Here is an eyewitness account from a woman who says she and her child were within 15 feet of the victim in Friday night's E. Union shooting. She describes the moment the victim was shot and his struggle to get back on his feet before falling back to the pavement. We're re-posting the report but are redacting her name and her family members' first names even though she posted the information publicly. We are also not linking to the page where she posted this information.

So Fri night, the night before my birthday, I was walking to the store at about 6 pm to meet [redacted] and get some groceries. I made it out of my house a couple of blocks, with [redacted] in the stroller. when all of a sudden, about 10-15 feet in front of us, we saw someone get shot 4-5 times point blank, and then a black car drove off very fast.

The guy that was shot fell to the ground, and got up and then fell down again. Some other people were near me on the sidewalk and they went to help the guy. I headed straight back for home as quickly as possible to get [redacted] safe since some psycho shooter was driving around the neighborhood.

I call the police and told them what i saw as i was going home. they said they would send a medic, and i heard a ton of sirens. i also kept telling people who were walking that way to look out because someone was just shot. I didnt know if the shooter was going to come back again or not.

As I was sitting at home waiting for my fiance to get home, I saw helicopters above our apt building looking down on the crime scene. then i saw a short piece about the shooting on the news. The police called me and asked if they could come over and talk to me about what happened. When they got here, they said they think it might end up being a homicide, the guy was in bad shape when he was sent to harborview hospital i guess.

I am not sure if he lived or not...the police said they will probably want me to come in and do a written statement, and a taped statement. Oh the joys of being a good citizen :-P Hope I dont have to go in... And I really hope the guy didnt die...

Im so glad [redacted] and I are ok, and Im so glad I didnt leave the house a few seconds sooner, or we would have been in the range of bullets...

[redacted]~

The victim was taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. There has been no update on his condition. Police are still looking for the suspected shooter. He is described as a white male driving a black, late model Mercedes Benz. He was wearing a red shirt at the time of the shooting. Anybody with information is encouraged to call 911.

originally uploaded by Fecki.

Capitol Hill cooks looking for local ingredients for their Tofurky Day feast contributions will find some new additions at the tables at Sunday's Broadway farmers market. Here's the list of items making their market debut this week:

Parsnips – The colder it gets, the sweeter they become.  Give them a try roasted, boiled or sautéed.  They are available at all three markets from Willie Green’s Organic Farm.

Pears – White Doyenne are new from Booth Canyon Orchards.  They are available alongside Bosc, Comice, D’Anjou and Olympic

 Freshly Ground Flour – Organic hard red wheat is being freshly ground by Nash’s Organic and is being sold in 4 pound bags at the U-District market.  The wheat was planted in the spring of 09, harvested in September and is being fresh ground every week for market shoppers.  How can anything be fresher?

Matsutake Mushrooms – from Foraged and Found – at the U-District and West Seattle markets.

HOLIDAY TREES AND WREATHS– We are excited to welcome back Three Tree Farm to the U-District and Broadway markets for the next 4 weekends.  The Noble and Blue Spruce trees have been freshly cut and come in all sizes.  Beautiful holiday wreaths are also available from Alm Hill Gardens at all three markets.

The market runs 11 AM - 3 PM in the parking lot behind Bank of America at Broadway and Thomas.

The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, by the way, is also sponsoring a Thanksgiving contest that rewards cooking skills, a dedication to locally-sourced ingredients and having your stuff together-ness (entering takes a little doing and more organization than CHS is capable of in the kitchen). Here are the details:

Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast CONTEST!

    Announcing the "Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast" CONTEST for the best and most direct-from-the-farmers-market Thanksgiving Dinner of 2009!

Grand Prize: a meal cooked in your home by award-winning Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant for you and up to 5 guests!!*

Second place prize: $100 shopping spree at any of our seven Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets*, plus two bottles of wine from market farmers, and a Farmers Market apron.

