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Vol. 19, No. 3/Spring 1997

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Ten Big Puget Sound Region News Stories

by Cathy Donaldson

What do we care about here in the Northwest? Militia members making pipe bombs in their homes? Gruesome murders in our "safe" suburbs? Education? Sports? How our taxes are spent? Yes, all of the above. In no particular order of importance, here are some stories that engage us.

Military officer Stanford shapes up the Seattle School District

John Stanford, retired major general, signed on as school superintendent in September 1995. One year later, Stanford has set a variety of reforms in motion: reworked labor agreements with teachers, recast school principals as CEOs who hire staff and set curriculum, phased out mandatory busing, pushed for tougher standards and exit exams, campaigned for school uniforms. His experiment in overhauling a big city school system is worth watching.

Gimme shelter: Seahawks stadium

Go, Hawks! At least that's what owner Ken Behring tried to make them do last March. After a highly unpopular and ultimately abortive move to LA, the Hawks returned to Seattle to more vitriolic abuse from everyone. Local businessman Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, stepped in, paying $20 million for an option to buy the team. His expectations: a new $402 million 72,000 seat stadium project to be passed by voters, and serious public funding. Funding plans include specialized taxes on lotteries, sports memorabilia, car rentals and admission tickets. Allen's option to buy expires in July.

The other big money eater: Mariners stadium

Discontented with the pace of King County decision making about a new baseball stadium, owners got impatient and announced in December that the Mariners were also up for sale. More hysteria, finger-pointing and whining followed and culminated with the Mariners signing a new lease on a $414 million stadium in January. King County plans to issue bonds for the project in April 1997, but Citizens for More Important Things, an active anti-stadium group, continues to battle the project in Washington State's Supreme Court.

Can you get there from here?

The RTA Metropolitan voters finally okayed a 10-year Regional Transit Authority transportation proposal last November. For $3.9 billion, planned improvements include a light rail connection for the University of Washington, downtown and Sea-Tac Airport, plus a line in Tacoma. Also included: more carpool lanes, more regional express bus routes, and commuter rail service between major cities in our region. Seattle has the dubious distinction of having some of the worst traffic congestion in the whole country. Voters rejected earlier, more ambitious proposals.

Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas soars

A 777 jet-sized aerospace merger was announced in December, topping out a great year for our local plane builder. The merger, which needs to be approved by both stockholders and the Justice Department, is for about $13.3 billion in stock. It will up Boeing's defense business, and improve its chances of being awarded more Pentagon contracts, which include building the Joint Strike Force fighters. With more than 600 orders for new commercial jets by the end of 1996, Boeing is hiring workers in a big way. Things are very up in Renton.

But where can they land?

Things are very down for residents who live near Sea-Tac airport. "No Third Runway" said the signs neatly planted in people's yards throughout South King County. However, despite heated opposition, the Seattle Port Commission approved the expansion project last summer. It's expected now to cost $587 million and will be completed by 2004. More rancor can be expected.

Seattle Commons: Just say no to Arcadia

Too chic for most Seattleites we guess. Last November, voters yet again nixed ambitious plans to link downtown Seattle to Lake Union with an extensive park lined with residential housing and upscale shops. Despite plans to integrate affordable housing into the development, and clear up a horrible traffic problem known locally as "the Mercer mess" people didn't buy into the dream that aimed to transform a scruffy industrial area into an urban greenbelt.

Seattle Public Library: Goodbye Elizabeth Stroup

Fired or quit? Who knows? City Librarian Elizabeth Stroup, not someone afraid of making waves, went on to "other opportunities" late last year. Whatever the details, during her tenure Seattle Public was a forerunner library that established itself as an Internet-savvy institution. With decisions for siting a new library still up in the air, the hunt is now on for a new hire.

Ho hum weather in the Pacific NW

A big snowstorm blew in on December 26, followed by another on December 29. The snow began to melt out a few days later and caused widespread flooding. Waterfront houses in Magnolia, an upscale neighborhood that faces the Olympic mountains, started to slide off their slopes, and a family of 4 were killed in a mudslide on Bainbridge Island. Magnolia Bridge shut down because dirt washed out from its foundations, marinas sheltering expensive boats sank pulling their charges down with them, and a huge sinkhole opened in an outer Seattle neighborhood, at the intersection of NW 175th and 5th Ave NW. In December and January, two climbers, several hikers and a snowboarder were killed in the Cascades, all victims of avalanches. Then, to top it all off, on February 9, people living south of Seattle experienced a 3.5 earthquake. It's been quite a winter.

New kid on the block: Governor Gary Locke

Gary Locke, first Chinese-American governor on the US mainland took office on January 15. A cautious, socially-conservative administrator, he's a big change from our passionate and volatile former governor, Mike Lowry. Locke's early plans include amendments to the State's constitution to allow lower property taxes for homeowners than for businesses, and getting the State to pick up welfare coverage for legal immigrants after they are cut off by the federal government. One month on the job, he's already wielding the veto stick.

Cathy Donaldson is a librarian at the Seattle Times News Library. Her e-mail is cdon-new@seatimes.com.


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