Stories for January 2017

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Monday, January 30

Theatrical, artistic, surreal and evocative

Put Chamaecyparis in a choice place in your landscape and all its spookiness or humor or artiness dissipates as you watch what becomes one of your favorite plants mature into something that has everyone asking “What is that?”

Regain control of your entertainment budget

Left unmonitored, expenses can slowly grow out of control.

The Iceman Cometh

Early Saturday morning, a short 66 years ago, I took the No. 11 bus and found myself standing on the corner of Broadway and Pike, right where the QFC is now.

Growing Yacón in the Northwest

Spanish conquistadors first brought potatoes from the Andes to Europe in the 1530s, but ignored other root and tuber crops cultivated by the Incan people.

Market Musings: Here we go again...

All signs are pointing to yet another year where supply outstrips demand in Seattle’s housing market. 

Departed Pronto, we hardly knew you

Seattle bike share, RIP

It would be easy to blame Mayor Ed Murray for pulling the plug on Pronto. But the City Council approved a budget in late November that anticipated Pronto’s end this March.

Residential Development need not comply with zoning nor environmental laws

Living beside four new Madison Valley construction projects in the past five years has given me a first-hand view of differences that exist between residential and commercial building in Seattle.

Documentary seeks interview subjects at Red Apple

Documentary filmmaker Jill Freidberg’s successful 4Culture grant allows her and collaborators like Domonique Meeks, Henry Luke, and many others to record stories about the Red Apple and about the neighborhood. 

Take back the falls (and the country)

The incoming total-control regime in Washington, D.C., and its egomaniacal central figure are existentially frightening in their threat to every aspect of the American republic, its people and, by extension, all the peoples of the globe.

Preparing to run in the cold

The benefits of running include stronger muscles and bones and a lower risk of cancer. But if running on a treadmill isn’t your cup of tea then you need to be prepared to brave the cold. 

Tax smarter, not harder

Responding to our story about Seattle Public Schools’ potential budget deficit, a reader wrote:

Replacing 'Obamacare'... with vegetarianism

With Republican Congress bent on depriving 22 million Americans of medical insurance, this is a great time to provide our own, totally free and totally effective health insurance — a plant-based diet.

In search of the perfect Reuben

 In bars and delis, at lunch-counters and taverns, I fall for the Reuben like a love-starved sailor swooning at the scent of French perfume.

Ex-Kingdome rental car taxes head to youth, amateur sports

It’s been more than 15 years since Seattle said goodbye to the Kingdome. It’s been more than 20 since King County had to commit more than $50 million to repairing the domed stadium’s failing roof.

HALA's hypocrites

There’s a false narrative driving the massive upzoning of Seattle’s neighborhoods — the centerpiece of Mayor Ed Murray’s so called Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).  

So you marched. Now what?

Marches are great for primal scream therapy and for community solidarity. They lubricate activist networking and inspire future organizing. They convince nobody of anything, but those other elements are essential.

Proposals wanted for KeyArena redevelopment

In mid-January, the city issued a request for proposals regarding the arena’s future, the latest development in Seattle’s efforts to bring both the NBA and NHL to town.

Beaver Lodge Sanctuary to install drip water system for plants

Young new plants at the Beaver Lodge Sanctuary will benefit from a tank drip water system donated by the Mundy family to get through possible future dry seasons.

Beaver Lodge Sanctuary to install drip water system for plants

Young new plants at the Beaver Lodge Sanctuary will benefit from a tank drip water system donated by the Mundy family to get through possible future dry seasons.

Friday, January 27

Madison PCC building tentatively approved to move forward

Review board wants more information; Some residents upset about building's mass

The East Design Review Board tentatively approved of the latest proposal by architects for a Madison Valley PCC market with three stories of apartments on top, following a lengthy comment period from residents still concerned about the project’s impact to the neighborhood.

Wednesday, January 25

Seattle city leaders, police vow to oppose Trump's executive order against sanctuary cities

Mayor Ed Murray says he is 'not willing to compromise' civil rights of residents to keep federal dollars

Responding to an executive order by President Donald Trump Wednesday, immigration activists, the Seattle City Council and Mayor Ed Murray said they would not accede to federal efforts to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” across the United States.

