Since you live in Washington, you were lucky to be spared the torment of months of constant Presidential ads. Or maybe you actually resent that the electoral college has made your vote for Obama somewhat redundant. Whatever the case, watching the results come in Tuesday evening will be the main event in an election full of close local races and initiatives.

If you haven’t voted yet, you’ll need to have your ballot postmarked before 8 p.m. Tuesday night or drop it off at the downtown county ballot drop location.

Here’s how we expect things to play out as far as timing goes. Word is that is does not seem likely that Washington’s race for governor, I-502 or R74 will be able to be called Tuesday night given the state’s 8 p.m. deadline for *postmarking* your ballot.

• 3 PM State results will be reported as AP starts projecting winners
• 4:30 PM Ohio polls close and projection activity for presidential election increases
• 8 PM California closes and networks begin making official calls in the national races (if they can)
• 8 to 8:30 PM First King County results. While the big three WA state races might not have enough to officially declare victory. The next hours will be full of analysis and, possibly, some solid projections. Probably some dancing in the street, too.

One thing seems almost certain: Dave Christie will not be the 9th District representative.

The Neighbor Lady at 23rd and Union is hosting an election party all evening. It’s happy hour until a President is elected.

Seattle University is hosting a party in Campion Ballroom:

On Tuesday evening we’re having an Election Night Viewing Party in the Campion Ballroom on campus. Over 900 students have been invited and we expect 200-300 to come, possibly more. Students will gather to watch the election results come in and participate in election themed activities such as an election photobooth, live polling and Election Bingo. We would love some media coverage of the event; it would be a great way to show the youth involvement in this historic race. Seattle University has shown its commitment to being involved with this election. The Political Science Club registered 552 voters this fall and clubs on campus have participated in Approve 74 phonebanking and canvassing. This event will culminate the efforts of our club and campus to be involved with this election. The event will be from 5-10 PM at Campion Hall; 914 E Jefferson. The event is in the Campion Ballroom.

UPDATE: The Bottleneck at 24th and Madison is also hosting a party starting at 4 p.m. Happy Hour goes until 8.

Do you know of more Central District election parties? Let us know in the comments or email [email protected].

Recent election-related coverage from our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle:

• 15+ Capitol Hill parties with the probability of dancing in the street
• GOTV weekend on Capitol Hill
• High turnout predicted, latest polling, cupcake democracy, Romney support
• 43rd Dems endorsements
• A first person account from R74 call center for marriage equality
• When R74 passes: a guide to your belated Capitol Hill gay marriage
• Approve R74 makes a home on the Hill and gets in on Block Party
• What happens on Capitol Hill if I-502 passes
• What charter school initiative 1240 means for Capitol Hill kids

As we reported last month, police are investigating the use of force by one of their officers after an October 6 arrest of a man at 23rd and Union. Now, new video of the incident has come out, shining a little more light on the incident.

Leo Etherly was stopped shortly after 4 p.m. as police investigated a hit-and-run at 29th and Jefferson. Police say Etherly and his vehicle matched the suspect descriptions from the scene, so they stopped him in the parking lot of the Midtown Centre near the Liquor Store.

Police and witnesses CDNews spoke with described Etherly as uncooperative as police attempted to detain him, so officers used force. One officer allegedly used more force than the others. Witnesses and Etherly said the officer choked him, and Etherly ended up with a bloody and bruised eye.

Police say Etherly spit at officers before the force was used. Spitting on an officer is considered assault. Etherly’s attorney claims the spit was involuntary due to his client being choked.

Etherly was transported from the scene to the hospital before being booked on suspicion of hit-and-run and assaulting an officer. The hit-and-run charges have been dropped, but King 5 reports the assault charge is still pending.

Below is the King 5 report with the new footage. It is still a bit difficult to make out exactly what happened, but the video does seem to corroborate many of the witness accounts CDNews gathered. Etherly’s attorney James Egan says the not-yet-released police cruiser dashboard camera footage is more clear.

Police pursued multiple suspects on foot after a robbery near E Pike and 18th Ave Friday afternoon. At least one facility in the area was on lockdown during the chase.

