Yearly Archives: 2013

Violent sex offender arrested after attacking woman in Harborview bathroom

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The full story from the Seattle Police Department blotter:

A violent rapist—who was being sought by the King County Sheriff’s Office after failing to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison—is in custody after attacking a 60-year-old woman in a hospital bathroom over the weekend. Seattle Police Department detectives are investigating the case.

Around 5 pm on November 9th, the victim was inside a women’s restroom at Harborview Medical Center when she noticed the 38-year-old suspect standing in front of the bathroom door. Without saying a word, the suspect charged the victim, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her through a door into a bathroom stall, striking her head against a wall. The suspect slammed the woman’s head into a wall and began strangling her before the woman began screaming for help.

As the woman began to lose consciousness, the woman’s male friend, who was using a men’s restroom next door, heard her screams and ran into the women’s bathroom to help the victim.

As the victim’s friend began striking the suspect in attempt to free the victim, the suspect kept one hand wrapped around the woman’s neck as he attempted to fend off her friend.

Eventually, the suspect released the woman and tried to leave the bathroom.

The commotion drew the attention of hospital staff and King County Jail officer, who took the suspect into custody with the help of a Washington State Trooper, who was working off-duty at the hospital. The officers then contacted Seattle police.

SPD officers arrived and arrested the suspect, who appeared intoxicated. The suspect is a transient. It is unclear why he was at Harborview.

The victim was treated for her injuries at Harborview, and the suspect was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault.

SPD detectives have referred the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for charges.

CD resident starring in burlesque show at Triple Door

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Atomic Bombshells in "Lost in Space" (photo by Michael Doucette)

Atomic Bombshells in “Lost in Space” (photo by Michael Doucette)

Like a little glitter with your science fiction?

Let’s be real. A lot of glitter. The burlesque troupe Atomic Bombshells are currently performing their third run of “Lost in Space,” a show that is self-described as “an intergalactic voyage of sight and sound, filled with alluring aliens, slinky space adventurers, bodacious Barbarellas, and planetary princesses.

One of those planetary princesses is Central District resident and award-winning burlesque performer Indigo Blue. We sat down with her ahead of opening night to learn more about her burlesque career.

You can catch “Lost in Space” every night at the Triple Door until November 16. For tickets and more information visit www.tripledoor.net or call 206-838-4333.

CD News: How did you first get started with burlesque?

Indigo Blue (photo by POCPhoto)

Indigo Blue (photo by POCPhoto)

Indigo Blue: I first started performing burlesque acts in Tamara The Trapeze Lady’s cabaret show in the early ’90’s called “The Fallen Women Follies.” Tamara is also a CD-dweller, and at the time we lived right around the corner from each other.  Her cabaret was the first opportunity I had in Seattle to perform on a public stage other than as a go-go dancer or fashion show model.  By the time Kitten La Rue and Fanny n’ Flames moved from New Orleans to Seattle just over 10 years ago, I was directing my own troupe and teaching Burlesque classes at the Home Alive Studio.  I was really excited about Kitten’s vision of The Atomic Bombshells, and happy to be invited to join the troupe.

CDN: Are you from Seattle?
IB: I was born in Northern California and came to Seattle to go to school at UW.  I fell in love with the city and haven’t been able to leave since!

CDN: Any favorite CD restaurants, bars, businesses, or other spots?
IB: I live near MLK and Jackson, a vibrant section of the CD.  I used to teach Burlesque classes at Every Body Health and Fitness and really appreciate that the owners have been able to keep a small local neighborhood gym open for so many years.  I love the community classes at Samarya yoga center on Yesler. As far as local eateries, I love Meskel Ethiopian on Cherry and I am so sad about the closing of Mesob on Jefferson!  It’s fun to have business meetings at the Broadcast Coffee shop on the corner of Yesler and 20th. I get all my fancy hairpieces and supplies right around the corner at Western Beauty Supply in the 23 Promenade.  And the Central Cinema on Union is my favorite place to see the regularly playing, locally made cult film “Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel” (co-starring AB members Lou Henry Hoover and Inga Ingenue).

