Move over St. Matthew: The Gospel of O'Reilly

Last updated December 23, 2010 9:28 p.m. PT

He's sat through lots of social gospel sermons up at St. Mark's Cathedral, so our Congressman-for-Life Jim McDermott was ready recently to apply the season's message to work of the 111th Congress.

"This is Christmas time," McDermott said on a cable TV program. "We talk about Good Samaritans, the poor, the little baby Jesus in the cradle and all this stuff. And then we say to the unemployed we won't give you a check to feed your family. That's simply wrong."

The remark aroused Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly, who rails about the "War on Christmas" while evincing limited understanding for the Feast of the Nativity, its symbolism or teachings of the baby in the manger when grown.

"Every fair-minded person should support government safety nets for people who need assistance through no fault of their own: But guys like McDermott and his allies don't make such distinctions," Bill O' wrote in a column, "Christmas a Platform for Liberal Agenda."

"For them, the baby Jesus wants us to provide, no matter what the circumstance. But, being a Christian, I know that while Jesus promoted charity at the highest level, he was not self destructive. The Lord helps those who help themselves."

The last sentence can be found nowhere in the Good Book, but instead comes from Benjamin Franklin, as Stephen Colbert noted in a subsequent commentary on O'Reilly.

Of late, the political right has been revising lots of national symbols. Glenn Beck trashed Theodore Roosevelt at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Thomas Jefferson's writings on the Enlightenment have been banished from Texas schoolbooks. The White Citizens Council was a force to keep the peace in 1960s Mississippi.

It would seem, however, that Bill O'Reilly is going up against the Gospel of St. Matthew.

How does O'Reilly know what "the baby Jesus wants us to provide"? Has the answer come to him in a vision? Prelates of his own Catholic Church argue that we should provide for all of God's children, particularly all babies? Some extremists would have us turn away "illegal" babies. But isn't a baby a baby? Then too, Bill, how can babies "help themselves"?

I went to the Gospel According to St. Matthew in a King James Bible -- its language so beautiful, in contrast to clunky contemporary translations -- and pulled out some passages apt for O'Reilly revision.

As he faced a great crowd at Galilee, at least as St. Matthew relates, Jesus did not say the hungry people should have brought their own food. Instead, in His words, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now for three days, and have noting to eat: And I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way."

Hence, breaking and distributing seven loaves and "a few little fishes," he fed the multitude, with seven baskets left over.

"Judge not that ye shall not be judged," are the famous words at the beginning of Matthew 7.

Hmmm! An awful lot of judging takes place nightly on "The O'Reilly Factor." The host says that liberals have "appropriated Jesus." Ann Coulter, responding to McDermott's remarks, declared: "Liberals think sending a check to the IRS constitutes charity."

A bit further in chapter 7, we hear from Jesus: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

It sure doesn't govern the ratings on cable TV or talk radio. Of course, there are the most famous words of the St. Matthew Gospel: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Clearly, a new Fox Gospel is needed to emphasize Glenn Beck's celebrations of wealth, and O'Reilly teachings of "self-responsibility" and his sweeping statement that "there are millions of Americans who are not responsible" and that "the rest of us cannot support them."

The darker side of the American dream is on display at Christmas, even among its self-proclaimed defenders.

We are reminded, those who try to live by teachings of St. Matthew, that following after Christmas by a day is the feast of St. Stephen, Christianity's first martyr.

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Rainier Beach Community Center closed: Now what?

Last updated December 23, 2010 9:23 p.m. PT

By MICHAEL E. ROSS
SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM

With the Rainier Beach Community Center shuttered as of Saturday and slated for demolition soon, the city's Parks and Recreation Department has fashioned a coalition of public and private options to fill the two-year gap before the old center's replacement is ready in fall 2013.

The city has approved planning, design and construction of a $25 million replacement of the existing center, at 8825 Rainier Ave. It's to be paid for with real estate excise taxes and, in part, city general obligation bonds.

Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for Mayor Mike McGinn, said the construction of the new center had been an informal commitment to Rainier Beach in the Greg Nickels administration. "This was a promise made by the former mayor, but there weren't any dollars attached to it," Pickus said. "The city has a $67 million deficit, but we felt it was important that the city follow through on this."

Over the next two years, the Rainier Beach community will find the programs once at the old center shifted to a variety of different city community centers, Seattle Public School and business locations.

According to the Parks and Recreation department:

• The Rainier Beach Late Night recreation program will move to Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park Ave. S. Youth track program participants will also practice at Rainier Beach High.
• Late Night in summer moves to the Pritchard Beach Bathhouse, 8400 55th Ave. S., near Beer Sheva Park.
• The Christmas Ship visit will take place at Pritchard Beach, where the Jefferson Community Center staff will offer support.
• Before and after school care will be at Hutchinson Community Center, 5801 S. Pilgrim St. (pending the center's receipt of a Certificate of Occupancy, which insures compliance with the city building code).
• Youth basketball will move to Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S., and Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle St. The fee-based adult aerobics program also moves to Van Asselt.
• Youth and teen fee-based Karate/Hip Hop will be at Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave S. The fee-based Adult Hip Hop program also moves to Rainier Community.
• Rainier Beach's aquatics programs will move to Medgar Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave, and Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St.
• The Lifelong Recreation walking group will connect with another Rainier Valley walking group.
• Youth Orchestra will be relocated to Northwest Tap Connection, the dance studio at 8732 Rainier Ave S.
• Computer room facilities will tentatively be moved to the Ethiopian Church at 8445 Rainier Ave. S.

  To go by statements from McGinn and acting Parks and Recreation Superintendent Christopher Williams at a crowded Rainier Beach community forum on Sept. 30, replacing the center with space available at other locations was always a priority.

  Williams said at the forum that Van Asselt and Rainier community centers would be sought as locations for the Rainier Beach late-night program. Responding to a question from the audience, McGinn agreed that enlisting Rainier Beach School gym and other sites would be a good idea. "It makes a lot of sense," he said. "We have these assets ? I agree with you completely. Those are our buildings; we need to use them for the community."

  Parks and Recreation understands the inconvenience of going to several places for what used to be available at Rainier Beach, a cross-cultural fixture of that south Seattle neighborhood. Dewey Potter, a Parks and Rec spokeswoman, offered apologies and an assurance about the center-to-be. "We're sorry for the inconvenience it will cause people," she said, "but in the end it's going to be fabulous."

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Assessing The Degree Of Competitive Imbalance In Division I Women’s Sports

To their credit, Coach Auriemma and his players downplayed comparisons with the men’s streak.? Rightfully so, given the comparative lack of depth in the women’s game?relative to the men’s game.

On its own merits, the Huskies’ winning streak is a great achievement and deserves our attention and respect.? Perhaps it speaks to Coach Auriemma’s doggedness in recruiting that the Huskies’ program can seemingly hoard a disproportionate share of top players year after year.? Coach Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach at Tennessee, has at times questioned Coach Auriemma’s recruiting tactics…so much so that the schools have discontinued playing each other.

But you still have to “coach ‘em up”, and seemingly Coach Auriemma is one of the best ever in doing so.

That said, all this discussion over the last week as made me think of another great Division I women’s coach who arguably has had an even greater string of success than Coach Auriemma.

That coach?would be Mr. Anson Dorrance, women’s soccer coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel?Hill.

Consider these facts:

- The Tar Heels’ record under Coach Dorrance is 715-39-24 over 32 seasons dating back to 1979…that’s a non-losing percentage of approximately 0.950;

- Chapel Hill has won 20 of?29 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships contested since the sport became an NCAA championship-sanctioned sport in 1982, or better than 2 out of every 3;

- And on the topic of streaks, (a) Coach Dorrance?has led his team to a 101-game unbeaten streak in the past and (b) their loss in this year’s NCAA?3rd round?to Notre Dame marked the first time in 607 matches that the Tar Heels had lost by more than 1 goal.

Dorrance’s dominance trumps Auriemma’s aura, but let’s face the fact that we are splitting hairs and dynasties when comparing these men.? After all, aside from the Huskies’?current record-breaking streak:

- Coach Auriemma has won 7 championships in 25 years at Connecticut;

- His coaching record with the Huskies is a formidable 746-122 (0.859 win percentage) including their 11-0 start to the 2010-11 season.