Third place prize: $75 Farmers Market gift certificate, one bottle of wine and a Farmers Market apron.

The Grand Prize will be awarded to the host/cook who makes the most farmers-market-sourced, delicious, unique and beautifully presented Thanksgiving dinner for 2009.  As much as possible, everything from the wine to the centerpiece should be sourced directly from local farms at the Broadway, U-District or West Seattle Farmers Markets.

1. It's easy! Host a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 26, 2009, of any size, featuring ingredients sourced from either one or all of these three Farmers Markets: Broadway, U-District, West Seattle.  The dinner can be pot-luck style or cooked all by you, but you (and your group) must be prepared to provide written recipes of all dishes served, and the source of all the ingredients.  (This contest is about supporting these three local winter farmers markets, which keep numerous small, diverse local farms in business.)  Also, as much as possible, the ingredients that you cannot purchase at the farmers markets should be locally sourced (eg, check out Stone Burr's line of Washington-sourced flour, available at various Seattle grocery stores).  Also remember: the original harvest feast held by the Pilgrims featured what was available, including fish, deer and other game.  Turkey and pumpkin pie are traditions that were only invented in the late 1800's.  SO, celebrate what's local, and be creative!

2. Take pictures of the dishes and the table setting, and also of the preparation in the kitchen (you don't need to detail every step of the process, but enough to give us an idea of what you did).  Write down your dinner menu and all recipes, plus where all the ingredients were sourced, including the drinks, wine and any decorations such as bouquets, etc.  Write down the name of the farm, and which farmers market the ingredient was purchased at.

3. Your entry will be judged on: the extent to which ingredients were sourced directly from local farmers at these three farmers markets, the quality of the recipes (they need not be elaborate to be good - simple can be exquisite too!), the uniqueness/creativity of the overall menu, and the presentation (again, simple can be just as beautiful as elaborate).  Our judges are nationally-known Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant, one of our market farmers, and local food writer Cynthia Nims (www.cynthianims.com).  It can be dinner for two or for twenty, elaborate or simple.

4. Submit your photos and written menu/recipes to the NFMA by December 4, either via email or snail mail, or by dropping it off at the info table at any of the three farmers markets.  Winner will be chosen by December 16, and first, second and third-place entries will be posted on the NFMA website as well as displayed at our winter markets, to inspire others to think creatively and locally for the holidays.  Please also give your dinner a 'name' - eg., the Smith Family Feast, or the 34th and Yesler Street Party.

5. This contest is open to home cooks only please, not professional chefs and cooks (i.e., anyone who makes their living via catering or cooking or restaurant).

Capitol Hill Seattle has been alerted to an apparent shooting near the intersection of Union and Boylston. At 5:55 PM, emergency units were dispatched to 702 E Union St. for an assault with weapons response.

We received the following e-mail from an eyewitness:

Shooting on Union between Boylston and Harvard. One guy shot, was conscious and speaking when police arrived.

More as we get it.

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WTO_Demo2.jpg,
originally uploaded by ntisocl.

On November 30, 1999, Capitol Hill became a battleground as police clashed with protesters and the city's downtown core erupted in confrontation. The World Trade Organization had come to Seattle bringing all the world's problems with it -- and exposing plenty of Seattle's along the way. Not every moment was warfare. Much of the protest and activism was the kind of thing you see here. Regular folks taking a stand. Or a sit. Of course, regular folks also fought back. We'll have more of that story this week -- if you have memories you'd like to share, please add to these posts in the comments -- but, first, let's focus on a present-day gathering of activists on Capitol Hill.

Next weekend, Seattle University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall host a free series of workshops and events to mark the anniversary of the protests. Here's more from Seattleplus10.org:

THE PEOPLE’S SUMMIT Nov 27-29

WTO+10: Global Justice Forward!

