Proposed Arena Clears First Hurdle

The King County Council, in a 6-3 vote, has approved a binding "memorandum of understanding" to a proposal by Bay area financier Chris Hansen to build an indoor facility in the event that an NBA team be available to move in.   The proposal will now go to the Seattle City Council which will undoubtedly be a much harder sell. The Seattle PI reports that the City Council would like more taxpayer protection as well as request that Hansen's group relinquish some of their profits to help build more roads to ease congestion around the area.