Toxin Handler

There’s no finer experience than taking your family on a crisp, sunny, fall adventure along the Centennial Trail. Stretching from Snohomish to Arlington and framed by the resplendent Cascades and quiet Machias, the red and yellow trees and clean air remind us why we endure the gray skies and light rain of Puget Sound’s winter.

Now we have an opportunity to continue that trail into the heart of suburban King County and simultaneously provide an Eastside rail-transit line that scores of Snohomish County commuters could utilize for years to come, helping limit highway congestion as growth continues.

But if Snohomish County leaders don’t act quickly, King County and the Port of Seattle may consummate a pending deal with Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, resulting in King County control of a crucial rail-and-trail corridor, and the possible ripping out of the corridor’s 41-mile rail line from Woodinville to Renton. This would leave Snohomish County commuters with a dead end.

Instead, let’s keep the tracks and initiate a demonstration project using a new self-propelled rail car called a “diesel multiple unit” (DMU). It’s far cheaper to purchase and operate than typical commuter rail (like the Sounder train that connects Everett and Seattle). The DMU also burns biofuels, carries bikes and can be maintained by community-college diesel mechanics.

In the United States, DMUs are made by Colorado Rail Car and Siemens. They’ve been generating revenue for six years in the West Palm Beach area, and are planned for suburban Portland, Oceanside-Escondido in California, Alaska and Amtrak’s Vermonter service.

A single double-deck car can carry 188 passengers and costs around $4 million. Its lower weight requires less investment in track and the bi-level feature allows shorter platforms. The DMU can operate on separate tracks with freight trains or on tracks embedded in concrete like a streetcar, allowing them to divert from the corridor to downtown areas.

The Cascadia Center is working with a group of community leaders in the North Sound region to bring a DMU train to the Bellingham-Everett corridor in the next few years, to supplement Seattle-Vancouver, B.C., Amtrak service and connect with Sounder in Everett.

Why not piggyback on these efforts and share equipment and maintenance between the Eastside and North Sound? We could even run a DMU connector service between Snohomish and Everett.

Snohomish City Councilman Larry Countryman, Snohomish airfield owner Kandace Harvey and business leaders support the rail-and-trail idea, as does Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.

How do we pay for it?

Private developers and cities can enter partnerships to develop train stations, fix the tracks and build mixed-use development with private capital, as with the South Lake Union streetcar in Seattle.

Currently, there is no direct bus service between the fast-growing east Snohomish County communities of Snohomish and Monroe to jobs-rich Bellevue in East King County - only one early morning bus with a connection from the Highway 520 corridor. Surely, Community Transit, Sound Transit and Metro can team up to share the relatively inexpensive operating costs for the train.

Proponents of the trail-only approach had early on argued that the tracks were in poor shape and conversion to high-capacity transit would cost billions. Cascadia has independently hired a team of respected, retired rail executives led by Read Fay to walk the tracks and provide an estimate of what it would cost to have the DMU units travel at a top speed of 40 mph. The likely estimate is in the range of $20 million to $40 million. The rail/trail corridor could serve as an important emergency transportation lifeline for first responders and citizens in case a major earthquake destroys our critical bridge infrastructure.

So don’t let your King County neighbors prematurely cut a vital transit link along the congested Interstate 405/Highway 9 corridor. A commuter rail line connecting eastern Snohomish County to Redmond, Kirkland, Bellevue and Renton needs to be on the map of our region’s transportation future.

Bruce Agnew is a former Snohomish County Council member and now serves as director of Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center for Regional Development, www.cascadiaproject.org

British politics were dominated for three decades by the strong personalities of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, the faces of Conservative and Labor governments from 1979 until 2007. Totally different in approach and style, they dominated their parties with their personal political skills.

They confounded the theory that under a parliamentary system, policies and performance, not personality, should drive debates and elections.

Don’t bother telling that to Gordon Brown. The new British prime minister, selected by Labor this summer when Blair stepped down, had one of the briefest honeymoons on record. I watched it implode during a recent visit to Britain. He is reeling under attacks from opposition parties, a hostile media and an unexpectedly aggressive independence movement in Scotland.

