An elderly man and woman were hit in a crosswalk Thursday night on Roy St at 1st Ave N. Witnesses said the vehicle went through the red light prior to striking the pedestrians.

The male pedestrian rolled onto the hood of the vehicle and struck his head on the windshield.  Both victims were taken to Harborview for evaluation.

Police say the driver showed no signs of impairment and was released at the scene pending further investigation.  Fortunately neither victim appeared to have any life-threatening injuries.

One of our readers, possibly inspired by the beautiful summer weather, posted a poem about Queen Anne’s many virtues in our forum. And it definitely put a smile on my face.

Wordancediva wrote,

Why doth our lovely Queen Ann reign
In this city, these times, of bitter rain?
Why such a jewel is our Ann so fair?
Outshining the outlook so bleak so bare?
It’s the surety of houses in family care
It’s the plenty of groceries to take home from there
It’s the children skipping as they’re tagging along
The sense of a life for which we all so long.
It’s an actual book store where we can feed on words
Calm cafe’s where to linger afterwards,
And especially, why Queen Ann is so dear to me
Is that here, in Queen Ann, the parking is free.

This isn’t the first time a poet has graced our hallowed hill. Back in October 13-year-old Queen Anne-er Maddie Quinn shared her piece “How to be a good Barbie,” and we’ve been known to have a “pie-ku” or two performed at the Queen Anne Farmers Market.

Do you have a lyric or two you’d like to share about the neighborhood? Comment below!

There’s nothing like Thursdays at the Queen Anne Farmers Market. Check out what’s going on this week:

Thursday, July 29

• 3 to 5 p.m.—Music by Tinker’s Dram
• 4 p.m.—Chef Demo with Natalie Divergigeles of the 5 Spot
• 5:30 p.m.—Special Event: Join a live taping of the food and comedy podcast Spilled Milk with food writers and authors Matthew Amster-Burton, of Hungry Monkey, and Molly Wizenberg, of Orangette.net and A Homemade Life.
• 6 to 7 p.m.—Music by Dustin James
• 6 p.m.—Gluten-Free Cooking Demo with Jeanne Sauvage of Four Chickens

The featured nonprofit this week is the Queen Anne Community Center. As always the market will be from 3 to 7 p.m. on W. Crockett Street at Queen Anne Ave N.

A week from tomorrow night is Seattle’s annual “Night Out,” a national crime prevention event. The Seattle Police Department will allow you to close your street for no fee on August 3, when block parties will happen across the city:

Seattle has had a long history of supporting Night Out. The program has been growing every year, with over 1,200 neighborhoods participating in 2009. This type of community participation is what makes Seattle a great place to live.

The event is a unique opportunity to bring your neighbors together, welcome new neighbors, talk about crime prevention and Block Watch efforts, and mainly just have a great time with food, music, games – whatever you want. The creativity we’ve seen of what neighborhoods come up with is amazing.

Night Out is a great way to meet your neighbors, share some food and drink, and catch up. We have neighbors who we only see once a year, at our block party. These soirees don’t need to be contained to one block, either. We pass out hundreds of invitations with our neighbors every year for our annual party.

If you’re having a block party on Night Out, we’d love to hear about it so we can take pictures to share the next day on Queen Anne View and with our news partner The Seattle Times.

Feel free to leave a comment here with your street info or send us email at tips@queenanneview.com.

Haven’t signed up yet? Register here.

400 firefighters throughout Seattle have raised more than $100,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

During the “Fill the Boot” campaign on July 15th and 16th, firefighters stood on street corners around town collecting coins, cash and checks for the non-profit. “MDA would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all drivers who dropped their dollars and change into the boots of Fire Fighters,” the press release from the MDA states. In total, drivers around Seattle donated $102,731.

That overdue library book may soon cost you a little more.  The Seattle Public Library is considering a hike in fines to help offset its budget woes.  Here’s a look at some of the proposed fines:

• The daily fine for an overdue book, CD, or DVD would change from 15 cents a day to 25 cents a day.
• The daily fine for an overdue interlibrary loan (an item borrowed from outside The Seattle Public Library) would change from 25 cents a day to $1 a day.
• The daily fine for an overdue reference resource would change from 15 cents a day to $1 a day.

The Library Board will take public comment on the proposed changes at its 4:30pm Wednesday, Aug. 25 meeting at the Central Library on 4th Avenue.

Traffic note: The right curb lane heading in the northbound direction of the Ballard Bridge will be closed on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. so Seattle Department of Transportation crews can repair a damaged water line.

SDOT crews will also be closing lanes on southbound Aurora Ave N today so that undergrowth along the roadway may be mowed. Rolling closures on the curb lane will to happening from 9 a.m. to noon from W. Raye Street to W. Galer Street. Bus stops will remain open.

This was supposed to be the first day of work on the controversial Nickerson Street diet. But as of 11am, there was no sign of any work being done at all.

