I saw this in the ‘Big Blog’ in the PI.  It seems like a tongue-in-cheek take on each neighborhood and I’m sure everyone will find something to get steamed up about.  I’m glad that we’re at least included – so much of the time the CD doesn’t even get billing in a list of Seattle neighborhoods!  Of course I think they’re way off base in their characterization of our ‘hood ;-)

What do you think of their representation of the CD?  Do you have a two-liner that might better describe the our neighborhood? 

(note you have to click the “show caption” link at the bottom of the photo)  http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/02/22/which-seattle-neighborhood-are-you-most-like/#3278-3 

The Women Who Rock Project is taking over Washington Hall this weekend for two days of film, music, workshops and speakers. The event kicks off 6:30 p.m. Friday with a film festival, followed by a full day of workshops, keynotes and open mics Saturday.

Based out of the University of Washington, the festival will “explore and expand the meanings of women, rock, hip hop, music, space, gender, race, class, and sexuality through these community-curated workshops and film screenings,” according to planners. Attendees should bring your “instruments, paintbrushes, beat, ideas, t-shirts for screen printing, recording tools, knitting, art supplies, jarana, dancing shoes.”

Learn more at the WWRP website or from the Facebook event.

From the WWRP:

Women Who Rock (Un)Conference and Film Festival return for their second annual meeting March 2nd and 3rd, 2012 at the historic Washington Hall. With a focus on “Making Scenes and Building Communities,” Women Who Rock will be joined by iconic keynote speakers Alice Bag, author of Violence Girl: From East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage–a Chicana Punk Story, and Medusa, the Godmother of West Coast Hip Hop. A collaboration between the Women Who Rock Project, Ladies First Collective, and other fierce community organizations, the event includes a Ladies First Showcase that bridges punk, hip hop, and son jarocho, featuring performances by Militant Child and My Parade and a community jam facilitated by the Seattle Fandango Project.

With the goal of generating community, Women Who Rock & Ladies First sent out an open call for workshop submissions last fall inviting activists, scholars, musicians, filmmakers, artists, media makers, and community members to help shape this event. The community responded with art, film & music workshops designed to share new forms of mixing and mastering media. At this year’s gathering, Women Who Rock continues to explore and expand the meanings of women, rock, hip hop, music, space, gender, race, class, and sexuality through these community-curated workshops and film screenings. In doing so, WWR supports art, artists, organizations, and music that do the same. Our goal is to generate dialogue and provide a focal point from which to build and strengthen relationships between local musicians and their communities in collaboration with educational institutions.

All WWR film festival, workshop, and music events at Seattle’s historic Washington Hall are free and open to public. Children are welcome! Attendees may participate in the Women Who Rock Digital Oral History Project, a project documenting the histories of Women Who Rock in Seattle hosted on-line by the University of Washington Libraries.

Registration is free and open the public. Ladies First, as a grassroots collective, will be seeking donations at check-in to support local artists featured in the Ladies First Showcase.

Register to reserve your space at https://catalyst.uw.edu/ webq/survey/mhabellp/144086
For more info visit womenwhorockcommunity.org
E-mail: womenwhorockproject@gmail.com

This is a D.I.W.O event. Bring your: instruments, paintbrushes, beat, ideas, t-shirts for screen printing, recording tools, knitting, art supplies, jarana, dancing shoes.

Has anyone heard anything from Jim Mueller regarding the status of his 3 projects? I’ve not seen anything happen at the 2 sites on Madison @ 21st nor the site on 23rd & Union. An update would be nice. 

EDITOR’S UPDATE: Things seem to be stalled like they were when we last checked in. Though financing for Capitol Hill projects seems to be flowing, it has not yet reached 22nd and Madison or 23rd and Union.

From Jim Mueller via email: “Nothing to report yet, still working on it, though.  Thank for asking!”