Brown started strong, his government handling a banking crisis, terrorist incidents in London and Glasgow, and in general looking like the no-nonsense Scot who had earned respect as Blair’s chancellor of the exchequer.

He was riding high, buoyed by polls, and at Labor’s annual conference in September his backers widely talked of a “snap election,” a hastily called national vote to elect a new Parliament and (hopefully) give Brown a personal mandate. He must hold an election by 2010, but under the parliamentary system he can call it at any time, or be forced to call it by losing a vote of confidence in Parliament.

Had Brown lost a snap vote, he would have become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. For someone who had waited 10 years for his opportunity and who seems naturally cautious, it was a chance too far. He dithered, procrastinated, and allowed Conservatives to steal the spotlight with their own annual conference and a strong television performance by leader David Cameron.

Cameron epitomizes the politics of today’s media. His background is in public relations, his skills are those of presentation (he delivered his conference speech without notes) and understanding today’s 24-hour news cycle. At first, he urged Brown to call the snap vote, although Brown had the upper hand. But when Cameron’s conference appearance produced a bounce in the polls (Conservatives 43 percent, Labor 36, Liberal Democrats 14), he went on offense, taunting Brown and forcing him to back down from a fall vote.

If that weren’t sufficiently embarrassing, Brown tripped over an old British land mine, the European Union. Britain has always been divided on the EU, and still refuses to adopt the euro as its currency. Labor, under Blair but with Brown on board, promised in 2005 to call a national referendum on the proposed EU Constitution. But, rejection by French and Dutch voters made a British vote unnecessary.

This year, however, EU leaders proposed a “treaty” similar to the defeated constitution, and Brown’s opponents and most of the British media pushed him to honor Labor’s 2005 pledge. Cameron, urged on by Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun, the biggest tabloid in the country, clamored for a vote. But, Brown met other EU leaders in mid-October and agreed to the treaty without calling a referendum, which might have rejected the treaty.

Brown’s decision found little media or public support, brought grumbling in his own party, and left him looking indecisive and defensive. Compared to the nimble Tony Blair, Brown looked dogged, determined but dull, marshaling complex arguments while his critics were trashing his image.

The ascent of the Scottish National Party to control of Scotland’s semi-independent government in May brought its separatist crusade to the fore, and forced Brown to emphasize his “Britishness” over his “Scottishness.” If Scotland were to secede, Labor would lose its most reliable voter base, including Brown’s own constituency in Fife. Separation, unlikely now, would advance if Tories return to power in Parliament.

Speaking to the Labor conference, he used the terms “British” or “Britain” 74 times. Now he’s in a wedge between his Scottish heritage and voters and Conservative anti-Scot “Little Englanders” to the south, with plenty of parochialism on both sides.

Hoping to benefit from the pile-on, Liberal Democrats, Britain’s perpetual third party, drove into retirement its respected 66-year-old leader, Menzies Campbell (another Scot), who unfortunately looked his age on television. The search for his replacement features two young men who look a lot like David Cameron and a lot unlike Gordon Brown.

Watching this develop, I felt for this dour Scot, so in need of charisma to combat the creations of 21st-century media. We’ve exported sound-bite politics to the world, something I’m not sure it needed. Brown may eventually prevail, but there’s sure to be a young Blair-Cameron waiting in the wings.Floyd J. McKay, a journalism professor emeritus at Western Washington University, is a regular contributor to Times editorial pages. E-mail him at floydmckay@yahoo.com

Disney producer Don Hahn calls animation “the ultimate team sport.”

To prove it, he’ll bring to Everett artwork from the Disney archives, some of which, he says, has never been seen. It’s a way to show the “people who draw and paint and work on scripts and music, who contribute to making an animated film,” he said.

Hahn is the keynoter for the second annual “2D or Not 2D” animation festival Friday and Saturday at the Everett Theatre. Hahn will present films and share what he knows at 7 p.m. Saturday during the festival, which is rich with animator talks, animated film showings, and screenings of entries for the Golden Pencil awards, given out at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Female animators are featured Friday, including filmmaker Nancy Beiman, producer Kathie Flood of Microsoft and Pixar animator Kureha Yokoo.

