Governor Christine Gregoire has signed a statewide state of emergency to deal with a number of wildfires in Central and Eastern Washington. Fires are being battled in Chelan, Douglas, Stevens, Adams, Ferry, Okanogon, and Spokane counties. The Spokane Valley fire has already destroyed 13 homes and has consumed over 1200 acres since it started. A fire outside of Wenatchee has already burned more than 12 and a half square miles, and with high wind and......

Right on the heels of the announcement that the Mars Volta was added to the Sasquatch lineup, and right before tickets go on sale this Saturday, the three-day music festival has seen fit to delineate who will be playing on which day: Saturday, May 24th R.E.M. / Modest Mouse / M.I.A. / The New Pornographers / The National / Ozomatli / Beirut / Dengue Fever / Fleet Foxes / The Breeders / Okkervil River......

After months of wild speculation, the official 2008 Sasquatch lineup has finally been announced: R.E.M. / The Cure / The Flaming Lips U.F.O. Show / Death Cab For Cutie / Modest Mouse / M.I.A. / Flight Of The Conchords / Rodrigo Y Gabriela / Michael Franti & Spearhead / The Breeders / Built To Spill / The Hives / Tegan & Sara / The Presidents / Ghostland Observatory / Ozomatli / The New Pornographers......

It's been an active few nights above Washington, and tonight's sky should be no different. Early Tuesday morning a meteor streaked across the sky over Eastern Washington. People as far away as Oregon and Idaho reported seeing strange bright lights and hearing a sonic boom. A hospital surveillance camera in Spokane caught the meteor on film, which has become the top watched video on CNN over the past 24 hours. Tonight's sky should be......

Poets in particular seem to struggle with a bipolar mind, as discussed in Touched with Fire. But perhaps that visibility is just because they're poets, and inclined to make terrific material out of any experience. The new poetry anthology from Eastern Washington University, Living in Storms, shows no let-up to the harsh weather:Schramm has collected more than a hundred poems by some four-score contemporary poets whose lives have been affected in various ways by bipolar......

When last we checked in with Texas A&M, their fans were sending us insane emails after we wrote about that whole Seahawks/12th man dispute. (Texas A&M has a 12th man tradition too, they said the Hawks were infringing on it). Our favorite such email concluded thusly: "Keep your latte sippin, tree huggin, PETA lovin, flannel shirt, leg humping asses off our traditions." It's funny because it's true. Honestly, what is it with our asses here......

When we tell people we’re a pastry chef, we always hope to be stumped; but invariably, we get the same question every single freaking time. How, people ask with desperation in their eyes, HOW do you make flaky pie crust? Pie Crust. Really? That’s what you want to know? Yes, they say imploringly, you might be our last hope. Fine. We’ll give you your pie crust. With blackberries ripening everywhere and perfect peaches arriving by......

Swoop, the mascot of Eastern Washington University, was stomped outside a bar Sunday night and briefly detained by none other than police chief Gil Kerlikowske. Apparently. Reports the Seattle P-I:Lt. Kenneth Hicks, shift commander at the precinct that includes Pioneer Square, was leading Kerlikowske on a closing-time tour of the club district when the senior officers witnessed a man-on-eagle fracas, according to police documents. The officers watched as a 30-year-old Seattle man shoved the eagle......

Last year's immigrant rights protest was out of character with the well-publicized, poorly-attended quick hitter marches that seem to be de rigueur in Seattle currently. Thirty thousand people came out for that one and snaked through the streets of Downtown for hours. Yesterday afternoon we left the office a few minutes early to try and track down the 2007 version and after chasing 5th all the way back to Westlake Center and coming up empty......

Kurt Vonnegut, up there with Twain and Melville and Kesey as the most original American novelists ever in the history of writing stuff, died tonight. He was 84. He'd been in the hospital since a fall a couple of weeks ago. Attention kids: this is what happens if you chain-smoke for 73 years. Based on our cursory search of local newspaper archives, Vonnegut's last local appearance would seem to be at Eastern Washington University's GET......

We were jazzed, and, it appears, overly optimistic, when we heard Seattle U might go D1 in basketball again. Having two Seattle colleges in Division 1 b-ball looks less likely, or at least less likely to happen soon, now that the West Coast Conference has decided not to expand. The WCC--the one Gonzaga and U of P are in--seemed like a perfect fit for Seattle U: Most of the schools are Catholic ones, like Seattle......

