The other day my dad told me about the vegetable garden at the old folks' home. He said his neighbors grow a lot but don't eat much. So he's swimming in tomatoes and squash.

After I got off the telephone with my dad, things started arriving from my neighbors.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood, indeed.

My neighbor Vern's tomatoes and basil, on my deck.

My neighbor Nancy's blackberry pie, on my deck.

It’s not the offense. It’s not the defense. It’s not even a bullpen that finds its arms hanging by a thread with a month left to the season.

What’s killing the Seattle Mariners in their latest losing streak – this one a second seven-game stretch – is the starting rotation. Manager John McLaren said hours before Friday’s game the team needed a starter to make 100 pitches last eight innings, not five.

Then Jarrod Washburn made 102 pitches last just 3 1/3 innings, putting his team behind 6-2, and McLaren spent the rest of a 7-5 loss trying to eke innings out of a worn down relief crew.

At issue all season, the rotation’s glaring weakness has jumped up and bitten the Mariners again, and the timing is crucial.

Who is going to give Seattle seven or eight quality innings?

Felix Hernandez can, but hasn’t regularly, and won’t pitch 200 innings this season.

Miguel Batista is a six-inning man most good starts, Jeff Weaver left a start in Texas last week when he told McLaren he was ‘cooked’ after 84 pitches. The Mariners are happy on nights when Horacio Ramirez goes five, and Jarrod Washburn has won once since the All-Star break.

That’s the group that must devour innings in September if the Seattle bullpen is to have a chance to regroup. It’s not impossible, but it’s not likely, either.

All year the strength of this team has been it’s offensive tenacity – nearly 40 of their victories have been come-from-behind affairs – and a lights out bullpen. Now, that bullpen is staggering under the workload.

And the offense is being asked to come from behind every night.

Among the September callups, there are no complete-game wonders Seatttle can slide into its rotation. What they have is going to have to be enough, or there won’t be an October that matters.

I'm eager to hear how it looked on ESPN?

It struck me as pretty impressive. I thought Jake Locker was even better than his numbers indicated (those numbers are below). He was dominating enough that Syracuse had to account for him on every play, and I think that helped every other phase of the game, especially Louis Rankin, who also was dazzling.

Syracuse may be one of the very worst teams in Division IA, and we'll get a much better read on these guys next week. But that was a very impressive start in a lot of ways.

Some highlights:

Player of the game
In his college debut, Washington quarterback Jake Locker completed 14 of 19 passes for 142 yards and ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He forced Syracuse to account for him on every play, which likely helped tailback Louis Rankin to a pretty nice night of his own: a career-high 147 yards and three touchdowns.

Key stats
Washington rushed for 302 yards, while Syracuse managed only 8 yards on the ground. The Huskies defense also notched seven sacks, while Syracuse got none.

Turning point
After Syracuse took a 3-0 lead, a field-reversing 15-yard burst by Rankin seemed to get the Huskies going, and they outscored the Orange 35-3 in the second and third quarters.

Special play
After all the uncertainty about the Huskies’ kicking game, everything turned out fine in the opener. Ryan Perkins hit all six extra points, Jared Ballman averaged 46.2 yards on four punts, and Ballman and Perkins regularly sent kickoffs inside the 5.

Newcomers
Approximately 30 Huskies, including 11 true freshmen, made their first trip as college players and 19 saw their first game action. One of those with the highest profile was true freshman Vonzell McDowell Jr., who started at cornerback and performed well.
“I had a couple of butterflies,” he said. “When I first got on the field, this is what I love to do, so it just felt natural to me. … After I had broken on a ball a couple of times and covered my position right a couple of times and came up for a couple of hits, I realized that I could really do this.”
Other Huskies making their debuts included true freshman Nate Williams as the nickel back, and tailbacks Brandon Johnson and Curtis Shaw.

Quote
“It’s a hard loss, and our expectations were higher than that. We can play better than that. It’s really a matter of how do we respond from this point.” – Syracuse coach Greg Robinson

Extra points
Fullback Luke Kravitz was the only significant injury mentioned. Coach Tyrone Willingham gave no other details. … Fullback Paul Homer carried the ball for the first time, ending up with 9 yards on three carries. … Receiver D’Andre Goodwin also got his first carry, gaining 31 yards on a reverse. … UW captains were Dan Howell, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett. … Basketball coach Lorenzo Romar and some of the UW delegation traveling in Greece watched the game over the Internet. … Syracuse surprised their fans by taking the field in orange helmets, jerseys and pants. It was their first time in all orange since Nov. 6, 2004, when they defeated Pittsburgh in double-overtime. … A statue honoring Syracuse’s lone Heisman Trophy winner, tailback Ernie Davis, was unveiled at halftime.

Next
Boise State, 12:30 p.m., Sept. 8, FSN.

Utter domination right now, and the Syracuse fans have seen enough. They are filing to the exits ... muttering.

If this margin holds up -- or, of course, grows -- it will be the biggest UW win of the Willingham era.

Locker just took over in the second quarter, expecially running. For those 15 minutes, at least, he was everything he was billed to be. He was dangerous enough to change the Syracuse defense, as they kept a player spying on him and even that couldn't slow him.

However, it's a game of adjustments, and it's clear that SU coach Greg Robinson had to halftime task more important that finding a way to slow Locker. It will be interesting to see what he came up with, and interesting then to see what UW/Willingham/Locker do to answer the Orange changes.

The defense has looked solid.

Also, we finally got the answer to a few of those lingering camp questions. Ben Ossai started at left tackle. Vonzell McDowell has been impressive at corner. Nate Williams is playing as the nickle back (and broke up a would-be touchdown on Syracuse's final drive.

A few stats: Locker eight carries for 67 yards. Ranking nine for 57. Locker passing: 7-of-11 for 47 tards. Receiving: Reece, Rankin and Russo two catches each. Tackles: Mesphin Forrester, five.

Huskies got off to a slow start. Locker's first pass was incomplete. His first run lost 2 yards. But they seem to be opening things up a bit now and have just moved into Syracuse territory for the first time.

These are a couple of photos of a heath and heather garden I designed for my mom. She did most of the installing...and weeding. I hate weeding.

From her bedroom window they create quite a tapestry of color.

What I like about heaths and heathers is their year round color. Not only do they flower in a variety of tones but their foliage comes in bright green, dark green, chartreuse, grey, red, orange, yellow and more.

Heath blooms in winter. Heather in summer. They are both fairly low maintenance. They can get leggy but stay low. They are perfect for a seaside garden.

I think they work best when you have some space to plant several contrasting varieties.

I got mine from Heaths and Heathers in Shelton: http://www.heathsandheathers.com/hhweb_001.htm

For an upcoming story, I'm going to use some of the entries from the thread about whose jerseys you wear. I'd like to have a few of you email me at my work email, please, dave.boling@thenewstribune.com, and reveal your true identities. I can't just use your blog names in a story. Thanks. I've talked to a number of players about their feelings regarding people wearing their jerseys, and they had some interesting answers.

Any chance I could hear from: Regis, neurocell, sturtainen, Lothar_28, Keasley, SpringfieldSeahawk, Mustangjss, glennergy and jerrycurl ... thanks.

Defense

Defensive ends
In: Patrick Kerney, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Baraka Atkins
Longshots: Nu’u Tafisi, Brandon Green
Comment: This position is set.

Defensive tackles
In: Rocky Bernard, Chuck Darby, Brandon Mebane
On the bubble: Russell Davis, Craig Terrill, Marcus Green, Marcus Tubbs
Longshot: Eric Taylor
Comment: Marcus Tubbs’ knee injury on Thursday means he is likely headed for injured reserve, opening a spot for somebody else. Terrill is the best pass-rusher but without Tubbs it needs a run-stopper. Davis’ age could factor in.

=> Read more!

Soon, the morning sun can hit your eyes like a big pizza pie at Puget Sound Pizza.

Puget Sound Pizza, the little pizza parlor that could, will serve breakfast seven days a week starting Sept. 12.

“We will continue to serve our current breakfast menu but will add some lighter fare for the Monday thru Friday crowd,” PSP honcho Jim Higgins told me. “We will be adding oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, seasonal fresh fruit plate, as well as assorted breakfast sandwiches for the grab-and-go construction workers who seem to be all over the St. Helens neighborhood these days.”

New breakfast hours will be 6:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Mondays-Fridays. Saturday and Sunday breakfast times remain the same: “9am until 1:30ish.”

In February, Puget Sound Pizza nearly tripled its seating capacity and acquired a full liquor license.

Puget Sound Pizza ups the breakfast ante in downtown Tacoma: The Harmon, Paddy Coynes, Courtyard Mariott (weekends) and The Sheraton (seven days) all serve breakfast. Looks like I've got some early eating ahead of me.

I've been so busy with work -- and the garden -- that I haven't done much blogging here lately.

But good news: I've found yet another reason to garden: Cucumbers. I harvested one earlier this week for sushi purposes. I actually don't even like cucumbers, but I buy them (and planted them) just for making sushi. That's about to change.

In the sushi, the cucumber was good, but it really didn't shine until I ate it in a rice bowl the next day. When it was heated a bit, it was buttery and excellent: Two words I never thought I'd use to describe bland, crunchy/mushy cucumbers.

Also, my tomatoes (I'm not even sure what kind they are, but they're small-ish) are amazing. I'm thinking next year, the cherry tree that's currently shading most of my garden is going to have to go!

The Seahawks have not made an official announcement on the outcome of Marcus Tubbs' knee injury, but the team is not denying that Tubbs is done for the season with a torn ACL. It means that Tubbs is likely headed for the injured reserve and also could mean that his career is over. A torn ACL is usually a 9-month to one-year rehab, depending on the severity, though one has to wonder what that means for Tubbs given that his other knee was surgically repaired. If he does come back in a year, that means that Tubbs will not have played a regular-season game in almost two years.

Get your buns to Hello Cupcake: It's open again until 6 p.m.

That is all.

This is inside baseball, unless you're maybe mentally ill. But the Department and Social and Health Services and Pierce County look like they're working out a smooth shift of the county's mental health services to the state.

This is happening because county leaders, especially Executive John Ladenburg, got fed up with state and federal funding for psychiatric care. The county's been squeezed in recent years, and Ladenburg said it needed $3.65 million more a year to meet its contractual obligations to the mentally ill.

The money wasn't forthcoming, so the county has kicked those obligations back to the state. The risk here is that the psychiatric safety net will get ripped in the transition. There's been local concern, for example, that Crisis Triage center in Tacoma – where mentally ill patients in crisis are successfully stabilized – won't survive under state control.

A delegation from DSHS came in today and basically said: We're not sure how to do this, but we're going to figure it out. The county has agreed to stay on the job through the end of the year to assure a smooth hand-off.

Doug Porter, assistant secretary of the the Health and Rehabilitative Services Administration, said DSHS plans to keep Crisis Triage and other important services. "We are looking every way we can to preserve what's best about the (existing) system"

Porter said the state is "highly motivated" to continue the county's success at keeping patients out of the extremely expensive beds at Western State Hospital.

If the transition goes as planned, he said, the patients "won't notice any difference at all."

UPDATE
Ladenburg himself isn't nearly so optimistic about the state's intentions. He emailed me with this:

Patrick, saw the blog. I don't know if you knew this, but the Crisis Triage was a program that the State told us was "optional" and unnecessary. The letter that we got from the State that outraged the Board on the day they voted to withdraw spoke of "discretionary money" that we were spending. Crisis Triage was what they were talking about. Of course, the hospitals will tell you it is a "best practice" model, but the State doesn't care. They will kill it.

Wide Receivers
In: Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, D.J. Hackett, Ben Obomanu
On the bubble: Joe Fernandez, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne, Courtney Taylor.
Comment: The team has to decide if it is keeping a sixth wide receiver. If it does, Taylor is the likely choice. Kent is a logical candidate for the practice squad and Fernandez has done some nice things on special teams.

Offensive linemen
In: Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Tom Ashworth, Chris Gray, Chris Spencer, Rob Sims, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto.
On the bubble: Floyd Womack, Pat Ross
Longshots: Kyle Williams, Steve Vallos
Comment: Ross was injured in the final preseason game and that could play a factor. Womack is likely in because of his versatility.

=> Read more!

Syracuse just came out on the field in uniforms that might make the Oregon Ducks gag: orange helmets, orange jerseys, orange pants.

The school had announced previously that the team would debut new helmets: the traditional orange but with a new block "S." However, it was assumed they would go along with the usual uniform of last season: navy jerseys and orange pants.

However, we have just received a note saying that the team last won all orange on Nov. 6, 2004 and they defeated Pitt in double-overtime. The time before that, they routed Temple, 41-7.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

The results are in and the 2007 Puyallup Fair Fine Art Show winners have been selected. The artwork will be on display on the second floor of the Pavilion throughout the Fair.

A total of $3,960 was awarded to 73 artists who submitted artwork into the following categories: sculpture, oil, water media, mixed media, drawing, water media, computer generated, and miniature.

Featured among the large collection of art are the winners of each category. The winners include:

=> Read more!

From a Puyallup Fair press release

If cowboys are tough enough to wear pink, you can too! The Puyallup Rodeo contestants in the Ariat Playoffs of the Wrangler Tour will be donning pink shirts at the Saturday Sept. 8, 1 p.m. rodeo for the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign to help support breast cancer awareness.

The 2007 Puyallup Pro Rodeo, as well as hundreds of professional rodeos around the country support the courage, strength and determination of those with breast cancer. Many rodeo families have experienced breast cancer and will never forget it. Cowboys and cowgirls competing in Saturday’s 1 p.m. rodeo will show their support by wearing pink.

I made a few calls on the rumored trade of Mark Brunell to the Seahawks and I am still being told that nothing appears imminent. The Seahawks apparently are the ones who initiated the discussions but as far as I can tell, I don't think anything is cooking. That could always change, but one of the things one of the people I spoke with questioned is what happens with Brunell in Seattle? He is the second QB in Washington and has a good chance of getting playing time if Campbell goes down. That's not the case in Seattle unless they plan on using Seneca elsewhere. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

No word yet on the Marcus Tubbs injury. You'll know when I know.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

Internationally renowned artist P. Buckley Moss is well known back east and is ready to impress art enthusiasts and Fair guests during the 2007 Puyallup Fair Pavilion Art Show.

Pat Buckley Moss is recognized for her paintings, which depict Amish and Mennonite lifestyles. Moss currently resides in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia but was born and raised in the greater New York area where she attended the prestigious art school, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

Moss will make appearances and be available for signings on Sept. 7-9 at
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and 4-6 p.m. More than 40 original paintings will be on display and for sale on the second floor of the Pavilion during the Fair. Prints of her works will be available for purchase on the Pavilion’s first floor.

Moss has been recognized with nearly 50 honors and awards, including “American Mother Artist of the Year,” “Woman of the Year,” and “Distinguished Virginian Award.” She is a role model for the learning impaired and is a benefactor to charities for children.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

Students from across the state will demonstrate their agriculture skills as they put their talents to work in the various buildings at the fair. Come watch as they vie for ribbons and trophies in over 20 events.

This year, FFA students will compete in the following categories: livestock, horticulture, turf science, forestry, landscape design, agriculture science, agriculture mechanics, livestock judging and tractor driving.

=> Read more!

I got to the dome just about the time the Huskies did. There were a few dozen fans in purple cheering them on as they took the trek from bus to dome.

Then I walked into the building, which is as warm as billed. It's a near-perfect day outside, and certainly several degrees cooler than in here.

The place looks like the little brother of BC Place up in Vancouver -- with the semi-transparent air-suspended roof -- but much smaller. It really feels about halfway in size between the Tacoma Dome and BC Place.

It not high on charm or tradition, but they've done what they can. Some of the otherwise grey walls are decorated with orange-tinted tributes to Syracuse athletic achievements -- there's one to Jim Brown and to the school's national lacrosse championships, for example. And, of course, to the 1959 football champions. And above that, hands a large Syracuse football jersey with the No. 44, now retired in tribute to Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little.

Just after the gates were opened to the Syracuse students -- easy to spot in there purple – the Syracuse players ran across the field to interact a bit with the student section/.

Now, a few Huskies are out on the field going through very light warm ups in their purple game pants and white T-shirts.

15 MINUTES TILL KICKOFF, the teams have left the field and been replaced by the Syracuse band.

The crowd, however, is tiny as of now. The place seats about 50,000, and it seems less than half of that now. The locals day they're expecting about 30,000.

However, a lot of Husky fans traveled. There are about three sections of purple low in one end zone of what will be the top left part of your TV screen. About 60 of them were expected to be the Locker traveling party, according to Jake's dad, Scott.

FIVE MINUTES TILL KICKOFF: UW captains for the opener are UW captains were Dan Howell, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett.

Well, folks, we did it again: Hello, Cupcake is closed until 4 p.m. today because of "overwhelming customer support."

Cole, who went (a day late, ahem) a few minutes ago, called in to report the news.

Also, Cole, who is usually the one calming me down, threatened to boycott.... This won't happen, I can assure you. (And if it does, more for us!)

I talked to the owner yesterday and she said they were still working out the supply and demand kinks. She said they baked way too many cupcakes yesterday -- and it ended up not being enough! I won't hold it against anyone -- especially if they're responsible for selling me delicious baked goods.

No thanks to Niki (hi, Niki!), I finally made it to Hello, Cupcake today. Pacific Avenue taunted me with its noontime traffic but I snagged a parking spot not far from the darling shop – complete with pink bicycle and cupcake sandwich board outside – and found half a dozen folks inside grinning maniacally and white-knuckling the signature pink boxes.

I stepped up and ordered my baseline cupcake, the yellow with chocolate frosting, to go. I meant to take that cupcake home and have it after a sensible lunch.

Instead, I hunkered in my front seat and devoured that cupcake like Sherman through Georgia, right in front of God and Pacific Avenue. Kinda like this:

To be honest, I liked the frosting more than the cake. But judging as how the little guy lasted 3.5 seconds, I'm calling it a success.

Huzzah!

As of this afternoon Alaska Airlines has found no missing washers or loose bolts on the slats of its fleet of 56 new generation Boeing 737s.

Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Amanda Tobin Bielawski said the airline has inspected 36 of its 56-plane fleet of 737s and found nothing amiss.

The Federal Aviation Administration this week ordered airlines operating Next Generation Boeing 737s to visually inspect the bolts holding on the planes' leading edge slats. Those slats are part of the wing that can be extended downward from the front of the wing to change the wing's shape for landing or takeoff.

That inspection order was prompted by the loss of a China Airlines 737 shortly after it landed in Okinawa last week. That plane burst into flames after a loose bolt penetrated a fuel tank. All passengers and crew members escaped.

Alaska expects to finish the inspection of its 737s well before the Sept. 7 deadline.

Saturday:
A teacher strike is on in the Bethel School District, and the potential for long-lasting damage is real. Nothing splits the community like a prolonged school strike. Whatever the merits of the strike issues, the best outcome is a speedy resolution.

Sunday:
The No Child Left Behind Act is an overly rigid and unforgiving standard for schools to meet; it cuts no slack for districts like Clover Park and others where educators are focused and working hard to raise student achievement. But it has also been a valuable tool for keeping school systems from letting low-achievers fall through the cracks. Amend NCLB, yes, but don’t abolish it.

What the mountain wants, it usually gets. Mount Rainier has no pity for the battered Carbon River Road, regularly washing out sections of it with winter or spring flooding. But the damage caused by November’s historic flooding is so great the road may have to be given up for good, turning the famed, short and easy Carbon Glacier hike into a much longer slog. Trail lovers mourn, but it’s hard to fight the mountain.

Monday: Labor-day themed editorial.

Tuesday:
Lakewood has cause to celebrate as a new Boys & Girls Club opens in an innovative partnership with Lakeview Elementary School. The generosity of the Milgard family and other donors made it possible.

Tacoma’s Russell Financial Group quietly donated $50,000 to pay for an independent review of the state’s controversial WASL math standards. It was another example of the way the firm makes well-considered and timely “impact gifts” that make a difference.

About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to david.seago@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

One more thing to put a smile on your face as you get ready to celebrate the Labor Day weekend - especially if you’ll be driving anywhere.

This morning, the price of a gallon of regular stands at $2.789. Yes, that’s up from yesterday (at $2.77), but it’s considerably lower than a month ago (at $2.902) and a year ago (at $2.901)

It’s way down from the record high of $3.459 recorded last May, and it’s lower than Seattle ($2.807), Spokane ($2.859) and the perennially high Bellingham ($2.865).