Michel Gagné, an award-winning animator and artist, will show a variety of his work for film, TV and books at 3:35 p.m. Saturday. Animator, director and educator Tony White, the festival’s founder, will give a talk and screen “Fire Gods,” about the history of glassblowing, at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

Like most kids, Hahn grew up on Saturday morning cartoons.

“I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle, ‘The Flintstones’ and ‘The Jetsons,’ ” he said. In college as a music major, “I got a summer job at Disney, and I never left.”

That was in the mid-1970s, when many of the great animators were still at the studio, including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Woolie Reitherman, producer-director of “The Jungle Book.”

“I’d get coffee and clean his Moviola screen,” said Hahn. “I got seduced by the animation process. It could exercise every creative muscle I had. I drew and did some cleanup and animation on some films, and ultimately thought my gift was working with people as a producer. I produced the animation on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ then ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Lion King.’ ‘Roger Rabbit’ was a big general-audience movie, a film-noir murder mystery that “proved animation can be for everybody,” Hahn said.

Invited to Everett by festival founder White, Hahn said: “This festival is really about the art. Young filmmakers hear experienced filmmakers. And I learn from seeing new filmmakers, young high-school and college-aged kids.”

Hahn wrote “Animation Magic,” a guide for kids, 10 years ago, and is now doing an updated edition. “I love being able to pass the torch to people,” he said.

“When I was going to college in the ’70s, you still had to work with pencil and paper and film and a camera. Now you can go to a local computer store and buy a desktop and create your own animation. It takes the barriers down.”

Diane Wright: 425-745-7815 or dwright@seattletimes.com

Q: I planted several staghorn sumacs on my back rockery a few years ago. They’re really beautiful this fall but are sending up suckers everywhere. I’m afraid they’ll swamp the smaller plants. I chose them because I’m trying to grow all natives in my backyard. How can I make the sumacs behave?

A: Beautiful as they are, I’ve never known a staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) that came close to behaving in a garden. These big deciduous shrubs have finely dissected leaves, furry brown stems and cones, and brilliant red fall color.

Unfortunately, they’re aggressive plants, ideal for the tough conditions in your rockery. They aren’t, however, native to the Northwest, but hail from eastern North America.

It’s the natural tendency of staghorn sumacs to form colonies by sending out rhizomes. Of course you can cut off and rip out the brittle rhizomes regularly to keep them (somewhat) under control.

Because it sounds like you admire your sumacs, it might be best just to let them colonize and take over your rockery. If this idea doesn’t appeal, or if you want to try for a true native-plant palette, you should remove the sumacs before they really take over.

You can replace them with, perhaps, red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and vine maples mixed with mahonia for winter interest.

To learn more about native-plant choices for difficult conditions, take a look at King County’s native-plant guide (dnr.metrokc.gov) or visit the Washington Native Plant Society’s Web site, www.wnps.org. If you prefer a book, there’s Art Kruckeberg’s classic “Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest.”

Q: Last summer I used a spray called TerraCycle on my container flowers, and they’re still blooming in October. The guy at the Home Depot recommended it so highly that even though it was expensive I bought some. Do you think it really helps, or maybe it was the packaged soil I used? I hope to repeat this success next summer.

A: Wouldn’t it be great if Home Depot and other big-box stores carried more organic products like TerraCycle so we could shop in their gardening aisles without feeling overwhelmed by poisonous fumes? It seems so wrong for gardening supplies to smell like chemical death, don’t you think?

To answer your question, worm castings - or, as TerraCycle says, “worm poop” - is the secret ingredient in this new product. Packaged in recycled soda bottles, TerraCycle claims to have a negative environmental footprint.

It sure sounds easier to spray on some “black gold” than to take care of a worm bin in order to harvest your own.

That said, you might also want to repeat the watering regime you used this summer, as well as refresh your containers with more of the same kind of packaged soil. Fertilizer can bulk up annuals and keep them blooming, but they’ll only look their best planted in good soil and watered regularly.

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday’s Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.

Joe Callero never shies away from striking up a conversation.

So a few years ago while in Las Vegas, the Seattle University coach walked up to then-Kentucky coach Tubby Smith and started chatting, first about both coming from large families, then about their respective schools.

