1. There's fallout from the Seattle Times' unprecedented decision to take out a $75,000 independent-expenditure ad in favor of a partisan candidate, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna, in its own pages.

Dozens of Times editorial staffers are drafting a letter protesting the decision by the paper's business side, Times political reporter Jim Brunner reports. Journalism experts say the ad risks destroying the credibility of the paper's political reporting.

Representatives of the Oilers were seen in Seattle last month scoping out KeyArena, prompting rumors that the team is considering a move here.

2. Field of Schemes reports that negotiations for a new arena for the Edmonton Oilers, the Canadian hockey team, have broken down, with the Edmonton City Council voting unanimously to halt all arena negotiations.

Representatives of the Oilers were seen in Seattle last month scoping out KeyArena, prompting rumors that the team is considering a move here; arena investor Chris Hansen hopes to bring a new NHL team, in addition to an NBA team, to his proposed half-billion-dollar facility.

3. Defensive much?

Instead of admitting it made a mistake in claiming to have opposed the Iraq War, as Democratic candidate Jay Inslee said during this week's debate (when he noted that he'd voted against it), the Times is doubling down.

They say that because Inslee didn't specify which Iraq war he was talking about (he wasn't in Congress during the first one), they just figured he could have meant the 1990 Iraq War, so their claim was, at worst, "half true." (Because when politicians refer to "the Iraq War" that's well-known shorthand for the one that happened 22 years ago.)

As we noted yesterday, claiming that statement is "half true" is like saying the Times' endorsement of McKenna for governor this year is halfhearted because they endorsed Inslee for Congress in 2008. 

4. The Atlantic takes up the increasingly contentious issue of micro-apartments, which are similar, but not identical, to the "aPODments" causing all sorts of controversy in Seattle. On one side: People who say they like living in a cozy space for less expense in urban areas where the entire city is effectively their living room. On the other: People who claim living in small spaces is akin to being "caged up" like animals, and that people should have room to roam in their private dwellings (so we should, presumably, all just move to Montana). It's a fascinating debate, and one that's only going to get more heated as housing prices increase in cities across the nation. 

 5. And holy fuck, it's the Stranger's endorsements. Not a ton of surprise here, but they do make an earnest case for the Socialist state house candidate, Kshama Sawant, who's challening speaker of the house, Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Seattle).