COLUMBIA CITY - Santa Claus is coming to the Columbia City Theater on Dec. 1 to visit with neighborhood children, promote the Columbia City Toy Drive and kick-off an eight-day run of "It's Not For Me," a children's theater production performed by the Langston Hughes performing arts youth theater group. The drive will benefit Atlantic Street Center (ASC), one of Seattle's oldest social service organizations.
PERMIT APPLICATIONS: 1924 Rainier Ave. S. (3005701) for a Land Use Application to allow a three-story commercial structure containing general retail sales-and-service space, office space and child-care space. Surface parking for 48 vehicles to be provided on site. Existing structures to be demolished. The following approvals are required: Design Review; SEPA environmental determination. Building permit may be needed but was not included in this application. Written comments accepted through Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Last October I attended a lecture at the University of Washington's Kane Hall featuring Winston S.Churchill III, grandson of the famous statesman, author, orator and British prime minister during World War II, Winston Churchill. This year, on Nov. 16, the university's Evans School of Public Affairs, the UW Alumni Association and the Churchill Centre presented Sir Winston Churchill's granddaughter and biographer, Celia Sandys. I was invited to a pre-lecture reception to meet Ms. Sandys (whom I had had the pleasure of chatting with in 2003.
Good Taproot cast fights uphill battle with not-very-good materialCritics and audiences don't always agree. Both want to enjoy the show, but critics are there also to assess it. Though critics base their judgments on qualitative measures related to historical understanding of the genre and knowledge of what is required for excellence, we must never forget that in the final analysis their assessments are opinion.
Marlene Dietrich (foreground) and Peter Lorre (at right) star in a double feature for the ages, Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel" and Fritz Lang's "M," as part of SIFF Cinema's salute to "30 Years of Kino" classic and indie cinema. The series continues tonight, Nov. 28, with Raúl Ruiz' magnificent distillation of Proust's "TIME REGAINED." Andrei Zvyaginstev's Venice Film Festival prizewinner "THE RETURN" plays Thursday, Nov. 29. Then it's those two early-sound classics from Germany, Friday, Nov. 30: "THE BLUE ANGEL" and "M." Sergei Parajanov's "SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS" is teamed Saturday, Dec. 1.
For Birdie Blue, life has been a series of dead ends. She even lives on a dead-end street where, she says, it always looks the same. Beautifully directed by Chuck Smith, Cheryl L. West's poignant 80- minute play "Birdie Blue" introduces a wisp of a woman whose spirit and resilience have almost been crushed by life's struggles. But not quite.
Photographer Mary Randlett, who moved to Queen Anne as a young teen in 1938, isn't the most famous person to have walked the hallowed halls of Queen Anne High School. That mantle probably belongs to Hank Ketchum of Dennis the Menace renown. But through her life and work, Randlett has reflected the ever-elusive Northwest soul like nobody else who spent their formative years on the Hill. At 83, she has long been regarded as a Northwest artistic treasure. The just-published "Mary Randlett Landscapes" by the University of Washington Press will only enlarge her reputation.
A fire broke out the morning of Oct. 3 at 3062 South Handford Street. Fire crews, pictured above ripping a hole in the roof to get at the fire (at left), arrived on the scene and quickly put it out. On the scene, Seattle Fire Department Captain Curt Yamane said that two people were inside at the time of the blaze and had been taken to the hospital. Captain Yamane added that the fire started in the living room and made its way into the attic. He said it was too early to tell if the fire was arson, but investigators were looking into it.
The American Red Cross is looking for "everyday heroes" from the South End. Do you know someone who performed life-saving CPR, pulled a person from a burning building or raised money to help someone in need?You can help the Red Cross recognize these extraordinary people by nominating your hero. Information about the nomination forms is available online at www.seattleredcross.org or by calling 709-4536.
Seattle Goodwill will host a Halloween family fun celebration on Saturday, Oct. 13th from noon to 2 p.m. at its 1400 S. Lane St. location. The afternoon event includes complimentary refreshments, free drawings and giveaways, and children's games and activities.
Despite the plethora of worthy civic-oriented events that occurred on Oct. 2, including the Walt Crowley memorial and the Seattle Works "candi-dating", all nine contenders running for Seattle City Council spent their evening in the South End at a forum sponsored by the Georgetown Merchants Association. By 6:30 p.m. the candidates had arrived at the Georgetown Ballroom, a venue that was an ideal setting for such an event with the backdrop adding a little bit of flash and a touch of fun. Seated snuggly around a table sitting on a small stage, the cast of candidates took their places on the illuminated Jolly Roger sign shining overhead. The evening's moderator, Wier Harman, took the floor and thanked everyone for attending the forum. Some might know Wier as the executive director of Town Hall, but for this event, he was just another Georgetown resident and one of the more than 70 people present who wanted to learn more about these individuals who want to win a council seat.
It is very telling that your reporter, Mona Lee, would describe concerns raised by Rainier Beach homeowner Stu Weiss as a "vague confusion" and go on to opine that Weiss was "unable to fathom optimistic projections about a future of multi-family housing in Othello" ("Historic event" sees developers and neighbors plan Othello Station, Oct. 3).
I attended the meeting held between developers and neighbors about the Othello Station [on Sept. 27 at the New Holly Campus Gathering Hall]. Mona Lee wrote an article ('"Historic event" sees developers and neighbors plan Othello Station, Oct. 3) describing the meeting. At the end of the article, she concluded with alledged comments made by Stu Weiss. First of all, I am very disappointed that Lee prefaced Stu's comments as "vague confusion" and that he was "unable to fathom optimistic projections about a future of multi-family housing in Othello."
The Sept. 26 edition of the Beacon Hill News & South District Journal ran a column by John Fox and Carolee Colter, Mayor seeks to subsidize developers and kill affordable housing" As a real estate developer who has been involved in constructing affordable housing for the past 16 years, I felt compelled to respond to Fox and Colter's attack on the Multifamily Property Tax Exemption Program (MFPTE) proposed by the mayor.
The phrase "shotgun wedding" could really be applied to any general election. But for Nov. 6 this year, the usual forced marriages of money and democracy or politicians and marks, er, constituents have a more vivid pair joining them at the altar: mass transit and roads. Two great tastes that not only don't taste so great together, but generally despise each other. Yet in order for $10.8 billion for an Eastside extension of Sound Transit to kick in during this year's Proposition 1, voters must also approve another $7 billion for new, expanded and upgraded Seattle area roads. And vice versa. There's no way for voters to "send a message," as with last spring's local Alaskan Way Viaduct plebiscite, by rejecting one or another or both sides and giving the state Legislature guidance with which to go back to the drawing board.