When you consider how dominant these 2 programs have been in their respective sports, though,?you then?start looking at the broader topic of competitive imbalance among Division I women’s team sports.? Since 1981:

- In women’s field hockey, 4 schools have won 25 of 29 championships (Old Dominion, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Maryland);

- In women’s volleyball,?6 schools have won 26 of 29 championships (USC, UCLA, Penn State, Stanford, Long Beach St., Nebraska);

- In women’s basketball, 5 schools have won 21?of 29 championships (Connecticut, Tennessee, USC, Louisiana Tech, Stanford);

- And in women’s soccer, 3 schools have won 25 of 28 championships (North Carolina, Notre Dame, Portland).

In short, the depth of?talent distribution for each of these sports is sufficiently small that it enables a high degree of “industry concentration” and market dominance for a select group of schools?within each?sport.

The Connecticut 89-game winning streak is?a testament?to a program and a coach that should be commended for consistent excellence and tireless effort.

But when you consider that his dominance is not an?isolated occurrence in women’s collegiate athletics,?it makes one wonder if and when the lack of depth in competition for many women’s team sports will ever be large enough to create more general buzz and interest?beyond the “niche demos” that currently?follow these sports.

********************************************************************************************************************************************

You can follow?Patrick on Twitter, or follow?his academic, sports consulting, or music endeavors here.

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Sister of victim: 'Becky wanted to come home for Christmas'

Last updated December 23, 2010 7:22 p.m. PT

The picture in the gold frame has been near Mary Marrero's bed for years and shows her sister on a sunny day in White Center. Wearing a pink and blue blouse with jeans, she has a warm smile for her daughter, only months old in the stroller. The wind is pushing back her brown hair.

Every day, Marrero looked at the picture and talked to her sister, Becky -- a woman believed to have been murdered by the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway.

"I'd say 'They're gonna' find you, honey,'" Marrero said Thursday. "'Hang in there. It's just a matter of time.'"

Tuesday afternoon, Auburn police say children playing by a ravine near the 6300 block of South 296th Street found a skull. Detectives determined it had been there for several years and called in King County Sheriff's deputies who had more experience with outdoor scenes.

After 28 years, Becky Marrero had been found.

The Sheriff's Office also handled the investigation of Ridgway, who is serving consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to 48 murders. He was spared the death penalty by telling investigators where he dumped some of his victims.

Becky Marrero wasn't one of those 48, though investigators questioned Ridgway about her case. She was added to his list of possible victims in July 1984 when the deputies' death count was 26.

"Finally my sister's not out in the rain and the snow," Mary Marrero said. "She's somewhere warm now."

Becky Marrero's older sister said they grew up in near Southwest Roxbury Street and 25th Avenue Southwest in White Center and for a time Becky attended Chief Sealth High School. One of two girls, four boys and two step-brothers, Marrero was last seen Dec. 3, 1982, leaving a motel at South 168th Street and Pacific Highway South.

She was 20, and had a 2-year-old daughter.

Marrero's mother, now 79, reported her missing on July 20, 1984. Despite the announcement days later that she was a possible Green River Killer victim, for years Marrero's mother believed she was still alive.

"She's hanging in there, but she's traumatized," Mary Marrero said of her mother. She has trouble walking, and her daughter was concerned about health effects from the news and pestering reporters.

The family was frustrated that years ago investigators didn't do a more thorough search the area where Becky Marrero was recently found. Sgt. John Urquhart said seven years ago Ridgway led investigators to victim Marie Malvar in the same general area where Marrero was found.

Like Becky Marrero, Malvar was last seen near Pacific Highway South. Her father and boyfriend scoured the area looking for the truck she was last seen in. They found it outside Ridgway's home and told police, and it was Malvar's tip that prompted police to take saliva samples from Ridgway in 1987.

But at points between 1987 and Ridgway's arrest in 2001, investigators weren't sure he was the serial killer.

"They just didn't look far enough," Mary Marrero said of the 2003 search. "That's what disappoints me the most."

Mary Marrero said her family would like to meet the children who found her sister, and that the discovery was a gift from God. Becky Marrero was identified through dental records.

Ridgway wasn't charged with her death because prosecutors didn't believe they have enough evidence to support a murder charge. Deputies on Thursday wouldn't discuss his remarks about Marrero's case.

As part of the plea agreement to spare his life, Ridgway said in 2003 he would confess to every murder he committed in King County.

"I killed so many women, I have a hard time keeping them straight," Ridgway wrote in a statement for the court.

A spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said detectives and prosecutors will now review the investigation into Marrero's disappearance and death, examining all aspects. The investigation is expected to take weeks, and Marrero's family hopes it will eventually lead to another conviction.

Becky Marrero's daughter, 30, now has three children of her own. For years, family members knew Marrero wouldn't have left the girl she so lovingly showed in the gold-framed picture.

For years, they knew that somehow she would return.

"Becky wanted to come home for Christmas," her sister said Thursday. "This is our Christmas gift."

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Alomar, Blyleven, Smith Are Worthy of Baseball’s Hall Of Fame

Image via Wikipedia

Early next month, Major League Baseball will announce the next class of players who will be inducted into its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. I have been a voting member of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 20 years and mailed my ballot this week.

First, let me emphasize a couple of core philosophies I have in choosing my selections.

- If a player is worthy enough to be picked in his first year, he should be voted for every year. His qualifications do not change from one year to the next. It took 15 years, but Boston’s Jim Rice finally made it although I had been voting for him from year one.

- The character clause does matter. People can argue Ty Cobb was a hooligan and he got in. Well, I’m not voting for Ty Cobb, so there is nothing I can do about that. All I can control is who is on the ballots I see. As a result, I will not vote for anyone who has admitted he has essentially cheated by using steroids to achieve an unfair advantage.

Without further adieu, my selections for 2011 are second baseman Roberto Alomar, starting pitcher Bert Blyleven, and closer Lee Smith.

Alomar was a complete player for most of his career with his best years coming with the Toronto Blue Jays where he led them to two World Series championships in 1992-93. He batted .300 for his career with 2,724 hits and displayed some power with 210 home runs and 1,134 RBI. With terrific speed, he also was a dangerous threat on the bases, stealing 474 times during his career. He also was a sensational fielder, snaring 10 AL Gold Glove Awards.

Blyleven probably possessed one of the best curveballs in the history of the game. He used it to win 287 games on mostly bad teams and to rank fifth all-time in strikeouts and ninth in shutouts. Besides being overpowering at times, Blyleven was also extremely durable, ranking 10^th in starts and 14^th in innings pitched during his 22 seasons. Like Alomar, he also won two World Series and fashioned a 5-1 postseason record. His career ERA was 3.31.

Smith was the dominant reliever of his era and still sits behind Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, two sure-fire Hall of Famers, for third all-time in saves with 478. He topped 40 saves three times, 30 saves an incredible 10 times and strung 13 consecutive seasons of 20 or more saves. He was consistent, intimidating and durable in both leagues.

Alomar and Blyleven just barely missed receiving the 75 percent needed to qualify last year and should make it easily this time around. Smith and probably everyone else will likely fall short.

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Dems vs. GOP: Where will new House seat go?

Last updated December 21, 2010 6:43 p.m. PT

The fight over where and how to add one more congressional district to Washington state will be more like a political science debate and less like a bare-knuckled bar brawl.

Washington state added more than 830,000 new residents over the past decade, U.S. Census officials announced Tuesday. The prize is an additional U.S. House seat come 2012, bringing our total number to 10.

Many states leave redistricting to the state Legislature, which can lead to partisan squabbles and charges of rank politicking. In Washington, the job is delegated to a bipartisan commission made up of two Democrats, two Republicans and one non-voting member.

"The rules of our game our different," said Chris Vance, a former state Republican Party chairman. "It forces compromise and becomes very data driven."

New House seat: South Puget Sound, Bellevue?