So fill up before you go, be safe, and come back refreshed.

Cuts must be made by Saturday at 1. The Seahawks have said they will give us the list of cuts by then. They go out on the wire a little after that. I will post them as soon as they are released. I will do a roster analysis a little later today. The team has all weekend off, so we can't go out there today or Saturday morning and see who is not practicing like we did after the first round of cuts.

I spoke briefly with John Clayton last night and he said he didn't think the Brunell thing was happening. It could be percolating and catch fire, and with the rumor last week that the Hawks were in discussions for Kelly Holcomb clearly they are shopping. I thought it was interesting that they didn't even allow Devine to throw a pass last night, which tells me they seriously considered him as an option to replace Greene.

We are hoping to hear something on the extent of the Tubbs injury sometime today. I will post that news as soon as we hear.

Next time you're in the need of a velour footstool, I know the spot: 19th and Sprague. Feast your eyes on these puppies:

Bow chick-a-wow-wow. Oh, Sorry. I meant, Photo by Craig Sailor.

That is all for now: I need to fulfill my deadline requirements or I'm toast.

If you checked out today’s GO section, you’ve read some of my picks for touring bands you should check out at Bumbershoot. And to that I add seven more must see acts from around the Sound:

1. Seaweed (9:30 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): The Tacoma grunge stars' comeback trail actually begins tonight at the High Dive. (Now if I can only just sort out the technical issues that have been kept me from posting audio lately. Check back later and hopefully I'll have some clips from my interview with Wade Neal and new drummer Jesse Fox.)

2. Gabriel Teodros (4 p.m. Sunday, Fisher Green): One of the most promising new voices in Seattle hip-hop. His “Lovework” album is one of my favorite regional recordings this year.

3. Mono in VCF (2 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Tacoma’s moodiest rockers have gone in a more cinematic direction with new singer Kim Miller.

4. Schoolyard Heroes (3:15 p.m. Monday, Exhibition Hall): Yeah, they’re technically a Seattle band. But Schoolyard Heroes' roots go back to singer Ryann Donnelly and guitarist Steve Bonnell meeting at Tacoma’s Charles Wright Academy. Expect to hear songs from the screamo outfit's forthcoming disc, “Abominations” – their first to be distributed by Island Def Jam Music Group.

5. The F-ing Eages (3:30 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Rowdy garage from Tacoma’s rockinest “Big Lebowski” fans.

6. The Saturday Knights (4 p.m. Saturday, Fisher Green): This Seattle hip-hop crew's beats are chock full of rock and organ samples that kinda sorta recall the Beasties.

7. Bloodhag (8 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Never have songs about Isaac Asimov and H.P. Lovecraft inspired so many devil horn salutes. Keep an eye peeled for flying books.

As always, the full schedule is here.

Yep, I'm talking about you and me sitting down to a meal in the middle of the day.

Oh, it'll be an anonymous affair. Most likely, I'll regale you with fibs and tales about my stint in a Venezuelan prison, or my adventures as Maya Angelou's personal assistant. You'll probably even pay your own way, too.

There's a new Web site/service called noonhat.com. It matches you with available lunch partners. Pick a geographic location and day. Input your e-mail address. You'll be matched up -- by no criteria other than the willingness to have lunch -- with someone in your area.

Today, I was matched up with myself, having registered at noonhat with both my work e-mail address and one of my goof-off Yahoo e-mail addresses. (Oye, the gripes of a restaurant critic who can't get a date.)

I know I'm not the only one in Tacoma using noonhat.com. Earlier this month, noonhat set me up with a lunch date. But the dude I was matched with canceled. I think he was looking for someone with a less masculine e-mail handle than the one I'd used.

I'm not shilling for noonhat. I'm testing the Web site for a story I'm working on about Lunch.

So if you want to do Lunch with me in Tacoma, give noonhat.com a shot.

Seattle-based Farecast.com has launched a trial version of a new Web feature that not only lists hotel prices and locations, but rates their prices relative to past prices for the same quality of room at that hotel.

If the Farecast feature works correctly (In my brief experience with it, it fails far more than it produces.) the site will indicate relative bargain-priced hotels by highlighting them in red. Likewise it marks over-priced hotels in a dark blue color on a map.

The service is terrific in theory, but because it has a lot of rough edges, it doesn't deliver consistently. The number of cities where "Rate Key" information is offered are limited, and the number of hotels rates evaluated are relatively few. The site says the hotels system is still in beta or public testing stage.

Farecast started its Web site 18 months ago forecasting airline prices based on historical data indicating whether it may pay to wait for a lower price or to grab a bargain now.

Want to compare estimated home values in Tacoma, Lacey or Gig Harbor to the rest of the nation, at least according to Zillow?

The online Seattle company has created a chart looking at the median Zestimate (Zillow's home value estimate) in 66 U.S. markets for the second quarter. The helpfully color-coded bars indicate markets doing well and not so well. From brilliant blue (not good) to bright red (very good), you can see at a quick glance where the best and worst markets are. Pierce County is included in the Seattle category so just scroll along the individual bars within the category to find your area.

The numbers you’ll see pop up are the median estimates as computed by Zillow for the second quarter, plus percentages representing year-over-year change, according to Zillow spokeswoman Amanda Hoffman.

Keep in mind, though, that Zillow sometimes doesn’t have the most accurate or up-to-date info on which to base its estimated value of a home. The company attributes the lack of info to county records that aren't updated or otherwise accurate.

A big thanks to TNT graphic artist Amanda Raymond for sending the chart my way.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Game day has dawned here in Syracuse, and with all fall camp and all the build up behind us, it's time for the Huskies to to start the 2007 season.

We've heard a lot about the heat inside the Carrier Dome, but it isn't expected to be a sizzling day here: A high around 74, and probably well below that by the 5 p.m. PDT start, which is 8 p.m. out here.

I'm not expecting any more news to report until getting to the stadium, but I'll file as information comes in, then a little during the game, and then I hope you'll join in for some post-game discussion as we did last football season.

I've received a few questions from readers about differing numbers put out by the Port of Tacoma regarding the cost of building shipping terminals on the Blair Waterway.

On July 31, the port placed a Request for Qualifications in the News Tribune soliciting surveying firms for its expansion projects on the waterway.

That notice put the preliminary construction budget for the associated marine terminals, road and rail infrastructure at $900 million.

The number I reported today was $812 million for developing of shipping terminals on the Blair Waterway – and sans the land purchases would actually be closer to $690 million.

"What gives?" asked a few astute readers.

Port of Tacoma Executive Director Tim Farrell, with assistance from the port's engineering department explained.

The $812 million reflects what the port plans to spend and finance in the next decade in terms of developing the Blair Peninsula.

It's primarily related to the new NYK Line terminal, but also includes the development of the old Kaiser site as a third marine terminal, Farrell said.

See today's story for the breakdown.

The $900 million takes an even longer-term look at port development. It doesn't include the cost of land acquisitions.

But it does include a second phase of the NYK terminal - which could be built sometime after 2019. It also includes the potential expansion of the Pierce County Terminal.

"There's some crossover," Farrell said, between what's accounted for in each of the lists.

The number cited in the RFQ is an estimate to give the architects and engineers vying for the jobs a sense of the breadth of the work, Farrell said.

"We are sending a message to the (architect and engineering) community. Bring your A game and make sure you have the right team because this is a large scale project," Farrell said.

Just messing around with photos and wanted to see if I could post these. If it works I'll try to post some more game action tomorrow.

Leonard Stephens: Uh, three penalties, including two false starts on one drive. As Boling said, "Coach Holmgren doesn't mind those types of things at all."

Will Herring: I thought he missed a number of tackles tonight and Boling speculated that he may just be too small to regularly bring guys down. I will say this, he does sacrifice his body on special teams, that guy is always busting the wedge and getting tossed about.

Kyle Williams: Did not play.

Pork Chop Womack: There were several plays when his guy went right around him and flushed Seneca. He did not inspire confidence.

Jordan Kent: I may be wrong, but I think he may have been responsible for the second of Seneca's interceptions. TV was interviewing Burleson and so I never saw a replay but I think Kent was the intended receiver and never made his cut. He also dropped that touchdown pass. He showed the best and worst, able to get past guys but not able to finish the play, which has been the case all camp.

David Greene: Did not play. (Maybe I should put him under helped himself.)

S C.J. WALLACE

(On the time leading up to this game…) “It’s been a real great experience for me, never dreamed of playing in the NFL. I’m just living a dream right now. It’s just a great opportunity for me.”

(On Qwest Field crowd noise…) “It’s not much of a difference from Husky Stadium. It’s about on the same level. The seats are real close to the field and the fans go crazy. Every second of the game they’re generating.”

(On upcoming cuts…) “I’m going to be nervous but I am man enough to see what’s going to happen. I can’t worry about that. Just have to live my life and whatever happens, happens.

WR NATE BURLESON

(On his performance…) “After a long preseason, a long training camp, it feels like a reward when you’re a receiver and you get to score touchdowns. That was exciting.”

“That’s a nice little drive. I was able to contribute; getting a big play and also getting in the (end) zone. Really I have to give all the credit to Seneca Wallace. I ran a post route and he hit me square in my numbers. You couldn’t place a better ball on me. He actually threw me a position where I had to spin out, had to run away from the defense. Then on the second one it was a short shake route to the long side of the field. It was just an amazing ball, an amazing play by Seneca (Wallace). I just did my part in catching it.”

LB NIKO KOUTOUVIDES

(On his performance…) “I played well. It was great for the coaches to let the backers come out and start. It’s been awhile since you’ve run out of the tunnel. Whenever you’re in a special teams role or you’re a backup this is basically your regular season. You have to go out there and perform. Show the coaches you know how to play this game; stay disciplined. Just go out and make plays. That’s what we did. We had fun. It was a beautiful night. Football, the game we love to play. We just go out there and have fun.”

HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

(opening…) I think both Coach Kiffin and myself are glad that game is over with. Now we start getting into the serious part of what we do. There were some good efforts put forth tonight. We’ll make our decisions in the next couple days on who’s going to be on the football team. Injury wise, Marcus Tubbs hurt his knee. It was not the knee that he had operated on, it was the other leg. We’ll have the exact details tomorrow. He’s getting it scanned right now. It appeared to be rather serious. I think other than that, we came out of it OK. Josh Wilson banged his hip, and he’s pretty sore, but I think he’s going to be OK.

=> Read more!

C.J. Wallace: I thought he really stood out. He had his second interception of the preseason, applied a number of good hits and always seemed to be around the ball. He did get burned on the touchdown pass to Adkisson, losing the tight end when he released, but I think the guy was mostly positive throughout camp and the games.

Pete Hunter: After some lackluster performances earlier, I thought he was pretty good in this game. He nearly had an interception early on, had nice coverage on some other passes and made a few tackles.

Nate Burleson: Had another nice game after being the only player in that Green Bay game to make a big play. He had a really impressive reverse spin move after a catch that got him another 10 yards and nearly allowed him to score. Three catches for 52 yards, he's a pretty good third/fourth receiver.

Leonard Weaver: I am torn on this one -- and I think the coaches are too. He had 74 yards on 16 carries and two receptions for eight yards, as well as a few nice lead blocks, but he also had a fumble. "I thought he played really hard," Holmgren said. "I saw some good things. But that is one of those close calls we're going to have to make."

Niko Koutouvides: A few run stuffs at opportune times.

Brendan Mebane: If there is one positive from the Marcus Tubbs injury, it might be that this guy gets more time.

The Marcus Tubbs knee injury sounds pretty serious, even possibly career-ending. He was getting scanned during Holmgren's press conference and an official announcement will be made tomorrow morning, but right now I think he is a good candidate for IR. They are unable to place him on the PUP list, is my understanding, because he already was on that and then passed his physical. If they keep him on the active roster, he will be there and not able to contribute. If he goes on IR, he is done for the year and will not have played in almost two years by the time he comes back. Holmgren had this cryptic quote: "He's just one of those players where he's a very talented player who can't get on the field. Call it unlucky. Call it whatever. the injury bug has prevented him from reaching his potential on the field."

=> Read more!

From the just-doesn't-get-it file, this from the AP today:

Gregoire won't release 'Sunshine Committee' documents

By CURT WOODWARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has refused to reveal the identities of some people who weren't picked for seats on the state's new "Sunshine Committee."

Gregoire, responding to an Associated Press public records request, has kept secret several resumes, letters and e-mail exchanges from unsuccessful applicants to the committee.

In her reply, the Democratic governor cited an exemption to public records law that says applications for public employment can be kept secret.

Open government experts scoffed at that reasoning, pointing out that compensation for Sunshine Committee service is limited to travel reimbursements that several members don't actually qualify for.

"That doesn't make them employees of the state," said Toby Nixon, acting president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and a former state legislator.

"I don't think what the governor is doing in terms of withholding these documents, claiming they are applications for employment, is right at all," Nixon said. "And I think that the word ironic is a very good word."

But Melynda Campbell, a legal assistant in Gregoire's legal office, said the administration considers every person appointed to a board or commission by the governor to be a public employee under the Public Records Act exemption.

Under that reasoning, Campbell said, people who ask that they be appointed to a panel such as the Sunshine Committee must have their identities kept secret.

"I could be out applying for jobs all over the place and not want my boss to know about it," Campbell said. "You just have to consider their privacy."

Potential appointees recommended by a third party, however, don't have that same protection, Campbell said.

Gregoire spokeswoman Holly Armstrong, who said she wasn't familiar with the legal reasoning behind the records denial, said such disagreements point to the reason for the Sunshine Committee itself.

"This is, in effect, why we have a Sunshine Committee, to go back and see what this law means, and see why we need to revise or clean up this law," Armstrong said.

Gregoire appointed six of the panel's 13 members, and also chose the group's chairman.

The committee also includes four state lawmakers, two people appointed by Attorney General Rob McKenna, and one person selected by state Auditor Brian Sonntag.

The AP had requested all communications received by the governor's office regarding appointments to the committee.

In response, Gregoire provided the AP with several letters and e-mails that dealt with potential appointees, and at least two resumes.

But the governor withheld 10 documents, including letters, resumes and e-mails about the appointment process.

The state law keeping "applications for public employment" from public view was cited in each of those 10 cases, and the administration said all materials that weren't released dealt with people who had not won seats on the committee.

Assistant Attorney General Tim Ford, who is a member of the committee, was compiling McKenna's response to a similar AP records request on Thursday.

Ford said he had no intention of withholding any such records. "And even if somebody told me, 'Well, there might be this exemption here,' I would waive it," Ford said.

---

I had the injury right, just the incorrect side. Wilson suffered a left hip injury and will not return.

Rookie CB Josh Wilson was just carted off the field to the locker room . There is no official word on his injury but it looked like when he came off the field he was favoring his right hip.

It looks like Chris Spencer may have tweaked his left leg. He was getting worked on on the training table but he headed back out afterwards. He is limping slightly.

Leonard Stephens probably just lost his job, three penalties called on him in the first half, one that led to the punt return for a touchdown.

Josh Wilson was made to look silly twice, one a vicious stiff arm by Mike Williams, the other on a stiffarm by Travis Taylor.

Leonard Weaver? Good and bad. He had 25 yards on seven rushes and two passes for eight yards (and one called back on a penalty by Stephens) but he also had a fumble.

I think Pete Hunter is having a pretty nice night, one near interception, and he has been close on coverage a couple times and has made a few nice tackles.

C.J. Wallace is doing some nice hitting, which is always noticeable.

I don't know if that facemask penalty was actually on Will Herring. I would like to see another replay but I think he may have been in the vicinity and got called for it.

Seneca Wallace looked pretty sharp to me, save for the interception at the goal line. Hackett was open on that and Wallace was a count late on the throw. Wallace was 10-for-18 for 129 yards in the first half, with a 73.6 passer rating.

Brendan Mebane continues to get some pretty good penetration, and while Tapp was credited for the safety Mebane made the initial push.

Niko Koutouvides has made a couple of nice plays, including two on third-and-short and then fourth-and-short.

Mother Nature did Thursday what the Seattle Mariners have not – she benched Richie Sexson, at least temporarily.

Sexson, batting .207 and booed roundly at Safeco Field this week, will likely have to sit out a few games with a strained left hamstring. That means Ben Broussard will play first base.

If that adds more punch to the lineup, the Mariners need it and more – they’re mired in a six-game losing streak, and their bullpen is running on empty. By the time they got to the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday and Eric O’Flaherty stumbled, there weren’t many options.
Rick White was one of them, and he forced home the winning run with a walk.

By Saturday, when major league rosters can expand, the Mariners will have more arms available – Ryan Feierabend, John Parrish and Sean White will all join the team.

So will outfielders Wladimir Balentien and Jeremy Reed, and catchers Rob Johnson and Jeff Clement will be up within a week.
Will it matter?

Not unless the Mariners can snap their losing streak and get a winning run going on the road, against Toronto, New York and Detroit. None of those spots have been kind to Seattle this year – the team is 4-6 in those cities.

What the team needs tonight is a rock-solid performance from Jarrod Washburn, who needs to get through seven innings or more. It needs help from Broussard and a mistake-free game by Jose Lopez at second base.

More than anything, it needs to stop the losing.

Marcus Tubbs was carted off the field to the locker room and has a right knee sprain. It is NOT an injury to the same knee on which he had microfracture surgery. He was helped off the field, went to the bench, ripped off his helmet in frustration and threw it to the ground, then was looked at by about 10 medical guys. He was placed on a cart and wheeled to the locker room, and he looked pretty distressed on his way there.

Also, Sean Locklear has a hand injury, the reason Floyd Womack went to left tackle in the second quarter.

Apparently Michael Boulware has a tweaked ankle that is keeping him from playing tonight.

Though he is not listed as a scratch, I also did not see Michael Boulware out on the field warming up.

Out

JaMarcus Russell
Michael Bush

Lineup Changes

Jake Grove will start at center
Zach Miller will start at TE
Josh McCown will start at QB
Justin Griffin will start at FB
LaMOnt Jordan will start at RB

Out

Kelly Jennings
Julian Peterson
Walter Jones
Will Heller

Lineup Changes

Nate Burleson for D.J. Hackett
Mansfield Wrotto for Chris Gray
Leonard Stephens for Marcus Pollard
Seneca Wallace for Matt Hasselbeck
Leonard Weaver for Mack Strong
Mo Morris for Shaun Alexander

Darryl Tapp for Patrick Kerney
Marcus Tubbs for Chuck Darby
Craig Terrill for Rocky Bernard
Bryce Fisher for Tapp
Will Herring for Leroy Hill
Niko Koutouvides for Lofa Tatupu
Pete Hunter for Marcus Trufant
Mike Green for Deon Grant
C.J. Wallace for Brian Russell

All the receivers are on the field and I don't see Ben Obomanu, who strained a hammy in Tuesday's practice, so I assume he is out for the game. They have not yet announced officially who is out.

Tacoma-based Russell Investment Group played a big part in bringing about a independent review of the state's discredited math portion of the WASL. (Our editorial on the review will be posted here Friday morning.)

Fred Kiga, director of corporate and government relations for Russell, confirms that the company donated $50,000 for the review. The donation, channeled through the business-backed school reform group Partnership for Learning, helped prod the Legislature to act.

An objective assessment was essential. The math WASL blew up last year when only 57 percent of the state's 10th-graders passed the test. The consensus was that the test was faulty and that the math curriculum in many school district's don't align with the WASL math standards. (Editorial). So the Legislature suspended the math part of the WASL graduation requirement for three years.

Russell sought no publicity for the donation. Kiga said the company's goal was to contribute in a way that would have a real impact in improving public education in Washington. Kiga, by the way, is currently president of the University of Washington board of regents.

Happy Birthday, Shaun!

When I got home from work yesterday I began to give my sidewalk a bit more room to breathe. It's my annual just-before-school-starts trimming job. I hate to see the kids get swallowed up by my bushes though it beats the old "the dog ate my homework" excuse.

My friend Jeremy, who is somewhat of an urban rebel, likes to take walks with his clippers and deliver an on-the-spot pruning job to limbs and twigs that smack him in the face and body.

He's quite busy this time of year. It amazes me how many people let their landscaping get out of control. In some areas in my North End neighborhood you have walk in the street because tree limbs will cause decapitation or blackberry vines will snare unsuspecting legs.

If you share a sidewalk with the public take a stroll along it and see if it's fully accessible.

