In a letter to the state Liquor Control Board signed by all nine City Councilmembers, Mayor McGinn and City Attorney Pete Holmes, city leaders ask the Board to reconsider a 2010 rule that could jeopardize Central Cinema’s family-friendly business model.

The letter says that Central Cinema (a CDNews sponsor) has been a “tremendous asset” in the city’s Safer Union project by creating a family-friendly destination in an area that has seen lots of drug and crime activity in recent decades. Seeing Central Cinema close “would be a terrible outcome,” they said.

The new rules were created without consulting or even notifying Central Cinema, which renewed its license twice since the rule changed without the Board mentioning it until recent months. While Central Cinema is not likely the target of the new rule, they could be caught up in it anyway.

“Their fear of Cinemas is based on their fear of a typical mall multi-plex installing beer taps next to the popcorn machine at the concession stand,” Central Cinema’s Kevin Spitzer told CDNews a few weeks ago. “I believe they just didn’t think the rule all of the way through.”

City leadership doesn’t think so either. They note Central Cinema’s six years of operation without incident and list several steps the theater takes to make sure servers can appropriately monitor alcohol consumption.

The city asks the Liquor Board to make changes to the rule that allow establishments like Central Cinema to continue operating, an outcome Spitzer prefers to the creation of a new state law as proposed by two Vancouver legislators. They also asked the Board not to enforce the rule until changes can be made. Budget cuts have slowed the Liquor Board’s rule change process significantly.

Below is the city’s letter to the Liquor Board. Let’s get a show of support. Comment below if you would sign this letter, too.

262012 Ltr to Wslcb

Coming soon to a shipping container near you: Wood-fired pizza and beer on tap.

Brian Solazzi is hard at work designing and constructing a walk-up pizza restaurant at Rainier and Weller that he hopes to open by spring. The shop will have a fenced-in outdoor seating area, and Solazzi has lots of ideas for events, from music to movies to — if there’s room — bocce ball.

“Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors,” said Solazzi, who thinks people will enjoy a pizza hangout focused on being outside (and yes, there will be covered space for rainy days).

Solazzi — who attended the Japanese School across the street from the future pizza joint — said he hopes to grow as many of the ingredients on the long-vacant lot as possible, and he already knows where the chicken run will go.

“Seeing alive things outside — plants and animals — will be nice,” he said.

The restaurant has very little overhead, which Solazzi hopes will let him keep prices low. His family has owned the lot for years, and he is the architect, builder and one of two employees for the project. He poured the foundation, hooked up the sewers and even operated the crane when putting the shipping containers in place.

As an architect, he has worked with shipping container homes. He has also worked in an Italian restaurant kitchen. The new endeavor puts the two together, he said.

The restaurant has Brandon Thompson — who has worked with wood-fired pizza before — lined up as the chef. Thompson and Solazzi plan to run the place together to get it off the ground this spring.

The CDNews event calendar has a bunch of stuff to do this weekend. If you would like your event listed, mouse-over “Post” in the navigation bar and click “Post an Event.”

Here’s a look at what’s going on:

When: Saturday, February 4, 2012 09:00 AM – 02:00 PM
Where: Cafe Weekend – 851 Hiawatha Place S. Seattle, WA 98144
What: BIRTHDAY & ANNUAL PRE-VALENTINES CELEBRATION

Come and celebrate our 3rd birthday here at Cafe Weekend!

We will be hosting SWEETHEART valentine cookie decorating & craft table from 9am – 11am, while supplies last.

Listening to vintage soul & jazz 45’s by DJ Greasy and calling BINGO from noon – 2pm.

Come spend your Saturday morning with us at Cafe Weekend!

Usnaps will also be here for you and your valentine with our ‘sweetheart conversations’ photobooth!

When: Saturday, February 4, 2012 11:00 AM –   03:00 PM
Where: Immortal Dog Pet Supply and Bakery 1712 S Jackson St Seattle WA 98144
What: Join us as we host another amazing adoption event at Immortal Dog.

Salty Dog Rescue will be on hand with their precious pups ready for their forever homes.

Check the Immortal Dog website closer to the adoption to see some of the pups that will be at the event!

immortaldogpetsupply.com

Many of you have pets and are not looking for another companion but you may have friends that are! Please share this among your friends so we can get all these pups homes!!! Immortal Dog thanks you for your support!!