Not that the stakes aren't high. Come next year Democrats will control five House seats from Washington, Republicans four. Cleaving a brand new district will affect the nine other areas, making some more friendly to the GOP and others better territory for Democrats.

Vance said the redistricting commission will likely start out with a "gentlemen's agreement" not to move incumbent representatives on the state and federal level out of their current areas. They'll also likely ask incumbents what their preferences may be. Many political observers have speculated that a new, 10th District could be created in the south Puget Sound area. But Vance said he could foresee a scenario where a new district was centered around Bellevue, which would make it easier for Rep. Dave Reichert as the new 8th District would likely trend more Republican. In exchange, the Democrats would probably be more competitive running a candidate in the populous Eastside suburbs.

"Inevitably, population is shifting away from inner cities. that should favor Republicans. But Democrats have shown a great ability to get elected in near-end suburbs (like Bellevue)," Vance said. "I don't believe redistricting is going to cause a tectonic shift in Washington state politics. It'll be subtle."

Some national observers agree with Vance. David Wasserman of the non-partisan Cook Political Report also thinks Washington's new district could come to the Eastside.

"...in exchange for protecting (new 3rd District Republican Rep. Jaime) Herrera and Reichert, the commission could draw a new Democratic-leaning 10th Congressional District anchored by Bellevue in the Seattle suburbs, which might take in some Democratic-leaning areas of the current 7th, 8th, and 9th districts in King County," Wasserman wrote in the National Journal.

Secretary of State Sam Reed said all members of the Redistricting Commission will be appointed by mid-January, and the panel will be up and running by February. The state will get updated, detailed data from federal officials in February and April. Reed said his staff has been working to make sure the commission will be able to plug the new data into computer models right away.

The Commission will not only have to redraw federal election district, but areas for the state Legislature, as well. Reed predicted the suburban areas of Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver and Everett might gain more representation in the state Legislature. "They have to have even population per district, but they clearly are going to want to look at the political impacts," Reed said.

The secretary of state's office says Washington's new, "ideal" congressional district size will be 672,454 people; a state legislative district would be 137,236 people.

"As both (GOP Chairman) Luke Esser and I have said in the past, Washingtonians can be immensely proud of our system for drawing new districts for both the Legislature and Congress. We have a fully bi-partisan system which fairly divides the authority to re-district between the Republican and Democratic parties. It is too early to speculate on how any of the 10 (federal) districts will finally look," said Dwight Pelz, state Democratic Party Chairman.

That's not to say there isn't the potential for hiccups. Vance, who was a King County Councilman for seven years, said he was being recruited to run for the Council in the early 1990s. The Council was expanding to 13 seats, and Vance said it was agreed that there'd be six "safe" GOP areas and six "safe" Democratic Council Districts and one toss-up.

Vance said he was courted to run for the swing area, but when the new boundaries were announced, Vance found he'd inadvertently been left out of the new district.

"I said, 'You missed me by one block.' We had to move."

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Women’s Basketball Shouldn’t Be Lumped With Men’s Game

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News reports should not be comparing the 88-game winning streak of the Connecticut women's basketball team to that of the UCLA men's team, accomplished from 1971-74.

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Bashing Israel on Metro buses: Get attention by getting ugly

Last updated December 21, 2010 9:13 p.m. PT

Glad tidings of great joy? Good will to all people? Bah humbug! A couple of Christmas-season happenings show how you go for the limelight in America: To get publicity, get ugly!

The signs set to get plastered on the side of Metro buses -- "Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work" -- are drawing lots more attention than did criticism of Israel at last winter's Friends of Sabeel confab at St. Mark's Cathedral.

Limelight-hogging Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is riding high with his plan for upcoming hearings on "radicalization" of American Muslims, and his unsupported claims that 80 to 85 percent of America's mosques are controlled by "Islamic fundamentalists."

Such excesses do nothing to effectively promote peace or forge the bonds of reconciliation; they discredit causes their instigators are supposedly promoting.

The bus signs have generated a blunderbuss debate. The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign claims it just wants to get people talking, and is not bashing Israel. King County Councilman Peter von Reichbauer warns about "dangerous language." Who is to define it?

Wendy Rosen, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, delivered a welcome dose of sense Tuesday afternoon. The AJC has "deep concerns" over the ads, Rosen wrote, but won't ask Metro Transit to pull them down "since that would likely gain Seattle Mideast Awareness even more publicity and media attention."

At the same time, she spoke a truth about our local Israel-bashers and their clumsy, accusatory efforts to undermine American support for Israel.

"None of these campaigns against Israel, of course, will contribute to the realization of a durable peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as with Arab countries in addition to Egypt and Jordan, which signed treaties with Israel years ago," she said.

"The question for a group like Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign is simply, do they want to see Arab-Israeli peace or do they want to see the end of Israel?"

As (until recently) an Episcopalian, I've asked that question for years while watching anti-Israel statements by the Presiding Bishops, while mainline churches' "peace and justice" groups speak of disinvestment, and while a deafening silence greets lethal attacks against Israelis.

The Rt. Rev. Edward Little, Episcopal Bishop of Northern Indiana, put it bluntly once in an interview.

"Traditionally, Anglicans believe in nuance and balance," he said. " When it comes to the Middle East, that nuance and balance is gone. Our utterly one-sided view of the Middle East is one of deep, deep hostility to Israel. As a Christian of Jewish descent, it all sounds awfully familiar. ... It feels like a new version of ancient hostility toward the Jewish people."

Such statements, and doubtless this column, always evoke hysterical response. Still, the righteous need a reality check: Does an "utterly one-sided view" do anything to promote peace? Is the "deep, deep hostility" not one of the reasons peace advocates are losing ground in Israeli politics?

The "awareness" supposedly promoted with the Metro message reaches the boundary of hate speech. The "Silent Walking Vigil" for Palestinian solidarity, scheduled next Monday night in downtown Seattle, offers a more rational and civil witness.

Alas, the Seattle-Puget Sound area is a place where our loudest religious voices seem always to say Israel is wrong.

Speaking of loud voices, Rep. King seems intent on turning the House Homeland Security Committee into a successor to the late, unlamented witch-hunting House Un-American Activities Committee.

HUAC smeared with a broad brush, "investigating" such groups as Women Act for Peace. In a great cartoon, Herblock in the Washington Post showed one late-arriving committee member asking a colleague, "What's 'un-American' today, women or peace?"

King showed a similar lack of restraint and reason on Fox News this week, thundering against "politically correct nonsense" that keeps Americans from discussing how "we are under siege from Muslim terrorists."

"There are Muslim leaders in this country who do not cooperate with law enforcement," he said. "We have the reality that al-Qaeda is trying to recruit Muslim Americans and yet we have people in the Muslim community who refuse to face up to this and will not cooperate with the FBI or the police."

Can you think of any better domestic recruiting vehicle for al-Qaeda than Muslim-bashing hearings on Capitol Hill?

The inflammatory demagoguery of Peter King -- on vulgar display during debate on the Lower Manhattan mosque -- is exactly the stuff to make people in the Muslim community less inclined to cooperate with the FBI.

Rep. King is, of course, selective when it comes to terrorism. He once described the Irish Republican Army, in its killing days, as "the legitimate voice of occupied Ireland."

Each in its own way, the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and Rep. Peter King are proving a basic truism: The empty drum always bangs loudest. As a believer in bridge-building and reconciliation, I hope the efforts of both fail -- ignominiously.

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Error leads to UW's wrongful removal of trees

Last updated December 21, 2010 9:00 p.m. PT

Eight mature trees were wrongly removed last summer from the site of a new University of Washington dormitory because of an error, a UW official said Tuesday.

Staff members at the university's Capital Projects Office incorrectly thought that a demolition permit allowed removal of the trees from property on Northeast Campus Parkway, said Jon Lebo, director of student-life projects in the office.

"We were mistaken," Lebo said when contacted about the tree-cutting. "When we removed the trees we did not actually have a permit to remove the trees. We were very embarrassed."

Lebo's admission contradicted an earlier claim by the UW that it had a valid permit to remove the trees.

