• The big news in local blogs today is the Seattle Times "collaboration" with hyperlocal blogstars such as West Seattle Blog, MyBallard, Capitol Hill Seattle, and Rainier Valley Post. Sure, there's warranted kicking and screaming about anything to do with the Times and online media, but is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
• Speaking of hyperlocal news, belltownpeople (giddy about being the densest neighborhood in Seattle) and CHS broke out mayoral race votes by 'hood.

Seattlest is not sure what to do with this P-I story about a poll on kids' perception of violence. The gist of the article is that according to Junior Achievement's survey, a startling percentage of kids in the U.S. don't seem to feel like violence in their communities is all that noteworthy--and that data resonates profoundly with the experience of many in South and Southeast Seatte. Presumably, the poll was faulty in some way, phrased poorly or not asking the right questions, because there's not a non-sociopathic kid in the world who isn't concerned when their friend gets shot at the mall. (Even as a young kid, we could recognize that "when is it okay to hit somebody?" was a dirty trick question.) It is conceivable, however, that street violence feels so entrenched in some Seattle neighborhoods that a kid could take the attitude that change isn't possible. more ›

There may very well have been fuckery afoot in the decision to close/re-purpose Cooper Elementary's building rather than close the more affluent Arbor Heights Elementary. (Why are we not surprised?) In a controversial series of posts over the weekend, blogger Sable Verity alleged that Seattle School Board District 6 Director Steve Sundquist was discriminatory and unethical in the way he interacted with parents and students at the two school. This morning, KUOW reports on their investigation into the role that poverty may have played in the school closures conversation. more ›

Phew, what a week. We've had the two Port resignations, all the school closure hullaballoo, Noemi Lopez' killer landing in custody, and--late yesterday--a breakthrough in the viaduct arguments. To be honest, we'd like nothing more than to laugh about all of this. Enter, stage South End: Sable Verity's eminently LOL-worthy guest column on the Rainier Valley Post, in which she imagines the weekend wrap-up conversation between the governor, the mayor, the school district superintendent, and the county executive. It is hilariously spot on, and exactly the dose of intelligent humor we needed to get us through a rainy Friday. more ›

The proposed school closure list has been changed, yet again! The big news is that Rainier Beach High School (previously announced as considered for a merger with Cleveland High School, to the chagrin of almost everyone) is off the closure table. Instead, the plan is to either move Aki Kurose middle school students into the RBHS building or to close down the Center School Program and request that those high-schoolers attend Rainier Beach. more ›

• West Seattle Blog reports that former Garfield Bulldog, Washington Husky, and current Portland Trailblazer Brandon Roy, will be dedicating a new basketball court at the Delridge Community Center next Wednesday. We remember Roy as one of the tallest kids walking the halls of GHS and it's great to see him succeeding and giving back to the local community.
• Capitol Hill Seattle reports what we noticed aghast yesterday--Dick's on Broadway is closed for construction. Thankfully, there's nothing major to panic about, as they will reopen this Thursday.
• Local blogger Sable, of The Sable Verity is on fire! She posted 25 separate posts yesterday, many of which were about the presidential election and Sarah Palin. Tucked amongst the politics posts, was an insightful personal piece on race, cultural competency, and intentions. Sable seems to be equal parts smart and sassy. Her blog's tag-line reads: "You can disagree, but I’ll still be right." And, for today, we don't have a single word of disagreement.