It's not often that we send you to Burien for something, so you know it must be good. more ›

Reap what you sow this weekend at the Seattle Tilth Harvest Fair, explore the deep nights with homemade light, and take a journey to the islands, all in this weekend's Can't Miss It! more ›

If you read this article, you'll be smarter than Wikipedia. more ›

Gunfire, vandalism and somewhat-buried treasure in the news today. Plus a look at some weekend weather that probably won't suck. more ›

Stay up to date on yesterday's officer-involved shooting. more ›

In August of 2008, way before the recent attention to the unfortunate collection of violent incidents by the Seattle Police Department, King County Deputy Don Griffee picked up Johnny R. Bradford, who later was determined to be falsely accused. Bradford later left the patrol car with a bloody lip, saying that Griffee had punched him. The deputy was acquitted, barely, two years ago, but subsequently lost his job for excessive force and criminal conduct -- an example of King County Sheriff's Sue Rahr's then-recent no tolerance policy with use excessive force. But the decision to fire him has been reversed by an arbitrator, awarding him with 19 months of back wages. He was making $34.91 an hour at the time he was fired. more ›

If you don't want to fight the crowds at Seafair today, there are plenty of local alternatives. Today, we are visiting the First Annual Elks Hot Rod and Auto Show at the Burien Elks Lodge in Burien. The show is free to visitors, and there is a $1 raffle. They have burgers and dogs for sale, as well as a beer garden. The proceeds go to the Elk's charities. more ›

In anticipation of their upcoming concert on the eve of Valentine’s Day (8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 13, Highline Performing Arts Center. Tix $14/$10. Highline S.D. students can get in free), we sat down with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra's (NWSO) Dr. Anthony Spain, a conductor with a clear vision for the ensemble that he directs and its social purpose in the Burien area. more ›

A new corrections officer in Pierce County has been charged with second degree assault for freaking out on the road in Burien and pulling a gun on some civilians. It wasn't an official Department of Corrections gun; the man was carrying his own weapon, which he pointed at a couple (and their kid!) when their existence on the road pissed him off. So soon after watching the horrifying footage of the BART shooting in California earlier this month, we have zero tolerance for cops gone wacko. Corrections officers especially need to be able to keep cool, fair and calm, on the road or on the job; people's lives and the reputation of the local corrections system depend on it. And after reporting on thousands of lay-offs in the region, it's frustrating to hear about "paid administrative leave" for the officer who had what sounds like an psychotic break. Get that man out of the force and into heavy-duty therapy, and make him pay for it himself. Bah. more ›

• West Seattle Blog was at the Seattle Public Schools board meeting last night to hear the discussion on final recommendations for school closures. She posts running updates from the conversation and links to the Save Seattle Schools blog, which was also posting to-the-minute commentary.
• Burien's B-Town Blog has also been busy going to city meetings. Gina Bourdage has detailed notes from a recent City of Burien open house about the planned partial annexation of North Highline.
• Is Massline faux-beefing (no soy) with itself? Raindrophustla posts the latest video riff on the Blue Scholars' much-snarked-about "Coffee And Snow," this one produced by BS label-mates Common Market.

We just got back from biking downtown, and even the flats felt like uphill because of the wind gusts. If they had been sustained, we're pretty sure we would have ended up going backwards. The B-Town Blog, sharing our surprise, has a post up about the 43-mph wind gusts they've recorded at Sea-Tac today. Maybe this is that windstorm from the other week that never showed up. Cliff Mass calls this a "modest Pacific disturbance," which we're not sure we entirely agree with. Anyway, watch out for loose branches and umbrellas for the duration. UPDATE: Also, try not to get sand in your eyes--in the wind canyons of downtown, we hear pedestrians are getting pelted by sand, which is also migrating into buildings. more ›

Last week, we linked to a map showing that North Highline is one of King County's few unincorporated areas, yet to be assigned to a city jurisdiction. Then, we noted Highline because the area is in need of more policing, yet will be losing some valuable coverage as a result of the county budget cuts against which King County Sheriff Rahr is fighting. Now, we're mentioning it because the Times finally brought a two-week-old piece of news (whoops) to our attention: Seattle and Burien have reached a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU) on annexation boundaries for the neighborhood in the first steps towards incorporating the area into their respective cities. more ›

The B-Town Blog has an ominous Port of Seattle bulletin regarding Sea-Tac operations: "Airport is open--two runways are operational. There are many airline-initiated cancellations. Backlog of stranded passengers awaiting rebooking. Travelers are advised to contact their airline for flight status and to attempt to rebook from home." We're having trouble pulling up the flight status link, and we heard via Twitter earlier this morning that Alaska Air's phone wait was 149 minutes. As you might expect, there's no room at the inn, and many travelers are sleeping in airport. It gets worse: airport stores haven't been getting deliveries, so supplies are scarce. more ›

• Burien is busy branding--and the city is using très fancy technology to do so. B-Town Blog posted the latest video and offered a bullet-point summary of the very nice branding elements you will see, should you choose to spend minutes of your life watching a YouTube about all the wonders Burien has to offer.
• PhinneyWood would like you to donate your watches to charity via Jody Laine of the Tiempo Watch and Clock Shop. Why not? You probably use your cell phone for time-keeping already, anyway.
• Care for some Irish Knockers? Why, yes, thank you for asking! Magnolia Voice had the skinny on the new menu at Mulleady's, including photos of the restaurant's interior (they have a very inviting fireplace!).

• Rainier Valley Post warns: beware the Microsofties on I-90 today! The Microsoft annual meeting will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Safeco Field today, and I-90 is sure to be a clusterfuck.
• Flu season is just around the corner and the B-Town Blog has a comprehensive list of south Sound sites for flu shots.
• Lights & Sirens reports on the oldest homicide suspect they've ever reported on.

• The Rainier Valley Post lets Beacon Hill residents know that the water advisory has been lifted and you no longer need to boil your tap water.
• MyBallard thinks they may have found the most expensive piece of property in Ballard. A 325 square foot shack "condo alternative" selling for $199,999.
• The B-Town Blog is closely following Burien's annexation request.

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• Lights & Sirens reports the real way to get folks to turn in felons is to offer them free gasoline. Last month, the Tacoma Crime Stoppers began a gas card giveaway to reward tipsters who provided information about the county's most wanted felons. In less than a month, 14 of Tacoma's 50 most wanted felons have been arrested.
• According to The Belltowner, there is hope yet for the beloved Crocodile Cafe--or at least the building that once housed it. The owner of Marcus' Martini Heaven (unsurprisingly, named Marcus) has applied for a liquor license for the Croc's old home.
• The Rainier Valley Post wants to let all you garage sale and junking fans know that Mount Baker is hosting a Mount Baker Community Center Saturday morning to get a map of the houses that will be participating. Hopefully one of you finds some great Antiques Roadshow-worthy trinket.

Psst...We're trying something new here with a daily a.m. news round-up and links to neighborhood stories and blogs. Let us know what you think! more ›

The continuous availability of stupid criminal stories never ceases to amaze us. The latest vignette to this never-ending novel comes from the newly launched Seattle 911 Blog. more ›