When: Monday, February 6, 2012 06:30 PM –   09:00 PM
Where: Judkins Street Cafe 2608 S Judkins Street (On Judkins just west of MLK Way)
What: Judkins Street Cafe will host “Celebrating Roots” a Meatless Monday feast.

This reservations-only $20 prix fixe 3-course meal, will have a selection of offerings featuring root vegetables and other vegan and vegetarian delectables. The menu and other details are available at www.judkinsstreetcafe.com/meatless.

When: Monday, February 6, 2012 07:00 PM –   09:00 PM
Where: The Northwest African American Museum 2300 S Massachusetts Street
What: Rebecca Walker Presented by Elliott Bay Books and NAAM.

Co-presented with the NORTHWEST AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM. Rebecca Walker has written insightful memoirs (Baby LOve, Black, White and Jewish)—and she has compiled lively, engaging anthologies – One Big Happy Family, and What Makes a Man. She is here this evening with another of the latter, Black Cool: One Thousand Streams of Blackness (Soft Skull Press).

The idea of voluntary meatless Mondays was started as a war conservation effort during World War I and has been revitalized in recent years as a national campaign that encourages people to cut out meat one day a week for their health and the health of the planet.

Senator Patty Murray will be on E Madison Friday to help rally support for Planned Parenthood following a decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to end its support of the women’s health service provider. The 11:45 a.m. rally comes just hours after the Komen Foundation reversed its decision and pledged to maintain support for the organization.

The senator will speak at the E Madison health center, one of four Planned Parenthood facilities in the city. 

A fifth is planned for First Hill as part of a decision by Swedish Medical Centers to no longer provide elective abortion services.

The Murray appearance is slated for 11:45 a.m. at the 2001 E Madison Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest headquarters.

The Dallas Morning News has posted a statement from the Komen Foundation announcing that it is reversing the decision to drop Planned Parenthood funding:

We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.
The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.

I found this sweet dog this morning on 26th and Spring.  She has tags however none of them have a phone number or address.  

A reporter from Seattle University’s student newspaper the Spectator attended a January 28 community meeting about crime in Yesler Terrace and said speakers expressed concerns that many crimes in the neighborhood go unreported due to language barriers and fears that calling 911 might not be anonymous and safe.

From the Spectator:

The Friday night shooting of a 20-year-old on 13th Avenue and Jefferson Street set the stage for an afternoon meeting in Yesler Terrace.

At the third Yesler Terrace Community meeting since November, community members spoke out against crime like the Friday night shooting.

Some of the solutions proposed included recruiting Seattle University students to volunteer as interpreters for the community where an estimated 26 different languages are spoken. Others included ways to confront the crimes by hosting parties or dinner in “neighborhood problem areas,” as well as a workshop to help the residents learn the importance of dialing 911.

Angela O’Brien, co-chair of the safety committee, said that she is “tired of griping and complaining.”

She wants solutions.

Read more…

After a lot of resident feedback — including a petition organized by Carla Saulter — Metro’s 27 bus route will continue serving Colman and Leschi Parks under the newest iteration of proposed service changes.

However, service will be decreased to one bus an hour on weekends, which is about half of what it is today. The 27 will also turn on Boren and travel downtown via Spring/Seneca to replace service currently performed by the 2 (which would be routed down Madison instead). The 27 will then be linked downtown to the 33 continuing to Queen Anne and Magnolia. This means there will be a one-seat ride from the CD to Discovery Park (not the reason they made the change, but an interesting side effect).

Changes proposed in November called for the 27 to only serve between downtown and 12th Ave except during peak hours. Analysis by the Seattle Transit Blog showed that ridership is very peak-oriented, and the segments with strong ridership (basically between downtown and 23rd) have parallel service via the 14 on Jackson.

However, opponents to the changes noted that many important neighborhood destinations (like Douglass-Truth Library) would no longer have bus service to downtown, and people who live on steep grades in Leschi would be essentially cut off from bus service.

From King County Metro:

During public outreach in November 2011, Metro heard that loss of transit service during off-peak hours along E Yesler Way and in the Leschi neighborhood would isolate some riders from transit service because steep grades would prevent access to alternative service on nearby arterials. These riders also want to continue to be able to travel north and south on Third Avenue.

