For those not up to speed: King County Metro is in crisis. Our county's bus service is subject to a 17% cut to the entire system -- 600,000 hours of transit service over two years, affecting up to 80% of bus drivers. We're pretty mad. more ›

Starting today, the Sound Transit Link Light Rail line from Westlake to Tukwila is officially open. This weekend, everyone rides for free. (As of noon, that's been about 13,000 people.) Paid service starts on Monday. Transit officials said yesterday that the system is ready to go. Fourteen two-car trains are operating all weekend. On Monday, 14 trains will be operating during peak hours and 12 trains at all other times. more ›

The trains will open with service from Westlake to Tukwila on July 18. It will be free to ride on the 18th and 19th with paid service starting on Monday, July 20. The base ticket price will be $1.75 with a .05-cent increase with every mile. When the Tukwila to SeaTac section opens in December, it will cost $2.25 from Westlake to the airport. Trains come about every 7.5 minutes during peak times, and every 15 minutes otherwise. more ›

• Feeling lonely? The Daily Weekly says Larry Phillips will email you if you email him. (Wonder if he'll send pics, too.)
• Publicola says Gregoire does not support a state income tax, so stop asking. Goldy at HorsesAss is not so sure he's entirely against the idea.
• Fourteen percent university tuition hike, anyone? The Capitol Record reports on why that might not be feasible.

Oh, snap! It looks like the rumors were true--the Times reports that Ron Sims, current King County Executive, will indeed be heading to Washington D.C. to take a federal job as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The position is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. We found a handy HUD organizational flowchart [pdf] showing generally where Sims' new job will fit into the hierarchy; the department's mission is "to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination," according to HUD.gov . The news means that Sims will not be running for a fourth term as King County Executive, leaving councilman Larry Phillips running for the seat as of yet unopposed. UPDATE: Sims just released his official statement on the nomination. more ›

Yesterday, King County councilman Larry Phillips officially announced his run for the King County Executive seat--an elected position currently held by Ron Sims, who may or may not be campaigning for a fourth term. Phillips accused Sims of losing focus on King County business, though the executive has issued formal statements re-affirming his dedication to local issues. Sims is rumored to be jonesing for a federal appointment within the Obama administration. more ›

Seattlest just got done attending the press conference for the re-opening of the Downtown Bus Tunnel. After two years of work, it's set to reopen next Monday. That's exactly two years (as King County Exec. Ron Sims was fond of repeating over and over today) after it closed. We have to say, we're pretty impressed with what they've done. more ›

At Seattlest, we read the candidate endorsements so you don't have to flip that far into your paper. In our thorough research, certain themes emerged. At the P-I, they wrote endorsements as if they were late for a meeting. For Seattle City Council--return all the incumbents, they say. Statewide Initiatives? Say no to everything! Port Commission? It's time for change! more ›

We all remember Peter Venkman listing the side effects of a possible Armageddon, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, incumbents running against incumbents, mass hysteria!" This fall mass hysteria may be coming to a ballot near you. more ›