About jseattle

Justin is publisher of Capitol Hill Seattle and Central District News. You can reach him at [email protected] or call/txt (206) 399-5959.

Plan for honorary Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Ave between Madison and Union moves forward

Screen Shot 2014-01-28 at 10.30.56 AMDecades of service to the community was recognized Tuesday as the Seattle City Council’s transportation committee voted its approval of a new honorary designation of a portion of 19th Ave running from the edge of Capitol Hill into the Central District as Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Ave. The designation won’t mean a change of names for 19th Ave but it will be accompanied by the addition of special street signs marking the honorary avenue.

Connecting E Union to E Madison and McKinney’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the quarter-mile stretch will honor the longtime pastor who left the pulpit in 1998 after 40 years leading the congregation. As he approaches his 90th birthday, the neighborhood around the church and the stretch of 19th Ave that will feature street signs honoring the reverend continues to change with increasing redevelopment.

“The City of Seattle is fortunate to be home to outstanding community and religious leaders who have done much to shape the conscience of Seattle,” the resolution for the designation reads. The full document is below.

The designation will be voted on by the full Council next week. We’ll check in on the timeframe for when the new signs will go up along the stretch of 19th. Continue reading

Man charged in Seattle U stabbing and robbery

Prosecutors have charged a 23-year-old suspect in a nearly deadly robbery attempt and stabbing on the Seattle University campus earlier this month.

CHS was the first to report on the mugging and stabbing incident that put 23-year-old student Geoff Vincent in the hospital with life-threatening injuries in the early morning January 15th attack near 10th and Marion. Police arrested three suspects after swarming the area and searching with the K9 unit. Two of the suspects were teenagers. The other, 23-year-old Brandon Pamon now faces first degree robbery charges in the attack.

Prosecutors last week said they were weighing charges against the male teen in the attack who was 15 at the time of the incident. Because the suspect was 15 at the time of the incident, he may be tried as a juvenile and not an adult.

According to the charging documents, Pamon was convicted for a 2008 residential burglary and multiple misdemeanor crimes as an adult. His juvenile record includes multiple felony convictions. Since turning 18, Pamon has been booked at least 11 times and had five warrants issued for his arrest, prosecutors said.

According to police, the victim said the suspects began following him near 10th and Pike as he walked back to the Seattle U campus around 1 AM that morning. Vincent told police he was jumped as he entered campus and said tried to fight back and drew a knife when he saw one of the suspects carrying a blade as they violently knocked him to the ground and began beating and robbing him. In the subsequent fight, Vincent was stabbed, piercing his heart and lung. After hospitalization, Vincent is back on his feet, according to his Twitter feed.

SPD investigating 16th Ave shooting — UPDATE

Police found the victim of an apparent shooting following a 911 caller reporting gunfire and a person down on 16th Ave between Marion and Columbia early Wednesday morning.

According to police radio, officers found a wounded male in his 20s unconscious at the scene around 2:12 AM. An investigation was underway and the area around 16th was closed off as police and emergency crews were on the scene.

Seattle Fire reported that medics transported a male in his 20s from the 800 block of 16th Ave to Harborview with a gunshot wound to his chest. There was ongoing CPR due to his life threatening injuries.

UPDATE: As of 9:40 AM, there have been no updates about the situation from SPD.

UPDATE: Here’s the preliminary report from SPD:

Shooting suspect being sought

Written by  on 

Officers responded to a call of shots fired. On 1/22/14, just shortly after 2:00 a.m., a witness called 911 and reported hearing a single gunshot and then the sound of a vehicle speeding off in the 800 block of 16 Av.  The witness was able to see that the vehicle leaving was a red corvette.

When officers arrived they found the victim lying in the street.  He was unresponsive and had what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his upper torso.  Seattle Fire responded and transported the 37-year-old victim to HMC with life threatening injuries. Gang Unit detectives responded and processed the crime scene.

After clearing the scene Gang Unit detectives located a red Corvette parked 2 blocks away. The car was impounded to the processing room for an investigatory hold.

It is unknown what led up to the shooting. No suspect information is available at this time.

The investigation continues.

SPD investigating 23rd and Union shootout

1528670_10152490669803976_1639754307_nReports of multiple gunshots and shooters at 23rd and Union just before 6 PM drew several police units to the area to search for possible victims, suspects and vehicles seen fleeing the intersection.

The first reports of gunshots came into 911 around 5:48 PM according to SPD radio dispatches. Witnesses reported seeing people exchanging gunfire and at least two vehicles fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and no immediate arrests.

Nearby Garfield High School was placed under lockdown conditions as it hosted games in the annual MLK Day Community Hoop Showcase, according to police radio reports.

UPDATE: SPD reports they are investigating the shooting and that nobody was hit by the gunfire. Four parked cars, a business and a home were hit by gunfire, according to SPD.

Blotter | 19-year-old tells police he was shot near Seattle U

See something others should know about? Email the tips line.

