On November 24, 2009, James Dow Constantine (b. 1961) is sworn in as King County Executive. Elected to the position three weeks earlier after a contentious race against Susan Hutchison (b. 1954), a po...
On November 29, 2009, four officers of the Lakewood Police Department are shot and killed by ex-convict Maurice Clemmons (1972-2009) in a coffeeshop near Tacoma. Clemmons has a history of violence, in...
On December 3, 2009, crowds gather at the 5th Avenue Theatre in downtown Seattle to celebrate "first light" for the theater's new marquee, which replaces one removed during theater renovations three ...
The Boeing Company's revolutionary 787 jetliner, the first passenger jet made mostly of composite materials, flies for the first time on December 15, 2009, more than 27 months behind schedule. The fli...
On December 16, 2009, Haroon Saleem (b. 1954), proprietor of the Timberline Café, is sworn in as the mayor of Granite Falls in Snohomish County. A native of Pakistan and a Muslim, Saleem defeat...
On December 19, 2009, Sound Transit's Link light rail connecting Seattle with Sea-Tac International Airport reaches SeaTac/Airport Station. The inaugural ribbon-cutting attended by some 500 celebrants...
On January 8, 2010, the Somali Weekend School holds its first classes. The privately organized school is is held in West Seattle in space provided by the Denny International Middle School at 8402 30th...
On January 9, 2010, a new public library opens in the city of Sammamish in eastern King County. The new Sammamish Library, located in the Sammamish Commons on 228th Avenue SE, replaces an older librar...
On February 9, 2010, the government of British Columbia announces the province's adoption of "Salish Sea" as an overlay name for the combined inland marine waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de...
On March 28, 2010, Somali TV releases a video explaining Census 2010 to Somali American viewers. Somali TV is a weekly Somali-language show that airs on the Seattle Cable Access Network.The video is p...
Early Friday morning, on April 2, 2010, an explosion and fire erupt in the Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes, killing seven refinery workers in the process of returning the...
On Wednesday April 14, 2010, Seattle's beloved Elliott Bay Book Company marks its bittersweet relocation to 1521 10th Avenue on Capitol Hill with a "soft" re-opening celebration. The store -- which ha...
On April 22, 2010, the Snoqualmie Tribe holds a blessing ceremony at Lake Sammamish State Park for the Northern Dipper, its newly built ocean-going canoe. The canoe will be used that summer during Can...
On May 3, 2010, the Pentagon discloses that the nation's gradually shrinking nuclear weapons arsenal now comprises 5,113 nuclear warheads. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which closely tracks d...
On June 2, 2010, with a surprise announcement just a few hours before a game, Ken Griffey Jr. (b. 1969) retires from baseball, ending the most accomplished and celebrated career in Seattle Mariners hi...
On June 13, 2010, the annual Peace Arch celebration, known informally as "Hands Across the Border," returns to Peace Arch Park (located on the U.S.-Canadian border between Blaine, Washington, and Doug...
On June 27, 2010, the Lusty Lady, a downtown Seattle "panoram," or peepshow, closes after 25 years. Famed for the irreverent puns and double-entendres on its iconic pink and black marquee, "the Lusty"...
At approximately 7:56 p.m. on June 30, 2010, the South Park Bridge closes to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The bridge passes over the navigable portion of the Duwamish River at 14th to 16th Avenue...
On July 27, 2010, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's news website runs this attention-grabbing banner headline: "BANNED! State to Seattle; No New Houseboats." This is probably surprising news to plenty ...
On August 30, 2010, Seattle police officer Ian Birk fatally shoots Native American woodcarver John T. Williams (1960-2010) on a downtown Seattle sidewalk. Footage from Birk's dashboard camera shows Wi...
On September 3, 2010, Juan Alonso (b. 1956), Dennis Coleman, Sergei Tschernisch, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Reel Grrls, and Velocity Dance Center are honored with Seattle Mayor's Arts Awards in a cere...
On the evening of September 11, 2010, the Ethiopian community celebrates Kiddus Yohannes, Ethiopian New Year, and the Ethiopian Community Mutual Association's purchase of a community center at 8323 Ra...
On September 11, 2010, a public open house celebrates the opening of the new $3.2 million Lake Hills Library, located at Lake Hills Village, on the corner of 156th Avenue SE and Lake Hills Boulevard i...
On September 16, 2010, the Seattle Storm defeats the Atlanta Dream 87-84 in Atlanta's Phillips Arena to win the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) championship. It is the franchise's secon...