What famous cartoon character lives in Seward Park? Well, not exactly, but the character Woody Woodpecker was "modeled" after one of our resident birds, the pileated woodpecker. The popular cartoon character, created in 1940, closely resembles the pileated woodpecker with its brilliant red crest, but it's not only the red crest that makes the pileated woodpecker so easily recognizable. It is the largest woodpecker in North America. The exciting exception goes to the ivory-billed woodpecker, recently "rediscovered" in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansa more than 60 years after the last confirmed sighting.
In a united front to prevent and respond to gun violence involving the Latino community, Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and the heads of local and federal law enforcement agencies, along with Mexican Consul General Jorge Madrazo-CuÈllar, recently announced the availability of up to $25,000 in reward money for information on these violent acts.They were joined by King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, Federal Way Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Kent Police Chief Ed Crawford, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC) Leigh Winchell, Alcohol-Tobacco-Firearms SAC Kelvin Crenshaw, Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant SAC Bobby Hamil, Drug Enforcement Administration SAC Rodney Benson, U.S. Marshal Eric Robertson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Friedman of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On Saturday, May 21 the varsity men of Mount Baker Rowing crossed the finish line in first place at the USRowing Northwest Regional Championship regatta. The effort earned them an entry in the National Youth Invitational Regatta in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 11-12 on Harsha Lake. The regatta, which took place on Lake Vancouver, Wash. marks the end of the season for many crews, but this year it signifies not only an extended season, but a historical event for the nine South End athletes.
Book-It's current production of "The Awakening" opens with a line about a caged bird. It's no idle allusion. Edna Pontellier, the main character, is also caged. She's an untamed woman trapped in an unsatisfactory marriage in a society that frowns on divorce.This is a lyrical presentation of Kate Chopin's pioneering novella. Published in 1899, "The Awakening" was met with critical disapproval because it dared to portray a woman's sexuality and her desire for independence. Edna was a poor mother, given the standards of the time, and a shockingly inappropriate wife. She preferred to paint and sketch rather than care for her children. She wanted to be her own person, not just one of her husband's appendages.
It's not easy for minority actors to make it in the world of theater. Often relegated to the roles of servants or racial stereotypes inserted for comic relief, or just not cast at all, minorities have struggled - and continue to struggle - to get the respectable leading parts that go to white performers. Some groups have responded by starting ethnic theater companies that cater to specialized audiences and deal with racial issues.Chinese-American David Hsieh has taken a more inclusive approach with his company, The Repertory Actors Theatre, or ReAct. When the Seattle native founded the group in 1993, he sought to create an opportunity for minority actors to do the shows they had always wanted to do.
A traditionally staid Sound Transit meeting on Thursday, July 27, turned into a nearly standing-room-only affair as First Hill residents filled the room to capacity and argued on behalf of building the First Hill Station on the North Link of the light rail project. Their efforts were to no avail. Contrary to the testimony of many residents and contrary to the agency's original plans, the Sound Transit board voted overwhelming to eliminate the First Hill station.During their debate on the First Hill cancellation resolution, board members often used phrases more frequently expressed in election-day voting booths when one votes with one hand and holds one's nose with the other: "I'm supporting it and I'm not happy about it," "I'm reluctantly supporting it," "I'll be supporting the motion, but it's painful."Few seemed pleased with their options. Board member Julia Patterson even noted the Catch-22 the board members found themselves in since many admitted the need to include First Hill within any regional transportation system. Nonetheless, the board voted 12 to 1 in favor of abandoning the station.
With a bib attached around his neck, Jim examines his plate of unseasoned chicken and cooked vegetables as he slowly attempts to maneuver his fork into his mouth. Hunched over with his grizzled hair amok, stumbled face and disheveled clothes, he dines with his housemates for their customary 12 p.m. lunch. Jim's cloudy brown eyes indicate he's only physically present; he is unaware that five simultaneous monologues are taking place at the dining room table. Life hasn't always been like this for Jim Minter.Born in 1925, Jim grew up in tobacco-laden rural North Carolina with his devoutly Christian grandmother. This quintessential "country kid" arose early to perform his farm chores then walked miles to school while Sundays were consumed serving the Lord.
At 80 years old the body is normally bent and the spirit is tired. The will to change the world has been reduced to a desire to survive it a few more days. But Arthur Fletcher was an anomaly. He was standing straight and his spirit was fired up. He was delighted at the change he had made and impatient for the next challenge, for his next time at bat. He died recently of a heart attack in Washington, D.C. He will forever be known as "the father of affirmative action" and the man who coined, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," while director of the United Negro College Fund.
