The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced Friday that parking rates in the Uptown neighborhood will decrease from $2 an hour to $1.50. Pay hours in Lower Queen Anne, however, will increase.

As part of the 2011 budget, Mayor McGinn and City Council introduced a new policy that allows the city to set on-street parking rates and hours by neighborhood, “so that, on average, one to two spaces are available for visitor and shopper access.”

The new policy will see parking rate increases in nine neighborhoods where occupancy and demand are high. Rates in 13 other areas, including Lower Queen Anne, will either stay the same or decrease.

The new parking rates, which will be effective in February and March, will see hourly rates decrease to $1.50 in the majority of Uptown, and to between $1 to $1.25 in the area known as the “Uptown Triangle”—between Denny Way, Aurora, and Broad Street. (The $1 rate is for short-term parking between 2 and 4 hours, while the $1.25 rate is for long-term parking up to 10 hours at a time).

A number of the city’s thriving nightlife districts, including Uptown, the Commercial Core, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Chinatown/International District, Broadway, Pike-Pine, and the University District, will also see paid parking hours extended until 8 p.m. From SDOT:

Seattle’s center city and many neighborhood business districts are active destinations for customers and visitors well into the evening. Charging in the evening will enhance parking turnover and access in areas with an active nightlife and other evening businesses.

Currently paid parking hours end at 6 p.m. The new, extended hours will roll out beginning in April and continue through September 2011.

Along with the coming changes to on-street paid parking, the city will also be initiating a new way for people to pre-pay for parking. Beginning in February and March the hours that pay stations collect payments will also change. Currently pay stations do not accept payment between closing at 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. Under the new system pay stations will close at 6 p.m. (or 8 p.m., depending on the neighborhood) as usual, but will re-open at 10 p.m. to allow drivers to pre-pay for the first two hours of the following morning.

The doors to Queen Anne’s only pediatric dentist, Seattle Kids Dentistry, opened earlier this week. Dr. Purva Merchant’s quaint office at 2223 Queen Anne Ave. N. is now accepting young patients for appointments on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The office is equipped with basic child amenities like fruit-flavored gloves, flavored dental paste, flat-screen televisions playing DVDs overhead, and a children’s play area. Her staff will include a dental assistant and a receptionist, both Queen Anne residents. The small two-chair operation suits her intimate approach to her practice.

“Because it’s a small office, you get a lot of doctor time because there’s no place for the doctor to hide,” said Merchant. “We’re making a space that kids don’t feel overwhelmed by, where they feel welcome.”

The working philosophy of Seattle Kids Dentistry is prevention-based, individualized care, according to Merchant.

“Every child is different, you can’t put a blanket number on them,” Merchant said. “I want to treat them like I would treat my child – you get what you need when you need it, not you get what everybody else gets because that’s what the insurance company says.”

Merchant’s passion for dentistry can be traced back to her own dentist as a child in Pune, India outside of Mumbai. Merchant says she was a very positive influence in her life, and she hopes she can duplicate this inspiration in her own patients.

“You have the opportunity of being in someone’s life two times a year throughout their childhood,” said Merchant. “They only get an hour with you, but it can be an impressionable hour if it’s done right.”

She began her dental training in India, and won the title of Miss India in 2003 after dental school. Merchant dismisses the Miss India title as a small matter, just a footnote that pales to her passion for pediatric dentistry. According to Merchant, pediatric dentistry is a combination of her three loves – children, science, and art.

Merchant did her specialty training in pediatric dentistry in New Jersey, and she received board certification in Washington after moving here in 2007. For the last three years, she’s worked as an associate for Redmond Kids Dentistry, and she’s also worked in Mount Vernon, Factoria, Puyallup and other areas as maternity leave for other dentists. Even as her business grows she will continue working as an associate for Redmond Kids Dentistry two days a week, as well as continue her work as a part-time faculty member at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. In her spare time, when she can find it, she enjoys yoga.

