The remains of an unidentified woman, the victim of an unsolved murder in 1969, was exhumed from Queen Anne’s Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on Friday by detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office, who hope that newly discovered DNA samples found near the murder site may help them identify the victim and her killer.
The victim is known only as the “Tolt Hill Jane Doe,” named for where her remains were found – her decomposed body was discovered on a dirt road near the Tolt River Bridge in east King County (now 290th Avenue Northeast) on June 5, 1969, according to a report by the SeattlePI. In 2006 a nearby resident found a portion of a skull, believed to be that of a woman, approximately three blocks from the site where the Tolt Hill victim was found 37 years earlier. Concerned that the two cases may be related, officials exhumed the Tolt Hill victim in order to take a DNA sample.
Detectives are sending samples from each specimen to the DNA database at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where they will be entered into the FBI’s CODIS system, in the hopes of discovering whether the two came from the same woman and, in the event that their DNA does not match, who the victims were and if their deaths were related.
Last month we reported on SDOT’s Transit Master Plan, which includes plans for a “rapid streetcar” that, unlike Sound Transit’s Link light rail, would operate in the right of way on city streets, making it cheaper and faster to build out an efficient and reliable transit service that would better connect Seattle “neighborhood to neighborhood,” according to McGinn. This plan included lines that would link Lower Queen Anne to downtown, South Lake Union and First Hill, and Ballard and Fremont to downtown, amongst other neighborhoods.
Yesterday, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn took to his blog and challenged the Seattle City Council to “be bold” and consider funding such a project.
For the distances served — neighborhood to neighborhood — it looks like the right choice for a number of corridors in Seattle. That includes Ballard to downtown via Fremont, the University District to downtown via Eastlake, and linking those to Seattle’s two initial streetcar lines to South Lake Union, the International District/Chinatown and Capitol Hill. Other cities have already demonstrated the promise of this approach, like Portland with its MAX system.
McGinn went to say that, even if the council didn’t want to act on the initiative, he “will not stop working to fulfill my commitment to expand rail in Seattle… So that the Seattle Transit Master Plan does not become a pretty plan gathering dust on a shelf. And so that Seattle will realize its transit future.”
Currently, the city council is working on approving a $60 car tab fee that would help save many King County Metro bus routes as well as provide some much-needed maintenance to Seattle’s roadways. But if they want to think big, like Mayor McGinn would like them to, they might discuss much grander plans soon. Here’s what Mayor McGinn had to say about the proposed car tab fee:
The committee recommended an $80 VLF. Much of it goes to catching up on deferred maintenance, which I support. 49% percent goes to implement the Transit Master Plan, to catch up on our deferred transit needs. As a permanent funding source, this could fund the following in the next ten years: planning and alternatives analysis for all five high capacity corridors in the Transit Master Plan, planning and construction for connecting the two streetcar lines through downtown, speed and reliability improvements on half of all non-high capacity transit corridors, and substantial upgrades to our electric trolley bus infrastructure. Over the next twenty years, we could make good on the Transit Master Plan’s stated need to accommodate substantially more travelers on each of the high capacity corridors the Plan identified.
But here is the problem. The City Council is only considering a VLF for a limited amount of time, after which it expires. For this amount of money, all you can do is study a single corridor. You cannot finance long term infrastructure with a short term financing plan. You cannot get in the queue for federal, regional, or state funds because there will be no source of funds for us to put up our local match. The Transit Master Plan will join the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans as nice plans, without serious funding.
It is here that Mayor McGinn calls for “boldness” within the City Council to set up an ongoing VLF that would become “a steady source of revenue that can be borrowed against to build rail that will serve us for decades.” He’d like to see Seattle take a feather out of the hat of many other cities and leaders nationwide that already have, or are currently investing in massive transit programs, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is working to accomplish 30 years’ worth of transit projects in 10 years’ time with funding from an ongoing VLF. Read Mayor McGinn’s full post here. Read more about Seattle’s Transit Master Plan here.
