Dave Meyer

In light of our recent I Wonder Why feature on utilikilts, we couldn't resist telling you about this new sartorial-themed fundraiser for the Seattle Ronald McDonald House.

Eighteen local men are vying for the title of King of the Kilt 2012 and have posed for pictures in their kilts.

Contestants include a police officer, a principal dancer with the Pacific NW Ballet, a member of the  Seattle Sounders FC and a Seahawk. Members of the public are invited to donate $25 in order to vote for their favorites at the Men in Kilts website. 

Facebook filed for its initial public stock offering in February, and the IPO could take place at any time in the next several weeks.

Should you buy the stock? We ducked that question a month ago on Money Matters but now, financial commentator Greg Heberlein is willing to offer some advice. 

As with many financial issues, the answer is dependent on your personal circumstances.

Two endangered clouded leopard cubs were born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium this morning.

The cubs, one female and one male, are healthy and weigh about half a pound each. For safety reasons, they'll be hand-raised by zoo staff rather than the mama leopard.

An airplane mechanic from Auburn has won the top prize in the Great American SPAM Championship.

41-year old Jason Munson's Mini Maple SPAM Doughnuts won a blue ribbon last September at the Puyallup Fair. His recipe went on to the national competition, where this week it beat out 800 other entries for the top honors.

It's official now. The January snow and ice storm was a disaster!

President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster exists in 11 Washington counties that were hard hit by the storm during the period of January 14-23, 2012.

Preliminary estimates indicate more than $32 million in eligible damages.

We may think about driving hybrid cars, but very few of us actually buy one.

A poll by of Washington and Oregon drivers by Seattle-based PEMCO Insurance finds less than 2% say they own a hybrid.

However, more than half of the drivers in Washington (56%) and Oregon (59%) say they'd consider buying a hybrid the next time they shop for a car.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) say the Labrador Retriever is Seattle's favorite dog. It's also the top dog nationwide.

Seattle also echoed the nation with the Golden Retriever in second place. New to Seattle's top 10 is the Havanese at #10.

Every month on The Digital Future, Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson shares his analysis and predictions with KPLU’s Dave Meyer. Today, we learn how he looks into the future.

Mark has been making predictions about technology and economics since 1995. His publicly graded accuracy rate over the past 10 years is over 93%.

The Washington State Patrol says the trooper who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Port Orchard this morning was 44-year-old Tony Radulescu. 

Trooper Radulescu served with the State Patrol for 16 years and spent his career in the Bremerton area.

WSP Chief John R. Batiste says Radulescu was a humble public servant, "the kind of person everyone wanted to be around, including me."

Batiste says Radulescu was well known in the community for his many visits and presentations at public schools.

More endangered clouded leopards will be born at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in the next few weeks.

Mama leopard Chai Li is pregnant with her second litter. She's due in March.

Chai Li surprised zoo officials last year when she secretly mated with breeding partner Nah Fun. She delivered two healthy cubs in June.

This time around, it's a planned pregnancy. Staffers believe she's carrying at least two cubs.

When you're not paying with cash, do you prefer a credit card or a debit card?

Organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports prefer the security of credit cards. 

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer agree that credit cards offer the most security and benefits, but find debit cards still have a useful role to play.

Should you buy Facebook stock when it goes public in the next few months?

Like any individual stock, it's a gamble. Most investors are better off with the relative safety of a stock index fund.

But sometimes it's hard to resist the dream of striking it rich like early investors did with the Microsoft or Amazon IPOs.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at what to expect when Facebook finally goes on the market.

Remember the 74 cats (and one dog) found living in a cramped, filthy camper near the Auburn Regional Medical Center a couple of weeks ago?

The first batch of rescued felines is going up for adoption today at the King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent.

The plight of the kitties tugged at the heartstrings of many of us. Fortunately, says Regional Animal Services interim director Glynis Frederikson, this story will have a happy ending.

“People have been calling and visiting almost every day, wondering when the Camper Cats would be available for adoption, so we know that these will find wonderful homes.”

The Treasurer of the Lakewood Police Independent Guild has been arrested for embezzlement.

Skeeter Timothy Manos allegedly diverted $151,000 from a fund intended to benefit the families of four police officers who were killed by gunman Maurice Clemmons in 2009.

Skeeter was arrested this morning at Lakewood City Hall. He’ll appear in Federal Court in Tacoma this afternoon to face ten federal felony charges.

If you're disappointed with the pay raise (or lack of one) you received last year, you're not alone.

Total private sector compensation in the Puget Sound region rose just 1 percent in 2011, compared to 2.2 percent nationwide.