Get ready for a two-day Brew Fest worthy of any true Bavarian bash replete with traditional music (with the obligatory lederhosens, no doubt), brats & sauerkraut and more than 50 German style lagers and fall seasonal beers on tap from 24 Washington Breweries. more ›

Whether you know him from his reputation as the Robin Hood of The West, or from Paul Newman's charismatic screen portrayal, legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy is back in the news over 100 years after he was killed in Bolivia. Or, did the great bandit elude the authorities and settle in the Northwest? Though he's long since faded into history, Butch Cassidy continues to fascinate. more ›

The Seattle Times says Lake Forest Police Sgt. Jason Becker found the 27-year-old woman, who has bipolar disorder, outside of Lake Forest Park Market on Ballinger Way Northeast. She was under the impression her car had been stolen from the ferry. Amy Story's car had been found on the 3 p.m. Bainbridge-to-Seattle ferry on Monday, and she was sighted around Seattle a few times before being reunited with her family. more ›

But we repeat ourselves. more ›

Spokane doesn’t liking being confused with other "wimpy" West Coast cities, so it should come as no surprise that city officials here have resorted to blowing up area squirrels with a lethal cocktail of propane, oxygen, and fire to reduce the rodents’ impact on area parks. Who says you don’t need a hammer to kill a fly? The Rodenator Pro is to cute, furry little critters what xanax is to work ethic: imminent death. After all, nothing restores a park to its original beauty like the sounds and smells of an old fashioned subterranean fire bombing. more ›

We were wondering when we'd hear from the PWC about the extra-extra-final-nope-not-another-word bored tunnel decision. The letter begins equably enough, with them talking about how the state, county, and city have divvied up responsibility, and what Seattle gets out of it:

The City is going ahead with Mercer and Spokane projects, the new waterfront street, other street improvements, the First Ave streetcar line, and investments to increase transit speed and reliability downtown. Funding sources have been identified, and the package looks viable--if Seattle citizens are willing to stomach some new taxes. The County gained the authority to levy a 1% MVET tax for transit, which can be spent to boost transit service countywide. Some of this money will be invested in increased service to West Seattle, Delridge, Ballard, and Aurora north.

• The winds, they are coming! West Seattle Blog has our area's official wind advisory re-published on their site, and the advisory includes a mention of possible local power outages.Time to charge up your computer batteries and boil a few eggs to last you for the duration.
• Pedestrians and cyclists, remember to wear bright-colored clothing or reflective gear when you're trekking through the dark and rainy city. And drivers, you're in charge of heavy machines barreling at potentially dangerous speeds, so watch where you're going. A woman was hit by a car last night at 23rd & Cherry and a cyclist was the victim of a hit-and-run by someone driving a blue Olds Cutlass or Chevy, reports Central District News.
• The Sable Verity goes into detail in her analysis of the final school closure list released yesterday. While she's upset about some of the closures, there's no love lost on the African American Academy: "I say tread lightly and don't wear yourself out for a lost cause."

Seattleites are so upset by the way the city has handled the recent snowfall that they are...gosh!...it's just...where are our buses! Damnit, we're forming a Facebook group over this! Meanwhile, over in Spokane, the City Hall was shot at six times over the weekend, the bullets leaving 2- to 6-inch holes in the windowpanes. On Tuesday, a guy stormed out of his house with a gun and threatened a snowplow driver if he blocked him in. Then he called the city and told them any snowplow that came down his street would be shot. Now that beats an intemperate letter to the editor. more ›

While Seattle was having collective heart palpitations from seeing five inches of pure powder (and here we riff on Better Off Dead: "Do you know what the street value of our streets is?"), Spokane shattered records with 17 inches in 24 hours, and three more after that, for a total of 20 inches of snow. And what does the Spokesman-Review headline read? "Roads remain a challenge" We salute the residents of the Inland Empire. more ›

Though we know you're just finishing up reading the transcripts from yesterday's Reichert vs. Burner debate, it's already time for another Washington State debate. Tonight, Governor Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi will meet in Spokane for the fourth debate in the hotly contested gubernatorial race. It's the second to last meeting for the candidates before the general election on November 4th. The final debate will be held between Gregoire and Rossi next Wednesday in Seattle. With the way things are going, maybe this go-around can be won by a margin of at least 200 votes. more ›

We're going to drop some locals-only wisdom on you, which Seattle natives rarely if ever do sober...so listen up. more ›

Tonight, head to the Sunset for the shoegaze stylings of Film School. more ›

Governor Christine Gregoire has signed a statewide state of emergency to deal with a number of wildfires in Central and Eastern Washington. Fires are being battled in Chelan, Douglas, Stevens, Adams, Ferry, Okanogon, and Spokane counties. The Spokane Valley fire has already destroyed 13 homes and has consumed over 1200 acres since it started. A fire outside of Wenatchee has already burned more than 12 and a half square miles, and with high wind and hot temperatures, the fire danger is only increasing. Mandatory evacuations have been declared in several hotspots throughout the state. The state of emergency will remain in place until Governor Gregoire rescinds it and the fires have been controlled. more ›

Tonight, if you're not already at a SIFF film or checking out "Awesome" with side projects Jose Bold and the Half Brothers at the Sunset, head to the Comet to see local Mazzy Star-on-psychedelics Half Light. They're touring off their new album Sleep More, Take More Drugs, Do Whatever We Want. more ›

A Spokane man has been arrested for assault by watercraft, after he drunkenly ran over his wife with a boat during the holiday weekend. The woman's arm was severed below the elbow during the accident and rescuers were not able to recover her forearm because it sank. The woman was taken to a Spokane hospital and is expected to survive. more ›

Along with all the hiphop this weekend and the hella rad Subtle laser show tonight, there's a few more music events of note. First up, tonight State Bird plays an early show (8 p.m.) at the Q Cafe in Ballard. How both the venue and this great group of Ohio tribal-folksters have been under our radar is beyond us. more ›

Another year, another Wig Bash. The local music website/indie PR firm is celebrating their fourth year in existence with four shows, two in Seattle followed by another two in Spokane, excellent line-ups for all. Festivities kick off tomorrow night with the official Wig Bash 08 preshow. Check it: more ›

Since we've covered the rest of this story, Seattlest would feel hardly right ignoring the poor monkey's death sentence. As reported on the rounds of tonight's local news, the macaque monkey who bit three people in Spokane will be euthanized. The city of Spokane has determined there is no other way to be certain the monkey, Chico, is rabies-free. more ›

We are quite certain that we will never read such a headline again in a Pacific Northwest newspaper or website, so we're enjoying it tremendously. This is the monkey we told you about earlier this week, who went on a neighborhood-wide biting spree. Local news stations in Spokane have also been enjoying the unique story and a video of the escaped monkey has made its way onto YouTube, as of today. more ›

In other Washington State primate news....a Spokane family's illegal pet monkey, escaped from their home Thursday and went on a biting rampage. A group of friends walking their dog first noticed the monkey running down the street. more ›