To mark the morbid statistic of the number of soldiers killed in Iraq, Seattle artist Randolph Sill arranged 1,005 tiny caskets on Westlake Plaza last week to spell "WMD?" Sill first displayed his antiwar project on July 12 at the downtown Federal Building's brick plaza where he unveiled 887 flag-draped miniature coffins.

The caskets have traveled the country, making stops in art galleries, and in New York City's Battery Park during the Republican National Convention.

Sill, who made little clay caskets with the help of teenagers, says the casket collection may head to Florida before the election. AMY JENNIGES

Council vs. the Mayor

Once again, the legislative department at city hall is taking issue with Mayor Nickels' South Lake Union plans. A September 14 council report on Nickels' $200 million proposal to fix the Mercer mess states that the mayor's plan will "do little or nothing to keep the already severe congestion in SLU from getting significantly worse in the future, i.e., it will not improve mobility for either the neighborhood or people passing through."

The mayor has asked the council to okay $1.6 million so the Seattle Department of Transportation can jumpstart the proposal's initial planning stages. However, the harsh report concludes: "It is difficult to justify a $200 million investment... that will allow congestion to continue to get worse...."

Armed with the critical report, council members are set to evaluate funding for the mayor's "do little or nothing" plan at the September 28 Transportation Committee meeting. JOSH FEIT

Beach Bummed

Disappointed that you didn't make it to the beach this summer? Probably not as bummed as Rainier Avenue South resident Suzann Lombard who's suing her neighbors over it. Lombard says the beach near her home--a grassy sliver between two waterfront homes--belongs to the 27 homeowners who live across the street, including herself and her husband. In other words, the beach acts as waterfront access for those who don't live in any of the waterfront homes.

According to Lombard and her husband--who say they've spent $10,000 fighting over the legal ownership of the beach--the people who live on the waterfront are using the slice of land as a parking lot, preventing Lombard and her neighbors from enjoying the beach.

Lombard, who's taking the waterfront neighbors to King County Superior Court in January, is also trying to enlist the city into her fight. City Light owns a chunk of land across from the contentious beach, which means it's got an ownership claim on the patch too. Lombard wants the utility to "step up to the plate" and help her and her neighbors (or, at least, help maintain the beach by cutting the grass). City Light, it turns out, wants to sell the property. AMY JENNIGES