Good Hair Salon won the top prize at the 4th Annual Reign of Style competition.

Well, ok, so they were the only salon in the “Braids & Natural” category. But it still counts as a win for the 19th and Yesler salon.

From Good Hair Salon:

We had such a great time at the Reign of Style Hair show and Competition this year.  It was disappointing that no one was competing against us in our category but we still showed up and put on a show.

Good Hair’s theme for the March 4 competition was “Dark or Fair It Is All Good Hair.” The salon’s mission is to “nurture and celebrate the community of individuals who choose to embrace their naturally kinky, curly or locked hair texture.”

Charles Rolland, a former Democratic Party Chair, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Norm Rice and public schools organizer, has passed away at the age of 61.

From the Washington Democrats:

Today, we were saddened to learn about the passing of Charles Rolland, great Democrat and former Washington State Democrats Chair. Charles served as State Party Chair from 1993 to 1995 and most recently was a community organizer and owner of a public affairs consulting practice.

Before becoming State Democratic Party Chair, Charles served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Seattle Mayor Norm Rice. He was at the center of many major political events in the state, filling the strategic advisor role for a number of campaigns, businesses, public figures, elected officials and initiatives.

He was the founder of Community and Parents for Public Schools of Seattle, a parent led education advocacy group. In addition, Charles worked with the small contractor community, partnering with the public and private sector to develop policies and programs that will increase the utilization of small economically disadvantaged construction businesses.

Charles is a parent of three, all graduates of Seattle Public schools. He devoted his life to public service and to the empowerment of people and communities, especially youth.

Charles will be missed – This is a great loss to the Democratic community.

Rolland’s wife, Jackie Moscou, is the Artistic Director at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. In a statement, Mayor McGinn wished her and the rest of Rolland’s family his condolences:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely death of Charles Rolland. In his capacity as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Norm Rice and in his work in the community, he provided leadership to make our city a better and more just place. He worked hard to address issues of race and social justice, education and closing the achievement gap, providing opportunities for minority and women owned businesses, police accountability, and standing together in support of immigrants and refugees. Seattle has lost an important voice. I will miss his friendship, his advice, and his passion for people. I offer my sincere condolences to his wife Jacqueline Moscou, their three children and his family.

City leaders held a hearing about a State Liquor Board rule change that would allow cities to set their own bar closing times. Extending last call for liquor would combat what the mayor called “a huge challenge” to the police force every night at 2 a.m., supporters said.

As our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle reports, some nightlife leaders praised the plan, but some neighborhood leaders feared it would create later noise problems and other issues:

“I encourage you to not listen to fear mongering — listen to data,” Dave Meinert of Big Mario’s and the Capitol Hill Block Party said during his statement to the board.

“The thing that would be wrong here would be to promote the status quo.”

…

Safety was at the center of many of the statements by proponents of the proposal. Positioned as part of the city’s nightlife initiative, Seattle’s proposal would be part of a slate of changes — some already rolled out — to overhaul laws around bars and restaurants and optimize the area’s food and drink economy:

The City of Seattle is examining the potential impacts of a shift from the current 2:00 am closing requirement for alcoholic service beverage licenses to a “flexible hours” system. The change is being considered in response to the current system, which by unintended consequence encourages overindulgence while simultaneously pushing thousands of patrons on the streets with limited resources to effectively manage the activity. By transitioning to a flexible hours system, there may be an opportunity to improve Seattle’s quality of life by eliminating issues of public safety and nuisances associated with current closing times.

Stephanie Tschida of the East Precinct Advisory Council was one of several speakers who told the board the proposal would be bad for Seattle. You can read more of the EastPAC’s argument here.

…

There were also some challenging points raised. Derek Franklin of the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention spoke against the proposal and talked about the potential danger of new laws that would push last call from 2a into the morning commute. Other speakers warned that later last calls would mean later noise and disruptions and that pushing back service hours would only push back the binge rush of last call to a different hour than 2a.

The Seattle hearing was one of four scheduled by the board as part of the process to consider Seattle’s petition to allow extended liquor service hours. Liquor Board chair Sharon Foster said she expects a decision by May 7.

