“Crying the blues” perfectly describes the style of Sleepy John Estes. His music is not very complex, and he was a solid, but not a great guitarist.

Instead, Estes is known more for his ability to write about universal themes and to sing with deep emotion. He was a big influence on early bluesmen like Big Bill Broonzy and Arthur Crudup. He also was a big inspiration for later players like Michael Bloomfield, with whom he worked in the 1960s.

“Drop Down Mama” is a song of his that has re-surfaced several times. Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon recorded it in 1935.

The Mariners had a dismal 2011 season. They lost more than 90 games for the third time in four years. Attendance hit a new low at Safeco Field.

Now that the season is over, fans are looking ahead to 2012 with a little more optimism. The team has made a lot of young acquisitions who look promising. But KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says some old problems remain.

Winding paths throughout a park are intended to awaken a sense of discovery but for the blind they can be confusing and even dangerous. So to eliminate potential hazards and enhance the park-going experience for its blind visitors, the City of Everett introduced downloadable audio walking instructions for Lions Park.

It’s called an audio wayfinding system and it’s one of several renovations unveiled today.

COPALIS BEACH, Wash. — The director of the National Weather Service, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Congressman Norm Dicks are among the officials who gathered Thursday on the Washington coast to celebrate the operation of a new Doppler radar station.

They say it will help save lives and property by improving storm forecasts.

Now that the dismal 2011 season has come to a close, we're looking ahead to what 2012 might hold for the Mariners.

A number of concrete and steel bridges where built in Seattle in the 1930s, '40s and '50s - each designed with a 60-year lifespan.

The Seattle Transportation Department says 60 of the city's 137 bridges are more than 60 years old and would cost $1.1 billion to replace. The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reports  department Manager John Buswell told the city council's Transportation Committee this week that another Bridging the Gap levy might be needed.

Your power bill could be cheaper if the U.S. didn't send so much electricity north of the border every year. Canada lays claim to around $300 million worth of hydropower annually under the terms of a 50-year-old treaty.

In return, the Canadians manage the upper Columbia River to prevent downstream flooding and to optimize power production. The Columbia River Treaty can be renegotiated soon and there are voices on both sides of the border clamoring for a better deal.

Just in time for fund drive we ponder some eternal questions about money.

Can money buy you love? No, but it puts you in better bargaining position. Can money buy you happiness? No again. But you can rent it for awhile.

All day today, your $60 pledge (or greater) earns you a 2 for 1 Coupon at Jazz Alley in Seattle!You don’t even have to give $60 all at once. Become a Sustaining Member and break that down to only $5/month and a hassle-free membership to KPLU!

Make your gift to KPLU now!

In addition, we have a special treat to donors pledging $365 or more during Morning Jazz, Afternoon Jazz and Evening Jazz.  We are celebrating Earshot Jazz Thursday, and have 25 pair of tickets to an exclusive Earshot Jazz Festival performance!

It's been 10 years since federal prosecutor Tom Wales was shot dead in the basement of his Seattle home. The case has never been solved. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Seattle Wednesday to bring fresh attention to the cold case.

At a news conference, Holder asked anyone with knowledge of the crime to come forward. Wales' daughter, Amy, also read a lengthy statement.

Approaching the 10-year anniversary of the slaying of federal prosecutor Thomas Wales, his daughter spoke publicly for the first time.

In an emotional letter to her father, Amy Wales appealed to the public to come forward with any information that might assist the FBI in the unsolved murder investigation.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – It’s been a good run for Democrats in Washington state. They’ve held the governor’s office for nearly thirty years, the state House for a decade and the Washington Senate since 2005. But that political dominance could be imperiled.

Producing biofuels as an environmentally-friendly alternative to petroleum-based fossil fuels is a puzzle that has been bedeviling researchers for years.

Now, with $80 million pouring into research at the University of Washington and Washington State University, stakeholders hope to find the key for turning biomass from wood products into fuel for cars and jets.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Federal authorities say firearms dealers in states where medical marijuana is legal can't sell guns or ammunition to registered users of the drug.