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2009: Buckle up for a bumpy ride(Seattle Times, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 28--Millions, billions, gazillions ... It's getting hard to keep track of just how much money Washington state doesn't have. Economic woes -- of government, businesses and families -- are certain to be a major focus in 2009. But lots of other issues are in play, most of them vexing: Sports teams having trouble scoring and a much-watched airliner that hasn't yet flown. Maybe these are the "interesting times" that Chinese curse is all about. Some things to keep an eye on in the new year: Balancing act Last we heard, the magic number was more than $5 billion. That's the difference between what the state expects to collect over the next two years and what it would spend with services at present levels. Virtually every agency, office and service is vulnerable as Gov. Christine Gregoire and the Legislature wrangle over the budget over the next few months. The gov has said she won't raise taxes, and a payday loan seems out of the question, but maybe we could get creative on the revenue side: Rent out the ferries as party boats? Turn Husky Stadium into a Wal-Mart? By the way, did you realize every tree in our Evergreen State produces a steady supply of clean, pure oxygen -- and all these years, we've been letting people breathe it for free? Perchance to Dreamliner Time flies while your plane doesn't. Yes, it's been 17 months since the Boeing Dreamliner's glitzy rollout in Everett, broadcast in nine languages to a worldwide audience of 100 million. Boeing's plan at the time: to have the first 787 in the air by the end of August 2007. Four major production delays and a Machinists strike later, the 787 has still not left terra firma. Oops. The new bird's tardy takeoff, which could come by June, is expected to be joyously cathartic for Boeing employees and their top bosses alike. Failure to fly in 2009 and this "dream" turns into a nightmare. Alaskan Why Viaduct If we didn't already have a massive, elevated highway running along Seattle's downtown waterfront, the very idea would get laughed out of any government planning session. But we do. And the Alaskan Way Viaduct means different things to different people: A blight on the urban landscape -- or a quick way through town with a million-dollar view on the ride? No matter what the governor selects as her preferred option, expect viaduct-decision-watching to be a spectator sport in '09, offering a hearty stew of politics, aesthetics, economics, civic identity, legal threats, transportation priorities -- even a dash of nostalgia. Spacing out If space is "the final frontier," what's 2.5 million square feet of new office space coming on line in downtown Seattle while the economy is taking a nose dive? Could be pretty lonely out there on the frontier. We're wondering not just who'll move into the new towers, but who'll fill the quarters of displaced staffers at WaMu and other companies which are sold, disappearing or downsizing a la Starbucks, Safeco and anyone's-guess-who'll-be-next. Some developers may risk losing their buildings. Even scarier: All those payroll dollars vanishing means less money spent at every remaining local business -- a ripple effect of tsunamic proportions. New landing spot? As Henry Higgins might have put it: More planes at Paine would mainly draw complaints. From neighbors, anyway. Even so, expect to see Everett's Paine Field discussed more intently as a second regional commercial-airline terminus. Turns out that Sea-Tac, even with its spankin' new billion-dollar third runway, a project that seems to date back to the Coolidge administration, won't be able to handle the hordes headed our way. The gov's blue-ribbon panel is to make a recommendation by midyear. One concern: We don't look forward to our airline captain intoning. "Please fasten your seat belts. We're beginning our descent into Paine." Better days are coming Seattle was a great place to visit in 2008, particularly if you were a major sports team needing a victory. The Mariners, Seahawks and Huskies seemed only too ready to oblige. But this just in: A panel of top psychics, a fortune cookie from Tai Tung and our trusty Mattel Magic 8 ball all agree that each of those teams will fare better under new leadership in '09. "How can they not?" is how the 8-ball put it. Local sports fans, who vaguely remember when going to games was actually fun, will hope for the best with Don Wakamatsu managing the Mariners, Steve Sarkisian coaching the Huskies and Jim Mora taking over the Seahawks. Avoid the cellar is one thing, but can any of them deliver a winning record? Quoth the 8 ball, "Outlook hazy." (Read more about the year in sports on D1.) No home for foam Bid goodbye to those ubiquitous foam containers holding your teriyaki chicken and various deli delights. Starting Jan. 1, restaurants and other food vendors can use plastic instead, but only for 18 months; then they must switch to something than can either be recycled or composted. And what about that 20-cent fee Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and the City Council want to apply to disposable plastic and paper bags? That will go before a public vote, probably next summer. We're not sure what will be the next earth-friendly measure to get traction in the Emerald City -- maybe that recently proposed limit on tree cutting in your yard. But now comes word that with a reduction in consumer demand, recycled stuff isn't worth what it