FELIKS BANEL -- NORTHWEST HISTORIAN HEARD ON SEATTLE'S MORNING NEWS

MyNorthwest History

Brakeman Bill...
Feliks Banel

Local TV legend “Brakeman Bill” McLain passes away at age 96

Brakeman Bill McLain, longtime beloved kids' TV show host, has passed away, according to a message from his family posted on social media.
2 months ago
Northacres Park siren...
Feliks Banel

City of Seattle sends Cold War artifact to the dump

A Cold War tower and siren disappeared from its perch in a park in North Seattle last month. People want to know where they went.
2 months ago
Image: "Seattle's Legendary Scarecrow Video," which has been nominated for an Emmy in 2024, is a sh...
KIRO Newsradio staff

Feliks Banel’s ‘Scarecrow Video’ documentary nominated for Emmy Award

The academy's northwest chapter revealed its 2023 Emmy nominations and Feliks Banel is on the list for "Seattle's Legendary Scarecrow Video."
3 months ago
The Seattle Pilots played a single season of Major League Baseball in 1969 before going bankrupt an...
Feliks Banel

History means it’s Seattle vs. Seattle this weekend in Milwaukee

Everybody knows that the Milwaukee Brewers team is really the Seattle Pilots in disguise.
3 months ago
Image: Neighbors in the Pierce County community of Parkland are leading a grassroots effort to pres...
Feliks Banel

Parkland School catalyzes neighbors to support South Sound community

Neighbors in Parkland, south of Tacoma, have been working for two years to save the historic Parkland School.
3 months ago
Space Needle April Fool's Day...
Feliks Banel

When ‘Almost Live!’ knocked down the Space Needle for April Fool’s Day

A look back at the story of the April Fool’s 1989 Space Needle collapse hoax, as told in “Almost Live!” host John Keister’s own words.
3 months ago
boeing not going...
Feliks Banel

Boeing slogan – if it’s not history, it’s a mystery

It’s also a slogan that’s been twisted around lately to express a meaning which is the opposite of what its original iteration had proudly proclaimed.
3 months ago
Image: Everett Parks & Facilities is seeking permission from the Everett Historical Commission to d...
Feliks Banel

Historical commission hits pause on razing Everett’s Clark Park gazebo

At a meeting, the Everett Historical Commission once again weighed a request from the city for permission to demolish a historic gazebo.
3 months ago
Facebook Seattle Vintage...
Feliks Banel

Local history buffs beat hackers and regain control of Seattle Vintage

The popular local history Facebook group Seattle Vintage was hacked and taken over by malicious actors two weeks ago.
3 months ago
bridge collapse...
Feliks Banel

Baltimore bridge collapse reminds Washingtonians of past disasters

A container ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the bridge to crumble into the river below.
3 months ago
Image: The National Archives Seattle building, which is located on Sand Point Way NE, can be seen f...
Feliks Banel

Federal budget includes funding for new Seattle National Archives

The GSA is set to get $9 million for a new storage facility for the National Archives in the Seattle area.
3 months ago
Seattle Pilots opening day at Sick's Stadium, Seattle, April 1969 ( Cary Tolman, MOHAI collection)...
Feliks Banel

Seattle Pilots broadcaster Bill Schonely looks back to the pre-Mariners days

Bill Schonely’s career might have been very different if the Pilots had stayed in Seattle or if he had followed the team to Milwaukee. But now he roots for the Mariners.
3 months ago
Photo: A grassroots campaign to save the historic Ryan House in Sumner scored a legal victory in Pi...
Feliks Banel

Supporters of historic Sumner Ryan House get legal boost

A grassroots group working to save the historic Ryan House on Main Street in Sumner scored a legal victory Wednesday.
3 months ago
Seattle Vintage site. (Seattle Vintage)...
Feliks Banel

‘Seattle Vintage’ Facebook page taken over by hackers

A Facebook group run by local volunteers and meant for sharing images and stories about Seattle area history has been taken over by hackers.
3 months ago
Pacific Science Center pools...
Feliks Banel

Pacific Science Center making temporary changes to historic reflecting pool

When Science Center staff made their presentation to the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB), they said the shallow pools are leaking badly and need a minimum investment of $17 million to repair.
3 months ago
Vinyl record...
Feliks Banel

When Washington and Oregon used vinyl records to attract tourists

In March 1966, Pacific Northwest Bell issued something called a “Tourist Trapper Kit” with maps and brochures and a 7-inch vinyl record replete with audio enticements for visiting the Northwest.
3 months ago
Image: Artist’s rendering of Expo ’74 created in 1973 to promote the fair....
Feliks Banel

‘Garbage Goat,’ ‘Governor Evidence’ mark 50 years post-Spokane Expo ’74

The 50th anniversary of Expo '74 will be celebrated in Spokane with a series of events throughout the spring and summer.
4 months ago
Image: Everett Historical Commissioners look on as City of Everett officials present their plan to ...
Feliks Banel

Everett official dodges key question about gazebo-saving compromise

An Everett spokesperson dodged KIRO Newsradio's question about whether Mayor Cassie Franklin is willing to accept the gazebo compromise.
4 months ago
Image: Smith Island Lighthouse was built in 1858, it was decommissioned in the 1950s and eventually...
Feliks Banel

History hidden within NOAA’s ‘Inland Water Wind Reports’

The handful of spots along the shores of the Puget Sound, for which NOAA often gives windspeed reports, have their own history and charm.
4 months ago
Image: Bayside neighborhood resident Jane McClure addresses the Everett Historical Commission at th...
Feliks Banel

Will Everett mayor accept compromise to save Clark Park gazebo?

The Everett Historical Commission discussed the city’s request to tear down the Clark Park gazebo and offered a strategic compromise instead.
4 months ago
everett gazebo...
Feliks Banel

Everett residents iced out of demolition plans: ‘Don’t blame the gazebo’

Mayor Cassie Franklin of Everett has decided to demolish the historic 1921 gazebo at Clark Park. Not everyone is happy about the decision.
4 months ago
Image: An 1892 illustration by William Irving depicting Washington Old Hall, a structure on the anc...
Feliks Banel

The thousand-year-old origins of the name ‘Washington’

Here's a refresher on how the Pacific Northwest state came to be called "Washington," and the meaning of the famous of American surname.
4 months ago
The Twilight Drive-In...
Feliks Banel

Good news and bad news for two popular drive-in theatres

This week, we have a Double Feature of Pacific Northwest cinema history, with good news for one drive-in theatre and bad news for another.
4 months ago
Image: A shot of the downtown Seattle skyline taken, circa 1929, from an open-seat plane flying ove...
Feliks Banel

Young aviator’s rediscovered photo albums are full of history, mystery

A Seattle family recently re-discovered a collection of photo albums that belonged to a great uncle who was a Navy flyer at Sand Point nearly 100 years ago.
4 months ago