On Nov 30th the World Trade Organization (WTO) will host a “restart” meeting in Geneva – 10 years to the day from when we shut down the Seattle WTO! On Dec 7th, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change opens in Copenhagen. These are uncertain times and much is at stake: Join us to reclaim and amplify our voices with the vision we have for a healthy planet and people. Let’s harness the spirit of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle with a renewed commitment to move global justice forward!

Friday Nov 27 through Sunday Nov 29: three days of plenaries,  workshops and a cross-sector strategy session, held at Seattle  University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall. Visit www.seattleplus10.org for a full list of speakers, plenaries, and workshops!

With the Academy of Burlesque now teaching its science in the Odd Fellows building, Capitol Hill has become a center of learning for the discipline. But if you're not sure you're ready for the level of scholarship required for the full academic experience, Pike/Pine sex-positive retailer Babeland is hosting a class tonight featuring Academy headmistress Indigo Blue.

Babeland's Audrey McManus writes, "It is a nice teaser class for Indigo’s full burlesque classes she teaches at the Academy of Burlesque. Those classes have waiting lists months long, so this is a great opportunity for someone to get some experience now if they were thinking about taking a full class later.  Also – this class is designed to be tailored to be for a partner as well as for the stage."

Enjoy your studies.

Miss Indigo Blue

How to Strip for Your Lover with Miss Indigo Blue

Sunday, November 22, 7:30-9:30pm, $35

Learn tips for flirtation, seduction, and the artful removal of intimate apparel!  This is a fun,...

Back in September, we told you about a new retailer coming to Pike/Pine and joining the scene inside the Odd Fellows building. We noticed that the store was taking shape this week and a quick check of their Web site reveals Nube Green opens on Monday. UPDATE: It's open! From Josh in the comments:

Although their website says they aren't open until Monday they were actually open today and I think they will be tomorrow (the owner said the website is just hard to change).

Its a great little shop. Some really interesting stuff including some very cool cardboard lanterns made by a group just down the street.

The new retailer is targeting "ecologically minded consumers" and plans to "provide a strorefront for local artists." Nube Green is the creation of Ruth True. She and her husband Bill opened the nonprofit art gallery Western Bridge.

Here is a snippet from a press release explaining the new store's concept.

Also on the ground floor -- sandwiched between the popular OddFellows Café and Molly Moon's, and right next to flora and henri -- Nube Green plans to open the doors on its 2,300 square foot mercantile store in November. This retailer will carry a broad array of simple, fun and elegant gifts for the ecologically minded consumer.

The store will only sell products that have not crossed any oceans, including locally made items from recycled and sustainable materials. Nube Green will also carry its own line of products.

Top shelf children's clothier Flora and Henri also moved into Odd Fellows recently.

Meanwhile, down the street, CHS also noted 'sign' of an existing business doing some upgrades for the holidays. Looks like Seattle Running Company got a new sign for Christmas.

Pike/Pine isn't the only area on the Hill with some good biz news. CHS reported yesterday on some cool changes for the People's Republic of Koffee over on 12th Ave. Meanwhile, beloved Broadway bookseller Bailey Coy is officially no more.

If you're looking to outsource your pie-making, two local business are offering special Thanksgiving pies.  Molly Moon's offers $15 Pumpkin Ice Cream Pies (pumpkin clove ice cream swirled into a graham cracker crust.).  You can either grab one from the freezer or call in an advance order at 206-547-5105.  Another local business Dani Cone(of Fuel Coffee fame)'s  High 5 Pies is offering Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, or Caramel Pecan 7" deep-dish pies for $12.  Contact Dani (dani at high5pie dot com) or order at one of Fuel's three locations.  Note that High 5 is offering a gluten free version of these pies.  Both Molly Moon & High 5 require that you order by close of business on Monday 11/23 - if you expect them to be ready for Thanksgiving Dinner.  As our commenters point out below, you can also be charitable in securing pie.  Lifelong Aids Alliance sells pies through Project Pie and their $25 pies are available for pickup on Tuesday and Wednesday at their 1002 East Seneca...