And to the person who keeps hiding plastic bags filled with their dog's "calling cards" in my bushes. Stop. I'll catch you sooner or later.

... but I just went to Hello, Cupcake!(!!)

I had the coconut cupcake with buttercream frosting. It was delish. They have an orange patent leather chair in the back corner next to a bookshelf that's called the Kelly chair. Is that cute enough for you to forgive me for not bringing you back a cupcake?

It's just that I was in a big hurry and they were running out of select varieties and I just thought ... I should save this moment. I should let you come to Hello, Cupcake, see the adorable T-shirts (the kids sizes are the best, but I think an XL might fit ... especially if we don't indulge in too many cupcakes!), and experience the most adorable waitresses in the cutest aprons ever for yourself.

So, please forgive me. I've included a photo of the cupcakes. I can assure you the whole time I was eating the light-as-air buttercream, I was thinking, "If only this were Kelly in my place."

xoxo,

Photo by Craig Sailor, cupcake by Hello, Cupcake, guilt by association.

This is the second half of the pregame conversation between me and Boling. It picks up where the first half left off.

There's a sad story in yesterday's Peninsula Gateway: the discovery of scores of dead dogfish sharks on the Purdy Spit. Nearly 100 were actually counted; many others were probably washed away by the tide and current.

Almost certainly, they were tossed there by net fisherman cleaning commercially worthless "trash fish" from their nets.

What's trash and what isn't is in the palate of the beholder, though. England uses dogfish in its fabled fish and chips (one of the few English dishes that are actually edible). Having been there and eaten them, I can certify that dogfish aren't trash.

A shame they're just thrown away here.

This is the first half of the pregame conversation I just had with Boling in the press box. It covers a litany of topics that the Seahawks face both in this final game and as the season opener approaches. I recorded it at too high a quality so I had to break it in two. I'll file the other half shortly.

China's Xiamen Airlines has ordered 25 next generation 737s from Boeing.

At average list prices, the deal is worth $1.9 billion.

The airline also took options on 10 more 737 aircraft. With the Chinese sale, total sales of 737 aircraft amount to 7,153 since the plane was introduced in the mid-60s.

Michael Jackson, the world's leading beer critic-historian, died today.

"Michael gave us our voice and vocabulary, and grounded the history and traditions of beer," says a memorial note on AllAboutBeer.com. "Beginning in the seventies with the publication of the 'World Guide to Beer,' Michael began beating the drum demanding more respect for beer. He swirled and tasted beer, filling pages with new words. He traveled unceasingly, discovering styles and traditions long gone or on their way out the door. He chided the mainstream press for its beer provincialism. He even wore one glove, just one glove, to mock a similarly named celebrity.

"Originally a newspaper reporter, a badge he wore with pride, he never lost the newsman's love for a breaking story or a tight deadline. He was a prolific writer, an expert in whiskey and fine food as well as a pioneer beer writer."

Here is what Jackson said about himself recently:

I am hoping that my next book will be an account of my dealings with Parkinson's Disease. I have lived with Parkinson for many years, but I have only recently allowed him out of the closet. I find myself referring to 'my Parkinson's'. We do this, don't we? We refer to our ailments possessively, as though we are staking a claim. Perhaps we are. Perhaps I am. ... I cannot exclude him, so I embrace him. It is not the bear-hug of old buddies. We are more like heavyweights in a clinch, or even schoolboys locked in a playground fight.

Horizon Air, the SeaTac-based regional airline, is cutting its prices for flights between Seattle and Portland by up to 50 percent.

The new pricing strategy is part of of Horizon's system-wide repricing plan that it began implementing earlier this year on other routes.

The idea behind the pricing scheme is to cut prices and to make up with volume the revenue it lost by chopping prices.

Now unrestricted prices for a walk-up one-way, fully refundable fare of $99 to $59 each way for advance purchase tickets.

Horizon will operate the flights either with its 76 turboprop Q400 or its 70-seat CRJ 700 jet. The airline operates 31 flights a day on the route.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

Dare to witness the unusual to the majestic at the Animals of the World Exhibit at this year’s Puyallup Fair.

This year’s exhibit features more than 20 different animal breeds, each having a unique quality pertaining to their origin. The exhibit will be located in the Puyallup Fair’s J Barn, Sept. 19-23.

To appear during the five days of the exhibit will be animals depicting a range of shapes and sizes, colors and stripes. A new addition to the exhibit will be Nigerian Dwarf goats, who are small in stature and have very colorful markings. Other animals will include emus, Watusi cattle, fainting sheep, Navaho Churro sheep, wallabies, and zebras.

The Animals of the World Exhibit provides an educational opportunity for visitors. While the animals will not be available for petting, horns and hides will be made available to provide a hands-on experience.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

If cooking or baking is your cup of tea, then clear your calendar so you can enter some food contests at the 2007 Puyallup Fair. Even if you’ve never entered before, you have the chance to dazzle the judges, and walk away with the blue ribbon!

To review all rules and regulations, download the premium book, available online at www.thefair.com. Click on Puyallup Fair, then Things to Do. Click Exhibit Entries, Home Arts for all cooking contest rules. The premium book is only available online.

The following contests do not have a pre-registration:

=> Read more!

This advice on tickets from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

Read on.

=> Read more!

The prep football season is upon us and that means one thing — bring it on, Ryan.

For the past eight months I’ve had to grudgingly put up with the incessant smack talk of my partner in crime, Ryan Divish. The Montana native managed to beat me every which way but sideways in our prep picks contest last season. And I’ve pretty much been reminded of that fact every day since November — if not by Ryan then by other TNT sports staffers who like nothing more than to whack people when they’re down like a candy-starved school kid smacking a piñata hanging from the ceiling.

How can a Tacoma native lose to someone that doesn’t even know where the Narrows Bridge is, you ask?

I don’t know what to say. I’m ashamed, but like Vince Tarsi and his boys at Emerald Ridge who went winless last year, I’m living in the now, not the past.

And this week will be the first of the several whippings I’ll dish out to Divish this prep football season. Guaranteed.

Kentridge quarterback Brandon Turner will be our guest picker this week. Thanks for playing Brandon and good luck this Saturday at Qwest Field against Ingelmoor.

We have some great games this week, including South Kitsap at Kentwood tonight, Auburn traveling to Curtis on Friday and two powerhouses in Lakes and Gig Harbor meeting at Qwest Field on Saturday. Take a look at the full slate of games at our revamped preps scoreboard here, or read more about the marquee games in this story.

Have a good weekend and get out to see some high school football.

WEEKLY PICKS	Eric Williams	Ryan Divish	Guest picker – Brandon Turner
South Kitsap at Kentwood	South Kitsap	Kentwood	Kentwood
Enumclaw at O’Dea	Enumclaw	O’Dea	O’Dea
Federal Way at Rogers	Rogers	Rogers	Federal Way
Auburn at Curtis	Curtis	Auburn	Curtis
Mount Tahoma at Wilson	Mount Tahoma	Mount Tahoma	Mount Tahoma
Aberdeen at Lincoln	Lincoln	Lincoln	Lincoln
Olympia at Tumwater	Tumwater	Olympia	Tumwater
Royal vs. Eatonville at Qwest Field	Royal	Royal	Eatonville
Lakes vs. Gig Harbor at Qwest Field	Lakes	Lakes	Lakes
Kentridge vs. Ingelmoor at Qwest Field	Kentridge	Kentridge	Kentridge
Charles Wright at Tacoma Baptist	Charles Wright	Charles Wright	Tacoma Baptist
UW at Syrucuse	UW	UW	UW
WSU at Wisonsin	Wisconsin	Wisconsin	Wisconsin
LAST WEEK	0-0	0-0	0-0
SEASON RECORD	0-0	0-0	0-0

I am at work. Which means I am not at Hello, Cupcake for the soft opening. (And by "soft," I mean the ethereal clouds of buttercream frosting captured brilliantly here by Mr. Freitas.)

Not that I'm bitter.

Nay, I am only planning my plan of attack. Let me remind you, fair reader, that I am no cupcake lightweight. I have supped at the greatest: Citizen Cupcake in San Francisco, Trophy and Cupcake Royale in Seattle, Corina in our Grit City.

Full report to come.

It's so on.

Me at Citizen Cupcake last year. I haven't smiled since.

I crouched by a low tripod ten feet from my desk in The News Tribune to shoot the moonrise through our front window near our Chihuly sculpture.

ps: a comment wondered why the moon seems to be in front of the buildings steel beams.

Here's my analysis:

In the photo the bright portion of the beam is the slightly blurred image of the front side of the beam. And the moon's image touches it, but doesn't block any portion of it.

The dark area that we see under the beam is not actually the unlit under side of the steel beam, but mostly it is a reflection of the unlit back and under sides of the beam in the glass that is about 18" behind the front side of the beam. The moon shines brightly through the glass and outshines this dim reflection which, to the left and right of the moon, appears black.

Congressman Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, has already endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Now he's been named Washington state chairman of the candidate's campaign.

The press release announcing the appointment quotes Obama as saying: “Congressman Smith is a strong Democratic voice on foreign policy and works in Congress to help our nation fight the spread of terrorism. I am pleased Adam will be bringing his innovative, common-sense approach to our Washington State campaign for change.”

Congressmen Norm Dicks and Jay Inslee are supporting Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Here's the rest of the release:

=> Read more!

Boling and I should get to the stadium at about 4:30. We'll sit down and record the audio of his thoughts around then, and I'll post it as soon as I am able to.

From then on, I'll be providing updates as we get them re: who is playing, who is out and any other pertinent information.

=> Read more!

This year, The News Tribune has solicited volunteer correspondents to blog for our Web site from the Puyallup Fair, and about 30 readers responded for this opportunity.

We have picked 16 bloggers from diverse backgrounds -- from an eighth-grade horse-rider to a 67-year-old fair veteran to a 16-year-old exchange student from Turkmenistan.

Staff writer Eijiro Kawada, who has covered the fair since 2001, will blog on the opening day, and each of our volunteer bloggers will have a day to spend at the fair during the following 16 days. They will blog live from the fair throughout out the day.

Read on and find out who our bloggers are.

=> Read more!

Here is the press release:

What: Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver, Deion Branch will launch his foundation’s newly designed Web site - www.deionbranch83.com - on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the Bellevue Boys & Girls Club “Main Club.”

The launch party will feature a web forum “Q & A session” where kids can ask Deion questions about the upcoming Seahawks season and his Deion Branch Charitable Foundation. The party will also include a game-show activity with Deion leading kids in attendance at the event in a rousing round of “Jeopardy.”

=> Read more!

Sorry, folks, I was shut out of the blog all morning because of tech problems at the office.

Here is a story that talks about what tonight's game means for the Raiders.

Here is a short item on Jerramy Stevens and his chance to make the team with the Bucs, who the Seahawks play in Week One.

And here is a piece by Mike Sando on Matt Hasselbeck.

The following is a list of daily free entertaiment. For more information, check www.thefair.com.

=> Read more!

This advice on free activites from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

There are tons of FREE activities to enjoy at the Puyallup Fair. Select the days you plan to visit, and use the handy online Fair Planner at www.thefair.com. Enjoy all the free fun at the Puyallup Fair!

Read on and find out what's free.

=> Read more!

This advice on tickets from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

Again this year, the Puyallup Fair is offering 500 free gate admission tickets to the community. Like the past several years, they can be picked up at the Puyallup Main Street Association (PMSA) booth at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, Sept. 8, 15, and 22 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To receive a free gate admission ticket to the Sept. 7-23, 2007 Puyallup Fair, customers are invited to shop in the downtown business center of Puyallup, Sept. 7-23. Then bring the receipt to the PMSA booth at Farmers’ Market on Saturday, Sept. 8, 15 or 22.

The Puyallup Fair is providing PMSA a total of 500 tickets to hand out when a receipt is shown, one per person. They will make a third of the total tickets available each of the three days, and they will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To find out if the merchant is a member of PMSA, ask them, or call the PMSA office at 253-840-2631.

From a Puyallup Fair press release.

Funnyman and TV host of NBC’s “Deal of No Deal,” Howie Mandel has touched all aspects of the entertainment spectrum. He spent six years on “St. Elsewhere,” earning an Emmy nomination, and another Emmy nomination for the eight-year Fox animated kids’ series, “Bobby’s World.” Add to that countless movies and guest hosting network talk shows, and Howie Mandel has become a household name.

Howie Mandel will perform at the Puyallup Fair’s 2007 Columbia Bank Concert Series on Saturday, September 15 with performances at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster outlets, online, or by phone (253-627-TIXS in Tacoma, or 206-628-0888 in Seattle, or www.ticketmaster.com).

Golden Circle reserved seats are $40, Infield reserved seating is $20, while grandstand seating is free, first-come, first-seated basis. The seating for this concert does not include Fair gate admission.

Howie Mandel began his business career performing at the Comedy Store on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip. He performed on amateur night on a dare, while taking a vacation from the carpet business he ran. A producer happened to be in the audience and spotted him, and hired Mandel for an appearance on the comedy game show, “Make Me Laugh.”

He soon graduated to TV talk shows and Las Vegas performances, fitting in successful television shows at the same time. He has been a frequent guest host for late night talk shows, as well as “Live with Regis and Kelly.” Mandel has done work in movies, a short stint with his self-titled talk show in the 1998-1999 season, and a full time schedule of concerts and comedy specials.

More national housing stats were released today and Tacoma landed No. 19 on a list of best-appreciating real estate markets. Even more impressive: The government-issued stats say that Tacoma’s home sale prices increased 75.6 percent in the last five years – more than any other city in the nation except Wenatchee.

Check out a handy graphic showing the winners and losers here. (Thanks to real estate agent Ed Yurchick for passing it along.)

Otherwise, the news was pretty gloomy. Bloomberg reported that national home prices rose in the second quarter at the slowest pace in a decade.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

Prices for previously owned single-family homes rose an average of 3.2 percent from a year earlier, the smallest gain since 1997, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise, known as Ofheo, said today in Washington. Prices gained 0.08 percent from the first quarter, the slowest since a decline at the end of 1994.

The worst U.S. housing slump in 16 years is deepening as buyers find it more difficult to get mortgages after loans entering foreclosure rose to a record, said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial Inc. in Chicago. The report on the current quarter, due to be issued Nov. 29, may show price declines, she said.

“It’s far too early to see the full impact of credit tightening,” Swonk said.

At 2:20 this afternoon I'll be talking about the Huskies' opener at Syracuse with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Next week, I believe we'll slide back to the 2:20 p.m. Wednesday position, which out default slot for the rest of the football season.

Here's a link to a really good Sando story about Matt Hasselbeck's diligent, and sometimes unusual, film studies of opponents.

Lookie what I found, with the help of Marketing Director Cathy Brewis:

I'd like to thank a most savvy reader and an equally savvy marketing director for this moment. And to Laura Gentry, who took this photo and instructed me to look "surly."

Turns out, then-Marketing Director Dinwiddie Fuhrmeister (note the updated spelling... again!) had these made. No one is sure how they were distributed, but we (we meaning Cathy) found this one in a dark corner of the basement, where Cathy had stowed it for archiving purposes.

Soldiers attend a memorial service at Fort Lewis in Washington for four Stryker soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, who were killed while in serving in Iraq. Alison Yin/The News Tribune

Time Magazine is displaying one of our photos (above) on their site this week. Our summer photo intern Alison Yin took the photo during a soldier memorial at Ft. Lewis earlier this month. It was her first time covering a memorial service of any kind.

Time got the photo through McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (or MCT), a news service that is part of the parent company of The News Tribune, The McClatchy Company.

We always share our memorial photos with MCT because so many of these soldiers are from other parts of the country and we want these photos available to McClatchy papers across the U.S. We also have other local papers, such as The Olympian, which are part of the McClatchy family.

A most savvy reader sent me a link to this gorgeous dress, for sale on eBay:

This photo borrowed from the eBay seller here.

Yes, that's a dress with old News Tribune front pages on it. It sold for $333 earlier this week to someone in Greece who goes by sxies66. For the record, their eBay feedback is excellent.

Is it too much to think that, in six to eight weeks when they receive the dress, Mr. or Ms. sxies66's stock will rise?

I think not.

These dresses are dated Sunday May 18, 1969. They were bought at an estate sale of a man that worked for the Tacoma News Tribune paper. I don’t know if you had to order them or if every paper had one in it that Sunday but my guess is there are not too many out there like this. They were made by Kimberly Clark, of paper towel fame. They are 97% cellulose and 7% nylon. Sadly they are not in perfect condition. The one on the right is in great shape in front with only a spot of yellowing by the under arm, it is not really noticeable unless you are looking for it.... The paper fabric is still sound and not brittle. They are size small and are 37 inches long and 22 inches across the hem.

In other words, perfect.

We devote our entire editorial column today to a story bigger than the actual WASL results released today. While the reading and writing scores look good, a legislature-ordered review of what went wrong with the WASL math standards is a devastating portrayal of incompetence by OSPI. If this was a different culture, Terry Bergeson would fall on her sword.

About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to david.seago@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

By the way, today is the day of The News Tribune's annual college football section. And we hope you'll grab a copy and use it all season. But there is a good version of most of the features online too.

Soldiers attend a memorial service at Fort Lewis in Washington for four Stryker soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, who were killed while in serving in Iraq. Alison Yin/The News Tribune

Time Magazine is displaying one of our photos (above) on their site this week. Our summer photo intern Alison Yin took the photo during a soldier memorial at Ft. Lewis earlier this month. It was her first time covering a memorial service of any kind.

Time got the photo through McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (or MCT), a news service that is part of the parent company of The News Tribune, The McClatchy Company.

We always share our memorial photos with MCT because so many of these soldiers are from other parts of the country and we want these photos available to McClatchy papers across the U.S. We also have other local papers, such as The Olympian, which are part of the McClatchy family.

Husky and Cougar fans will be able to watch football games live this fall on their mobile phones.

Verizon Wireless and MediaFLO USA Inc. have teamed up to bring fans more than 100 games, including 20 bowl matchups.

The schedule includes:

Washington at Syracuse (Aug. 31, ESPN Mobile TV)

Washington State at Wisconsin (Sept. 1, ESPN Mobile TV)

Ohio State at Washington (Sept. 15, ESPN Mobile TV)

The games will air on CBS Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile and NBC 2Go on V CAST Mobile TV from Verizon Wireless, a service of MediaFLO USA.
Programmers will choose which games to cover based on team performances the previous week.

Read on for a longer list of games.

=> Read more!

Authorities in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan are talking with officials at Sea-Tac-based Horizon Air about establishing air service between the two cities.

Saskatoon, a city of some 207,000 people, wants more air service connections to cities in the Western United States.

The city's only U.S. airline service is now provided by Northwest Airlines, which connects Saskatoon to Minneapolis.

Horizon isn't the only airline hearing Saskatoon's entreaties. The city's airport authority is also talking with Delta, United and Frontier airlines about initiating service.

Horizon is no stranger to Canada. It connects Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Kelowna, Kamloops and Edmondton to Seattle.

Saskatoon is 768 airlines from Seattle, about 100 miles more distant than San Francisco is from the Emerald City.

Today is a big production day for the newsroom. We'll get WASL scores for about 200 schools in our coverage area at 10 a.m. this morning.

After posting a quick statewide story on the web site, three of our reporters will set out analyzing the scores in each district and talking to educators to get their take.

We've also reassigned Dave Wickert, our county government reporter, to help us manage the massive about of data we're about to receive. Dave is our expert at downloading and cleaning up databases, and making them presentable for publication.

In addition to three or four WASL stories, we're planning to run five open pages of test scores in our A Section tomorrow. That's a lot of newsprint, but we know our readers expect to find their schools' scores in the paper and be able to compare them to other schools.

This is a process we've perfected over the years, but today our education team is especially pressed to handle all this, plus a local district (Bethel) out on strike.

After a fair amount of reporter shuffling this morning, it looks like we've got everything covered. Now it's time to roll up our sleeves.

The pace of work on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner as well as on its 747 and 777 widebodies has created a demand for experienced machinists that Boeing can't fill immediately in the Puget Sound area.

So the company is seeking volunteers from its Wichita, Kan. plant where work is a bit slack now.

The company is proposing to relocate 60 to 80 experienced machinists for one to three months until the crush of activity is under control at its Everett plant.

The company reportedly has been borrowing mechanics from its 747 and 777 assembly lines to do extra work on it 787.

The 787 is running at least a month behind schedule because subcontractors were unable to finish all work on the major pieces of the plane before shipping them to Everett for final assembly.

