He's 68 years old, a Seattle political legend, and he's still being pulled over by the cops. Ron Sims was King County's top elected official for 14 years, and a candidate for Washington state governor and U.S. Senate. Also, an ordained Baptist minister. And,Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat writes, like African-Americans everywhere, he's exasperated by police targeting him because he's black. Last year, Sims said the police stopped his car and asked, "Where are you going?" And Sims thought, "What possible business is that of yours:"
Westneat says Sims told him wearily that he'd been pulled over eight times by Seattle cops over the years. Sims' admirable career profile counted for nothing in the eyes of the police, Westneat notes, while his own bedraggled youth and humdrum white middle class existence passed perfect muster with the police. Zero traffic stops.
On Facebook, Sims expands on the issue at length, writing near the end, "It is very demeaning and it kind of hurts. Why me is what you say to yourself, why me? I didn’t deserve this! Even after all of these years it still seems so very an unfair price to pay. The stench of it seeps deep into your pores." — E.C.
It took a judge to settle the sibling feud of the Price kids. The richer, younger brother won, as the Seattle Times reports. Dan Price, CEO of credit card processing firm Gravity Payments, won world-wide attention for his decision last year to pay his employees a $70,000 annual minimum wage. This, and other executive decisions didn't sit well with older brother Lucas, a Gravity co-founder. He sued Dan, arguing that Dan's salary was excessive and that his his rights as a minority shareholder had been breached.
After a three-week trial, King County Superior Court judge Theresa Doyle late Friday dismissed Lucas' claims and ordered him to pay Dan's court costs. "I will never take for granted the incredibly valuable role Lucas played in creating our company," Dan said, charitably. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to put this challenging time behind us." — E.C.
Some dog owners are unhappy with a new Seattle Parks and Recreation plan for accommodating man's best friend. KING 5 reports that a key gripe is that the plan lacks provisions for putting off-leash dog areas in neighborhoods throughout the city. The group Citizens for Off-Leash Areas (COLA) says the plan also lacks provisions for putting dog areas in spots that people can reach without driving. The draft plan is under review with the Board of Parks Commissioners expected to adopt a final version no earlier than late September. — Joe Copeland