If my interview with Roy Street Coffee and Tea manager Jacob Webber taught me anything, it’s that despite being a much better coffee shop than your typical Starbucks, Roy Street Coffee and Tea is still a Starbucks.

Jacob describes the store as his “pipe dream,” and seemed really excited about all the new features they’re trying out in the store, like their new Synesso espresso machine, and a pull down movie screen to host film showings for local filmmakers.  He said a lot of positive things and really seemed committed to making the concept work.  

On the other hand, Jacob said he didn’t know much about Capitol Hill, he didn’t have much to say about the well established coffee scene on the Hill, beyond “they make great coffee”, and he didn’t offer direct responses to any of the criticism they’ve been getting from many in the community -- namely that it's disingenuous to not display the Starbucks name, and the clipboard observers that were...

CHS will feature coverage this week of the 10-year anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle with a focus on Capitol Hill's role in the events. As part of the remembrance, we are sponsoring a new kind of civil disobedience. There's still a place for facing down jack-booted thugs and noxious gas -- but we also admire people who get their point across in more subversive ways.

In that spirit, CHS is proud to co-present The Yes Men Fix the World at Northwest Film Forum. The film documents the work of two pranksters who put technology and empty-headed bureaucracy to work to infiltrate the modern media loop and hijack corporate and governmental posturing in the name of social activism. It's like Borat with purpose beyond watching a skinny man wrestle a fat man naked. Seeing one of the Yes Men portraying a government official addressing the community in storm-ravaged New Orleans and making promises that are entirely doable but also entirely outside the realities of government is both funny and heart-breaking. But it's also inspiring when you see the residents catch on to the message, get the 'joke,' and join in on bashing the mind-blown politicians and media who have been punk'd into playing their parts in the stunt.

The Yes Men plays November 27 through December 3. Friday's opening night showing is a benefit for WTO +10, with Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum and other guests in attendance at both of the evening's shows. Bichlbaum will also attend screenings on November 28 and 29. And CHS will be in the house to say hello before most screenings.

Fore! Smash Putt, "a temporary mini golf course/art installation on Capitol Hill," is open for play:

Assembled inside a dingy 12th Avenue building by Rusty Oliver and a group of industrial artists who call themselves the Hazard Factory, it's 10 holes featuring crazy contraptions involving catapults, air compressors, power tools and 33-1/3 rpm turntables.

At hole No. 2, which is called "Driving Range," you can launch a ball through an air-powered machine gun toward the upturned innards of a piano: "Clang — ng-ng-ng."

At hole No. 5, "Roulette Francaise," a motorized scooter turns a platform that shoots your ball off in one of four directions — one containing a hole. (And feel free to toot the scooter's horn whenever, just for fun.)

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There's also beer and snacks in the Miniature Golf Apocalypse clubhouse. You can buy tickets and get more info at http://www.smashputt.com/ The playing season is a short one -- Smash Putt will only be open for play these final three weekends of November.

The Hazard...

A purse snatcher tried to ruin this man's Halloween by snagging his bag from his gorilla-suited paws. All the thief made off with was the man's car keys. Props to the gorilla for finishing his night of fun before going to the fuzz.

The gorilla did it! Sorry for the error!

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill was the site of one of *two* unrelated bleach attacks in the city. More from our partner site, SeattleCrime.com:

On October 31st, 10:30 a.m. a man walked in to Duvall's apartment building on 10th Ave E and E Roy inquiring about renting an apartment. Duvall, prosecutors say, approached the man and threw a coffee mug full of bleach in the man's face

Five hours later, court records say Duvall, 40, approached a woman on 10th Avenue E and E Roy carrying two yellow tumblers. As he passed the woman, records say, he turned and threw bleach into the woman's face. Moments later, Duvall approached another man riding his bike on Roy Street and threw a cup of bleach in his face, and ran back into his building. Duvall's neighbors identified him to police, who took him in to custody.

