Seattle Department of Transportation invites Central District residents to a discussion of  the impact transportation choices have on communities from a health and equity perspective, and is part of the recently announced “Walk Bike Ride” initiative.  

The discussion will be moderated by C.R. Douglas, host of Seattle Channel Programs Ask the Mayor and City Inside/Out

Panelists will include:

Jen Cole is the director of the Safe Routes to School Program at Feet First. Safe Routes to School programs aim to increase the number of students walking and biking to school safely.

Dr. Ben Danielson is a pediatrician at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. Located in Seattle’s Central District, the clinic provides medical, dental and mental health care under one roof to all families regardless of their ability to pay.

Ed Ewing is the director of the Major Taylor Project at the Cascade Bicycle Club, which has the mission of creating a multicultural bicycling community where teenagers have equal opportunity to spend time outdoors and on a bicycle.

Carla Saulter, “Bus Chick”, blogs for www.seattlepi.com. Carla is a third-generation Seattleite (on her dad’s side) and is one of a growing number of Seattleites who have chosen to live without a car. She takes the bus everywhere she goes.

Anne Vernez Moudon, Dr. es Sc., Professor of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. She also directs the Urban Form Lab, which studies neighborhood and street design, non-motorized transportation, and physical activity.

Wednesday, May 26^th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Yesler Community Center
917 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122

Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

From the cloud-covered streets of Seattle’s East Precinct:

We got a press release from SDOT yesterday detailing the performance results after Stone Way was narrowed up in Fremont/Wallingford. There was much controversy at the time that project was proposed in 2006, with area businesses and residents fearing long backups and more congestion.

But two years after the project was completed, the city has data that shows the reduction to two lanes from four was a big success:

Motor vehicles now travel at speeds nearer the legal limit;

Total collisions dropped 14 percent with injury collisions down 33 percent; 

Pedestrian collisions declined significantly; 

Bike trips increased 35 percent but collisions per bicycle trip have declined; and

Volumes show the roadway still easily accommodates motor vehicle traffic.

Could this be a model for our own 23rd Avenue?

According to city data, Stone Way served 15,200 vehicles per day in 2008. That compares to 15,100 vehicles per day on 23rd Avenue here in the Central District (last measured in 2006).

That would appear to suggest that it’s an option. Stay tuned for more data next year when the city studies adding off-peak parking to 23rd.

Saturday between 5:30 and 8 pm we ran into the same panhander 3 times.  The first time was in the Madison Market garage.  By the time we finished there, we saw him going into the Trader Joe’s garage.  Awhile later he was down on 21st and Union and tried to hit us up again. 

Then yesterday about 4 pm, Monday, there was a door to door scammer (I guess) saying he was collecting money for a girls’ service project for Washington Middle School .  He had some magazines, City Arts I think, and a ten dollar bill.  The rap went something like:  you don’t reconize me because I cut off my dreds, (his head was shaved), your neighbor across the street is contributing,  blah blah blah (more fast talk).  I said I don’t give money to people at the door, but tell me where  the organization is based.  More fast talk.  He asked for 21 cents and then 1 cent.  Then he took off across the street.

Just to let you know.

Hours 9am – 1:30pm Saturday and Sunday only!

Due to the layout of our kitchen and the nature of our menu, we ask for patience as we adjust in these early weeks of service! The food served last weekend during our trial run was spectacular and we are excited to bring weekend breakfast to the CD (that is family friendly and delicious! And, yes, there WILL be mimosas!)

Small tweaks may occur to the menu with community feedback! Bear with us as we evolve!

On a side note – APP will close down between breakfast (1:30pm) and our regular pizza (4pm) service to clean up and switch to pizza production (which is entirely different than breakfast!)

Sincerely,

Kedra & The APP staff! (who are the ones who convinced me to open for breakfast! They are super excited!)

We’ve compiled the latest set of crime data from the city of Seattle for the first three months of 2010, showing a small drop in overall crime compared to the same period in 2009. February was an especially quiet month, marking the lowest level of overall crime in the neighborhood since the city’s modern statistic gathering started in January of 2008.

The decline was led by a major decline in robberies and assaults, bringing the total down in spit of significant increases in burglaries and auto thefts:

• Robberies*: 22 incidents, down 44% vs. Q1 2009
• Assaults: 92 incidents, down 19%
• Thefts: 323 incidents, up 1%
• Burglaries: 103 incidents, up 8%
• Auto Thefts: 53 incidents, up 51%
• Total: 597 incidents, down 1%

The change in the stats were not uniform across the neighborhood, with the northeastern area seeing a large increase, the northwest area a large decrease, and little change in the southwest and southeast police beats that cover the Central District:

• C3 (Montlake, Madison Park, Madison Valley, northern Madrona): up 22%
• G1 (Squire Park): down 21%
• G2 (Jackson Place, Judkins, Colman): down 1%
• G3 (Garfield, Leschi, southern Madrona): up 1%

You can see from this graph covering the last two years that the first half of the year is generally the quietest of all. Be prepared for a seasonal increase in burglaries and thefts as the weather gets nicer and school lets out.

* Layman’s definition of property crimes:

• Robbery: When violence is used or threatened to steal something
• Burglary: When someone enters a residence or business to steal something
• Theft: When something is stolen from inside an unoccupied structure, from inside a vehicle, shoplifting, pickpocket, or other unattended property
• Auto Theft: When a vehicle is stolen

Two weeks after Garfield’s history-making first-place finish at the Essentially Ellington jazz competition, the mayor and city council have declared today as Garfield High School Jazz Band Day.

