J. P. (short for Julius Pierpoint) Patches left us Sunday morning. The clown — real name Chris Wedes — was a hero to children of all ages, but especially to baby boomers who grew up watching the KIRO-TV children’s star from 1958 through 1981.  J. P. styled himself “mayor of the city dump.” J.P. starred […]

It was the 1962 Worlds Fair – this year celebrating its 50th anniversary – that did something surprising for a mostly forgotten city: It branded Seattle in a way no advertising campaign could ever have done. The fair said that Seattle was a happening place, a place celebrating science and bent on opening the doorway to the future.

Still there was a lot of good news. Never shy about Seattle’s accolades, she noted that Seattle is one of the “best cities for young professionals,” “No. 1 post-recession mecca for young skilled workers” and picked as “one of the geekiest cities in America” by the U.S. National Science Foundation.”

January and February are often months of culinary news: word of new restaurants opening, old favorites moving to new locations, changing menus and staff. This year is no different. And the big news is that Wayne Johnson, Andaluca’s Executive Chef, is leaving to take over the kitchen at Ray’s Boathouse.

Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), took as her tagline: “Game On,” as she tossed breakfast guests a pigskin metaphor and then proceeded to detail some of the successes and shortcomings of the economy in a 2011 snapshot.

Artist William (Bill) Cumming – a survivor of TB and other ails – faced death many times in his 93 years, but finally surrendered to heart failure on November 22. Cumming didn’t go quietly into that good night. He was perhaps more vigorous in his final years than he was in his teens when he joined the Northwest School during a stint with the National Youth Administration, one of the federal art projects of Depression years.

Thousands packed the Key Friday night, as rain-drenched but fiercely loyal fans welcomed home the Seattle Storm, winners of the 2010 Women’s National Basketball Association championship.

The Moore Theatre, Seattle’s oldest remaining theater, is still one of the most popular of Seattle’s entertainment venues. But the Moore also has its secrets. The Moore, as it turns out, was not only an early-day theater, but it also served the city as a hotel and spa.

Smiles and sunshine were the dress code for Sunday’s celebration of the restoration of the Hat ‘n’ Boots at Oxbow Park in Georgetown. For more than 25 years, the iconic structures served travelers along SR99 as a gas station. The hat housed the office; the boots, the restrooms.

The Seattle International Film Festival, largest film festival in the United States, kicks off Thursday. In just 25 days and nights, start to finish, the festival will offer 400 feature films and shorts from more than 60 countries, attracting visitors from around the world.

But that’s only part of SIFF’s success story.