No letup in SoCal

View Larger Map

The fires are far from under control -- at least 1,000 buildings lost now, probably more, with hundreds of thousands evacuating and fire crews, understandably, growing exhausted. It's supposed to be in the mid-90s today in LA, so that won't help.

No word yet this morning from Kaye, but a check of the Long Beach weathercam she featured on NiteNote yesterday looked promising. The sky looks clearer there than it had been.

The Los Angeles Times continues its terrific coverage, and Steve Lopez, for my money the country's best local columnist, found a sorry twist to the story. The fires have smoked out a strain of resentment in the Southland, with many people openly expressing contempt -- or at least a shortage of sympathy -- for those in Malibu taking the worst of it. Writes Lopez: "In times of natural disaster, the best often surfaces in all of us. Donations, warm blankets, sandwiches. Whatever is needed, we're at the ready. Unless it involves Malibu."

Man. Definitely a column worth reading.

Locally, I thought both papers underplayed the news that Republican Dino Rossi has decided to run again against Gov. Christine Gregoire, who defeated him three years ago by 133 votes, the closest election in state history. Insiders have speculated that Rossi would try again, but he's been beyond cagey -- unusually noncommittal, I'd say -- and the Rs didn't have another candidate lined up for next year's race. To me that's news.

I notice the P-I's metro columnist Robert Jamieson has weighed in a couple days late and a dollar short on Seattle's drunk-politicos outrage story. Sorry to say, his effort pales next to Danny Westneat's stellar take in the competition on Sunday.