SPD says the incident was an armed street robbery involving two suspects reportedly with a gun. The victim was robbed of an iPhone around 12:45 PM before calling police from a nearby coffee shop. A search for the suspects who fled the area on foot was not successful.

Meanwhile, a man was shot in the chest around 12:20 p.m. near Franklin High School in Mount Baker. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

According to the Seattle Times, the shooting occurred near South Byron Street and McClintock Avenue South. The suspect is an Asian of Hispanic male in his late teens to mid-20s. He was wearing a blue jacket and a backpack. He fled the scene in a car and still on the loose.

Unfortunately, Halloween in the Central District has not been all fun and games in recent years. This year, a fire at 26th and Jackson left six people displaced from their homes. Officer Timothy Brenton was shot and killed at 29th and Yesler in 2009. One year earlier, Quincy Coleman was murdered near Garfield High School in a gang-related shooting (a suspect was arrested and charged earlier this year).

Friends of Coleman gathered near the spot where he was shot Wednesday for a memorial. Police received tips that there may be violence on the anniversary of Coleman’s death, so they were on emphasis patrols.

At 21st and James, four blocks away from the memorial gathering, Gang Unit detectives say they spotted a Jeep that may have been involved in a recent south Seattle shooting. They contacted the men standing by the Jeep and found a gun and drugs. They were placed under arrest.

From SPD:

Gang Unit detectives working an emphasis patrol in the Central District on Halloween night arrested two men and seized a gun, drugs, and a Jeep which may be connected to a recent shooting in south Seattle, which left two people wounded.

In recent weeks, sources have told gang detectives about the potential for gang violence on Halloween night, marking the fourth anniversary of the murder of Quincy Coleman, who was shot and killed near Garfield High School in 2008.

Last night, as detectives patrolled the Central District, they spotted two men standing next to a silver Jeep parked on 21st Avenue and E. James Street, about four blocks away from where friends of Coleman’s had gathered for a memorial outside Garfield.

Detectives believed the Jeep matched the description of a vehicle that sped away from the scene of a double shooting on October 23rd near Mount Baker, so they pulled over to talk to the two men.

When detectives approached two men—who are 18 and 25 years old—at 21st Ave. and James St., one of the men tried to walk off down the street.

Detectives then searched the two men and found a pistol in the 18-year-old man’s pocket. Detectives also found 13 grams of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana in the 25-year-old man’s Jeep. The 18-year-old man is a felon, and is not supposed to have access to guns.

Detectives and patrol officers arrested the two men—booking the 18-year-old into jail on a weapons charge, and the 25-year-old on a drug charge—and seized the Jeep, which was taken to SPD’s evidence unit.

In other crime news, a suspected burglar known for breaking into homes while occupants slept and who was allegedly active in the area was taken into custody in California this week along with a suspected accomplice, according to Seattle Police.

Shaka Barquet, 25, was wanted on a felony warrant for what police say was a “prolific” burglary spree that targeted homes on E Galer, E Pine, in North Seattle and possibly into the Central District and South Seattle.

Police say Barquet “committed identity theft and fraud, using credit cards stolen during the burglaries.”

Both suspects are currently in jail in California awaiting extradition.

Pagliacci Pizza is now open in Madison Valley, and they’re giving away free slices until 5 p.m. today (Thursday) to celebrate.

As we reported previously, Pagliacci’s newest shop is at Madison and Lake Washington Boulevard in the lot formerly occupied by Spotless Cleaners. The new restaurant is the city’s only LEED certified pizza shop, according to Pagliacci.

Delivery service will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday following the day of slice giveaways.

The location actually has some historic relevance for the pizza company:

As we get ready to open our newest location in MadisonValley, we thought we’d share a little bit of the site history with you.  Because even as the new location itself will be a first (Seattle’s first stand-alone LEED certified pizzeria – making it one of the most environmentally friendly restaurant spaces in the city) the property it occupies has a story to tell, too.

