Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Extra Fizz: City Light to Get $800K in Enron Settlement

News   December 1, 2009 at 11:45 am Erica C. Barnett

Niki Reading at the Capitol Record (TVW’s state-funded, and consistently awesome, blog) reports that the state of Washington will receive $9 million to benefit “victims (rate payers, that is) of the ‘energy crisis’ Enron manufactured earlier this decade to bilk consumers.”

Seattle’s share of that settlement: $793,539.54.

You won’t actually see any of that money directly, however, unless you get city-funded assistance paying your electric bills: According to the terms of the settlement, City Light Director Jorge Carrasco announced this morning, the windfall will fund two City Light programs that help people struggling to pay their electric bills.

The first, Emergency Low-Income Assistance (ELIA), pays up to 50 percent of a tenant or homeowner’s bill, to a maximum of $200 a year; the second, Project Share, pays up to $500 a year.


  • wsoutsider

    Thank you, Maria Cantwell.

  • wsoutsider

    Thank you, Maria Cantwell.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Thank you Snohomish County PUD

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr.Baker

    Thank you Snohomish County PUD

  • Charla Neuman

    Thank you both of them. Literally would not have happened without either one of them. We still would have thought Enron was just an accounting problem.

  • Charla Neuman

    Thank you both of them. Literally would not have happened without either one of them. We still would have thought Enron was just an accounting problem.