themselves, crossbow-wielding attackers, an underage drunk driver turning herself in and a miraculously harmless 8-story fall. (Okay, that last one isn't a "crime," but you get what we're saying. It's been a weird week for violence.) Now, to cap it off this Friday: a construction equipment rampage in Stanwood.

Aside from on-field accomplishments, one of the shining successes of the Sounders FC organization was its connection to fans and the community at large. Today, as part of festivities leading up to Sunday's MLS Cup at Qwest Field, a few Sounders are chipping in to build an entire elementary school playground. In one day.

If Seattle is going to make national news, it might as well be for ninjas.

The Rainer Valley Food Bank was burgled. You can go ahead and let your face fall into a rictus of unspeakable shock and anger now. This is a textbook moment for justifiable anger.

The Seattle Times reported over the weekend that Seattle police have arrested a primary "person of interest" in the recent rash of Greenwood arsons. Kevin Todd Swalwell, a middle-aged homeless man, has been convicted of arson in the past and has since been linked to several fires after a tip put Swalwell on detectives' radar.

The Bad: The Seahawks. About a month ago, the Cardinals were really bad houseguests at Qwest Field. They ate all our food, broke a lamp, and left a 27-3 defeat in our toilet. Sunday in Arizona, the Hawks looked for a minute like they just might return the favor. We shed hair in the bathtub, played loud music and grabbed a 14-0 lead.

     

A baker's dozen of Seattle eateries are featuring Bristol Bay sockeye this week, to call attention to the dangers the fish will face from a proposed open pit mine. Save Bristol Bay's salmon by eating salmon, they say! But a woman in Alaska thinks you should boycott those restaurants.

DCist watched as a real life nature show unfolded at the National Zoo when a deer wandered in to the lion habitat on a busy Sunday afternoon.

King County is set to close its animal shelters at the end of January due to lack of funds.

With Wednesday’s announcement that Ken Griffey Jr. would rejoin the Mariners for one more year, we’re not only seeing the return of a Mariner icon, but the revival of the best Seattle bromance since Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

It's Veteran's Day, and in true American fashion, businesses are appreciating our servicemen by giving them free stuff. If you're a veteran, you're eligible for the following:

The local homeless advocacy organization SHARE is forcing its residents to participate in camp out protests in front of elected officials’ homes, reports PubliCola.

Taproot Theatre is adding its insurance coverage to the NW Insurance Council's reward for apprehending the arsonists responsible for the recent fires throughout Greenwood, bringing the award up to $25,000.

Sunday afternoon felt a bit like that October day in 1995 when the Cleveland Indians snuffed out the Mariners “Refuse to Lose” fairy tale run. Remember little Joey Cora weeping in the dugout after the game, being consoled by then-Mariner Alex Rodriguez? After the final whistle, we felt a lot like that, except we were in a half-empty bar (not a dugout), being consoled by a half-empty beer (not a prick).

And here we were gearing up for a recount.

Washington State leads the country in troubled banks: a whopping 26.3% of banks in the state are either troubled or have outright failed.

The plan includes an "adverse weather map," and improved transit alerts via email. A text message option would be a lot more useful for riders, though, at least until they start installing laptops at every bus stop.

Torontoist learned what happens a big city paper announces plans to outsource 100 union editing jobs—an editor takes revenge by editing the crap out of the internal memo that made the announcement.

Thousands gathered Friday for the memorial of police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was killed in the line of duty on Halloween night.

We’ve moved from Election Day to Election Week. Will Election Month be far behind?

Our favorite fake news blowhard took aim at Referendum 71 this week. In a cutting segment, Stephen Colbert turned the issue on its head: