I am curious about the new French restaurant/bistro next to That’s Amore…..any info?

Harmony Arts & The Samarya Center Present:  POSITIVE POWER – Boys 10-18 years 
Tuesday September 20th 4-5:30pm  $15  Must Pre-register

One day workshop, offers pre-teen and teen boys a chance to connect with a positive peer group, and build self-confidence through the philosophy and movement of martial arts and yoga. Concepts of power, peace & respect, will be explored through physicality, discussion and meditation. No experience necessary, all levels welcome.

For more information or to register contact Tristan.   (206) 229-7582   [email protected]  www.harmonyarts.us www.samaryacenter.org

An apparent dispute over a woman ended in gunshots in the early morning of August 22, according to Seattle Crime. A man and two friends were hanging out in a restaurant near 12th and Jefferson around 3 a.m. when a woman approached them. That’s when the trouble began.

From Seattle Crime:

The man tried to avoid the woman, the report says, but another man—the suspect in the shooting, who was also inside the business—apparently became jealous.

The suspect confronted the man outside the business and then walked off.

As the victim and his friends were standing by their car near 12th and Jefferson, the suspect walked by, fired two or three shots, and fled down an alley. 

One round blew out the tire of the victim’s car.

The report says the suspect may have fled the scene in a Hyundai Elantra.

A series of strange thefts on Union have people scratching their heads and searching for answers.

Central Cinema (a CDN sponsor) is on the search for the person who stole their Dune poster. They announced the theft on Facebook Wednesday morning:

They later posted a security photo of the person they say stole it.

UPDATE: According to commenter Andrew, he took the poster for a friend. He apologized and said he would return it.

Meanwhile, the week-old Alleycat Acres scarecrow is missing and feared stolen. There is no evidence the thefts are connected, but they occurred a block apart, likely on the same day. Farmers first noticed the theft when they showed up for the regularly-scheduled Wednesday work party at the 22nd and Union farm, next door to Cappy’s Boxing Gym.

“We’re risking a real-life Alfred Hitchcock story about to happen if we can’t fend off the crows,” said Sean Conroe of Alleycat Acres.

The scarecrow was made by youth as part of a summer program run by Seattle Parks and Recreation.

If you have any information, email [email protected].

A woman stabbed an alleged attacker after he allegedly tried to remove her clothing, according to Seattle Crime. The woman was waiting for her mother to pick her up near the suspect’s house on S Massachusetts St near MLK around 10 p.m. August 23 when the suspect suggested she wait in his house, where he attacked her.

SPD released this account:

On August 23rd at approximately 10:03 p.m. officers responded to the 2700 block of South Massachusetts Street for the report of an attempted sexual assault with a wounded suspect.  Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim (a woman in her mid-20′s) was outside of a friend’s house waiting to be picked up by her mother when she was approached by a nearby resident (the suspect) who is not a stranger to the victim.  The suspect, a man in his 30′s,  invited the victim inside his home so she could be inside while she waited for her mother. 

Once inside the suspect’s house, the suspect began to forcefully remove the victim’s clothing at which time a physical struggle ensued.  The victim produced a knife and stabbed the suspect in the lower torso, enabling her to break free of the suspect and flee the home.  The suspect chased the victim outside. 

Once outside the victim began screaming for help at which time the suspect retreated back inside his residence.  A neighbor heard the screaming and offered the victim refuge until officers arrived.   

Once on scene officers contacted the suspect, who was interviewed and placed under arrest. 

The suspect was transported to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medics for treatment of his non-life-threatening injury.  The suspect remains under guard and upon release from the hospital will be booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Attempted Rape. 

The victim was not injured and did not require medical attention. 

Sexual Assault Unit detectives will have responsibility for the on-going investigation.

Just a heads up:  ‘Patrick’ is back claiming he’s our ‘new neighbor’ looking for money with some story.  He’s an average height, African American man in his 40s-50s with a scar on his face.  He’s wearing a black baseball cap and is riding a black bike.  Apparently he didn’t remember he had the same story about 6 months ago when he knocked on my door.  When I told him he had tried it before he said I had him mixed up with someone else.  If he knocks on your door don’t open the door to him – call the police.  He has left some of our neighbors on 20th and Pine/Madison feeling intimidated into giving money.

I’m coming out: I am a former Teach for America alum and I support Teach for America in Seattle-Tacoma. Because the system that we have in place is NOT working to help all of our students achieve, especially students of color. Look at this from Garfield High:

In the 2009-2010 School year, only 17% of African-American students, 29% of Chicano/Latino students, and 28% of low-income students scored at least proficient in the Math state exam. For that same exam 67% of Asian and 91% of White students scored proficient. This is a HUGE gap, and this gap has persisted for decades. Are you okay with these stats? Don’t they make you angry? This is from the State Report Cards: http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/strategicplan/schoolreports/014.pdf

There is more than one way to be trained as a teacher to effect change, and just because someone completed an education degree does NOT mean they will be more effective.

I am from Seattle and grew up in the Seattle Public Schools. My senior year of college I realized that I wanted to teach rather than work for a political think tank in DC like I had planned. Thankfully, Teach for America realizes that there are eager, brilliant, hard working, mission-driven people who realize “too late” that they can make a difference in a child’s life. So I went to the south and taught high school math. At the end of my second year of teaching in the Mississippi Delta, twice as many of my high school students passed the end-of-year state Algebra I exam as my colleague, who had been teaching for 15 years. Despite not having gone the “normal” teacher-prep route, I made a huge impact.

