Despite rumors of snow in outlying areas, Seattle proper saw little of the action. But that doesn't mean that there weren't other news events swirling while you were sleeping.
Friday Morning Headlines: The Return of Rick's
Extra, Extra: A Hiker is Safe, and a Suspect is in Custody
In today's news: new developments in this week's shooting in White Center, a former NFL player was caught doing dirty deeds in Bellingham, and a hiker was found safely. All's well that ends well, right?
In Case You Missed It: Last Night's Elections
Did you even realize there was an election last night? You'd better brush up on the results so your co-workers don't realize how out of the loop you are. Hint: people like tunnels and incumbents.
Monday Morning Headlines
You spent the whole weekend reveling in the sun--unfortunately, it means you're short on water-cooler chatter. Catch up, or your coworkers will surely catch on.
Tuesday Morning Headlines
Police are seeking witnesses to the weekend's fatal accidents, two more upsetting automobile incidents and Folklife's fallen numbers, all in today's headlines.
Thursday Morning Headlines
What's new this morning? Trouble in Kent, new laws in Federal Way, Gregoire getting her veto on and much, a body on the beach and much more.
Competing Headlines of the Day: You Decide
We have a pressing question for you Seattlest readers: Which headline from today's local news is more awful? We simply can't decide on our own.
A Tale of a Tyler Farrar Headline
All of us here at Seattlest pretty much fell for cyclist Tyler Farrar after Seattlest MvB interviewed him this week. After all, he's a local, he's young and funny, and he's going to ride in the Tour de France. What's not to like?
Washington State Ferries Discovers Salt Water Is Not A Steel Preservative
When have you gotten your money back on a ferry purchase? After 20 years? 40? 60? How about 80? Washington State Ferries still had plans to fix at least three 80-year-old ferries before the magnitude of their decay was uncovered. Now, because WSF never imagined the day would come when the ferries would have to be replaced, it'll be a year or more before new ferries can be built and car-ferry service returned. Our favorite...
"Guaranteed" Grammy for Into the Wild's Eddie Vedder?
Say what you will about Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder's politics, but the guys put together a hell of a film and soundtrack. While Penn's Into the Wild might not match its somber weight with Oscar gold, its music, care of Vedder, could score at the Grammys and Academy Awards. His song "Guaranteed" (covered below) already received a Best Song nom from the former.
Last Chance to Win Voxtrot Tix
Austin-based Anglophile pop quintet Voxtrot just can't help but draw comparisons to bands like Belle & Sebastian, Morrissey, the Wedding Present, and even the Cure. After a couple well-received EPs, the band put out their self-titled debut full-length earlier this year (see above single "Firecracker"), and then proceeded to tour up a storm. Now the boys are back on the West Coast: Voxtrot headlines an extremely twee-centric all-ages show (Division Day, Tullycraft, and Math and Physics Club are also on the bill) at Neumo's next Tuesday night, and Seattlest has one pair of tix to give away. Enter to win by filling out the form below. No worries: Your info is safe with us and will not be shared with advertisers and/or the government, yadda yadda yadda. We'll be drawing one winner Monday at 10am.
Everybody Loves Voxtrot
And we mean everybody: the New York Times, Pitchfork, the ever-fickle blogosphere. Seems that it's not hard to garner that kind of love and affection when you're a Brit-leaning pop quintet straight outta Austin. With clever arrangements, charming melodies, limber lyrics, and jangly guitars, Voxtrot just can't help but draw comparisons to bands like Belle & Sebastian, Morrissey, the Wedding Present, and even the Cure. After a string of well-received EPs, their self-titled debut full-length came out in May, and since then, they've been touring nonstop (most recently as openers for Arctic Monkeys), while also performing at the Pitchfork festival, the Siren Music Festival in Coney Island, and at CMJ.
Norman Mailer Dead at 84
Web site just to see if any disaster had befallen us overnight that may take precedence over our literary venture. What we saw, buried toward the end of the day's headlines, was this:
Crimes of the Times
Here are three vaguely computer-related crimes taken from recent headlines in Seattle, Chicago and New England.
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods.
CDC Says Teens Not Using Enough Drugs
Yesterday the CDC released the news that one of the smallest subsets of people who kill themselves saw an 8% increase from 2003 to 2004.
For all young people between ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 -- the biggest single-year bump in 15 years -- in what one official called "a dramatic and huge increase." ... The biggest increase -- about 76 percent -- was in the suicide rate for 10- to 14-year-old girls.That sounds alarming until you read that the overall rate is still fewer than one per 100,000 population. But the smaller the set, the less of an absolute change is needed to make percentages seem to skyrocket -- and to grab headlines.
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to.
The Sonics and Blazers Blow Up Their Teams Before our Eyes
Other than June 5th, 1977 and June 1st, 1979, June 28, 2007 has got to rank as the best day in Northwest pro basketball history.
The Truth About Kelly Clarkson's My December--It Rocks!
There's been a lot of hype about this disc--Clarkson fired her management and pissed off Clive Davis in the process of making it--and you can bet pretty much every reviewer will mention that somewhere in their assessment. We're sheep, so we thought we'd open with that and get it out of the way. We'll be honest. Nobody's going to be giving Kelly Clarkson an award for being a great lyricist, so just get it out...
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by poop. Finally D.C. contemplated taking Vermont's place as a state and marveled at the GOP lessons learned from the "Macaca Moment."
That Whale with the Harpoon in Its Neck Reminds Us of the Pizzly Bear
When we heard about the bowhead whale what was killed up in Alaska recently with the 150-year-old weapons found in it we had only a slight inclination to look up some weird Seattle shit from a century and a half ago. Turns out that the last time this whale was getting stuck with pointy objects the second-oldest lighthouse in Washington was being built. Whoop-de-doo, an old light.
Ladies Who Lunch
Over in Ballard, Archie McPhee sells a cheerful Lunch Lady action figure for $9.95. Tell the disgruntled lunch ladies in Chicago, who are demanding respect from a school system that pays them peanuts (well, $10.46 an hour) and expects them to serve slop to thousands of kids.
Speaking Tour: 4/30 - 5/6
BOOK CRUSH: Librarian Nancy Pearl´s latest book is Book Crush, a guide to books you loved when you were growing up. How does she know? Head over to the launch party and find out.
Seattlest Book Club: "In My Beginning Is My End..."
We're going to spoil the end of Jonathan Raban's Surveillance. If you haven't read it yet and don't want to know, stop reading now.
Carrie Underwood, You Three-Timing Slut
Let's hope Carrie Underwood doesn't have some virulent STD, or the entire NFL season may have to be canceled.
About Under Byen
Under Byen (meaning "under the city" and pronounced "Oh-nah Boon") is a pack of wild Danes who makes orchestral post-rock chockful of unfamiliar sounds, distorted vocals, effects pedals, and heavy feedback. The eight-piece has been together since the mid-90s, but it's their latest release Samme Stof Som Stof that has won them fans on this side of the pond. Part of it is due to their elaborate orchestration and sonic heft, and part of it is due to their blonde bombshell of a lead singer. Henriette Sennenvaldt is smoking hot, with quirky vocals in the vein of Bjork--case in point: the album's title track [mp3]--that serves to complement the band's deep sound. Under Byen headlines tonight's Euro-leaning show at Chop Suey, also featuring Au Revior Simone and Frida Hyvonen. We've been told all three bands are solid, a rare occurrence indeed.
Australia's "BBC" Interviews Dawdy About Zyprexa
Remember we posted about former Seattle Weeklyite Philip Dawdy's blogging on mad meds the other week?