4 p.m. – Chef Demo with Metropolitan Market Chef Amy Pinkis, who will be teaching market goers how to make fresh mozzarella (and later, homemade ricotta), and how to concoct delicious dishes that highlight the fresh-made cheese
4 p.m. – Kid’s Mozzarella Pull
5 p.m. – Live Music with returning market favorite The Canote Brothers (be sure to bring your dancing shoes!)
5:30 p.m. – Chef Demo part two with Met Market’s Amy Pinkis, this time teaching market goers how to make their own homemade ricotta cheese and integrate it into interesting recipes
Check out what’s fresh at the market this week here
As always the Queen Anne Farmers Market will take place from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at W Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave N. The Interbay Farmers Market will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Interbay Urban Center, located at 1819 15th Ave. W.
Though brochures haven’t come in the mail yet, registration is now open for fall 2011 courses at the Queen Anne Community Center, located at 1901 1st Ave W. Learn to Tae Kwon Do, dabble in pottery or acrylic painting, or enroll your kids in one of the many activities.
Some special events are:
Family Fun Night
Ages: 11 and under. Bounce houses, tumbling area, what more could you want!
Queen Anne CC – 9/23, 10/7, 11/4, 12/2
Fridays 6-8 pm $3 per child
Drop-in Sports:
Unless otherwise noted, all drop-in sports are $3 (ages 18 – 54), $2 (seniors 55+ ), Free (youth under 18)
Basketball Open Gym: Queen Anne
Mon/Tue (all ages) 1-3 pm
Mon – Fri (ages 11-17) 2:30 – 4:30pm
Toddler Open Gym
Children play, learn and develop both motor and social skills in this highly interactive drop- in social and play time. Toddlers will meet new friends, play on Bouncy Toys, scooters, tricycles, with bouncy balls and much more.
Location: Queen Anne CC
Tue/Thu 10 am-1 pm
$2 per child
Classes can be found here or the full fall brochure for northwest Seattle community centers and pools can be found here (.pdf). According to our sister site, MyGreenLake.com, the brochure is currently available online only because of a publication delay. The hard copy will come later this week.
Once again the Seattle Department of Transportation will be closing down the Mercer Street on and off ramps to I-5 for two full weekends this month in order to do ongoing work required for the Mercer Corridor Project. The closures will take place from 11 p.m. this coming Friday, August 12 until 5 a.m. on Monday, August 15, and again from August 26 to 29 during the same hours.
Detour signs will be posted around the area, but if you’d like to look up the detour routes beforehand, you may download them both here:
In addition to these two closures, WSDOT will be concurrently closing all lanes on SR 520 from 11:00 p.m. Friday, August 26, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, August 29, between Montlake Boulevard and I-405 in Bellevue. (SR 520 from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard will remain open to traffic). Details on this closure and detour maps can be viewed here.
SDOT will also be implementing a number of other nighttime lane closures related to the Mercer Corridor Project throughout the month:
Beginning as early as Monday, August 1, northbound Westlake Avenue N will be closed overnight between Mercer Street and Valley Street. Northbound traffic, including King County Metro bus routes, will be detoured to Terry Avenue N from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for approximately one week. Southbound traffic will remain on Westlake Avenue N. For King County Metro bus information, please visit Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro and check the “Alerts Center.”
Beginning as early as Monday, August 8, nighttime lane closures will occur intermittently on Mercer Street at both Boren Avenue N and Terry Avenue N to accommodate water main installations lasting approximately three weeks. Up to three lanes of Mercer Street will be closed overnight, and Boren Avenue N and Terry Avenue N will have intermittent closures to through traffic between Republican Street and Mercer Street. Work hours are expected to be 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
See a map of all of SDOT’s ongoing and upcoming construction projects citywide here.
After adjusting the city’s paid parking rates neighborhood by neighborhood across town (and decreasing rates in Uptown), the Seattle Department of Transportation wants to hear what you have to say about the city’s on-street paid parking system. SDOT is conducting an online survey about paid parking, as part of a project to make paid parking more available downtown and in certain neighborhoods.