  • 12/Jefferson shooting reported: A 19-year-old arrived at Swedish First Hill’s emergency room just after 7 AM Monday with a gunshot police say he suffered in an incident at 12th and Jefferson. Details on the incident at this point are preliminary, but police say the male told investigators he was shot early Monday morning on the sidewalk near 12th and Jefferson near Seattle University. The victim’s injuries were not life threatening. Police have not yet released any suspect information in the shooting. Last week, a Seattle U student was stabbed in the chest in a robbery attempt on the campus on the southern edge of Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, a male victim arrived at Harborview following a shooting outside a 12th Ave restaurant.

40 years celebrating MLK at E Madison’s Mt. Zion

Murray, dignitaries and the SPD brass (Images: CHS)

Murray, dignitaries and the SPD brass (Images: CHS)

The 12th Man made a presence

The 12th Man made a presence

Friday, dignitaries, students and the community filled Mt. Zion for the 40th year of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday at the 19th and Madison Baptist church.

53 years ago, King visited Zion pastor Reverend Samuel B. McKinney and spoke to thousands in Seattle. McKinney, now near 90, was on hand as usual Friday as newly elected Mayor Ed Murray and a full contingent of SPD brass including newly installed SPD Chief Harry Bailey attended the ceremonies inside the church.

Murray chose a reading from Maya Angelou’s On the Pulse of Morning for his brief statement during the ceremony.

The theme of the 2014 event was “Six Words” and featured NPR’s Michele Norris whose Race Card project collects six-word statements from contributors about race and tolerance.

King was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39. He would have been 85 this year.

Area MLK activities continue through the weekend and into Monday’s official holiday as the annual march and rally starting at Garfield High School will this year also be invigorated by the push for raising the minimum wage in Seattle.

IMG_3986

Blotter | Three arrested following 10th/Marion street robbery, stabbing

See something others should know about? Email the tips line.

  • Mugging and stabbing: Police made three arrests and medics were called to 10th and Marion after a reported early Wednesday street robbery and stabbing. The 23-year-old victim was headed back to the Seattle U campus when a group of two males and a female accomplice reportedly attacked just after 1 AM. The victim suffered a stab wound in the street robbery and was taken to the hospital for treatment.Responding officers took a male and a female into custody after spotting the trio near 13th and Columbia. A second male fled the scene and a larger search including a K9 unit ensued. Police reported they had recovered a brass-knuckle knife at the scene of the arrest.The K9 unit tracked the second male suspect to the Seattle U recycling yard near 13th and Columbia where he was also taken into custody.UPDATE: SPD says the student who was robbed suffered life-threatening injuries. Meanwhile, SPD says the suspects were aged 15, 16 and 23:

    Three suspects were arrested early this morning following a call of an assault and robbery on the Seattle University campus. The victim, a 23-year-0ld student, was transported to Harborview Medical Center for a stab wound to his chest.

    At around 1:15 this morning, East Precinct officers responded to a call on the school’s campus of a possible robbery or assault that had just occurred. Officers arrived along with the Fire Department and located the 23-year-old student. The victim told officers that he was walking back to campus when he noticed two people following him. As he entered campus he was attacked from behind by the suspects. They knocked him to the ground and began punching him. The victim told officers that there was also a female present during this attack. The man told officers that he could feel the suspects going through his pockets. According to the victim, one of the suspects pulled out a knife. The suspects then fled and the victim pushed the button on one of the emergency kiosks located on campus and waited for Seattle University Security to arrive. S.U. Security arrived quickly and called 911.

    As Seattle Fire was treating the victim, they discovered a stab wound in his upper chest. The victim did not realize he had been stabbed in the attack.

    As SFD was treating the victim, Seattle Police and campus security located two possible suspects hiding a few blocks away. The victim was able to positively identify the suspects, and they were arrested. The victim was then transported to Harborview with life-threatening injuries.

    A third suspect, with the assistance of a K-9 team, was located a few blocks away hiding inside a recycling maintenance yard. That suspect was also arrested.

    The suspects, a 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old female, were later booked into the Youth Services Center. The 23-year-old male suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery. Robbery Unit detectives will handle the follow up investigation.

King County’s plan B for Metro includes sales tax, 25¢ fare bumps

King County will move ahead with a local plan to help Seattle and surrounding communities overcome a public transportation budget shortfall to stave off yet another round of planned Metro service cuts.

County Executive Dow Constantine proposed Tuesday a King County Transportation District ordinance that will ask voters to approve a 0.1% increase in sales tax and a $60 annual vehicle license fee. Meanwhile, Metro fares would be adjusted with a 25-cent increase for standard adult fares and a new low-income fare of $1.50 for qualifying riders.

The sales tax and fees would create about $130 million in revenue to help fund Metro, the county says.

Metro says the standard fare increase would raise an estimated $6.6 million annually, starting in March 2015.

Meanwhile, a public transportation forum is planned for Thursday at the Broadway Performance Hall.

Each session will open with a short presentation on the history of cuts to King County Metro, current funding sources, and climate in the legislature. Directly following the presentation, our featured panel will address critical questions regarding the situation.

