Seattle Schools' wishy-washy ways.
Seattle Schools, with regard to closing schools, relocating others and then changing its mind repeatedly, has drawn the ire of parents, students and members of various communities to the nth degree.
It's understandable that the district is trying to get as many opinions in the soup before it makes a well-founded decision. But the process has only made the district look weak and ill-informed. By the end of January district board members will vote on Superintendent Sarah Goodloe-Johnson's recommendations. What those recommendations will be is anybody's guess at this rate.
CityTeam departure.
The last day was Dec. 27. City officials tried to find a way to help CityTeam Ministries pay its debt. But the organization that feeds up to 150 men every day, could not stay afloat in these tough economic times and shut down at the end of the year.
Drugs in Kinnear Park.
The Queen Anne/Magnolia News received several calls about the growing drug traffic in Kinnear Park. One woman said people were getting off buses and walking into the park to conduct business. Another person said he used to "walk through the park all the time. I never go up there anymore." Seattle Police were informed of the infestation and made according arrests. The pervasiveness has dwindled some, but from the summer on, Kinnear had become a veritable drug store.
Magnolia townhome project.
The Meridian Greenfield development company's proposal to build 10 townhomes just south of the Bartell store in the Village ran into a snag late in the year in the form of trees.
Six Sequoia trees are growing on the land and the owner of the project said three would have to come down. Several Magnolians did not want the trees lopped and voiced as much during public meetings. The application is being reconsidered by the Department of Planning and Development.
Tuba Man.
Edward Scott McMichael's murder soon spiraled into a citywide event. McMichael, or the Tuba Man as he affectionately became known, was accosted by a band of youths in Lower Queen Anne, kicked and beaten within an inch of his life. He later died from the injuries. Seattleites shook their heads at the senseless brutality.
They paid their respects to McMichael enmass at various memorials and remembrances. His piano teacher, Penny DeGraff, remembered him as an intense but very likeable man. McMichael played tuba outside Mariners games and Seahawks games and lots of other busy locations for years. He became a fixture; now, he's gone.
BAT lanes.
Nobody understood them nor could they figure out neither what they were for nor why the city began enforcing the special lane along 15th Avenue West. Signage for the Business Access and Transit lanes was confusing and led to people getting ticketed.
Whole Foods bails. When Whole Foods terminated its lease at developer TRF Pacific's still-under-construction shopping plaza at Interbay, a grey cloud hung over the area. TRF filed a $67.9 million suit against the grocery chain. Now the place, other than a Subway and a dry cleaning establishment, is a ghost town.
Interbay jail proposal.
A jail in our community? No way say Magnolians and Queen Anners. The idea to construct a jail in the Interbay betwixt the two neighborhoods was scuttled quickly by neighbors.
The Interbay location made the top four possible locations from a list of 35. Though a downtown location with more floors is gaining in popularity, it's more expensive. No decision as of yet.
Mercer Mess.
The $200 million idea of lowering Aurora Avenue North so that Mercer Street can cross over the state road at grade was not a good one, so said several community organizations. In spite of the opposition the Seattle Department of Transportation, and Vulcan, which owns much of affected South Lake Union, were in favor of it - even though studies showed it would worsen traffic.
SuperSonics departure.
Clay Bennett had no intention of keeping Seattle's basketball team in Seattle. He went through the motions and then skipped town. The Sonics are now the Thunder and playing in Oklahoma City.
QA Cleaners goodbye.
After 18 years, Bruce and Susan Lee closed QA Cleaners at the end of June. The couple said they wanted to give it another go, maybe in Bellevue. But they said they would miss Queen Anne. Peso's restaurant and bar has plans to expand into the space.
Taggers in the Village. Late spring saw a spate of graffiti in the Village. Volunteers helped to clear it up, but it just seemed to keep coming.
Computer waste.
It started out as a great idea and hundreds of people unloaded three football fields' worth of old computer equipment in a Seattle Pacific University parking lot. But the organizer wasn't prepared for such a response. RENEW owner Jason Purcell was stuck with a lot of the stuff, too.
Departure of Helen Sommers.
The much beloved legislator of the 36th District retired this year. In the November election, the seat of the 30-year veteran went to political newcomer Reuven Carlyle.
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