Stories

After two years of construction, today was the big day for the official unveiling of an extensively remodeled Garfield High School.

We've got two videos of the event.  The first has highlights from the ceremony, while the second gives a quick tour of the building.

The changes are pretty dramatic.  They've taken a run-down building and transformed it into a shiny new facility with all the modern technology.   There's computers and LCD projectors in many of the rooms, fully equipped science rooms, and a lot of space and light.     But unlike new construction, it has all of the exterior charm of the original.   

We'd been watching the construction for a while, and wondered whether they would be finished in time for the school year.  I can tell you they're still cutting it close.  The building was swarming with construction crews that were sanding, painting, and installing equipment.  With school starting tomorrow, it looks like things may be a bit chaotic for the first several weeks as various things are finished up....

I was out walking the dog, on my way back from getting a picture for another story, when I heard a loud crash a couple of blocks away.  We headed that direction and found a two-vehicle accident at the corner of 20th & Cherry.

A witness who lives about a block south said that he saw the maroon 4-door going northbound on 20th at "about 90 miles an hour."  He yelled at the vehicle as it passed, and then heard the crash as it blew the stop sign on Cherry and struck a red Toyota.   It wasn't immediately clear which way the Toyota was traveling.

Another witness who lives on the corner heard the crash and looked outside in time to see the red vehicle spinning across the intersection and the maroon car come to a rest on the sidewalk.  They said that several other bystanders witnessed the entire event but left once it became clear that police would be arriving.

Both drivers appeared to be injured.  The driver of the maroon car was sitting on the curb when I arrived, and was being placed onto a back brace by medics as I left....

As we've mentioned before, Central District News is a beta testing site for the Neighborlogs software that we're building here at Instivate (is that enough brand names for ya?).  Our goal is to make it easy for anyone to set up a similar site for their own neighborhood, with all the same features and tools that you see here.

So far we've been in a private beta, and have brought other sites onto the platform slowly as we've worked to finish up the self-service advertising system and other core features.   And with the end of the private beta period in sight, it was time to expand our team and bring on some new talent that can help drive the business side of things.

So today we're very excited to announce that we've hired Justin Carder of Capitol Hill Seattle fame as our new VP of Business Development.  As you may have noticed, he switched CHS to our platform back in May, and he was such a great beta tester and giving us so much great feedback, we basically had no other choice than to hire him so that we could take...

If you haven't already voted yet, you've got until 8pm tonight to get it done (or drop off you ballot if you're a mail-in type).

Don't know where to go?  Look here:  http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/voterlookup.aspx

Aren't registered?  You must do that RIGHT NOW so you can vote in November:  http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/voterregistration/voter

And for all of you Chris Gregoire fans, after you vote you can mosey on down to the NW African American Museum and attend her primary party.  Doors open at 7:30pm, and the Governor is expected between 8:30 and 9:00.  Yes, you heard that right:  the Governor of the State of Washington is having her primary election party in Our Neighborhood. 

Feet First who produces the "Neighborhoods on Foot" map series maps of Seattle's neighborhoods has a just come out with one on the Central District. Most old timers know we are a "hole" and non-existant part of Seattle when you look at the various tourist maps, Chamber of Commerce maps, just about any maps showing Seattle's neighborhoods. Now we finally have one and it is really well done. Sure there are a few things left out (like the North American African American Museum and a few other spots. But it is a great effort and a long time in coming. Pick one up today!!

Update:  See John's comment below for how you can get a copy of the map.  We'll also post a .pdf version on the site as soon as we can get one. -scott

Update x2:  I've attached the maps below, or you can get them directly from Feet First.

So I'm perusing the WestSeattleBlog (no I am not a traitor, but they were going to cover the CADA thing...and those people in West Seattle seem to REALLY like contributing so it sucks me in) and what do I see but: If you’re near a radio or computer at 9 am Monday, your editor here will be one of several guests during the live interview show “Weekday” on KUOW (94.9 FM......Other scheduled guests are from Central District News, Rainier Valley Post, OlyBlog, and Hillku (whose writer also contributes to Capitol Hill Seattle). Full story at http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=8598

Are you holding out on us Scott?

Update:  Here's the link to the podcast of the show in case you missed it: WeekdayA20080630.mp3

I know a lot of people were concerned about the underground fire & explosion last Saturday at 23rd & Pike.  This morning I got in touch with the very helpful Peter Clarke at Seattle City Light, and he filled in a few details about the incident (and big kudos to City Light for being responsive to a lowly neighborhood blog such as this - wish we were so lucky with other agencies).

I'm sure you've seen the big electrical facility behind the 70's style brick wall along 23rd, between Pike & Pine streets.  That is the East Pine Substation, and it takes the high voltage that comes into the city from the Bonneville Power Administration and distributes it to the eastern part of town, stepping it down from 230,000 volts to 26,000 volts in the process.   The substation serves the area roughly between the ship canal and I-90 on the north and south, and Lake Washington & I-5 on the east and west.  

The underground vault where the explosion occurred contains multiple feeder lines that take the power from the substation and send...

Smokers beware:  stray cigarettes and vinyl seats don't mix.   A construction worker learned that lesson the hard way, when the cab of his pickup truck started filling with smoke at about 10:50am this morning.

Fire crews arrived quickly and doused the fire, but it left the truck with big chunks missing out of the seats and a lot of smoke damage.

I just got back from the scene of an underground electrical explosion at 23rd & Pike.   No one was hurt, but power is out for a big chunk of the neighborhood and 23rd is shut down to both directions of travel north of Union.

Neighbors described hearing three separate explosions and the acrid smell of smoke before power went out.

According to Seattle City Light, the explosion was caused by "a failure of a cable in an underground vault on Capitol Hill" (grrrrr).   The outage has affected about 2,500 customers, bordered by these two areas:

One feeder affects customers within these boundaries:
North: E Howell St.
South: I-90
East: Lake Washington
West: 22nd Av S.

Another line affects customers within these boundaries
North: E Pike St.
South: S King St.
East: Lake Washington
West: 23rd Ave.

I think those might not be completely accurate, since the two areas overlap and since Central District News World Headquarters (tm) exists in the area but we've had power the whole time.  No estimate is available...

There was a big fire response in the 800 block of 33rd Ave S shortly after noon today when a Leschi resident arrived home to find her house filled with smoke.  She quickly called the fire department, thinking she had left something on the stove earlier in the morning.  But when fire fighters arrived, they found a very different cause:  a old upholstered swivel chair had apparently ignited all by itself and was smouldering in the living room.

Fire fighters grabbed the chair and threw it out into the alley before dousing it with water.  The house was left with smoke damage and a ruined rug that had sat underneath the chair.

"I just can't stay at the same pace that I've been going at for three years. I have to pull back," said Gayton, a former state employment-security commissioner, Boeing executive, FBI agent and longtime educator.

They estimated it would take about 12 round trips.

"I was totally up front. I didn't say 'Will you help me move?' and sneak it in later," he said. "I was like 'Will you help me walk my stuff?'"

At the old rental house, there were debates over the best way to move a goldfish, and palpable relief that the eight-foot couch would not be making the trip.