PNB Homecoming, Encore at The Harvard Exit & More News

The top Seattle news stories you should be reading today

By Jaclyn Norton March 13, 2015

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Tech Wars. The University of Washington is planning to expand its technology program in a big way, The Puget Sound Business Journal said yesterday. The Global Innovation Exchange Program (GIX) is set to launch in 2016, and will be the new cornerstone for graduate students studying technology. UW is looking at pliable options to house the new program, and developers are eager to take on the project. As of now, the biggest contenders in the region include Redmond’s 28-acre mixed-use Esterra Park, and the 32-acre Spring District project under way in Bellevue. 

Pacific Northwest Ballet Homecoming. After Noelani Pantastico’s dazzling performance as Juliette in PNB’s premiere of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, she was invited to join his company Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. Seven years later, Pantastico is returning to The Pacific Northwest Ballet as a principal dancer, PNB artistic director Peter Boal announced Thursday. Her return to the McCall Hall stage will be this November, in PNB’s new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. 

Meet Silicon Valley’s Kid Brother, Seattle. While all the Seattle-talk these days seems to surround growth from the tech boom, Rich Barton, founder of Zillow, Glassdoor and Expedia, offered some interesting perspective. Deeming Seattle as the “blonde, scruffy-haired little brother to the star quarterback” to The Puget Sound Business Journal, Barton notes Seattle–perhaps in the midst of some growing pains–has some catching up to do in order to compensate for such immense growth. Infrastructure-wise, poor planning historically is leaving us with subpar public transportation and city parks. While there is much room for improvement, Barton said, there are also many people working on it. Scruff or not, only time will tell how Seattle emerges from this monumental growth spurt. 

Not So Soon, Harvard Exit. Big news for people sad about the sudden closure of Capitol Hill’s Harvard Exit in January. The historic 1925-building will re-open for a “24-day celebratory wake” during the 41st annual Seattle International Film Festival, The Capitol Hill Blog said Thursday. SIFF’s technical provider McRae will install a “state-of-the-art digital projection and sound system” for the run of the festival CHS said. For those wanting to participate in saying a proper adieu to this beloved Seattle space, SIFF is offering a deal on packages for the event, which runs May 14 through June 7. 

Highs Nearing 70. Daffodils and Tulips aren’t the only things making an early appearance in Seattle this spring. The entire State is in-bloom early, and the sunshine is following suit. Today, the sky may be overcast but highs will near 70 degrees, King 5 said. After a light rain throughout the weekend, the beginning of next week will return to partly-cloudy skies and temperatures hanging around 60. During a notoriously rough time period in the Seattle weather-sphere, this early arrival of spring gives us all the more reason to “get out and enjoy the sunshine.” 

 

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