That means workers there are having to wire and plumb the first planes instead of just snapping the major pieces together as originally planned.

Add 42 more Boeing 737-800s to Boeing's 2007 order tally.

Low-fare carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA ordered that many, worth $3.1 billion at list prices, from Boeing today.

The carrier also took purchase rights for an additional 42 737s. The airline has already put 11 737-800s in its fleet using leased aircraft.

The Oslo-headquartered airline's 737s will all be equipped with optional blended winglets to improve performance and economy.

The Norwegian orders comes at a time when analysts are predicting a shakeout among European low-fare carriers. The continent has literally dozens of low-cost carriers competing for business.

While the low fares have attracted new business, the growth is beginning to slow down.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and six other governors have declared Friday to be College Colors Day to celebrate the start of the collegiate athletic season.

Gregoire encourages Washingtonians to show their school spirit by wearing their college colors tomorrow. Question is, will she wear University of Washington colors (she graduated in 1969) or Gonzaga's, where she got her law degree in 1977? My suggestion? Change outfits at noon so she can honor both.

The event hasn't gotten a lot of publicity, so I don't really expect to see many purple-gold and crimson-gray ensembles tomorrow. And you won't catch me wearing my school colors either. Florida's orange and blue just look weird as office attire.

This has nothing to do with Winter Olympics, but it's worth mentioning.

Bernard Lagat, one of WSU most accomplished athletes, made U.S. Track history Wednesday by becoming the first American to win a World Championship. A few years ago it would have been just another Kenyan win, but Bernard became a U.S. citizen in 2004 and now runs for the U.S. team
Read more here.

Lagat's career highlights include:
- U.S. Records in the 1,500, and indoor 1,500, mile and 3,000.
- Bronze at the 2000 Olympics
- Silver at the 2004 Olympics
- Silver at the 2002 World Championships
- 2002 African championship
- Two U.S. Championships (1,500 and 5,000)
- 11-time All-American at WSU.
- Indoor NCAA champ in teh mile and 3,000 in 1999.
- 1999 NCAA Indoor athlete of the year.
- 1999 NCAA 5,000-meter Outdoor National Champ.

Lagat lives in Tucson.

Nearly two years after the 18 units at The Vintage Y in downtown Tacoma went on sale, two remain.

J.J. McCament, who markets the project, told me this week she had expected all of the units to be sold by now. She attributed the delay to the location of the units – next to the under-construction Roberson (another condo project McCament markets) – and their price tag.

“All units over $500,000 sold slower. We had three units over $500,000 and we have two left. That was the first indication to us there was a great price sensitivity starting to show up,” she said. The ones remaining are priced at $545,000 and $565,000.

I asked her what condo developers should be doing when they find themselves in a tight market like today’s. Watch the competition and do quality work, from flooring to fixtures to window blinds, she said.

“The rooms have to be large enough for entertaining … make the most of your views,” she said. “It’s a bit of a tightrope, because it costs more to build, for the fixtures, but you have to do it or you won’t be competitive.”

The first of the 47 units at The Roberson are expected to be done in October. So far, purchase-and-sale agreements are being processed on 15 units, the first of them expected to close Oct. 15. The condos range in price from $241,000 to $899,000, she said.

The Huskies arrived last night in Syracuse, land of Jim Brown, Ernie David and Floyd Little, and so did I.

One of the odd little footnotes of UW camp the past couple of days has been Tyrone Willingham's contention that one element of playing in the Carrier Dome is that certain open doors might affect the wind currents inside.

So, it was interested to arrive in Syracuse last night just in time to watch the local news, in which the Syracuse media asked coach Greg Robinson about that. Robinson gave mostly a "huh?" answer, finally adding that he's never noticed anything like that.

However, there is one thing about the Carrier Dome that everyone seems to agree on, and that is that it is hot and humid. And that, unfortunately, could be a real issue in the game tomorrow, because it's in the '80s here now. They're predicting a "cold front" to move through today, but that's expected to bring rain and maybe even thunderstorms, but not notably lower temperatures.

The Huskies are scheduled for a walk-though at the Dome today, but neither UW nor Syracuse plans any contact with the media, so I might not have much more to write today. However, I plan to swing by the campus today and get a look at the dome, and I'll post back is there's anything worth posting.

And finally, I'm supposed to be on KJR again today, discussing the UW opener with the Groz. However, I'm not sure if that's the usual 2:20 p.m. time or not. I'll also try to post a note on that when the time is set.

Here's some Olympic updates you can read in tomorrow's TNT Adventure section.

2010 OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN
897 Days … until the Winter Olympics come to Vancouver, B.C.

LOCAL ATHLETES
- Marni Yamada of Seattle made the U.S. snowboard cross C team on Aug. 15.
- Vic Wild of White Salmon made the U.S. snowboard alpine C team.

TEAMS USA UPDATES
- U.S. cross country physical therapist Aaron Saari summited Mount McKinley – North America’s tallest peak at 20,320-feet – this month.
- When the national snowboard teams were announced this month the list included the following former Olympians: Tommy Czeschin, Gretchen Bleiler, Tricia Byrnes, Lindsey Jacobellis, Hannah Teter, Jayson Hale, Nate Holland, Seth Wescott, Jason Smith, Graham Watanabe, Tyler Jewell, Chris Klug and Michelle Gorgone.
- Eric Warren of Vermont, a three-time top 10 finisher on the World Cup circuit, retired from the U.S. snowboarding team Aug. 14.
- The U.S. alpine ski team trained on hockey skates in late July. They played hockey and did speed training with coaches from the Utah Grizzlies, a minor league hockey team.
- Sasha Rearick was promoted to the U.S. Ski Team’s men’s slalom and giant slalom coach. Rearick, who coached the Europa Cup team the last two years, replaces Mike Morin who left to coach college skiing.
- U.S. mogul skiers recently wrapped up training on Mt. Hood.

FACILITY UPDATES
- The Whistler Nordic Center is due to be complete in November.
- A slide show detailing construction of the Whistler Blackcomb Olympic sliding center can be seen at vancouver2010.com.
- Whistler is seeking contractors for its athletes village.
- According to a survey conducted by the Vancouver Organizing Committee, Olympic fans are looking forward to the completion of the Richmond speed skating oval more than any other venue for the 2010 games. The facility is schedule to be complete next fall.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
- Aug. 8 marked the one-year mark to the 2008 summer games.

COMING UP
- The snowboard World Cup season starts Friday in New Zealand. The first snowboard cross competition is Sept. 25-29 in Chile.
- The next meeting of VANOC directors is Sept. 19.
- Whistler Blackcomb, host of the Olympic alpine and sliding events, will host a Kiss concert on its slopes Sept. 15.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2010 Winter Olympics do not go on sale until 2008. Ticket sale information will be announced this fall. To receive an e-mail notification when tickets go on sale, sign up vancouver2010.com.

When Boeing said travelers will prefer direct long-distance flights on smaller planes such as its new 787 rather than connecting through a hub, the company must have had London's Heathrow Airport in mind.

It's been a couple of years since I had transited London's Heathrow Airport, so I hadn't seen firsthand why travelers have been rating it one of the world's worst.

Just this week we connected at Heathrow to and from Spain. We lost our baggage both coming and going. The airline simply shrugged its shoulders and blamed the luggage disconnect on congestion and understaffing at Heathrow, the world's third busiest airport.

As the airport has grown to accommodate an increasing number of passengers and flights, it has grown helter skelter: a new wing here, an addition there. Parts of the terminal were built in the '40s, others in the '90s. There seems to be no logic as to how the terminal grew. If the airport needed 10 more gates, they were added in any available space even it meant putting two dogleg hallways and two changes of elevation into the walk from the central area to the gates.

=> Read more!

I had the pleasure of sitting through an hour of PowerPoint today, the results of a local market study that Belden Associates conducted for The News Tribune. The highlights from the 1,202 phone interviews with Pierce County residents in May:

- 75% accessed anything on the Internet in the past 30 days
- 8 % visit thenewstribune.com on an average weekday (about 44,000 people)
- 17% visited thenewstribune.com in the past 7 days
- 26% visited thenewstribune.com in the past 30 days
- 47% have ever visited thenewstribune.com

By comparison, 68% (393,000 people) have read the printed TNT in the past seven days. So no, print is not dead, despite lots of proclamations to the contrary.

In fact, only 3% of the county visits thenewstribune.com without ever picking up the printed TNT. About 14% use both products while 54% use the printed paper only (remember, 25% of the county doesn't use the Internet). Some 29% of the county doesn't touch the TNT in either format. Ever.

What's wrong with them?

From Howard Weaver, McClatchy's vice president for news:

Forgive me if it sounds like bragging, but may I say that this is a damned fine time to be a McClatchy journalist?

I wrote earlier this morning about how proud we all are of the fine way our colleagues in Idaho have covered the Sen. Larry Craig story. Operating under great pressure and later facing direct accusations, they've showed the professionalism and poise we'd all hope for in such situations.

Earlier in the week the nation's biggest story was the resignation of Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales, an event related in no small part to the work of reporters in the McClatchy Washington Bureau. Marisa Taylor, Margaret Talev, Greg Gordon and others have been out front on reporting about firings of U.S. Attorneys and politicization of the Justice Department for months.

And far to the south in Mississippi, our colleagues at the Sun Herald have won an important victory for the public interest after months of fighting to make video of a deadly jailhouse beating made public. As the paper reported today:

"The release of the video for public view marks the conclusion of months of legal action by the Sun Herald in efforts to restore public records to the people of Harrison County and shed light on what has been taking place behind the bars of the county jail.

"The Sun Herald began filing public-records requests in search of answers within days of Williams' death. In October 2006 the FBI seized thousands of pages of records from the jail without making copies. That December the Sun Herald filed public-records requests that led to a lawsuit in Chancery Court."

Like everybody else in our business, we're struggling with changing economics and audiences these days. Unlike some, we have a fixed star to guide us: the McClatchy mission.

We're a public service journalism company. It's what we do and why we exist. Yes, it's tougher than ever these days, but as our colleagues have demonstrated so well this week, we're making a difference for our communities and our country.

Thanks to all of them for the affirmation – and to all of you for being the foundation of this worthy enterprise.

Howard maintains a blog for McClatchy editors, called Etaoin Shrdlu. Click the link and you can see more.

Just in case you are craving for more numbers after the three previous posts, additional numbers generated by the folks who run The Puyallup Fair.

• In September 2006, there were 582,050 visits to www.thefair.com and www.doozy.net (versus 347,401 visits in September 2005), with 2,749,953 page views.

• In 2006, non-Puyallup Fair events on the fairgrounds accounted for 133events, and 232 event days.

• Hold onto your seatbelt! The Extreme Scream gave 34,907 brave thrill riders a memory they’ll never forget in 2006.

• A total of 58,000 passengers enjoyed the debut of the C.P. Huntington Train in SillyVille in 2006.

• A total of 687,756 students and 109,471 educational employees (teachers and staff) in Western Washington received complimentary tickets to the 2006 fair.

• Last year, 92,386 people left the driving to Pierce Transit. They avoided traffic or parking hassles by traveling to their local park-and-ride lot.

• Washington’s Lottery sold $89,288 worth of tickets at the 2006 Puyallup Fair, up over $8,000 from 2005.

• 27,078 Fair guests enjoyed using 13,539 Value Packs.

• The fair staff are pros at matching lost children/adults! A total of 659 guests were temporarily lost and found last year -- 13% less match-ups than 2005.

• During the 17-day Fair, over 20,000 kids had designs airbrushed on their faces in 2006. That averaged nearly 1,200 faces a day.

• The rodeo had 381 entries with winnings paid out totaling $251,995.95. A total of 36 entries were from Washington. U.S. contestants came from: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Canadian contestants came from Alberta and British Columbia.

Three state-wide youth shows are held during the fair: the 4-H State Fair, the Washington State FFA Exhibition and the Washington Junior Poultry Exposition.

Here's information on the 2006 open class entries provided by The Puyallup Fair (non-livestock departments and youth shows):

• 6,245 – Floral
• 1,108 - Hobby Hall
• 3,500 - Photo Salon
• 1,819 - Home Arts
• 1,416 - Jr./Sr. High Art Show
• 942 - Fine Art Show
• 1,121 - Ag Hort

The fair also was full of barnyard critters in 2005, including:
• 374 – poultry
• 380 – beef
• 502 – goats
• 634 – pigeons
• 384 - dairy cattle
• 639 - sheep
• 593 - rabbits

Prices and calories aren't the only "food numbers" you might be interested in from the fair. Read on and find out about the numbers you'll never have to memorize for your finals at the end of this semester, but you could use them to show off the depth of your knowledge to your friends (some 2005 and 2006 figures provided by The Puyallup Fair).

• Scones dripping with butter and raspberry jam are a tradition for many guests who attend the Puyallup Fair. In 2005, bakers were busy, baking 988,250 scones. That includes 75 tons of flour, 12 tons of butter, and 40 tons of raspberry jam.

• The Puyallup Fair wouldn’t be complete without a burger – 59,883 burgers to be exact!

• Gotta love those Krusty Pups. A total of 13,010 wieners on sticks were dipped in batter and fried. Hey, pass the mustard!

• Don’t call us chicken! Fair guests consumed 40,324 pounds of chicken at the 2006 Puyallup Fair.

• The all-American hot dog did well, with 3,630 served.

• Hamburger Myers’ two food stands served 7 tons (that’s 14,000 pounds) of onions on their burgers. Makes you want to cry.

• The Wilcox Farms cows were busy, since 3,823 gallons of 2-oz. samples of flavored milk were served, over 10% more than last year.

• A&W sampled and sold 66 cases of Fuse and Wired Energy; up 66% over 2005, with sales up 61%.

Here are some "hygiene numbers" provided by The Puyallup Fair.

• The average washing machine uses 55 gallons of water per load. It would take nearly 64 loads in the washing machine using germicidal bathroom sanitizer rather than water to equal the amount of sanitizer used at the 2006 Puyallup Fair—3,500 gallons.

• Since the average domestic cat’s tail length is 12”, you would need to put 1,255,000 cats, tail to tail to equal the length of toilet paper used at the 2006 Puyallup Fair—15,060,000 feet.

• The average bath tub holds 35 gallons of liquid. It would take 22 bath tubs filled with liquid soap to equal the amount used at the 2006 Puyallup Fair—770 gallons of liquid soap.

• If every person who is a Bellevue resident (well, except a few on a business trip) held a garbage bag filled with trash, that would equal the number of trash bags used during the 2006 Puyallup Fair -- 112,500 bags.

• The average man’s foot length is about 9.4”, so you would need 579,787 men’s feet, lined up heal to toe to equal the amount of paper towels used in restrooms at the 2006 Puyallup Fair --5,450,000 feet.

• Fill every seat in Safeco Field for a Mariner’s game 7.8 times, and that is the amount of toilet seat covers used during the 17-day Puyallup Fair in 2006 --365,000 toilet seat covers.

Brazil's TAM Airlines today ordered four more Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, taking total orders for the 777 family of aircraft over the 1,000 mark.

With the TAM orders, Boeing now has orders from 1,003 777s since the first order came in 1990.

Boeing has received 100 orders for the 777 in 2007. With the order for four additional 777s, TAM now has eight 777s on order with Boeing.

The order is especially significant for Boeing because TAM had been an all-Airbus airline before the 777 orders.

In today's column, I described some flourishes stolen from over the years from inside the 1916 Elks lodge in downtown Tacoma.

Preservation architect Jeff Ryan found some windows and railings this month in two local antique shops. Ryan provided the following photographs from his files – some he took and some from the Tacoma Public Library's historical records – to help identify some of the missing pieces.

In this 1939 photograph of a dance in the banquet room, you can see the chandelier style and get a peek at part of the exit sign behind the pillar.

One of the exit signs showed up at Sanford & Son Antiques just down Broadway from the Elks Lodge. Ryan took this photograph of it.

=> Read more!

I spoke with defensive coordinator John Marshall earlier today for some stuff in our special section and happened to ask him about the starting right end spot, Tapp or Fisher. He said that both are going to play against the Raiders tomorrow night, and whichever guy plays better is likely going to get the starting position against Tampa Bay.

=> Read more!

Statewide voter turnout in the Aug. 21 primary was an estimated 28 percent, lower than the 34 percent Secretary of State Sam Reed had predicted.

State elections director Nick Handy, who released the estimate today, said a lack of rousing races or issues in the state’s three largest counties dragged down turnout overall. Turnout ranged from 70 percent in Lincoln County to 22 percent in Franklin County.

Echoing one of Reed’s favorite themes, Handy said the latest primary voting pattern demonstrates that all-mail voting boosts turnout.

Among the poll-site counties of King, Kittitas, and Pierce, the projected overall turnout is 25%. Turnout in the state’s two largest counties, King and Pierce, was driven down by poll voters. Combined turnout for poll voters in King and Pierce is expected to reach only 8%, while combined turnout for those voting by mail is likely to reach 33%.

“When voters receive their ballots at their homes, they are more likely to vote,” said Handy. “The 25% turnout difference between poll voters and vote-by-mail voters in King and Pierce really underscores why counties in Washington are moving to vote-by-mail.”

The vote-by-mail counties that held primaries report an estimated turnout of 32%. This suggests the vote-by-mail turnout in King and Pierce is tracking the statewide average.

Results by county are available here.

King County is scheduled to begin all-mail voting in 2008. Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy has asked the County Council to approve all-mail voting, but the council is not expected to decide until early next year. If the council says no, Pierce County would be the last in the the state with election-day polling places.

This from The Associated Press:

A union representing about 20,000 grocery and retail workers in the Puget Sound region has overwhelmingly approved a three-year contract, according to results announced late Tuesday night.

The agreement, approved by 92 percent of those voting, covers cashiers, grocery workers and meat department employees at Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer and QFC stores in the region. The contract agreement came earlier this month following five months of negotiations over sticking points including wages, scheduling and sick leave.

The previous contract expired May 5.

The three main companies involved in the negotiations were Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., which owns Fred Meyer and QFC; Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc.; and Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Supervalu Inc., which owns Albertsons.

The workers are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers.

In a statement, the union’s Local 21 said the new contract includes wage increases and better medical benefits, as well as advances in sick leave and family-friendly scheduling

The anti-war Democrats aren't happy at all with U.S. Rep. Brian Baird's call for giving the U.S. military more time in Iraq. MSNBC's FirstRead blog reports that MoveOn is planning to run YouTube spots blasting him for a "flip-flop." (YouTube ad here.)

Naturally, the House Republican Leadership hastened to call attention to the ads, e-mailing editorial page editors around the county. Their message linked to a column by the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby asserting that “the left insists on defeat in Iraq” and “beats up any Democrat who strays off-message.”

Baird, D-Vancouver, made the "more time" case in an oped article published in the Seattle Times and The News Tribune.

Conservative columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin has an account of the rough reception Baird received at a town hall meeting in the Third Congressional District last weekend after his stance hit the news.

The Associated Press reports that a California produce company recalled bagged fresh spinach Wednesday after it tested positive for salmonella.

There were no immediate reports of illness linked to the tainted spinach, distributed by Metz Fresh LLC of King City, Calif.

The recall comes nearly a year after an outbreak of another pathogen, E. coli, in fresh spinach killed three people and sickened another 200, according to The Associated Press.

The recalled spinach was distributed throughout the 48 states and Canada and sold in both retail and food service packages. It covers 8,118 cases of spinach, although the company said more than 90 percent of that was on hold and would not be released.

While only a single sample from one of three packing lines tested positive for salmonella, the company said it moved to recall all the spinach packed that same day as a precaution.

The recall covers 10- and 16-ounce bags, as well as 4-pound cartons and cartons that contain four 2.5-pound bags, with the following tracking codes: 12208114, 12208214 and 12208314.

Consumers with questions can contact Metz Fresh at 831-386-1018.

This is latest in a long line of product recalls – whether toys from China or spinach from California.

I wonder – has it changed the way you shop? Is anyone looking at labels more? Not buying certain products?

Let me know. kelly.kearsley@thenewstribune.com

Good Charlotte is Justin Timberlake's opening act for the Sept. 8 show at the Tacoma Dome. But I also recently learned that Benji and Joel Madden will also appear at the Verizon Wireless store at 2125 South 320th St., in Federal Way, between 1:30 and 3 p.m. that day for a brief acoustic performance and autograph session.

