Architects and builders from across Snohomish and King counties converged on Everetts Events Center to hear leaders in the building industry expound on green issues. Over 750 building-trade professionals took the day to hear and share whats new in the fields of design and materials. But first they had to get past a clutch of demonstrators wearing goofy costumes. They were such a jolly lot that it was difficult to determine whether they were seriously peeved over Weyerhaeusers timber practices or just out having a good time.

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One of the first things I learned when I started writing politics in 1961 was that naming federal prosecutors is part of the political patronage that goes with being elected president. Those are political plum jobs like postmasters and liquor store managers. Every lawyer who got a federal prosecutorial appointment knew that while he had a four-year term, he served at the pleasure of the president and could be let go at any time without being given a reason.

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Norm Malengs problem, I thought and why he got left at the post in his two tries for governor and one for attorney general, was that he found it difficult to blow his own horn.

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Everyone has their favorite Strawberry Festival activity. For some its the Grand Parade or the fireworks that follow. For others it may be the Pig Out on the Farm, the trike races, the Funtastic carnival, the talent show or the Berry Run. For many, last years inaugural Poochapalooza became an instant favorite and will return this year.

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I have been especially interested in your recent columns on abortion, writes Connie Rosenquist of Port Townsend. I have appreciated your compassion regarding the horrors of child abuse and also your sharing of comments from readers who disagree with your conclusions.

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