According to the calendar, spring started a month ago, but this being Seattle you can’t always be sure. A hint was when we began waking to the calliope of bird songs these days. No longer did the screech of the alarm clock at oh-dark-hundred hours have us hurtling ourselves out from under the comfy, warm covers.
The Pacific Place parking garage is in the news again. Readers may recall the mid-‘90s scandal surrounding this facility that cost the city $23 million in overpayments to developers, diverted Housing & Urban Development (HUD) funds intended for low-income and minority communities and wrecked the political aspirations of former Mayor Norm Rice.
he billboards we usually drive by and ignore — except to see what the Washington state lotteries’ winnings are up to — are the latest focus of the free-speech controversy in King County.
Simple Projects Fund Deadline The deadline for the 2nd cycle of the 2011 Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) Small and Simple Projects Fund is Monday, May 9. To learn more, click here.Applications need to be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 9.
Slippery ShoplifterOfficers from the West Precinct were dispatched to the area of 32nd Avenue West and West Lynn Street at 11:04 a.m. on Monday, April 25th after receiving a 911 call from a witness who said their was a fight happening in the street.
Giant Magnet presents the 25th Anniversary International Children’s Festival featuring authentic global performances –theatre, music, dance, puppetry and circus arts–that engage the imagination and inspire audiences of all ages to discover, explore and learn. The 2011 Festival features professional companies from China, Ecuador, India, Scotland, Tasmania and the United States. Join us for a show and find out for yourself why people continue to be magnetically attracted to this festival year after year! More information and tickets available at www.GiantMagnet.org.
Bake Sale Over two dozen local food bloggers recruited by "Frantic Foodie", Keren Brown will be strutting their creations of pastry and desserts. Proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength. The event will be held at the Uptown on Lower Queen Anne on Saturday morning, May 14th, from 9:30 AM until noon.
Road Rage Police responded to the workplace of the victims of a road rage incident that had taken place in the area of 15th Avenue West and West Emerson Street at around 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 28th. The victims told police they’d been driving northbound on 15th Avenue West when they realized an aggressive driver was following them. The victim driver made several failed attempts to shake the aggressive driver. When they reached a red light the aggressor opened his door, stepped out of his car and pulled out a knife. He yelled, “I bet you’re scared now, bitch!” He waved the knife in the air and then drove away. The victims said they had been very scared, and described the knife as having a four to five inch blade with a black handle. They provided police with a description of the car and a license plate number. They also told police they’d be able to identify the suspect if they saw him again.
When the push was on to build the new football stadium, I had a first-row seat and was privileged to be actively involved in the campaign. During that brief campaign we talked about how important the team would be to the economic life of Downtown Seattle, the taxes and jobs it would generate.
Interest in “happiness” is exploding! Book after book talks about new research. There’s an outpouring of international interest in Gross National Happiness, measuring progress in terms of the well-being of people and the planet, not just Gross Domestic Product. Why this new interest? There seems to be a sense of urgency, a feeling that we can’t just go on in our same, old ways. We know that people and the planet are in deep trouble.
The medicinal benefits of marijuana are now recognized throughout most medical communities and are steadily resonating among political circles, law enforcement agencies and the public at large. Today most people know a friend or loved one whose chronic pain or nausea was relieved or could have been by medical marijuana.
The scandal swirling around top basketball recruit Tony Wroten Jr. is as old as big-time college sports and would be almost humorous if it weren’t so sad. The Garfield High School basketball phenom, who is considered one of the nation’s top recruits, reportedly received “C” grades for taking Spanish classes that never existed. As the supposed adults at Garfield High School point fingers at each other about who knew what and who is responsible, Wroten Jr. just sends out a digital laugh over his twitter account, showing how little he cares about the entire affair.
Families are invited to celebrate the kick-off of AmeriCorps Week at the Play It Forward toy donation event benefitting the Seattle Goodwill. Families with gently used toys or items that their kids no longer want or need can donate the items from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Magnolia’s Serendipity Café, 3222 West McGraw St., on Friday, May 13th.
Speech on Middle East Situation “What ‘In God’s Name’ is Going on in the Middle East” -- a report from Pastor Blake Wood of what’s been happening in the Middle East…in God’s name, during his past 10 years there. Wed, May 18th at First Free Methodist Church (3200 3rd Ave W). 6:30-8pm. Free event!
Grab and Run:Police responded to the area of Dexter Avenue North and Crockett Street a few minutes after midnight on Wednesday, May 11, after receiving reports of a strong-armed robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival police spoke with the victim, who said she’d been walking in the area when a man she knew approached her. When she denied him the use of her cell phone he pushed her down and began to rummage through her purse. He took her phone and wallet and ran eastbound on Crockett Street. The victim was able to provide police with a description of the suspect as well as his name. She said he is a drug user and is known on the streets. One of the responding officers knew the suspect from prior incidents, and was able to locate him in the area of Second Avenue and Bell Street. He matched the clothing description given by the victim. The suspect said he had been in China Town all day getting high. Police were unable to reach the victim after detaining the suspect. Thus, without a victim ID they had to let him go.