Also, stay tuned for audio clips from my interview with GC's Benji. Among other things, he told me a funny story about getting sucked into the tabloid frenzy that's followed his twin brother and his last couple of girlfriends. Hint: It involves accusations of cheating.

I just received this press release from the Sonics today. No surprises here as these guys have been rumored to be joining the staff.

Seattle SuperSonics General Manager Sam Presti today announced additions to the Sonics Basketball front office staff as Bill Branch, Gerald Madkins and Frank Ross will all begin their Sonics duties immediately in preparation for the 2007-08 season.
 
“I am excited to welcome Bill, Gerald and Frank to the Sonics organization, and I look forward to their contributions as we move forward." Presti said. "They each bring unique experiences and perspectives to our scouting and personnel systems.”
 
Branch, who enters his 21st year in the NBA, was named the Sonics’ Director of Pro Player Personnel. For the past five seasons, Branch served as an assistant coach/director of scouting for the Denver Nuggets. He joined the Nuggets in 1997 as a scout and was later named director of scouting before his promotion to assistant coach. He began his NBA career with the expansion Charlotte Hornets in 1987 where he spent 10 seasons.
 
Madkins joins the Sonics as the Director of West Coast Scouting. Before joining the Sonics, Madkins was a scout with the New York Knicks for the past four seasons and served as an assistant coach with UCLA and Cal State Stanislaus. Madkins was named the Continental Basketball Association’s Rookie of the Year in 1993, and played three years in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. He also played professionally overseas in Spain and France.
 
Ross joins the Sonics as the Director of East Coast Scouting. For the past four seasons, Ross has been a scout with the Charlotte Bobcats after two seasons as the lead assistant coach with the University of Albany (NY). A fifth-round draft choice by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1987 NBA Draft, Ross played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and in Germany with TTL Bamberg. Before joining the coaching ranks, Ross was a five-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department in northern Virginia.

Our reporting on the Mariners goes beyond just the stories Larry LaRue and others write. Staff photographers also capture interesting and important moments. A good example is this sequence shot by Peter Haley on Monday night.

Have any good summer vacation stories? It probably won't match the one from Patrick Carlisle, a Pacific Lutheran University student-turned-impromptu-air-marshal during a Horizon Air flight last weekend.

The Big Blog writes:
As the plane was ascending, a 22-year-old California woman reportedly put a flight attendant in a headlock and told her, "If anyone's going to die on this flight, it's going to be you," Carlisle said.

Carlisle and UW student Scott Handlin detained the woman as the plane made a U-turn back to Sea-Tac, where the woman received a one-way ticket to see a phsyciatrist.

These are courtesy of my friends at Bodog.com:

Team Odds

Odds to win the 2008 NFC Championship

Seattle Seahawks 6/1

Odds to win the 2008 Super Bowl XLII

Seattle Seahawks 20/1

Odds to win the NFC West Division

Seattle Seahawks 7/5

Arizona Cardinals 3/1

San Francisco 49ers 9/5

St.Louis Rams 4/1

Odds to win the NFC West Division

Seattle Seahawks 7/5

Arizona Cardinals 3/1

San Francisco 49ers 9/5

St.Louis Rams 4/1

Win Totals

2007 NFL Regular Season Wins - Seattle Seahawks

Over 9 (EVEN)

Under 9 (-130)

Player Performance Odds

Matt Hasselbeck - Passing Yards

Over 3525 -120

Under 3525 -120

Matt Hasselbeck - Passing Touchdowns

Over 25 (-120)

Under 25 (-120)

Matt Hasselbeck - Pass Interceptions

Over 15 (-120)

Under 15 (-120)

Shaun Alexander - Rushing Yards

Over 1650 (-120)

Under 1650 (-120)

Shaun Alexander - Rushing Touchdowns

Over 16 (-120)

Under 16 (-120)

Deion Branch - Receiving Yards

Over 965 (-120)

Under 965 (-120)

Deion Branch - Pass Receptions

Over 68 (-120)

Under 68 (-120)

Deion Branch - Total Receiving Touchdowns

Over 5½ (-130)

Under 5½ (-110)

Julian Peterson - Tackles (Solo + Assisted)

Over 88 (-120)

Under 88 (-120)

Julian Peterson - Sacks

Over 7½ (-115)

Under 7½ (-125)

Patrick Kerney - Sacks

Over 7 (-120)

Under 7 (-120)

Lofa Tatupu - Total Tackles (Solo + Assisted)

Over 92½ (-120)

Under 92½ (-120)

I was just writing up my interview with Chicago singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, the guy I'm more excited to see this weekend at Bumbershoot than anyone else. And since a lot of you haven't heard of him, I thought I'd share the performance on "Late Night with David Letterman" that caught my attention. "Plasticities" is one of my favorite songs of '07, and that whistling thing Bird does is just haunting.

He goes on at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on the Mural Amphitheatre stage. Find a full Bumbershoot lineup here.

Also, check back in over the weekend. Like last year, I'll be wandering around Seattle Center with a camera, documenting the sights and sounds of the grandaddy of Northwest music festivals.

I took a drive down to Tenino Saturday. It was another open garden event for the Northwest Perennial Alliance. http://www.northwestperennialalliance.org/
The bucolic community has some very active gardeners.

First up was the garden of Lois Willman and her husband, David. Their six acre property packs a lot in: wooded area, ponds, sculpture, vegetable garden, greenhouses, orchard. It was all incredible.

One wall of a barn has been painted a deep raspberry.

Groundcovers thrive in the woodland.

A charming garden setting.

A banana is the highlight of an ornamental border next to the vegetable garden.

Next up was the garden of Jean Maust and Bob Demico. They started their garden with food in mind but have slowly added areas for year round enjoyment.

The tall plant on the left is Datisca cannabina, also known as False Hemp. It was getting a lot of attention Saturday. Jean said she bought it at Steamboat Island Nursery (one of my favorites) http://www.steamboatislandnursery.com/

Globe thistles frame a rustic arch.

A grape arbor was loaded with little green pearls.

I'm a sucker for dark leaved Dahlias.

The last garden I visited was owned by Sally Alhadeff, a Seattle refugee. Her spread has an expansive feel as it sits in a huge valley bordered by fields.

Sculptures add to this combination.

Sally has quite an artistic eye for combining elements as this setting shows.

Take a seat here and you won't want to get up for a long time.

Verbena combines with a sumac in Sally's central garden.

Did you catch the change on the front page this morning?

It's right there, under the teasers, which run directly below the name of our paper and the picture of the mountain.

"thenewstribune.com" appears in bigger, bolder type than it used to, and we've moved it to its own line.

It's part of our grander plan to remind newspaper readers that there's more news and fresher news online. And we do the same thing on our web homepage, telling readers what's coming soon to them in the newspaper.

We'll keep playing around with the type on the URL over the next several days.

Love it? Hate it? Don't care? Let us know.

This is 45 seconds of an interview I did with Derek Devine Tuesday afternoon. He should get playing time against the Raiders on Thursday and may be competing for a roster spot (long shot), may be competing for a spot on the practice squad.

There are tough losses and then there are beatings, and heading into the series finale today the Seattle Mariners have simply been beaten by the first-place Angels.

It’s a reminder that, against the division leaders they’ve played this month – Boston and now Los Angeles – Seattle simply does not have a starting pitcher that can match up with the best of those other teams.

Daisuke Matsusaka and Josh Beckett flattened the Mariners offense, and John Lackey shut them out.

Against other wild card contenders, the Mariners match up a little better, but it’s a harsh reminder that – even if they should make the playoffs – the kind of post-season pitching they’d face is likely to send them home frustrated.

Seattle has come a long way in 2007, from a 78-win team a year ago to contention, but they don’t have the starting rotation to hang with the best. And the best is good enough to stifle if not stop the Mariners offense.

It’s not just Richie Sexson that’s going to hold Seattle back – it’s a rotation that’s good enough to contend, but not nearly good enough to hold its own against the best.

Seattle doesn't yet have that No. 1 starter, and no one this season has pitched much better than a No. 3.

It's the difference that will keep them from being an elite team.

The Port of Tacoma estimates three new marine terminals on the east side of Blair Waterway and the infrastructure to support them will cost about $812 million over the next decade.

It's a figure that includes the $300 million the port will spend to build a container terminal for NYK Line, as well the cost of moving TOTE up the waterway and building rail yards and roads.

Port of Tacoma Executive Director Tim Farrell said the port will finance the construction projects through its revenue and bonds.

He also repeated a statement that he and other port officials have said: Your tax rate won't increase to pay for the projects.

UPDATE: This may actually be in Friday's Business section, not Thursday's.

I plan on writing up this story today for Thursday's paper. Check back for details in the projects and how they will be financed.

Drive-thru service is one of the "key business builders" recommended in a national restaurant survey.

Sixty-three percent of quick-service restaurants expect unspecified but larger sales from drive-thru operations, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association.

I'm a California kid, so I understand car culture. We had a drive-thru dairy in our town, and there were no cows in sight.

Drive-thru cleaning. Drive-thru cigarettes, even drive-thru frisky espresso, they're all part of our vehicular addiction.

Back when I worked for Restaurant Ray, I did a drive-thru promotion. One of his restaurants did great lunch business, but suffered for customers when downtown workers drove home in droves.

DRIVE-THRU TAKE-OUT

Leave Work Fast. Get Dinner Faster.

Phone in your order. Pay be credit card.

Call us when you get to the parking lot next door.

We'll bring your dinner right out to you.

Yeah, pretty much what Outback does.

By the way, my favorite South Sound drive-thru is at Wagner's Bakery in Olympia. Pastries. In the side alley. Delicious.

Where's your favorite drive-thru, with or without fries with that?

With the exception of the work of some columnists, we seldom ask reporters to write about themselves. We prefer to write stories about what folks outside our building are doing.

This piece in today's paper by sports writer Don Ruiz is an exception to what we normally do. Don, who covers University of Washington sports for us, is a native of New Orleans. His family was among the thousand affected two years ago when Hurricane Katrina moved through the Gulf Coast region. At the time, Don wrote a story about his family and the devastation of the hurricane brought to New Orleans. Don has since visited the region a few times. Today's story is update on what he has seen and what the future holds for his hometown.

Interested in getting inside some of the Craftsman homes that dot many of Tacoma’s neighborhoods? You can tour seven of them Sept. 15 as part of the Historic Tacoma 2007 Old House Tour.

The tour is being put on by Historic Tacoma, which will provide displays explaining the elements of Craftsman-styled kitchens and bathrooms. Also, expect to find Craftsman design features, such as stained and leaded glass, stone fireplaces and wood paneling.

Tickets cost $15 and can be bought at Dave’s Meat & Produce, 1312 N. I St., and King’s Books, 218 St. Helens Ave.

Warnings for the wary in the wilderness of scams:

1. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about the reemergence of counterfeit check scams in the Northwest.

All of the scams follow a similar pattern. Initially, consumers receive a check, sometimes with the logo of a bank or large corporation, explaining that they have won a lottery or prize. The recipient is instructed to deposit the check into their bank account and then wire a portion of that money back to cover fees or taxes.

The checks are counterfeit, and the victim is out the money sent.

So when the checks arrive, verify them at your financial institution. Better yet, tear them up.

2. The Internal Revenue Service has issued a consumer alert regarding a new, two-step e-mail scam that falsely promises recipients they will receive $80 for participating in an online customer satisfaction survey.

In the scam, an unsuspecting taxpayer receives an unsolicited e-mail that appears to come from the IRS. The e-mail contains a URL linking to an online “Member Satisfaction Survey.” The survey requests the name and phone number of the participant and also asks for credit card information.

Actually, the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through e-mail.

Recipients of questionable e-mail that appears to come from the IRS should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the e-mail. Instead, the e-mail should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.

So far, the IRS has received more than 30,000 e-mails from taxpayers reporting almost 400 such phishing incidents. To date, investigations have identified host sites in at least 55 different countries, as well as in the United States.

With only two full days of practice, the Seahawks have a short walkthrough Wednesday morning in preparation for Thursday night's game. That walkthrough is closed to the media, meaning we have no availability.

=> Read more!

Gary Matthews of the Los Angeles Angels successfully evaded the tag of Mariner second baseman Jose Lopez at Safeco Field August 27, 2007.

In the first frame you can see that Matthews is beginning a slide.

Seeing Lopez's glove blocking his foot's path to the bag, he digs in, nearly stopping, and goes up.

Lopez follows with the glove, but Matthews keeps his waist back, just out of reach.

Then with the glove up at waist level, Matthews thrusts his foot out...

...and reaches the bag at the same moment that Lopez tags.

But the tie goes to the runner.

God, I can't wait for Anton Corbijn's Joy Division flick, "Control," based on that clip. (Sorry about the titles, but the English version wouldn't let me embed.) It stars Sam Riley, who had a bit part in "24 Hour Party People," a flick about Joy Division's label, Factory Records. And early reports are that he's spot on as tortured lead singer Ian Curtis, who hung himself in 1980.

Regarding the authenticity of the forthcoming (due in October) Joy Division and New Order's Bernard Sumner tells Rolling Stone, "I think Peter [bassist Hook] smokes in the movie, but he didn't do that. Everything else was pretty accurate."

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. They look good. There is nothing super illuminating in here but as a Seahawks fan I'm sure you want to read through it.

Shaun Alexander
July 30, 2007

(On beginning the regular season…) “Football, it’s what we do. It’s so exciting that it’s so close. We’ve been wanting to play and I feel like I haven’t really been able to play in a year. I’m over here just almost giddy. The real bullets are going to be flying. That’s the best thing. No one will be surprised if I tell you my favorite part of football is game day. For the fact that the real games are so close I am really excited.”

=> Read more!

Our ed board met with Tacoma Port Director Tim Farrell today to go over the basic financial aspects of the port's recent deal to build a $300 terminal for NYK Line.

It wasn't easy to grasp all the complexities of the deal, and at times Farrell struggled to explain them in easy-to-understand terms. We needed Port Finance for Dummies.

His basic point, however, is that the deal is an unprecedented "cost-plus" agreement that reduces the port's risk of being burned by volatile construction costs. It's a first in the U.S. port industry, he believes.

The port has to do more than simply build the new terminal, the port's biggest.
It will also have to relocate the current TOTE terminal on the Blair Waterway and build new rail infrastructure on the east side of the Blair. In ballpark figures, the port will spend about $815 million to make it all happen.

"There was no low-balling of the land value," Farrell insisted. The ultimate result, he said, will enable the port to maintain its benchmark goal of generating annual revenue equal twice the amount needed to pay its annual debt obligations.

I believe the newsroom is working on a more comprehensive look at the intricacies of the deal that will help shed light on the port's big move. We told Farrell we thought the port needed to do a better job of explaining to the public how it does business. He said the port is coming to understand that, too.

These were transcribed by the Seahawks. I have read through them. They are missing some of Hasselbeck's responses about his meeting with President Bush. Some of that was esoterica but he also admitted that he has voted twice for Bush and that while he does not follow politics religiously, he does follow them.

Matt Hasselbeck
August 28, 2007

(On goals for the upcoming game) “We’re still working. We’re not technically in training camp because we don’t have those night meetings and we don’t necessarily practice twice in pads a day but we’re still working hard. We’re still working towards that first game September 9. We use these preseason games as an opportunity to compete live against another opponent; full speed, tackling, hitting, all that kind of stuff. Try to work on game management and making good decisions. We’re still just plugging away here knowing that the ultimate goal, obviously we’re trying to play well in these games and win these games, but the ultimate goal is to hopefully hit the ground running for September.”

=> Read more!

A co-worker got an e-mail today letting them know that the highly anticipated cupcake shop near the University of Washington Tacoma will open on Friday.

"We invite you to come celebrate with us and enjoy our fresh baked cupcakes," the e-mail said.

The company's Web site lists eight flavors including carrot, orange and coconut.

The store is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The shop is located at 1740 Pacific Ave.

The Huskies leave for Syracuse this afternoon.

Tuesday news: Cornerback Byron Davenport’s hamstring injury has made significant recent progress, and he is likely to travel with the team. However, true freshman will start against Syracuse regardless.

Kicker Nick Folk (back) likely won’t travel, but the kicking/punting duties haven’t yet been assigned to either Ryan Perkins or Jared Ballman.

Linebacker Donald Butler (knee) is improving, but if he can’t start Saturday, Willingham expressed confidence in Trenton Tuiasosopo.

The left tackle competition between Cody Habben and Ben Ossai also remains unsettled. At Tuesday practice, Habben started with the No. 1 offense.

It was a hot practice in full pads for two hours. No Kelly Jennings, Julian Peterson or Marcus Tubbs, which means they will not be playing in Thursday's game against the Oakland Raiders. Jordan Babineaux and Walter Jones were on the far field, getting in some work.

=> Read more!

We recently took note of Ian Morrison's new role as Gov. Chris Gregoire's Pierce County representative. In the same vein, we introduce Clark Mather, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks' new Sixth District director based in Tacoma.

We met Mather recently when accompanied his boss to a TNT editorial board meeting. A 2001 WSU grad, Mather worked for five years as a legislative assistant in U.S. Sen Maria Cantwell's Washington, D.C., office before signing on with Dicks. He's held the district post since January.

Mather replaced Tom Luce, who took a new job as executive director of the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma. The Sixth District takes in part of Tacoma and nearly all of the Olympic Peninsula. Mather can be reached at clark.mather@mail.house.gov.

Remember that American Idiot contest I mentioned a while back? The one that KISW is hosting? Well, guess what? Tacoma's own Top Heavy Crush is in the final three, going up against Siren's Sister and the Wright Brothers.

Find details on voting and the finale concert here.

David Graybill, head of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, says it’s another indication of how the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is becoming “a significant economic player” in the region’s growth.

Fife Mayor Mike Kelly ways it’s “good for the economy.”

It’s a new addition to the tribe’s Emerald Queen Casino in Fife, and the construction crane is already up. The tribe expects to pay around $150 million for the two-phase construction, which will bring a pair of parking garages, street improvements, new dining, more gaming and a few hundred new jobs to the casino.

I’m finishing a story for tomorrow’s paper. Expect it on the front page, with a full explanation of the project.

Here's what's coming in PARADE magazine for Sunday, September 2:

You Get Back More Than You Give
By David Oliver Relin
Members of the armed forces have found a new way to serve—38 have volunteered to spend a week caring for campers at a special camp for children. Learn how you can help too and don’t miss the 42nd annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

It’s Better to Be Lucky Than Good
By Steve Kettmann
Andre Agassi, bad-boy tennis champ turned family man, talks about how tennis taught him to always look forward and how he turned a loss at the U.S. Open into one of the most memorable farewells in sports history.

The Right Food For Your Pet
By Karen Halligan
Cats and dogs don’t always use good judgment about their diets, so we need to learn what’s best for them. Here are some ways to ensure that your pets eat a nutritionally sound and safe diet.

In Step With: Michelle Ryan
By James Brady
NBC will introduce Michelle Ryan, a British soap-opera star, as The Bionic Woman.
This new bionic babe talks about the new version of the show and reveals what her favorite gadget is.

Driving down South 12th Street near Union Avenue on Monday, I noticed that the Forza Coffee shop is about to open. The sign says it will open in six days, though when I went by today there was no number.

The company is expanding around Pierce County. We will be seeing more of these scenes soon.

Anyone know of other coffee chains that are expanding in Pierce County? We'd love to hear about them.

The Seahawks QB was on this morning with Mitch Levy, during which he spoke about meeting President Bush.

In last Sunday's reader column on the Perspectives page, Julia Miller, an Edgewood mother, described her mounting anxiety as she awaited her first voice recital.

The recital was Saturday night; she had to write the column in advance, nervous about how it would all turn out. As we suspected it would, it all went fine. Miller reports:

Yes, I survived the recital. My home is filled with the customary congratulatory bouquets, and "the applause has barely died down!" Thanks for the opportunity to share my stage fright with the entire Tacoma and Pierce County community.

We offer our own congratulations, too. Going from self-described bad shower singer to on-stage performer is no small feat. Julia's column was another of the "dispatches from real life" we enjoy getting from our six reader columnists.

You can buy a lot of things at Nordstrom. Now you can add books to the list.

A copywriter who works for the retailer has written a holiday book that will become the company's theme for the holiday season.

The book, written by Randy Schliep, is called "Once Upon A Holiday: The Moon Fell Out of the Sky." It will sell for $16.95 and will be available for purchase starting in early November.

