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October 2009
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June 2008It's no fun having a crummy neighbor. 5:40pm Update
Track & Field
Diana Pickler's Post Race Comments
10pm Update
Closing Arguments have begun, and Paul Lawrence is trying to make the claim that the Sonics are unique and unlike other businesses. Pechman rules against the city, stating that the city used attorney-client privilege to block certain questions in discovery Click here for up-to-the-minute coverage of the trail. The PBC did what all expected, and nailed Licata on a remark he made to Sports Illustrated in 2006 about the Sonics having zero cultural impact if they left town. Licata called it a "flippant, off the cuff" and tried to explain that his answer was due in part to the fact he had recently read a study on the impact of the the Arts community in Seattle, and that's why "I didn't think it would be that big of plunk." A Seattle man is scheduled to have surgery to have his left eye removed after he was assaulted by the roommate he found on Craigslist. Sorry, I'm a little late to getting to this, but I was slammed with post hearing coverage. I must say, I agree with much of the analysis, and will repeat what I said on KJR last night - the Sonics had a "significant" day in the courtroom. Say what you want about Clay Bennett, but he hired some superb attorneys. Brad Keller and Paul Taylor have done a pretty good job, and I think they have been organized, direct ... Wally Walker has been on the stand now for an hour and a half. The Sonics lawyers have been using his own emails to try and prove that he was working with the city of Seattle to put together a plan for a new Arena. Patrick and Lisa McCarthy have suffered the worst loss for two parents. Their 16 year old daughter is dead from an ecstasy overdose. But her case could help other families who face the same loss and prevent kids from making the same mistake. Briana Waters will not be there to watch her daughter lose her baby teeths. She will not be there to help her tie her first shoe or ride her fist bike. She will not see her daughter's first day in kindergarten, her first day in first, second, or third grades. Briana Waters' daughter will not have her Mom to cuddle through her final days as a toddler or turn to when she experiences the challenges of becoming a girl. After a relatively good day for the city, with positive testimony from Sherman Alexie and an organized cross examination by the city's Paul Lawrence, the city had a rough close to this fourth day of testimony. The city's co-counsel, Jeffrey Johnson, tried to cross examine the Sonics witness, and analyst named Debra Jay. He stumbled through the cross examination, to the point Jay seemed like she was getting annoy... All too often, the news we cover has a sad or troubling element to it - soaring food and gas prices, people committing crimes, our polluted planet, you name it. The story I did today though about Dick's Drive-In offering college scholarship money to its employees is one of the fun ones. (Watch the video report here.) Paul Lawrence, attorney for the City, had his strongest moment in this trial. He systematically picked apart one of the Sonics economic analysts on cross-examination. Brad Humphreys was the first witness called by the city to outline his study on the impact of the Sonics leaving town. He argued cities are hurt, because spending on franchises is redistributed and the departure here will have "no detectable impact." ...Sherman Alexie just spoke to the media after coming off the stand. He said he felt the weight of being the voice of the fan during the trial, and reinforced how he believes on certain nights, the Key is the most diverse spot in Seattle. Local writer Sherman Alexie livened things up this morning at the Sonics trial, with rousing testimony about why he loves the Sonics and NBA Basketball. A local man whose parents disappeared at sea while on a cruise is among those seeking changes in the cruise ship industry at a hearing today in D.C. (Read the full story here.)Current law does not require cruise operators to report crimes. His group wants, among other things, "ocean rangers" or law enforcement officers aboard cruise ships. Som... It's halftime of the Seattle vs. Sonics trial, and the score is... It's almost halftime, and we can't really say there is a score in this trial, with the exception of the objection count. (View minute-by-minute updates from the trial here.) Clay Bennett told the court at one point in the morning proceedings how tough it was for the Sonics to do business with relocation hanging over the team. At one point, he said it tough for him to even do business in Seattle, because "I'm not real popular." (View minute-by-minute updates from the trial he... How much is it worth? Studies have long shown that a new 520 bridge is needed across Lake Washington. A committee is considering toll amounts that motorists may have to pay to fund the construction. (Read the full story.) Committee members say that proposals may come out in July. What toll amount would you be willing to pay? ...Forget the trial of the century, at least for Seattle, but maybe we can call this the Trial