Home Renovations trends: Americans are staying put and fixing up

First-time home buyers used to stay in their home about seven years. That moved up to 11 years in 2016.

Tuesday, January 24

County Heroin Task Force's final report approved

The King County Board of Health, on Thursday, Jan. 19, unanimously approved a final report by the Heroin and Prescription Opiate Addiction Task Force.

Washington state House passes one-year extension to 'levy cliff'

The bill passed the House 62-35 in a morning roll-call vote.

Monday, January 23

What your gynecologist wishes you would do

No matter a woman’s age or how comfortable she is with her gynecologist, she may still be unsure about a few things — like which symptoms are worth mentioning, how often to make an appointment and how to prepare for an exam.

Friday, January 20

Get into the mid-winter blues

Juxtaposed to our dark evergreens, a tower of pale blue can deliver a powerful, icy accent to a Pacific Northwest landscape.

Thursday, January 19

Bob Ferguson's quest to end the death penalty

The state attorney general cites Martin Luther King Jr. in his condemnation of capital punishment

With a bipartisan faction behind him, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson used Martin Luther King Jr. Day to announce his plan to introduce legislation that would end the death penalty in Washington.

Wednesday, January 18

King County Metro to purchase all-electric fleet by 2020

The changeover will begin this year with the purchase of 20 battery-electric buses from Proterra, with eight of them set to begin operation in Bellevue in 2017, according to an announcement from King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office.

Caring for an aging family member at home

Providing full time care for a parent or aging loved-one within your home is an option. If you are considering this undertaking or are currently providing elder care in your home, it’s not my intention to discourage you. I want you to be mindful.

Tuesday, January 17

Be:Seattle kicks off Tenant Rights Bootcamps across city

On Jan. 11, community organizing nonprofit Be:Seattle and the Legal Action Center held the first of six Tenant Rights Bootcamps to be held across the city through March.

Monday, January 16

Too Much Fun

Large, stately mansions were leased to several responsible types who threw parties requiring dress attire and propriety.

Guest Editorial: City People's, design review and the three-legged stool

The project that seeks to develop over the site of City People's has been delayed for a number of important reasons.

Friday, January 13

In first act, Reykdal pulls OSPI out of lawsuit against school districts

As one of his first acts as state schools superintendent, Chris Reykdal has undone one of the final acts of his predecessor, Randy Dorn.  

Tuesday, January 10

A Mid-Spring Night's Dream: Citywide Shakespeare festival announced for 2018

Mark your calendars and, while you're at it, tame your shrews, lose the labors of your love, and star-cross your lovers.

McGilvra ushers in 2017 with big-hearted commitments from community

As the McGilvra Elementary PTA bids farewell to 2016 and welcomes 2017, we’d like to share with you successes and learnings from the past year, and provide a preview of more happenings to come in the new year.

Monday, January 9

Local market cools after election

However you feel about the election of Donald Trump — and the aftermath that’s still playing out — it’s immediately affected the Seattle real estate market.

University Village applies for seven- to eight-story parking garage

Northwest garage would add 915 parking spaces accessible from 25th Avenue corridor; neighbors concerned about road safety, isolation from surrounding neighborhood

The managers of the University Village shopping center are seeking permission from the city to build a 915-stall parking garage and three new interior buildings on their site in Ravenna.

Friday, January 6

Don't shrug off shoulder pain

Do you have a twinge of shoulder pain when you roll over at night or reach overhead to put on a shirt? If you do, you’re not alone.

Thursday, January 5

REVIEW: Quiet but powerful, 'Claire in Motion' can't be missed

This psychological thriller starring Betsy Brandt of “Breaking Bad” fame is quiet when other movies would be loud, ambiguous when other movies would demand hard resolution, thoughtful when others would demand the sublimation of difficulty to move onto the next plot beat.

Wednesday, January 4

Hyperlocal real estate and higher interest rates in 2017

There’s nothing certain in life but death and taxes, as the saying goes. Add a new truism for 2017; more demand than supply of homes in Seattle in the new year.

Tuesday, January 3

Brr-ringing in the New Year

Photos from the 2017 Matthews Beach Polar Bear Plunge

Some people think of the first day of the new year as just another day. Others like to ring it in with a shock to the system.