During that conversation, Callero planted the idea of Seattle U. and Kentucky playing, a suggestion that will come to fruition Saturday when the Redhawks face the Wildcats at Kentucky’s legendary Rupp Arena.

It’s an exhibition game that will honor the 1957-58 teams from both schools, who played in the NCAA championship game that season in nearby Louisville, Ky.

“I said we would love that opportunity to come over there and play you guys kind of as a commemorative event,” Callero recalled.

Now, the suggestion is reality, and also serves as a gateway for Seattle U.

Earlier this year, the Division II Redhawks applied to become Division I members for the first time since 1980, in the hopes of recapturing much of the school’s history. Seattle U. will play a Division II schedule and be eligible for Division II championships this year, before playing a mixed schedule next year and a mostly Division I slate in 2009-10.

“It gives us a chance to honor the history and tradition and do it back in Lexington,” Callero said. “It just is amazing timing that it coincides with our emergence back to Division I.”

Then called the Chieftains, the 1957-58 Seattle U. squad featured Hall of Fame forward Elgin Baylor, first among a string of players who went on to the NBA. Beginning with Baylor, 10 stars from the small Jesuit school near downtown Seattle went on to have NBA careers.

Baylor played two seasons at SU, averaged 31.1 points and still holds 11 school records. Baylor was at the College of Idaho, and transferred to SU, hoping for an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.

“My last year there [College of Idaho] I was listening to the radio and got the NCAA final on the radio … saying it would be great to play at that level, play at a major college,” Baylor said.

SU had made the NCAA tournament in four of the five years before Baylor arrived, and played in the NIT the other season. SU struggled early in the ‘57-58 season before winning 16 of its final 17 regular-season games and carrying that momentum into the tournament. SU routed Wyoming to start, then squeaked past San Francisco, held off California in overtime and beat Kansas State 73-51 in the national semifinals.

In the championship game, SU led 39-36 at halftime but couldn’t hold off Adolph Rupp’s Wildcats in the second half and lost 84-72. Vern Hatton scored 30 points and Johnny Cox had 24 for Kentucky, while SU was led by the 25 points of Baylor, who made 9 of 32 shots.

The current crop of Redhawks (23-9 last season) has an appreciation and understanding for the history of the school.

“To play in Rupp Arena, with the tradition they have there, and to honor the old Seattle University when they challenged a powerhouse like Kentucky, it’s a honor to be in the same sentence with that group,” said SU forward Ryan Coldren.

Added forward Leigh Swanson: “It’s amazing. It’s a cherry-on-the-top kind of thing. I didn’t expect it. It’s exciting to go play in front of 23,000.” SU’s gym holds 1,000.

Note

• All of Seattle U’s games, starting with Kentucky, will be streamed through KKNW’s Web site (www.1150kknw.com).

Six games will also be broadcast over the air on KKNW-AM (1150): Nov. 23 vs. Cal State Monterey Bay, Dec. 8 vs. Douglas College, Dec. 15 vs. Seattle University Alumni, Dec. 22 at Humboldt State, Dec. 29 vs. Concordia (N.Y.), and March 8 vs. Montana State Billings.

A King County District Court judge set a Dec. 10 trial date for Seattle City Council member Richard McIver who is facing a domestic-violence charge for allegedly assaulting his wife in their South Seattle home on Oct. 10.

The trial for McIver, who pleaded not guilty to an allegation that he grabbed his wife by the throat during an argument, will likely last three days, prosecutors said. District Court Judge Linda Thompson denied a request for a change of judge submitted by McIver’s attorney, Todd Maybrown. Maybrown declined to comment after the hearing on his reason for seeking the change.

A pretrial hearing for McIver is scheduled for Nov. 27, at which time attorneys will discuss whether certain information and witness statements should be admissible before the jury.

The judge is also expected to hear arguments at that hearing about what investigative information should be released by the King County Prosecutor’s Office to the media. Maybrown said some of the witness statements should not be released because they could be inflammatory and could impact McIver’s right to a fair trial.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

HONOLULU - Even the Hawaii Superferry’s strongest opponents are acknowledging that it will be sailing soon after the state Senate approved a bill putting it back in service.