You can still add your feedback via email at [email protected]

Seattle University’s Youth Initiative (SUYI) has earned the school a top federal award for community service. SUYI is a long-term financial and volunteer commitment to the neighborhood surrounding Bailey-Gatzert Elementary (see our post from when the program began). The Initiative pledges $1 million per year to neighborhood service.

The Initiative goes beyond tutoring. It stretches into many parts of the University’s curriculum. For example, an art class last year worked with the school community to create a mural that hangs near the playfield. The mural honors cultural heroes as well as some favorite members of the Bailey-Gatzert faculty.

From the Seattle Times:

In the past year, Seattle University has flooded the Central District’s Bailey Gatzert — Seattle’s highest-poverty elementary school — with nearly 100 trained student volunteers. The college students help younger children with the most basic of skills and give them after-school enrichment in subjects such as science, chess, literacy and video production.

But that only scratches the surface of an ambitious initiative funded by the private university and aimed at everyone living in the Bailey Gatzert neighborhood. It includes health-care help from nursing students, legal help from law-school students, a full-time coordinator for the school’s many assistance programs, and staff and faculty support for many facets of the initiative.

On Monday, Seattle University will receive a top honor for doing so: the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Award, the highest recognition the federal government gives to a college or university for commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Bailey-Gatzert is the city’s most impoverished school. 96 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches, and students often lag behind other schools in performance.

It’s as though they were never there.

Taqueria Tres Reyes at 21st and Union and Taco City USA at 23rd and Cherry have both vanished, and nearby businesses are not sure why.

Taco City USA was once in the gas station parking lot at 23rd and Union, but it left that space when the gas station changed owners at the end of 2010. It set up down the street in the parking lot of the AM/PM at 23rd and Cherry. But now it’s gone.

The person working at the AM/PM did not know why the truck left or where it went, but she was doubtful it would return.

Taqueria Tres Reyes opened in the parking lot of the car repair shop at 21st and Union in May 2011. In September, they added a covered seating area ahead of the rainy season. They got help from their friends at Taco City USA to get started, cook Mareceo Cesekros told me last summer.

Attempts to contact anyone with either business has so far been unsuccessful. It’s not yet clear if the trucks are changing locations or shuttering for good. We will update as we learn more (in the meantime, Toony in the CDNews forum seems to have a theory).

A man panhandling near Ezell’s on 23rd was sent to the hospital after a fight with an unknown suspect March 5.

The fight started shortly after 5 a.m. when several people trying to fix a disabled vehicle declined to give the man money when asked. The man then got angry and started throwing garbage at them, according to the police report. The suspect then armed himself with a shovel handle and struck the man several times.

The suspect fled, and medics transported the man to the hospital.

From the police report:

At the 12th Avenue Neighborhood Stewards meeting next Tuesday King County representatives will discuss future plans for possible future development on the nine-acre Youth Services site on 12th Avenue.  Legislation will considered by the King County Council that could result in a property tax levy put to vote as early as the August primary election.  The proposal would replace the Juvenile Justice building and the detention center.  A substantial portion of the site could be sold for possible development of hundreds of new housing units and retail and commercial space. 

King County has been urged for years to use its property in a way that contributes more vitality to the neighborhood than the large surface parking lot.  This is the latest plan that, if funded, could do that.   If this plan moves forward the County promises that the public will have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the framework of site design.

The meeting next Tuesday, March 13, 5:30 P.M., (at S.U. Admissions and Alumni Building, corner of 12th Ave. and E. Marion St.) is a chance for all interested persons to hear more and ask questions. 

The meeting also will hear more details from City representatives regarding the First Hill Streetcar, scheduled to start construction next month.  The streetcar route will touch the southern part of the 12th Avenue neighborhood, providing a new transportation opportunity, but also permanently changing vehicle and bicycle routes on 14th Avenue between Yesler and Jackson.  Southbound traffic in those two blocks will be limited to streetcars.