In late 2013, CHS reported on a slate of cuts being proposed for Metro routes including changes like a truncated 12 on Capitol Hill. “With the expiration of the temporary, two-year $20 Congestion Reduction Charge in June and the draining of reserve funds, Metro needs an estimated $75 million in annual revenue to keep service on the road and purchase replacement buses or it must cut up to 17 percent of service,” a county statement on the ordinance proposal reads.

Metro says it has outlined a proposal to cancel 74 bus routes and reduce and revise another 107 routes to live within reduced revenues.

The King County Council will now take up the proposal and decide how and when it will be brought to the ballot for a vote, likely in April. A statement on the proposal is below.

A new funding proposal

King County, local cities, and community leaders have been asking the Washington Legislature to approve a balanced statewide transportation funding package that would authorize local funding tools. The legislature has been considering such proposals, but has not approved one.

Without a legislative solution and with deep service cuts looming, County Executive Dow Constantine has proposed that the King County Council form a countywide transportation benefit district and put a transportation funding proposal on the ballot for a public vote in April.

This proposed measure would generate approximately $130 million annually from two revenue sources:

  • $60 annual vehicle fee, which would generate approximately $80 million per year.
  • 0.1% increase in sales tax, which would generate approximately $50 million per year (and expire after 10 years).

The proposal would raise enough money to sustain Metro’s current level of service and address some maintenance needs for city streets and King County roads.

Sixty percent of the funds, or about $80 million in 2015, would go to Metro for service and buses.

Forty percent, or about $50 million in 2015, would be allocated to cities and King County Road Services on the basis of population. These funds would be used for the maintenance, preservation and improvement of roads and bridges; for projects that support pedestrian and non-motorized travel; and for other transportation improvements.

Also proposed is a Metro fare change that would take effect in March 2015. All fares for regular transit service would go up by 25 cents; the Access paratransit fare would increase by 50 cents. Metro would also introduce a new reduced fare for people with low-incomes, helping keep bus service affordable for those who need it most. This new fare builds on the recommendation of the Low Income Fare Options Advisory Committee.

 

Flu now ‘widespread,’ County Health says time to get vaccinated

usmap52Hey, procrastinator (I said to myself) — It’s time to get some flu spray up your nose!

 

Seasonal flu widespread in King County, young adults more vulnerable than usual

 

Monday, January 6, 2014

If you’ve noticed more people are sick at work or at school, it might be the flu. Infections are on the rise locally, as seasonal influenza has gone from barely detectable levels in early December to widespread in King County.

“It’s easy to get complacent about the flu, since we see it every year, but it brings real hardship and dangers,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Catching the flu can not only disrupt your life, it can be severe enough to send you to the hospital.”

Two noteworthy aspects of this year’s flu season:

  • Younger adults face a greater risk of severe illness than usual. Locally and across the US, healthcare providers are reporting an increase in severe influenza infections – requiring intensive hospital care for young and middle-age adults. The predominant strain circulating currently is influenza A H1N1, which happens to be the same one that led to the 2009 flu pandemic. This virus causes infections and severe illness in all ages, but compared to other influenza strains, it causes higher rates of illness and death among young and middle-age adults, including those with no underlying health conditions. 
  • Pregnant women should get vaccinated at any stage of pregnancy. The flu vaccine is both safe and effective for pregnant women, including during the first trimester. Vaccinating during pregnancy protects not only the mother but the fetus and child as well. Newborn infants can’t be vaccinated until they’re six months old.

Anyone who lives with or cares for an infant younger than six months should also get vaccinated to protect the infant from getting flu.

Other members of the community at increased risk for severe influenza include the elderly and people who have long-term health problems, like diabetes, asthma, and heart or lung problems.

Flu vaccine is the best protection; other drugs also available

The flu vaccine is in plentiful supply, and it’s not too late to get vaccinated to reduce your chances of getting the flu. Influenza activity generally peaks in January or later in our region and continues circulating until spring.

“Anyone six months and older who has not yet been vaccinated this season should get an influenza vaccine now to reduce their risk of illness,” said Duchin.

Another important line of protection is antiviral drugs, especially for people with severe influenza or at high risk of complications. Antiviral treatment should be started promptly if you are pregnant or in a high-risk group and develop flu symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches.

Where to get flu vaccine

Flu vaccine (shots and nasal spray) is available at many healthcare provider offices and pharmacies for those who have insurance or are able to pay for vaccination. Visit http://flushot.healthmap.org to help find locations.

If you don’t have insurance, you can find free or low-cost insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder. Other immunization assistance is available through the Family Health Line at 800-322-2588.

For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/flu.

SPD investigating shooting outside 12th Ave restaurant

A man arrived on foot at Harborview with life threatening gunshot wound injuries following reports of shots fired and a man running into a 12th Ave restaurant to escape his assailants Sunday night.

Police were collecting evidence in the hour following the near-8:15 PM shooting incident in front of the Blue Nile restaurant at 12th and Jefferson.

SPD was trying to ascertain if the victim who arrived at Harborview was the same man witnesses reported seeing run into the restaurant to escape attackers in a light colored SUV.

There was no additional information about the victim’s condition immediately available and SPD has not yet confirmed details of the shooting.