Senators voted 20-5 to approve a bill Monday that allows the Superferry to sail from Oahu to Maui and Kauai without having to first complete an environmental study that courts have ruled is required by law. The ferry stopped sailing in late August because of court rulings and protests.

“It is inevitable that this bill or some version of it will pass,” said Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kauai-Niihau, speaking to the Legislature before voting against it. “This issue has drained our spirit and divided our community. It is time now for all of us to move on.”

The compromise measure sets several conditions on the Superferry, a high-speed catamaran ferry that can carry up to 866 passengers and 282 vehicles, requiring it to make efforts to avoid whales and slow the spread of invasive species between the islands.

But it largely excludes provisions demanded by some environmentalists who wanted the Superferry to slow down in waters used by whales and wash cars before boarding.

A House committee is considering this version of the bill. A vote in favor of it would signal a consensus in the Legislature on the Superferry, and it could resume sailing in about two weeks. All that would be left would be for the full House of Representatives to vote on it and Gov. Linda Lingle to sign it into law.

The proposal puts Lingle in charge of creating and enforcing environmental rules for the Superferry so that it doesn’t collide with endangered humpback whales, spread invasive species or result in excessive traffic.

Lingle, a Republican, told representatives she’ll prepare those regulations soon after the bill is passed. Superferry officials have already said they’ll withdraw their threat to leave the islands if this version of the bill is approved.

”

Western Conference

Nice ring to it

San Antonio Spurs

Division: Southwest.

Last season: 58-24, second in division.

In the house: Ime Udoka, Ian Mahinmi.

Out the door: Jackie Butler.

My take: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was right. The Riverwalk really is a muddy mess. It must be from all those championship parades the Spurs stage through the heart of the city. San Antonio is the team of the decade, but can it ever win back-to-back? This team is better suited to do that than previous versions.

Phoenix Suns

Division: Pacific.

Last season: 61-21, first in division.

In the house: Grant Hill, Brian Skinner, Alando Tucker.

Out the door: Kurt Thomas, James Jones, Jalen Rose.

My take: Will the Suns continue to entertain and tease, or will they finally break through and win a title? Amare Stoudemire’s health, Shawn Marion’s mood and the Suns’ defensive commitment will determine. One other thing. Could everyone who thought Steve Nash would break down by now admit they’re wrong?

Dallas Mavericks

Division: Southwest.

Last season: 67-15, first in division.

In the house: Trenton Hassell, Eddie Jones, Brandon Bass.

Out the door: Austin Croshere, Greg Buckner.

My take: Coach Avery Johnson loves high expectations. His players? Not so much. Playoff collapses against Miami and Golden State prove this team can’t handle the favorite’s role. Guess what: They’re not favorites any more. It’s a position that usually brings out the best in this team.

Next in line

Houston Rockets

Division: Southwest.

Last season: 52-30, third in division.

In the house: Steve Francis, Luis Scola, Mike James.

Out the door: Juwan Howard, Vassilis Spanoulis.

My take: Tracy McGrady is pumped about this team and believes it can contend for a title. Maybe it can. But McGrady will have to get the Rockets out of the first round before anyone takes them seriously.

Utah Jazz

Division: Northwest.

Last season: 51-31, first in division.

In the house: Jason Hart, Morris Almond, Kyrylo Fesenko.

Out the door: Derek Fisher, Dee Brown, Rafael Araujo.

My take: Andrei Kirilenko wants out. Well, he makes too much and is playing too bad for that to happen. The forward has lost his confidence. Now, he needs to lose the ego and get to work to make this team even more dangerous.

Denver Nuggets

Division: Northwest.

Last season: 45-37, second in division.

In the house: Chucky Atkins, Steven Hunter.

Out the door: Steve Blake, Reggie Evans.

My take: There was never a question about Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony’s ability to play together. The questions are: Will this team ever get around to playing defense, and can Kenyon Martin make it back?

Golden State Warriors

Division: Pacific.

Last season: 42-40, tied for second in division.

In the house: Marco Belinelli, Brandon Wright, Troy Hudson.

Out the door: Jason Richardson, Adonal Foyle.

My take: There may not have been a better player in the first two rounds of the playoffs than Baron Davis. He responded by dropping 20 pounds in the offseason and returning to camp in the best shape of his career.