The eight trees included several mature maples and three Yoshino cherry trees at the site, which lies between 12th and Brooklyn avenues northeast. They were taken out when several buildings were removed from the site so a new dormitory building can be built there. One tree, an 80-foot tall American elm with branches extending over the street, was left standing.

The lack of authority for the cutting was revealed in a document issued during an appeal of one of the permits needed to build the dormitory. It came after a UW spokesman said the university had a permit authorizing cutting of the eight trees.

The city's current tree ordinance requires city approval for cutting trees of "exceptional" size and shape, and limits to three the number of "non-exceptional" trees cut on a property each year. The city has a stated policy of trying to protect trees and increasing the size of the city-wide canopy, though there are differences in thought about how that should be accomplished.

Lebo said the demolition permit directed preservation of exceptional trees during the demolition work, but UW staffers incorrectly interpreted this to mean just the elm tree.

"We made an assumption and it turned out to be wrong," Lebo said.

The city is considering an enforcement action against the UW, though it has not yet said what that will be. Lebo said his staff has been retrained to better interpret the language in city permits.

The city Department of Planning and Development approved a separate master-use permit for the project, also needed before the dormitory can be built, that sanctions removal of the eight trees. But that permit has been appealed by a Seattle tree surgeon, who is trying to ensure better protections for the remaining elm tree.

The appellant, Michael Oxman, said new building footings will be dug 30 feet away from the tree but the roots need a space extending 48 feet from the trunk in order for them to continue to grow and be healthy enough to resist Dutch elm disease. Oxman's appeal is pending.

Lebo said the UW has inoculated the elm tree against the disease and will repeat the process again to protect it. He said the new building will leave about 30 percent of the block open around the tree, creating a small park in the southeast corner of the property.

Lebo said the UW will plant more than three-dozen new, mature trees around the site to compensate for the loss of the eight that were removed. Oxman called the replacements "inadequate."

"You're talking about (losing) huge trees," he said. "Plants and saplings are not an adequate replacement."

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Feds: Woodinville man 'in essence' a spy for the Chinese government

Last updated December 19, 2010 9:05 p.m. PT

To hear his wife and attorney tell it, Woodinville resident Lian Yang has little love for the Chinese government.

They tell the federal court holding Yang that the 46-year-old fled his native country in 1988 out of fear the government would be coming after him for speaking out. His parents followed, afraid they'd be persecuted for their religious beliefs.

Which all seems a bit incongruous, given that federal prosecutors now claim Yang -- a software engineer, father of two and longtime Northwest resident -- was basically a spy for the Chinese government.

"Boiled down to its essence, the defendant's offense amounted to a form of espionage on behalf of the People's Republic of China to acquire the United States' sensitive military technology," Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg told the court, expounding on allegations made earlier this month that Yang had planned to smuggle restricted microchip sets to a contact in China.

"There is also no doubt that Yang was aware of the nefarious purpose to which his contacts in China intended to put the parts he was attempting to acquire," Greenberg continued.

Yang was arrested Dec. 3 following a months-long investigation sparked by a tip to the FBI that he was looking to purchase satellite parts that are illegal to export without State Department permission.

Since his arrest, legal wrangling before the U.S. District Court at Seattle has cast a little more light on the allegations against Yang and the defense -- chiefly denial -- he's prepared to offer.

Prosecutors contend Yang had arranged a meeting with undercover FBI agents on Dec. 3 at which he planned to pay $20,000 for five "sensitive military" parts he planned to send to China.

Charging him with conspiring to violate federal arms control laws, prosecutors claim Yang was attempting to pay $620,000 to acquire 300 satellite components. Sales of such items requires State Department approval.

Yang allegedly told an informant the parts were meant for the China Space Technology Co.'s spacecraft program. On another occasion, federal investigators contend Yang said some of the parts would be used in the design of "China's new generation of passenger jet."

A Seattle FBI special agent assigned to counterintelligence noted that Yang later said he didn't know how the high-tech components would be used.

"I don't know where it goes exactly," Yang is alleged to have said. "Maybe ? I know something totally different. ? At the end, it's used in a commercial airline. That's what they say, anyway."

Writing the court, Yang's attorney described him as the son of a Chinese dissident who made a life for himself in the United States during his 22 years in the country. A former Microsoft employee and Portland State University alum, Yang became a citizen in 1999.

Defense attorney John Henry Browne also assailed the allegations offered by prosecutors and asserted his client may have been entrapped by an FBI informant.

"The evidence is underwhelming -- at best -- with potentially serious overtones of entrapment," Browne told the court.

Asking the court to release her husband from the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Yang's wife recalled meeting him when he visited Moscow in 1997.

He was a tourist. She was an Armenian expat working as a tour guide. They were married the following year.

She joined Yang in the United States in 1999 and, until Yang's arrest, had been raising two sons together in the Seattle area.

Like seven colleagues and friends who've written the court, Yang's wife described her husband as a man at odds with the Chinese government.

She told the court her husband was pursuing a master's degree in 1988 when, at his parents' advice, he moved to New York to avoid retribution for public statements he'd made against the government. He later completed his graduate work at Portland State University and went on to work at Microsoft in 1994.

Yang, she said, is a practitioner of Fulan Gong, a philosophic-religious movement deemed a "heretical organization" by the Chinese government. Adherents in China are widely reported to be subject to harassment and abuse.

"I appeal to the U.S. Court, appeal to the humanity of this nation, the humanity both Lian and I felt deeply over all the years of residing in the U.S. surrounded by immigrants and local Americans," the woman wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to the court.

"He would never intentionally violate the law of the land, which allowed him to settle down and live in freedom."

Prosecutors claim Yang did just that and more.

His actions, Greenberg told the court, "posed a serious threat to the United States' national security."

Greenberg contended that the components have no non-military purpose. The federal prosecutor stopped short of offering how Yang's activities posed such a threat, but gave additional details related to the Woodinville man's arrest.

Agents tailing Yang on the day of his arrest watched as he visited several banks in the Seattle area, withdrawing small sums amounting to $20,000, the FBI counterintelligence agent told the court. Authorities claim Yang was attempting to avoid filing a report with the Department of Treasury as required for transactions involving more than $10,000.

Writing in support of Yang's detention, the agent claimed Yang admitted to planning to smuggle the parts to a contact in China.

Yang, the agent continued, had planned to drive to Vancouver, B.C., then fly to Beijing the following morning. He'd hired a woman to ride with him, the agent said, so as to appear less suspicious as he crossed the U.S.-Canadian border.

Searching Yang's car, agents found $1,150 and $1,200-worth of Chinese currency, as well as a list of electronic parts and a rental car receipt, the agent told the court.

The evening of his arrest, FBI agents served a search warrant on Yang's Woodinville home and interviewed his wife. Writing the court, the agent said Yang's wife was unaware he was planning to travel to China and believed her husband was flying to Toronto.

Having heard Yang's requests for release, U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue ordered that he be held without bail.

Donohoe found that Yang is suspected of selling "highly sensitive technology with military applications to agents of a foreign government," and went on to describe the evidence against Yang as "very strong."

The federal judge noted that Yang's contact with the FBI informant was often recorded and, in his view, Yang confessed following his arrest.

Yang remains jailed at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. Federal prosecutors have until March to return an indictment.

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What's right about Seattle? Generosity, and more

Last updated December 19, 2010 9:11 p.m. PT

Just before decamping to spend Christmas in New York, a friend made a suggestion to this stay-behind: Why don't you write a column on what's RIGHT about Seattle? It was spot-on as an antidote to a wet, gloomy December in the Emerald City.

O.K., it starts to get dark at 3:30. The governor won't talk to the mayor. The Alaskan Way Viaduct still stands nearly 10 years after the Nisqually Earthquake almost caused it to crumble. The Mariners are the Majors' first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games in a season.

But . . . The Emerald City is a generous place. Seattle is an epicenter of global philanthrophy and rapid response to emergencies across a continent or two oceans away. My favorite seattlepi.com photo is Josh Trujillo's shot of a McChord-based mercy flight returning from Haiti jam-packed with refugees.