Here's a synopsis from the company:

It's a story about a little girl named Sophie who has just moved to a new home on the edge of a snowy forest. It’s Christmas Eve and as she drifts off to sleep, she tells the moon her secret Christmas wish. She’s asked Santa for one special gift: a new friend. But when she awakens in the night, she discovers an event that could change the course of Christmas. Now it’s up to a little girl, an ambitious cow, a wise owl and a luminescent moon to save the holiday.

The company will use the book as inspiration for the holiday decorations at stores.

=> Read more!

As if there weren't already too many choices at your local Starbucks – the company announced today that it will add new coffee blends, pastries and promote a cookbook from chef Marcus Samuelsson to lure customers to its stores.

Starbucks will introduce pastries including chocolate cinnamon bread and a carmelized apple-pecan coffee cake.

Starbucks has added books, CDs and other merchandise in an effort to expand sales beyond coffee. The retailer will promote Samuelsson’s cookbook, “Discovery of a Continent: Foods, Flavors and Inspirations from Africa,” and donate $1 for every copy sold to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, with a minimum donation of $50,000.

Art Jarvis, Tacoma's interim school superintendent, left a good impression today in his first visit with the TNT editorial board.

That was a whole lot better than now-departed superintendent Charlie Milligan did in his disastrous first visit a year ago. Milligan seemed to have a chip on his shoulder from the beginning, displaying obvious resentment at questions about his plans for his first year in Tacoma. His year was all downhill from there.

Jarvis, by contrast, was easy-going and relaxed. He was a little tough to pin down on specifics at times, but he fielded questions comfortably, promising to "do my absolute best to be transparent" with the newspaper.

Jarvis needs to rebuild an administration with key vacancies at the top. First priority is hiring a human resources director: "You build the entire system with hires," Jarvis noted. He's also seeking someone to serve as the equivalent of chief academic officer and has a couple assistant superintendent positions to fill.

Action on school closures – which Milligan suspended last year – is unlikely anytime soon. Jarvis will provide the school board with updated research on enrollment trends and school capacity later in the school year.

He wouldn't mind losing the "interim" from his title if the school board asks him to stay on, Jarvis said, but he won't be a candidate if the board decides to conduct a national search.

Jarvis said the district needs to avoid "adult distractions" and focus on kids and learning. "I think people are ready to pick up the loose ends and move."

Quarterback Erik Meyer was the 12th player released today, the team announced today.

Practice is scheduled from 1:30-3:30 today. Frank plans to file afterward.

State lawmakers should heed the recent performance audit that points to ridiculously lax standards for obtaining certification as a professional counselor in Washington. Stronger training and licensing requirements are obviously needed.

Gig Harbor’s new YMCA will be a great community asset.

About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to david.seago@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

At this morning's Pac-10 Conference coaches teleconference, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh announced that former Auburn quarterback Kellen Kiilsgaard has been moved to fullback.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound freshman isn't on the two-deep for the season (and Pac-10) opener Saturday against UCLA.

Other notes from the non-Washington schools:

OREGON STATE, the first Pac-10 team to begin the season, hosting Utah on Thursday: Coach Mike Riley said he explained his plan to start quarterback Sean Canfield in the first quarter and then use Lyle Moevao in second quarter, regardless of how Canfield performs. “These two guys haven’t separated enough to force a decision,” Riley said. “So I want each to have a chance to contribute in their own way.” … Riley also said that star receiver Sammie Stroughter “probably won’t play” in the opener and that even though he is back practice with the team, his “future remains his decision and family decision.” Stroughter left the team and planned to leave school, citing grief in dealing with the death of several people close to him. However, he quickly returned to practice and now apparently plans to stay. “We’re kind of going day by day,” Riley said. Riley also announced that kicker Alex Serna is now also handling the punting.

OREGON, which hosts Houston on Saturday: Coach Mike Bellotti reports that starting quarterback Dennis Dixon has “looked very good, physically and with decision making.” He reports the heath of the Ducks is good health. Said the question mark defense is front seven, “but I think we have a chance to be solid inside.”

ARIZONA, which visits BYU on Saturday: Coach Mike Stoops said quarterback Willie Tuitama and the rest of the team is dealing well with the new spread offense. “I think our kids have really grasped this system well and we have kids that fit this system really well,” he said.

USC, which hosts a reluctant Idaho on Saturday. Coach Pete Carroll explained that this game was arranged when Nick Holt was coach at Idaho. After Hold left to join Carroll’s USC staff, Idaho tried to get out of the game. However, USC chose to hold the Vandals to their contract, citing the difficulty in finding an acceptable new opponent on that date. … Carroll also said that the starter from his crowded field of talented tailbacks won’t be named until game time. … He also gave a glowing progress report on sophomore free safety Taylor Mays of O’Dea in Seattle, calling him “a fantastic kid, a great competitor.”

UCLA, which opens at Stanford. Coach Karl Dorrell starting guard Shannon Tevaga is coming along well in the rehabilitation of his shoulder and eager to play.

ARIZONA STATE, which hosts San Jose State on Saturday: New coach Dennis Erickson said is goals at ASU are “to be competitive, try to win it, and try to get to the BCS. We have a way to go, but that’s what our plan is at this time.” … Erickson likened USC’s ongoing dynasty to his own at Miami. “You get the best players and if you lose one game that’s too much,” he said.

CALIFORNIA, which is trying to play down the revenge and redemption angles of its rematch with Tennessee on Saturday. “It’s more about how we play,” coach Jeff Tedford said. “That’s how we’re going into the game, making sure that we reach our full potential and not so much about who we play.” He acknowledged, however, that fans are putting extra emphasis on avenging the 35-18 loss to the Vols, which opened Cal’s 2006 season. “It comes up constantly,” he said. “When you talk about last season, you win 10 games, and they remember the bowl game a lot (a 45-10 win over Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl), but it seems it always comes back to Tennessee.”

We just got a brief interview with Syracuse coach Greg Robinson.

He gave us an update on his team, including this overview on fall camp:

"We were undefeated and now we’re looking forward to going to the regular season. Camp went well. I haven’t met a coach yet who didn’t think (preseason practices) went well. Our players are working hard and I think they’re very enthused about the idea of playing on national television, playing against the Huskies, playing an intersectional rivalry like thi. It’s a nice thing to be a part of. It’s exciting for us."

We're also getting some time with all the Pac-10 coaches today, some Husky players, and of course coach Tyrone Willingham. I'll pop in with news as it develops.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The front page: While the Seattle papers had President Bush's visit as their centerpiece, we went with the Mariners and their fans. We thought David Wickert wrote a nice story about the fans at the game and their excitement about the Mariners' season. Great language in his story and Drew Perine's photo was fun too. If you haven't seen the gallery, click here.

South Sound: We thought the story about the Asarco park was interesting, but we left out a definition for 'slag', which would have been helpful. For those of you who don't know, slag is a waste product of the process of smelting.

Sports page: Have you been reading stories about the Sonics? New beat writer Eric D. Williams is doing a nice job of staying on top of Sonics news. Thanks, Eric.

Business:Read the latest local business news here.

Soundlife: Junie B.: Trash or treasure. What do you think? Do your children read these books?

National housing prices continued to slide in the second quarter, according to an index that tracks sale prices on houses, as reported this morning by The Associated Press.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

U.S. home prices fell 3.2 percent in the second quarter, the steepest rate of decline since Standard & Poor’s began its nationwide housing index in 1987, the research group said Tuesday.

The decline in home prices around the nation shows no evidence of a market recovery anytime soon, one of the architects of the index said.

MacroMarkets LLC Chief Economist Robert Shiller said the declining residential real estate market “shows no signs of slowing down.”

The report came a day after the National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes dropped for a fifth straight month in July while the number of unsold homes shot up to a record level.

The S&P/Case-Schiller quarterly index tracks price trends among existing single-family homes across the nation compared with a year earlier.

Keep in mind this is a look at the national market. In Pierce County, prices for houses and condos continue to appreciate, though at slower rates than in recent years. The county's median home price in July grew 3.3 percent over the previous year to $281,400, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. And if you're looking regionally, nearby counties are doing even better. King County prices grew 9 percent last month, Kitsap County was up 8.2 percent and Thurston County saw a 7 percent jump.

A food critic, a walleye, a stick, at the Minnesota state fair. AP photo

A fellow blogger at a major West Coast news organization reports on a whirlwind eating tour at a large Midwestern state fair with a bunch of food writers from across America.

Walleye on a stick. Who knew?

But this is the line that sticks with me: "Other delicacies we tried included ... pork chop on a stick ..."

Um, I think we called that a bone before we started skewering food with irony.

But whatever.

Today, I want to talk about that stick up my kebabs, brochettes, candied apples, popsicles, and, especially, corn dogs.

The Puyallup Fair is a national leader in sticking it to trans fats. Anthing deep-fried -- Krusty Pups, elephant ears, funnel cakes, Snickers -- they'll all be better for us this year.

So how about more food on sticks?

I know why I like food on sticks: Ever try dunking golden-hot, grease-glistening corn dogs heads-first into buckets of mustard without those handy sticks in the weenies?

Alrighty then.

What's your favorite food on a stick?

What crazy and delicious food-on-a-stick creation can you dream up for any fair-food vendors who might seek inspiration from a blog?

Remember: Food-on-a-stick needn't be limited to traditional deep-fried fair food.

Toothpicks, too, count as sticks. So since I'm dreaming -- by the way, my recurring dream in which corn dogs rule the earth, came back last night -- I fully expect to see Pacific Grill's Meat Candy tent near the Puyallup Fair midway next month.

Roasted dates.

Stuffed with Parmesan cheese.

Wrapped with apple-smoked bacon.

Skewered.

I'll take a dozen.

On a stick.

Here is Dave's weekly visit with Elise and Ian on KJR. Behold, there is some Mariners stuff in there but the beginning is Seahawks-related.

Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, when contacted by The News Tribune on Monday, said he’s had no talks with representatives of the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group — or any other NBA franchise — involving a team moving to his city.
“We haven’t had any discussion or entered into a discussion with a franchise, or are actively seeking a franchise at this time,” Cornett said. “But I have been very public about the willingness to consider building a new facility to replace the Ford Center.”
Cornett’s comments were in response to a story The News Tribune published on Saturday. Sonics chairman Clay Bennett said during a meeting with Sonics employees that Oklahoma City officials were willing to foot the bill for the Sonics’ moving there, according to an employee who spoke to The News Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
Bennett clarified those statements on Friday, saying that his comments were a hypothetical response to why the Sonics would consider relocating to a medium-sized market like Oklahoma City.
Cornett reiterated even though he and Bennett are good friends and have known each other for nearly 20 years, the two have not formally discussed the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City since Bennett’s group purchased the team over a year ago.
Cornett’s city got a taste of what it would be like to support an NBA team for the past two seasons. Oklahoma City played host to a majority of the New Orleans Hornets’ games after Hurricane Katrina ravished the Crescent City; the Hornets sold out 18 of 36 games at the Ford Center (capacity 19,000) during the 2005-06 season.
“I think the Hornets experience was very positive,” Cornett said. “Our citizens in general would like to see an NBA franchise return. The NBA met or exceeded our expectations on just about every level. … We were just very impressed with the level of professionalism in the two years that they were here.”
But Cornett realizes the Ford Center would need to be replaced in the near future if an NBA team were to relocate there, and he would consider proposing a tax measure – that might include funding for a new stadium and convention center – for a vote.
Oklahoma city already passed similar capital improvement tax measures in 1993 and 2001, called Metropolitan Area Projects, or MAPs. The sales tax initiatives, approved by a majority of city voters, helped pay for sports, recreation and cultural projects geared toward redeveloping the city’s urban core and improving education.
Cornett also said part of the allure of securing an NBA franchise is putting his city on the map nationally.
“There’s a superficial level of equality that occurs when you watch SportsCenter,” Cornett said. “When you see cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, and then you see your city’s name out there on an equal playing field, there’s a value to that from an economic-development standpoint on being a major league city.”
For now, the fate of where the Sonics will play their games remains in Seattle’s court. The city has the Sonics under lease until 2010, and Seattle mayor Greg Nickels has indicated he will enforce the lease.
Nickels and Bennett have not spoken since trading barbs in the media Aug. 2 after Nickels stated that the Sonics could remodel or build a new arena at the KeyArena site if Sonics ownership were willing to contribute $100 million.
Marianne Bichsel, spokesperson for Nickels, said the Sonics have not formally or informally inquired about negotiating a buyout of the KeyArena lease.
“Unless we hear differently, we have an agreement that keeps them here through 2010,” Bichsel said. “We would love to enter into negotiations to keep them here long past that. And that offer is on the table.”

These were transcribed by the Seahawks staff. I have read through them and they look good. The highlight is Holmgren discussing roster decisions, which I have placed up top.

Mike Holmgren
August 27, 2007

(On the defensive line…) “We do have pretty good depth there and that’ll be one of the tough cuts. They’ll all be tough but that’s one of the competitive cuts I would say. I couldn’t tell you right now. I could not tell you who the guys are. You know who our starters are going to be probably. Then there is a handful of guys still competing for those last few positions.”

“I’m going to hold off talking about numbers and the reason being is there is some areas I might have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Right now I don’t want to get locked into any sort of number. I can’t really tell you is the point of it.”

=> Read more!

Don't worry about Michael Vick's criminal tendencies anymore. The NFL star who just pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges has been rescued by amazing grace.

"Through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God," he said.

This is a time-honored ritual of the American criminal justice system. Felon gets caught, throws himself on the mercy of the court, claims that the rottenness has been rooted from his soul by an influx of heavenly light. Instant redemption – and a play for sympathy from the public, if not the judge.

OK, but why can't these cons get religion before they commit the crime – and then not commit the crime in the first place?

Skip the maudlin religionizing, guys. It's tiresome. It's predictable. It insults our intelligence. Here's an idea: Make a convict's claim of a courthouse conversion grounds for an automatic sentence enhancement.

Andrew Fry started it a month ago (and dragged Dan Voelpel with him), then Erik Emery jumped in and was followed by thriceallamerican (who wrote the best headline). I've been meaning to Simpsonize myself for weeks now, and finally got around to it today.

Am I happy with my yellow, 2-D likeness? Sure, although it will probably be the only time I carry a briefcase.

It's a pretty sweet marketing ploy by Burger King, if nothing else. And I like how they are up front about it and don't make you register until you've seen yourself Simpsonized. No, it doesn't make me want a Whopper right now, but if it's corporate advertising dollars that made the site happen, so be it.

I don't think we are going to be provided with an official list of cuts until tomorrow, which means we won't officially know who the 12th guy is until then. The C.J. Wallace speculation is premature, and in no way a done deal. He just appeared solemn getting off the elevator. I'll post the official list as soon as we are told.

I spoke with Leonard Weaver after practice about my daily story for tomorrow's sports section. I asked him what happened between the beginning of camp and now, and he said the Green Bay had a big effect on his psyche because he had such a poor pass blocking game. He said his run blocking was good that game but pass blocking was not. He said is approaching it as "I need to go out there and improve on what I need to work on." He said he is well aware that everybody thinks he is struggling, but he doesn't feel like it is a struggle but rather it is work that he needs to do.

=> Read more!

We're still not sure who the 12th guy who got cut is, but I'm venturing a guess that it is C.J. Wallace. Scott Johnson and I were getting on the elevator as he was getting off from the offices upstairs, and he didn't look like a guy who was very happy. I'll let you know when I know for sure. Holmgren said after practice that they had cut 12 guys, so there was one more. Not sure why they had whoever was cut practice one last time.

=> Read more!

Maybe you’ve seen that crane rising over Fife. The one next to the Emerald Queen.

The one next to the expanding Emerald Queen.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is in the process of spending at least $150 million (that’s more than the total cost of the proposed LeMay Museum, and close to the cost of two Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Centers) to increase the parking, gaming and dining areas at their fife facility.

By the end of the year, look for two parking garages beside the current casino and hotel. Eventually, expect a convention center behind the parking garages. And a new traffic light along Pacific Highway. And an extended 59th Street. Plus a high-end steakhouse.

And of course, there will be more slot machines – nearly double the current 760.

I’m working on a story for tomorrow’s Business Section. Check back.

These are the players missing from practice:

RB A.J. Harris
CB Patrick Ghee
WR Chris Jones
WR Robert Ortiz
OL Austin King
OL Jason Murphy
OL Jonathan Alston
TE Andy Stokes
LB Marcus Rucker
CB Dennis Davis
K Kurt Smith

=> Read more!

The owner and buyer of North Shore Golf Course say the City of Tacoma erred in its appeal of an order to give the go-ahead to an application to build 860 homes on the course, according to court records.

It comes down to a legal technicality: Court records say that city officials did not “timely and properly serve” Northshore Investors, which filed the development application, course owner North Shore Golf Associates or Save NE Tacoma. Attorney Aaron Laing has asked that the appeal be dismissed, along with a stay that put the plan’s processing on hold. (This particular case differs from the one involving some of the same parties I covered last week, when Northshore Investors and North Shore Golf Course sued the city for more than $22 million in damages.)

What Laing filed last Friday in court points out the city should be familiar with the strict requirements for serving an appeal “having recently succeeded in dismissing a land use appeal for failure to timely file a petition.”

Elizabeth Pauli, city attorney, said: "We’re preparing our response to the motion, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on it at this time."

The appeal and stay are scheduled to be heard Sept. 7.

The North Shore plans were controversial from early on. Residents who live near the 115-acre course say the project would ruin their quality of life. Others have cited environmental concerns. The day after plans were submitted, the City Council passed an emergency moratorium on such projects, called planned residential developments. City staff later deemed the plans incomplete, subjecting them to the moratorium.

We thought Alberto Gonzales would be a trade up from John Ashcroft when he became attorney general; quite the contrary. He was ultimately done in by his evasions about his own blunders.

School officials from three different districts point fingers at each other in the case of Jennifer Leigh Rice, the alleged child molester who got two teaching jobs in other districts after she’d been suspended for unseemly fraternizing with kids in the Bethel District. Something’s wrong here.

About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to david.seago@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

Compared to the rest of the country, far fewer careers require certification in Washington.

That's according to a study from the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank that advocates for "free minds and free markets." The study ranks states by the number of jobs that require some type of license or credential.

California tops the foundation's list, with 177 jobs requiring some state certification.

Washington ranks second to last, with 53 careers requiring certification.

The Reason Foundation says the licensing requirements state to state are fairly arbitrary.

“You see that clearly when examining neighboring states," said Adam B. Summers, a policy analyst at foundation and author of the report.

"California has 177 job categories licensed. But if you take one step across the state line into Arizona just 72 careers are licensed," he said.

I took a peak Washington's Department of Licensing to see what professions require licensing here.

The list includes the expected engineers and real estate brokers as well as some that I didn't anticipate – camping resort sales people, timeshare sales and professional wrestlers.

=> Read more!

Practice is today at 1:30, so I will be filing something after that practice and after interviews, probably around 4:30 or so.

Also, as you can see by the mug of Kelly Jennings, I have figured out how to paste photos into the blog, so when appropriate I will try to do that more often (though I still have to figure out how to pull photos off the wire and convert them. It's all a work in progress.)

=> Read more!

We got our first game-week briefing from coach Tyrone Willingham this morning, including a new set of two-deeps.

The most interesting name was Vonzell McDowell, true freshman, who will start at cornerback Friday at Syracuse.

And the most interesting missing name was that of Cory Nicol, who had been competing with McDowell for that spot. Willingham announced that Nicol had decided over the weekend to leave the team. Nicol later told reporters his departure was due to a nagging groin injury.

Redshirt freshman Matt Mosley will back up McDowell.

Elsewhere across the roster, a handful of depth chart decisions remain undecided.

On offense, Cody Habben and Ben Ossai are still competing for the starting left tackle spot; and at tight end, Michael Gottlieb, Johnie Kirton and Robert Lewis remain in the running.

At tailback, the reserve position behind Louis Rankin remains up for grabs between J.R. Hasty and true freshmen Curtis Shaw, Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin.

On special teams, Willingham indicated that Jared Ballman might have an edge on Ryan Perkins for the punting job, while Perkins may have the advantage on Ballman for the kicking job. However, neither of those responsibilities is yet settled.

Statewide voter turnout in last week’s primary elections will probably fall below predictions, but state election officials don’t believe the mid-August date should be blamed.

The secretary of state’s office won’t release a turnout report until later this week, but state elections director Nick Handy believes the low turnout fit a typical off-year primary pattern. (Statewide results here) Here’s Handy’s unofficial, off-the-cuff analysis:

In the odd year primary, results are totally driven by local races. There are no state or federal races, and no state ballot measures to drive turnout. . . .