The proclamation cites their fourth first-place win at Ellington, their other wins around the country, and the history of band director Clarence Acox Jr. as key reasons for the day of honor.

WHEREAS, The city of Seattle is one of the nation’s most dynamic music cities, where a rich history feeds a lifestyle of musical innovation, inspiration, and talent, including young musicians whose creativity enhances our cultural life and inpires our community; and

WHEREAS, Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble captured first place in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the most prestigious high school music competition in the United States; and

WHERAS, Garfield won the competition for an unprecendented fourth time in the past decade and is the only band to win the competition in consecutive years, placing first in 2009, 2004, and 2003; and

WHEREAS, The basics such as reading, writing and math are an important part of a quality education; the arts – including music education – are integral to a complete education; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Acox Jr. – an instrumental figure in the Seattle music scene – has nurtured young musicians for the past 39 years as director of jazz bands at Garfield High School, demonstrating that a well-rounded music education can be key ot a student’s success in life and learning; and

WHEREAS, The Garfield Jazz Ensemble has toured Europe; performed with jazz greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Quincy Jones and Ernestine Anderson; won every major high-school jazz competition on the West Coast; and is rightfully regarded as a legendary part of Seattle’s jazz culture,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE MAYOR AND SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL THAT MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010, SHALL BE

GARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND DAY

A scanned PDF of the proclamation with signatures is attached above.

Itaska Lee-Russey and Issac Pearson, students at Garfield High, join more than 40 young writers on stage at the Seattle Public Library 6 p.m. May 27. Itaska and Issac will read poetry and prose crafted under the guidance of Garfield Writer-in-residence Eli Hastings. Thanks to Seattle Art and Lectures’ Writers in Schools (WITS) program, Hastings conducted creative writing workshops with students at Garfield High during a year-long residency

Chosen for their outstanding creative writing, Itaska and Issac will read their works before a crowd of over 300 people during the WITS end-of-year reading and celebration. This free event is open to the public and celebrates the best student writing over two evenings. Elementary and middle school students will read at 6 p.m. May 26, and high school students on May 27 at 6 p.m. at Seattle Public Library.

The Writers in the Schools (WITS) program matches a local, creative writer with a school district to design lesson plans that follow the curriculum, goals, and standards of the classroom, engage students in writing and build self-confidence. The program aims to invigorate both students and teachers with fresh ideas and encouragement.

Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers in the Schools program, founded in 1994, believes that through working collaboratively with classroom teachers and professional, published creative writers, students are empowered to become authors of their own lives. WITS writers-in-residence provide a meaningful role model for every student. Since 1994, the program has served 67,500 K-12 public school students and 1,200 teachers in the Puget Sound region. Parents and teachers interested in bringing WITS to local schools should contact Rebecca Hoogs, Seattle Arts & Lectures Director of Education Programs, at [email protected] or 206-621-2230 x18. For more information about the WITS program, visit www.lectures.org/wits.

I have a beautiful 6mo old puppy I take with me whenever I can. She’s got long legs and needs a lot of exercise, so we walk a lot on my days off. I would love to run errands with her, but I know that she can be pretty excitable. She may decide to jump up on someone. She may try to steal some kid’s stuffed animal. So I don’t. I only run errands with her when I am with another person who is willing to stay outside and keep my pup from doing things she shouldn’t. I work hard at being a responsible dog-owner. My dog is well-socialized and loves both people and dogs. If a dog indicates in any way that it does not appreciate her presence (by snarling at her or barking or growling), she runs. She’s really good at taking the hint.

We were just walking by Healeo and there was a light red Siberian Husky (I think) tied up outside. As we passed, my dog and this dog touched noses and sniffed each other a tiny bit, then this dog lunged at my pup and bit her shoulder. (it wasn’t a play bite) My dog yelped and leaped back. No blood was drawn. No injury sustained. But that dog gave no warning growl, snarl, or bark, it went straight for biting. This is the kind of behavior you should be aware of from your dog. If you do know you dog will do this, it is your responsibility to protect passersby and their pets from that behavior. You could sit outside on the beautiful, sunny day so that you can keep a closer eye on your dog. You could tie your dog closer to the bike rack so that it has room to sit, stand, and lie down, but not lunge and bite.

If your dog, which is tied up outside a business while you are inside, bites my dog as we walk by, the *very least* you could do is apologize. Asking me how I know who was bitten and who did the biting is ridiculous. Telling me I need to calm down may be true (in this case was true), but it is not helpful. You are responsible for your dog’s behavior. If your dog bit my dog, the steps you have taken to control it are insufficient. Try harder.

Fatal Lucciauno is a former Cherry block guy in his early 20s, well aware of both Deuce 8 and Flo Ware, and also one of the best rappers in the city. Area nightclubs routinely pay him decent money to perform, more than I’m assuming Parks & Rec/Leschi Community Council did, and seeing as Fatal was otherwise spending his day moving into a new apartment, not to mention the fact he had a show later that night in Centralia, it said something to me that he showed up to play a park jam in the middle of the day for a bunch of old people and their kids/grandkids. 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/matsononmusic/20119384