The town also cares for its own. It's one of America's least "churched" cities, but the religious community fashioned Neighbors in Need as a response to the 1970's Boeing recession. Northwest Harvest is its worthy successor.

Childhaven, which annually helps 400 neglected and abused preschoolers, once drew a visit from the First Lady and was a Strangercrombie beneficiary this year. Try to think of another good-doing outfit whose support stretches from Barbara Bush to Dan Savage.

My favorite outfit for Christmas giving is the Hunthausen Fund, named for a beloved Seattle archbishop. Based out of St. James Cathedral, it has spent nearly a decade providing no interest loans and grants to help house the working poor. It has helped nearly more than 650 men, women and children move from shelters and transitional housing into homes of their own.

A letter from a community college nursing student tells of what generosity can achieve:

"I am one of the recipients that received assistance through your organization. Last year my three children and I lost our home, and all our belongings, when I decided to leave my husband who had physically abused me for years.

"It left the children and I homeless, living in my truck for six weeks until we finally were able to get shelter. After shelter we went to transitional housing, and began the search for permanent housing. It took me a year to finally find a house and we were excited.

"However, we did not have enough money to move in. That's when we turned to your organization for help. We were able to get assistance through The Hunthausen Fund and we have moved in and lived in our home for a month now."

The family are all in school and the mother, in her words, hopes one day "to be in a position financially where I can give back to my community as your program did for me."

Seattle is generous on a broad scale, at times taken advantage of by its politicians. The city's voters approve just about every infrastructure project put in front of them, be it a housing levy or sales tax hike to extend light rail across Lake Washington.

Not long ago, a bitter person sent me an e-mail rant against "the Kingdom of Seattle" and told me to get out into the "real world" and I would hear multiple expressions of similar resentment.

Well, three days later a bunch of us tromped around the just-saved Trillium Forest north of Freeland on Whidbey Island. A Whidbey friend remarked on all the Seattle-area donations, even from schoolkids, that helped keep 664 acres from being subdivided. A main beneficiary will be Whidbey Island's young horse riders, urban dollars contributing to rural life.

The Emerald City's openness drives some people nuts. How many times have we heard that Seattle is "mired in process"? Initiatives attack issues seemingly vetted.

Still, "process" can prove positive: Look at the deal on replacing the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center. Sure, we get the Chihuly glass museum, but money is extracted from the Wright Family for a childrens' playground, and a non-profit radio station gets a new home.

Citizens can achieve results by raising hell. A line of drenched demonstrators, calling for replacement of the soon-to-close South Park Bridge, greeted politicians last March as they showed up at the nearby Boeing Machinists' union hall to celebrate health care reform.

The cause had staying power, deservedly so given the bridge's importance to commercial business, the city's manufacturing belt, and blue collar workers headed to work.

In mid-campaign, there was Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., back down under the bridge announcing a Department of Transportation TIGER grant that filled out funding.

If you think Seattle is bleary, get stuck at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in a snowstorm, visit a frozen-up heartland city, or compare our weather woes to wind-driven Southern California fires or mudslides carring posh homes down into Malibu canyons.

The Obama Administration's Interior Secretary made a rare Northwest foray not long ago to sing praises of the Stimulus. "Seldom Seen Salazar" botched his lines (e.g. Mt. Olympus became "Mt. Olympic") but the Discovery Park setting was to die for. Resident bald eagles enjoyed air currents far overhead. A line of snowy Olympics rose over the water to the West. Mt. Baker loomed to the north.

We still dream big dreams here, and pull them off: Look at Discovery Park, a great urban natural area, or the downtown library, or the Seattle Center -- site of an improbably successful 1962 world's fair.

Of course, Seattle remains insecure. We find fulfillment when a New York Times critic praises some new project, or a superior-sounding Brit expatriate allows that we are a worthy corner of the New World.

When the Chihuly museum opens, there'll be two things to endure. One will be the admission price: The other will be the inevitable gushing by some culture critic that this project "puts Seattle on the map."

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Gregoire 'open' to idea of privatized liquor sales

Last updated December 19, 2010 8:54 p.m. PT

Gov. Chris Gregoire says she she'd consider getting Washington state out of the liquor retail business - but first she wants a better sense of how people feel about privatized booze sales.

In November voters rejected two initiatives that would've ended the state monopoly on liquor sales. One was sponsored by Costco, the other by beverage distributors. Since their defeat there's been much speculation about whether voters said "no" because they don't like the idea of private sales, were confused by competing initiatives pushed by the private sector or were spooked by criticism of the measures that they went too far, too fast and would cost the state money during bad economic times.

"I'm not clear what the voters said in November about this," Gregoire told seattlepi.com Friday. "So I told the liquor board, I wanted them to do a poll for me and bring me the results. Try and figure out, what were voters saying?... Did they say, 'I don't want a liquor store on every corner of the state of Washington, but I'd really like more convenience at my local Safeway store?' I don't know the answer."

Proponents of privatized liquor sales say government should regulate spirits sales, not also have a monopoly on the retail side. And they say consumers would get better service and selection. Opponents worry about an explosion of liquor retail outlets, with the possibility of increased problems associated with alcohol consumption.

Right now Washington is one of 18 "control states," places where the government runs the sale and distribution of liquor. Washington has had this system since 1933, and state officials say it results in lower per-capita alcohol consumption and a reliable stream of tax revenue for government.

In 2009, the state Liquor Control Board said taxes, markup and fees provided more than $332.7 million for programs and services throughout the state. Of that, $199 million went to the state's general fund, almost $63 million went to cities and counties and $49 million went to help pay for the state's health insurance for the poor.

State officials warned that Initiatives 1100 and 1105 would've cost governments hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue. But there have been privatization proposals that emphasized a maximum return to taxpayers. A state auditor's report, released in 2009, showed the state could increase revenue from liquor sales and distribution by $350 million if it sold the state distribution center and auctioned licenses to private businesses. As lawmakers grapple with a $4.6 billion sttae budget deficit that is forcing huge cuts to education and health care, additional monies would be attractive.

Gregoire, however, said her primary motivation wouldn't be revenue, but public safety.

"I've seen how, I think it's West Virginia, which is supposed to be the model, has done it. In order to profit like they did, you better sell lots of alcohol. Well, there is an associated problem with that. Are we willing to create the social costs? And don't just say, 'look how much money we get when you're going to create the problems that you're going to create," Gregorie said. "Practically no one in the country has the sale-to-minor compliance rate that we do in this state. Are we just going to forget that? So, I'm not just about money on this issue. I'm open, but I'm not just about money."

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NFL and NBA Labor Negotiations: Imitation Will Yield Savings

The sports business rhetoric has been dominated this fall by collective bargaining?discussions in both?the NFL and the NBA.

What I find fascinating is that it is highly likely that each league will adopt an aspect of the other league’s existing economic model — and be?fiscally responsible and justified?for doing so.

Though the NFL still must determine such issues as whether they will play 16 or 18 games, whether players’ salaries will be prorated, frozen or cut conditional on the number of games played, and how small-market and large-market owners will split and share revenues, there is no doubt that the NFL will adopt a specific rookie-scale cap similar to what the NBA starting implementing back in 1995.

Busts like JaMarcus Russell alone are enough reason?to justify why rookie-scale contracts are all but guaranteed to appear within?the NFL’s?new CBA.

The NBA’s motivation for creating rookie-scale?contracts was to decrease the likelihood of holdouts, reduce the backlash from veteran players over?rookies cashing in on their potential rather than their actual performance, and reduce the degree to which veterans’ salaries were getting squeezed due to the large sums going to unproven rookies.

There is little doubt that similar rookie-scale contracts?in the NFL will be viewed favorably by owners and veterans alike.? Owners will get more cost containment, and veteran players may actually receive a portion of the guaranteed money that previously was invested in rookies.

The biggest losers in the NFL from adopting rookie-scale contracts would be the rookies themselves and their agents.

So Sam Bradford my man, you may go down in the record books as receiving the highest guaranteed money of all-time for a rookie…because that money is going to be capped going forward in all likelihood.? Bradford received $50 M guaranteed when he signed with the St Louis Rams in 2010.