CDN: What have been some of your favorite performances?
IB: What stands out for me are the incredible opportunities I have had with the Atomic Bombshells to perform in gorgeous far-away locations like Shanghai, China and Lisbon, Portugal.

CDN: What’s unique or interesting about the Seattle burlesque scene compared to other cities?
IB: The Seattle burlesque scene is known for its wealth of international award-winning and talented performers (including Atomic Bombshells members Inga Ingenue, Miss Viva Las Vegas 2011; Lily Verlaine, 2d Runner Up Miss Exotic World 2011; and myself, Queen of Burlesque – Miss Exotic World 2011), who execute humorous and well-developed acts.  We are considered to have a strong community and collaborative ethic.  Many cities struggle with divisiveness and competition, but Seattle has had comparatively less of that than other cities.

CDN: What’s a surprising or little-known fact or aspect of burlesque? Or something audiences take for granted?
IB: A single burlesque act can take well over a year to develop including the highly technical quick-release costuming, choreography and story arc development, and rehearsal.  We often work with other talented artists such as dressmakers, music editors, prop-builders, and mentors to craft and build our routines.  And on the day of a performance, it can take 3 or more hours for a performer to prepare for one 5-minute act.  It is a carefully crafted theatrical art form that requires significant time and work to execute!  We hope that it looks effortless once we are actually on stage.

CDN: Any upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?
IB: There are lots of exciting things in the Atomic Bombshell’s future – but for now, I can tell you to plan ahead for Valentine’s Day with our fantastic J’Adore show at the Triple Door!

Help Samarya Center stay in the CD and thrive!

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samarya_about_975x415Located at 18th and Yesler since 2001, the Samarya Center offers yoga classes, teacher training, and yoga-based therapy.  Samarya is also a training institute for Integrated Movement Therapy, a clinically sound therapy method rooted in the philosophy, practice and spirit of yoga.  The Samarya Center is not just another yoga studio, it is a place where people suffering with mental or physical disabilities can find healing through movement.

Due to the recent sale of the MK Fish building, Samarya will be moving out of their current location at the end of the year.  However, they remain committed to the Central District community and have identified a new space where Samarya can continue to provide welcoming yoga classes that are accessible to people of all backgrounds and ability levels.   The new Samarya Center will be located at 17th and Jackson, above Cheeky Cafe.  In order to fund the move into this new space, they have initiated a fundraising campaign on the Indiegogo site.  The money raised will go towards remodeling the space, including installing flooring and lighting, as well as towards the first year of rent.  Additional funds raised will be used to provide scholarship money for people needing assistance with therapy fees or teacher training tuition.

Samarya is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so any donations are tax deductible.   You can find more information about what Samarya offers to the CD at their website, www.samaryacenter.org, or contact them at [email protected].  You can watch a video about Integrated Movement Therapy, or donate to the campaign, at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-samarya-center-matters-please-support-our-transformation

“Samarya” means community, and this business has been a positive force in our community for 13 years.  Let’s help them stay here and stay strong!20131111214915-rw_and_alex20131111224036-IMG_6668

Lake Washington Girls Middle School’s Open House

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1314_Ed_Expo_GIF_v1Lake Washington Girls Middle School will be hosting its final open house of the fall admissions season tonight, November 13, from 7-9pm.

Our October Open House was attended by 130 families from all over Seattle; over 100 are expected tonight.

You are cordially invited to join us tonight. Meet teachers, parents, and students, and come learn more about our program and what it means to be an L-Dub girl!

Our Open House is a full two hour program, so please plan to be here from 7-9pm. No RSVP necessary.

Lake Washington Girls Middle School
810 18th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
206/709.3800

For more information click here.

 

Police officer helps victims from burning house, keeps flames from spreading

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A Seattle Police officer helped people — and a few pets — escape the flames and removed a burning rug from a smoky house fire near 32nd Ave E and E Thomas Wednesday afternoon.