You can find the survey here (I just did it, and it took less than 10 minutes).
By the way, SDOT has a parking map that lists every paid, permit, carpool, time limited, no parking and unrestricted zone, as well as parking garages and lots. You can zoom in by address, intersection, major landmark, or neighborhood.
The Seattle City Council passed legislation last month proposing the establishment of a Seattle Tourism Improvement Area, which would create a dedicated source of funding for tourism marketing and promotion for the city of Seattle and a number of neighborhoods in and around the city center. The Council will be holding a public hearing on the proposal at 5:30 p.m. today, Monday, August 8.
Under the proposed plan, hotels with 60 rooms or more within the greater downtown area, or “improvement area,” (pictured above) – including Lower Queen Anne, South Lake Union, Belltown, Pioneer Square, the International District and portions of Capitol Hill – would be required to levy a $2 surcharge per occupied room per night. The money from the new surcharge would then be pooled and used “for marketing and promotional activities designed to draw individuals and families to Seattle for vacation.” The marketing efforts would be managed by Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
According to the city, the project will, “Bring more tourists to Seattle, bolster hotel occupancy, protect current jobs, create new jobs, increase business at restaurants and retail stores, and increase patronage at arts, cultural and music venues.”
So far a number of city and county leaders have thrown their support behind the plan, including King County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Mike McGinn and a number of community organizations. Lower Queen Anne’s Maxwell Hotel and its parent company Pineapple Hospitality have also shown support for the program.
“Pineapple Hospitality and The Maxwell Hotel supports the Seattle Hotel Association, the Seattle Convention Visitors Bureau and tourism in Washington State. We hope people will continue to visit our amazing city and all that it has to offer,” a Pineapple Hospitality representative told Queen Anne View.
According to the Seattle Conventions and Visitors Bureau, the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area (STIA) would raise between $5-6 million in 2012, create a total economic impact of $34.3 million, generate $3.42 million in state and local taxes, and support the creation of 560 new jobs in the hotel and hospitality sector. The plan would not cost the city of Seattle anything, according to Seattle City Council.
To find out more about the proposed Seattle Tourism Improvement Area and how it would work to promote tourism and bolster economic growth in attraction filled area’s in and around the city center, attend the public hearing at Seattle City Hall (600 4th Avenue) tonight, Monday August 8. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor.
To read up on the proposal before the meeting, check out the STIA project FAQs here (.pdf).
The city is offering free trees to Seattle residents for their yards or planting strip next to the street.
Applications are now available for the trees as part of the reLeaf program. There are ten species to choose from and the trees can be planted anywhere in a residential yard.
Here are some rules:
Permits are required if planting street trees – reLeaf staff will coordinate acquiring permits. Receiving a permit is not guaranteed. No permit is required for yard trees.
You must be present at the planting training to pick up your tree(s). All trees should be planted shortly after receiving them.
The number of trees approved for your yard may be fewer than the number requested. Please note that tree availability is not guaranteed.
If you do not own your home, you must obtain the permission of the homeowner.
Trees are limited and applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application deadline for street trees (for the planting strip next to the street) is September 1. Yard tree applications are due October 24th. Attend a planting and care workshop and pick up your tree(s) on either October 30th at the Carkeek Environmental Learning Center or November 12th at the Garfield Community Center.
For more information and for the application, click here.
The 2010 Census numbers indicate a rise in the number of same-sex couples living in Washington state and in many neighborhoods throughout Seattle, according to a report by The Seattle Times. Today one out of every 18 couples living together in Seattle are same-sex, the Times reports.
While Capitol Hill has long been a central hub for the gay community in Seattle, Census data shows that the numbers of same-sex couples living in other parts of the city and its suburbs is on a general upward trend, especially in places like West Seattle, Lynnwood, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, which all saw a sharp rise, and Vashon Island, which has the highest same-sex population statewide, at 5.5 percent.
Parts of Queen Anne have also seen an upward trend in the number of same-sex households. East Queen Anne and the south slope in particular saw a noteable increase, from 39 families in 2000 to 70 in 2010, and from 42 in 2000 to 70 in 2010, respectively.
