In one of the more horrifying local news items of last year, a garden-loving 60-year-old man was beaten to death at a traffic circle in Rainier Beach. The assaulter, Brian Keith Brown, just pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge brought against him and will now face sentencing in May. He's probably looking at between eight and eleven years in prison. Last summer he pled not guilty, so the case against him must have been looking particularly strong. We're not shedding any tears for this guy, though. more ›

She's said all along she wasn't drunk that night she was pulled over, but now the court has officially decided to back her up on that claim: Venus Velasquez, former City Council candidate, was declared not guilty of charges of drunken driving today by a local jury. It's too late to do any good in her campaign against Bruce Harrell, but at least she won't be tortured further with a public record smear on her good name. more ›