Kurt Johnson, his brother, Charles, and their wives all live in Queen|Anne, and they run the neighborhood's first winery. Located at 1405 Elliott Ave. W., the Ward Johnson Winery is named for the men's father, and the business was launched in|the spring of 2004, said Kurt. "But we had been doing it for seven years."The family doesn't own a vineyard. They buy grapes in half-ton totes from vineyards in Eastern Washington and turn the grapes into red and white wines, first in their homes and lately in a climate-controlled space that was formerly part of the Elliott Avenue Wine Storage business next door.
To help prevent street flooding, the city is asking Seattle residents' help with keeping our street drains open and operative. You do this by removing leaves from neighborhood drains with a rake or broom - if it can be done safely. Then collect fallen leaves in your yard, and either compost them or properly dispose of them in yard waste containers.
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is holding a public meeting Thursday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed installation of a new Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) in Upper Queen Anne. The meeting will take place at the Queen Anne Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 400 W. Garfield St. Area residents and business owners are encouraged to attend.
Queen Ann Helpline proposes that you welcome in the Season of Caring and Sharing by volunteering to cashier or work at the Queen Anne Helpline holiday tree lot. Helpline volunteers will be selling Christmas trees in a corner of the Hilltop Safeway market parking lot from Saturday, Nov. 24, through Dec. 19 - and you can be one of them supporting this community effort to look out for the less fortunate among our neighbors. The lot operates weekdays from noon till 6 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pick a time slot.
'...a life of service and community spirit - topped off by a late-in-life discovery of golf!Ralph Guy Barter, a resident of Magnolia for more than 50 years, died surrounded by his family on Nov. 7, after a brief illness. He was 96.
Last Wednesday, the Second Annual Dana Sigley Pink Luncheon was held at Szmania's restaurant to celebrate the end of Magnolia Tennis Flights and honor the memory of a woman who passed away in 2006 of cancer. Highly regarded and well-loved in the community, Sigley was instrumental in organizing and coordinating the tennis flights for many years.
Kevin J. Martin Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St. SW Washington DC, 20554 Dear Mr. Martin,  After reading the Tuesday, Nov. 13 FCC press release detailing your proposed Newspaper/Broadcast Cross Ownership Rule, a.k.a. Docket 06-121, I felt a surge of disappointment and disgust. For more than seven hours on the previous Friday (Nov. 9), you sat with the other FCC commissioners and listened to my fellow Seattleites tell you that we do not want you to approve this rule, but your proceeding as if the public hearing never happened.
Crows take a rooftop rest after feasting on the Madrona (Arbutus) trees that were full of red berries in the Seward Park neighborhood. According to the photographer, "every year birds of every variety large and small,  in three days, decide the berries are to be eaten, and eat they do, in throngs not caring who else is in the tree was with them. The crows never land in our tree, yet you could almost pet them while they feasted."
Residents and visitors in Seattle's International District will be better able to protect themselves from toxic chemicals thanks to a $297,000 grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The holidays have arrived, and starting Dec. 1 Columbia City will ring in the season with carols, cocoa, and surprises at the Seventh Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. The Columbia City Business Association's (CCBA) tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. at the southwest corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Hudson Street with live carols and entertainment.
MOUNT BAKER - Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center celebrates the completion of the major phase of its facility expansion at a grand opening on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 4-7 p.m. The community is invited to participate in the festivities, which include a visit from the Christmas ship, tours of the facility, a silent auction, children's activities, and free refreshments.
GEORGETOWN - An historic icon of the Georgetown community, Rainier Cold Storage, located at 6000 Airport Way, will face an uncertain future with the recent land-use application by Sabey Corporation, a locally based company, which plans to demolish part of the structure. The 1903 building measures in at 129,885 square feet and once held the sixth largest brewery in the world, the Rainier Brewing Company.
It was a small article in one of the daily Seattle newspapers tucked in near the middle of the local section. It said that the fifth tent city was now being constructed, and I wondered why it was not a major story. Along with the tent cities, we have thousands of people living in recreational vehicles under bridges and even more living in the dense woods inside and outside the city limits. The state of Washington now has over 23,000 homeless people, and only four states - California, Texas, Michigan and Georgia - have more, but it's not front-page news.
Does the Federal Communications Commission value what the public has to say about media diversity in the United States? By mid-December, we should have our answer, and it will be a resounding "yes" if FCC Chairman Kevin Martin drops his proposal to allow big media corporations to grow even larger. But such an affirmation from the five member, Republican-majority commission won't come without intense public pressure.
COLUMBIA CITY - In late October, South Seattle resident, Carrie Dolwick found out about a deficit in her neighborhood. During the Cascadia Convergence conference at the Seattle Center, the large audience was asked to break up into their respective local sustainability organizations. Sustainability groups have been sprouting up all over the region. In fact, about 40 of them have formed a network called Sustainable Communities All over Puget Sound (SCALLOPS), but South Seattle was not on the list.