The Seattle Times piece breaks down the Census data by neighborhood with an interesting info-graphic, showing not only the increase in same-sex households, but the numbers of male couples, female couples and couples with children. We thought this was an interesting case study for both the local gay community and that of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area. From the Times:
Many factors account for the growth in numbers of same-sex couples over the decade.
Since 2000, Canada and several U.S. states have legalized gay marriage, and Washington has a domestic-partnership law that grants same-sex couples many of the same state-level benefits as married people.
At the same time, couples have become more aware that they can indicate their status on the census forms, and many are likely more comfortable than they were 10 years ago in doing so…
…That gays are spreading out beyond the traditional gay hub of Capitol Hill suggests that gay families are feeling more comfortable living everywhere — and practically anywhere.
And there are many positive aspects to that, said Josh Friedes, marriage-equality director with Equal Rights Washington, a Seattle-based advocacy group for gays.
“They are becoming neighbors with people who’ve not had a lot of exposure and had not been familiar with gay families,” he said. “You begin to see increased support for things like marriage equality as the general population has more and more gay neighbors.”
Check out the graphic here. Read the full Times story that goes along with that graphic here.
SIFF plans to reopen the neighborhood theater in October, as it transitions out of its current location in McCaw Hall, in conjunction with the Grand Opening of its own new SIFF Film Center at Seattle Center. SIFF says the new space will provide the organization with increased seating capacity and three additional screens, which will allow it more flexibility for year-round programming.
When the Uptown Theater closed last fall, many in the community were heartbroken to see the longstanding neighborhood cinema house, originally opened in 1926, fall by the wayside. We reached out to SIFF to see if the organization had any interest or intention of taking over the newly vacated space. At the time SIFF representatives told us they were not in a position to take over the theater.
“It really is unfortunate that Uptown theater is closing. I used to go there many times and even when I was growing up so personally it’s a shame that it is closing,” SIFF representative Tod Steward wrote to Queen Anne View back in November. “Maybe Paul Allen or someone like him would finance it to stay open…just like what he did with Cinerama.”
Fortunately for the Queen Anne community, the tides have changed since last fall. In addition to helping expand its year-round programming, SIFF says the reopening of the theater will give it the opportunity to establish first-class educational programs and solidify the future of the organizations and its programs.
Mayor Mike McGinn came out in support of the deal, stating, “SIFF is one of Seattle’s true treasures not only for the work they do in Film and Education, but for being a leader in our community and saving the Uptown Movie Theatre. The leadership that SIFF is demonstrating should not only be recognized but applauded.”
“On behalf of the Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, we are especially pleased to endorse the acquisition of the Uptown Theater by the Seattle International Film Festival,” Chamber vice president Ann Pearce said in a statement. “We applaud their actions in preserving a valuable part of Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood and creating more opportunities for Queen Anne community businesses. Another wonderful forum for unique entertainment will now be available for residents and tourists alike to enjoy for years to come!”
“We couldn’t have scripted a better opportunity for our organization than to have SIFF Cinema Uptown and the new SIFF Film Center in such close proximity and located in such a vibrant part of the city. Seattle Center and Queen Anne are the perfect locations for us to expand in and we’re excited to be opening our doors in time for Seattle Center’s ‘Next 50’ celebration next year,” SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence said.
“We are thrilled to welcome SIFF as a new resident here, and we embrace its move to use the former Uptown Theater space as a SIFF screening venue. What a wonderful means to enlivening the neighborhood and further connecting Seattle Center to the Uptown area,” Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams said.
The Ballard High School fall sports tryouts start next week.
August 15th:
Football – contact coach Joey Thomas (coachthomas.bhs2@yahoo.com) for times and locations. Paperwork is due this Thursday, August 11th.