The Queen Anne venture arose when Merchant looked for a house in Seattle with her husband, a software engineer at Microsoft. She discovered that Queen Anne didn’t have its own pediatric dentist, which she found surprising considering the number of families and children in the area. This led to the decision to open her own practice in the neighborhood. The office she leased will be shared with orthodontist Dr. Smita Patel, who occupies the space two days a week with her business Smiles by Smita.

Although new to the hill, Merchant says she’s found the Queen Anne community extremely supportive and helpful.

“People have been coming around donating toys, which has been really sweet,” Merchant said. “Queen Anne is a very tight-knit community; everyone wants to support each other, which is so fantastic.”

She enlisted the local, family-owned businesses she could in the remodeling process. She hired local painters and called Castillo’s Custom Upholstery when she needed to reupholster her dental chairs. She’s also been working on cross-promotions with local businesses. Merchant tentatively plans to hold an open house on Valentine’s Day to show off her new business to area residents and businesses.

Her first patient this week was her neighbor who chipped a tooth, perhaps a waste of the fruit-flavored gloves, but Merchant looks forward to treating her young patients, which she views as a special responsibility and opportunity. She hopes to instill positive attitudes about going to the dentist and dental care.

“It’s such an important, impressionable age,” said Merchant. “I feel if you do the right things at that age they will always be good dental patients.”

The latest report on the arts in Queen Anne from fellow resident and QueenAnneView arts reviewer Grace Betz.

Part dinner theater, part circus act, and wholeheartedly vaudevillian, Teatro ZinZanni combines Tom Douglas cuisine with a show that can only be described as an extravaganza. It is a variety-type production that remains loosely centered on a theme revolving around Madame ZinZanni, played by Thelma Houston. The entire performance takes place under a magnificent 100-year-old circus tent that has seen 90 years of circus performances in Europe. It is an audience-engaging showcase of extraordinary talent, and it was certainly an experience unlike any I have had before.

The “Moulin Rouge” spiegeltent. Photo by Keith Brofsky.

The Teatro ZinZanni cast is currently performing their “Hearts on Fire” show.  Most of the performances take place in the center stage area, with only a few departures to the front stage.  The seating is arranged so that everyone has a good view of the performance area, and even the outermost row of seats is slightly elevated to ensure unobstructed views.  The cast consists of performers of many different talents, including acrobats, singers, and contortionists.

One of my favorite parts of the afternoon show included the acrobatic talents of Les Petits Frères.   Trained at the Annie Fratellini Circus School in Paris, the three men who comprise of the group combine comedy, tumbling, and incredible physical prowess into an unbelievable, jaw-dropping act.  I thoroughly enjoyed their tumbling act, in which they danced, climbed and flipped within the restricted space in the middle of the room.  Their ladder act was spectacular, and I am still not entirely sure how they managed not to seriously injure themselves.  It even garnered quite a few excited gasps from the entranced audience members. And I was absolutely blown away by Rachel Deshon’s operatic arias.

Thelma Houston. Photo by Michael Doucett.

But, of course, one cannot adequately discuss ZinZanni without extolling the amazing talents of Thelma Houston.  Best known for her 1978 Grammy award winning song, “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” Ms. Houston manages to bring a certain vitality and grandeur to the stage as only a true diva can. And I must applaud the troupe in general, who did a spectacular job getting the generally aloof Seattle audience out of their seats and dancing to the beats of disco and Motown classics.

To be completely honest, I was not too keen on the entire production at first.  It was not for a lack of talent on the part of the performers, or even interest on mine.  It was just not for me, and I am not entirely sure how else to explain it.  Perhaps I am too quiet, too stoic, too stuck up.  I do not know.  I tried to loosen up and get into it, I really did.  I did enjoy certain parts.  Les Petits Frères were really wonderful and the singing was spectacular. Objectively speaking, I can admit it was a good show, an entertaining show.  I do not actually like being center stage, and Teatro ZinZanni does a spectacular job at putting the audience in the spotlight.  With its small venue and engaging performers, I was not able to sit quietly in the sidelines and wait to be entertained.  No, they pull every audience member into the middle of the fracas, making it one big party.  To me, that is a bit overwhelming, especially sober!  They do serve alcohol, it just seemed a bit early for that sort of thing.  I was, after all, attempting to be professional.

