• The Grateful Dead came alive once again--kinda--this weekend at the Gorge.
• Thanks to the state cutting $1.5 billion from edu-ma-cation funding, more than 2,900 Washington teachers found out Friday their summer break just got extended.
• Folks in West Seattle saw something this weekend, it could have been a dolphin, could have been a group of whales. But they saw something.
• The high school kids in Mill Creek, who threw down in a mean food fight last week blew it for everyone when they lost their prom. (tear) Now it's back on. (suckas) Bring on the haunting photo decisions to wear sequins and gaudy white "pimp" tuxes. Oh the horror! more ›

What's going on with kids these days? The 14-year-old boy who spiked his teacher's coffee with vomit-inducing ipecac pleaded guilty yesterday to fourth-degree assault. The Federal Way middle school student was then sentenced to eight months of community supervision and 24 hours of community service. His partner in crime, a 13-year-old boy, will be headed for his day in court next Friday. The teacher has since sworn off middle schoolers and plans to make the switch to teach elementary school kids. more ›

Seattle Public Schools confirmed that they will have to implement an "R.I.F." (Reduction In Force), meaning lay off nearly 200 Seattle school teachers by May 15. First of all, who says "R.I.F."? That acronym is just tacky and screams tombstones. Great last impression, right? So now as the force of teachers dwindle, we're expecting more classroom congestion, chaos, and for the love of it all, who will be left to teach high schoolers math from their brand new Discovering Mathematics textbooks series? more ›

Over the past week, a sharp increase of one-off swine flu cases in students raised a few eyebrows, as King County health officials decided to shut classroom doors for seven days. Now they are kicking themselves and second-guessing future decisions. With no confirmed cases in Washington and the end of the school year in sight, King County won't be closing any more schools that have a student or two with suspect symptoms. Now they say simply, teachers and children should just stay home if they are sick. more ›

The metal detectors at the Capitol must have been off this weekend, when lawmakers smuggled in scissors big enough to make $4 billion in cuts during Saturday's 2009-11 state budget session. The Senate approved the state's shaky $35 billion operating budget by relying on federal money, one-time transfers, and cuts, lots and lots of cuts, to make up Washington's $9 billion deficit. The grim budget reaper visited higher education, K-12 education, health care, public safety and social services. Which pretty much means: more pink slips for state workers, state universities are the new Ivy League, the worth of school teachers is questioned, 40,000 people lose state-subsidized health coverage, the jails will release more crazies and no one better "opt out," or we lose our parks. more ›