In Bassim Dowidar's April 9 letter ["City has hand in South End violence"] he asks, "Do any of you really believe that if we just had the right services, 10 more cops, programs for at risk youth, gang units, that this would all go away?"No, there is isn't anything we can do that will make it all go away.
ROOSEVELTPERFORMANCE: Having received the honor during the State Thespian Festival at Central Washington University in March, Roosevelt's drama troupe has been invited to perform at the 2008 Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.The troupe will perform James Still's "And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank."In addition to the invitation to the Thespian Festival, Roosevelt also won the Superior Trophy for "And Then They Came for Me" and Excellent Certificate for "Night of January 16th."
The city is seeking to prepare its citizens to look at their neighborhood plans again [see "Neighborhood Council Forum on April 19 strives to get citizens involved with neighborhood planning" on page 6].
I read the story about last week's shooting in Hillman City ["Dispute leads to murder in Hillman City," April 9"] right by Aki Kurose middle school.
The city of Seattle was recently named a "Solar America City" by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As a result, Seattle will leverage a $200,000 DOE grant with $200,000 in local funds on a variety of efforts to promote the development of a sustainable solar energy infrastructure.
In less than six months, bus riders in Southeast Seattle will get another big boost in transit service through an innovative partnership between King County Metro Transit and the city of Seattle.
Seattle's tree cover has shrunk from 40 percent of the city's land area in 1972 to just 18 percent today. With this in mind, the Department of Neighborhoods will be providing free trees this fall for planting on residential streets in Seattle neighborhoods.
The following incident records from the Seattle Police Department's South Precinct present the officer's accounts: A patrol officer was traveling north on Rainier Avenue South when he observed a man urinating on the corner near South Mead Street. The officer stopped and contacted the man, age 37, and asked him why he was peeing in public.
Seattle Public Schools recently announced that it will add a new kindergarten classroom at Bryant Elementary School, 3311 N.E. 60th St., for the 2008-09 school year. With Laurelhurst, View Ridge, Wedgwood and John Rogers elementary schools already preparing for additional classrooms, the school district will provide about 115 new seats for kindergartners in the school district's Northeast Cluster.
You might have seen the sign at 213 N. 85th St.: "Gorditos Healthy Mexican Food." The modest eatery was recently named to Yahoo's Best Mexican Restaurants in the United States list. Gorditos is known for its large portions and good prices. In fact, right by the cashier is a picture of a baby next to its grande burrito and the two are the exact same size."I first came here in 2000, when a co-worker told me you could get a giant burrito and a beer for under 6 bucks," said James Tomlinson, 28.Owner Marlene Hall says they pride themselves on their big portions. She notes that people will come in and order a burrito and it will be a challenge for them to finish it.
GRANTS: Three North End business associations received Neighborhood Business District funding awards through the city's Office of Economic Development:*Greater University Chamber of Commerce, $9,800;*Lake City Chamber of Commerce, $9,400; and*Northgate Chamber of Commerce, $6,700.
While the sexy-barista trend is nothing new, the coffee business Chicka Latte has taken a novel approach.Chicka Latte Beautiful Coffee is a chain of espresso stands in North Seattle where the baristas (all women) wear sexy costumes to attract customers.Opinions of the business are mixed. Some think it is a good business strategy and a fun idea; others feel it is degrading and shows a lack of confidence in the women who work there.Blair Boykin, a stand manager, believes there is a difference between Chicka Latte and similar stands. While some "scandalous" baristas wear tiny bikinis and pasties, the women at Chicka Latte wear costumes."Our costumes are nothing different than you see girls wearing every Halloween," Boykin said while making a drink for a drive-through customer. "Every day is Halloween," said the customer, with a laugh.
For the majority of his 36 years in the Seattle Police Department, Captain Tom Byers has served in South Seattle. A Cleveland High School alumnus, Byers was born and raised on Beacon Hill. His family home was at the corner of Beacon Avenue South and South Morgan Street.
This week featured games played in hail, snow, rain and just about every other type of weather you can imagine, save for sunny skies. Still, the parents came out, the boys and girls played, and the umpires made their calls. Majors DivisionRenton White Sox 12, Oberto Sausages 11 (extra innings).
The Sonics are history, but don't take it personally. It's business.David Stern, the NBA commissioner is not going to buck (no pun intended) the owners, and the NBA Board of Governors approved the move of the Sonics to Oklahoma by a vote of 28-2. End of discussion.