In late October, KUOW aired Tonya Mosley’s four-part series “Black in Seattle.” The series immediately struck a chord for listeners throughout the Puget Sound area. The discussion continued online, with a robust and eager audience.

Historic Seattle/Washington Hall and KUOW 94.9 will continue the conversation “offline” at Washington Hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13.

Reporter Tonya Mosley will moderate a diverse group of thought leaders in Seattle’s black community. Topics will include the dwindling black population in Seattle, the gentrification of Central Seattle, the lives of black artists, corporate politics, and the positives and negatives of making a life as a black person in Seattle.

Featuring Black Stax band members Jace ECAj and Felicia Loud, Hidmo’s founder Rahwa Habte, filmmaker Shaun Scott, and CD Forum’s Sharon N. Williams. Moderated by KUOW’s Program Venture Fund reporter Tonya Mosley.

About The Panelists

Jace ECAj is a member of the hip-hop crew Black Stax, an original member of the Silent Lambs Project, as well as one of the founders of the Dope Emporium Hip-Hop Festival.

Rahwa Habte is an organizer for One America. She was the co-founder of Hidmo, a restaurant and community space in the Central District. For her work through Hidmo, Rahwa was given Seattle University Albers School of Business’ first annual Red Winged Leadership Award in 2010. Rahwa serves on the board of The Vera Project and on the steering committee of HidmoNEXT.

Felicia Loud is a soul singer and performer. She is a member of the hip-hop crew Black Stax and also records and performs with her band The Soul.

Tonya Mosley is an award-winning journalist, producer and media coach. Tonya’s work is currently featured on Al Jazeera America, Seattle Channel, Huffington Post, KUOW 94.9, Seattle Magazine, GoodEnoughMother.com and TheGrio.com. She is the recipient of KUOW’s Project Venture Fund, creating the piece “Black in Seattle.”

Shaun Scott is an independent filmmaker from Seattle. His first film, “Seat of Empire: Seattle Since 1909,” was the recipient of a 2008 Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs City-Artist Award. He is currently at work on his second project, a critical panorama of 20th century capitalism and consumption, entitled “Waste of Time: Capitalism, Consumption, and the Quest for Renewal.”

Sharon N. Williams is the managing director at Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas. She is also the producing director of The Mahogany Project.

Historic Seattle/Washington Hall and KUOW 94.9 Present: “Black In Seattle: Continuing The Conversation”

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Washington Hall

Featuring Black Stax Band Members Jace ECAj & Felicia Loud, Hidmo’s Founder Rahwa Habte, Filmmaker Shaun Scott, and CD Forum’s Sharon N. Williams. Moderated by KUOW’s Program Venture Fund Reporter Tonya Mosley.

Wednesday November 13, 2013

Washington Hall

153 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

6:00 P.M.

FREE

SEATTLE, WA – In late October, KUOW aired Program Venture Fund reporter Tonya Mosley’s four-part series “Black in Seattle”. The series immediately struck a chord for listeners throughout Puget Sound. The discussion continued online, with a robust and eager audience. Historic Seattle/Washington Hall and KUOW 94.9 will continue the conversation “offline” at Washington Hall on at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 13th.

To listen and learn more information about the event, and the “Black in Seattle” series on KUOW, go to http://kuow.org/topic/black-seattle

About the Panelists:

Jace ECAj is a member of the hip hop crew Black Stax, an original member of the Silent Lambs Project, as well as one of the founders of the Dope Emporium Hip Hop Festival.

Rahwa Habte is an organizer for One America. She was the co-founder of Hidmo, a restaurant and community space in the Central District. For her work through Hidmo, Rahwa was awarded Seattle University Alber’s School of Business’ first annual Red Winged Leadership Award in 2010. Rahwa serves on the Board of The Vera Project, and on the Steering Committee of HidmoNEXT.

Felicia Loud is a soul singer and performer. She is a member of the hip hop crew Black Stax and also records and performs with her band The Soul.

Tonya Mosley is an award winning journalist, producer and media coach. Tonya’s work is currently featured on Al Jazeera America, Seattle Channel, Huffington Post, KUOW 94.9, Seattle Magazine, GoodEnoughMother.com and TheGrio.com. She is the recipient of KUOW’s Project Venture Fund, creating the piece “Black in Seattle”.

Shaun Scott is an independent filmmaker from Seattle. His first film, “SEAT OF EMPIRE: SEATTLE SINCE 1909″, was the recipient of a 2008 Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs City-Artist Award. He is currently at work on his second project, a critical panorama of 20th century capitalism and consumption, entitled “WASTE OF TIME: Capitalism, Consumption, and the Quest for Renewal.”