SDOT update at 2:30pm: The contractor plans to mobilize today and set up the no parking signs. Either this afternoon or tomorrow they will begin preliminary layout of the new channelization.  Once they have completed the preliminary layout, SDOT will review and approve the layout prior to the permanent pavement markings.  Grinding or removal of the existing pavement markings and installation of the permanent pavement markings are scheduled to begin on Monday, August 2.

The first phase of work also involves putting in new concrete panels at Etruria Street and new curb ramps in various locations. Then, crews will resurface the asphalt pavement on Nickerson between Etruria Street and 4th Avenue North. Once the paving project is finished, Nickerson will get a facelift that has divided the community.

The scene today.

Between Warren Avenue N and 13th Avenue W, the new roadway will have only one driving lane in each direction and a center two-way turn lane. There will be an uphill bicycle lane, and a downhill sharrow. Pedestrian crossing improvements, including new marked crosswalks, will be installed at 12th Avenue W, Cremona Street, and Dravus Street.

Normal working hours will be between 7am and 4pm. Grinding off the top layer of asphalt and repaving of the roadway is expected to occur at night and is scheduled to take a total of 3 days during the first and second weeks in August. Here is the work schedule:

• July 26 until first week of August – New concrete panels at Etruria Street and new curb ramps in various locations
• Two days during the first week of August – Asphalt grinding (pavement removal)
• First and second weeks of August — Roadway base repairs and utility adjustments
• One day later in the week of August 9 – 13: Asphalt pavement overlay
• First three to four weeks of August – Remove and replace channelization/pavement striping
• Last part of August – Finalize work and clean up

You can follow the project on SDOT’s webpage.

If you like both Trophy Cupcakes and Bumbershoot, here’s a way to get your sugar fix and help kids go to the music and arts festival in September.

Stop in to any of Trophy’s three locations to pick up limited-edition cupcakes, featuring designs by some of the artists whose work adorned Bumbershoot posters and artwork over the past 40 years. The cupcakes will be available through September 6.

The Bumbershoot cupcakes sell for $3.50 each, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Send a Kid program, which partners with Art with Heart and Arts Corps to help send underserved youth to Bumbershoot with an accompanying adult.

One of our readers spotted a film crew outside the 5 Spot on Upper Queen Anne early Sunday morning (and by early, I mean around 2 a.m.!) A. A. wrote,

I just walked past the 5 Spot and saw them filming the movie “Grassroots” there. Jason Biggs and Lauren Ambrose were in the scene.

A little IMDB-ing told me that Grassroots is “the shocking true story of the 2001 Seattle race for City Council seat #8. Here’s the synopsis from IMDB:

After losing his job, a journalist reluctantly agrees to help his oddball friend with his bid to earn a seat on the Seattle City Council.

Grassroots is being directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, father of Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal, who also adapted the screenplay. The film has been shooting all over town, including in Phinney Ridge/Greenwood, Capitol Hill and elsewhere around town. I myself did not remember this race, but the folks over at Phinneywood did:

If that sounds familiar, it’s based on the true story of Phil Campbell (who used to work for The Stranger before becoming campaign manager) and Grant Cogswell, who ran for city council here in Seattle in 2001. Campbell wrote a book, “Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics,” which was adapted for “Grassroots.”

The grand opening of the Church of Scientology’s new building on lower Queen Anne will be held this Saturday (7/24) at 300 W. Harrison Street.  As a result, SDOT will close the following streets from 9 am to 10pm on Saturday:

W Harrison Street between Elliott Ave W and Second Ave W

Third Ave W between W Republican Street and W Thomas Street

Fourth Ave W between W Republican Street and Elliott Ave W

SDOT will also close several streets in that area starting at 6pm tonight for set up. Expect heavy congestion.

The man who scaled the KIRO 7 TV tower on Queen Anne last week has been ordered to stay away from that tower for at least two years.  Joseph Anthony Pidgeon was released from jail yesterday.

The City Attorney’s office tells us Pidgeon pleaded guilty to second degree Criminal Trespass.  He received a sentence of 90 days in jail, of which 80 days were suspended.  A $1000 fine was also suspended.

Some people are going door to door in several Seattle neighborhoods pretending to be members of the UW Rugby team. They try to sell homeowners a magazine subscription, saying the funds will go to help the team pay for a trip to Australia. The team decided to put a message on their website to warn of the fraud and offer a real way to donate to the team (even though they aren’t going to Australia). Thanks to our friends at the West Seattle Blog for first reporting the problem.

Are you ready for another week at the Queen Anne Farmers Market? Check out the lineup here:

Thursday, July 22

• 3 to 5 p.m. – Music by Squirrel Butter
• 4 p.m. – Chef Demo with Craig Serbousek (of Queen Anne restaurants Betty and Crow).
• 5 p.m. – Canning Demo with Canvolution‘s Kim O’Donnel and Jeanne Sauvage
• 5 to 7 p.m. – Music by Hal Merrill (pedal steel guitar)
• 6 p.m. – Cooking Demo with Chef Reinvented‘s Becky Selengut

The featured sponsor this week is the Metropolitan Market. The featured nonprofits is the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce and Department of Neighborhoods: Queen Anne/Magnolia Neighborhood Service Center.