Vita hoops. Photo by Michael Doucett.

On the other hand, my mother, who came with me to the show, loved it from the get-go.  This is a woman who grew up going to Broadway on weekends, who can sing along with the opera greats, and can close her eyes during any given ballet score and tell you exactly what the dancers are doing.  She is so much more refined than I could ever hope to be, and she thought it was absolutely spectacular.  And the two of us appeared to be a perfect sampling of our fellow theatre-goers—the rest of the audience roughly reflected this odd dichotomy of phlegmatic observers and enchanted participators.  There was one middle-aged man who sat the entire time in his seat with his arms crossed and a permanent sour look on his face.  And then there was a delightful older grey-haired gentleman to my left who sang and danced along with the performers.  But I would say the majority of us were satisfied just smiling when we were pleased and clapping when appropriate.  I must say though, the performers did an excellent job engaging the passive Seattle audience.  And it was evident that the cast genuinely enjoys what they are doing, which naturally pulled us into the frivolity.

The delightful wait staff was incredibly informative and attentive without being overbearing.  The food was quite good, as one would expect from a Tom Douglas restaurant.  For brunch we were served a four-course meal, from which we could choose one of three main courses.  The serving sizes were generous and we were given sufficient time to finish our food.  The staff and performers did a fantastic job integrating the food service into the performance, minimizing disruption.  My main issue was that as a slow eater, I rarely finished my plate before they started performing again.  Perhaps this goes to my issue with dinner theater in general.  I would rather not be on a schedule when it comes to enjoying a meal.  And I would prefer not to split my attention between eating and the entertainment.  However, in their defense, the wait staff never rushed me and did not clear the table until I was finished.

So despite my initial trepidation, I must admit “Hearts on Fire” was a fun and dynamic performance.  You would be hard pressed to find anything quite like it in Seattle.  I recommend taking the family to the brunch performance.  The evening show would make for a fantastic night out with rowdy friends.  Just be prepared to let loose and party along with some of the more interesting and fun talent I have seen in awhile.  But know that Teatro ZinZanni is not for the passive spectator.  They crave an active audience and will do everything in their power to get you up and out of your seats partying right along with them.

The theater is featuring “Hearts on Fire” through January 23, 2011.  Call the box office at (206) 802-0015 or go to their website to purchase tickets for their three and a half hour dinner performances which run Tuesday through Saturday, or their one and a half hour brunch performances which run on select Sundays.  Please note that Teatro ZinZanni is closed (including its box office) on Mondays.  Ticket prices for the dinners run from $120-$155, and for brunches it is $76-$111.

There is a little bit of something in it for everyone, so bring the kids (although the webpage does warn that it can be a long show, so it may not be fun for some children).  And be sure to dress appropriately!  T-shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes are not allowed, but festive dress is highly encouraged.

Starting January 27 and running through February 5, Teatro ZinZanni will be showing its Radio Free Starlight production, bringing with it a different cast that includes Duffy Bishop and Joe DePaul.  And on January 15, there will be a 21-and-older performance called Mezzo Lunatico in the Teatro ZinZanni Spiegeltent for $25 with a two-drink minimum.

Raised in Texas and Oklahoma, S. Grace Betz moved to Seattle in 2009 on little more than a whim.  An avid supporter of the arts, she studied ballet for nearly 20 years and piano for 15.  She also plays the cello (albeit, not particularly well) and guitar.  After her misguided foray into the field of law, she decided to focus her remaining energy on subjects she actually enjoys, which include writing and the arts.

