Vote-bot Originally uploaded by mraaronmorris

(editors note: we’ll be liveblogging this here on the site and on twitter with hashtag #cdchs)

In brief: Candidates for “our” School Board position and all the candidates for City Council and Mayor will attend. 

Candidates will  give a brief introduction, be asked audience questions “drawn from the hat”, and in a final “lightning round” asked brief  question about our community (written 1 or 2 word answers) . You’ll be able to grab candidates before/afterwards and ask them your burning question.

To submit Lightning Round questions, go to:    http://tinyurl.com/lightning-round

When: Monday July 27th, 6 – 9 PM

Location: Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1634 – 19th Avenue (on 19^th Ave. & Madison). Ample parking.  Buses: 11 and 12 go right past, buses 8, 10, 43, 48 within a few blocks. Enter from the Madison Street / 20th Ave parking lot: door in the corner.

There’s more: candidates, Seattle Disposable Shopping Bag Referendum (pro/con), community groups will staff information tables.

See the attached flyers for details. Please print/distribute flyers to neighbors.

Volunteers to help run the event are needed: E-mail Andrew Taylor ([email protected]) or turn up at Mt .Zion anytime after 5:15.

Schedule: 6:00 Start: 5 minutes Welcome (Pastor), 5 minutes intro etc.
1) 6:10 School Board position 5: Cullen, Helmstetter, Bass, Smith-Blum
2) 6:35 Council position 2: Conlin, (Ginsberg can’t attend)
3) 6:50 Council position 6: Kaplan, Licata, Israel
4) 7:10 Council position 4: Bagshaw, Tobin, Carver, Plants, Bloom
5) 7:35: Council position 8: O’Brien, Williams, Forch, Miller, Royer, Rosencrantz
6) 8:05 Mayor: McGinn, Donaldson, Nickels, Mallahan, Garrett, Drago, Campbell, Sigler
7) 9:00. Thanks. Disband.

Questions: people are given color-coded postcards to write questions as they arrive: one card per race per person. Questions are 12 words or fewer. Questions go into separate boxes for each race. The moderator draws and reads each question: probably 3 questions per race.

Candidates will be seated and speak in the order that they will appear on the King County ballot (http://tinyurl.com/lmswx3).

Event is co-sponsored by many neighborhood groups (see flyer for details) and underwritten by CHS Capitol Hill Seattle.

In searching for the final piece of the series on Urban Agriculture, I wanted to discover something profoundly un-urban and out of the ordinary.  After visiting the bee hives featured in a previous article, I was directed up the street to a secluded home on 34th ave and promised a view of urban agriculture at its finest. I was not let down, and was introduced to the first legally born goats in Seattle in decades.

The backyard of DeeDee Burpee and Tom Beirley’s home was teeming with life. Gardens, bees, trees, chickens, and goats each contributed to an ecosystem that Burpee now considers their own home farm. It started four and a half years ago, when the family acquired hens for eggs and company. While they have always been gardening, the bees and goats are new as of last year. The goats are lively, friendly but a big commitment. “We go out and gather food for them every few days, and after the pregnancy, milk the mother every morning at 5:30 AM,” said Beirley. But they are still part of the family says Burpee, adding that they make good company on hikes and even around the backyard. 

The family’s friend, Jenny Grant, a local goat activist and head of the Goat Justice League, was the original provider of the family’s goats. Grant was the driving force behind the legislation to bring goats back into residential areas after they were banned during the urbanization era of the Seattle area.

The new code limits goat ownership to certain miniature goat breeds, and requires males to be dehorned and neutered. “The rules are fine,” said Beirley. “You really don’t want a unneutered male in your back yard. They smell terrible.”

Burpee and Beirley estimated it would cost only about $200 to $300 to adjust an average backyard for goats, but warns people of the level of responsibility involved with owning goats. If you are up for the challenge, the three three-week-old kids are looking for a good home, and someone experienced enough to take care of them.

Global warming is hitting us with a vengeance this week, with high temperatures in the mid-90s for several days on end. Here’s a replay of last year’s deep investigative piece on the easiest way to stay cool when the temperature climbs in our widely air-conditionerless land:

1. Go to the library! The beautifully remodeled Douglass-Truth branch at 23rd & Yesler keeps a nicely chilled indoor temperature, WIFI, and all sorts of ways to keep yourself entertained

2. Enjoy the art of the totally free Frye Art Museum and their stable environment of 72 degree air.  Just go west on Columbia, through Seattle U and the Swedish Campus, to just the other side of Boren.  They’ve got some great paintings in their collection, comfy places to sit, and a lot of peace, quiet, and cool.

3. Take a dip:  There’s a huge body of chilly water just over the hill from us, so pack up the dog and the kids and head east to Madrona beach and cool off in the 73 degree water of Lake Washington.   Be sure to take your $1.75 in change to grab the #2 bus and avoid the hot uphill walk back home.

4. Get an iced latte and read a book at the 23rd & Jackson Starbucks.  Sure, they’re just a big heartless corporation, but they’ve got enough capital to have air conditioning in their stores and a lack of environmental awareness to care about how much energy it requires.  Use it to your advantage.

5. See a movie at the air conditioned Columbia City Cinema. They’re showing the new Harry Potter, and it’s an easy ride south on the #48 bus. Update: CDNews sponsor Central Cinema has A/C too!

6. Unafraid of hospitals?  Check out the Providence ER waiting room at 16th & Cherry.  They’ve got A/C, flattering florescent lighting, free WIFI, and a 19 in. TV tuned to “Scrubs”. (btw – there’s a Starbucks in there too)

7. Cool Thai (new for 2009!) Go check out the new Thai restaurant in Madrona. It’s tasty, air-conditioned, and they’ve got some comfy day bed seating you can stretch out on.

The first house has negotiated the tight turn from Howell onto 33rd.
It should start heading down that street any minute now, allowing
house #2 to follow it around.

Sorry for the lack of updates- massive lack of AT&T coverage here. The
second house is moving across 34th now. The first has been holding at
33rd & Howell for about an hour.

It’s an amazing sight, and there’s still a big crowd even at midnight.

The two houses from the Epiphany School property had a successful ride down the hill to their new homes in Madison valley last night, making it without damage and right on schedule.

Here’s a video we put together of the move:

We’re heading up to Madrona in a few minutes to check out the big house moving operation, as two classic homes are moved down the hill to their new spots in Madison Valley.

We’ll be updating this thread with photos and progress updates, and you can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cdnlive 

Check back in the morning for a video we’ll be making of the move too.

The Leschi Community Council’s monthly festival is under way at Flo Ware Park at 28th & Jackson. The super-talented Jazz musicians from Washington Middle School just left the
stage. Next up is a folk duo, The Dharma Sisters, followed by what I’m told will be a really hot female vocalist.

There’s also plenty of shade, cold drinks, and snacks.

The Mt Zion Inspirational Choir is celebrating its 61st year with an outdoor performance until 3pm today.

They sound great, there’s cool shade to sit in, and I’m told they’ll have food later in the afternoon.

I just walked the Newshound over to 21st near Fir, where the Clean Greens team has set up their first fresh produce market of the season.

We got some beautiful squash and zuccini for 50 cents each.

They also have a big collection of spinach and other greens.

Check it out!