Where we have races or issues that are interesting and contested, we have good turnout. Lincoln County will hit 70%. We have a number of counties that may hit 50% and many in the 40% range. These are typically counties where races or ballot measures have generated good turnout.

Interestingly, in the three largest counties, King, Snohomish, and Pierce, we did not have strong county wide headline type races and turnout is in the low 20s, probably headed for 25% or a bit above. So, the turnout in those three highly populated counties is driving the overall state average down.

But, we have situations like Mason County that may hit 50% probably next to Thurston that is struggling to get to 30%. Mason County has a hot primary for Mayor. Thurston County really had no significant races.

And the same for neighboring Chelan and Douglas Counties. Chelan has had one high school for 100 years (my high school, class of 66) and the school board is proposing a big bond measure to fund a second high school. The second high school has already failed on the ballot once and has divided the town. So, Chelan will likely be in the 50% range, a strong turnout in an odd year primary (high school bond is failing). Neighboring Douglas (across the river in East Wenatchee) will struggle to get 25% with only low key races.

We have that situation all around the state and it tells us that this is a typical odd year primary. . . .If we had low turnout everywhere, we would suspect an "August" primary issue. But, it just doesn't make sense that voters are on vacation in one county but not in the neighboring county next door.

At the end of the day Friday, Pierce County's voter turnout stood at 24.3 percent. More than 93 percent of the ballots were cast by mail.

In the Tacoma City Council District 3 race (Tom Stenger's seat), it looks like Ronnie Allen Warren is edging ahead of Donald Powell (by 25 votes) to face Lauren Walker in November. (Friday's election update here.)

We're going way out on a limb today and deciding that maybe the Mariners really have a chance to make it into the playoffs.

In addition to our regular sports coverage of tonight's game against the Angels, we're sending a news-side reporter to sit with fans for the first game of this important series.

At this point in the day, we're planning to run that story and picture on tomorrow's front page. We'll likely hear from readers who'll tell us sports stories should run only in the sports section.

The way we see it, the Mariners have become a story lots of people are talking about, which makes it a perfect candidate for front-page coverage.

My dinner companions Friday night were ages 10 and 40. One stuck a straw in her nose. One sat quietly.

The 10-year-old is the one I dine with the least, and the one I enjoyed the most.

"I'm cranky," the kid announced when I met her and her dad at Farrelli's newest pizza parlor, the one on Pacific and Garfield in Parkland, near PLU.

"I hate tomatoes," the kid said halfway through the meal, joyously licking tomato sauce off a slice of pie.

"Bacon!" she exclaimed at one random moment. "I loooooooooove bacon!"

"I love Swedish fish," I said, matching her non sequitur for non sequitur.

"Sour gummies," the kid replied, hitting my candy curveball right back at me.

"I lost a tooth in a Big Hunk," I said.

"Beans!" she screamed, beaming at me devilishly. "Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeans."

Then she did more things kids do: rolled her eyes into the back of her head, stuck both ends of a straw in her nostrils, laughed, smiled rays of honey sunshine and looked cute as hell.

The straw up the nose was over the top for my tastes, and I wondered why her dad let her do it. His dad and my dad would have smacked us both upside the heads for doing that during any meal, anywhere.

But there was no question why I enjoyed talking and eating with this cute kid who'd stuck a straw up her nose:

Food, to her, was uninhibited joy.

Tomatoes may be fruit that taste like vegetables, but simmer some with sugar and spice and spread the sauce on a disc of dough with cheese and wait for the oven to do something nice. What kid of any age wouldn't lick that pizza?

(Which is now a good time to say: Farrelli's crust is too bready and under-baked for my tastes, but I enjoyed the meatball and veggie deluxe pies. The former looked like a marvelous Margherita dotted with bite-sized balls of mildly spiced ground beef. The latter was a democratic array of pine nuts, artichoke hearts, petso and feta. Adults loved that one; the kid wouldn't touch it.)

I looked around the restaurant and counted kids. Babies, tots, lads, lasses and those in various stages of adolescence ... I ran out of fingers and toes. Except for the straw in the nose, I saw minors acting up.

Last night, I walked into a bistro in University Place and encountered a baby on a table. That sounds like a set-up to a joke, right? (Mmmmm, stuffed kid a la Swift with Gerber sauce.) But seriously: The baby slept, and the parents dined in comfortable silence.

I haven't reached the stage where I'd consider breeding my own dining companions, but to those who have: Next time you see me, I'll buy you a drink.

I'd been hoping all summer to watch Lincoln High School's venerable statue of Abraham Lincoln being remounted after a couple years in storage. But he snuck out when I wasn't looking.

As the photo shows, Abe is back on the G Street side of the school, just about where he was for decades. Only now there's a new addition near his right elbow. The passage behind him leads to the school gym and Lincoln Bowl.

Abe had to be crated up when contractors began a $75 million renovation and expansion. As Stadium High School students had to do when their school was remodeled, the Lincoln student body spent two years at the old Mount Tahoma High School.

Lincoln alumni are planning a three-day reopening celebration starting Sept. 14. The school and the statue will be re-dedicated at 11:45 p.m. Sept. 15. Alumni who register at www.lincolnabes.org (click on "Alumni") will be sent more information. Boosters are also selling $50 commemorative bricks to be installed near the statue. Info here.

I forgot the mention this injury last night, and you can get it in full in the Mike Holmgren quotes, but apparently Kelly Jennings had a bruise on his leg that was pretty serious. Tests came back negative and Holmgren did not say what his status was, and probably won't know until Monday. But keep in mind that this is a very short week of work, with one practice on Monday and Tuesday, and a brief walk through on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's exhibition finale against Oakland.

It’s the series the Mariners and their fans circled on the calendar a few months ago – a three-game set at Safeco Field against the Angels, with first place in the American League West hanging in the balance.

Seattle opens the series two games behind Los Angeles, and the matchups are locked in.

Miguel Batista vs. John Lackey

Jeff Weaver vs. Ervin Santana.

Felix Hernandez vs. Jered Weaver.

You’ve been waiting for it, now call it. How do you see the three games going, and where will the Mariners be when the series ends and they head out on a four-city trip through Cleveland, Toronto, New York and Detroit?

It’s crunch time. You make the call.

UW reports that the Husky men's basketball team is still scheduled to depart Monday morning to Greece, despite the fires raging though that country.

As of Sunday evening, the Huskies had received no information that any of the games will be cancelled.

Pretty solid victory for the Hawks last night. The Vikings have some serious quarterback issues. Seneca Wallace is way better than either Tavaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger. Did anybody find it strange that the Vikings used two trick plays in a preseason game. The reverse receiver pass was the first offensive touchdown the Viks have scored in three preseason games — ouch.

Here's Frank's game story and Dave's column. My story was about E.J. Henderson and Matt Hasselbeck's brief conversation on the field. Here's the game notebook with notes about Marcus Tubbs, Steve Hutchinson and others.

Minneapolis Star Tribune Coverage
Here's the game story addressing the quarterback issue. There is still some young talent out there for the Vikings to rely on. A scary moment at the end when a Vikings player was loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher.

St. Paul Pioneer Press coverage
Here's the game story calling the Viks play, solid and shaky.Here's the game notebook that leads with receiver Bobby Wade's play. As they showed on Saturday, the Viks plan on using both Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson (who looks like he's going to be great) in a platoon system this season. I can hear fantasy football owners grumbling. Both runners looked pretty solid at times last night.

Arizona Cardinals
This columnist thinks the preseason football schedule is stupid. Arizona's defense was not so good in a 33-31 loss to the Chargers. The Cardinals are spicing up their play calling. The Arizona Republic has a guy nicknamed "fanboy" do a running blog during the game with thoughts and comments. Maybe the TNT should do that, I'm sure we could find someone on this blog to do that.

Here's the East Valley Trib's game story. This columnist believes the CArds are in for plenty of high-scoring games this season. Despite the loss, Ken Whisenhunt thinks the team is a getting a winning mentality.

San Francisco 49ers
Frank Gore will not play in the preseason — no big shocker.

St. Louis Rams
The Rams lost to the Raiders, 20-10. The Raiders? Of course, Steven Jackson only played one play in the game. QB Marc Bulger said there's no reason to panic yet because the offense is sputtering. But a bunch of penalties certainly don't help.

Other stuff:
Here's kind of an interesting story on teams phasing out contact drills in fall camps.

My column in the "dead-tree" version of the TNT today talks about the diffference between newspaper bloggers and those who aren't bound by journalistic standards.

It prompted TNT copy editor Rick Anderson to pass on this recent commentary from The Los Angeles Times about the ways newspapers may evolve to survive in the Internet age.

Writer Tim Rutten contends newspapers will let their online versions take care of most breaking news and weight their print product with more in-depth reporting and analysis. Above all, they must keep doing what newspapers do best. I particularly liked this excerpt:

So how do American newspapers manage this passage while holding on to
their "souls" --- that sense that they are, uniquely, businesses worthy
of constitutional protection because their bottom line reckons service
to the common good alongside profit and loss?

One way is to maintain the serious news media's postwar tradition of
nonpartisan journalism, leaving advocacy to the editorial pages. As they give themselves over to more analysis and commentary, newspapers will have to be more vigilant about being genuinely honest brokers of ideas, opening their news columns to a far broader spectrum of serious opinions and perspectives --- liberal to conservative --- than even the best of them do now. Politicization is the enemy rather than the logical consequence of that process.

Newspapers can distinguish themselves from the current undifferentiated cacophony of substantial and frivolous opinion on the Internet --- and best serve their readers – by insisting that their analysis and commentary conform to the discernible facts. In a society that seems more deeply and reflexively divided along, that would be more than a service.

Tuesday the Seahawks must trim their roster from 88 to 75. There is some trickery involved here I think because of the need for healthy players for the last preseason game and because of NFL Europe exemption (about which I do not yet have a firm grasp). But all things being equal, these are the players who I would think would get cut on Tuesday:

K Kurt Smith
QB Erik Meyer
CB Omowale Dada
TE Andy Stokes
RB A.J. Harris
LB Marcus Rucker
LB Cameron Jensen
OL Jason Murphy
CB Dennis Davis
WR Robert Ortiz
OL Austin King
DT Eric Taylor
WR Joe Fernandez

=> Read more!

In recent weeks, at least three books have come across my desk that I thought might be of interest to some of you.

One is "A Football Band of Brothers: Forging the University of Washington's First National Championship" by Tom Porter. It tells the story of the 1960 Huskies, whose claim to at least a share of the national football title will be recognized by the univeristy Sept. 29 at halftime of this season's USC game. I'll take a much more detailed look at that team/book/issue in the week leading up to that game.

Also out is "Husky Football in the Don James Era," by Derek Johnson. As you might have guessed from the title, the book details years 1975-1993 when Don James coached the Huskies to their most glorious of glory days. The book includes personal accounts from Huskies such as Warren Moon, Napoleon Kaufman, Steve Emtman, Chris Chandler, Ed Cunningham and others - even former Washington State Cougar coach Jim Walden. The book is available online through DerekJohnsonBooks.com.

Finally, if you're interested is psyching up for the Huskies upcoming home opener, there's "Blue Magic," by Idaho Statesman reporter Chadd Cripe and columnist Brian Murphy, telling the story of Boise State's 2006 unbeaten run to and including their amazing win in the Fiesta Bowl.

With a little more than a month remaining before the Sonics begin training camp, I’ll try to shift gears and focus more on basketball instead of the arena issue.

So I’m interested to hear what types of questions you have heading into the preseason.

I’ll pose a few.

Who will start at point guard?

Can Robert Swift be the long-term solution at center?

What position will Kevin Durant play?

Will Jeff Green start or come off the bench?

Let me know what some of your basketball-related concerns are with the Sonics’ current roster and will get into some discussion this week.

But in case you missed it, here’s a link to Saturday’s story on Sonics chairman Clay Bennett’s meeting with Sonics employees, which apparently included a discussion on why the Sonics ownership group would be interested in moving to a medium-sized market like Oklahoma City.

TNT columnist John McGrath offered this interesting take on the NBA fining Sonics part owner Aubrey McClendon for his comments on moving the team to Oklahoma City a few weeks ago.

And the New Orleans Times-Picayune has an interesting story on the long-term prospects of the Hornets’ economic viability in the New Orleans.

Yes, he growled and barked, but I almost got the feeling that somewhere under the surface Mike Holmgren might have been just a little happy that his team got pummeled in Green Bay in the second preseason game. It gave him a good excuse to turn up the heat on a camp that had seemed a little more casual and mundane than usual as it was being conducted at the team’s cushier headquarters.

I looked back through the preseason records and discovered an interesting theme: In Holmgren’s first eight seasons in Seattle, the Seahawks NEVER won the second preseason game and NEVER lost the third preseason game. The only variation on the theme was last year, when they won game 2 and lost game 3.

=> Read more!

Dear readers:

I'm out of the office this week, and Stacey's still on maternity leave.

That means this blog may be a little dark and quiet for a while (some of our colleagues have the ability to post here, but they seldom do).

Things should pick up again the first week of September when I return to duty and – let the pigeons loose! – Stacey comes back to work as well.

Have a good week, and thanks for reading.

All the quotes were transcribed by the Seahawks. I did not have time to read through them. Take any mistakes as deadline driven.

Seahawks are off tomorrow. I believe Brother Boling will give some expert analysis in the morn.

Goodnight to all.

G STEVE HUTCHINSON

(On whether it was easier for him to return to Seattle a second time . . . ) “First of all, it’s a preseason game. The crowd was in it tonight. This place can get loud. I’ve usually been on the other end of it. When you’re on [Seattle’s] offense, you don’t really hear it that much. Now this is the second year in a row I’ve heard the wrath of the stadium on offense out there. I think one year removed is a little bit easier. I was telling [a reporter] out on the field that it’s a little weird being in this locker room after how many other games coming out of the tunnel on that side. I’m a little bit more relaxed more than last year as far as coming back here.”

=> Read more!

CB KEVIN HOBBS

(On performance against the Vikings…) “I have no idea. Coach told us to come out here and show what we can do and make it hard on them. Hopefully I made it hard on them.”

=> Read more!

QB MATT HASSELBECK

(On the touchdown drive…) I thought Marcus Pollard especially did a nice job It wasn’t like he was wide open on a couple of those, he did a nice job of having strong hands, and taking the ball from the guy, because it could gone either way, complete or incomplete. It was a good drive. It made me feel better about the day.

=> Read more!

HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

(opening…) Well, that was a little better. We played better than we did last week, and that’s what we wanted to do. Scores in the pre season, for any number of reasons, you can’t always get locked into the score of the game, but you do have to evaluate whether you fundamentally played better, and we did that tonight. I thought our defense did a nice job, our offense moved the ball a little bit, and our special teams were improved, and I was encouraged by that. Minnesota, I think there defense is a load, their front is very good. Brad [Childress] played his guys the same way we played our guys, so it was a good third game for both teams.

=> Read more!

There weren't many in this one-sided game but:

Leonard Weaver: He had a fumble and a holding call on a play that would have been a first-down run by Mo Morris. He had 12 carries on five yards. Three poor performances in three games. When Holmgren was asked about him, he said: "I think he struggled a little bit tonight. But we're going to look at the film. It's the time of year for me that is the least fun because we hve to make decisions on who stays and who goes."

Dennis Davis, A.J. Harris, Cameron Jensen, Austin King, Jordan Kent: They did not play.

Offensive line: The first unit did a very nice job or protecting Matt Hasselbeck, who really was only in jeopardy of being sacked on two occasions. One of those was when Ray Willis let his man go around him, but otherwise I thought Willis and Sean Locklear were pretty impressive after an abysmal performance by the starting tackles last week. "I think they were embarrassed, honestly, last week," Holmgren said.

=> Read more!

For those who don’t remember the last three years – or don’t choose to – the Seattle Mariners put together a little reminder against the Texas Rangers.

Two errors, each disastrous. Two hits in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position. One hanging changeup turned into a three-run home run.

Going into Saturday night 20 games above .500, the Mariners had almost let their fans forget games like this one.

Even in defeat, they had chances – even in the ninth inning – to tie or win the game.

“Uncharacteristic,” manager John McLaren said.

Thank God.

Horacio Ramirez continued to pitch his way out of a season-long funk and deserved a better fate. Coming in with a 7.15 earned run average, Ramirez had beaten Minnesota in his last start, then shut down Texas for 4 2/3 innings.

He got a ground ball that should have been the final out of the fifth, but Adrian Beltre threw it away.

Given the chance to pick up his third baseman, Ramirez threw a changeup that did the wrong thing and floated over the plate. Ian Kinsler turned it into a three-run home run that tied the game.

All the runs were unearned, and Ramirez’s ERA dropped to 6.67.

Another Beltre error in the seventh inning set Texas up, and then Rangers catcher Gerald Laird got a suicide squeeze bunt down – despite having the pitch thrown at his head.

“It was either get the bunt down or eat through a straw,” he said.

Veteran Rick White was on the mound, saw the runner break from third and did what coaches tell pitchers to do in that situation.
“

I threw at his face,” White said. “Most times, the batter gets out of the way and you make the play at the plate. You look at the replay, Laird’s bat is directly in front of his face when he bunts that ball. He made a great play.”

Maybe that’s one of the differences between 2007 and, say, any season since 2003. Even on a night when they don’t hit, field or pitch their best, it takes a great play to beat the Mariners this year.

From the offensive side of the ball, this third preseason game is the one to polish up the timing and synchronization. Consider it done ... especially on a 9-play, 74-yard scoring drive in the second period.

This one answered so many questions Seahawk fans might have had.

Shaun Alexander? He had nice runs to both sides, 6 yards to the left side and 11 yards to the right. Although Rob Sims got shoved on his heels on the run to the left, Alexander skirted the pile and got around the corner. On the run to the right, tackle Ray Willis took his man inside to open an enormous hole for Alexander.

Tight end Marcus Pollard? Pollard had three catches on the drive, including a 24-yarder in which he got into the deep seam and made a nice grab. He had another on a short route and a third on an 11-yard catch and run, showing his ability to operate in different layers of the defense. If this is what they're going to get out of this guy ... consistent routes, catches and blocking ... that position is upgraded to a massive degree.

The offensive line? Remember, the Vikings inside guys of Pat and Kevin Williams are beastly. For the most part, the Hawks line handled them. They didn't have a ton of rushing yards, but the protect was much improved over last week's.

More observations after the game, but for now, fans should be encouraged by an extremely nice drive in which the No. 1 offense definitely clicked.

Where: Puget Sound
When: Saturday
Conditions: Overcast, slightly breezy
Flies used: Pink over white clouser
Species caught: Pink Salmon

Song of the day: "The Remedy," Jason Mraz

I nagged them all morning.

"You're breaking your wrist again."

"Get that rod tip low."

"Remember to drive to a hard stop."

"Don't look at your equipment, look at the water!"

I hated to do it, but as Anil and I shared with them the night before, success in the salt is based on efficiency.

No wasted casts, no opportunities lost.

Hard at work. ;)

Thankfully, they understood and Frank, Pam and Bill applied each reminder more frequently as the hours passed.

Class quickly transformed into fishing.

And catching.

Looks like we found them...

"Rod to the side, Bill!"

He had hooked his first pink in the salt and it was going ballistic.

"Just let him run for a little bit!"

Seconds later, Pam chimed in.

"I think I've got a fish...Oh, I think it might be weeds. No wait, it's moving!"

A double. In that moment, you could have put Pam and Bill next to veteran saltchuckers and, from the beach, not known the difference.

Did I mention this was their first salmon in the salt?

"All right, now put some side pressure on it..."

As Bill's pink flopped out of his hands, I couldn't help but laugh. His expression, along with Pam's, was utterly priceless.

Breaking in the new reel. Congrats, Pam! :)

The right word for them? Joy.

The right word for me? Satisfaction. :)

Soon after Pam landed hers, Bill was into another one.

This time we got a picture! :) Nice one, Bill!

Three fish in five minutes.

---------------------------------------

Bill, Frank and I shook hands before I shuffled off.

Minutes later, Pam handed the extra stripping basket to me, waved goodbye and got in her car.

As the metal studs clicked along the sidewalk and the gear folks threw curious glances (that'll never stop), my body reminded me that it had been up since 3:30.

The stiffness in my neck returned and my eyelids grew heavy.