While last night’s snow was short-lived, that didn’t stop some Queen Anne-ers from having some fun on the slopes.

Reader Ann V sent us a link (via KING5) to this video of a snowboarder who recorded his run down Queen Anne Ave N using a camera attached to a pole, which he held out in front of him as he traversed the icy hillside. No need for a second camera man here!

Though the snow didn’t cause nearly the same amount of chaos on the hill as last time, there were still a few minor incidents of cars slipping around on the ice, and sometimes up on the curbs.

Madeleine sent us this picture of a car that slid up onto the sidewalk, taken at Queen Anne Ave N and W Armour Stat around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

There’s a new dentist on the block—one that specializes in pediatric dentistry.

Seattle Kids Dentistry has moved into the vacant space at 2223 Queen Anne Ave N, next to the former Hilltop Yarn. Pediatric dentist Purva Merchant says the office will offer specialized services for infants, children and teens (look for a follow-up story on Purva’s vision for the new business later this week).

Currently Seattle Kids Dentistry is open every Saturday, and every other Tuesday and Friday, but Purva says hours will expand as the patient base grows. For now you can find more information on Seattle Kids Dentistry on its website, or by contacting the office via phone at 425.780.KIDZ, or email at info@seattlekidsdentistry.com.

On Tuesday 36th District Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, along with Rep. Jim Moeller of Vancouver and bi-partisan support, introduced new legislation to clarify and provide a strong legal framework for Washington’s existing medical marijuana laws.

The bill, according to Kohl-Welles, reflects the tenth iteration since she first released it last February, incorporating input from patients, providers, advocates, health professionals, government officials, legislators, and law enforcement representatives.

The resulting legislation, Senate Bill 5073 (.pdf) and House Bill 1100 (.pdf), if made into law, would establish a regulatory system for the sale and purchase of medical marijuana to qualified patients.

Current law established under voter-approved I-692 in 1998 permits patients with specified terminal or debilitating medical conditions to grow medical marijuana for personal use or designate a provider to grow on their behalf. Legislation passed in 2007 resulted in the Department of Health setting the allowable amount of marijuana for medical use, and a measure passed last year allows all health professionals having prescriptive authority to authorize medical marijuana.

Under the new bill, the Department of Agriculture would develop regulations through a public rule-making process for growing medical marijuana.  And, patients would be permitted to purchase medical marijuana products from dispensers licensed by the Department of Health or by taking part in a regulated patient collective.

“There is much ambiguity around our state’s current medical marijuana laws that is resulting in inconsistent enforcement throughout the state,” Kohl-Welles said in a statement Tuesday. “Creating a statutory and regulatory structure for licensing growers and dispensaries will allow us to provide for an adequate, safe, consistent, and secure source of the medicine for qualifying patients, address public safety concerns and establish statewide uniformity in the implementation of the law.”

Under the new legislation legally compliant patients and growers would be protected from arrest, search, and prosecution for the use of medical cannabis. The bill would also require law enforcement to consult a voluntary registry of patients before conducting warrantless searches or arrests, and registered patients would be protected against search and seizure, unless existing evidence indicated criminal activity was taking place.

Read more about Kohl-Welles campaign here, and the particulars of Senate Bill 5073 (.pdf) and House Bill 1100 (.pdf).

From the Seattle Department of Transportation:

Street Maintenance crews worked throughout the night clearing up to six inches of wet snow and slush from major arterial streets around the city. This morning crews are clearing slush that remains on some arterial streets, especially at the tops of hills. Also, more than 30 SDOT employees are clearing street corners in high priority areas such as around hospitals and in business districts.

SDOT asks drivers to use caution when driving where there is still slush on the roadway making the streets slippery, and to be on the lookout for standing water. Residents and businesspersons are asked to check the drains near their homes and businesses to make sure the drains are not blocked by debris so that water can enter easily. Also, residents and businesspersons are encouraged to clear slush from the sidewalks around their property to enable pedestrians to pass by safely.

