A weekend of electromagnetic storm activity predicted to be the “best aurora viewing conditions that many of us in the PNW have ever experienced” lived up to all hopes Friday night as the Northern Lights appeared over Capitol Hill, Seattle, and across the country. Here are a few scenes captured from around the Hill Friday night into Saturday morning as the two large storm pulses hit overnight.
While an anticipated second round caused by the “large, complex sunspot cluster” never fully materialized Saturday night, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s suddenly very popular Space Weather Prediction Centersays that more geomagnetic storming is coming. Continue reading →
A fun milestone stitched together with a love for fabrics and craft snuck up on us in Pike/Pine. Capitol Hill fabric and sewing store Stitches is closed on Sunday but the shop is still celebrating 20 years of business on E Pike. You can shop online to help celebrate and enjoy their 20% off sale through Sunday:
Our 20th Anniversary Sale runs through the end of day Sunday. 20% off everything and a free gift for all orders over $50. Sale on Sunday is online only. We’ll get everything in the mail Monday. Or choose in-store pickup.
CHS stopped by 711 E Pike ten years ago to talk with owner Amy Ellsworth and help mark the store’s 10th birthday. We’ll check in for a fresh visit soon. Happy birthday, Stitches.
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A teen was shot in both legs in a reported domestic violence incident Saturday night in the Yesler Terrace area.
Seattle Police were called to a building near 11th and Spruce just before 10:30 PM where a caller reported the 15-year-old victim with gunshot wounds to each leg suffered in a reported domestic violence assault. Continue reading →
Don’t laugh. A Broadway comedy bar by night is hoping to help neighborhood food and drink startups grow in a Capitol Hill “food court” by day.
Comedy/Bar is hoping to use its venue as a stage to give a boost to a collection of Capitol Hill mobile and delivery ventures while also stretching its own food and drink menu into daylight hours.
“As a small business owner, I understand how difficult it could be for places that operate primarily in the evening and night to try to maximize their product and to try to make more money, because they’re paying rent 24 hours per day,” owner Dane Hesseldahl says. “We had this idea. We have all of this space. We have this large kitchen and we have this great bar—and it sits empty all day.”
So, the Broadway Food Court has been born, putting the Broadway comedy club just a block from Capitol Hill Station into the area’s daytime and lunchtime mix. Continue reading →
This weekend could be the perfect time to get involved with Capitol Hill’s stargazing community.
A massive solar storm, a new moon, and forecasts calling for clear skies could match up Friday night to create prime a Northern Lights viewing opportunity in the Pacific Northwest. Continue reading →
Expect snarled traffic on I-5, 405, 520, and I-90 Friday afternoon as President Joe Biden arrives in Seattle for a fundraising stop.
520, meanwhile, will be closed for construction.
If past visits are any indication, the motorcade might also be making a pass near Capitol Hill bringing temporary roadblocks and traffic diversions to the area.
Air Force One is expected to touch down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the Federal Aviation Administration-issued flight restrictions between 5:15 to 6:30 PM Friday. Continue reading →
The Seattle City Council’s powerful Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee chaired by council president Sara Nelson had a busy Thursday moving forward two pieces of legislation putting more teeth in the city’s drive to hire more police officers and rolling back the city’s minimum wage for delivery drivers.
Citing the city’s terrible showing in hiring new recruits — last year, the Seattle Police Department hired only 61 police officers out of 1,948 applications — Nelson’s bill moved forward through the committee with a plan she says will make for a better, more efficient path by creating a new Recruitment & Retention program “to implement best practices
and innovative new recruitment approaches,” requiring the exam for entry-level and lateral police officer positions “be offered in a manner that supports flexibility and accessibility for exam-takers,” and improving outreach to candidates. The program will require three full-time employees set to be transferred from the city’s human resources department plus a full-time manager. A fifth role would be added to “enable personalized communication with candidates within 48 hours of applying to SPD and establishing a point of contact to support them throughout the hiring process.” Continue reading →
The moon from a phone attached to Meade LX200 telescope (Image: Noah Anderson)
(Image: Noah Anderson)
Seattle’s spring just might be off to a too-sunny start for locals. On Capitol Hill, turn to the moon.
Local resident Noah Anderson has found a way to to appreciate the beauty of the Seattle sky utilizing the extended night time hours of the Pacific Northwest to practice a challenging but rewarding city hobby: urban stargazing. A community of people who like to look up at the stars has formed that orbits around Capitol Hill’s park space. With days now getting longer, prime star viewing gets a little more challenging. But Anderson says stargazing is one of those rare activities that is a hobby anyone can access. The sky is communal and reminiscent of visiting a museum, he says.
“We can all speak sky.”
Anderson stumbled into stargazing when he and friends experimented with an old childhood “superscope,” Seeking guidance, he connected with the University of Washington astronomy department, which provided him with a professional telescope in need of repair. After refurbishing it with help from a Chicago repair shop, he tested it in Volunteer Park. Passersby expressed interest, leading to the formation of a thriving community of more than 600 members through word-of-mouth invitations and an email list. Meetings now occur regularly, and on dark nights, as the moon smiles down.
There’s no need to tell you how few stars people typically see in Seattle. Who can spot the planets and tell Venus from Sirius? It’s a public good that Anderson and others lug large telescopes to Volunteer Park. Continue reading →
The Seattle School Board has approved a plan that could shutter 20 of its elementary school campuses across the city to help cover an expected $105 million budget gap.
Wednesday’s vote approved a plan from superintendent Brent Jones to consolidate the system’s elementary school campuses from 70 to 50 based on the district’s “Well-resourced Schools” framework it says has been shaped by public feedback and establishes a base level of resources that should be available on every campus including the number of teachers per grade level and additional resources like “education intensive service classrooms.”
To achieve that level, Jones says the district must reduce the number of elementary schools it supports to more than 400 students per campus. It currently supports about 23,000 students across 70 sites — just under 330 per campus.
“K-5 students would be better accommodated in approximately 50 sites evenly distributed with 10 per region,” a presentation on the proposal reads.
The framework would also call for maintaining the district’s current level of staffing that has also added to the deficit under the three-year deal reached with the teachers union in 2022. In the three-year pact, the district agreed to 7% raises for educators across the board, plus a 4% salary increase in year two, and a 3% raise in year three to cover the cost of inflation.
A weekend of electromagnetic storm activity predicted to be the “best aurora viewing conditions that many of us in the PNW have ever experienced” lived up to all hopes Friday night as the Northern Lights appeared over Capitol Hill, Seattle, and across the country. Here are a few scenes captured from around the Hill Friday night into Saturday morning as the two large storm pulses hit overnight.
