On May 21, Dan Savage wrote a post on Slog, the Stranger's blog, drawing attention to what he believed were misleading tactics used by volunteers for Jamie Pedersen, a candidate for state representative in Seattle's 43rd District. According to Savage, Pedersen's volunteers at a local street fair were "making it sound like Jamie was the only candidate running in the 43rd who supports marriage equality"; Pedersen is the only gay candidate, but all six Democratic candidates support marriage for same-sex couples."You got my attention, Jamie -- and lost my vote. Way to be a weasel, Pedersen," Savage wrote. A subsequent story in the Post-Intelligencer said the rant created a "teapot tempest" that is "a window into the complex world of gay politics in Seattle and reflects the power wielded by a man known as much for his explicit sex advice as for his iconoclastic punditry and journalism." Pedersen denied being deceptive and told the daily that he still hoped to get the Stranger's endorsement. Expressing surprise at the hoopla, Savage said, "If I really wanted to put a knife in Jamie Pedersen, I would have put all this crap in the paper," adding that he wrote the blog post while drunk.

Continue ReadingSavage Stirs Up Gay Marriage Controversy in Wash. House Race

Casey Parks, the Jackson Free Press writer who earlier this week won a trip to Africa with New York Times columnist Nick Kristof, told The Columbia Missourian that she hadn't thought she "had a chance" in the contest. During her two-week trip, Parks will write a blog for the Times and create a vlog for mtvU. “I want to learn how to be fearless like [Kristof] is," Parks said.

Continue ReadingParks Wrote Winning Essay ‘in 15 Minutes’