The property, which is at the corner of Madison Street and Lake Washington Blvd, was actually home to Pagliacci’s first Commissary (where we make our pizza dough, pasta dishes and popular Pagliaccio dressing), 20 years ago. We later moved the commissary – first to a location on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and then to its current location on Capitol Hill.

At one point, the Madison property housed a dry cleaner gas station, amongst other things. While these businesses served the community well, they both left their own environmental footprint on the land, and before we could even break ground on the new location, we had to invest in site cleanup to ensure the property was safe for us to occupy, and was safe for the surrounding community.

But let’s go back even further.  Did you know a train line once ran through the Madison Valley? We didn’t either, that is until our architect, Richard Floisand, began researching the site.  One of the things he found was that a train trestle ran above the Madison property, and the property itself was the likely location of one of the supports that held the trestle up. This meant that the property included a lot of fill material left over from the 1920’s.  And this also meant that we had to put a lot of effort into stabilizing the land so that it could safely house our newest location for a long, longtime.

Seattle is a relatively young city, but Madison Valley is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, and we’re happy that we get to play a part in its future.  While it took a lot of work to get the site ready, it gave us a chance to learn about the site for our newest location.  We’re looking forward to opening our doors very soon, and to becoming part of this community’s fabric and ongoing history for years to come.

UPDATE: Police and hospital officials report that the scene has been cleared, and they believe there is no threat in the area.

Police searched the Swedish Cherry Hill campus at 16th and Jefferson Thursday morning after they received a report of a man carrying a rifle. We will update as we learn more.

From SPD:

Seattle police are investigating an unconfirmed report of an armed man at a Central District hospital.

Just after 9:30 am, a man called police and reported he had seen a man carrying a rifle in the Swedish Hospital parking garage at 16th Avenue and Jefferson Street.

Police have only received one report about the armed man, but patrol officers and SWAT are working with hospital security to search the building and find the man or confirm the report.

We’ll have more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE: 

After searching the hospital for nearly two hours, officers weren’t able to find the supposedly armed man, and were unable to confirm the initial report. Police are now clearing the scene.

A two-story house caught fire Wednesday evening near 26th Ave S and S Jackson St. Firefighters were able to put the fire out in 15 minutes, according to SFD.

Everyone in the house was evacuated safely. Investigators are heading to the scene.

The fire was on the second floor of the house and went into the attic.

UPDATE: Seattle Fire says the fire was likely started accidentally. The family of six who lived on the second floor were out trick-or-treating when the blaze began. A cat and two dogs are still missing.

More details from SFD:

Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire inside a Central District duplex was accidental. After combing over evidence for several hours, investigators determined the fire was electrical, caused by an overturned lamp onto a mattress located on the second floor.

The first 911 call came in at 7:52 p.m. reporting smoke in the intersection of Jackson and 26th Avenue South. Neighbors directed firefighters to a home in the 400 block of 26th Avenue South.

Central District Engine Company 6 arrived first to find the second floor of the duplex fully involved. A wheelchair-bound downstairs resident and a relative were unaware of the flames burning a few feet above them. Firefighters evacuated the occupants and carried the man in the wheelchair down a set of stairs to safety.
The family of six who lived on the second floor was not home at the time of the fire. They were out trick-or-treating.

Next crews attacked the flames in the second floor. The fire extended up into the attic space. Exposure hose lines were laid to protect the next door neighbor homes.

It took crews 25 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

While searching the 2nd floor for survivors, firefighters saved a cat named Lolita who was hiding in the bathroom. Several hours later, 2 more kittens were found hiding in the debris of the kitchen. All three cats were reunited with their owners. A third kitten and two dogs are still missing.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury while assisting with the evacuation of the wheelchair resident.

The Red Cross assisted 3 adults and four children with shelter.

The damage estimate is $150,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents.

Firefighters will be keeping an overnight fire watch to make sure the flames do not re-ignite.

Happy Halloween, Central District!

The Madrona Halloween Extravaganza is going on until 7 p.m. at the Madrona Shelter House.

Meanwhile, at 21st and Union, Hollow Earth Radio is hosting a Halloween edition of the monthly Art Show from 7-11 p.m.