The city is about to clear the way for a slightly-later-than-planned April start of construction on the First Hill Streetcar connecting Pioneer Square with Capitol Hill via Bailey Gatzert Elementary and Yesler Terrace. Planners hope an April start will get the project on track for an early 2014 start of service.

The first of two construction open houses is Tuesday from 5 – 8 p.m. at Union Station’s Ruth Fisher Boardroom (401 S Jackson Street). The second open house will be March 7 from 4 – 7 p.m. in the Broadway Room of the Silver Cloud Hotel (1100 Broadway).

Design work is getting to the final stages, so here’s a look at plans for the neighborhood:

Once completed, large sections of Jackson Place and Squire Park will be within a ten-minute walk of a streetcar stop. The route will run on Yesler Way between 14th Ave and Broadway, then on 14th between Yesler and Jackson, where it heads west to Pioneer Square. The roadways getting the streetcar will be completely reconstructed and redesigned.

Here’s a video flyover of the Yesler to Jackson segment (from August, so some details may have changed):

The intersection of Broadway and Yesler in front of the Yesler Community Center is going to get a complete overhaul. A two-way bikeway on Broadway ends, turning into bike lanes on either side of Yesler (as it is today). There will be a stop on Yesler just after the turn, with public art by Claudia Fitch: 

The Yesler Terrace stop

The streetcar then turns on 14th in front of the Urban League building and Bailey Gatzert Elementary. There will be a stop on 14th in front of Bailey Gatzert. Traffic southbound on 14th will be restricted to only the streetcar. People will still be able to drive and bike northbound.

On 14th Ave, looking northwest towards Bailey Gatzert

Then the tracks turn onto Jackson at the intersection with Rainier and Boren:

For more details on the plans, see the Seattle Streetcar website.

Three young men were arrested after multiple shots were fired near 23rd and Jefferson February 25, according to Seattle Police. All three were armed with handguns, one of which had been reported stolen.

From SPD:

On February 25th, at approximately 10:24 pm, East Precinct officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired in the area of 23rd Avenue and East Jefferson Street.  There were no apparent victims.  While in the area, Gang Unit detectives observed three men who appeared to be hiding on top of a building.  Those suspects fled westbound across the high school property and were detained by officers as they crossed the street at 23rd and Jefferson.  All three of the suspects were in possession of handguns, one of which was reported stolen.  All of the suspects, ages 18, 20 and 20 were arrested and booked into the King County Jail for firearms related charges.  Detectives will conduct the follow up investigation.

Meanwhile, Mayor Mike McGinn and Councilmember Bruce Harrell gave a speech today about how the city intends to address the huge increase in gun violence and homicides so far this year. There have been 19 aggravated assaults and murders involving guns in fewer than two months, the PI reports. In response, the mayor announced that every precinct will add violence prevention emphasis patrols.

Though the South Precinct has certainly seen the majority of the recent shootings, the CD has seen tragedy, too. One of the victims of gun violence this year was Central District resident Desmond Jackson, who was shot outside a Sodo nightclub earlier this month.

From the Mayor’s office:

Today Mayor Mike McGinn and Councilmember Bruce Harrell were joined by community leaders and the Seattle Police Department to respond to recent incidents of violent crime in Seattle. The mayor detailed the recent launch of new violence prevention emphasis patrols in each of the city’s five precincts. Precincts are deploying extra officers on the street to address street disorder, assaults, and shootings, focusing on the specific problems in each neighborhood. 

“Everyone who lives here, who works here, who shops here, and who comes here to enjoy what Seattle has to offer deserves to feel safe and secure. That goes for every neighborhood in our city,” said Mayor McGinn. “Public safety requires a strong partnership with the community, and we are committed to working with community leaders on public safety.”

