By Assunta Ng Did you know that Amanda Knox, acquitted of murder in Italy last year, is living in the International District? Folks have seen her dining at World Pizza. Knox, a University of Washington student, has found sanctuary in an Asian neighborhood. Wise move. This is a convenient, diverse, and vibrant community at the [...]

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By Assunta Ng Recently, I got e-mails that Gael Tarleton, president of the Port of Seattle Commission, is running for state representative. Another Port of Seattle Commissioner, Rob Holland, called me saying that he, too, is running for state representative. Bill Bryant, also a Port of Seattle commissioner, is mulling over which office to run [...]

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By Assunta Ng My Bellevue friend always jokes that Bellevue has a city manager, a mayor, and an emperor, Kemper Freeman! Despite the negative press on Freeman, the owner of Bellevue Collection, I found the man to be humble and easy to talk to when I spoke with him during a recent private meeting.

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By Assunta Ng Bellevue Square Owner Kemper Freeman raved about Bellevue Square’s Lunar New Year tradition earlier this year, an event that attracted more than 40,000 people on the snowy, freezing day of Jan. 29. Teresa Fang, president of the Taiwanese Benevolent Association, organized the event with two others, beginning in late December 2011.

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By David Chan FOR NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Regarding the commentary “Is Obama a man of people,” written by Mr. Hai Tran — where he decided not to vote for a Democrat — I suggest Mr. Tran keep an open mind and ask, “Is Mitt Romney a man of the people?” before he decides his vote. It [...]

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The image of drug addicts in our neighborhood is one that the International District can’t seem to shake off. While some might jokingly say that the drug use and panhandling in our neighborhood “add character,” the reality is that the perception of the International District as an unsafe area discourages tourism in the ID. It [...]

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By Assunta Ng A few years ago, I received a troublesome e-mail. A young Asian female was rejected by the University of Washington’s main campus. So she sought admission at the UW Bothell campus instead. Her family was furious for fear of losing face in front of friends and relatives. They used harmful words to scold their [...]

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By Hai Tran For Northwest Asian Weekly Several days ago, I received an e-mail from President Barack Obama with the subject line “Do you want to have dinner with me?” A thought ran through my mind, “Wow, only in America would a president ask to have dinner with  regular folk like me.” I understood, of [...]

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Do students of color require special consideration? This is an issue that schools across the country have tried to resolve through affirmative action or other special measures. Should spaces be allotted to rectify inequalities and enhance diversity? There are many who oppose affirmative action, and there are those who see it as the answer to [...]

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By Assunta Ng My brother sent me an e-mail. “Dad has passed away, please contact Hong Kong,”  it said. So began my sad trip to the funeral in Hong Kong. Despite my great sadness, I attended an exciting event for my son while I was in Hong Kong, where he served as co-emcee with a [...]

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