It’s a familiar situation for independent movie theaters that have stubbornly fought to remain free of Hollywood constraints but don’t want to be left behind by technology. 21st and Union’s Central Cinema plans to launch a Kickstarter this Saturday, and is looking to crowdsource $60,000 to catch up with the big studios, and ultimately, survive.

“The switch to DCP [high-tech projectors] is something that the movie studios are starting to force onto theaters,” Central Cinema owner Kevin Spitzer tells us. The theater operating on one 35mm camera now needs $60,000 to upgrade to a DCP projector that Spitzer says in a year will become a necessity.

“Last year 20th Century Fox and Disney sent out letters stating that they were discontinuing 35mm film by the end of 2013… We have not been able to show any 20th Century Fox or Disney/BuenaVista/Touchstone/Pixar since last fall…The word coming down is that within a year almost all movie distribution will be for DCP systems.” Spitzer said they won’t phase out indie, and archival films, but that in order to stay a viable they need to change with the times.

Spitzer hopes to officially launch the Kickstarter campaign this Saturday – pending site approval – unveiling it at their ‘Totally 80’s Sing Along’. The Kickstarter will end on July 18 at a closing party Spitzer said. Though the $60,000 may seem like a high price tag, it’s actually more reasonable then it used to be.

“This is way down from $250k+ only eight years ago. Still $60K is a chunk to bite off all at once which is why we are looking for help from our fans,” Spitzer said of the DCP projector they hope to grab. The Central District theater also plans to put in $10,000 of their own money towards the project, as well as the physical labor needed to get it set up. Other costs will include fixtures and supporting equipment. The alternative to a DCP projector will put moviegoers on the edge of their seats.

Spitzer says if the Kickstarter fails to meet the goal the indie theater may turn to loans that may come with a financial hit. “Even with interest rates as low as they are the banks just aren’t interested in extending loans without putting up your house. We could probably scratch around and put several different personal loans together, but it would be a pretty scrappy way to make it happen.”

CHS recently reported on a similar — and ultimately successful — drive at 12th Ave’s Northwest Film Forum.

Despite the costs, Spitzer says the new film tech will increase the overall viewer experience.

“We think it will be a worthwhile thing for people to spend some of the money that they would already spend on movies and put it up front. We get help with the projector and they get to see a big improvement in the shows.”

You can contribute to the campaign starting Saturday, here, or stop by the cinema then for their 80’s Sing Along. An excuse to channel your inner David Bowie, or wear some leg warmers. Who could miss that?

Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave. Seattle, WA 98122

THE TOTALLY 80’S SING ALONG

You demanded it and we heard your cries of “MORE 80’s! MORE 80’s!” By special arrangement, curator and host, Jason Miller is delivering an evening of 80’s TO THE MAXXX!!! On a Saturday Night! Now you can party all night long and not have to go to work the next day a totally 80’s hot mess!

Featuring 80’s titans like Prince, Madonna, MJ, Cyndi Lauper, this is one sing along that will have you out of your seat and dancing in the aisles! So BEAT IT down to Central Cinema and hopefully your PAPA DON”T PREACH at you when you roll in after the midnight hour WALKING ON SUNSHINE!

Tickets on sale now!
$10 in advance/ $12 day of show

Seattle Police will change how the department finds new officers in an effort to find cops that better reflect the communities in which they serve, officials said Monday.

As part of the program to overhaul the Seattle Police Department to live up to Justice Department requirements over policing and constitutional rights in the city, SPD will loosen its guidelines over everything from tattoos to drug use to driving records.

More substantive might be a planned increase in efforts at the community level to recruit and hire new police.

Policy changes and initiatives affecting recruitment include:

• · Elimination of $25 application fee
• · Partnerships with community-based organizations including Atlantic Street Center, Filipino Community of Seattle and El Centro De La Raza
• · Community based workshops to prepare candidates for testing
• · New advertising and recruitment materials based on community input
• · Changes to the minimum hiring standards policy including: Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This story by Bernard Choi was originally published on our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle. Kay Smith-Blum, who represents the Central District on the School Board, is holding a community meeting Saturday at the Capitol Hill Library.

If you’re going to talk to Kay Smith-Blum, the Seattle School Board member who represents much of Central Seattle and whose term ends this year, be prepared for an adventure. One minute she can delve into downtown demography trends. Ten minutes later, she’s focused on funding from Olympia. Then, she widens out to national testing standards, makes several pit stops, such as discussing Finland’s educational system, before circling back to Seattle.

Though Smith-Blum is serving her first term as an elected school board member, her breath of knowledge and enthusiasm for education belie two decades of advocating for local schools.

CHS sat down with Smith-Blum, a former retail executive who also runs the Butch Blum designer clothing store, to get her take on achievements during her first term and her priorities for the next four years.

“I haven’t quite made the decision to run again,” Smith-Blum pointed out at the start of our conversation. “I’m 61 and I’m the CEO of our company. The school board is another 20 to 30 hours every week on top of that. It’s an extraordinary commitment.”

The commitment grew in December when she was voted by fellow board members to serve as the board president for one year.

“It’s so very different from when I arrived. There truly is a collaborative process with the superintendent and senior staff,” she said. “That wasn’t necessarily in place with the late Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. She was a very strong leader but I would say Superintendent Banda’s approach is what we need in Seattle, which is a collaborative, thoughtful and methodical approach to the board.” Continue reading →

At most hospitals, the ambiance revolves around harsh lighting and a lingering scent of cleaning products. This is not the case at the new Jet City Animal Clinic, a new full-service veterinary hospital at 12th and Marion. The refined décor and flattering color scheme will make you feel more like you’re in a Pottery Barn showroom than a kitty clinic.