“Many witnesses withhold valuable information from the police because of their fear of retaliation, mistrust of the government and because they comply with a code of silence,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell.  “We are asking community leaders and organizations to work with the Police Department, the Mayor’s Office and the Public Safety Committee in establishing new norms of cooperation and trust.  Every community has the right to be safe and we are asking the community to help us establish cooperation with the police, institute preventative measures before crime and violence occurs through the 9-1-1 system; and help deliver a message to our youth that violence and the unlawful use of guns destroy what so many work to build—healthy communities.  Our strategy will be to strengthen and protect our community.”

A passenger in a car pulled a gun on the driver while they were stopped at the 23rd and Cherry gas station in the early morning of February 25. He then stole the car and drove away, according to the police.

Police tracked the car to a house near 25th and Pike, where the gun was also recovered. However, the driver refused to help identify the suspect.

From SPD:

On February 25th, just past midnight, two males inside a gold 2001 Chevy Impala had just picked up a third male.  The driver then stopped at a gas station at 23rd Avenue and Cherry Street where the passenger male went inside the store.  The third male then produced a revolver and ordered the driver out of the car, then drove away.

At about 1:30 am, the stolen Chevy Impala was located.  A K9 team responded to the scene and was able to track to a residence in the 1500 Block of 25th Avenue, where a revolver was recovered from under the porch.  After placing calls inside the residence, the occupants came out to be identified.  The passenger witness was unable to positively identify any of the occupants of the house as the suspect, and the driver/victim refused to participate in the identification.

Also in the area, a man was robbed while exiting his car near 12th and King February 24:

On February 24th at approximately 1:14 p.m the male victim was exiting his parked vehicle in a private lot in the 1200 block of South King Street.  An adult male suspect approached and pushed him back into his car.  The suspect then attempted to rip the Rolex watch and gold bracelet from the victim’s arm.  The victim was able to push the suspect away. 

The suspect then produced a handgun and pointed it at the victim.  An unknown bystander walked by and the suspect pointed the gun at him as well, then fled on foot.  The suspect was last seen southbound on 10th Avenue South from South Weller Street.

Responding officers conducted an area check however, the suspect remains at large.  The victim sustained minor scratches to his arm but was able to retain his property.

The suspect is described as a black male, 18 to 20 years of age, 5’6” tall with a thin build and wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police and refer to this incident.  Anonymous tips are welcome.

A woman told police she was threatened with a gun while driving northbound on MLK near S Judkins St February 22.

She said she the man in front of her was driving erratically, braking excessively and looking in his mirrors around 8:15 p.m. 10:15 a.m. He then reached out his window and pointed a small black handgun at her. He then pulled over and followed her to 17th and Yesler. She called the police and was not hurt.

From the police report:

A repeat shoplifter shoved a Grocery Outlet employee shortly before 8:30 p.m. February 17 after the employee asked the man to remove the stolen items from his backpack.

The employee told police the man had stolen from the MLK and Union store in the past. Employees tracked him through the store with security cameras and saw him stuff items into his bag. When he walked past the cashiers without paying, the employee confronted him. After shoving the employee, he fled on foot.

From the police report:

The city plans to build 11 miles of family-friend walking and biking routes every year, and Central Seattle Greenways (CSG) wants to make sure the central neighborhoods are not left behind.

About 40 people squished into Central Cinema February 9 for the first CSG meeting. Residents from Capitol Hill and the greater Central District neighborhoods put their heads together to come up with some potential family-friendly walking and biking route ideas and discussed ways to promote them.

Neighborhood greenways are basically low-traffic neighborhood streets that are designed to prioritize walking and biking as a way to connect homes and important neighborhood destinations. They include traffic calming to slow motor vehicle traffic and safe crossings at busy streets so that walking and biking is easy, safe and efficient.

The Seattle Times created an interactive map showing bicycle-involved collisions between 2007 and 2011. Though bicycling has increased significantly since 2007, the number of collisions has stayed constant. This could mean that the more people bicycling, the safer it becomes. The map shows that the Central District streets with the most collisions are 12th Ave, Union, Cherry, Jefferson and Jackson.

