Monday, May 21, 2012 @ 5:48pm

Seattle woman tries to save denim factory

There are about 2,800 miles between Seattle, Washington and a denim plant in Liberty, South Carolina. The two cities are connected by a Seattle woman who's on a mission to save American manufacturers and Made in the USA clothing.

I first talked with Liz Havlin five months ago when she learned how challenging it can be to create a product in the USA. Since then Havlin, executive director of a non-profit called WearUSA, held a fashion show of clothing manufactured in the Northwest at the Space Needle.

Now she's set up shop in South Carolina to try to reopen Liberty Denim.

The denim plant was once the economic heart of Liberty, she says, employing nearly 200 people. There were two textile companies in the small South Carolina town at one point.

Liberty Denim, built in the early 1900s, closed in December and the company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Havlin doesn't seem daunted by the defunct plant.

"Our goal is to save the mill," says Havlin. "I've been in SC by myself plugging away and really need a shout out from Seattle to keep me from feeling like I'm not crazy trying to save one of the last denim factories in the U.S.A."

Her group created a Facebook page for support. People can "adopt a brick" for $25 to fund the effort. The money goes toward the group's efforts to buy back the mill in bankruptcy court. They're trying to raise $150,000.

"If we could just fix what's been wronged and save this factory, I really feel like it could be a big win for the people," Havlin says.

Ultimately she'd like to have former employees own the plant. Workers would have a "huge say" in day-to-day operation of the mill.

Everyone, from the person who sweeps the floor of the plant to the CEO, would share responsibilities and decision making.

But is that idea practical?

It's worked before, she says. Havlin points to the success SynTerra has had. That's an environmental firm in Greenville. There are 40 employees and half of them own 100 percent of the company, which consistently shows up on "best places to work" lists in South Carolina.

Havlin and her supporters will head to bankruptcy court May 29th. They plan to fight liquidators who want to buy the mill and sell the assets of the building.

By LINDA THOMAS

Monday, May 21, 2012 @ 1:52pm

Some thanks from Oklahoma City Thunder

As if it doesn't hurt enough that Seattle lost its Sonics to Oklahoma City, a t-shirt company there has printed up shirts for Thunder fans thanking Seattle for their team. Isn't that nice?

The shirts, created by Oklahoma City-based War Paint Clothing Company, show what appears to be the classic Sonics logo with the city skyline inside a basketball on the front. But instead of the green and yellow with the Space Needle, the logo is blue with the Oklahoma City skyline.

On the back is the message: "Thank you Seattle - Okc"

The company posted the shirts on Twitter. After getting some pushback from Seattle Sonics fans, a some "threats," the company decided to stop selling the shirt late Monday.

Courtesy Warpaint Clothing Company's Twitter feed

Kelley Tubbs lovin his shirt

The Thunder were the Seattle SuperSonics until 2008. That’s when the ownership group that bought the team two years earlier reached a settlement with the City of Seattle to get out of its lease at KeyArena.

Oklahoma elminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals with a 4th win Monday night.

In Oklahoma City, at least 8 people were shot last night following the NBA playoff game. Police say scuffles broke out in the crowd as it walked towards a nearby nightlife area. A group of men apparently opened fire on a group of women who were hassling each other.

By LINDA THOMAS

Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 5:10pm

Sizing up Puget Sound area health clubs

The most expensive health clubs and veterinarians do not offer the highest quality. That's the conclusion of a consumer group that rated hundreds of service businesses in the Puget Sound region.

It's easy to compare the price and quality of laptops or big-screen televisions online and in stores. Comparing health clubs, house cleaners or vets is tricky because service providers don't list their prices.

"They're hoping you won't comparison shop," says Robert Krugoff, President of Checkbook.org . "With products, people do compare prices, and prices tend to line up with quality fairly well. With services, we've found more expensive places do not necessarily offer the best quality."

Checkbook.org is a non-profit and a spin off of Consumer Reports. Like the consumer magazine and website, they don't rely on advertising, so their research is more objective.

Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook rates local services from auto repair shops and plumbers to vets and health clubs. Their research includes consumer surveys and undercover price shopping over a one-year period.

"We spend an enormous amount of time getting quote after quote where the service provider doesn't realize that it's actually Checkbook doing it," Krugoff says.

The consumer group looked at 195 area veterinarian facilities, 87 fitness clubs, 43 travel agencies, 21 house cleaners and other services for its spring/summer edition.

To evaluate vets, one of the things Checkbook compared was the price for spaying a 30 pound, 6-month-old dog.

"We found prices ranging from $69 all the up to $469 for exactly the same procedure," says Krugoff. "In terms of customer satisfaction, the most expensive veterinarians were not rated the best."

Among the local vets who received high marks for quality and price are: Animal Hospital of Maple Valley; Auburn Veterinary Hospital; Cascade Veterinary Hospital in Federal Way; Des Moines Veterinary Hospital; Rainier Beach Veterinary Hospital; and Highline Veterinary Hospital in Burien.