Los Angeles Lakers

Division: Pacific.

Last season: 42-40, tied for second in division.

In the house: Derek Fisher, Javaris Crittenton.

Out the door: Smush Parker, Shammond Williams.

My take: Will Kobe clean out his locker and declare he’s had enough? Will owner Jerry Buss ever move past his hurt feelings? Will Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss ever get married? Will this ever end?

Could sneak in

New Orleans Hornets

Division: Southwest.

Last season: 39-43, fourth in division.

In the house: Julian Wright, Morris Peterson.

Out the door: Desmond Mason, Cedric Simmons.

My take: New Orleans is known as the city that time forgot. Well, the guess here is that the city forgot it once had an NBA team. The Hornets’ return to New Orleans won’t be anything like their stay in Oklahoma City.

Los Angeles Clippers

Division: Pacific.

Last season: 40-42, fourth in division.

In the house: Ruben Patterson, Brevin Knight, Al Thornton.

Out the door: Jason Hart, James Singleton.

My take: If Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston were healthy, this team would scare some people. But they’re not healthy, so this team scares nobody. Even Billy Crystal will have a hard time staying interested.

Winning lotto number

Portland Trail Blazers

Division: Northwest.

Last season: 32-50, fourth in division.

In the house: Channing Frye, Steve Blake, Josh McRoberts.

Out the door: Zach Randolph, Jamaal Magloire.

My take: All Portland can do is wait and hope Greg Oden is no Sam Bowie. In the meantime, look for LaMarcus Aldridge to come on strong.

Sacramento Kings

Division: Pacific.

Last season: 33-49, fifth in division.

In the house: Mikki Moore, Spencer Hawes.

Out the door: Corliss Williamson, Vitaly Potapenko.

My take: We know Reggie Theus can act. No one could forget his role in “Hang Time.” But can he coach? We’re about to find out.

Memphis Grizzlies

Division: Southwest.

Last season: 22-60, fifth in division.

In the house: Darko Milicic, Mike Conley.

Out the door: Chucky Atkins, Dahntay Jones.

My take: Pau Gasol appears to have made peace and is content to stay in Memphis.

Seattle Sonics

Division: Northwest.

Last season: 31-51, fifth in division.

In the house: Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Kurt Thomas.

Out the door: Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis.

My take: Nothing against Oklahoma, but who would move a team from Seattle to Oklahoma City?

Minnesota Timberwolves

Division: Northwest.

Last season: 32-50, third in division.

In the house: Al Jefferson, Antoine Walker, Sebastian Telfair.

Out the door: Kevin Garnett, Mike James, Ricky Davis.

My take: Al Jefferson is no Kevin Garnett. But he’s pretty good, and it will be fun to watch his development.

Eastern Conference

Nice ring to it

Chicago Bulls

Division: Central.

Last season: 49-33, third in division.

In the house: Joakim Noah, Joe Smith.

Out the door: P.J. Brown, Michael Sweetney.

My take: If you knew a small forward born in the Sudan would follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to help resurrect this franchise, raise your hands. That’s what I thought. Luol Deng is the real deal. These Bulls are young, athletic and tough. All they lack is a strong inside game.

Detroit Pistons

Division: Central.

Last season: 53-29, first in division.

In the house: Rodney Stuckey, Jarvis Hayes, Arron Afflalo.

Out the door: Chris Webber, Carlos Delfino, Dale Davis.

My take: My sense is that this team has run its course. The Pistons can still compete for a championship, but they no longer have what it takes to win one. That said, I trust Joe Dumars’ judgment on these matters more than my own, and the Pistons’ president of basketball operations believes this group has a shot.

Boston Celtics

Division: Atlantic.

Last season: 24-58, fifth in division.

In the house: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, James Posey.

Out the door: Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Wally Szczerbiak.

My take: No team has generated more excitement entering the season than Boston. But don’t get carried away. The Celtics have a chance to advance to the East finals, but it’s not a lock. That’s because this team won’t lock down anyone on the perimeter with its defense.

Next in line

Cleveland Cavaliers

Division: Central.

Last season: 50-32, second in division.

In the house: Devin Brown, Cedric Simmons.

Out the door: David Wesley, Scot Pollard.