As predicted, the snow has turned to rain, making for a slushy mess on the roads.

Things to know before you go:

Seattle Public Schools are running two hours late. Schools that had previously scheduled early dismissal (McClure Middle School) will release students at the regular time.

King County Metro Transit is updating this site with changes to bus service.
King Count Metro (@kcmetrobus) tweeted this alert:

Most Metro service on snow routes Wed AM thru 9 AM due to snowy/slushy roads. Expect some delays. Dress warm.

Updated 10:30 p.m.: All King Country Metro buses are now on snow routes. The Seattle Department of Transportation has announced that it will begin to transition to plowing snow routes as they continue to spread salt throughout the city. Though it is still falling hard out there, there is some good news, at least for those who face a morning commute—forecasters expect the snow to transition to rain sometime between midnight and 10 a.m. Wednesday. For the time being, however, Queen Anne Avenue and West Olympic/10th Avenue W are just a few streets drivers should avoid.

If you’re still planning to head up or down the hill tonight, you might want to find a way around Queen Anne Avenue. Just after 9 p.m. this evening the Counterbalance claimed its first victim of tonight’s snowy slope when a vehicle lost control and went over the curb of the southwest corner of Queen Anne Ave N and Aloha.

Several passersby successfully helped the driver push the car off the main thoroughfare and onto Aloha, but the incident is a reminder of just how out of control cars can get on the Counterbalance when there’s snow and ice involved.

Remember, if you have to head up the Counterbalance as the snow piles up tonight, use four-wheel drive and/or chains, keep distance from other cars, and be careful. If you can, take another way up the south slope (5th Ave N or Olympic to 10th Ave W). And if you’re parking on the slope tonight, try to find as flat of a space as possible, and don’t forget to turn your wheels into the curb.

And just one more time for good measure: we don’t want another repeat of last time.

Good luck with the evening snow Queen Anne!

Michelle Thornton, 43, a lifelong Seattle resident and employee at the Upper Queen Anne Safeway, was found dead in her Belltown apartment on Thursday, January 6 by detectives from the Seattle Police Department missing persons unit. Yesterday SPD ruled the death a homicide, and is continuing the investigation to find out just what happened to her.

For years Thornton has thrown a New Year’s Eve party at her apartment, in the 100 block of Vine Street, which has a view of the fireworks at the Space Needle, according to a report by the Seattle Times. But this year friends became concerned when Thornton failed to answer her door or phone on the evening of the party, her father, Bill Thornton, told the Times.

After hearing from a number of concerned friends who had no been able to reach Michelle, Bill Thornton reported his daughter missing to police. He later learned that she had also failed to show up for work at the Upper Queen Anne Safeway on December 30.

Thornton’s last post on Facebook was at 2:55 a.m. on December 28. Friend and former neighbor Richard Bollinger told the Times that he last spoke with Michelle around midnight on December 29, adding that he called her on New Year’s Eve and left a message, and then called her back the following day, at which point her voice-mail box was full. Bill Thornton says this was the last confirmed time anyone spoke to his daughter. From the Times:

He said police went to his daughter’s apartment and did a welfare check early last week, but they could only briefly “look around” because they lacked a search warrant. Detectives later got a warrant and returned on Thursday, he said.

“She was in the closet, the back of the closet, which is why they didn’t see her” during the welfare check, Thornton said.

While Thornton said that his daughter’s personal life has been “troubled,” he also added that she had a lot of friends and was very active. Her death has been “a parent’s worst nightmare,” he told the Times.

Though the King County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released Thornton’s name officially, or cause the of death, SPD spokeswoman Renee Witt did confirm that investigators have ruled the incident a homicide.

Michelle is survived by her father, Bill, stepmother Jeanie Thornton, stepbrother John Hynd, and half brother David Scott Taylor.

Anyone who may have information about Thornton’s death is asked to call the department’s homicide unit at 206-684-5550.

