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Our Guests' Picks For The 3 Most Underreported Stories Of The Week — Feb. 14

Here are the three most underreported stories of the week, according to the guests of our news roundtable:

Sarah Anne Lloyd: The Christopher Monfort Trial            

“I think a lot of aspects of it are interesting, like the insanity defense, which I don’t think a lot of people necessarily know is happening. [Also there’s] the fact that it’s a capital trial when we have a moratorium on the death penalty right now (that may or may not outlast Jay Inslee, depending on what ends up happening over the next couple of years).

“There’s a lot of complicated context around it right now, obviously, too, with the citizen and police relations.”

Alex Hudson: Seattle Waterfront

“There’s more to it than just Bertha and the seawall. There’s a whole new Office of the Waterfront that was put in place by [Seattle Mayor Ed] Murray when he first came in, to deal with the kind of the renovation and the rejuvenation of the waterfront, which I think all Seattleites can agree is desperately needed.

“So one of the big plans is further connection with the downtown and the waterfront. Because I think right now, they’re kind of hidden, weird, narrow, steep stairways that get you from First Avenue down to Alaskan Way. And there was this plan in place to build this really beautiful pedestrian walkway with an overview, and it was going to be really well-labeled.

“And they just said there’s not enough funding, which I think is crazy. And I want to know where exactly that funding is, then, because I imagine it might be being thrown into a big hole down there … a certain hole that shall not be named.”

Hannah Brooks-Olsen: King County’s Planned Youth Justice Center

“The contract was approved this week by the King County Council unanimously to award like the $210 million, I think, contract to build a new Youth Justice Center.

“We already have a youth justice center. It’s old, and I think a lot of people have argued that the building isn’t in great shape, but it’s also not full. It’s only something like 60 percent full. So it’s not like we’re hurting for beds to jail children in at this time.

“But one of the most interesting things I think that really didn’t get much coverage at the time is that during that hearing, a lot of activists came to chambers, came to King County Council and showed up because they didn’t feel like they’d ever had an adequate time to really talk about not just the construction of the jail, which was voted by voters in 2010, I think, or 2012.

“And one of the arguments is that voters didn’t have a really clear idea on what they were voting on with this levy ... all this money was voted on, and one of the things they’re saying is that maybe people thought they were voting for maybe increasing law enforcement … or family intervention or improved family services when, in fact, what they’re getting is just a giant building to house children.”