My take: Young teams that advance deeper than anyone expect often take a step back the next season. That could happen here. Ask Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. Oh wait, you can’t. They’re holding out.

Toronto Raptors

Division: Atlantic.

Last season: 47-35, first in division.

In the house: Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino.

Out the door: Morris Peterson.

My take: Were the Raptors a fluke last season or do they have staying power? It all depends on the health of Chris Bosh. His knee and foot have bothered him in the preseason. If he isn’t right, neither is Toronto.

New Jersey Nets

Division: Atlantic.

Last season: 41-41, second in division.

In the house: Jamaal Magloire, Sean Williams, Darrell Armstrong.

Out the door: Mikki Moore, Clifford Robinson, Eddie House.

My take: Part of me thinks this team can win the conference with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Then part of me takes into account their age and erratic defense and thinks it won’t happen.

Miami Heat

Division: Southeast.

Last season: 44-38, first in division.

In the house: Ricky Davis, Smush Parker, Mark Blount.

Out the door: James Posey, Antoine Walker, Gary Payton.

My take: Shaquille O’Neal is one of our favorites. But the Old Aristotle no longer has what it takes to carry a team for an extended period. Without a healthy Dwyane Wade, this team is first-round fodder again.

New York Knicks

Division: Atlantic.

Last season: 33-49, fourth in division.

In the house: Zach Randolph, Wilson Chandler.

Out the door: Channing Frye, Steve Francis.

My take: Isiah Thomas has issues. Stephon Marbury is a nut. So is Zach Randolph, but he’s a beast down low. Randolph should transform the Knicks into a playoff team. How long they stay around is another matter.

Could sneak in

Orlando Magic

Division: Southeast.

Last season: 40-42, third in division.

In the house: Rashard Lewis, Adonal Foyle.

Out the door: Grant Hill, Darko Milicic.

My take: Coach Billy Donovan should do a great job with this team. Sorry. I meant to say that Stan Van Gundy should do a great job with this team. Any coach who has Dwight Howard in the middle will look good.

Washington Wizards

Division: Southeast.

Last season: 41-41, second in division.

In the house: Nick Young, Oleksiy Pecherov.

Out the door: Jarvis Hayes, Calvin Booth.

My take: Is there a more entertaining player in the game than Gilbert Arenas? But as we all know, playing defense isn’t fun. Arenas and the Wizards do very little of that.

Winning lotto number

Indiana Pacers

Division: Central.

Last season: 35-47, fourth in division.

In the house: Travis Diener, Kareem Rush.

Out the door: Keith McLeod, Orien Greene.

My take: Jermaine O’Neal appears to be happy. Check back in a few months. At least he can get tickets to the Colts.

Charlotte Bobcats

Division: Southeast.

Last season: 33-49, fourth in division.

In the house: Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley.

Out the door: Brevin Knight, Jake Voskuhl.

My take: The Bobcats had a chance to challenge for a playoff spot before losing Adam Morrison and Sean May for the season.

Philadelphia 76ers

Division: Atlantic.

Last season: 35-47, third in division.

In the house: Reggie Evans, Thaddeus Young.

Out the door: Steven Hunter, Joe Smith.

My take: The Sixers weaned themselves off Allen Iverson and finished strong. But this team still has a long way to go.

Milwaukee Bucks

Division: Central.

Last season: 28-54, fifth in division.

In the house: Yi Jianlian, Desmond Mason, Jake Voskuhl.

Out the door: Earl Boykins, Brian Skinner, Ruben Patterson.

My take: Yi wasn’t all that excited about playing in Milwaukee. We doubt that anyone will be all that excited to watch this team, either.

Atlanta Hawks

Division: Southeast.

Last season: 30-52, fifth in division.

In the house: Al Horford, Acie Law.

Out the door: Royal Ivey.

My take: The Hawks are on the rise with some good, young players. Give them another five years and they might return to the playoffs.

Halloween can be a scary time for animals. The Seattle Animal Shelter and the Seattle Humane Society offer tips to keep Halloween from being a fright for pets and trick-or-treaters.

• Don’t leave pets out in the yard on Halloween.

• Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs.