According to East Precinct radio, the police officer alerted dispatchers around 12:30 PM that she was escorting people from the house and had removed the burning rug preventing the flames from spreading. According to dispatches, the officer apparently saw the house fire while on patrol in the area. Damage was reportedly limited to smoke damage thanks to the quick response.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene to assess the situation and continue the fire response.

We will confirm details as they become available.


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LIHI partners with Home Depot to build shelters at Nickelsville

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The Jackson Street Nickelsville homeless encampment will be receiving sleeping structures and tent platforms tomorrow, courtesy of a partnership between the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and The Home Depot Foundation.

LIHI and Home Depot have assembled a group of 80 volunteers, 65 of which are Home Depot Associates, to build a total of six tent platforms and three sleeping structures at the homeless encampment at 2020 S. Jackson Street. Volunteers are also slated to paint the encampment’s existing sleeping structures, install a new storage unit for food and donations, and build a play area for children.

The project honors Veteran’s Day and the estimated 10 veterans living at the Jackson Street encampment. Recent data from the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans counts 76,229 homeless veterans. LIHI says it has made housing veterans a priority, providing homes to 400 single veterans and veterans with families and serving an estimated 1,750 veterans each year at hygiene centers called Urban Rest Stops.

“We thank The Home Depot Foundation for providing a grant of $14,000 for LIHI to purchase building materials for the tent platforms, sleeping structures, and children’s play area as well as paint, concrete blocks and a storage shed so that homeless families including veterans can have a safe place to live at Nickelsville”, said Sharon Lee, LIHI’s Executive Director, in a press release. “With the help of Home Depot volunteers, we can help end homelessness for veterans.”

The People of the Central Area: Dee Goto

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This post is first in a series of profiles of Central District residents, part of the “People of the Central Area” project developed and written by Madeline Crowley.

Dee Goto (photo credit: Madeline Crowley)

Dee Goto (photo credit: Madeline Crowley)

In Japanese Culture we have the Daruma Principle, when life knocks
you down seven times, you get up eight.

About Dee: Dee Goto is an author who also kept working (with many others) over many years to make the Japanese Cultural & Community Center in the Central Area a reality.

When did you live in the Central Area?
In 1960, I had been accepted in the University of Washington nursing program in public health. I worked nine months full time at King County Hospital before I started school and then worked part time at Swedish Hospital.  I came to school here from Oregon because my grandfather wanted me to go to school in Seattle; his roots in America were here.
When I got here and started looking for an apartment, my housemates and I were turned away from three different buildings before we could find one that would rent to Japanese.

In 1960? It’s interesting to learn that even in the Central Area with redlining there were further restrictions on renting to Japanese-Americans.

We ended up living at the Monticello Apartments. At that time I was studying at the Japanese Language School. My future husband’s younger sister was a classmate. I didn’t have a car and she offered to drive me home so that’s how I developed a relationship with my husband. We married on Christmas Eve in 1961.

Once you got married where did you and your husband live?

On 23rd Ave, near Holy Names. That house is still there right as you turn downhill towards the University, if you didn’t turn you’d run right into the house.

What was that neighborhood like in 1968?

When we first moved in a neighbor came over very excited that we were Japanese-Americans and were moving in.

In 1968, I was unaware of the incarceration/internment problems that had taken place in the Central Area in the ‘40s.

You grew up on the other side of the Cascades?

Not only that. We went to the incarceration/internment camp to visit and I thought they (the Japanese internees) were having a great time. Back then, we lived on a farm in Idaho, we had relocated before the war and didn’t have to go to the camp because we lived outside the restricted zone which was 400-miles from the coast.

We visited Minidoka because many of our friends were there. Living on a farm, we didn’t have neighbors very close by so when I visited it seemed like the kids in camp were all having a lot of fun. My mother particularly envied all the craft classes the ladies were taking. Also, she noticed the women didn’t have to cook. My 21 year-old Uncle worked hard during the week so he could drive to Minidoka for the Saturday night dances. Despite what seemed like the good times they were having while incarcerated, our family wouldn’t consider trading places. We knew freedom was most important.

