Port of Seattle

Seattle Port Commission gives itself sevenfold pay raise

The Associated Press — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:08:38 +0000

Port of Seattle commissioners voted Tuesday for a sevenfold pay raise to $42,000 a year, about the same as a Washington state legislator.

Port spokesman Jason Kelly says Commission President Tom Albro proposed the pay hike to make the job more attractive to applicants. The vote ties commission salaries to the pay of state lawmakers.

Seattle surveillance cameras have ACLU's antennas up

Gabriel Spitzer — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:27:08 +0000

Civil liberties advocates are raising concerns about a network of 30 surveillance cameras installed along Seattle’s shoreline, purchased with a $5 million dollar federal grant. When the measure first came up in city council last year, Seattle Police Assistant Chief Paul McDonagh said it was all about Port security.

A record crusie ship season in Seattle

Gabriel Spitzer — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:57:48 +0000

A record number of cruise ship passengers shoved off from Port of Seattle this year, according to Port officials. Hitting a new height of 933,900 passengers aboard 202 ships. Each of those ships generates $2.1 million for the local economy, according to the consulting firm Martin Associates, including everything from taxes to tourism to stocking the galley.

Peter McGraw of the Port of Seattle said the city has become the premier point of origin for Alaska cruises. He credited a big investment in infrastructure at the Port, including a new cruise terminal completed three years ago.

Abandoned rail line may become an Eastside bike trail

Ashley Gross — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:47:52 +0000

The dream of a bike trail stretching from Renton to Woodinville has moved one step closer to a reality. The Port of Seattle commission today voted to approve a $15 million sale of former rail land to King County.

Tacoma takes cargo shipping business from Seattle

The Associated Press — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:02:00 +0000

TACOMA, Wash. — A new cargo ship called Monday at the Port of Tacoma.

The containership Dusseldorf Express was the first ship from the Grand Alliance of three shipping lines that once called at the Port of Seattle.

Cruise ships sailing from Seattle to Alaska down from 2010 peak

Paula Wissel — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:05:15 +0000

The number of cruise ships sailing to Alaska from Seattle remains down from the peak of two years ago. In 2010, 223 ships made the trip. This year, 202 ships will sail from Seattle. It's a slight uptick from last year when 196 ships used Seattle as a homeport during the summer Alaska cruising season.

The Port of Seattle says revenue from the cruise business remains strong .

Preview: Traffic concerns legitimate for proposed new arena

Kirsten Kendrick and Art Thiel — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Members of the King County Council this week raised concerns about a proposed new arena in Seattle's SoDo district. Among the concerns is increased traffic - the same reason the Mariners, Port of Seattle and many SoDo businesses have come out against the idea of building third arena in the area.

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel shares his insight on this issue tomorrow morning at 5:35 and 7:35 on 88.5 KPLU. Check back here for a blog of our conversation.

Tacoma grabs port business from Seattle; sour grapes ensues

The Associated Press — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:36:58 +0000

TACOMA, Wash. — A Port of Seattle commissioner says the Port of Tacoma's winning away three shippers Thursday represents a "race to the bottom" that hurts the region.

Short-haul truckers heading back to work after two-weeks out

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:55:36 +0000

The two-week work stoppage by several hundred drayage drivers at the Port of Seattle ended this afternoon at a hastily-called press conference. The truckers who haul cargo containers from port terminals to distribution centers and rail yards walked off the job Jan. 30.

Demeke Meconnan, one of the first drivers to walk, said they're headed back to work, but their campaign isn't over.

Faith and community groups rallying for short haul truckers

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:02:28 +0000

As many as 30 or 40 percent of the short-haul truckers who normally move containers from docks to railcar terminals at the Port of Seattle have stopped working.

The work stoppage comes after one of the drivers was retaliated against for attending a hearing in Olympia last week on a proposal to improve their working conditions.

They’re independent contractors, who are predominantly immigrants, and say the conditions they’re forced to contend with make the job unsafe.

Foreign visitors to Washington, Seattle jump more than 30 percent

KPLU News Staff — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:12:03 +0000

New air services connecting Seattle to Iceland and Asia have helped Washington state lead the nation in attracting visitors from overseas, according to the U.S. Commerce Department and Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau. Tying with Nevada for the highest percentage growth in foreign visitors from 2009 to 2010, Washington state visits increased by 32 percent compared with an 11-percent growth nationally.

Among top U.S. cities, Seattle and Los Angeles led with a 33-percent increase in attracting foreign visitors. Other cities with double-digit increases were Las Vegas with 31 percent; Atlanta, 25 percent, and San Diego, 24 percent.

This Morning's Headlines

Gary Davis — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:43:45 +0000

787 Test Flight Fire "Significant"

The 787 test planes are grounded indefinitely until Boeing can figure out how a fire started during a Tuesday flight. This morning, company officials said the fire caused "significant" damage to a power panel.