Campaign Money Update

The latest contribution tallies for this year's city council candidates are in, and--surprise, surprise--money machine Heidi Wills is wiping the floor with both her opponent and her council colleagues, outpacing the next-highest fundraiser, Judy Nicastro, by nearly $80,000. Wills has raised $162,569, compared to Nicastro's $83,416. (The totals include contributions through May.) Wills' only opponent, human services activist David Della, has upped his total to $56,000.

Meanwhile, Nicastro's opponent Kollin Min continued to demonstrate his fundraising prowess, outpacing Nicastro's May fundraising by $5,000, bringing his grand total to $72,300. Also in the Nicastro race, real-estate broker Robert Rosencrantz totaled $47,228, mostly from landlords and developers. ERICA C. BARNETT


Sad News

At 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, a boat travelling west on Union Bay near the Washington Park Arboretum jumped a dock and ran into a tree, killing a passenger, drummer Scotty Jernigan, 28, of local band the Whip (and formerly Karp). Three others in the boat cabin with Jerningan were injured.

Police say they suspect alcohol was involved in the accident. The boat's driver was taken to Harborview for blood tests. AMY JENNIGES


South Lake Union

The city council unanimously passed a resolution June 9, endorsing South Lake Union redevelopment and putting out the welcome mat for biotech. Several council members wrestled neighborhood-friendly amendments into the resolution like subjecting a Mercer Street "fix" proposal to further review.

Meanwhile, Nickels has been trying to drum up council support for his proposed South Lake Union streetcar, seeking council members' signatures on a letter to Representative Ed Murray, who already included $3 million for the streetcar in the statewide transportation plan.

Council transportation chair Richard Conlin says that few on the council are "ready to say, 'Yes, this is a wonderful idea'" without hearing more. "Serious analysis," Conlin says, is still needed before he'll sign off on the mayor's $45 million plan. ERICA C. BARNETT & AMY JENNIGES


Roosevelt High Hazing

An unsigned letter landed on the principal's desk at Roosevelt High School June 4, alleging a "disturbing and dangerous" yearbook club hazing, akin to suburban Chicago hazing that recently grabbed national attention. According to the anonymous author, several weeks ago club inductees were masked, driven to a nearby park, and forced to kneel and sing songs while being sprayed with water, shaving cream, beer, and urine. One student was allegedly beaten up, and all were instructed to keep quiet about the hazing.

Yearbook advisor Janine Magidman wouldn't discuss the letter. "If there's anything that happened, it wasn't a school-sanctioned event in any way," she said. School district spokesperson Bill Southern said he'd look into the allegations, but cautioned, "We really don't pay much attention to anonymous letters." AMY JENNIGES


Fraternity Furor

Members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity at UW are fending off allegations that a June 3 party at their house turned into a gay-bashing debacle.

A member of the Catch, a self-proclaimed "queer band" that played at the house, claims someone punched a friend of the band in the head and called him "faggot." Then, the band member alleges, fraternity members heckled the five bands that left the house, throwing beer cans from upstairs windows before coming downstairs and threatening a fight.

An SAE alumnus who's investigating the incident claims band members refused to play, used drugs, ripped doors off bathroom stalls, and damaged statues outside the building. A skirmish started after the band members were asked to leave, the alum says, and the crowded scene deteriorated into chaos when someone piled furniture on band and frat members' cars, leading to a confrontation outside the house. Fraternity president Timothy O'Kelley issued an apologetic statement June 9, saying the group would investigate. ERICA C. BARNETT & AMY JENNIGES


LEIU Part 2

Two days after the anti-Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit conference protests turned ugly downtown ["The LEIU Conference," Amy Jenniges, June 5], 30-plus activists signed up to testify at City Council Member Jim Compton's June 4 police committee meeting. Things went smoothly at first: Compton extended the public comment period to nearly 45 minutes to accommodate everyone's stories of police misconduct.

Eventually, Compton tried to start the regular agenda, but activists weren't finished. They demanded Compton give an official response, but he refused. When activists wouldn't quiet down, Compton called in cops to clear the room. AMY JENNIGES


Cloud Room

While drinking at a very crowded Cloud Room on Friday, June 6, I was handed a petition that called for Trendwest Resorts to keep the Cloud Room open. Trendwest is planning to turn the historic Camlin Hotel and its rooftop bar into vacation timeshares and penthouse suites ["Cloud Rumor," In Other News, May 1].

This was the first petition I signed in my 14 years in Seattle. CHARLES MUDEDE


Fantagraphics Rescue

Fantagraphics, the Seattle-based alt-comics publisher that was facing imminent closure due to serious cash flow problems ["Fantagraphics Comic Tragedy," Sandeep Kaushik, June 5], now reports its "immediate crisis has subsided" due to an outpouring of reader support. SANDEEP KAUSHIK