You started talking earlier about the composition of your neighborhood on 23rd.

There was two black families across the street and one Japanese family a few doors down, the Hayashis, another black family three doors down. There were the Vogels, Germans, across the street.

We knew everybody for about 2-3 blocks; we were pretty close.  I organized Block Parties. Our kids played outside with all the other kids, they all were playing in our yard. I had doors open so there were kids running through our house. One day a kid knocked our television off its stand.  There were trikes and bikes all over in our yard. I found a photo last night of the kids making a train of these toy vehicles.

Because the kids were always playing in the street, I organized a kitchen conference and got all these signatures to get curbing put in on 23rd Avenue so the cars couldn’t rush in. That was one of the first neighborhood traffic diversions. Since then, the Department of Transportation made lots of diversionary traffic controls in the streets of Seattle but that was one of the first ones.

Another thing I learned was that after Minidoka a high percentage of people didn’t come back to the Central Area. I wonder why?

I think their feeling about the discrimination they’d faced. Some were willing to fight for what they had while others were not entrepreneurial and business-savvy so they didn’t come back and went to work for someone else. There was a time, even if one had a college degree they wouldn’t be hired. The war eased that and Japanese were known to be honest and hard workers.

With discrimination you had to be pretty self-reliant and savvy to fight through it. I think some people took the easy way out and became employees rather than business-owners. The business owners who came back are the focus of my book on the Lion’s. You needed to be strong. Discrimination in a way helped some become stronger.

To read the rest of Dee Goto’s story, click here.

New City Theater and Coyote Central receive City funding for upgrades

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Mayor Mike McGinn recently announced funding for upgrades to cultural facilities throughout Seattle. The city will award a total of $250,000 to 13 cultural and arts organizations for projects like elevator upgrades, seating risers, and new stages and electrical systems.

Two of these projects are located in the Central District, including $9,000 to Coyote Central for improvements to wood and metal shops (ventilation, heat, and safety) and $6,900 to the New City Theater for the installation of new audience risers to expand capacity by 39 percent.

“These investments will help our cultural institutions remain a vital part of our neighborhoods,” said Mayor McGinn in a press release. “Upgrading aging facilities can help these institutions focus on maintaining their programs and bringing arts and culture to the people.”

More about the funding program from the Office of Arts & Culture:

The cultural facilities program, piloted in 2012, supports Seattle-based arts, heritage, cultural and arts service organizations with one-time funding for facility renovations or the completion of the final phase of new facilities. After a successful pilot year in 2012 in which $150,000 was distributed, Mayor McGinn and the City Council increased the allocation to $250,000 for 2013.

All projects receiving this funding will take place and be completed between now and December 2014. To view a full list of projects that received this funding, click here. 

With community input, a smaller step to build higher at 23rd and Union

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MidTown Center -- a rezone could allow future development to reach 65 feet high -- just short of that cloud (Image: CDN)

MidTown Center — a rezone could allow future development to reach 65 feet high — just short of that cloud (Image: CDN)

The next step in making the southeast corner of 23rd and Union more appealing to developers has been taken — and it’s a slightly smaller step than first planned. The Department of Planning and Development’s director’s office has recommended the rezone application brought by the longtime owner of the block to allow the more than 100,000 square-foot property to be built to 65 feet.

Midtown Center owner Tom Bangasser said he hopes the decision will help him bring more jobs to the area. The move comes as the United States Post Office nears its planned move-out target in January. At this point, however, there is still no development plan attached to the rezone push and DPD records don’t indicate any activity around the property.

In a change from the first plans for a rezone reported by CDN in April, Bangasser says that community input helped change the application to “neighborhood commercial 2” zoning instead of “NC3” to help keep development more in line with the surrounding area. NC2 zones still push building heights to 65 feet but limit potential commercial space to 25,000 square feet or less. The land is currently zoned with a height limit of 40 feet. Continue reading →