If you're using part of the holiday weekend to catch up on reading, here's a look back at a good chunk of a week where Crosscut's writers kept its readers informed, entertained, and occasionally provoked on quite a few subjects.
Our most-viewed stories were these five, topped by a very nice look at the departure of first-class newsperson Gregg Hersholt from KIRO radio (the most viewed item of the week):
After 26 years with KIRO, Gregg Hersholt signs off.
Oil spill's challenges engulf NOAA Seattle team.
Pioneer Square: Embrace Real Change.
Costco will make enemies as it goes after liquor sales.
Washington pension funds are much more solid than most.
Among blog postings, was one by Ted Van Dyk that stood out for both the number of readers and comments:
Should online comments carry real names? Why not?
There was some very good commentary by our readers on these and other stories. As Crosscut continues to grow in its offerings, we hope to continue to foster even more a high level of intelligent, respectful discussion among readers. We welcome your ideas on that — and we, of course, appreciate your help in pointing out concerns when you think something on the site has strayed into abusive, unfair, or unnecessarily personal attacks.
In coming weeks, we will probably look at whether a somewhat different summary of the recent news might be helpful. As many of you will notice, the five stories here also happen to be the five most viewed over the past 10 days (although that won't always be the case). Suggestions welcome.