used to be. Like that great philosopher, Kermit the Frog, once said: It's not that easy being green. For arts sake Talk about filling big shoes: Only the most able and agile need apply for positions at three prestigious arts organizations. Mimi Gates is stepping down at Seattle Art Museum after overseeing the move to SAM's downtown digs and the creation of a civic jewel, the Olympic Sculpture Park. At the Symphony, Maestro Gerard Schwarz, a quarter-century on the baton, will leave when his contract expires in 2011. And the Rep is looking to replace artistic director David Esbjornson, who departed after three up-and-down seasons. If any of those jobs fit your resume, be forewarned: Observers say Seattle's arts institutions are in for turbulent financial times. Open a new Window Will the number 7 be lucky for our Eastside software purveyor, as in Windows 7? The new year will see Microsoft busy squishing whatever bugs remain in the much-anticipated next version of its flagship operating system. Top execs are being tight-lipped about the release date, and no wonder: The current Windows Vista was slow out of the gate, plagued with delays that chipped away at the software giant's credibility. The official company timetable would indicate "7" will be out no later than the end of January 2010. But many observers suggest the company wants to get it finished sooner, and shipped to the North Pole in time to get into the computers coming on Santa's sleigh next year. Bouncing back? The good news, for those who'd like Seattle to get another shot at an NBA franchise, is that the city's proposal for an upgraded KeyArena isn't arriving on Olympia's doorstep DOA -- unlike some Seattle-centric proposals have in the past. Even NBA Commish David Stern, who helped the Sonics escape, is hinting he might warm to the possibility of a new team here. That said, it still may be a longshot -- half-court or more -- that legislators patching together a state budget will give a nod to $75 million in hotel / motel taxes toward the KeyArena job, even if it's combined with $150 million from deep-pocketed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Seems like helping us get basketball back is the least our motel guests can do, after all those free bars of soap and courtesy shower caps they've been getting. Riding the rails Imagine speedy new light-rail trains running, without obstruction, all the way from Lynnwood in the north to Federal Way in the south to the Overlake area in the east. Now hold that thought. For 14 years. Much sooner, as in next summer, we should see the opening of South Transit's first light-rail stretch, a 14-mile glide from Seattle to Tukwila, with two more miles added by the end of the year to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sooner still -- starting April 1 -- shoppers in much of King, Snohomish and Pierce counties will pay another nickel on each $10 purchase under the Sound Transit sales-tax boost voters OK'd last month. Besides light rail, Sound Transit will boost bus service and add more runs on old-fashioned regular rails between Pierce County and Seattle. Granted, some of us may be pushing up daisies by the time the light-rail network is complete. Wonder if there will be a stop at Washelli ... A familiar duo No, they haven't been in office forever. It just seems that way. Their honorable selves, Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims, are both up for re-election in 2009. Sims may be headed to the "other" Washington if the Obama administration likes what it's hearing in background checks now under way. And even some former Sims allies have asked him to step aside for someone with a fresh approach. Between the two of them, Sims and Nickels have won a dozen races for local office and, if they do both run again, neither is likely to be a particularly easy target. It's one thing to grumble about the regime -- and quite another to topple it. Times news staffers Bill Reader, Sharon Pian Chan, Dominic Gates, Jim Brunner, Mike Lindblom, Susan Gilmore, Lynn Jacobsen, Benjamin J. Romano and Eric Pryne contributed to this report. Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or [email protected]. 2008 -- A Look Back Pictures of the year Seattle Times photo editors have chosen their favorite images of 2008. Features Best Washington wines of 2008 Our picks for the best books of 2008 The year's best mystery books Best video games of 2008 A poetic farewell to the year in movies '08 highlights: Fleet Foxes, Sub Pop at 20 In a down year, films of joy and inspiration Best jazz and world music of 2008 Our restaurant critic picks the best bites of 2008 The Top 10 CDs of 2008 The Top 10 singles of 2008 The best, worst in 2008 of Seattle theater scene News Ground laid for more Lewis County flood trouble? Obama's election voted top news story of 2008 Notable people who died between Jan 1 and Dec. 25 From artists to whale trainers, they'll be missed Business Biz Quiz 2008: A year gone sour Healing may be slow to happen Other Dig deeper and behold the gifts sports gave us in 2008 Weird, wacky, wonderful: A peek at sports in 2009 After this crazy year, things can only get better There were good moments in 2008, but you had to know where to look Notable passings in the Seattle sports community in 2008 2008 was a wild, wacky year in sports To see more of The Seattle Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.seattletimes.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Seattle Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |