Citizen Cope will be doing a live, free performance at Easy Street Records at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 3. This will be his third in-store show as Easy Street. Citizen Cope will be in town playing a three-night run at the Showbox Market from April 1-3. Get ticket information here. Check out Citizen Cope’s new album, The Rainwater LP, here.

(Thanks to Jesse & Easy Street Records for the picture!)

SeattlePI.com has a great article today about the changing nature of journalism, especially the explosion of hyperlocal news websites such as ours.

In the old days of print journalism, people got all their basic news from their local newspaper and maybe a national paper such as the Wall Street Journal or New York Times. But, in the last few years, everything has changed as newspapers go out of business (the P.I.’s presses fell silent one year ago tomorrow) and media companies consolidate and try to figure out how to do more with less.

In today’s article, Journalist/Blogger Monica Guzman interviewed the owners behind a number of Seattle-area sites, such as West Seattle Blog (which can be credited with creating the whole hyperlocal phenomenon), Techflash, Neighborlogs, Next Door Media (which owns QueenAnneView, MyBallard, Phinneywood, etc.), PubliCola, InvestigateWest and Crosscut.

If you’re at all interested in where your news comes from, check it out.

Just before 8 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, March 16, medics and SPD officers were called to 1800 Queen Anne Ave N, at the top of the hill, where an unidentified man had reportedly passed on.

Several readers witnessed officers and what they assumed to be a body bag outside of Bethany Presbyterian Church between 9 and 9:40 a.m. this morning. One anonymous reader wrote,

There was a bright yellow bag that looked like a body bag on top of the hill on Queen Anne Ave in central strip of retail laying on the sidewalk. There were multiple police cars, officers, and a coroners office vehicle.

Although the identity of the man has not yet been released, the deceased was known at Bethany, according to the church’s Office Administrative Assistant Sylvia Lidell. “He had a relationship with our pastor. He would come to the Wednesday night dinners,” she said.

According to Head of Staff Pastor, Rev. Dan Baumgartner the man, who he estimated to be about 75 years old, had attended Bethany services for the past six or seven years and developed relationships with the staff.

“I don’t know what happened. He was not in good health,” Baumgartner said, noting that the assumption was that the man sat down on the steps sometime early in the morning, where he eventually passed.

SPD media relationship representative Renee Whitt confirmed that the body was removed from the scene this morning and that it was recorded as “a natural death.” According to Whitt, the case has been turned over to a medical examiner who will investigate further.

Baumgartner said the man lived in an apartment downtown, and had no family that he knew of. Due to the nature of the situation, he opted not to release his name.

Which school can raise more money? That’s the challenge Upper Queen Anne cafe 5 Spot has proposed to two neighborhood elementary schools, John Hay and Coe.

On Tuesday, March 23 (Coe) and Wednesday, March 24 (Hay) students, parents and teachers will pack into 5 Spot and see how much they can earn by eating out. For these two days the 5 Spot will be contributing 25 percent of all their food and beverage sales from 4 p.m. to closing at midnight to each respective school. So if you eat at the 5 Spot either Tuesday or Wednesday next week, a quarter of every dollar you spend will go straight to Coe or John Hay.

Additionally, the children in the classroom from the winning school that has the highest level of family participation—families will be asked to write their teacher’s name at the top of their guest checks—will win a $10 Chow Foods gift card for each child in the class of the “highest participation level” classroom.

All funds raised over these two nights will be donated directly to each respective school. Coe Elementary, who will be fundraising on Tuesday the 23rd, plans to utilize the proceeds to purchase age and reading level appropriate books for their classrooms. John Hay Elementary, who will be represented on Wednesday the 24th, plans to put its donated funds toward the hiring of math and reading tutors.

The 151-year-old shillelagh that was snatched out of Queen Anne resident and then Society of Friends of St. Patrick President Mike McQuaid’s car outside his Queen Anne home last week was indeed returned on Friday night outside of City Hall during the Laying of the Line ceremony.

(Photo courtesy of Society of Friends of St. Patrick, via their Facebook page).

The most interesting twist to the story is, however, that the anonymous do-gooders behind the shillelagh’s safe return turned out to be the Seafair Pirates, who produced both the missing artifact and the alleged culprit.

“The Seafair Pirates produced both the shillelagh and a clown – who evidently was the culprit.  I’m told it may have been a Seafair Clown.  The clown was “cuffed” and hauled off in what looked like an unmarked police car,” McQuaid wrote to us earlier today.

McQuaid had offered up a $5,000 reward for the return of the shillelagh, but he said the Seafair Pirates, acting quite the opposite to what their title implies, “respectfully declined to accept” the check.

“I was successfully duped by a clown and Seattle’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration and parade were saved by the Seafair Pirates.  I still have no idea how the clown got into my car.  I do know that we have a Seafair clown on our committee,” McQuaid wrote.

On Saturday evening after the parade McQuaid, as outgoing president of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick, passed the century-and-half-year-old shillelagh, thought to be the oldest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, on to new president Bob Larkin, continuing a 70-year-old tradition.

So there you have it. The St. Patty’s Day parade was saved. A 70-year-old tradition was continued. The 151-year-old shillelagh has been returned to its rightful owners. All thanks to the Seafair Pirates.

Back in December the Seattle Center cleared out half of the rides at the Fun Forest–those east of the Center House–to make room for new vendors and temporary installations in the 68,000 square feet of then empty space.

