Just because we're stopping, doesn't mean the world is stopping along with us. Here are today's newsworthy items: Suicidal barbecue grills, more information regarding the man who killed a beloved high school teacher and mother, and a man in West Seattle wishes to keep us well-supplied with plastic grocery bags. more ›

In an exact opposite approach to the news that we saw on Monday, Tuesday supplied a large number of noteworthy items, with impact that reaches across international borders, the revisiting of a couple trouble making repeat offenders and the transition to a new era in urban commuting. more ›

Not much tends to happen during the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, almost as if the news felt as non-committal to the last week of the year as the rest of us do. "Oh, do something? Meh, all right." And so it goes about its business, popping out the occasional solid story and then going about looking busy with a sheaf of papers in hand. more ›

While Christmas in Seattle was pretty much defined by Sunday's arrival of Windmageddon 2011, it was still a generally peaceful weekend, with some notable exceptions, naturally. more ›

*TM Publicola Today in over-reactionary news: Chainsaws! Stabbings! Hoaxes! Mayan Doom Predictions! Columbia City Re-Opens! Wait, that last isn't reactionary at all... more ›

If there was a theme to be found amid today's slate of news, it's the time worn cliche that one thing will inevitably lead to another, although Chaotic elements could always be counted on to shake things up a bit now and then. more ›

As our own Hanna Brooks Olsen put it on Friday, the Justice Department report that came out on Friday didn't tell us anything new; its findings merely reinforced what Seattle citizens, especially those of some ethnicity, have been saying for well over two decades: The people in the Seattle Police Department are wound a bit too tightly and it shows. It's been showing. more ›

At the end of the day, Thursday brought several handfuls of items we've been expecting for quite some time. more ›

From the ongoing manhunt taking place in Capitol Hill to the Methodist minister who accuses the SPD of using excessive force, it's been something of an unexpected day in Seattle. more ›

Another week comes to a close in the Emerald City, and not a lot took place overnight in Seattle, but what did take place, was of a violent nature. more ›

On Tuesday's roster: The eviction of Occupy Seattle from the Seattle Central Community College campus; the high cost of Rob McKenna; the belated creation of checks and balances to the Seattle Police Department; and unions strike back at 1-1183. more ›

Seemed to be a ton of pent up energy all over Seattle on Thursday night, what with open displays of outrage, fitting ends for heinous activity, identifications and sudden death in the air. more ›

It's been a mixed day for protesters and well intentioned self-styled superheroes, although the Seattle Police Department gets the better end of the stick once again. more ›

40 years ago, a young, impressionable Southern Resident orca was ripped from her Pacific Northwest home and taken to where Seattleites fear most: Miami. Once named Tokitae, they renamed her Lolita -- yes, after "the heroine in Vladimir Nabokov's novel" -- however, I'm sure, although orcas apparently have self-awareness, it does not make much difference to Lolita. Animal rights groups are working to free her, but a scientist says she may have Stockholm syndrome. What will become of this unfortunately-named orca? Plus: a poll! more ›

I mean, really, could this week have been any longer? Ah, well, at least the commute will be li--never mind, 99's closed until 8:00p.m. tonight. Check inside for some other ponderables (are all cops bad liars? If McKenna supports something does that make it less palatable?) amid a silver lining (Yay, council approves the creation of an immigrant/refugee commission!) to end the week. more ›

Seattle Times opinion writer Joni Balter, not a favorite among our city's progressives, wrote an op-ed against I-1125 today. While her opinion was on the right side of the ballot, the cheap, stretchy angle of her op-ed came at the expense of the identities of our state's women. more ›

The Times published a very serious article about something a bit silly, and only managed one measly pun. Luckily, we're really, really good at puns. more ›

In a city where the weather is conversation topic numero uno, and where geeks rule, it's no surprise that a shake-up in the meteorology scene could cause such the cultural tsunami. News of Cliff Mass's departure from KUOW's Weekday rocked the city, sparking debate about free speech, big media and, of course, the weather. His presence on public radio has been sorely missed, but all you weather fanatics get pumped: Cliff is coming back! more ›

Pro-tunnel advocates have filed an ethics complaint against their opponents on the anti-tunnel side. The complaint has very little basis in objective reality, but don't expect to read about it in The Times, who have once again given the tunnelers a pass. more ›

The UW's new president is going to make bank and some vandals hit a couple of banks. Also, trouble for the Times. more ›

We received some exceptionally sad news regarding one of our local journalists today. more ›

State democrats introduced a house bill today that would repeal "certain tax exemptions" to bring in extra money to fully fund K-3 class-size reduction. more ›

The Olympics in Vancouver. Mariner Ken Griffey Jr.’s retirement. President Obama’s sonic boom of a visit. We’re bombarded with so much information on a daily basis that it’s hard to believe that all of these major news events happened only last year. Thankfully, the Seattle Times will remind us of the year that was with their second annual Year in Photos presentation at the SPL’s central branch on Thursday. Overflow attendees at last year's event sat in the aisles and on stairs; eventually guests had to be turned away, so if you'd like an actual chair be sure to get there in plenty of time for the 6:30 p.m. doors. more ›

Is Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn a maverick who works for the people, or a clueless politician that’s making enemies with those he needs the most? These are the questions The Seattle Times ponders in a New Year’s Day story on his first year in office. more ›

Image from SeaDevi's Flickr stream, used with permission more ›

But some people who live near the bridge are ready to keep fighting, to make sure a light rail line is included, which right now isn't part of the Washington Department of Transportation's plan. more ›

The Seattle City Council gave the green light for a new streetcar line. more ›

She's Zofia Smardz, deputy travel editor of the Washington Post, whosearticle on indifferent meals in Paris was featured in Sunday's Seattle Times. He's Michael Steinberger, wine columnist for Slate, whose recent book, Au Revoir to All That, argues that French gastronomy is in fatal decline. Between them, you'd think France was knee-deep in crummy croissants and plastic cheese. more ›

• 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.

There's a feature in the Seattle Times today about the #7 bus that seems to be celebrating it as a "colorful" part of Seattle history, but also makes the claim that "most" and "many" #7 riders prefer it to the light rail. Try as we might, we can't find any numbers in the story to back up that assertion. We emailed reporter Phillip Lucas, but it bounced back undeliverable, user unknown. We've also called Metro's community relations line three times this morning, but no one's picking up. We'll update if it's the rapture and no one else is at work this morning. UPDATE: It's not the rapture. But here's Publicola's ECB, an actual #7 rider, going off on exactly how colorful the route is. more ›