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1:20pm

Wed May 4, 2011
Around the Sound

South Park celebrates new bridge on Cinco de Mayo

Credit www.allaboutsouthpark.com
Cinco de Mayo 2011: Catch the Culture (Captura la Cultura)

The south Seattle community of South Park is celebrating the beginning of construction on its new bridge over the Duwamish with a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Instead of a groundbreaking, they'll break what's believed to be the largest piñata ever made in the Northwest...a 20 foot long miniature replica of the new bridge. You can see photos of the piñata under construction at the South Park facebook page.

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7:28am

Wed May 4, 2011
governor's veto

Fears of crackdown on medical marijuana stores

Credit AP
Robert Mangum, right, assists member Nate Murray in purchasing medical marijuana products at the Green Hope Patient Network, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010, in Shoreline, Wash.

Marijuana dispensaries say their legal situation is actually getting worse now that Governor Chris Gregoire has vetoed most of the medical marijuana bill.  The legal gray area they’ve been using since 1999 as a justification for opening co-ops and storefront shops will be eliminated when the law takes effect in July. 

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6:30am

Wed May 4, 2011
Food for Thought

Microwave makes it eggactly right

Credit Seattle Times
Nicely nuked by Nancy.

Here's how to show an egg who's boss without ever turning on your stove.

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3:32pm

Tue May 3, 2011
City Service Reductions

Seattle facing more budget cuts next year

Police, fire and all other departments in Seattle have been asked to find budget cuts for next year. Mayor Mike McGinn has instructed every office to look for trims because of lagging city revenues.

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2:07pm

Tue May 3, 2011
Osama bin Laden

Former 9/11 Commissioner says intelligence changes made a difference

Credit Department of Homeland Security
The 9/11 Commission Report, released in 2004, called for major changes in U.S. intelligence agencies.

Former U.S. Senator from Washington state, Slade Gorton,  says the killing of bin Laden is proof that intelligence agencies in the United States have improved.  Gorton sat on the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist attacks.

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1:13pm

Tue May 3, 2011
Environment

Barn cats: natural rodent control

Credit Steve Jurvetson / flickr.com
A barn cat doing what barn cats do best

Got a rodent problem? Traps and poisons can endanger people and pets. Live on a farm, ranch or other rural location? Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) offers a natural pest control solution:  colonies of barn cats. Provide them with food, water and shelter...such as a barn...and they'll do the job.

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11:33am

Tue May 3, 2011
Law & Justice

Helping refugee women fight domestic violence

Refugees face a lot of stress.  They’re usually escaping war or poverty.  They land here unable to speak English and without a means of support.  But for some women, there’s the additional burden of domestic violence.

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11:04am

Tue May 3, 2011
Osama bin Laden killed

Tacoma man remembers meeting with bin Laden

Credit AP Photo
It was during the siege of Sarajevo in 1995 that Tim Smith sat in a room with Osama bin Laden, who was one of the international donors helping the Bosnians.

Tim Smith, who lives in south Tacoma,  is glad Osama bin Laden is dead.  He says he feels a certain amount of closure.  He says he's been involved with the bin Laden story since 1995.  That's the year he met bin Laden, sort of.

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10:54am

Tue May 3, 2011
Missing Journalist

Humanosphere: My friend and colleague missing in Syria

Credit Seattlepi.com
Dorthy Parvaz, who holds American, Canadian and Iranian citizenship, arrived in Damascus on Friday and has not been heard from since.

Maybe you've heard about it already, but former Seattle PI reporter and columnist Dorothy Parvaz has gone missing in Syria.

Journalists take risks to make sure people’s stories are told, to shine a light on wrongdoing based on the belief that public awareness is the first step toward positive change. Today happens to be World Press Freedom Day, this year hosted by the U.S.

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10:00am

Tue May 3, 2011
DIY Jazz

Mix it up: KPLU music director invents 'The Choppertone'

Credit Justin Steyer / KPLU
KPLU music director, Nick Francis, poses with "The Choppertone," a self-built MIDI controller which allows him to remix and mashup jazz tunes in real-time.

Imagine inventing something that enhanced a hobby that you were passionate about. That's what happened to KPLU music director Nick Francis.

He invented a musical mixing device called The Choppertone. He built it from a MIDI controller kit. And with it, he's able to mix different bits of audio together, to create a whole new sound or remix an old song.

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5:00am

Tue May 3, 2011
Street Cents

Seattle apartments: small is beautiful

Credit nicolas / Flickr

Is the active street life in places such as Tokyo and Barcelona due, in part, to the fact that many people there live in very small apartments? When your living quarters are about the size of a jail cell (90 to 100 square feet, including the bathroom), then perhaps it's nicer to be outside sitting on a park bench, or spending time in cafes.  Maybe Seattle's street life will perk up with the micro-apartment trend that's happening here.

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5:10pm

Mon May 2, 2011
K-12 Education

Northwest high school in top three in Obama commencement contest

Bridgeport High School is one of just three schools left in a contest to have President Barack Obama speak at graduation. 

Shortly after the announcement came from the White House this morning, principal Tamra Jackson jumped on the intercom to let her students know:

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9:33am

Mon May 2, 2011
Global Health

Seattle still wants to save the world

Credit Justin Steyer / KPLU
"Can Seattle Save the World?" panel at Town Hall Seattle, featuring Tom Paulson, of KPLU's Humanosphere, and panelists Bill Foege, Chris Elias, Wendy Johnson, and Joe Whinney

We hope you figured out long ago that the title of KPLU's "Can Seattle Save the World? (Poverty, Health and Chocolate)" event was tongue-firmly-in-cheek, but also meant to raise some important questions. There's a serious debate about the meaning and priority of "health" in "global health."

The event itself, last Tuesday, proved so popular that we moved it to a room three times larger than originally planned -- and nearly packed the room. Not to toot our horn too much, but immediate feedback was enthusiastic. "Do it again," was the most common response.

We'd love to. In the meantime, we are belatedly offering a replay -- video from the event.

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5:59am

Mon May 2, 2011
alcohol

Parents drinking with teens could make matters worse

Credit angelocesare / Flickr
Should parents share a drink with their teenagers?

Maybe you had your first sip of wine or beer at home, with your parents. Or maybe it was with friends, in shadowy circumstances. Either way, did it matter in the long run?   

The latest research suggests parents drinking with their teens leads to problems. Teenagers are more likely to abuse alcohol and hurt themselves if their parents introduce them to alcohol than if parents have a zero-tolerance policy at home. 

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7:55pm

Sun May 1, 2011
Bin Laden killed by U.S.

Osama bin Laden is dead

A small team of Americans killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, in a firefight Sunday at a compound in Pakistan, President Obama said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House.

A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread. of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

"Justice has been done," Obama said.

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