August 22nd:
Cross Country – 5 p.m. at Lower Woodland near the track and tennis courts
Girls Soccer – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the BHS Field
Girls Volleyball – 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. – BHS main gym
Contact coaches for dates:
Girls swim – contact Coach Brenda Tomtan- Brayman (b1swim@yahoo.com)
Boys Golf – contact Coach Casey McMullin (casmcm@msn.com)
Boys Tennis – contact Coach Kevin Todd (kevinptodd@hotmail.com)
Athletic paperwork is available here and must be turned in August 16 from 9 a.m. to noon or August 17 from noon to 3 p.m..
We joined about 100 others at Kerry Park on Queen Anne to watch the Blue Angels strut their stuff on Sunday. As always, it’s a game of hit-and-miss — a 30 minute program includes four or five exhilarating fly-overs — with the rest of the show over Lake Washington. Here are our best shots (click for larger):
Hope you had a great Seafair weekend!
The Bloodmobile will be back at the Interbay Urban Center tomorrow, Saturday, August 6 outside of Peet’s Coffee & Tea (1827 15th Ave W), where it will be collecting donations from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (There will be a one-hour lunch break from 1 to 2 p.m.).
David Mistysyn, the community marketing representative for the IUC, encourages anyone interested in donating blood, or with questions about eligibility or the donation process, to contact him at 206-292-1883 or reach out to one of the donation criteria experts at 425-453-4510 or donorsched@psbc.org.
“Community is created when people act together. A sense of common purpose and powerful possibility become available to those people; their efforts can create synergistic and lasting effects in the world. For example, a community of blood donors, technicians, couriers, testers, processors, and medical professionals all come together every day to sustain and improve the lives of sick and dying people throughout western Washington,” Mistysyn writes.
We just got this note about a burglary at the top of the hill around 1 p.m. Thursday from a Queen Anne resident who wishes to remain anonymous:
Just wanted to give you heads up that I just drove past a forced entry, house robbery on 5th Ave W. by the cemetery. Police were on the scene and there was a broken window and a flat screen TV in the driveway. I thought they caught the QA robber last week? Apparently not? Or a copycat.
The Seattle Center and future tenant KEXP 90.3 are putting on a number of free concerts at the Mural Ampitheatre every Friday throughout the month of August as part of the Concerts at the Mural summer music series.
The eclectic concerts will showcase some of KEXP’s favorite artists and local bands. All shows are free, all-ages and “tailored to the culturally curious who seek to discover the best of the area’s independent music scene.” KEXP DJs will be on hand to entertain between sets, and there will also be a beer/wine garden for music lovers 21 and up.
The first live show kicks off today at 6 p.m. with Seattle-based bands The Maldives, Hey Marseilles and Black Whales. Check out the lineup for the whole month:
Friday, August 5, 6pm The Maldives
Hey Marseilles
Black Whales
Saturday, August 6, 3 – 9pm KEXP BBQ Fool’s Gold
Rainbow Arabia
Capsula
School of Rock
Virgin Islands
Mad Rad Friday, August 12, 6pm Seapony
Gold Leaves
Math and Physics Club
Friday, August 19, 6pm Black Mountain
My Goodness
Whalebones (Record Release)
Friday, August 26, 6pm NO DEPRESSION NIGHT Shane Tutmarc
Ravenna Woods
Pickwick
Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives
4 p.m. – Chef Demo with Rebecca Cameron from POP Kitchen + Bar, a new restaurant that just opened at the EMP. Chef Cameron will bring shades of her American-food menu to the market, as well as the restaurant’s focus on local ingredients.
5 p.m. – Kids Cooking Demo with Greg Johnson from Chef and Father. Greg is known for teaching families how to cook fresh, organic, real food without spending all day in the kitchen. He visited us last summer and is back by popular demand.
5:30 p.m. – Live Music at the world premier of local supergroup Squid Monks, featuring members of the Buckets.
Check out what’s fresh at the QA Farmers Market this week here.
Check out what’s fresh at the Interbay Farmers Market this week here.
As always the Queen Anne Farmers Market will take place from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at W Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave N. The Interbay Farmers Market will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Interbay Urban Center, located at 1819 15th Ave. W.