On her 2006 Culinary Trip to Thailand, 15-year Madison Park resident and Thai-food chef Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen will do what she loves best: cook, teach, travel and expose people to her Thai culture. "I want to help out the Thai economy. It is my dream to do my job and show my country and my heritage. My mission is to tell people that Thailand is beautiful and ready for tourists to go back again," she said.
As President Reagan was so fond of saying, "Well, there you go again."We're talking about Discovery Park and Fort Lawton. This Keystone Kops-like comedy started in 1885, when Brig. Gen. Nelson Miles pointed out to the Army the need for fortification to protect Puget Sound, an important navigational waterway. We thought we might have to fight the Brits, or the Canadians, or maybe the Japanese and Chinese.In the mid-1890s, the Army decided it should put some 12-inch mortars along Magnolia Bluff. Gen. Otis, the commander in the area, agreed, pointing out the need for an infantry battalion to control the "frequent exhibitions of lawlessness" by the "restless, demonstrative, and often turbulent" population of Puget Sound.The value of an Army fort on Magnolia Bluff was not lost on the local businessmen and politicians of the time, leading to a rash of land purchases, exchanges, condemnations and fund raising to secure the land needed to make a deal with the Army.In 1898 the Army took possession of 641 acres of Magnolia Bluff, and construction of the fort began.
If you've been watching TV for any longer than 15 minutes during the past couple of weeks, no doubt you've been inundated with back-to-school commercials. Just open the daily newspapers to the comic pages, and there at least five strips dealing with the oncoming school year.For some reason, it's the time of the year that all mothers look forward to. Nowadays, though, before you can go back to school, it seems you need a laptop computer, a complete home computer mainframe and printer as backup, stacks of software to run it, a cellphone and at least a closet full of designer clothing.
As an ex-officio board member of the Seattle Monorail Project (SMP), I write not as an apologist nor as a cheerleader for the board, but rather as one who has had concerns about SMP operations and governance in the past, but who strongly believes in building the monorail in Seattle-if it can be done right.Recently, some opponents have requested that Gov. Gregoire call a special session of the Washington State Legislature to close the SMP.They claim the project threatens the state's bond rating and is mired in cost overruns, even though construction hasn't begun and a fixed price contract has been negotiated. They say state intervention would be a dramatic, symbolic step toward restoring statewide public confidence, and would help defeat I-912, the initiative to repeal the gas tax on the November ballot.Monorail opponents also advocate switching the SMP's Motor Vehicle Excise Tax to fund the Viaduct and other regional transportation needs.While I support the eventual integration of the SMP into a regional transportation system, I do not believe the Legislature should close down the SMP.
In 1969, after a cross-country, "On the Road" teenage odyssey, Camille Colaizzo stood on upper Queen Anne and vowed she would have a business here someday.The New York City native felt she had found her inevitable place.Cut to 2005: Colaizzo's business, Colaizzo Opticians, 1623 Queen Anne Ave. N., is one of 10 winners chosen from 500 nominees for the Mayor's Small Business Award.What some might call fate, others would call making your own luck through hard work, vision, smarts and pluck.
By Vera Chan-PoolThe following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct. They represent the officers' accounts of the events described.LeschiStolen beer bottle: Someone stole a 20-foot-tall, inflatable beer bottle along with its motor from the top of a store in the 100 block of Lakeside Avenue South between 10 p.m. Aug. 4 and 4 a.m. Aug. 5.Burglary: A woman returned to her home in the 500 block of 30th Avenue South at 2 p.m. Aug. 13 to discover that items had been moved around upstairs and a window was shattered.
The Hellenthal building, on the southeast corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Ferdinand Street, is one of Columbia City's most enduring landmarks. Built in 1893 by German immigrant Joseph Hellenthal, it proudly anchored the neighborhood's major intersection, where the Rainier Valley streetcar stop was located. Joseph Hellenthal was born into a family of masons in St. Ingbert, Germany, in 1849. He emigrated in 1870 and spent a year in New York working on the sidewalks of Grand Central Station before returning to Germany, where he married Alexandrina Susanna Basecke. In 1880 the Hellenthals and their three children moved back to the United States. Joseph worked for two years building masonry bridges for the Pennsylvania Railroad before moving the family to Texas, where Alexandrina's uncle had some land. Hellenthal built a brickyard in what is now Conroe, Texas. He came down with malaria while in Texas, and his doctor advised him to move to a moister climate. The family came to Seattle by train in 1891 and settled in Columbia City. In 1893 they bought the plot at Ferdinand and Rainier Avenue and built a handsome brick house.