This Saturday at The Hall at Fauntleroy, it’s a brand-new event – the “Shining Stars Gala” for the Washington chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Uncomfortable subject – but if you’ve been following our coverage a while, you’ve heard us say it’s one that gets swept under the rug too often. In fact, the annual report from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office is out today, and while suicides are down – the rate is still more than double the homicide rate, though you’d never know because of a misguided taboo on news coverage of suicides: 210 suicides in King County last year, 85 homicides. It’s a higher number than even traffic deaths at 163. (See the ME’s full report here.) Back to the Shining Stars Gala: It’s the AFSP chapter’s first annual auction benefit, 7:30 Saturday, with hors d’oeuvres, silent & live auctions, dessert and entertainment. There’s ticket info online.