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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2013)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM O CTOBER 30, 2013 S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON V OLUME XXXVI, N O . 4 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW More Oil Trains Expected CREEPY CRAWLY Potential jobs and revenues alongside fears of an oil spill By Phuong Le The Associated Press PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Captain America leaves the haunted tunnel at the Creepy Crawl, a Halloween party at Garfield Community Center on Friday Oct. 25. The event featured carnival games, the haunted tunnel and a costume contest. Beacon to Guide Creative Minds Massive Monkees settle into a new facility in the International District By Chistopher Duclos Special to The Skanner News A fter a very successful Kickstarter campaign, Storefronts Seattle announced that Seattle’s Mas- sive Monkees have raised $30,000 to support their arts programs for young people. According to a press release StoreFronts, the goal was to make the space on South King Street their permanent home in order to continue their work. After signing a long-term lease with Coho Real Estate, a prop- erty owner in the International District, The Monkees have achieved this, turning their com- munity efforts into a full- fledged arts business. Additionally, this new home will serve as the group’s own rehearsal space. These classes and programs for the community are known as “The Beacon,” an already estab- lished hub of activity in the International District. Within the Beacon program, the Mas- INDEX News ..................2,3,7,8 Calendar ....................2 Opinion .......................4 A&E ..........................5,6 Bids .............................7 sive Monkees offer adult and youth break dancing, hip-hop classes, and an after-school youth and mentorship program. “The studio aims to be a ‘bea- con’ of light to guide the next generation of dancers, artists, and creative minds in our com- munity,” the Monkees said in StoreFront’s press release. “We will use the space to help guide and develop young artists into leaders, continuing the tradition that was passed along to us.” The Beacon is a creative pro- gram that is dedicated to pro- ducing, performing and teach- ing art with an emphasis on the positive art forms of hip-hop culture. The program provides a productive and safe place to interact with the community. “In a world where hip-hop dominates youth culture, it is important to see hip-hop artists make a difference their commu- nity,” said Austin Williams, the executive producer of Seattle’s What’s Good 206. “The Mon- kees’ dedication to community and youth is impressive. Their See MONKEES on page 3 SEATTLE (AP) — Hundreds of trains carrying crude oil could soon be chugging across the Northwest, bringing potential jobs and revenues but raising concerns about oil spills, increased train and vessel traffic and other issues. With five refineries, Washington has long received crude oil from Alaska and else- where by ship, barges or pipelines. But ports and refiners are increasingly turning to trains to take advantage of a boom in oil from North Dakota’s Bakken region. Three terminals — in Anacortes, Tacoma and Clatskanie, Ore. — are already receiv- ing crude oil by trains. Other facilities are proposed at the ports of Grays Harbor and Vancouver, and at refineries. Together, the 10 projects would be capa- ble of moving nearly 800,000 barrels per day, said Eric de Place, policy director at Sightline Institute. “It’s a lot of oil that we’re talking about moving by train in Washington. It raises new questions about how the state can handle a spill.’’ The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council is reviewing a proposal by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos. for a ter- minal at the Port of Vancouver to handle up to 380,000 barrels a day of crude oil. Oil arriving by train would be unloaded, stored temporarily and then loaded onto marine vessels to be shipped to refineries on the West Coast. “We are committed to building and oper- ating in a safe and environmentally respon- sible manner,’’ said Kelly Flint, senior vice-president of Savage. He said the proj- ect would not only benefit the local commu- nity but move the country ahead in energy independence. Public hearings are scheduled this week in Vancouver. The council will make a recom- mendation to Gov. Jay Inslee, who has the final say. Construction could begin by late See CRUDE on page 3 Jan. 1 Minimum Wage Increase: $9.32 Activists are still promoting what they say is the real living wage, $15 By Zosha Millman Special to The Skanner News W ashington State’s minimum wage, the highest in the country, will increase 13 cents per hour in 2014, to $9.32. Oregon’s, the next highest, will rise by 15 cents to $9.10. The increase, effective Jan. 1, is due to an initiative passed by voters in 1998. The adjustment is an effort to keep employees’ pay growing with the cost of living. “Where I lived in California it’s really expensive, and $8 an hour is not enough to get by,” said Zack Jacques, a barista who works for minimum wage at a Seattle Tully’s. “It feels amazing here.” The announcement comes from the Wash- ington State Department of Labor and Industries, which is tasked with calculating the increase every year based on the con- sumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI) from the federal bureau of labor and statistics. The 13-cent- per-hour increase reflects the 1.455 percent increase in the CPI reported by the bureau between Aug. 31, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2013. The state director of labor and industries See WAGE on page 3