Do you have photos of any Halloween fun in the neighborhood? Post them in the comments below.

As for costumes, it’s going to be pretty hard to beat these polo players spotted in the ID/CD area:

If you have been trying to access CDNews or our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle this week and ran into a blank page — or worse! — sorry for the disruption. We’ve experienced several outages in the past 48 hours due to repercussions from superstorm Sandy.

For several reasons ranging from technical to support to our original technology relationships here in Seattle, we serve our site through a New York City-based datacenter. When the water rose in Manhattan, electricity was shut off, back-up generators failed when fuel pumps were inundated and sites across the country went blank. It’s a small part of the toll of the storm and, of course, pales in comparison to the lives lost and homes destroyed by the disaster.

Given the improvements in conditions in New York, we believe we’re through the worst of it and aren’t expecting further outages. Of course, we also only partly expected the first round of trouble.

When this kind of thing happens — and it will again, assuredly at some future date — we’ll continue to bring you news and information through as many effective channels as we can access. Keep these sources in mind:

• The CDNews Facebook page was utilized as our temporary home base during the outages https://www.facebook.com/centraldistrictnews
• The @CDNews Twitter account is always active:  https://twitter.com/CDNews 

Thanks for sticking with us and helping us make the best of it. Happy Halloween.

Seattle Police are honoring the actions of a quick-acting officer who, with the help of another police officer and a firefighter, saved a trapped man as his car sank into Lake Washington Monday in Madison Park.

The officers responded to a call of a car in the lake near the northeastern end of Madison Park just after midnight Monday morning. When they arrived, they determined a person was trapped inside, and sprung into action.

More details from SPD:

Flashlights – they still make them like they used to. And that’s a good thing, too, because in this particular case, flashlights did more than provide illumination, they helped save a man’s life. 

Just after midnight on Monday morning, East Precinct officers responded to a call of a car that had driven into Lake Washington. The caller advised that they could see the car lights on and that it was floating. A short time later SPD 911 updated the officers that the complainant could see someone in the vehicle but could not tell if they were moving or not. 

Officers Flick and Giese responded to the call along with several other officers. Officer Giese arrived along with Seattle Fire. They located the car and saw that it was sinking about 50 feet away from the embankment. They could hear a person inside the vehicle yelling and banging on the windows. Officer Flick arrived at this time.  Officer Giese saw that the car was sinking and that the person inside was trapped. He removed his gun belt and went into the water towards the car accompanied by a Seattle Fire Fighter.  Officer Flick removed her gun belt and entered the water as well. It should be noted that the temperature was around 50 degrees and the area the car was sinking in was not well lighted. 

Officer Giese went to the passenger side of the car and tried to open one of the doors. Due to the water pressure he was unable to open it. He could see the car was filling up with water and the person inside banging on the windows. Officer Giese broke the passenger side door window out with his flashlight. He was then able to reach inside and pull the victim out of the car. Officer Giese and the Seattle Fire Fighter pulled the victim to shore.

While Officer Giese was at the passenger side, Officer Flick had moved to the driver’s side. She could also hear and see the victim inside. The car was sinking and the water was murky so they could not tell if anyone else was inside.  Officer Flick broke out the driver’s side window with her flashlight. She then reached in and felt for any other persons who might be trapped inside. She was doing this as the car began to sink. 

The car then sank to a point where the officers could no longer see inside. Officers Flick and Giese then got out of the water. Harbor responded and checked the vehicle for other victims but did not locate any. The victim that had been removed from the car was transported to Harborview Medical Center (HMC). 

At HMC the victim stated that he was trapped in the car and could not get out. He believed that he was going to die because he could not get out of the car.  He said that the officers saved his life.

Officer Dale Giese and Officer Vanessa Flick’s superviser, Sergeant Marc Garth-Green commended them for their heroic actions.  “They disregarded their personal safety in order to save the life of the victim,” said Sergeant Garth Green. ”There is no doubt that if it had not been for their selfless quick actions the victim would have died.”