Switching gears, the NBA is likely to adopt a much harder salary?cap system?similar to what the NFL currently utilizes.

Recall that?NFL players gained unrestricted free agency beginning in the 1993 season only after numerous legal battles between 1987 and 1993 which saw?the players’ union decertified for the purpose of giving?players the right to individually sue the NFL on antitrust violations.

But to gain unrestricted free agency, players had to give in on the issue of?adhering to a?hard salary cap.

In contrast, the NBA has had different variations of a soft salary cap?dating back to 1984.? Read here for a?brief historical review of the?NBA salary cap.

Of course the reason why the NBA’s cap is considered ’soft’ is due to the numerous ’salary cap exceptions’ that?are allowed.? Given that?NBA rosters?are?comprised of 12 men and arguably a team’s fortunes rest with the performance of?2-3 core players, these exceptions existed to allow teams to maintain their franchise?core over several seasons…thereby?boosting fan interest by allowing for long-term connections between a team’s fans and their core players, and thus avoiding a revolving door of?players that many feared would accompany free agency.

But these exceptions have?created an increasing?degree of payroll disparity?among NBA teams that is bested only by what is seen in?Major League Baseball.? And though a luxury tax system exists to partially?limit free-wheeling owners from?abusing these exceptions, these dissuasions have had little impact on growing payroll inequities in the NBA.

It is true that we should have little sympathy for some franchises (like the New York Knicks) who for the last 5 years have been one of the least efficiently run teams in all of professional sports with their wasteful spending above the luxury tax threshold.

But despite what I believe to be inflated claims of financial distress oft lamented recently?by NBA Commissioner David Stern, I do see some salary cap exceptions being abolished while others become tightened.? In short, there is no question in my mind that the new NBA CBA will take?a?much harder salary cap stance?similar to what we see in the?NFL.

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and can also improve a league’s financial state.? As the NHL came back from its season-cancelling lockout?of the?2004-05 season, it adopted portions of both the NBA’s and NFL’s economic models.? Hard salary caps from the NFL, and escrow taxes as well as maximum salaries for individual players from the NBA.

And though not a model of financial perfection, the NHL is certainly on much better financial ground?today than it was before the?lock-out.? According to Forbes data, the aggregate NHL operating incomes for the 2003-04 season?was $4.5 M compared to $160 M for the 2009-10 season.

So expect to see more imitation?and adoption of best?CBA practices in 2011.? The NFL will?make rookie-scale contracts part of their new CBA with little resistance from the?NFLPA,?while the NBA’s new CBA will see a much harder form of salary cap.

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Patrol car video in woodcarver case released

Last updated December 17, 2010 4:33 p.m. PT

Patrol car video released Friday from an officer's fatal meeting with John T. Williams does not show the shooting, but includes audio of their interaction.

Officer Ian Birk, 27, shot Williams Aug. 30 at Boren Avenue and Howell Street. Williams died at the scene.

Birk yells "Hey!" three times to Williams, then yells three times to "Put the knife down."

The first shot appears to be fired five seconds from when Birk first told Williams to put the knife down. Court documents show the knife was closed when photographed by investigators.

Less than a minute after the shooting, before backup officers arrive, Birk's heard telling a woman Williams had a knife and wouldn't drop it. He tells backup officers Williams had the knife open and was carving.

An officer is heard telling Birk he did the right thing, after Birk said the suspect didn't follow multiple commands to drop the weapon.

The video is posted above, and the audio doesn't start until the 1:03 mark. During most of the video, KJR-AM sports radio from Birk's car is heard on the left channel.

Williams' knife had a 3-inch blade -- one that is legal under the Seattle Municipal Code. Hundreds of people protested the shooting in September. Critics have said Williams was deaf in one ear and was not presenting a threat to Birk.

Last month Birk, who was hired in 2008, was told to surrender his gun and badge. A shooting inquest is scheduled for January 20. Birk's attorney did not agree with the release of the video, but King County District Court Judge Arthur Chapman ruled Thursday that the footage should be released.

Chapman, who also conducted the shooting inquest involving Ben Kelly, is conducting the inquest into the Williams shooting no behalf of King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The city's firearms review board concluded its hearing Oct. 4 and presented preliminary findings to Police Chief John Diaz that week. The Seattle Times reported the firearms review board found the shooting not justified.

Williams' two brothers said they didn't know if their late brother had headphones on at the time of the shooting, but believe he had difficulty understanding the officer's command. Police Officers Guild President Rich O'Neill has said an officer with a gun yelling to drop a weapon is a universal command.

The day after the shooting, Diaz said any blade that can cause a lethal injury would be considered a deadly weapon, and that the 3-inch knife Williams had was definitely capable of causing a lethal injury.

Birk, who fired four rounds, was not armed with a Taser. Seattle Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer, who is heading the firearms review board for the Williams shooting, said 422 officers -- primarily those on patrol -- will be armed with Tasers by the end of the year.

Police say during the Aug. 30 confrontation at Boren Avenue and Howell Street, Williams refused multiple commands to drop a knife from 9 feet away -- a distance that police say can present a lethal threat. Williams also had a decades-long history of gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor offenses, and some violent incidents in his past.

Williams, who was charged in Seattle Municipal Court with drinking in public three days before the shooting, was known for a "decades-long history of misdemeanors and gross misdemeanor violations, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Spoor wrote in court documents. "In the past 20 years he has 30 such convictions, including public indecency (5 convictions); lewd conduct, disorderly conduct and indecent exposure."

Several veteran officers knew Williams, but it's not clear if Birk had any previous interactions with Williams.

Williams' shooting is one of five officer-involved shooting in Seattle this year and one of three that was fatal. In 2009, Seattle had the same number of officer-involved shootings, ending with the fatal confrontation involving Maurice Clemmons.

Seattle's first officer-involved shooting this year happened Aug. 16, when Ariel Rosenfeld was killed at the Wedgwood QFC grocery store after he pulled a gun in a confrontation with officers.

Williams' shooting happened August 30.

On Nov. 30, a man who police said was armed and suicidal was shot to death in a stolen car after he raised and lowered a .32 caliber revolver loaded with three live rounds.

In addition to the fatal incidents, Thomas Qualls was shot by officers Sept. 3 after police say the suicidal man leveled an AK-47-style rifle at them. Qualls survived and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault with a firearm.

On December 7, officer Chris Myers shot Jose Manuel Cardenas-Muralta, a man who police say was here illegally after he was convicted of a drug crimes deported to Mexico. Police say he tried to pull a gun on Myers, who tried to use a Taser on the man before shooting him once in the chest. Read more about the case here.

On Feb. 28, Christopher Wright Sr. died after being hit by a police Taser. The suspect, who investigators say had tried to sexually assault a woman in an Aurora Avenue North motel, died from brain death and organ failure due to acute cocaine intoxication with excited delirium and physical restraint, according to the King County Medical Examiner. His manner of death was undetermined.

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How Much Is The NFL Earning? Players and Owners Have Different Ideas

Sports Business

Dec. 17 2010 - 4:36 pm | 196 views | 0 recommendations |

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details. Such is the case in the on-going battle between NFL’s owners and players. On March 3, the current collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league expires, and to date, there is still considerable concern that a lockout by the owners is at hand.

Driven by a battle in the media as to just how much in revenues the players get each year through the current CBA, George Atallah, the NFLPA’s Assistant Executive Director for External Affairs sent a letter to the media. The point of the letter? Understand what is Total Revenues and what All Revenues are about. After all, the difference is about what the revenue split for the players are. The owners are seeking a 18 percent rollback on the percentage of revenues the players get.

What’s the difference between Total Revenues and All Revenues? As Atallah correctly defines it, “ ALL revenue refers to all the revenues generated by the NFL and its operations. “Total Revenue” is a CBA term that refers to all of the monies that are left after the owners receive an expense credit. Atallah claims that the owners have received credits in excess of $1 billion in each of the past two years.

