WWW . THESKANNER . COM
O CTOBER 30, 2013
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OLUME XXXVI, N O . 4
25
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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