Photo by Grundlepuck from the Seattlest Flickr poolWorried about rising material costs, the Seattle school district has sped ahead with construction of new schools without waiting to get input from parents. "I mean, you could drag these things out for another two years...We have to say 'Did we do enough to move forward with the project?' That's what I'm really looking into," School Board member Harium Martin-Morris told the Times' Emily Heffter. Who are......

Back in February, a group of volunteer tutors from 826 Seattle walked into John Marshall Alternative School and asked students to write about change. After six weeks of intensive one-on-one tutoring, they left with a book’s worth. And it was with much celebration that students, tutors, friends and family filled Marshall’s auditorium Tuesday night to launch "Burning the Past," the latest collection of essays from this incredible collaboration. Festivities were brief but appropriate. 826......

--Mount Rainier will remain washed away until some time in the spring. --When it comes to salmon restoration, a river isn't just a river. --Oregon prepares for universal health care to bring about the end of the world. --Are Seattle-area home prices really "likely to decline," or is Everett just dreaming? --Idealog has a thinly-veiled threat for former and future employers. --Orangette will bake sumptuous macaroons for the lucky winner of a raffle. Proceeds go......

We completely bought that whole line about the Seattle Public School District closing schools to bring the budget into some semblence of balance. We've had our coffee this morning, though, and the fog has been lifted. School closures have nothing to do with the budget - It's all about condos. Ok, that's complete bullshit that we're putting down to too many cups of coffee this morning. School conversions to condos probably aren't the reason for......

By this point it's pretty obvious that the Seattle Public School Board's strategy is to continue this shell game of school closures until students, parents and the public at large is so completely confused as to put up little or no struggle. And as if by magic, the budget will be balanced. If we were the sadistic type, your computer would currently be downloading a MIDI version of some clown music to further illustrate our......

The emerging storyline of Sunday's NFC Championship game is whether the Seahawks defense can stop the Panthers' Steve Smith. The buzz about Smith strikes us as familiar--he's a small-statured receiver who is the focal point of his team's offense--a brash, competitive player who runs reverses, breakout screens, and catches long passes. It's just what the undefeated Huskies heard before the 1992 Rose Bowl about Michigan's Heisman Trophy winner, Desmond Howard. Husky corner Dana Hall, we......