SeattleCrime is the project of former Stranger reporter Jonah Spangenthal-Lee. In addition to the occasional crime news of the weird (see above), Jonah has been adding great reporting to the citywide coverage of the Tim Brenton murder investigation.

In addition to quality local journalism, SeattleCrime also has some pretty cool bells and whistles that we continue to work on. You'll be seeing more of these tools in our CHS crime reporting.

The SeattleCrime Map is especially useful. We're mapping 911 callouts, Central District News scanner reports and police reports from across the city. We're still refining and fixing things like enabling permalinks but it's already a pretty interesting tool. You can use it to drill down on any area in the city to see what from the crime files has been happening lately. Here's a view of recent automobile-related theft on Capitol Hill. Can't show you the trend yet -- but take my word for it, there's been a bump in the last few weeks with a mini-outbreak between Broadway and I-5 shores.

Welcome Jonah and his team to the Seattle Internet. Oh, and don't forget to remove your valuables from your car.

We reported over the weekend about the preparations to open the second 'secret' Starbucks on Capitol Hill taking an odd step backward -- a worker painted over a recently completed Roy Street Coffee sign above the new shop. No matter. Starbucks says it's a go for a Wednesday opening. Here's our favorite line from the media announcement, below:

Like other new stores we’ve opened recently – 1st and Pike and University Village in Seattle, Paris Disney and Conduit Street in London, this coffeehouse is a celebration of the community’s personality and values.

Capitol Hill is just like Paris Disney. Here's the announcement:

On Wednesday, Starbucks will open our new Roy Street Coffee & Tea, inspired by Starbucks, in Seattle, WA.  In the same spirit as 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea, Roy Street Coffee & Tea is a new concept coffeehouse that reflects the local neighborhood’s values and personality and celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s coffee heritage, materials and artists.

Like other new stores we’ve opened recently – 1st and Pike and University Village in Seattle, Paris Disney and Conduit Street in London, this coffeehouse is a celebration of the community’s personality and values. Like all new Starbucks stores, whether they are Starbucks branded or the new concept stores, Roy Street Coffee & Tea uses regional materials, features the work of local artists and is designed for sustainability. We look forward to being a part of the vibrant and resurgent Broadway neighborhood when Roy Street Coffee & Tea opens on Wednesday.

We invite you to a media preview event tomorrow with Major Cohen and Liz Muller from Starbucks Global Development team as they discuss the design and construction strategies behind the new concept. As the second store in Starbucks LEED® Volume Certification pilot program (announced just last week), Tony Gail with Starbucks Environmental Impact team, will also be onsite to discuss Starbucks goal is to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through green construction, energy and water conservation, and recycling. Additionally, store manager, Jacob Webber, will be available to discuss the Roy Street Coffee & Tea’s connection to the surrounding neighborhood.

You might recall that the opening of the company's first stealth 'indie'-styled cafe on 15th Ave inspired a few shenanigans. We'll see what happens at Roy and Broadway on Wednesday morning.

Republic of Koffee,
originally uploaded by flckrd1.

Some business changes at 1720 12th Ave (between Olive & Howell, Lucky Devil Tattoo Parlor building), none lost, one added:

The People's Republic of Koffee stand has left their garage-on-the-street location and moved into the house next door and expanded with seating (and future food service).  Also in the space is the new People's Republic of Komedy office.

http://www.prokomedy.org/

Zone 4 Printing has moved into the old PRK space and has a great, compact retail store right on the sidewalk with T-shirts and posters, etc.

http://zone4printing.com/

The Anne Bonny and Cairo have teamed up to bring you a second year of Expo:  the micro fest of film and music  and art in the micro 'hood of Sleepy Hollow/Top Pot/Summit. Expo 87 is three nights and includes two film series, more than 20 bands, and one interactive art installation.  The film series on Thursday are free; $10 will get you an all-festival pass for all events on both Friday and Saturday.