360 image of February 6 meeting by Adam Parast

Central Seattle Greenways (which, full disclosure, I am part of) has the goal of providing routes for walking and biking that are further away from heavy car traffic. The group is now working to apply for a small Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, which can provide up to $20,000 to selected projects. Grant applications are due March 12, so a lot of work needs to get done before then.

To keep updated on those meetings and participate in other planning discussions, you can join the Google Group email list. Central Seattle Greenways also has a website, Facebook and Twitter.

To get an idea of what routes might work as neighborhood greenways, people split into three groups. Each group had a big map on the table, and people highlighted important neighborhood destinations — such as schools, big transit stops (present and future), parks, churches and commercial centers. They then drew on the maps to highlight neighborhood streets that could connect these destinations (see below).

Several CD route needs became clear. There was strong support for a route on Columbia Street connecting the First Hill Streetcar stop at Swedish First Hill to Madrona — stopping by Seattle U, Swedish Cherry Hill, Garfield and the Cherry Street commercial areas along the way. There were several good options for a long north-south route connecting Volunteer and Judkins Parks. People also supported routes parallel to 34th Ave in Madrona and routes to help connect Montlake with Capitol Hill and Madison Valley, to name a few.

From the Melrose Promenade Facebook page

The group is not starting completely from scratch on Capitol Hill. Mike Kent of the Capitol Hill Community Council presented planning work already under way for Melrose Ave. The Melrose Promenade would redesign the road, particularly north of Denny, so that it is more comfortable for walking and enjoying the excellent views. CSG embraced the plans, and general consensus was that the group should do whatever it can to move the plan forward.

On Capitol Hill, there are several good options for an east-west route somewhere between Madison and Volunteer Park. All groups agreed that all of Federal Ave would be a good option, though it needs to be repaved (which could be costly).

The next step is to decide the best grant ideas. $20,000 is not really enough money to build a route (which cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000/mile). However, it could be enough for design planning (a requirement for the Melrose Green Street project, for example).

Or it could be an opportunity to bring more people in the community together. One idea discussed would be a big cross-neighborhood street party, where a loop of neighborhood streets is turned into a big park for a few hours one weekend day. Organizations and individuals can host parties, music, exercise classes, food, etc along the way. Car traffic is limited, and police or volunteers are on hand to help people cross busy streets. Similar ciclovia-style events have been increasingly popular around the world (and, in fact, the idea has origins right here in Seattle with Lake Washington’s Bicycle Sundays).

The next two meetings will be about grant planning (6:30 p.m. February 27, location TBA) and a route-scouting neighborhood bike ride (2 p.m. March 4, meet at the Judkins Park Tennis Courts).

81242224 Central Seattle Greenways Compressed)

Those old white dudes at the Academy (94 percent white and 77 percent male? Seriously?) might be working to decide the best films and actors of the past year, but the folks behind the 20/20 Awards are doing much more important work: Deciding the best films of 1992.

The third annual two-decades-delayed award show will announce the big winners during a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Central Cinema. Tickets are nearly sold out, so buy now if you want to go. (UPDATE: If you don’t get tickets, Central Sounds is hosting an interesting crew from Women Who Rock tonight at Hollow Earth Radio, just around the corner from Central Cinema. See bottom of this post for details)

From the 20/20 Awards:

In 1992, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS swept the Academy Awards, taking 7 nominations and winning the “Big Five” including Best Picture, Best Actress (Foster), Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Director (Demme) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). This is the first year the 20/20 Awards is poised for a repeat, with an exciting opportunity for multiple coveted “Odd Couples”, when a nominee wins both an Oscar, and 20 years later wins a Felix. However, BARTON FINK is a heavy contender weighing in with 10 nominations.

The 20/20 Awards www.2020awards.org offer a unique alternative to award shows, emphasizing the test of time as the key criterion by which films and filmmakers should be honored. Looking back twenty years affords voters an insight free from industry insiderism and the contemporary zeitgeist.