of the New Millenium. This is the first time I can remember covering a federal case, like this one. Our KING5.com producer, Travis Pittman, is doing a fabulous job covering it. He's doi... Here we go with Day Three - and the city's attorneys need a strong day. Yesterday ended on a strong note for Bennett' team, with the cross examination of the city's expert sports economist Andrew Zimbalist. Click here for up-to-the-minute coverage of the trial ...Clay Bennett is now being questioned by his own attorney Brad Keller. He just said under oath, that he has conversations with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and the NHL Board about possibly bringing a team to the City, if he was successful in his Arena efforts. In fact, his said questions were already coming up about who might own the team. Clay Bennett probably wasn't too comfortable in the minutes proceeding lunch. The city's attorney, Paul Lawrence, questioned him repeatedly about a string of emails written in 2007, including the infamous "man possessed" e-mail Bennett wrote to his co-owners. Click here for up-to-the-minute courtroom coverage<... Clay Bennett has taken the stand. Paul Lawrence, the city's attorney, is doing a fair job bringing up old documents and agreements to prove that the PBC knew what it was getting into when it bought the franchise from Howard Schultz. Click here for up-to-the-minute coverage of the trial. ...Last week a group of seven retired laboratory test animals arrived at a Cle Elum farm where they will live out their days. Mayor Greg Nickels is now off the stand. He seemed awfully tired after a few hours of cross examination over two sessions, and there is a reason why. ...A few people in Belltown watched with shock this weekend as a man threw a large 12-inch butcher knife out of his fourth-story apartment. Why? He wanted to cut down on drug dealing. A 23 year-old woman reports being held at gunpoint and robbed over the weekend in the University District. The woman tells police she was on her way home from Flowers restaurant just after midnight Friday. As she neared the intersection of 12th Ave NE and NE 43rd St, a man stepped out of the bushes and confronted her with a handgun (a black semi-automatic or automatic with an olive green grip). No, this is not a joke. There was a frozen chicken in his pants. On Sunday, Seattle police arrested a 15 year-old for shoplifting at a QFC on Capitol Hill. According to the incident report, employees saw the young man taking a bag of Tyson Frozen Chicken ($9.99) from the frozen foods section and concealing it in his pants. ...
Brad Keller, the Sonics Lead Attorney, is pounding away on Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels on the team's lease details. We've just reached the end of the first session, and Greg Nickels is still on the stand, but both sides have laid out their case in Opening Arguments. And it appears, the Sonics Lawyers are prepared to use e-mail evidence too. ...Seattle police are looking for the burglars who broke into Nathan Eckstein Middle School and stole numerous electronic items. ...As a father of two very noisy, but very loving little girls, I have enjoyed many interesting Father's Days gifts. A lovely, laminated bookmark, complete with a smiling picture of my 7-year-old daughter peeks from the top of the top of a book I still don't have time to read. A tin can, handsomely adorned with Popsicle sticks holds pencils on my desk. A second tin can handsomely adorned with Popsicle sticks was presented to me just last night (t...
OK. We're eight weeks out and the U.S. Olympic Team is taking shape by the day. June will be a big month for determing the fate of dozens of local athletes. Here's a look at who's in, who's oh-so-close, who has lots of work to do and who needs outside help. ...As Sarah Thorsnes limps around her Renton apartment, favoring her right side because a bullet is still lodged in her thigh, she is constantly reminded of being shot while enjoying the music at the Folklife Festival three weeks ago. "It's quite painful if I try to walk too much," said the 21-year old. ...How old were you when you learned to ride a bike? 4, 5, or 6? Did your parents push you off and consequently let you fall? Or did they run alongside and hold onto the handlebars? We all know how to ride a bike, but many of us learned in different ways. The end goal was the same, but the process of getting there may have been different. ...If you thought you had good benefits at work, check out this Wall Street Journal article detailing the huge payouts some executives would receive as part of their death-benefits package. Hats off to NASA for creating smart and lightweight robots and machines to help humans explore the moon safely and efficiently. At one point invoking Robert F. Kennedy's assassination 40 years ago, Mayor Greg Nickels on Monday announced he has signed an executive order that aims to ban guns on all city facilities, from parks to community centers. He and the city press release left out a few details. I have recently done several stories on new technology and products emerging in the energy sectors. These are responses to rising fuel prices and uncertainty over how we'll power our world in the future. |