Sharon N. Williams is the Managing Director at Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas. She is also the Producing Director of The Mahogany Project.

Washington Hall is a historic, non-profit, community building that is available for events, performances, meetings, classes and rehearsals. Built in 1908 by the Danish Brotherhood, Washington Hall has been an anchor in the Central District for more than 100 years. The building has served as a hub for social and cultural activities for a broad ethnic community. The Hall was host to the first jazz performance in Seattle, and has hosted luminary African American performers and leaders including Marcus Garvey, Jimi Hendrix, Marian Anderson, and Duke Ellington. In 1973, the Sons of Haiti, an African-American Masonic Lodge, purchased the building and continued the tradition of hosting performing arts. Washington Hall was also the original home of On the Boards from 1978-1995. Historic Seattle acquired Washington Hall in 2009, saving it from demolition.

Washington Hall’s mission is to create a transformative space in Seattle’s Central District that honors the history of Washington Hall and is a home for arts & culture that reflects its legacy. The renovation of Washington Hall is a Historic Seattle community development project that will help revitalize the neighborhood and makes the building available for public use. Our community partners – Hidmo, 206 Zulu, and Voices Rising – will serve as anchor organizations of the fully restored building. To learn more about Washington Hall, Historic Seattle, and its partners, please visit www.washingtonhall.org.

KUOW is the region’s public radio station for news, information and cultural programming. It serves the Puget Sound region, Western Washington and Southern British Columbia at 94.9FM, Bellingham, WA at KQOW, 90.3FM and Olympia, WA at 1340AM. KUOW 94.9 and KUOW2 are streamed live at kuow.org and KUOW, KUOW2 and KUOW3 are broadcast in crystal clear HD Radio technology. KUOW is a founding member of NPR, an affiliate of American Public Media, Public Radio International and the Northwest News Network, and is a member of the Associated Press. The station is operated by KUOW/ Puget Sound Public Radio (PSPR) under an agreement with the University of Washington, KUOW’s licensee. PSPR is a community board governed, private non-profit corporation established in 2000. For more information, go to kuow.org, twitter.com/kuow or facebook.com/kuowpublicradio.

Police seek mentally ill man after woman clubbed over head in Jackson car jacking attempt

Posted on November 9, 2013 by jseattle

A woman was found struck over the head and bleeding after an attempted car jacking in an International District restaurant’s parking lot Friday night. The incident was captured on surveillance video and a suspect familiar to police has been identified.

Police were called to the scene in the 1000 block of S. Jackson just after 5:30 PM Friday after a 911 caller reported there had been a struggle and a collision in the parking lot and a woman was bleeding from the head.

Police reviewed surveillance video and identified a known mentally ill man who frequents the area between the ID and 12th and Jackson and is often seen panhandling. The heavyset, near-200 pound Asian male shed his bloody jacket nearby. Police also found the club used in the attack at the scene.

An immediate search for the suspect came up empty.

Kay Smith-Blum Community Meeting is this Saturday Morning.at Douglas Truth

Posted on November 9, 2013 by joanna

Kay Smith-Blum, Seattle School Board, District 5

PLEASE JOIN ME

Community Meeting

Saturday November 9, 2013

9:00-10:30am

DOUGLAS TRUTH LIBRARY

23rd St & Yesler Way

(note: new location)

Sunday Sippers — Bordeaux Bargains

It isn’t hard to find cheap Bordeaux, but finding inexpensive ones that taste like the real thing takes a bit of work. This Sunday we’ll have two new arrivals open for tasting that fit the bill.

2011 Camelot la Chapelle Bordeaux ($10) 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc A young and fresh Bordeaux with leather and mineral aromas and more cassis flavors than you expect for the money.

2007 Chateau Marsau Côtes de Francs ($11) Merlot The 2007 vintage of Marsau is not a ripe as the 2005, but the structure is still there and the fruit is tasty if not massive. Unbelievable at this price.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Pull, Twist, Blow: Transforming the Kingdom of Glass

Pull, Twist, Blow: Transforming the Kingdom of Glass introduces the work of young, innovative Swedish glass artists. Glass is a part of everyday life for people all over the world, and in Sweden glass art is considered an institution. For many years, glass art in the country was defined by traditional techniques and patterns passed down through an apprentice system at glass factories in Glasriket (The Kingdom of Glass) in the region of Småland, where 15 of Sweden’s 16 glassworks are located. Following consolidations, buyouts, closure, and the globalization of the Swedish glass industry, new artists are interested in exploring their own artistic voices and challenging expectations of what glass should be.

