News
Do Seattle Schools Produce Underachievers?
As if Seattle’s public schools weren’t plagued enough, now critics say they are producing underchall
“My sixth-grade son’s report card came home, and he got almost all A’s,” recalls Seattle parent David Price. But what seemed like a cause for celebration quickly turned to concern. “Later, when I asked him how hard his classes were on a scale of one to 10, he said, ‘Four.’” Price, a parent of students…
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
It's the 40th anniversary of D.B. Cooper’s daring escape, one of Seattle’s most enduring crime myste
A few crumbling $20 bills. An airline boarding pass. A pink parachute. A black, clip-on necktie from J.C. Penney. This is all that remains of a legendary highjacking, and it fits neatly into a cardboard box at the FBI office in Seattle, part of a long-dormant investigation. Dormant, that is, until this past August, when…
In Search of a Happier Seattle
It’s time to start talking about what really matters when making policy decisions for our city: the
When civic disputes get down to arguments over numbers, the point has usually been lost. Debates this year over building heights near the planned Roosevelt light rail station and in Pioneer Square heated up because the numbers symbolize an approach: density versus single-family homes, sustainability versus sprawl, high-rises versus history. These debates, legitimate as they…
The History of Beer in Seattle
Or, how a motley crew of local hippies, brew nerds, aficionados and accidental chemists forever ch
The story of beer in the Northwest is the story of people—people who love beer. The dedicated souls who made Seattle a bastion of all things brewed are not only some of the most passionate about their chosen subject, but also come from different places, walks of life and generations, bound by their love of…
Seattle’s Dog Obsession
With more canines than children living within city limits, Seattle has ofiicially gone to the dogs
Photos in Flickr slideshow by Kathryn Barnard Teddi Schultz didn’t think anything of the turned heads and baffled expressions she received at the crowded summer Ballard SeafoodFest in July. She looked straight ahead proudly, her hands steadying the baby stroller that held her small Chihuahua, Zooey. When asked by a small child if her…
New Medical Practice Finds Strength in Numbers
Local hospitals are pioneering a new kind of care for chronic conditions. Here’s how “group appointm
Unlike most people, Nancy White looks forward to her monthly doctor’s appointment. Instead of waiting alone for her doctor in a cramped exam room, the 80-year-old Seattleite checks in with eight other elderly patients in a conference room, where she gets her blood pressure checked, learns how to better control her diabetes—and catches up with…
Seattle’s Mini Mayors
Our's is one of the last big cities with an ‘at large’ city council. Some say it hurts neighborhoods
As he travels around Seattle seeking support for his City Council candidacy, Bradley Meacham hears the same two questions over and over again. “Can I vote for you?” and “Do I live in your district?” Every time, Meacham hesitates. The answer is complicated: Yes, Seattle voter, you can vote for Meacham. But no, you don’t…
Is Seattle Safe for Bikes? Mayor Calls for ‘Safety Summit’
Last week’s heartbreaking news of the accidental death of beloved Seattle barista Brian Fairbrother touched a lot of people, including many who work here at Seattle magazine. Within minutes of word of Fairbrother’s terrible bike accident last week, two conversations happened here. First, fond stories were shared about Fairbrother’s kindness and warmth, his originality and…
Bill Gates is Mad and Thinks You Should Be Too
In an interview for the October 2011 issue of Ebony magazine, Bill Gates makes it clear that he is none too happy about the state of public schools, namely those in inner cities. He points to it being a civil rights issue. And he wants to know why a strong social movement – especially in…
Remembering 9/11 in Seattle
Sunday marks the ten year anniversary of the September 11 tragedy. The impact was, of course, felt around the world. In Seattle that day, thousands gathered bewildered around Seattle Center’s International Fountain, looking for answers and communal mourning. In observation, Seattle magazine editors found ourselves looking back on the honest and artful expressions of various…
The Big Idea
If money were no object, what one thing would you do to fix Seattle?
Like most who live here, we’re fiercely in love with Seattle—but our love isn’t blind. Along with our singular natural vistas, thriving neighborhoods, leading-edge innovations and savvy, well-read locals, we have hideous transportation issues, under-performing schools and the all too common big-city heartbreakers: homelessness and hunger. If money were no object, what one thing would…
Nerd Report: New Illustrated Atlas Traces Seattle’s Physical Evolution
Turns out Google Maps can’t, in fact, do everything. Case in point: It can’t bring the past alive via wonderful illustrated maps—some more than a century old—like the Historical Atlas of Washington and Oregon (University of California Press; $39.95), published this month. Noted historian Derek Hayes, author of several other historical atlases, packs this big,…
Seattle Schools Serve Up Some Haute Lunch
The district’s just landed a brand-new food guru, whose bringing slow-food rules to the lunch line f
Paging Jamie Oliver! There are chicken nuggets and sausage-on-a-stick on the Seattle Public Schools’ lunch menu. The ravioli comes from a Chef Boyardee can. But like the popular British chef whose U.S. television documentary, Lunch Line, exposes the horrors of school lunchrooms, the Seattle school district’s new head of nutrition services, Eric Boutin, is fighting…
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