• Monica Guzman over at the P-I's Big Blog published an un-cut transcript of the story Denise Gloster told her about why she chose to get involved with her community in the Rainier Valley. The story is powerful and heart-wrenching, well worth your ten minutes to read it closely.
• Whoa, since when do elementary schools in Seattle auction off fancy Palm Springs condos and offer pine-nut crusted salmon as part of their fund-raising dinner menu? West Seattle Blog says Schmitz Park Elementary is doing just that to net money for the school's core programs.
• Shauna, the Seattle-based new mother and food writer over at Gluten Free Girl, has crafted a sensible list of must-have pantry items in response to Mark Bittman's controversial compilation on the same topic. Beans, onions, vinegar--sounds just like our pantry!

• You know it's Seafair when the Seattle Police Department issues a "Boating Under the Influence Advisory." That's right folks, if you're out on the water this weekend, beware: everyone else on the lake is going to be drunk, whatever the boat cops say. As long-suffering Seattle residents who can afford boats, that is their God-given right during Seafair. It's the viking heritage.
• Crosscut Seattle confirmed a long held theory of ours: that the local news and radio broadcasters have remained virtually unchanged for our whole life. And we were right! Jean Enersen celebrates 40 years with KING5 today, and yesterday KIRO Radio personality Dave Ross celebrated 30 years on the air. Sure, the city has quadrupled in size, but you still got the same old Jean and Dave (and Steve Pool...and Kathy Goertzen...and Dan Lewis) to tune in to.
• Central District News warns local dog owners who might take their pups for a dip at Madrona Beach or a romp in the park. Two dogs convulsing from suspected slug poison have been taken to emergency vets, but have thus survived.

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Ah, football. We love it. It’s easily our favorite sport to watch as it gets our usual docile selves all fired up and yelling at the television every week. Basketball, even with its fast pace and high scoring, is a bore. And baseball? Baseball is almost as fun to watch as golf or the Lifetime channel. But for all of football’s glory, there remains its biggest upset. Which is that it’s one of those high-testosterone... more ›

The three men charged with assaulting Micah Painter have been found guilty of a hate crime after a King County Superior Court trial. Vadim Samusenko could serve around 30 months in jail for two counts of second degree assault. David Kravchenko and Yevgeniy Savchak will serve somewhat less as accomplices. The curious defence of the three seemed to center on the "he was asking for it" stratagem, which was all the more questionable considering the attack took place outside of the Timberline on Pride weekend. Apparently the attackers passed on several thousand others who were similarly asking for it until they could find one alone. more ›

Yesterday Kevin Shaw failed to make headlines again. The man arrrested and indicted for his murder, despite phone records and DNA evidence linking him to the crime, pleaded innocent yesterday. To date no news article we've been able to track down has mentioned what seems to be the obvious possibility that Kevin Shaw was gay, and his murder was a hate crime. The following article by special guest Mario Paduano wonders why. more ›