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Police Beat

editor@thestranger.com (Charles Mudede) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Officers Fear an Ambush by Charles Mudede Rainier Valley/Mon Nov 2/12:45 am: Officer John Marion reports: "While on uniformed patrol in the city of Seattle, officers observed a white Jeep Cherokee going southbound on Rainier Avenue South. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed. At Rainier and Othello Street, the driver locked the wheels and the vehicle slid to a stop. Officers heard the tires screeching loudly. When the vehicle startedagain southbound on Rainier, it accelerated rapidly and continued at a high rate of…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Intense Backroom Commotion

editor@thestranger.com (Dominic Holden) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Who's Trying to Keep Joe McDermott off the County Council? by Dominic Holden By electing Dow Constantine the next King County executive, voters created a vacuum on the King County Council, where Constantine had held a seat for seven years. Now the council must appoint a replacement, and that's causing an intense backroom commotion over who should get the job. State senator Joe McDermott (D-34) at first appeared to be at the top of the heap as a potential replacement. Which is somewhat predictable, because Constantine's last two jobs—his spot in the state…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Swinging at the Speaker

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

House Speaker Frank Chopp May Be on Progressives' 2010 Hit List by Eli Sanders Conventional wisdom says that house Speaker Frank Chopp, 56 years old and now in his eighth term in Olympia, is simply unbeatable. Over the last decade, the guarded moderate from Seattle's pot-loving, tree-hugging, gay-snuggling 43rd District has never earned less than 84 percent of the vote in any of his reelection campaigns. He has the loyalty of a number of liberal politicians who he helped put into office after taking over as house Speaker in 1998 and engineering the chamber's…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Police Beat

editor@thestranger.com (Charles Mudede) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Sounders and Dentures by Charles Mudede Belltown/Fri Oct 30/4:47 am: Officer Thomas Christenson reports: "Upon arrival, we met with the caller in the lobby, who had this to say: He had checked into room 119 at the Kings Inn last night after getting drunk at the Sounders game. At one point, he allowed into his room 'two druggies who needed a place to stay.' The victim now firmly believes that the druggie(s) had stolen two credit cards from his wallet, which he had left openly laying…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Election 2009: Winners and Losers

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2009 Election by Eli Sanders The Winners Partisan PoliticsThere was a time, not very long ago, when the race for King County executive was officially a partisan race. Then, somewhere in a secret bunker at Republican headquarters, a lightbulb went off above a conservative strategist's dim head. The strategist thought: Wait a minute! Maybe we can trick liberal King County voters into giving us this seat if we change it into a nonpartisan position! We'll run a shiny-faced "nonpartisan" who won't take off her moderate…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Police Beat

editor@thestranger.com (Charles Mudede) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Sgt. Pendergrass by Charles Mudede Ravenna/Sat Oct 24/11:41 pm: Officer David Sullivan reports: "A person knocked on her home's front door, located off a walkway on the south side of the property. When she responded to the knocking, she observed a small fire burning on her porch. She did not see the person who had knocked; all that she saw was a medium-sized grocery bag that was on fire. She extinguished it with water from inside the house. The bag was empty, and it appeared…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Assassination Investigation

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Who Killed a Seattle Cop in Cold Blood? by Eli Sanders On November 1, Mayor Greg Nickels walked into the briefing room at Seattle police headquarters downtown wearing a dark suit and grim face. The previous evening, veteran officer Timothy Brenton, 39, had been murdered in a brazen ambush in the Leschi neighborhood—the first officer killed in such an attack since 1994. Behind Nickels stood four of the city's top-ranking officers, all wearing black bands over their badges. "We ask you to do a difficult and dangerous job, and you do…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Election Results Are Here!

editor@thestranger.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Follow Our Continued Coverage of the 2009 Election]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Bitch-Slapped by Boeing

editor@thestranger.com (Jake Blumgart) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Why the Company Is Really Ditching Washington Workers by Jake Blumgart What does it take to get a world-renowned aerospace company to snub its birthplace and outsource thousands of jobs to a conservative state with a history of screwing up its products? Apparently, not much: just a lump sum up front and the promise of a union-free workplace. As you've probably heard, last week Boeing infuriated local labor leaders and disappointed our state's politicians by deciding to open up a second 787 production line in South Carolina. While the company says…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Interview with Mike McGinn: "I'm a Little Bit Different from Your Usual Politician"

editor@thestranger.com (Christopher Frizzelle) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:32:00 -0800