We just got this email from Queen Anne resident Luann, asking if anyone in the Queen Anne area, particularly around West Highland Dr., had their house broken into this morning? SPD is holding a burglary suspect in custody, but needs to know if any homes were burgled before they can proceed. Luann writes:
Has anyone on the Hill found their home broken into this morning? Just got this email message from a neighbor:
If anyone had their house broken into this morning, please call the Seattle Police ASAP. They have a suspect in custody who was seen entering properties along West Highland, but cannot continue to hold him unless they find that he actually did something.
Seattle Weekly‘s annual “Best of” list is back with its awards for the very best of the best in all things Seattle. While Queen Anne didn’t take home the distinction of “Best Neighborhood to Live in” (that title went to our neighbors over in Ballard), QA was recognized for a bunch of other citywide bests that call the hill home. And so, without further ado and in no particular order, here are all of Queen Anne’s bests:
Every year Queen Anne gets a number of shout outs in the ‘best of’ issue, because, well, there are just so many bests we Queen Anne-ers have to boast. Last year Queen Anne’s Easy Street Records, El Diablo Coffee, and our many secret stairways (the “Best Alternative to the Stairmaster”) were just a few of the winners. Check out last year’s wins here.
The Seattle Weekly “best of” list includes people, places, food & drink, sports & recreation and shopping & services. To see the entire list, click here.
Via West Seattle Blog comes news that Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes is proposing that the next city budget restore the Seattle Police Department’s full-time liaison program. The program helped local communities with problems that might have been missed otherwise, such as public nuisances and neighborhood-specific issues, but the program was severely reduced due to budget cuts in recent years. Holmes hopes that the upcoming budget will fully restore the program, reinstating one liaison per precinct.
Read the news release from Holmes’ office for details:
Backed by community and business leaders and City Council members, City Attorney Pete Holmes on Wednesday advocated for a full complement of five police precinct liaisons to bolster the City’s response to emerging and increasingly complex neighborhood public safety and regulatory issues.
Holmes’ 2012 budget proposal, as submitted to the City Budget Office on July 13, would reinvent the Precinct Liaison Program by providing a full-time assistant city attorney in each police precinct. These attorneys will focus on providing critical legal services on the issues of high importance in their precincts. They will also be accountable for managing a number of regulatory provisions in a more effective and efficient manner because they will better understand the dynamics in the individual communities.
Due to budget reductions and attrition in recent years the program has been reduced by 60%. “We have tried to preserve the core functions of the Precinct Liaison Program but with only two attorneys we can no longer provide the full range of legal services that the Seattle Police Department and our community have come to expect,” said Holmes, who seeks an additional $470,000 in the budget year beginning Jan. 1, 2012 to fully fund the program. “Right now it’s more appropriate to call them circuit-riding liaisons,” he said, because the remaining two liaisons travel among the North, East, West, South and Southwest Precincts. “Clearly, the status quo is unacceptable.”
Councilmember Tim Burgess, chair of the Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee, strongly supports a revitalized program. “Reestablishing the precinct liaison attorney program reflects our desire to bring critical thinking and innovation to policing. We know that effective policing uses a wide variety of means beyond traditional police responses. These attorneys will partner with our officers to proactively tackle neighborhood safety and crime challenges,” Burgess said.
The Precinct Liaison Program was created in 1995 to give direct and proactive legal advice to police officers and to act as a legal resource for public safety problem-solving efforts in the neighborhoods. The program has since fluctuated in size as grant funding has come and gone and city budgets have tightened.
The current staffing makes it impossible to provide geographic-based legal services for either SPD or the community. Next month the remaining two liaisons will be brought into the City Attorney’s Office downtown to work on criminal cases as well as regulatory matters for the remainder of 2011.
The increased demands on precinct liaisons are varied and voluminous, Holmes said. Two of them — nightlife regulations and liquor licenses — relate specifically to the interplay between the entertainment industry and the neighborhoods, and Holmes’ plan is endorsed by industry leaders. [Read more →]
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The city is offering free trees to Seattle residents for their yards or planting strip next to the street.
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