Results tagged “seattletransitblog”

Damon Agnos at the Weekly reports on the the coalition suing to prevent I-90 light rail from happening, a weird last-ditch attempt to keep Seattle from driving its train deep into the Eastside, again and oh god again, via tunnel. The suit--claiming light rail can't use I-90 because that would besmirch its use by upstanding automobile drivers--is ridiculous, as are most of Kemper Freeman's suits. Personally, we can't wait to pull on our flip-flops and stained wife-beater, hit the light rail, and terrorize the hell out of Bell Square while drinking our Volvic out of a brown paper bag.

• With the Chase Family 4th fireworks bonanza now over, event organizers are back to scrambling, as one-time sponsor JPMorgan Chase--who inherited the WaMu fireworks contract--has announced they will no longer sponsor the large fireworks show.
• We have eight days, EIGHT DAYS (!) till the light rail opens. For residents who live in or south of Rainer Valley, guest columnist Martin Duke of Seattle Transit Blog offers a quick guide to navigating your way to the stations.

Last night we dropped in at the Seattle Transit Blog meet-up, and ran into Sound Transiteers Andrew and Rebecca, who were filling us in on their crowd control preparations for the July 18 opening of the Westlake-Tukwila light rail line.

IN FULL GIAMATTIVISION: Cold Souls is the too-grimly titled existential comedy starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Giamatti. While rehearsing Uncle Vanya, Giamatti begins to lose himself in his character's depression, and looking for a temporary fix, stumbles across the new process of "soul extraction," as detailed in the New Yorker. While the movie is deadpan, Giamatti is not. His off-kilter spiral into soullessness is by turns hilarious and touching.

Yesterday Sound Transit invited "news media" to take a preview of the 14-mile light rail trip to Tukwila and back--the last segment to the airport won't open until next January. We weren't invited, so we're poaching the Seattle Times video of the big moment.

• Considering doing the CSA thing this year? CookLocal has a great list of what you should consider when choosing which program to join.
• Farmers markets and schools are a match made in heaven, especially in the Southend. Rainier Valley Post reports on a new partnership.
• The Seattle Transit Blog lets you in on how to divorce your car and get a life.

• Seattle Transit Blog is mad as hell about the legislature backing out on I-90 light rail funding and they don't think you should take it anymore. East side! West side! Let's make a light rail rumble!
• Will fancy eats joint Sitka & Spruce really move from Eastlake to Capitol Hill? CHS polls readers, fans flames of rumor.
• Publicola's Morning Fizz abandoned links and announced that a "dynamic woman" had joined the Mayoral race. April Fools!

• PizzaFusion, that organic pizza joint up on Capitol Hill's 12th Avenue, has closed abruptly. CHS tweeted a photo and wrote up the closure. What's weird is that the place was active on Twitter--really, really active--all the way up until yesterday.
• The Seattle Courant reports on a magazine sales scam that should sound awfully familiar.
• The Daily Score Blog's heart is hard as concrete towards mega-highways in this installment of their Economic Turnaround series.

• Seattle Metblogs sent Josh over to The Croc for last night's Soundcheck, and true to form, he brought back a report and some photos. Jealous!
• Mmm, fry bread. And mmm, justice! West Seattle Blog gives ups to the Duwamish tribal "Fry Bread For Justice" event happening this weekend.
• Andrew over at Seattle Transit Blog speaks up in support of the federally funded overpass between Microsoft's campus sections.

We try to resist loading up on bad news first thing Monday morning, but let's just do this quickly and get it out of the way: Publicola records Sen. Maria Cantwell's fight to insert some accountability into the bailout of AIG and others (she was overruled, and now AIG is claiming it has to pay $165 million in bonuses with bailout money because it promised! Out of curiosity, who writes a bonus agreement that puts a company on the hook even with catastrophic losses?) And Schmudget tells us Washington unemployment is forecasted to top out at 10 percent next year. On the plus side, all those unemployed people won't have to negotiate the kind of new, transfer-ier bus system proposed by Seattle Transit Blog. So that's a tiny little win.

[ED. NOTE: Seattle Transit Blog strongly disagrees with Brad's characterization of their conclusions. They did some back-of-the-envelope figuring based on Brad's premise, with the intent of downsizing his initial estimate of the possible tax error. They are not interested, apparently, in the looking into the situation further: "But a figure in the low tens of millions of dollars is serious money, enough to do a freeway ramp or other practical project. I’d rather use that money to build a project they participated in the vote for than attempt to reconstruct 12 years of purchase records."]

• Over in fair Magnolia, home of Discovery Park, residents and park lovers alike are gearing up to continue the fight over the Fort Lawton redevelopment plan. Magnolia Voice says that it seems a lawsuit might be in the works.
• Up on The Hill, we're wondering if the idea to let the SWAT Team train in the old Jack in the Box is a cruel joke or a brilliant proactive step ahead of the revolution.
• We're not afraid to admit it: We love a good Best Of List as much as the next blog. That's why we think you should go vote in Rainer Valley Post's Best of 2008 poll. It's good practice for November.

Well, the local transit blogosphere is all atwitter about the results of Sound Transit's recent survey.

The study, as approved by the committee, would estimate construction costs per mile and yearly operation and maintenance costs for the six lines. Among other issues, it would identify detailed street corridors, issues with construction and utility location, how the lines would fit into Metro's bus routes, estimate the number of riders and provide ways to finance the lines, which are costlier than buses.

Riding the bus to work the other day, our heart skipped a beat when we noticed signs taped to the window heralding the arrival of new spring schedules (they're blue!). Once we'd calmed down, we realized how silly it is to get excited over the prospect of a slight change to our bus schedule. It was the kind of self-deprecating experience we figured would make a good lede for a post informing you, gentle reader, of the coming changes.

According to the Seattle Transit Blog, the University link of our not-sure-we-wanted-it-but-now-we-got-it--might-as-well-expand-it light rail system is getting the Federal funding it was looking for. It's headed to the President's desk with Seattle receiving the highest possible recommendation for funding from the Federal Transit Administration arm of the U.S. DOT. Screw you, Prop 1! Love you Patty Murray!

The South Lake Union Streetcar will begin an eight-week test period soon, according to the Seattle Transit Blog.

It’s been hard for us to admit this, greenie that we are, but a vote for Prop. 1 is in order, at least from this Seattlest's perspective.

The Seattle Transit Blog reported (and Seattlest echoed) the fact that 3rd Avenue Downtown is going to remain a transit-only corridor during rush hour way back in June, but since the press release just came out and it'll probably be in the papers tomorrow maybe we should revisit it.

--PETA says Hansa's death proves zoos aren't the right place for elephants.