Here's my not-to-be-missed list from the lineup:

Supervideografen : A series of short animated films co-curated by Sean Pecknold;  and Pacific Open - A shorts program comprised of miscellaneous musically driven films from around the Northwest, co-curated by Christian Hansen. Free! Thursday, Cairo 7 - 10pm.

CMYK : dance pop band with a fun and bright sound. Friday, Cairo 7pm.

Seattle Band Map : a cartographic study of musical incest. This graphic illustration/chart of who has played with whom in Seattle bands looks super interesting to anyone who has at least...

As the Seattle Times (via the Associated Press) reported this morning, there was an early morning fire on 11th Avenue between Republican and Mercer.  We have a call in to the Seattle Fire Department for additional information:

Smoking in bed started a fire that injured two men early today in an older house that had been converted to apartments, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen says firefighters responding about 2:30 a.m. found one man in a room. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

She says another man who was able to get out of the house on his own also was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.

Damage is estimated at [$]20,000 to the three-story house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Update (11/11) 2:19 pm: CHS has learned that the man who started the fire has died

Update (11/11) 2:51 pm: Line Out identifies Comet Bouncer Ben Hills as the man killed in the fire

Update (11/11) 5:08 pm: Line...

Photo: alk17000

CHS talked with Seattle Police Department spokesperson Renee Witt about Thursday's accident scene on Madison to try to clear up exactly what happened to draw the large emergency and officer response.

Witt said the officer whose foot was run over is in better condition than previously thought -- she has a severely sprained ankle, not a break as was first reported.

Witt said the large response -- reported to include as many as 17 police cruisers -- is standard procedure when an officer is injured.

"Any time there is an officer that is injured it garners a large response until we can figure out what was going on," Witt said.

According to Witt, the officer who was injured was directing traffic at the scene where a person in a wheelchair had been struck by a vehicle at the Madison intersection. Witt said a truck turning west onto Madison from 15th ran over the officer's foot. The truck's driver told police that he was distracted by another pedestrian and didn't see the officer. Witt said the driver was interviewed and released and will likely be cited.

The original accident involving the pedestrian in the wheelchair did not result in serious injuries. According to the Seattle Fire Department, the victim and the driver in that accident were not transported from the scene. Witt said she did not have information at this time about any citations issued in the first accident.

Wednesday night's early design guidance meeting for the 230 Broadway project revealed a Brix-like apartment and retail complex that left the Capitol Hill Design board wanting more specific details.

The 7-story mixed use development will house 235 residential spaces (47 units of affordable housing), room for 24,000 sq. ft. of retail, have space for neighborhood offices and will stretch from Thomas St. all the way to Castle and the tanning salon; replacing the space for the farmers market as well as a multitude other businesses. (If you need to brush up your memory on the guts of the project, a link to the architects proposal can be found here.) As with any project of this size landing on the uniformly two-story area on and around Broadway, concerns surrounding its mass, looks, and function as a community space topped the issue list for the review board.

While it received the most praise in our previous coverage of the development, the proposed courtyard and community room became clouded in confusion after the board began looking into the function, placement, and use of the space. As a whole, the board felt the design left too many questions about whether the courtyard, located in the center of the building, was open to the public or restricted only to the tenants. According to lead architect Brian Runberg, street access would be restricted at night in parallel with a community room hours by way of a "welcoming" gate, but the board felt the current design, which has no visual or physical access to Broadway, lacked character as an effective public space. "For a space that is supposed be a community space, it's pretty impoverished," said Bryan Cavanaugh, the business owner representative on the design review board. This brought up questions of possible relocation of the community room or rearrangement of entrances, but ultimately resulted in the board wanting more clarity.