Sizing up fitness clubs, Checkbook found a lot of people waste money on health clubs.

They should consider the alternatives first like working out at home, or going to a local recreational facility if you need more structure.

"We found some clubs that were rated superior by more than 80 percent of their customers. Some where it was down below 20 percent, so that's a pretty dramatic difference in quality of these places," he says.

The only chain-wide health clubs that received Checkbook's top rating for quality are Curves and the YMCA.

LA Fitness had a low 38 percent rating for friendliness. 24 Hour Fitness had low ratings for quality of the facility and quality of instruction. The club with the highest number of complaints to the Attorney General's office, with 11, was Allstar Fitness in Seattle.

Local clubs with top ratings include: Ballard Health Club; PRO Sports Club in Bellevue; and Bainbridge Athletic Club.

There's a dramatic difference in club costs too - ranging from $300 to $900 or more a year.

Krugoff suggests with all services, especially health clubs, make sure the person trying to sell a membership is aware that you're shopping around for the best price.

"In some ways it's kind of like an auto dealer where you get your best price as you're walking out the door to go to your car," says Krugoff. "You want them to be aware that you are looking at the alternatives because almost all service providers have some flexibility in terms of what they charge you."

By LINDA THOMAS

Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 5:07pm

Banning Native American school mascots

Banks High School in Oregon will no longer be the home of the Braves. You won't find Indians or Warriors in Oregon in a few years either.

The Oregon State Board of Education has banned public schools from using American Indian names and mascots for their athletic teams, out of a concern they disparage native American people.

Researcher Stephanie Fryberg says the use of Native Americans as mascots "devalues and limits individual identity."

"I do not believe any of our schools with Native American mascots intended to be disrespectful, however intent is not enough," Superintendent Susan Castillo says.

The board held over eight hours of public testimony on the topic and received over 700 pieces of written testimony.

"Our role as educators needs to be to create a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for all of our students - an environment which honors them for who they are as individuals with a rich and varied cultural history," Castillo says. "We can no longer accept these stereotypical images for the sake of tradition when they are hurting our kids."

The Banks High School mascot on the wall of their gym in Banks, Oregon. Oregon now has the toughest restrictions on American Indian nicknames, mascots and logos. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Oregon’s ban prohibits using a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition that is used by a public school as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead, or team name.

Prohibited names include: Redskins; Savages; Chiefs; Chieftains; and Braves. Schools may continue to use the name "Warriors" as long as it is not combined with a symbol or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition.

The move is believed to be one of the nation's most sweeping prohibitions of its kind in favor of native Americans who say their culture is stereotyped by a number of sports teams.

The vote in Oregon was 5-1, and schools have until July of 2017 to comply with the decision.

Washington has a number of schools with Native American mascots. You'll find "Braves" at Bethel High School and Seattle's Bishop Blanchet High School. Clover Park High School has Warriors.

Several years ago, Issaquah also banned mascots based on racial stereotypes. Issaquah High School has done away with its long time "Indians" mascot. They are now the "Eagles."

Is this mascot inspiring or offensive? Seven schools in Oregon will have to change their nicknames and mascots or risk losing state funding. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

By LINDA THOMAS

Related: A Brave New World controversy

Richland school bans Sherman Alexie book

Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 5:53pm

What motorists don't know about cyclists

Thousands of extra wheels will be on roads in the Northwest for bike-to-work day Friday, and motorists don't always know how to share the road with cyclists.

A new poll from PEMCO Insurance suggests that while drivers in Washington and Oregon generally favor cyclist-safety laws, people in Portland have a better understanding of how to share the road than those in Seattle.

Have you seen bike boxes in intersections? Portland has more of them than we do in Seattle. In both areas, motorists are legally required to stop before the green box.

The poll revealed that nearly two-thirds of Portland drivers are familiar with the green bicycle boxes. In Seattle, only about one-third were aware of them.

The boxes are at several intersections including East Pine and 12th Avenue, and Fremont and North 34th Street. They prohibit drivers from making free right turns on a red light.

Seattle DOT photo

Even if you haven't seen them, it's pretty obvious that you should stop before you get to the green area. Right?

In Washington, the fine for violating green bike-box laws is as high as $194, and in Oregon the fine is as high as $242.

A national census data published by the League of American Bicyclists reports that Portland has the greatest bicycle-commuter rates out of the 70 largest U.S. cities. Seattle comes in as the third most popular city for bike commuting.

Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 4:45pm

Seattle billionaires' car and home for sale

A fictional Seattle billionaire's penthouse and a real local billionaire's Porsche are for sale.

A sports car Bill Gates bought a few years after he started Microsoft will be auctioned in a couple of weeks. It's a 1979 pearlescent turquoise Porsche 911 Turbo. It comes with paperwork, proving it belonged to Gates.

Photos courtesy Dorotheum auction house

For millions of women around the world, billionaire bachelor Christian Grey's Seattle home might be of more interest. "Fifty Shades of Grey" is the kinky, erotic trilogy that is still at the top of The New York Times and Amazon.com best seller lists.