Then my single mom got cancer, so I moved back home to Seattle. I couldn’t teach because of state law – I would have to go back to graduate school to get licensed and couldn’t afford it. Not all of the TFA alums who don’t teach anymore stopped doing it because they were bad at it – I had family duty. For the last three years I have been working at a local youth-development non-profit, mentoring dozens of low-income high school students, helping them achieve at high school, and matriculate to college. Yes, I am not teaching, but I am part of the solution for helping our students achieve in life — it takes more than just the schools to help students create opportunities for themselves.

The Corp Members of TFA Seattle-Tacoma are 40% non-white, 33% were Pell Eligible in college, and more than half either went to K-12 or college in the northwest. (For comparison, Seattle Public School teachers are 84% white.) Many are bilingual. ALL are eager to give back to the community, driven to work with students, excited to be a part of a team at a school, and will be held accountable by TFA and with TFA’s support they will achieve. Principals should consider Teach for America Corp Members as candidates for their open positions at our neighborhood schools.

Don’t you want the best, most hard-working teachers teaching your kids? Or would you rather have a teacher just because they “did their time” and got credentialed the “right way”? Clearly, good teachers are good teachers – but some people become great teachers the non-traditional way, like TFA. Principals should consider Teach for America candidates in their interview process! Please contact your school district representative or local PTSA to show your support.

For more, read here: http://letitrainclosethegap.blogspot.com/

Mayor McGinn featured at September 22nd East Precinct Advisory CouncilXX

EastPAC formally launches with our inaugural meeting on Thursday, September 22^nd, 6 PM, with Mayor Mike McGinn as our featured speaker.  Seattle University has graciously provided the use of Pigott Auditorium, on campus, at 1016 E. Marion St.  Free parking will be available in campus parking lots. 

EastPAC’s meetings will continue monthly on the fourth Thursday at a new location: Seattle University’s Chardin Hall, Room 142, at 1020 East Jefferson. This is a great central meeting place in the East Precinct, easily accessible by bus and with plenty of free parking for attendees. 

Seattle University has been a key support and partner in our efforts, and we appreciate their collaboration!

Please note that there is no meeting in August.  Look for more updates and details about our holiday meeting schedule on our soon-to-be launched website: EastPAC.org.

For additional information, please contact Stephanie Tschida, EastPAC Chair, at [email protected].

Next Monday, August 29, at 6:00 P.M. at 824 12th Avenue (Seattle U. A. and A. Bldg.) a public meeting will be held to discuss the plans of Catholic Community Services for a neighborhood site.

At the meeting Catholic Community Services representatives will present their plans for renovating the building and providing housing and services at the SE corner of E. Spring and 13th Avenue (formerly a day care center). The plan is to create eighteen units of housing for homeless persons.

From a CCS letter describing the proposed project:

“We are working in partnership with the Veterans Administration to provide 18 units of housing for homeless veterans. … Veterans will be referred by the Veterans Administration and will receive coordinated case management services through both organizations.”

Among the criteria for eligibility for housing in the project, CCS lists the following:

“desire to lead a clean and sober lifestyle, willing to undergo a criminal background check, desire to make meaningful life changes leading to independent living.” CCS says that “case management services will be provided onsite.”

The major portion of the funds required to turn the former day care center into housing for eighteen is to be provided by the federal government. CCS is in the process of raising the remaining money. According to the CCS Web site, the Veterans Administration awarded CCS $1.1 million for the project. http://tinyurl.com/44xu7pt

As the Web site describes,

“the program will serve homeless Veterans who have unstable social networks, are unemployed or underemployed, may suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse. These men will have little or no resources to fall back on and will be in dire need of help and support to get back on their feet. Veterans may have acquired job skills while in the military, but many of those skills are not transferable to the jobs available in their community.

The program is designed to support each Veteran as they progress at their own pace. Resident progress will be closely monitored through ongoing assessments of individual goals. Monitored outcomes will include; improved residential stability, greater self-determination and increased income and/or job skills. These Veterans will be encouraged to participate in educational and vocational programs. Residents will be required to maintain sobriety while engaged in case management services designed to help them obtain and maintain permanent housing. Upon successful completion of the program, at least 6 months of aftercare case management and support will be provided to the independently housed Veteran ”

CCS anticipates starting construction in spring 2012 and the beginning of service in early 2013.. The contact person at CCS is Dan Wise, [email protected] Telephone: 206.324.5401.

When the neighborhood came together to keep the wading pool at Powell Barnett Park open this year, we didn’t know the summer was going to be so lackluster. Not that the summer hasn’t been nice and enjoyable, but we have not exactly gotten our $4,400 worth out the pool.

But it’s not over yet. Though August 20 was supposed to be the pool’s last day open, the city announced additional days for many wading pools around town, including Powell Barnett.

Opening day 2011

The wading pool is scheduled to be open from noon to 7 p.m. August 27 and September 3.

The pool was marked for closure by the city due to budget cuts, but a citizen-led effort formed to raise the money necessary to keep it open for the summer. With the help of Central District News and our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle, All-Purpose Pizza (a CDN advertiser) and 60 different community members, organizers raised the money needed to open the pool Saturdays for much of the summer.