So that players receive 50 percent of All Revenues – the revenues after the expense credit to the owners. Below are the percentage of Total Revenues the players get after the owners take their cut – all of which are below 60 percent. The NFLPA claims that the below numbers were jointly reached and audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers:

Players’ Percentage of All Revenues since 2000:

2000-56.5%

2001-52.6%

2002-51.8%

2003-50.5%

2004-52.3%

2005-51.1%

2006-52.7%

2007-51.8%

2008-51.0%

2009-50.6%

Players’ Percentage of “Total Revenue” since 2000:

2000-61.7%

2001-57.1%

2002-56.1%

2003-54.3%

2004-57.0%

2005-55.1%

2006-58.4%

2007-58.0%

2008-57.7%

2009–57.1%

The following is ARTICLE XXIV GUARANTEED LEAGUE-WIDE SALARY, SALARY CAP, & MINIMUM TEAM SALARY from the 2006 CBA (PDF)

Follow Maury Brown on Twitter @BizBallMaury

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Police: Driver who hit pedestrians was on synthetic cannabis

Last updated December 17, 2010 11:26 p.m. PT

The man who police say hit three pedestrians Thursday near Pike Place Market admitted smoking synthetic cannabis before driving, according to court documents released late Friday.

That man, 39, is being held on $75,000 bail. Seattlepi.com is not naming him because he hasn't been charged. He does not appear to have a criminal history in Washington.

Police received the call about 11:30 for the collision near First Avenue and Stewart Street.

"He hit two people; next thing you know, there was a woman pinned over between those two cars," witness Kimberly Decurie told KOMO.. "I worked in ER for 10 years and saw all kinds of things, and this really hurt me."

A woman, 54, was grazed by the man's vehicle and a second woman, 25, was the person pinned between the suspect's car and a delivery truck parked in an alley, police said. A Charlie's Produce truck, the Subaru and another vehicle all were damaged.

The produce truck also was partially spun by the impact of the Subaru vehicle. Another pedestrian, a 57-year-old man, was injured after he was thrown from the hood of the suspect's vehicle and landed on the street, police said.

All three victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The female who was grazed and the man both had non-life-threatening injuries. The woman pinned has life-threatening injuries, police said.

The driver of the delivery truck was inside his vehicle at the time of the collision but was not injured.

Police say the driver who admitted to smoking synthetic cannabis -- known as K-2 or Spice -- was seen slumped over the wheel after the incident. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center for his blood to be drawn as evidence

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Police: Driver who hit pedestrians was on synthetic cannabis

Last updated December 17, 2010 11:26 p.m. PT

The man who police say hit three pedestrians Thursday near Pike Place Market admitted smoking synthetic cannabis before driving, according to court documents released late Friday.

That man, 39, is being held on $75,000 bail. Seattlepi.com is not naming him because he hasn't been charged. He does not appear to have a criminal history in Washington.

Police received the call about 11:30 for the collision near First Avenue and Stewart Street.

"He hit two people; next thing you know, there was a woman pinned over between those two cars," witness Kimberly Decurie told KOMO.. "I worked in ER for 10 years and saw all kinds of things, and this really hurt me."

A woman, 54, was grazed by the man's vehicle and a second woman, 25, was the person pinned between the suspect's car and a delivery truck parked in an alley, police said. A Charlie's Produce truck, the Subaru and another vehicle all were damaged.

The produce truck also was partially spun by the impact of the Subaru vehicle. Another pedestrian, a 57-year-old man, was injured after he was thrown from the hood of the suspect's vehicle and landed on the street, police said.

All three victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The female who was grazed and the man both had non-life-threatening injuries. The woman pinned has life-threatening injuries, police said.

The driver of the delivery truck was inside his vehicle at the time of the collision but was not injured.

Police say the driver who admitted to smoking synthetic cannabis -- known as K-2 or Spice -- was seen slumped over the wheel after the incident. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center for his blood to be drawn as evidence

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DeSean Jackson and Drew Rosenhaus: Show Us The Money

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Through the use of two of his high-profile clients offering another a platform, ubiquitous agent Drew Rosenhaus was behind the scenes working his angles once again.

Eagles wide receiver and 165 lb. turbo rocket DeSean Jackson appeared on the Versus network “T.Ocho show”, featuring, of course, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. The program presumably gives their opinionated takes on all things (I have not seen it). With Jackson as a guest, the topic turned to (surprise) Jackson’s contract situation, as he is now finishing the third year of his four-year rookie contract.

Given the national stage, Jackson said to Owens, whose own one-year deal is set to expire: “T.O., man, I’m gonna set the bar for you, man. I’m gonna try to get the most I can and I’m gonna set it high for you and I’m gonna set it high for everybody else, too, so it’s a good look, man. They gonna have to do something, man, because I’m out there, they way I’m putting it in, hey, something gotta happen baby.”

The interchange gave us a peek at what players talk about all the time yet few see it publicly: getting paid. More than anyone knows, the subject consumes players either up for contract and causes feelings of disrespect that they are not negotiating one to the level they think.

And behind all of this was Drew Rosenhaus, agent to Owens, Ochocinco and Jackson. Rosenhaus has been publicly silent about Jackson’s contract situation, but quietly active.

NFL teams very much like dealing with Drew when he has a client that needs a contract. He is an efficient and quick dealmaker that will not hold up an agreement (Drew and I negotiated LeSean McCoy’s contract with the Eagles in a couple of hours over breakfast at a diner in South Philadelphia) .

The difficulty with Drew is when he has a client that doesn’t need a new contract but rather feels he deserves one earlier than the team does. That is where Drew can become a pebble in the shoe of NFL teams.

Without him saying a word, two of Rosenhaus’s other client inserted Jackson’s contract in the national debate.

Follow me on Twitter at adbrandt.

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Tens of thousands without power after wind storm

Saturday, December 18, 2010
Last updated 12:56 p.m. PT

About 3,800 people in Seattle were without power Saturday morning after a strong wind storm downed trees and cut electiricty to tens of thousands throughout the Puget Sound.

Seattle City Light said the Seattle outages affected mostly Queen Anne and Magnolia.

Pueget Sound Energy reported 75,000 without power, mostly in east and south King County. Scattered outages were also reported in parts Pierce, Kitsap and Thurston counties. PSE crews were responding to emergency situations which include removing trees from power lines, clearing roads of downed power lines and de-energizing downed

Winds gusted up to 70 mph early Saturday in south King County.

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King County deaths

Last updated December 15, 2010 9:13 p.m. PT

Aphayarath, Bountang, 73 of Seattle, Dec. 8.

Bagg, Joan J, 74 of Kent, Dec. 10.

Bergum, Irene L, 87 of Lynnwood, Snohomish County, Dec. 10.

Berube, Frederick A, 85 of Seattle, Dec. 5.

Bolich, Jason S, 40 of Seattle, Dec. 7.

Bors, Glen E, 49 of Burien, Dec. 10.

Brooks, Thomas E W, 40 of Seattle, Dec. 10.

Burns JR, Anthony R, 66 of Seattle, Dec. 12.

Camp, Elia G, 94 of Tukwila, Nov. 21.

Cardona JR, Paul G, 86 of Seattle, Dec. 11.

Christner, Donald E, 81 of Desert Hot Springs, CA, Dec. 7.

Doherty, John F, 84 of Seattle, Dec. 11.

Doremus, Florence A, 85 of Seattle, Dec. 2.

Freeman, Lucille E, 92 of Kent, Dec. 8.

Gagnat, Carol V, 55 of Seattle, Dec. 2.

Gilman, Clarence, 90 of Seattle, Nov. 29.

Glover, Omar, 53 of Seattle, Dec. 8.

Goodwin, Richard D, 79 of Shoreline, Dec. 9.

Graham, Melba F, 69 of Everett, Snohomish County, Dec. 13.

Hamar JR, Ernest J, 90 of Redmond, Dec. 7.

Hitchman, Robert L, 82 of Bellevue, Dec. 7.

Hung, Tse-Nan, 79 of Maple Valley, Dec. 9.

Iida, Chiyoko, 84 of Seattle, Dec. 10.

Jones, John P, 93 of Shoreline, Dec. 8.

Kelly, Michael A, 70 of SeaTac, Dec. 6.

Kilcup, Michael M, 53 of Milton, Dec. 12.