• Keep dogs and cats away from lit pumpkins and other flames that can be knocked over easily.

• Consider keeping your pets in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours and parties.

• Make certain your pet is wearing a pet license in case it escapes through an open door.

Civic calendar

“Take winter by storm”

Today: New storm-response plans are being announced at 10:30 a.m. at Seattle City Hall by the city, King County, the state Department of Transportation and Puget Sound Energy. The plans will address improving storm response based on lessons learned from last winter’s storms.

Traffic watch

Today-Friday: Magnolia Boulevard will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. between West Garfield Street and West Howe Street to all through traffic except King County Metro Transit and school buses. The street will remain open to pedestrians. Traffic southbound on Magnolia Boulevard will be detoured to West Howe Street, and then to 28th Avenue West. Northbound traffic will be detoured to 28th Avenue West, Condon Way West and then to West McGraw Street.

More flu shots

Through November: Walk-in flu-shot clinics are being offered by Kmart pharmacies through November. Call 800-822-8345 to find the date and time of a flu clinic at the various stores. The flu-shot vaccines are available for customers for $28, and pneumonia shots are available for $50.

Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times lead news assistant Lynne Berry. To submit an item, e-mail herenow@seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.

Oct. 30, 1969: University of Washington football coach Jim Owens suspended four African-American football players - Gregg Alex, Ralph Bayard, Harvey Blanks and LaMar Mills - for what he termed lack of commitment to the team. In response, other African-American players on the team refused to travel to a game, and activists demanded Owens’ resignation. Owens reconsidered and reinstated all but one player. Protests against the suspension followed, and UW President Charles Odegaard promised an overhaul of football disciplinary practices.

Source: Historylink.org

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A force as insidious as Dracula is quietly sucking a nickel of every dollar’s worth of the electricity that seeps from your home’s outlets.

Insert the little fangs of your cell phone charger in the outlet and leave it there, phone attached: That’s vampire electronics.

Allow your computer to hide in the cloak of darkness known as “standby mode” rather than shutting it off: That’s vampire electronics.

The latest estimates show 5 percent of electricity used in the United States goes to standby power, a phenomenon energy efficiency experts find all the more terrifying as energy prices rise and the planet warms. That amounts to about $4 billion a year.

The percentage could rise to 20 percent by 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

In California, lawmakers passed a proposal last year - dubbed the Vampire Slayers Act - to add vampire electronics labels to consumer products, detailing how much energy a charger, computer, DVD player, PlayStation, microwave or coffee maker uses when on, off or in standby mode.

“It’s something people don’t know about,” said Dave Walton, home ideas director for Direct Energy, a utility and energy services company that has one of its four main offices in Dublin, Ohio.

The issue is particularly pressing in Ohio, the nation’s No. 1 emitter of toxic air emissions - mostly from electricity production at the state’s coal-fired power plants. Walton said skyrocketing energy costs mean everyone should worry about the vampires in the house.

The International Energy Agency has estimated standby energy use by vampire electronics at 200 to 400 terawatt-hours a year. The entire country of Italy consumes about 300 terawatt-hours of electricity each year, according to the agency.

Picture any appliance that displays a clock while otherwise idle, such as a microwave oven, coffee maker or DVD player. They constantly consume little bits of energy.

“About 40 percent of the electricity being used to power your home electronics is consumed while they are in that standby mode,” Walton said. “If you just focus on that piece, you will be making a big step.”

Ditto for things that charge, such as cell phones, PDAs, toothbrushes or portable tools, some of which trickle a charge even after the device that’s charging is at capacity.

Some chargers halt the flow of current when it’s not needed, which should happen automatically with chargers for lithium-ion batteries. If you’re uncertain, Walton advises unplugging chargers when not in use.

He recommends hooking up your home computer system, including accessories like a printer or scanner, to a single power strip that can be easily switched off each night. He advises shutting off the other vampires too, though the inconvenience of resetting the clocks, channels and timers on those devices each morning will discourage most people.

The government-backed Energy Star program, coordinated jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, identifies appliances that consume less energy.

If one in 10 American homes used only appliances endorsed through the program, the Energy Department estimates, it would reduce U.S. carbon emissions by the same amount as planting 1.7 million acres of trees.