Photo taken from Michelle Thornton’s Facebook page.

We’re expecting some snow later in the day on Tuesday and it’s likely to start accumulating during the afternoon commute. King County Metro Transit wants to remind you that your afternoon commute might look a lot different than your morning one.

They have passed along the following tips to make your commute run smoother in case of weather issues.

• Before traveling, riders should check www.kingcounty.gov/metro/snow for the most current status of Metro service. Updates to the online information begin as early as 4 a.m. and continue as needed until the storm is over.

• Know the snow routing for your bus route. Check the timetables at www.metro.kingcounty.gov for snow route maps for each route. Not every bus route has snow routing, but most do

• If you haven’t already, sign up for Transit Alerts to keep up with any major changes to bus service. The alerts can be received as email or text messages. Go to www.metro.kingcounty.gov/signup to subscribe

• Metro is using a new online color-coded map to keep riders informed of the status of its bus service, which can be found online at: www.metro.kingcounty.gov/snow. All bus routes are assigned into one or more of seven geographic areas within King County. When there is snow or ice on the roads, the service status of each area will be color coded and displayed on the online map. Green indicates buses are operating on normal routes; yellow that some – but not all – routes in the area are on snow routes (primarily in higher elevation areas); and red tells you that all bus routes in the entire geographic area are on snow routing

• People without online access can call the Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000. General information about service will also be sent out via the kcmetrobus Twitter account

Queen Anne saw numerous thefts and burglaries from Thursday evening to Monday morning, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The following is a list of incidents prompting police response over the weekend:

• A vehicle was stolen from the 30xx block of 14^th Ave. W. on Jan. 6 around 5:30 p.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 1xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N on Jan. 7 at 7:11 a.m.
• A forced burglary occurred in the nonresidential area of the 11xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 7 around 5 p.m.
• A car was broken into on the 2xx block of Boston St. on Jan. 7 around 7 p.m.
• A case of aggravated assault with a weapon occurred on the 20xx block of Westlake Ave. N. on Jan. 8 at 5:04 a.m.
• A case of non-aggravated assault occurred on the 5xx block of 1^st Ave. N. on Jan. 9 at 1:45 a.m.
• A shoplifter was reported in the xx block of Denny Way on Jan. 9 at 2:14 a.m.
• A theft occurred from a building in the 5xx block of Queen Anne Ave. N. on Jan. 9 around 8:30 p.m.
• A robbery from a business with a weapon occurred in the 5xx block of Mercer St. on Jan. 10 at 4:33 a.m.

Follow crime citywide and by neighborhood on the Seattle Police Department’s interactive crime map.

The Seattle International Film Festival is getting a brand new film center, designed by the folks over at Owen Richards Architects (who are also designing the new Chihuly Exhibition at Seattle Center).

Video courtesy of Owen Richards Architects.

The project, which broke ground in early December, will provide SIFF with the space to further its mission “to create experiences that allow us to discover extraordinary films together.” The new center will include a library, a 100-seat muti-use screening room and lecture hall, and “flex spaces”—a multi-media classroom, exhibition spaces, archives, and offices for SIFF and the Film School.

As the largest international film festival in the country, the space will further solidify SIFF’s place at Seattle Center, where it will move from McCaw Hall to the 11,000-square-foot Alki Room-turned Film Center on the Center grounds. From Owen Richards Architects:

The project transforms an existing 1962 World’s Fair pavilion overlooking Seattle Center’s central fountain plaza and reflects the Center’s commitment to introducing new media arts programming at the heart of the campus. In addition to serving as a year-round media arts education space, the theater is designed to be utilized as a presentation venue for Seattle Center cultural festivals, and will serve as the focus for SIFF’s screen-writers’s salon and education outreach programs. Sustainable design features include energy efficiency upgrades, natural ventilation and daylighting, adaptive reuse of an aging facility, and reuse of historic Cinerama theater seating.

Read more about the SIFF’s new Film Center.