The private carnival ride and games concessionaire, Fun Forest Amusements LLC, has leased the two parcels of land at the Center since 1963. In the fall the rest of their lease will undergo termination, and the remaining rides, those located southeast of the Center House, will also be removed.

In the meantime, the Center has been searching for new projects and programming to incorporate into the space as part of the Century 21 Master Plan, a $570 million, 20-year investment in the revitalization of Seattle Center in celebration of the 1962 World’s Fair for which it was originally built.

(Image by Studio 216 for Owen Richards Architects, courtesy of both).

The Center asked the community for proposals, and has also received a project plan for a 44,000 square foot “glass house” for a permanent Dale Chihuly exhibit. The Center is looking for an exhibit that draws crowds to the campus and emphasizes community engagement. In a press release today the Center clarified its goal:

The Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan, which sets the framework for future development on the campus, calls for campus design that draws visitors to the center of the grounds and emphasizes flexibility, vibrancy and artistic expression. While the plan was adopted by the Seattle City Council in 2008, it lacks the necessary public funding, and so Seattle Center must consider interim activities and amenities to fill the vacated areas.

The Center would like community input on the proposed projects, and will be hosting a public meeting on potential future uses for the former Fun Forest space at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30 in the Center House Conference Room A. Those interested are invited to participant and will have an opportunity for public comment.

Please join Seattle Center to learn more about potential future uses of the former Fun Forest areas and share your thoughts and ideas on creating engaging activities and amenities that fulfill the mission of Seattle Center to “delight and inspire the human spirit in each individual and bring together our rich and varied community.”

Those who would like to submit comments before the meeting, may email sc.customerservice@seattle.gov or write to Seattle Center, c/o Customer Service, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA  98109.

There was another car break-in over the weekend on Warren Ave N between Boston and Crockett. The prowl must have occurred sometime overnight, because the car was found open this morning, writes Glenda:

My boyfriend went out to go to work today and found his trunk open, the inside of the car all disheveled and the ignition looked like it had been messed with. Luckily they only got away with headphones.

If anyone remembers seeing anything suspicious in the area that could have been related to this break-in, please write in the comments below.

For the 82nd straight year, a gathering at Fishermen’s Terminal prayed for the safety of the men and women who harvest fish in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. This year, the captain and crew of Ariel received the blessing.

“Be with us now as we consecrate the vessel, Ariel and bless all the labors of those who work at sea,” said Pastor Erik Weiberg from Ballard First Lutheran Church. As is customary, he handed the captain a symbolic flag.

Brian Wartman accepted the flag and handed it to his son and co-captain, Adam, who raised it above the boat. A family operation, Ariel will head to Alaska in June to fish for salmon. Also at today’s ceremony, Mayor Mike McGinn, Rep. Reuven Carlyle, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Council Chairperson Bob Ferguson and Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryan.

This was the first time in 21 years that Rev. Malcolm Unseth, who passed away last April, did not conduct the blessing of the fleet. A tile has been placed in his honor at the Fishermen’s Memorial.

One of the names placed among flowers at the base of the memorial is Capt. Phil Harris, best known for his role in “Deadliest Catch.” He died in February after suffering a stroke off-loading crab in Alaska. Fishing is one of the nation’s most dangerous professions, especially here in the Northwest.

According to Seattle City Light, power went out at around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning for 156 buildings in Lower Queen Anne, including the entire Seattle Center campus as well as surrounding homes and businesses.

Power was returned to most affected within 30 minutes of the outage, and crews were able to restore service to all remaining buildings by 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. According to City Light,

The cause of the outage was a failed cable splice. Crews routed power around the bad section to restore power and will work on replacing the bad section of cable over the next several days.

Don’t forget to “spring forward” tonight, or if you’re up late, tomorrow morning. Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14. To avoid being an hour late for everything tomorrow, I recommend you reset your clock before you go to bed tonight (I missed a flight because I forgot to reset my clock one year!).

Don’t be surprised if you notice a little something extra on your doorstep today. The Queen Anne Cub Scouts from Troops 70 and 72 will be walking through the neighborhood on assigned routes from 9 a.m. to noon placing door hangers on homes as part of their annual Scouting for Food drive.

The hangers will provide information on hunger in the community and ask for those who can to leave donations of food and toiletries on their porches by 10 a.m. next Saturday, March 20, when the scouts will come back to collect, weight and deliver them to the Queen Anne Helpline and Ballard Food Bank.

“In 2009 the food drive brought in over 600 pounds of donations. Our goal this year is to exceed 1,000 pounds of donations,” wrote scout parent and 2010 Scouting for Food campaign co-chair Mary Chapman. “The Queen Anne Helpline and Ballard Food Bank are especially in need this year to help hundreds of local households make ends meet as a result of the current economic situation.”

(Thanks to Mary for the tip and the picture!)

An avid Conan O’Brien fan, I have to admit I am one of the Team Coco fans who was ecstatic to hear that the ex-Tonight Show host will be doing two performances at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall next month.

As part of a 30-city comedy extravaganza, “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour” is being described on Conan’s website as “a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence.” Conan announced the tour on Thursday, March 11, after which his Seattle date (April 18) sold out almost immediately. He then announced a second Seattle date (April 19), and tickets are going fast.

If you manage to get tickets, lucky you! If not, maybe we’ll get a Coco sighting? Here’s hoping…