There is unfinished business for 2013

As we enter the final days of 2012, a lot of people will start looking back at the year that was. KIRO Radio is looking at the stories that made news this year but still have questions hanging over them heading into 2013.

In Seattle

Seattle and the Department of Justice spent 2012 fighting over reforms in the police department. That’s not going to change in 2013. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn still doesn’t think Merrick Bobb is the right choice as monitor.

“The council went a different direction,” Mayor McGinn said earlier this year. “They felt Merrick Bobb was the best. They took an 8-1 vote. They said ‘That’s the city’s position.’ I think that’s a mistake, but it’s now the city’s position.” Bobb must come up with a series of deadlines and reform dates in the first six months of the year.

Seattle’s Big Dig begins in 2013. The massive tunnel project under Seattle is set to begin over the summer. The world’s largest drill will be used. It will be shipped to Seattle from Japan in a few months.

In new laws

Voters said “Yes” to marijuana in 2012. Now it’s up to the state to figure out how to make the law work. It has about a year to create rules and regulations to license shops to sell the drug and cut some sort of deal with the feds so they just won’t come in and shut them all down.

We found out the voters weren’t the only people who wanted the state out of the liquor business. Thieves really liked it too. Liquor theft is out of control to most people investigating the problem, like Jana Jorgensen in the Seattle City Attorney’s office who said stores are losing thousands of dollars a month.

“In the first three months, it was anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 (per store),” Jorgensen said. Will the liquor board require stores to report every liquor theft in 2013 so they can get a realistic measurement of the problem? Public hearings are on the way. Will more stores lock their liquor up like some are already doing?

In local write-in mayors

The small town of Pacific which straddles King and Pierce County has been a city for 103 years. The city’s insurance runs out in two weeks. It’s considering being annexed into Auburn, all because of 82-year-old write-in candidate Mayor Cy Sun who many believe has driven the city into the ground in less than a year. A recall effort is still underway.

In Sports

Few stories had the staying power of the proposed $490-million arena in SoDo. It started as a rumor and then grew into a full-blown party as hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen threw a beer bash for Sonics supporters as Seattle and King County voted to support his plan.

But Hansen still has an uphill climb, which he admits. “Getting team back is going to be very difficult,” he said after that announcement. “While I do think it’s inevitable, I do worry a little bit that people thinks it’s just going to magically happen.” The proposal still must pass an environmental review. There’s at least one lawsuit challenging the idea, and then Hansen has to find a team.

The Seahawks have been a pleasant surprise, after putting up 50 points in each of their last two games. Fans are hoping they will make a big playoff push next month instead of waiting until next fall for another Super Bowl run.

Is 2013 the year Mariners fans have been waiting for? King Felix had a perfect game this year, and the youngsters looked good at times. But we don’t know yet whether the team will bag a big free agent or if fans will finally put their butts back in the seats after dismal attendance in 2012.