Not to say that Jet City lacks the features of a medical facility — with surgical and dentistry suites, digital diagnostic imaging, a laboratory, and a pharmacy, Jet City Animal Clinic boasts a complete and state-of-the-art facility.

“We wanted to do something different,” Dr. Erica Anderson said. “We wanted to create an environment that is warm and inviting.”

Jet City has been open since January but celebrated a grand opening Saturday. Continue reading →

UPDATE: King 5 reports that the victim in Friday’s shooting has died, though that has not yet been officially confirmed. UPDATE: Police confirmed that the 19-year-old victim has died.

King 5 also reports that the shooting occurred in front of the former home of Deshawn Milliken, who was murdered in a December shooting inside a Bellevue bar. The connection between the shootings, if any, is not yet clear.

Original story:

Seattle Police and medics responded to the 2500 block of South Norman Friday night after a shooting in the area.

All details are preliminary at this time and have not been confirmed by police.

Police were searching for a silver Mercedes 4-door sedan that carried the masked gunman. The shooter was reportedly accompanied by at least two other people in the vehicle including a driver. The car was last seen heading south from the scene on 26th Ave.

We do not yet have details on the victim or the victim’s condition in the shooting which was reported just after 7:30 PM. UPDATE: Seattle Fire reports that the victim is a male in his 30s (UPDATE: Police now say he was 19). He was shot once in the upper body and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to SFD.

Homicide units have been called to the scene which is typical in the investigation of a serious assault with weapons incident.

According to police radio dispatches, East Precinct is increasing emphasis patrols in the area following the violence.

UPDATE: SPD has posted a preliminary report on the incident:

Officers are looking for a silver sedan involved in a shooting in the Central District that occurred this evening.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. officers responded to 911 reports of a person shot in the 2500 block of South Norman Street. Preliminary information indicates that a male victim was shot while sitting in a vehicle in front of a residence. The shooter appears to have shot the victim from another vehicle. (See update below). The shooter fled the scene eastbound with an unknown number of other suspects in a silver sedan.

The primary suspect (shooter) is described as a black male, thin build, 5’11″ with dreadlocks or braids in his hair and wearing a black ski mask.

Fire department medics responded to the scene and transported the male victim to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

This remains an active and on-going investigation.

Police at the scene said they have no information about whether the shooting is connected to earlier violence in Skyway or an afternoon fight near Garfield High School.

UPDATE: Police at the scene say the victim was standing near a vehicle with a couple associates when the masked suspect walked up to him on foot, fired several shots at the victim, then fled on foot to a waiting vehicle.

The victim was struck several times in the torso and was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police believe the suspect used a handgun. He and the others in the vehicle — a gray, silver, light blue or tan Mercedes — are still at large.

Just in from Umojafest:

2013 Miss Umoja Queen

SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT

Stimulating Unity for Success

MAY 4, 2013

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

104 17th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144 

The 2013 Miss Umoja Queen Scholarship Pageant is dedicated to demonstrating a successful, full-of-value lifestyle that we want all of our African-American women to lead. We know that, that it is possible through guidance, support and unity amongst us all. Women who participate in our scholarship pageant will have the opportunity to create new meaningful relationships, build confidence and self-esteem, and have support while improving priceless long life skills including, but not limited to, poise, communication, and interview skills. Our goal for now and for the future is to diminish the value of superficial beauty beginning within own community. Each pageant participant will not only leave knowing the true meaning of natural beauty but will also know the importance of unity and will have a greater sense of accomplishment. Continue reading →

Police have arrested the man suspected of using sex as the bait in a string of robberies including an early January incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun and stole phones, laptops, and wallets from two victims in an E Howell apartment.

David Hansen, 25, was taken into custody by SPD Friday night outside an Aurora motel after “information was received” that the suspect was staying there. Tuesday night, Hansen escaped capture after an arrest attempt in the Central District.

Police say Hansen is a suspect in a November case in which a man reported he met the Hansen for sex but was brutally beaten and robbed. Following the Central District arrest attempt, SPD provided Hansen’s photo and asked for assistance in tracking him down. Continue reading →

In an effort to create a community component to help curb the proliferation of local firearms, officials will gather Tuesday morning at 19th and Madison’s Mount Zion Baptist Church to announce the start of a county gun buy-back program.

“Tomorrow’s announcement will detail a new gun buy back effort in Seattle and the surrounding region, a specific component of the GunSafety Initiative,” the media bulletin for the event reads.

Update: We are at the press conference and will post updates.

People with legal guns will also be able to get free trigger locks, Mayor McGinn said.

“By taking these measures today, we are certainly preventing tragedies,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Dr. David Fleming of Seattle-King County Public Health made the case that gun violence is a public health issues that can be addressed, pointing to other similar countries like Australia or the UK that have far lower rates if gun deaths.

Guns bought back will be melted down, and the mayor said discussions were ongoing about what to do with that metal. “Maybe there’s something symbolic we could do,” he said.

Here are the details on the program from SPD:

Continue reading →

The City Council Monday approved most of Seattle University’s plans for growth that open the doors for the school to add another 2 million square feet of classrooms, facilities and parking to the neighborhood east of the current campus.

Our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle reported on the Major Institution Master Plan for the university and an appeal brought against some elements of the proposal. The university’s plans for an events center at 1313 E Columbia made it in despite the appeal — but a corner of the planned expansion near 12th and E Marion was clipped.

The plan paves the way for new boundaries for the school to begin planning projects within as it prepares for a projected 40% increase in student population over the next 15 years. Continue reading →