Here’s the list of nominees (Oscar winners marked with an *):

BEST PICTURE

BARTON FINK

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

THE FISHER KING

THELMA & LOUISE

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

BEST DIRECTOR

Joel Coen – BARTON FINK

Jonathan Demme – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

Terry GIlliam – THE FISHER KING

Barry Levinson – BUGSY

Ridley Scott – THELMA & LOUISE

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges – THE FISHER KING

Robert DeNiro – CAPE FEAR

Anthony Hopkins – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

John Turturro – BARTON FINK

Robin Williams – THE FISHER KING

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening – BUGSY

Judy Davis – NAKED LUNCH

Jodie Foster – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

Susan Sarandon – THELMA & LOUISE

Lily Taylor – DOGFIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

John Goodman – BARTON FINK

Ian Holm – NAKED LUNCH

Ted Levine – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Gary Oldman – JFK

Jack Palance – CITY SLICKERS*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Geena Davis – THELMA & LOUISE

Juliette Lewis – CAPE FEAR

Christina Ricci – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Brooke Smith – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Jessica Tandy – FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Albert Brooks – DEFENDING YOUR LIFE

Joel and Ethan Coen – BARTON FINK

Richard LaGravanese – THE FISHER KING

Callie Khouri – THELMA & LOUISE*

Steve Martin – L.A. STORY

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

David Cronenberg – NAKED LUNCH

Roddy Doyle, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais – THE COMMITMENTS

Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski – FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar – JFK

Ted Tally – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

BEST FOREIGN FILM

DELICATESSEN

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE MADAME BOVARY

RAISE THE RED LANTERN

ZENTROPA

BEST DOCUMENTARY

35 UP

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME

DOING TIME: LIFE INSIDE THE BIG HOUSE

HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE

MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE

BEST SCORE

George Fenton – THE FISHER KING

Alan Menken – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST*

Ennio Morricone – BUGSY

Wilson Pickett – THE COMMITMENTS

Howard Shore – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

BEST SONG

Beauty And The Beast – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST*

Be Our Guest – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Everything I Do, I Do For You – ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THEIVES

Until The End Of The World – UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

BEST EDITING

Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, Richard A. Harris – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

Joe Hutsching, Pietro Scalia – JFK

Roderick Jaynes – BARTON FINK

Craig McKay – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Hervé Schneid – DELICATESSEN

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Roger Deakins – BARTON FINK

Tak Fujimoto – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Darius Khondji – DELICATESSEN

Edvard Klosinsky, Jean-Paul Meurisse, Joakim Holbek – ZENTROPA

Lun Yang – RAISE THE RED LANTERN

BEST ART DIRECTION

Mel Bourne – THE FISHER KING

Marc Caro – DELICATESSEN

Dennis Gassner – BARTON FINK

Richard MacDonald – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Carol Spier – NAKED LUNCH

BEST COSTUME

Richard Hornung – BARTON FINK

Ellen Lens – PROSPERO’S BOOKS

Ruth Myers – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Valérj]ie Pozzo di Borgo – DELICATESSEN

Albert Wolsky – BUGSY*

BEST MAKEUP

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

HOOK

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

BEST VISUAL FX

BACKDRAFT

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

ZENTROPA

BEST SOUND DESIGN

BACKDRAFT

BARTON FINK

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

UPDATE: Also tonight in the same block: Hollow Earth Radio’s Central Sounds will be talking to some of the folks behind the upcoming Women Who Rock UnConference and Film Festival at Washington Hall March 2-3. Listen online:

WEDS NIGHT 9PM! @LadiesFirst206 will be representing @centralsounds on @hollowearth and discussing @WomenWhoRock206 Conference Wednesday!

— CENTRAL SOUNDS (@centralsounds) February 21, 2012