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Murray-Rossi race could be cliffhanger, local foreclosures surge: bring on the blues

Patty Murray and Dino Rossi are in a tight race. They're shown here at last week's debate in Seattle.
AP photo.
Patty Murray and Dino Rossi are in a tight race. They're shown here at last week's debate in Seattle.

There'll be a lot of buzz today about the latest poll on the Senate race between Dino Rossi and incumbent Patty Murray.  The KCTS 9 - KPLU - Washington Poll shows a narrowing lead for Murray, from 8% two weeks ago to 4.3% this week. Still, among likely voters, Murray is up 6%. It all points to a race that might not be decided election night, and perhaps for weeks to come. KPLU's Paula Wissel and Keith Seinfeld spoke with pollster UW pollster Matt Barreto, who says the margin will come down to which candidate has the most enthusiastic voters. In Washington, unlike most states this year, Barreto says that belongs to Murray's supporters, as Tea Party enthusiasts have not helped Rossi turn the corner. Still, a nail-biter could be awaiting the candidates and supporters on Tuesday.

 

Another nail-biter for many is this fact: the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue has the nation's fastest rising foreclosure rate. It's a stunning statistic: 1 in every 129 homes in the three city area is now affected, according to RealtyTrac.  KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp reports the spike has to do with the resetting of a large number of variable rate mortgages. Nationally, the metro area is 63rd on the list. The leader? Las Vegas, with ten times our foreclosure rate.

 

If we were to set all this to music? How about a personal lunchtime concert from New Orleans' Soul Queen, Irma Thomas. She'll perform live in the KPLU studios today at 12:05, a very special "Blue Plate Special." Stream it live, or turn up your radio, and you'll find out why NPR named Irma Thomas one of the 50 Great Voices. Thomas is appearing at Jazz Alley in Seattle.