• The Mars Hill Church congregation may soon be packing their Bibles and leaving Belltown. Sources say that aside from rocking out, condemning the gays, and putting women in their place, Seattle's bigoted hipster misogynist church is in talks to land-swap its downtown building in exchange for a Seattle Athletic Club in Northgate. Mars Hill hasn't replied to requests for comment.

• President Obama put his foot in his mouth on Sunday at a $35,800-per-couple fundraiser held at the lavish Medina home of former Microsoft executive Jon Shirley. Obama thanked "Mark" for hosting.

• Olivia the French Bulldog was hit by a car last week on Capitol Hill, prompting strangers who heard the news to pitch in $2,000 for surgery. Olivia is now wearing a cone and is expected to make a full recovery. In related news, Governor Chris Gregoire's Subaru was sideswiped on I-5 on September 26. Well-wishers hope the blow will turn her into an actual Democrat.

• For the first time in the history of The Stranger's record-keeping—only a couple years, but still—Seattle restaurant and bar closures have outstripped openings. Make of that what you will. Details on page 36.

• Mayor Mike McGinn recommends investing $1.5 million into high-capacity-transit planning next year (focusing on street rail). "Some say now is not the time to make these investments," said McGinn in a budget address. "I would agree; the time to do this was two decades ago." Sources say the city council intends to strip that transit funding.

• Last week, when googling Seattle City Council candidate Bobby Forch, the first result was a paid result for Forch's opponent, incumbent council member Jean Godden.

• In a letter to the mayor, cyclist Kit Newman described nearly being killed by a semitruck last week. Newman reportedly "threw the bike over the jersey barrier and dove over after it just as this truck sped past me." Further, Newman insisted that the driver was "grinning triumphantly."

• US Census data compiled by the League of American Bicyclists show that bicycle commuting rose 22 percent in Seattle from 2009 to 2010 and 93 percent in the last decade. In related news, new research from the London School of Medicine has found that bicycle commuters inhale more than twice the amount of black carbon particles as pedestrians making a comparable trip.