by Jennifer Langston King County’s transit agency needs a stable funding source. Really Metro service cuts hearing Here’s a picture of hundreds of people who crowded into a hearing room Tuesday to protest looming and massive bus cuts at King County Metro. If this looks familiar, it’s because we went through a similar exercise two years…

Finding common ground with talking points from the conservative play book. Mark Feldman and Anna Fahey on April 26, 2013 at 10:02 am       This post is part of the research project: Flashcards Photo Credit: Orin Zebest via Compfight cc What’s the best way to make a case for a carbon pollution tax…

Washington’s new governor, Jay Inslee, has “pledged to reduce carbon emissions in the state’s transportation system.” He’s named a new transportation secretary, Oregonian Lynn Peterson, who appears to feel similarly. And in his most recent public statements about transportation, he’s talked about the need to preserve and maintain existing roads—a sensible priority that does little…

The lesson of St. Louis.  Valerie Tarico on March 5, 2013 at 11:11 am This post is 1 in the series: Fifty Times Better than the Pill Photo Credit: Chris JL via Compfight cc Last fall, researchers in Missouri caught the attention of public health experts and advocates across North America. Some 9,000 St. Louis…

The legal arm of the coal industry in the Northwest. Eric de Place and Nick Abraham Photo credit Jesse Varner If ever an industry needed lawyers, it’s coal. Widely despised for the range of harm it leaves in its wake—from asthma in kids to mercury in fish to dangerous drinking water pollution—the coal industry long…

This post is part of the research project: Northwest Coal Exports and was originally published at Sightline Daily. If ever an industry needed good PR, it’s coal. The industry can’t hope to promote its own coal export schemes in the Northwest so instead it buys support from local consulting and PR firms willing to do coal’s…

The Cascadia Scorecard is Sightline Institute’s sustainability report card for the Pacific Northwest. Launched in 2004, the Cascadia Scorecard project measures the key trends that are shaping the future of our region. The Scorecard’s trends help us gauge whether the Northwest is making genuine progress towards shared goals: long and healthy lives, broadly shared prosperity,…

An aging population means a more diverse electorate. By Clark Williams-Derry on November 27, 2012 at 9:15 am Flickr – myJon Yesterday’s Seattle Times brought news of a trend that will shape the Northwest electorate for decades: the steady increase in the share of minority voters. Compared with some parts of the nation, the Northwest…

by Japhet Koteen Editor’s note: This post was written by Japhet Koteen, a community builder, urbanist, and real estate developer in Seattle. He wrote this post as part of a project for Taxpayers for Common Sense. It’s not the trillions elected leaders are looking for today in Washington, DC, but I know where they can…

(originally published at Sightline Daily, reprinted with permission; check out their website http://daily.sightline.org/ for other good articles) by Clark Williams-Derry I wish I were making this up. The Washington State Department of Transportation continues to insist that traffic volumes on the SR-520 bridge across lake Washington are going up up up—even though actual traffic volumes…