The exhibition Pull, Twist, Blow: Transforming the Kingdom of Glass reveals the works of young, contemporary Swedish glass artists, how they relate to their predecessors, and how they are addressing the future of glass.

Nordic artists featured in the exhibit include Peter Hermansson, Annika Jarring, Åsa Jungnelius, Ingalena Klenell, Simon Klenell, Helena Kågebrand, Matilda Kästel, Ludvig Löfgren, Fredrik Nielsen, and Karl Magnus Nilsson.

In collaboration with the Glass Factory in Boda, Sweden, and specifically for this exhibition, each of the artists selected objects from the Glass Factory’s extensive collection to use as a reference to create their own original work. The pieces that served as inspiration will be displayed alongside the new works, including pieces by Monica Backström, Kjell Engman, Hertha Hillfon, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Erik Höglund, Vicke Lindstrand, Bengt Lindström, and Bertil Vallien.

Changes and cuts possible for Central District bus routes

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Megan Hill

Major changes and cuts to many of Seattle’s bus routes loom if lawmakers don’t take steps to shore up King County Metro’s budget. Metro’s proposed service cuts include eliminating routes 4 and 27 entirely and changing routes 2, 3, 7 and others.

Metro says they’ve taken steps to avoid coming to this point, having already cut costs, raised fares, and put other efficiencies in place. But temporary funding from the state expires in June, and if lawmakers don’t step in, we’ll see drastic route reductions city-wide. Metro proposes eliminating 74 routes and changing 107 routes, resulting in 33 routes likely becoming more crowded. Though a bit of a scare tactic to spur Olympia to action, this could become a reality.

You can provide feedback on the cutbacks to [email protected]. A meeting will be held December 10th in downtown Seattle to discuss the cuts.

Downtown Seattle Service Reduction Public Meeting
Tue, December 10, 12pm – 2pm
Where: Union Station, 401 S Jackson Street, Seattle
Created by [email protected]
Description: Come talk with Metro staff about the service reduction proposal. The meeting will be an open house format – with the option to participate in a short, interactive presentation and small group discussion from 1-1:30 pm.

You can also provide feedback via Metro’s service survey. The entirety of the cutback plan once short term funding dries up next June is available here.

Who will lead the (hopefully) United Neighborhoods of District 3?

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Bryan Cohen

Like it or not, district-based city council seats will be here in 2015. As of Thursday’s last count, nearly 65% of Seattle voters approved Charter Amendment 19 to drastically re-calibrate the city’s top elected body. Under the new arrangement the city will have seven district-based council seats and two at large representatives, with the Central District falling in Seattle District 3.

District-based council seats represent a historic shift in the political dynamics of the city and will likely cast a microscope over neighborhood politics. Madison Park moms, Seattle Central Community College students, and Central District old-timers will now all be jostling to elect and influence one single council member in the Fighting Third.

A lot of political rising and falling can happen in two years, so District 3 candidate predictions may be premature. Who would run if the elections were held today? Wyking Garrett? Sandy Cioffi? Bobby Forch? Dominic Holden? Jason Lajeunesse? Toss out your best guesses/nominations in comments.

Kshama Sawant, your first District 3 Council alderperson? (Image: CHS)

One person who definitely won’t be running is Madrona resident Richard Conlin, who announced his plans Wednesday to not seek reelection after his two-year term. Conlin went through a bruising campaign this cycle against firebrand socialist Kshama Sawant. District 3′s first Council chief might not be a very interesting discussion by the time the final 2013 votes are counted. Sawant’s camp believes the late tallies have swung so far toward the Socialist Alternative candidate’s favor that she’ll win the race outright. District 3, your first leader might already be in place.

Those running for district seats must reside in the district, but are only required to have lived there for 120 days prior to being elected. Council members must also stay in the district throughout their term in office. At-large candidates can live anywhere in the city. According to the charter amendment the districts will be redrawn every decade to account for population shifts.

One upside of the boundaries is that demographic changes in the district will be easy to track. Eastlake aside, the three Capitol Hill and Central District zip codes — 98122, 98102, and 98112 — are a near mirror of the District 3 boundaries. District 3 may also have the widest household income range of any other district in the city, from the near $250K average annual incomes in Broadmoor, to an $18K average annual income in one Yesler Terrace precinct.