Finally, there’ll be an update on the plans of Catholic Housing Services to develop, at its site at 13th and E. Spring, permanent housing for homeless veterans treated by the V.A. Medical Center.

EDITOR’S UPDATE: See our previous post for more on the project funding options and a look at some previous design ideas.

Remember that state bill that may or may not have helped Central Cinema get around recent state Liquor Board rules that threaten the neighborhood theater? It died, a casualty of the dramatic Senate budget takeover earlier this month.

So now, the theater (a CDNews sponsor) waits to see what comes of its petition to the Liquor Board. The mayor, city attorney and the entire City Council signed a letter to the Board urging them to reconsider a 2010 rule — made without consulting or even alerting Central Cinema — that has threatened their family-friendly business model.

The SunBreak reports that the theater expects to hear back from the Board April 7:

Kevin Spitzer, owner of the Central District entertainment mainstay Central Cinema, is counting the days until April 7. That’s when he is supposed to hear back from the Washington State Liquor Control Board about the legality of Central Cinema staying open and operating as it has since 2005.

In May 2010, the Liquor Control Board tightened the rules around movie theaters and alcohol service to keep children and adults drinking anything alcoholic (including beer and wine) from “commingling in a darkened house.”

Meanwhile, city leadership, the Central District Business Association and many Central District News readers have signaled that they’ve got Central Cinema’s back if further action is needed. However, Spitzer is confident the issues can be worked out. From the SunBreak:

So now Spitzer is gamely waiting to see if the Board will revisit the rule, and provide a work-around. His supporters, including the Central District Neighborhood Association, are willing to rally and petition, but Spitzer counsels patience, believing that the Board will find a way to allow the cinema, which has never previously had a problem with underage drinking, continue to serve its neighborhood. In his view, children and their responsibly-drinking parents “commingling” is a benefit to everyone involved.

When an infant Jimi Hendrix’s parents had no place to live, Delores Hamm took them into her Yesler Terrace home. As he grew up, she continued to be a mother figure to him, according to an obituary in the Seattle Times.

He moved in with her again to attend Horace Mann Elementary on Cherry St, and often wrote letters to her as he grew up.

Hamm died Tuesday at the age of 92.

From the Seattle Times:

For Hendrix, whose childhood was marked by poverty and neglect, Ms. Hamm was a pillar of stability. She was the sister of Hendrix’s mother, and he called her “Auntie Delores.”

Ms. Hamm nicknamed Hendrix “Buster,” by which he was known growing up, because he reminded her of the cartoon character Buster Brown.

Ms. Hamm also took in Hendrix’s parents, Al and Lucille, when they had no place to live after Jimi was born in 1942. They all lived in her apartment at Yesler Terrace.

Hendrix lived again with Ms. Hamm in 1949, when he entered second grade at Horace Mann Elementary School.

Along with Hendrix’s maternal and paternal grandmothers, a friend name Dorothy Harding and a few other people in the neighborhood, Ms. Hamm served as one of the only real parent-figures the guitarist ever had. He often wrote letters to “Auntie Delores” when he grew up.

When we posted earlier this week about the relative lack of liquor store license permits in the heart of the neighborhood, we may have spoken too soon. The rights to license a store at the current 23rd and Union liquor store location is up for auction.

Store 182 has been hawking booze since 1993, and it is among the many state-owned store locations that have the opportunity to bypass the 10,000 square feet minimum for private liquor stores mandated by I-1183. Voters passed the Costco-backed initiative in November. The current store is 4,347 square feet.

A provision of the new law would allow for smaller liquor stores at or near current state store locations. After winning the auction, the high bidder would have the exclusive right to apply for a liquor license in the area. They would also need to negotiate a lease with the property owner. If a lease does not work out, the auction winner may find a new space within one mile from the current location.

In addition to the right to apply for a license, they would have the chance to buy the store’s shelves and equipment as well as remaining booze for the mega cheap price of $7.97 per case.

But, prospective buyers, don’t get too exited about that deal. From the looks of the store’s recent retail sales, it won’t last long. Store 182 sold $3,541,604 worth of booze in 2011.