Bill summed it up perfectly during the rush:

"I was getting tired and cold but all that went away when I felt the fish."

That made me smile.

The Sound is a beautiful place.

And today, a generous one, as well. ;)

Thanks to the entire class and again to Frank, Pam and Bill for putting up with my nagging so early in the day. Your hard work will pay off even more if you stick with it.

Don't forget to e-mail me at ohimo@hotmail.com. There's WAY more saltwater fishing to do!

Talk to you all soon. :)

Brown, Koutouvides, Payne, C.J. Wallace, Kirtman, Wilson, Hunter, Joppru, Boulware, Herring

Also, Lance Laury is starting at linebacker for Leroy Hill, who is not playing either.

Bryce Fisher is one the captains who went out for the pregame coin toss but is not starting because of Darryl Tapp. I wonder where that goes.

The players who will be sitting out for both teams:

Seahawks
Erik Meyer
Jordan Babineaux
Julian Peterson
Walter Jones
Courtney Taylor
Leonard Stephens

Vikings
Mike Doss
Mike Hawkins
Richard Owens
Vinny Ciurciu

Lineup change: Anthony Herrera will start at RG for Artis Hicks.

The deal that Seahawks signed with KIRO on Friday was a five-year deal, which by the end will extend the partnership to 37 years.

I got caught in the traffic from that nasty I-5 wreck today and missed the UW briefing. (Which is ironic. I had been fearing that huge predicted traffic mess in downtown Seattle, and that turned out to be almost nothing. Then, on the day when that construction project concludes, I get trapped in Fife.)

However, I think I've picked up most of the highlights of what went on:

For one, the Huskies officially broke camp, with players who live off campus departing the dorms. However, that's almost misleading because the last couple of days of camp were actually more like game-week practices because this will be a short week due to the long travel day on Wednesday and the unusual Friday night game.

The injury list remains mostly unchanged: true freshman tailback Brandon Yakaboski (concussion) wore a red jersey in practice, indicating injury. Tailback J.R. Hasty (ankle), defensive end Darrion Jones (ankle), linebacker Donald Butler, receiver Cody Ellis (hamstring) and cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring) were out again.

What's new is that coach Tyrone Willingham indicated that long-injured Davenport may not be among the 66-70 players he intends to take to Syracuse. Erik Folk (back) also may not be ready, which would leave the kicking duties to Ryan Perkins and Jared Ballman.

The team won't take the field Sunday, which is Willingham’s usual custom.

Speaking of Sunday, my story for that day's paper will concentrate on the new NCAA rule that will push kickoffs back five yards to the 30. Coaches predict it will make more that five yards worth of difference.

I have arrived for my first game at Quest Field, though in the past I covered the DC United-Manchester United game that was played here I think last summer, maybe two summers ago. A horde of Vikings players are on the field, a few Seahawks players are out stretching. We should be hearing shortly who is playing and who is not tonight, I'll update that as quickly as possible. The TNT has me, Boling and Ryan Divish all covering the game tonight, though with a 6 o'clock start our deadlines will be tight. I'll post some stuff at halftime and again after the game, but it will have to wait until our daily stuff is all filed.

=> Read more!

I was on last night with Elise and Ian, but the podcast didn't get put up until late. Here is the audio link.

A week from right now, the Huskies will be off to a 1-0 or 0-1 start on their football season.

With kickoff against Syracuse moving ever closer, we'll be shifting into our game-week coverage in the paper. And here, I wanted to pass along a few useful Web sites on the Orange.

We'll start with this straight-shooting Syracuse blog and the Sports section from the city's main paper, The Post-Standard.

And finally, a link to the official Syracuse site.

As the cliché has it, Washington is the “most trade-dependent state” in the country. Another way to put it: Washington kicks butt in the Pacific Rim.

Some numbers just released by Tacoma’s World Trade Center tell the story:
In exports, Washington is fourth in the country, trailing only three much larger states, New York, California and Texas.

Our chief “import partners” – the people selling us stuff – are China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam, in that order.

But we’re selling stuff, too. Washington exported more than $30 billion worth of goods in the first half of this year – 20 percent more than the first half of 2006.

According to the WTC, we’re “the only state to have a positive balance of trade with China. Most of this is due to airplane sales.”

One bit of bad news: Washington’s chief imports from China are ... toys.

If you live in the Northwest, you probably begin to stumble when temperatures hit the 90s – the kind of heat the folks in Texas don’t notice.

Down here, where they had a month of 100 degree temperatures last summer, 90s is spring weather. Which gives the Texas Rangers a sizeable advantage on the opposition during summer months.

The Mariners won the first two games of their series in Arlington with both starting pitchers – first Jeff Weaver, then Felix Hernandez – exiting after six innings. By the eighth inning Friday, the e-mail was already demanding John McLaren’s head for pulling Hernandez out prematurely.

Rest yourselves. It wasn’t a quick hook.

“The heat was killing me,” Hernandez said. “My shirt weighed about three pounds. I wanted to go deeper, but it was so hot out there.”

It was so hot that Saturday’s batting practice was canceled by McLaren, who planned to rest center fielder Ichiro Suzuki and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, too.

The heat and humidity take a toll on visiting players, and McLaren isn’t about to exhaust his starting pitchers or position players here before a huge three-game series at home with the Angels beginning Monday.

McLaren doesn’t want his team looking ahead, but as a manager he must. If babying his starting pitchers in weather they rarely work in keeps them fresher, that’s good decision-making

On Thursday, Weaver told the Mariners he was done after six innings. Hernandez wanted to go deeper into the game, but admitted he was fried.

Five weeks before the end of the season is too early to push pitchers beyond their limits. A month from now, McLaren and the team may have to demand more.

Sometimes dumb questions get good answers.

In these dog days of fall camp, I asked the four Huskies who go by their initials to explain how that happened.

I thought the answers were all pretty interesting, and especially J.D Williams:

E.J. Savannah, linebacker: “I think it was given to me by dad when I was younger – I mean like a baby. But it stuck with me until now, and now I’ve got it tattooed on my arm. I’ve got no middle name, so it’s Edward Savannah Junior – the ‘J’ for ‘Junior.’”

J.R. Hasty, tailback: “When I was born, my grandmother called me that. It’s for James Ray. My dad is James Edwards, I’m J.R. I don’t know why that is, but it’s cool. It’s what I’ve been called all my life. Some people on my team call me James just to be funny, but it’s J.R.”

T.J. Poe, linebacker: I’m a third. My grandpa is Thomas Poe, and my father is Tom, so I’m T.J. My mom didn’t want it originally, but it just took off that way. I’ve never been called Tom.”

J.D. Williams, secondary coach: “My real name is James Earl. J.D. came from playing at Fresno State. When I was playing there was another James Williams – he was a running back – and he was James Edward Williams, and I was James Earl Williams. My older brother David used to play at Fresno State, and Coach (Jim) Sweeney used to call me ‘David’s brother.’ So he called me ‘James, David’s brother,’ and the J.D. kind of stuck, and here it is. … Everybody that ever knew me before Fresno State calls me James, and after Fresno State they call me J.D.”

You're an old-timer if you can remember Federal Way before it was Federal Way – those days before Interstate 5 when Highway 99 was the main drag between Tacoma and Seattle and there were no McDonald's, 7-Elevens or strip malls anywhere to be seen.

Len Englund remembers those days. In fact, he's one of the most deep-rooted Federal Way candidate we've met. Federal Way has grown so much in the past 20 years that most people you meet in public life there are originally from somewhere else.

Englund is running for Federal Way School Board Position 2, against Suzanne Smith. Englund grew up in Federal Way (before it became a city) and graduated from Jefferson High School. His mother was a teacher in the Federal Way School District.

Lt. Col. Alfredo Mycue (left) features as a prominent character in an expansive article about Iraq in Der Spiegel, the German news magazine. Mycue commands the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment Strykers out of Fort Lewis. While Der Spiegel's Ullrich Fichtner found promising conditions in some places, such as Ramadi, he calls the south Baghdad district that Mycue and his men patrol "The Hell Zone."Photo: Tina Hager/DER SPIEGEL/Agentur Focus

There's a lot to chew on in Ullrich Fichtner's long piece in Der Spiegel on his fourth trip into Iraq – found it courtesy of a link on Talisman Gate.

His description of Ramadi is almost unbelievable when you consider what that place was said to be like before.

But his picture of Mycue's southern Baghdad district is grim – it starts on Part 4. Check it out when you've got some time to read.

Perhaps you saw this news update Thursday.

Law enforcement sources tell Lights & Sirens Tacoma police busted him Friday afternoon after receiving a tip from the public.

Way to go public!

Washington center Artem Wallace won't accompany the basketball team on its tour of Greece next week, due to a passport problem. Wallace was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship.

"Artem didn't receive a passport and won't be going to Greece with the team," coach Lorenzo Romar said. "It's so confusing, but the bottom line is that he won't be making the trip."

That means only either veteran Huskies will take part in the five-game tour of Greece, for which the team departs Monday. The incoming true freshman class also is ineligible to go because the fall quarter at UW has not yet begun.

Meanwhile, the Huskies also announced that the previously announced season-opening exhibition game against Concordia has been canceled. The Huskies will now begin their 2007-08 season at home on Nov. 5 with an exhibition game against Seattle Pacific.

I just want to draw everyone's attention to Derek's post about the happy hour auction for Rock Zombie, a movie that is sure to please all fans of both rock and zombie genres.

Anyhow, I'm drawing your attention to it both because it sounds rad and I was supposed to blog about it earlier this week but dropped the ball ... because I was too busy writing about how we've droped the ball as a blog ... kind of a theme in my life. Ah well.

For those wondering what will become of all those employed in the home-loan industry given today’s shaky real estate market, Bloomberg reported this week that financial institutions announced nearly 21,000 job cuts since Aug. 1, according to job recruiting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Also, Bloomberg said that mortgage applications fell 5.5 percent last week, the biggest decline in almost three months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Armed with a soldering iron and a large supply of energy drinks, a slight, curly haired teenager has developed a way to make the iPhone, arguably the gadget of the year, available to a much wider audience, The Associated Press reports.

George Hotz of Glen Rock, N.J., spent his last summer before college figuring out how to “unlock” the iPhone, freeing it from being restricted to a single carrier, AT&T Inc.

The procedure, which the 17-year-old laid out on his blog Thursday, raises the possibility of a cottage industry springing up to buy iPhones, unlocking them and then selling them to people who don’t want AT&T service or can’t get it, particularly overseas.

The phone, which combines an innovative touch-screen interface with the media-playing abilities of the iPod, is currently sold only in the U.S.

In a video post, Hotz demonstrated an iPhone running on T-Mobile’s network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone’s cellular technology.

The hack is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software, and missteps may result in the iPhone becoming useless, so it’s unlikely to become a household procedure.

“But that’s the simplest I could make them,” Hotz said in a phone interview. The next step, he said, would be for someone to develop a way to unlock the phone using only software.

A News Tribune story Monday looked at the problems some residents of the blossoming Sixth Avenue business district are having – particularly with late-night noise from places like Jazzbones and Chopstix. The city's not doing enough about the problem, they complain.

Well, as it turns out – and much to the City Council's surprise – Tacoma doesn't have a noise ordinance that would apply to that kind of public disturbance. That came out at a Tuesday meeting of the council's neighborhoods and housing committee. I found out about it when I talked to Mayor Bill Baarsma this morning for an editorial we're running Saturday.

Needless to say, city staff has been asked to come up with recommendations and policy options for the council.

Yesterday, Get Growing reader reidb commiserated over the loss of my blue potato crop. After harvesting them I made them in to a bowl of mashed potatoes. Only later did I realize the milk had gone sour. But, I couldn't tell from eating them. I ended up putting the leftovers in a Tupperware in the fridge.

When I got home last night I decided to see if they were edible. Let me recount last night's events in a handy, easy-to-use reader's guide to blue potatoes:

STEP ONE: If you make purple mashed potatoes do not use milk that has gone sour.

STEP TWO: If you fail Step One you should just throw the whole mess out even if they taste and smell OK.

STEP THREE: If you fail Step Two and decide they are OK to eat you will notice they have turned from purple to bright blue overnight. This should serve as a warning to you: Throw them out.

STEP FOUR: If you fail Step Three DO NOT microwave them.

STEP FIVE: You should not be on Step Five. You should have given up by now. Nevertheless, if you fail Step Five you will discover the microwave turns them from blue to aquamarine in color. THROW THEM OUT. Please. I beg you.

STEP SIX: Clearly, you are not listening to me. Fine. You will find at first bite the now radioactive looking potatoes taste normal. You will however, on your second bite, suddenly inhale the overwhelming scent of ammonia. Ammonia strong enough to clean your bathtub with. At this point, I guarantee you, you will throw them out and vow to never, ever work in the food service industry.

In case you think I'm making this up here's a photo of my dinner (complete with leftover ribs).

We're not going to hear from coach Willingham today, but we've gotten pretty good briefings from both coordinators.

I posted on Kent Baer earlier, and Tim Lappano just gave us a nice rundown on the offense.

He seemed generally pleased with the first-team offense in yesterday's scrimmage, a tad disappointed in the No. 2s.

But he might have sounded most fired up about true freshman Brandon Johnson (pictured), who apparently runs far harder than you might guess from his size: 5-11, 195. Lappano seems to think Johnson's power and his ability to hold onto the ball could make him the Huskies' long-sought solution for their short-yardage offense.

In general, it seems that J.R. Hasty might remain the No. 2 back behind Louis Rankin, but that all of the freshmen tailbacks are doing good things.

In the lone remaining battle on the offensive line, it sounds like Ben Ossai and Cody Habben will share time at tackle regardless of who starts.

Lappano seemed most disappointed that none of the three tight ends have really claimed the job in fall. Michael Gottlieb seems to at least have scored points for consistency, as Johnie Kirton and Rob Lewis have dropped too many passes.

On the outside, Anthony Russo seems back from his broken pinky and will be ready to go against Syracuse. Also Charles Hawkins just keeps catching most of what is thrown his way, and could have earned a brief appearance.

Baby carrots sold at Trader Joe’s Co. and other grocers in 12 U.S. states are being recalled after reports of contagion with a pathogen known to cause bloody diarrhea, Bloomberg News reports.

The carrots, infected with Shigella bacteria, came from the Los Angeles Salad Co., a closely held food distributor, according to a company statement distributed today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The packages had “sell-by” date codes up to Aug. 8 and Aug. 16, the company said.

Besides diarrhea, Shigella can cause fever, nausea and vomiting, with infections usually lasting anywhere from 4 to 14 days. People with compromised immune systems, including young children and the elderly, are particularly susceptible to infection, which can be spread from person to person.

Los Angeles Salad, based in City of Industry, California, began the recall after four reports from Aug. 4-6 of illnesses in Canada, the company said. No one was hospitalized and all have recovered.

The recall affects packaged carrots in California, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Florida and Washington.

The Cure concert that was set for Oct. 8 at KeyArena has been postponed until spring 2008, promoter Live Nation announced today.

The legendary alt-rock band also released this statement:

"With all apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment it may cause, we have made a decision to move the September/October 2007 North American Cure shows to April/May 2008.

The schedule as it stands only gives us a couple of weeks to finish our new double album before we hit the road again, and we know this just isn't enough time to complete the project to our genuine satisfaction.

We also want to create a new live show for North America, and incorporate new songs... and we need time and focus to do this.

So although we can agree it is a great shame to move these dates - believe us we have been looking forward to them more than anyone! We honestly feel that in the bigger picture we are making the right decision.

Tickets purchased for the canceled October show will be honored at next year's show. Other refund details will be announced soon.

The Huskies have gone through their final scrimmage of fall and defensive coordinator Kent Baer has watched live and on film. And yet the defensive line seems the only fully settled unit as of now – exactly one week from the opener.

Baer said that Donald Butler and Trenton Tuiasosopo remain in competition at one spot, while E.J. Savannah and Chris Stevens are both in play at another.

Meanwhile, the corner spot opposite Roy Lewis remains the undecided jumble between Cory Nicol, Matt Mosley and even freshman Vonzell McDowell that it's been all camp. However, UCLA-transfer Byron Davenport (pictured) is now out of the mix – at least for Syracuse. At safety, it looks to be Jason Wells and Mesphin Forrester, despite coach Tyrone Willingham's clearly implied interest in getting more out of Forrester.

With the defensive line long settled, the only issue is depth. Look for Caesar Rayford to be used as a pass-rushing end, while some combination of Erick Lobos, Cameron Elisara and perhaps Jovon O'Connor could be rotate through on the inside.

The state has just released the annual progress report for school districts required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The Tacoma School District remains in the Step 2 category for failing to make "adequate yearly progress" for two consecutive years. Bethel entered the Step 2 category this year after being in Step 1 last year. Clover Park entered the Step 1 category this year.

The Seattle School District is also in Step 2. It should be noted that schools are expected to make AYP in 37 different categories, so subpar performance in just a few categories can result in a school or district failing to make AYP overall.

Details at the Superintendent of Public Instruction web site here.

Saturday:

The lively nightclub and restaurant scene that has grown in Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue business district is a good thing — but some of the neighbors living near the district aren’t exactly enjoying it. The city and nightspot owners should do everything they can to minimize the problems for nearby residents.

Sunday:

Surprising news from Iraq: The new U.S. military strategy is working, at least somewhat. Unsurprising news: Iraqi government isn't working at all. The military gains only buy time. Ultimately, the conflict must be solved politically, not militarily.

Logging used to be a dirty word for many environmentalists. But some have come to realize that it’s better to buy forest land for sustainable timber production than to let it be developed — which is the rationale for a recent timber deal here in Washington. Another plus: tree regrowth after responsible logging helps reduce the CO2 problem.

Monday:

The biggest voting upset this month wasn’t in Tuesday’s primary. It was a vote by property owners that allows a controversial LID for infrastructure improvements in downtown Tacoma’s Broadway/St. Helens district to proceed. Previously, chances had seemed poor after cost estimates soared, prompting the city to conduct a re-vote. Now the district can look forward to an “urban village” look.

About our editorials:
If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to david.seago@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune's editorial board.
Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

Pretty porterhouse, on my deck.

See that porterhouse? That's what I've done with my summer vacation.

I take that back. Eating steak is work. If you chewed on the New York strip I had for breakfast today, you'd agree.

But about that porterhouse, and that bone-in rib steak and that London Broil and even the filet mignon that was bigger on price than it was on flavor ...

I melted a load of butter in a hot cast-iron skillet. I seasoned the porterhouse with salt and pepper. I seared the steak on both sides. I finished it in a 500-degree oven.

I don't measure cooking times. With meat, I have a mother's instinct, and this big baby cooked up dark and charry on the outside and ruby-bright on the inside. The flavors were intense and clean, the texture was firm, and the meat on either side of the bone, the New York strip and the filet mignon, practically chewed itself.

I've got more homework on my plate.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Front page: We weren't sure if we were going to run the toll story in Friday's paper or save it for Saturday, but based on the web traffic the story got, we were right to use it today. We also heard it on the radio stations and TV. The real-live examples and people in the story really helped validate the facts and moved the story along.

The Art Jarvis profile had a lot of news in it, but also had a feature touch that made it readable and interesting to get to know more about the man. The details and answers to many post-Milligan questions made it.

South Sound: Group loved Drew Perine's feature photo. It made us all want to be kids again on summer break. In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have run the Butch van Breda Kolff obituary. He wasn't a local sports personality though he lived his last year and passed away in Spokane. We could have used the space for more local news.

Sports: We really don't need to make more fun of Michael Vick's problems as we did with the photo of the dog with a Vick trading card in its mouth, but report on the news as it comes.

Soundlife: How about that colossal remote? We don't do enough local TV stories and this was a good one for consumers.

Go: Check out the First Bite by restaurant critic Ed Murrieta. His writing is so nice, even in short stories.

"The restaurant wears one flip-flop and one second-hand Manolo Blahnik."

A gem.

Thomas Law is back in town.

Looks like he was booked into the Pierce County Jail about 3 p.m. Thursday, according to the jail roster.

He's to be arraigned today at 1:30 p.m.

Law, you'll recall, is the third person charged in last weekend's shooting outside Rudy's Restaurant & Lounge on Tacoma's East Side. He apparently hopped a bus shortly after the violence and was headed east when the authorities caught up with him in Kansas City, Mo., earlier this week.

He's charged with being an accomplice to first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

I'm planning to attend his arraignment and will try to post an update to the home page by mid-afternoon.