The changeover from all at-large to mostly district representation will be a little tricky and won’t be fully on-track until 2017. That’s when the two at large council members will be elected to 4-year terms; district representatives will run for 4-year terms starting in 2015. Here are the details of the transition from King County Elections:

To make the change to districts, the five council members elected in the 2011 City Council elections would serve their present terms ending on December 31, 2015, and the four council members elected in the 2013 City Council elections would serve two-year terms also ending on December 31, 2015. In 2015, the two at-large council members would be elected to two-year terms ending on December 31, 2017, and the seven district council members would be elected to four year terms ending on December 31, 2019. Thereafter, all members would be elected to four-year terms.

Seattle District 3 includes Capitol Hill and the Central District as well as the heavily residential, homeowner dominated neighborhoods of Madison Park, Madrona, and Montlake. Critics of the boundaries have argued that the map was drawn up based on irrelevant geographic boundaries that disenfranchised denser neighborhoods by splitting them apart.

District supporters have promised greater accountability from elected officials. For many that will mean having a one stop complaint-line for any issue, instead of having to look up which council member chairs the relevant committee.

The new district representatives will also presumably be an important voice on wider neighborhood issues. Where current at-large council members can afford to dither on neighborhood nit-and-grit, the District 3 rep would likely be pressed to take a stance on specific issues.

Most of District 3 is contained east of I-5, but there are two notable exceptions. According to the Districts Now! map, District 3 takes a strip of downtown blocks between 5th and 6th Avenues to include the King County jail, SPD headquarters, and the municipal court. A small chunk of South Lake Union included in the district scoops up The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research campus and Lake Union Park.

Seattle-Districts-Now_7-2_Map.pdf

Brighton Beach Memoirs

Garfield Drama Club presents Brighton Beach Memoirs, a Neil Simon play, which follows the coming of age of a fifteen-year-old boy in the late 1930s and the challenges his family faces at the tail end of the Depression and the early rumblings of World War II. Despite the family’s struggles, their story remains poignant, funny, and ultimately uplifting. This Drama Club Production is directed by the Drama Club President Anika Grevstad and stars an amazing cast and crew of talented Garfield students. Performances are November 7-9 and November 14-16 at 7pm in the Quincy Jones Auditorium. Tickets for are $5 for students/ seniors/staff and are $10 for adults; buy now at ShowTix4U. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Thanksgiving in North Italy Wine Tasting

This Saturday we are pouring a flight of delicious wine from the north of Italy (ok, we’ll dip down to Tuscany, but let’s not get picky). These wines are good for drinking anytime, but it just so happens that they are all great pairings for the Thanksgiving meal. Forget what the pilgrims drank, match up some of these great wines with your good food.

2012 Cantina Sassarini, Cinque Terre $20 60%Bosco withAlbarola and Vermentino Cinque Terre (Five Lands) sits on the northwest coast of Italy with steep mountains covered by bands of vineyards that slope down towards the sea in the Province of La Spezia. To cultivate every 2.5 acres of vines on these dangerous slopes takes about 3,000 working days, but it is worth it. This distinctive white is dry, with notes of salt, a full fruity mid body and lingering aromatics. It will beat out the Chardonnay on T day.

2012 Tenuta Col Sandago, Wildbacher Brut Rose $20 Tenuta ColSandago, nestled among the hills of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, in Veneto, is the only vineyard in Italy to grow Wildbacher (wild stream), an Austrian grape that makes great rosé. The Brut Rosé is an elegant, pale pink sparkling wine with a delicate floral nose, notes of strawberry and raspberry, a fine creamy mousse and refreshing finish. Excellent with the big bird.

2012 Campodelsole, Durano, Sangiovese di Romagna $10 Campodelsole (field of sun) in Emilia Romagna sits on a hill with the mountains behind and the sea in front. The area has been farmed and inhabited since before the Roman times. Replanting in the vineyard requires workers to stop numerous times to pick Roman pottery and amphoras out of the field. The Durano is the winery’s young and fresh Sangiovese, full of fruit and a perfect quaffing wine for an Autumnal banquet.

2011 Terre di Gioia,Marzemino $15 Marzemino Gentile is an indigenous grape in Trentino in the Alto Adige. Mozart mentions the wine in Don Giovanni. The Marzemino has medium body, a dark ruby almost purple color but with a delicate and unmistakable nose of violets. The taste is fragrant of wild cherries and bilberries. The wine is a perfect referee for the cranberry/stuffing smackdown.

2009 Canneto, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano $23 Canneto’s estate vineyard is 20hectares of vines in the heart of Tuscany with 15 hectares enrolled for their Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but only the best make the cut. The wine is aged in a mix of Slavonia oak casks and French oak tonneaux for two years before release. The Nobile is a delicious Sangiovese, combining structure and dry-extract with a fruit forward, and a hedonistic, finely balanced mouthfeel. Great with gravy.

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