The high rise Seattle condo where the drama in the relationship between Christian Grey and WSU college grad Anastasia Steele takes place. His fictional home is in the real, swanky Escala building in the Belltown neighborhood.

The building manager is being inundated with calls from fans of the book, but many won't be able to afford the the place. While base models in the Escala started around $400,000, a penthouse runs between $4 million and $6 million. San Francisco Giants star pitcher and Seattle native Tim Lincecum lives in the building, he bought the "sub-penthouse" layout for about $1.5 million.

Photos courtesy Zillow.com

By LINDA THOMAS

Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 3:42am

U.S. Army to review all PTSD cases

The U.S. Army will conduct an independent review of all diagnosed and possible post-traumatic stress disorder cases dating back to October of 2001.

The new review, which will take about seven months, was triggered by revelations that Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord might have reversed diagnoses based on the expense of providing care and benefits to members of the military.

Senator Patty Murray, who heads the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, says this is the Army's opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past.

"The bottom line is that the Army needs to fix the inconsistencies we have seen in diagnosing the invisible wounds of war," says Murray. "Out of this review, the Army needs to provide a uniform mental health policy so that service members are given the care they need."

The challenge is that there is no definitive test for PTSD, according to Doctor Bret Moore, a former Army psychologist.

"For me to diagnose someone with cancer I know exactly what to look for," says Moore. "To diagnose someone with PTSD is a little more subjective. I don't have lab tests, so there's going to be a lot of variability."

A related issue is traumatic brain injuries. More than 134,900 Army personnel were diagnosed with TBI between 2000 and 2011. Of those, 75 percent, or more than 100,000, were diagnosed as having a mild or regular concussion.

Related: JBLM wife's struggle to help her husband

AP file photo

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 @ 5:12pm

Reporter defends his Dow Constantine story

Don't look for the full email that exposes King County Executive Dow Constantine's romantic involvement with communications consultant. The reporter who broke the story won't publish it, but he will defend his decision to write about the relationship.

"I don't plan to reveal more of the email. It was very emotional, heart-wrenching writing from a woman who was clearly a lover in distress about the relationship and the way it was ending," Josh Feit tells me. "There's no need to literally put the email in front of the whole world."

Some are questioning whether a romantic relationship between the unmarried county executive and a woman who is separated from her husband is newsworthy.

In 2009 Feit started the local political news site Publicola. Although the website had readers, it lacked a business model to support it. Feit is now writing for another Seattle online news site, Crosscut. That's where his scoop about Constantine appeared Monday, after local communication consultant Kim Fuqua mistakenly sent an email meant for the county executive to a larger group of her email contacts.

Constantine is not married but has been in a long-term relationship with Shirley Carlson. Fuqua is separated from her husband, Alex Alben, and is getting a divorce.

The county executive's response to Feit was, "I had a brief relationship with the sender, but decided not to continue it. I am sorry that this has caused pain and embarrassment to people I care about. But this is an entirely private matter, and should remain so."

Feit, and local news agencies, have filed public records requests to determine if any taxpayer money was spent on the relationship. A spokesman for Constantine says he believes the relationship did not involve official misconduct.

Is a relationship between the unmarried executive of the state's most populous county and a woman who was separated from her husband newsworthy?

"I felt like it's a story that is worth reporting on," says Feit. "A popular King County democrat involved in a questionable relationship, or romantic liaison, or affair is something people should know about. They can make up their own decisions on whether it's important."

Was the decision to post the story - Feit points out it was only 400 words and not intended to be a big investigative piece - politically motivated?

He says it wasn't, although the Democratic party is "benefiting right now from Republican missteps and a perceived war on women." He says the media wouldn't hesitate to discuss a transgression of a Republican, so they should also point out when "there are questions about a Democrat in a position of power."

Was the article a personal attack?

"Not at all," Feit says. "I have no ax to grind with Dow. He's a rising star and has been, from all analysis so far, a dynamite success as King County Executive."

Many Crosscut readers were critical of the report. A few applauded it. Here is a sample of the comments:

"PLEASE - have some respect. Take this down. It's not relevant - there is no impropriety having to do with public policy or his position. Posting this kind of stuff - what are you thinking? I'm embarrassed for you."

"I do agree with Constantine that this is a private affair. Unfortunately, when we hear the privacy word, it too often becomes a weak shield for actual corruption, i.e., Spitzer, John Edwards, Reece Lindquist, on and on ad nauseum. Of course the aristocracy doesn't want this kind of story released to the general public. It can reduce their ability to control the organized passing of the baton from one useless stooge to the next."

"Great way to start your time on Crosscut - by dragging a painful personal issue into the public realm. Super classy! What we know now is that two adults had an affair and it ended. It is very unfortunate, but there does not seem to be anything illegal happening."

The reaction doesn't change Feit's instinct to "run with" the story.

"It's a legitimate story when the King County Executive is having an affair when he has a long-time partner," he says. "I stand by the story."

By LINDA THOMAS