A 17-year-old Interlake High student from Redmond recently became the youngest person to ever earn a certified sport pilot’s license. Zach Sweetser flew a powered parachute near Arlington for the exam, which he hopes will help prepare him for a career as a commercial airline pilot. Sweetser will be following a family tradition – his grandfather was a World War II bomber pilot, his grand uncle flew fighters, and his uncle is a charter pilot. Young Zach already is an accomplished instructor for Marymoor Park RC Club, teaching people to fly powered model airplanes. Read the Redmond Reporter story.

The same week that Yakima’s once-bustling downtown Greyhound bus depot closed for good, local residents learned of a big-name merchant opening an outlet soon. Nebraska-based Cabela’s, the sporting goods retailer known for its monstrous 100,000-square-foot stores, will open a smaller 40,000-foot “Cabela’s Outpost” this fall at Washington Plaza, the former Costco site. Cabela’s joins J.C. Penney, which earlier announced it will open a 66,000-square-foot store at the same new shopping center. Read the Yakima Herald-Republic articles about Cabela’s and the now-closed Greyhound depot.

As plans emerge for luring NBA and NHL franchises to Seattle’s SODO neighborhood, to the Eastside, or even to Tacoma, longtime residents recall the buzz that surrounded Puget Sound when Seattle landed its first professional sports franchise to play in the then-modern – dare we even say, futuristic – venue that once foretold 21st-century “World of Tomorrow” living. Read about Century 21’s Washington State Pavilion and its 1964 transformation into the Seattle Center Coliseum, home of the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League and the NBA Seattle SuperSonics.

Subscribe to Perspective by e-mail.

Read the January edition of Perspective, PEMCO's customer newsletter. Click here to download a PDF. Our goal is to deliver timely, relevant information that helps you avoid trouble, particularly around the home or on our roads. Perspective is published three times per year in January, May, and September.