Kitamura, Ayako, 90 of Seattle, Dec. 8.

Larson JR, Richard M, 57 of Enumclaw, Dec. 10.

Liebelt, Mary L, 88 of Issaquah, Dec. 10.

McDougall, Eleanor S, 102 of Seattle, Dec. 8.

Michell, Barbara A, 81 of Federal Way, Nov. 24.

Mikoru, Franklin I, 57 of Tacoma, Pierce County, Nov. 21.

Moe, Glendora M, 84 of Milton, Pierce County, Dec. 10.

Moss, Alfred C, 73 of Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Dec. 13.

Mulligan, George J, 61 of Kent, Dec. 11.

Peel, Carroll A, 76 of Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County, Dec. 9.

Peterson, Ruth M, 87 of Portland, OR, Dec. 11.

Ramminger, Marion I, 98 of Seattle, Dec. 12.

Regalia, Jon S, 53 of Duvall, Dec. 11.

Saner, Mark A, 53 of North Bend, Dec. 8.

Shepherd, Benjamin H, 77 of Seattle, Dec. 5.

Stewart III, Jack W, 63 of Seattle, Dec. 13.

Straight, Jean M, 84 of Redmond, Dec. 9.

Swanberg, Mildred E, 86 of Seattle, Dec. 9.

Troupe, Chelva J, 70 of Burlington, Skagit County, Dec. 8.

Unruh, Dale C, 68 of Seattle, Dec. 10.

Vandorn, Della E, 92 of Seattle, Dec. 5.

Whitener, Warren G, 90 of Kenmore, Dec. 10.

Winchester, Harold J, 92 of Tulalip, Snohomish County, Nov. 14.

Wright, Ernest, 82 of Seattle, Dec. 11.

Wright, Virginia J, 89 of Shoreline, Dec. 9.

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Budget blues: State ferry routes cut, less space for cars

Last updated December 15, 2010 10:09 p.m. PT

Ferry riders will see reduced service because of state budget cuts proposed Wednesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Like most government departments, the ferry service budget is under pressure. State officials say Washington State Ferries has a $180 million deficit in its operating budget over the next 10 years and an $865 million shortfall in its capital program. The ferry budget lost 20 percent of its operating funding when voters approved an initiative cutting car license fees in 1999. "Since then, the deficit has been subsidized with short-term transfers from non-ferry transportation sources. This approach is not sustainable," Gregoire's budget 2011-13 budget summary said. The proposed budget would:

• Reduce average daily sailings from 505 to 477 during the next two-year budget period.
• Eliminate one weekday, mid-day round trip between Seattle and Bremerton and cut night service after the 9:05 pm. sailing and reduce capacity by 20 cars on one vessel.
• Reduce 40 weeks of service between Anacortes and Sidney to 22 weeks.
• Reduce service hours on the San Juan Island/Anacortes route for 18 weeks in the fall and spring and reduce capacity by 20 car spaces on one boat during the summer.
• Reduce San Juan inter-island service hours in the spring and fall and reduce capacity by 23 car spaces per sailing.
• Reduce capacity on one Fountleroy/Vashon/Southworth vessel by 37 car spaces.
• Not restore a second vessel on the Coupeville/Port Townsend route.
• Eliminate the last round-trip night service between Mukilteo/Clinton.
• Eliminate one early afternoon and one late evening round trip between Point Defiance and Tahlequah.

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Gregoire cuts $3 bil from budget, suspends initiatives

Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Last updated 11:44 a.m. PT

Facing a daunting $4.6 billion deficit, Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday proposed about $3 billion in cuts, suspending voter-approved education initiatives and using "rainy day" funds.

"This is not a budget I ever imagined I would stand before you and present," Gregoire told reporters. "This is a budget that is meant for the worst economic downturn in eight decades."

The spending plan for 2011-13 cuts ferry runs, closes two correctional facilities (McNeil Island Corrections Center and Maple Lane), eliminates the state's health insurance for the poor and stops food stamps for more than 14,000.

Gregoire said her task was made more difficult because 60 percent of the $32 billion, two-year state spending can't be cut, due to federal mandates or other rules. That meant that nearly $5 billion in cuts had to be found from about $14 billion in spending.

The governor tried to put the problem in perspective: "We could eliminate our entire community college system and not close the gap...we could lay off every single state employee and every teacher, and not close the gap."

The initiatives that have been axed dealt with teacher pay raises and money for reducing class sizes. The governor would use $290 million from a reserve fund and transfer $400 million from other accounts into the day-to-day budget.

State lawmakers, who will convene the legislative session next month, must ultimately approve a spending plan. They will most likely have to address the budget situation without new revenue - i.e. taxes. Voters seem to be in a decidedly anti-tax mood, having last month killed soda and candy taxes lawmakers had just enacted. A measure that would've imposed an income tax on the wealthy to help pay for education was also rejected.

Some have urged state lawmakers to ask voters next fall to raise taxes to mitigate some of the cuts. Gregoire said she would not support a new tax package.

"I heard the voters...I got the message," she said.

'State government can't do it anymore'

Among the budget highlights:

• Elimination of the Basic Health Plan for the poor and needy, which offers subsidized health insurance for 66,000. (That would save $230 million).
• Elimination of the Disability Lifeline grant, which provides payments to the temporarily unemployable. (That would save $180.1 million).
• Reduced state support for universities and colleges by $344 million.
• The average daily state ferry sailings would be reduced from 505 to 477 in the next two years.

  Gregoire said she "hated" what she had to do, and that at times she got emotional during the budget writing process. She urged Washingtonians to help people who will be hurt by the cuts.

  "We've cut the safety net, in some places we've eliminated it. State government can't do it anymore. It's up to the non-profits, it's up to the faith community, it's up to us...that's the only way to get through this thing," she said. "We're going to get through it, dad gummit"

  Gregoire had already made a series of budget-related announcements this week.

  On Tuesday she announced a tentative deal for 90 percent of state workers to take unpaid furloughs in 2012-13, the equivalent of a 3 percent pay cut. That would save $176 million from the general fund, she said. Earlier Tuesday Gregoire announced plans to consolidate state agencies and commission to save about $22 million. The day before, she detailed a proposal to rein in state pensions, with a hoped for savings of $400 million during the next biennium.

  Reaction mixed

  Sen. Joseph Zarelli, a Ridgefield lawmaker who is a leading Republican voice on budget matters, said "the governor has given the Legislature a good place to start."

  "Once we get into the details I expect we will disagree with some of her choices, especially considering the commitment Senate Republicans have made to protect the most vulnerable residents of our state. At the same time, some of what she proposes is what we need to make the state budget sustainable over the long term."

  State Superintendent of Public Instruction said "our kids got cut."

  "Essential programs are being eliminated, such as in achievement gap, dropout, and career and technical education. These programs help thousands of kids graduate and become career and college ready. The K-4 class-size reductions, which have been funded for more than 20 years, were suspended. That translates into 1,500 teachers losing their jobs," he said in a statement.

  Adam Glickman-Flora, vice president of a Service Employees International Union local that represents home health care workers, said the cuts were too deep.

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Compared to rest of country, Seattle a city of loners

Last updated December 14, 2010 9:59 p.m. PT

One may be the loneliest number, but loners have plenty of company in Seattle.

Census figures released Tuesday show that the number of people living alone in Jet City is much higher than the national and state averages.

In Seattle, nonfamily households (mostly people living alone) made up 57 percent of the population between 2005 and 2009, according to the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey. This data represents a five-year average, and authorities say it's the best demographic snapshot available until comprehensive 2010 Census results are released next spring.

Families comprised 43 percent of the households in Seattle. Nationwide families were 67 percent of households, according to demographers, while nonfamily households were 33 percent. For the state of Washington, families were 64 percent and nonfamily households 36 percent.

Other Seattle census info:

• 92 percent of Seattleites had graduated from high school.
• 54 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher.
• 17 percent of people living here for the period studied were foreign-born; 83 percent were native -- including 38 percent born in Washington state.
• 21 percent of city residents spoke a language other than English in the home.
• 54 percent of workers drove to their jobs alone.

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