A double amputee robbed a Spokane bank branch Monday, one week after a single amputee did the same, according to the AP. The question that springs to mind is, who the hell is in charge of bank security in Spokane? But police are asking: is this coincidence, or something more sinister? Detectives found nothing to explain the similar methods of operation, but were investigating whether the men knew each other, Peterson said. The men in......

Bothell High's head football coach was "clutching his chest and wiping away tears" after a 9-OT state quarterfinal Saturday in Bothell. And his team won. The nine overtimes were a state record, and tied a national record. The game was tied 14-14 after regulation (there had been 17 punts), but the final score ended up being 43-40 after nine sudden death overtime periods: OT 1 (both teams start at their opponent's 25): Both teams......

The hometown Portland Trailblazers make a special appearance in Seattle tonight, taking on the Oklahoma City Sonics. It's the season opener for both teams. Also today, tickets for some of the Husky men's non-conference games in the 2006 portion of the 2006-07 season go on sale. That exciting slate includes a bunch of schools that have "state" in their names even though they aren't actual states, like Sacramento State and Portland State, and schools that......

Seattlest loves coffee. We would never do anything to hurt coffee and we're pretty sure the feeling is mutual. We were raised up in coffee, like Southerners are raised up in the church. Like most Americans, we're also lazy, cheap, and a sucker for novelty. So when the Safeway on Queen Anne was clearing out its merch during the remodel, we purchased a marked-down Wolfgang Puck Self-Heating Latte. Otherwise known as Ghetto Latte Lite. It's......

Last week, Seattlest visited the KEXP studios, met some of our fave DJ's and spoke with one of the most influential voices in Seattle music. John Richards hosts the Morning Show, is the Associate Program Director for KEXP, and Produces the weekly local music show, Audioasis… KEXP has become a real fixture, not only in Seattle, but in the entire Northwest. What, most of all, would you attribute the station’s success to? The bottom line......

With the Seahawks' first Super Bowl three days away our local politicians have started wagering with Pennsylvania's elected officials on the outcome. And the stakes are high. Governor Christine Gregoire is putting up a bushel (which we think is two more than an acre) of apples vs. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's box of hot dogs with Heinz condiments. Along with all of the food, a Hawk win would compel the Quaker Staters to fly......

National Champs!: The UW women's volleyball team swept favored Nebraska three games to none in the NCAA Championship game. The Huskies didn't lose a game the entire tournament--becoming only the second team to achieve that feat. First-round bye: The Seahawks survived a revitalized Steve McNair and came back to beat Tennessee 28-24, securing the franchise's first-ever first-round bye in the NFL playoffs. The Hawks can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with one win in......

Santa Claus is so f-bomb-ing yesterday. We all know he is coming to our town to watch us sleep, yadda yadda yadda...Thanks St. Nick, but been there, done that. This holiday season Governor Gregoire is coming to town. However, instead of presents for all the good boys and girls of the state, she will be bringing spending proposals for the upcoming legislative session. Ho-ho-ho. That's right ---while other governors will execute Jamie Foxx, our governor......

Under the Table: The Seattle Times is calling out the SPD and a few local businesses for routing around 911. The Edgewater was one of Seattlest's favorite hotels even before it was mentioned in relation to this story. Bear-ly Legal: The headline reads, "Love affair with a bear runs afoul of the law," but thanks to a certain farm in Enumclaw we know they're not talking about that kind of love affair. Because that's perfectly......

In Western Washington, enjoying the water is a huge summer perk. However, one local company forces its employees to relocate to Eastern Washington during the hottest months of the year. What heartless, megalithic corporation could be so cruel? No, not Ticketmaster. But it is another company that Paul Allen owns—the Seattle Seahawks. While you’re basking on the beach, partying at the pool, lounging by the lake, or supinely stretching near the sluice, the Hawks are......

Initiatives, they are the voice of the people-- which is a really sad thought. Sure, Tim Eyman may have ruined everything in this state with his grand plan to fix local government and buy as much stuff as possible using his supporters' money; however, he is not behind the latest effort to get tax reform on the ballot. Initiative 912 would repeal the 9 cent per gallon tax passed by the state legislature. The money......

It's hot today and it's going to continue through the weekend, but think twice about cranking open a fire hydrant NYC style. Despite assurances from the Seattle Times, all is not well with our region's water supply after the extremely dry winter. Typically we count on mountain snow to melt throughout the summer and provide our rivers and streams with a constant supply of fresh water. This year what snow there was is already gone.......