A lot of neighborhood attention has since shifted to the 2, where there is much disagreement about shifting the route to Madison. Joanna, who has been working in opposition to the Route 2 changes, has posted more information. See also Seattle Transit Blog’s write-up about the changes.

There will be a series of public meetings in February discussing the changes, including one at Washington Middle School 6 p.m. February 27.

More details on the 27 revisions:

Route 027

In a rather brazen act, a burglar stole several items from a home at 15th and Yesler January 27 while five people were asleep. The burglar even took one victim’s iPhone while he was sleeping on a couch just inches away.

In all, the burglar made off with the iPhone, a bicycle and a sausage link from the fridge, according to the police report:

In other crime news, we have a few more details on the January 28 shooting at 12th and Jefferson. Witnesses described the suspect’s vehicle as a brown/red 4-door station wagon with a boxy back end, according to the police report:

Finding a safe place to cross busy streets and dodging speeding cars are two of the biggest impediments to increased walking and biking, and groups from all over Seattle think they have the solution.

From North Delridge to Beacon Hill to Wallingford, citizen groups pushing neighborhood greenways — basically corridors of low-traffic residential streets with added traffic calming, greenery and safe crossings at busy streets — have been making the case to SDOT that fast, family-friendly walking and biking routes would be a cost-effective way to make their neighborhoods safer, healthier and more connected to their neighborhood destinations (schools, parks, commercial centers, etc).

Now (with the help of yours truly), a group is forming to promote neighborhood greenways in the CD and Capitol Hill. The first community meeting is 6:30 p.m. February 9 at Central Cinema. Presenters will explain how neighborhood greenways work, and the group will discuss ways to promote them to the city and to others in the neighborhood.

From Central Seattle Greenways:

Neighborhoods throughout Seattle are realizing their dreams for family-friendly walking and biking routes using Neighborhood Greenways – safe, low-cost and low-stress walking and biking corridors connecting people with the places they want to go. By adding traffic calming, safe crossings at busy streets, and extra trees and greenery, a network of low-traffic streets can be transformed into useful, park-like routes around the neighborhood.

In 2012, the Seattle Department of Transportation will fund or build Greenways in Wallingford, Beacon Hill, Ballard, North Delridge and Greenwood, with plans to continue funding community-driven Greenways through 2013. Let’s make sure Central Seattle – Central District, First Hill, Capitol Hill, Madrona, and Leschi – doesn’t get left behind!

Neighborhoods that have been successful at bringing Greenways to their streets relied on engaged citizens to build community consensus around routes and advocate for them during planning and funding processes. Following this recipe for success, we invite you to participate in Central Seattle Greenways, a community group dedicated to bringing Neighborhood Greenways to Central Seattle.

Join us for our kickoff community meeting at Central Cinema (21st & Union) on Thursday, February 9th, 6:30-8:30 pm, as we start building momentum for safe, direct, and low-stress walking and biking routes that serve Central Seattle’s residents, families, businesses and neighborhood organizations.

For more on the meeting, check out the Facebook event. To keep up-to-date with the group, you can follow Central Seattle Greenways on Facebook.

For more on what neighborhood greenways are (and how they work), here’s a good video from StreetFilms:

Portland’s Bike Boulevards Become Neighborhood Greenways from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

SPD officer Heather Conway will be tweeting as she patrols the CD today starting at 11:30 a.m. The “tweetalong” is an attempt by the department to give people an idea of what goes on in an officer’s typical patrol day. 

From SPD:

Ever wanted to go on a police ride along but never had the time?  Curious as to what a day in the life of a Seattle Police patrol officer looks like?  Now you can – virtually.

Join us on January 31st for Tweetalong Tuesday.  Follow East Precinct patrol officer Heather Conway as she goes about a typical day patrolling the Central District, Madrona and Leschi areas.

Police responses will be summarized in easily digestible bites of 140 characters or less.  Pictures will be included as appropriate.  Learn more about Officer Conway and follow her shift Tuesday from 11:30 am- 8:30 pm by following @SeattlePD on Twitter.

Officers have done “tweetalongs” on Capitol Hill previously (see past coverage at our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle). Of course, we’ll be following along at @CDNews and will post any highlights here.