As always, the market will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at W Crockett Street at Queen Anne Ave N.

The inaugural Seattle Restaurant Week in April was such a success, another one is planned for October.

Four Queen Anne restaurants were involved in the first week, including Betty, Canlis, Crow, emmer&rye, How to Cook a Wolf, Ponti Seafood Grill, Portage, Ten Mercer, Paragon, and Via Tribunali. This time around, organizers are turning to Seattle residents to find out what restaurants they’d like to see on the list. Offer up suggestions via Twitter (@SeattleRW) or look for them on Facebook. Each restaurant submitted will be contacted to join in the 10-day foodie celebration.

The second Seattle Restaurant Week, from October 17 to 28, will offer the same deals as the first–a $25 three-course dinner menu and optional $15 three-course lunch menu, Sunday through Thursday.

Seattle Police Department has just launched a new public online reporting option.

The Community Online Reporting Program (CORP) allows the public to file police reports for certain incident types (Property Destruction, Car Prowls, Auto Accessories, Theft of Property (under $500), and Identity Theft) over the internet.

This service will allow the public to file a report at a time that is best for them without having to wait for an officer to respond or call them back. The public will be able to print a temporary copy of the report as soon as they submit it. The report will be reviewed by police personnel, and, once approved, the filing person will receive an email with a copy of the final report attached. The report will transfer directly into the Seattle Police Department records management system and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by an officer.

This option is for low level property crimes only. It does not replace 911 or the non-emergency number. If the caller feels that they are in danger, or the crime just happened, or the suspect may still be there, 911 is still the best option. The Community Online Reporting Program is an option for people that want to report a low level theft, but do not necessarily need an officer to respond in person.

The web-based crime reporting service can be accessed by going to the Seattle Police Department’s homepage (http://www.seattle.gov/police) and clicking the “File a Report” Quick Link.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), are looking for an artist to design a site-specific artwork along the Mercer Street underpass at Aurora Avenue, as part of the Mercer West street improvement project.

The selected artist will develop artwork for a two-block area on Mercer Street that includes the underpass at Aurora Avenue/Highway 99 and the adjacent approaches east and west of the underpass.  The Office seeks an artist whose work will treat the underpass as an architectural environment and transform the underpass into a space to experience.

The artwork will be located in the Mercer Street underpass and along the adjacent concrete walls. The selected artist will work with SDOT and SDOT consultants from design through construction of the new underpass. The artwork design will be complete in early 2012. Construction of the Mercer West project, including the installation of the artwork, will begin mid-2012.

Any professional artist living in the United States is welcome to apply. SDOT and the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs has a $335,000 budget for the project, including travel expenses, taxes and other project costs.

Artist applications are due by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25. For more information on the project guidelines, to contact a representative, or apply, click here.

Updated 7/21: This story originally read that the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and SDOT were looking for mural artists. In fact, they are looking for alternative art, not murals, which they say would not be a suitable solution for the Mercer underpass.

Painted murals or other paint treatments are not feasible and will not be accepted for this project. We seek art strategies that transform the concrete walls of the space with light or material applications.

The Municipal League of King County today released its non-partisan evaluations of 122 legislative, judicial and local candidates. The League rated our 36th District State Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson as ”Very Good” and Jeanne Kohl-Welles as “Outstanding.”

To determine candidate ratings, volunteers throughout King County have joined the Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Committees to study the public record, review candidate questionnaires, speak with references, and conduct interviews with candidates. Committee members then rate each candidate on four criteria: Involvement, Character, Effectiveness and Knowledge. The possible ratings are: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Adequate, Not Qualified and Insufficient Information to Rate.

The non-partisan ratings process is similar to a job interview and investigates each candidate’s potential to be effective in the office he or she seeks and to beneficially serve the community. Political affiliations or stances on particular issues are not considered during the League rating process. The Municipal League attempted to contact every candidate in a contested race. Candidates were rated even if they declined to participate.

Check out the full list of ratings of candidates for state representative, state senator, judge, county council and mayor here.

Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 25th annual Seattle Weekly Best of Seattle contest. Vote for your favorite coffee shop, art gallery, neighborhood activist, tycoon/entrepreneur, theater company, happy hour, radio talk show, dive bar, best place for urban crafts, tattoo parlor, salon, shoe store, bike shop, and a ton of other, sometimes wacky, categories.

Results will be published in the August 4 issue.

You must fill in at least five categories, and submit your name and email address for your vote to be counted. One vote per person, please. Email addresses are checked for validity but will be purged after voting is over. You will not be put on any list.