September 2008
4:17 PM Tue, Sep 30, 2008 | Permalink
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Being a Metro bus driver takes skill, focus, and patience. Lots of it. And they aren't doing anything wrong, or breaking any rules by putting in the tough hours, and making overtime; in some cases doubling their salaries.
So why'd we look into the issue?
Metro is hurting. In August, King County Executive Ron Sims announced that because of high fuel prices and loss of sales tax revenues, the system could be $70,000,000 in the red by...
12:50 PM Thu, Sep 25, 2008 | Permalink
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Attention Seattle music fans. You are hereby put on notice. There is one performer who owns this city, and it isn't Eddie Vedder or Dave Matthews or the flavor of the month on KEXP. It is Neil Diamond. You should be quite bothered by this, young rockers. But you're too busy trying to appear bored and disaffected.
Let me state up front that I am a regular partaker of the Seattle club and concert scene. What I am not, is a big ...
12:24 PM Thu, Sep 25, 2008 | Permalink
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Before I did this story, I'd heard of the "Don't Snitch" code, but I didn't realize how widespread it's become. Seattle Gang Expert Gabe Morales tells me that "snitch" used to refer primarily to prison inmates who give police information, sometimes false information, in order to get some sort of preferential treatment. But through heavy marketing--via internet websites, music videos and even clothing--"snitch" has come to mean anyone who tal...
3:41 PM Mon, Sep 22, 2008 | Permalink
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Owners of condo conversions aren't going to like this, but there are signs that the problems we profiled in our investigation are just the tip of a large iceberg.
The conversion craze peaked in the Puget Sound region in 2006, according to apartment analyst Dupre and Scott, with 6000 units converted from apartments into condos that year. The experts who inspect converted condos say it often takes 3 or 4 years for the signs of damage ...
6:08 PM Wed, Sep 17, 2008 | Permalink
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Because of TV time constraints I often feel like people in our stories get boiled down to oversimplified characterizations. Take Justine Booth. In stories we've done about her she is described like this: Justine Booth, a 33-year-old developmentally disabled woman with seizure disorders, who drowned in a bathtub while under state care.
Justine Booth should be defined by much more than her tragic death.
Justine was strong willed, car...
8:52 AM Mon, Sep 15, 2008 | Permalink
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Long lines snake around gas stations, grocery stores, any place that is open with supplies of Ice, food, building materials or fuel. The downtown area is teaming with squads of cleanup workers taking care of the broken glass and debris. On Galveston Island there's been an explosion of the mosquitio population. One person was medvaced out after reportedly receiving over 1000 bites (somebody counted?). 11 people have been arrested in Galveston f...
8:01 PM Sat, Sep 13, 2008 | Permalink
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Not quite the end of a long day. It's amazing to think that the storm was blowing through here just this morning - as so much has happened since. You may have seen the heavy damage, especially in the coastal areas. Very high winds & a big surge. The storm left many wicked tentacles of problems in it's wake & almost none are spared. Just a couple hours ago, the backup generator here at the station blew a coolant line and stopped. We went dark j...
5:10 AM Sat, Sep 13, 2008 | Permalink
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Ike is still battering southeast Texas the Greater Houston area even though the eye passed by us here a couple hours ago Locals are calling this a worse hit than Alicia. Extensive downtown damage. 2 million customers without power. The Buffalo bayou next to our station here KHOU is now over it's banks and flooding the streets and area around us- we'd be next in line. 1000's of trees are down. Galveston and areas along Galveston Bay are devast...
6:40 PM Fri, Sep 12, 2008 | Permalink
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Power is now out on all of Galveston Island, a tornado watch has just been posted for most of the counties in southeast Texas. The eye of the storm is tightening up offshore which will increase wind speeds. The storm may come ashore as a Cat 3, higher winds to go with the big storm surge. Crews trying to keep out of flooding report plenty of flying debris making it unsafe to setup in many areas. A fire on Galveston Island is now jumping from h...
2:58 PM Fri, Sep 12, 2008 | Permalink
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It's 5pm here. Ike is moving ashore. Galveston Island, areas around Galveston Bay and the Bolivar Pennisula have been flooded from the storm surge for hours. The surge rose so quickly in places some that had tried to evacuate had to be rescued. As the winds and danger increase we "hide' satellite trucks and crews - sheltering them from the increasing winds. They've already been moved out of the way of high water - that storm surge.
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11:30 PM Thu, Sep 11, 2008 | Permalink
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It's 1:30 am. Just landed in Houston, home of KING's sister-station KHOU. The city and, in particular, Galveston Island to the south are in the bullseye for Hurricane Ike. KHOU is now in continuous storm coverage and we've arrived to help the staff here as they deal with covering the storm and worrying about their families. From the people I talked to at the airport to those at the local hamburger joint you can tell the anxiety and uncertaint...
4:51 PM Wed, Sep 03, 2008 | Permalink
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It's old, cold and enormous and now it's floating free in the Arctic Ocean.
Scientists say a 4,500-year-old ice shelf broke off last month surprising scientists and adding fuel to the climate change debate.
The Markham Ice Shelf is 19 square miles in size, about the size of Manhatten, and has now broken cleanly away from Ellesmere Island in Canada's northern Arctic.
Arctic ice shelf specialist Derek Mueller says, "The Markham...