A 910-Vote Spread and Counting: Mayor's Race Frontrunner McGinn Interviewed the Morning After the Election by Christopher Frizzelle The morning of November 4, with a narrow 910-vote lead in the race and more than 100,000 ballots outstanding, Mike McGinn had breakfast with campaign volunteers in the back room at Cafe Presse on Capitol Hill. Then he went downtown to the Mercury Group on Second Avenue, the political consulting firm that worked on his campaign. We talked in a big, windowless conference room that looked not unlike an abandoned war zone. McGinn, serene and tired and dimly beaming, erased…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Colorado-Based Focus on the Family Dumps Money Into Rejecting R-71

editor@thestranger.com (Dominic Holden) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

by Dominic Holden]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Lazy Susan

editor@thestranger.com (Dominic Holden) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Susan Hutchison's Reputation Around KIRO by Dominic Holden One evening in the mid-1980s, back when Susan Hutchison was still an anchor at KIRO-TV, a news producer who hadn't finished writing the last two sentences of an evening news teaser decided to put in some placeholder text. Instead of writing something like "Two Chihuahuas roasted in a house fire, film at 11!" the producer, Peggy Mapes, wrote: "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." According to several people who worked for KIRO at the time, Mapes later updated the text with…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Problematic Polling

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Why Have Local Polls Been So Wrong This Election? by Eli Sanders Just 24 hours before Seattle's August 18 primary, the national polling group SurveyUSA announced that incumbent mayor Greg Nickels was in the lead with 26 percent of the vote, while his challengers, Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn, were both at least four points behind him. A few days previous, SurveyUSA had also announced its findings in the race for King County executive: Democrat Dow Constantine was getting 20 percent of the vote while Republican Susan Hutchison was getting 37 percent.…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Electionland 2009

editor@thestranger.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Electionland 2009: King County Executive Candidate Dow Constantine Answers Your Questions (And Susan Hutchison Ignores Them)]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

"This Was an Assassination."

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Seattle Police Officer Gunned Down Halloween Night by Eli Sanders]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

All Day, All Night Election Coverage on Slog!

editor@thestranger.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

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Ethics Complaint to Be Filed Against Carr

editor@thestranger.com (Dominic Holden) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

by Dominic Holden]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Police Beat

editor@thestranger.com (Charles Mudede) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

The Freaks Come Out at Night by Charles Mudede Freeway Park/Mon Oct 19/2:58 am: This report was filed by Officer Christopher Myers: "Seattle Police received reports of a group of 7–8 males who were robbing people at knifepoint in Freeway Park. Multiple police units responded and began an area check in the park. "Eventually, we found a victim who was lying nonresponsive and unconscious on the street in the 1400 block of Hubbell Place. Officer Feldman and Officer Jones went to the victim and provided aid. The victim had…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Dropping Dow

editor@thestranger.com (Eli Sanders) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Why Is Dow Constantine Trailing in the Polls? by Eli Sanders It used to be a political given, something close to a mathematical certainty. Democrat Dow Constantine would beat Republican Susan Hutchison in the race for King County ex-ecutive because, in this liberal county, the numbers were firmly on Constantine's side. Just look at the returns from the 2008 presidential election: Barack Obama, whom Constantine supported, won 70 percent of the vote here. Mike Huckabee, the strident conservative whom Hutchison backed with a $500 donation, was too hard-line to even make…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

McGinn Switches Lanes

editor@thestranger.com (Dominic Holden) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Mayoral Candidate Mike McGinn Says He Won't Stop the Tunnel—Is He Flip-Flopping or Just Being Reasonable? by Dominic Holden In a surprising departure from his campaign platform thus far, mayoral candidate Mike McGinn announced on October 19 that, if elected, he will not use his power as mayor to fight a tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. His announcement came shortly after the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the state committing to the tunnel project. McGinn told reporters: "If I'm elected mayor, although I disagree with this decision, it will be my job…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Vote! Endorsements and Cheat Sheet HERE!

editor@thestranger.com (Stranger Election Control Board) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

by Stranger Election Control Board]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

You Asked, They Answered!

editor@thestranger.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Electionland 2009: McGinn and Mallahan Respond to Your Questions About Seattle's Carbon Footprint, Referendum 71, and Why They Want to Be Mayor Anyway]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

You Asked, They Answered

editor@thestranger.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Electionland 2009: City Council Candidates Rosencrantz and O'Brien Respond to Questions About Seattle's Sidewalks, Expanding the Streetcars, and More]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Police Beat

editor@thestranger.com (Charles Mudede) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Terrorists and Rocks by Charles Mudede South Seattle/Mon Oct 12/4:22 am: Officer Juan Ornelas reports: "I arrived at the restaurant in response to an assault incident. I contacted victim. He stated that earlier in the night he had kicked out a black male from the premises for being too intoxicated. The victim stated the male returned and threw a rock through the front glass window. The rock broke the glass and then hit the victim on the top of his head. Victim stated he does not…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

2009 Endorsements

editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Election Control Board) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Our Picks for the November 3 General Election by The Stranger Election Control Board Just before the August primary, we told you to vote for someone other than Seattle mayor Greg Nickels. We suggested a new guy named Mike McGinn. He wound up coming in first, and another new guy came in second. Mayor Nickels is out on his ass—the top two vote-getters advance to the general election—and now Seattle voters are speed-dating the dreamy Mike McGinn and the idiotic Joe Mallahan. (And we're sorry, Greg, we didn't know our own strength—honestly we'd rather…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]