As a brand new yet lasting face of Broadway, community members and board members wanted to ensure the facade would reflect the culture and historical precedence created by the current retail stretch on the street. Runberg's goal with the Broadway facade was to create a "strong urban edge" -- reinforcing the vibrant night life, creating wider sidewalks, and allowing retail businesses to create unique storefronts. The board praised these efforts, but without a solid decision on the look and setback of the front, they demanded a strong, clear, and simple front that would be made interesting by the individual store owners.

The final board recommendations also called for more definition on the how the building turns the corner at 10th & Thomas, and a clear design on what turned out to be a controversial service alley on the south end of the building.

Despite the criticisms, the review board did commend the architects and developer for their analysis of the history of Capitol Hill developments as well as the new building's aesthetic fit into environment of Broadway. One went so far as to call the design "elegant."

Taking the advice of the board and community with them, the next step for the developers, according to project planner Lisa Rutzick, will be applying for a master use permit. After more zoning and environmental assessments, the group will come back to the design review board for more community input.

Broadway retail had another hole poked in the middle of it tonight as, under the cover of darkness, employees scrambled to gut the Hollywood Video next to Dick's Burgers and directly across the street from the empty lot where Sound Transit's light rail station construction is soon to begin.

A sign on the door said the location is permanently closing and directed customers to the next closest Hollywood Video in Magnolia. Despite the sign, a customer tried the locked door before dropping his movie in the return slot. He said he had just joined Hollywood's monthly movie plan.

UPDATE: Adding some information about the building itself, the $2.8 million, three-story brick building was built in 1929 and is owned by Ron and Edel Amundson, according to King County records. It is also home to online provider of phonics-based spelling lessons, Headsprout and a company called Antique Cycle Northwest. From the Department of Neighborhoods:

Historic Name:      Del-Teet Furniture     &...

County councilmember Larry Phillips (Photo: Jeff Romeo special to CHS)

With an agreement in place between the city and Sound Transit to move forward with the project and a change about to take place in the mayor's office, the political maneuvering and public process to define the route for the new streetcar line that will run from Union Station through First Hill to Capitol Hill is taking shape.

Central District News reports that King County councilmember Larry Phillips, whose district includes Capitol Hill & First Hill, is one of the first politicos to take a stance on the route.

According to CDN, Phillips sent a letter to mayor Greg Nickels and city councilmembers back in October advocating for the 12th Ave option -- specifically for a loop route that would run on 12th Avenue in one direction and Broadway in the other -- to be included in the city's study of viable routes:

The proposed 12th Avenue and Broadway loop is a promising concept for serving a greater number of residents, creating a north-south public transit option on currently unserved 12th Avenue, and catalyzing economic development on vacant and underutilized properties in the area. Further, as you know, King County government owns and operates the Youth Services Center - King County's Juvenile Court and Detention facility - a significant regional facility located along the 12th Avenue corridor. Currently the site is highly automobile-oriented, featuring a large parking lot which the community is interested in seeing re-devleoped into a denser, more pedestrian and transit oriented facility.

The recommendation should have impact. Phillips is also a member of the Sound Transit board of directors and chair of the Central Link Oversight Committee. While the city will be in charge of planning and building the line, Sound Transit is paying the construction bill.

First Hill advocates have already voiced their opposition to a 12th Ave loop alignment saying it would decrease the utility of the line for First Hill residents and workers. Some in First Hill say a Boren alignment would best serve their community. Here's a look at some other possible alignments for the new line.

A final decision on the streetcar route will be made by the city council in early 2010 with a goal for the line to be operational by 2013.

The 1940s era red brick medical building at Broadway & Columbia suffered a fire this morning just after 1am, triggering a large response from the fire department.

This morning there was no external damage visible on the building, with the exception of broken windows that were used by the fire department to ventilate the building. The fire appears to have been confined to the northern wing along Columbia.

The building has been vacant since it was sold for $8.5 million in 2007, and based on scanner traffic has become a problem property with drug activity and break-ins from transients. In fact, just yesterday there was an overdose fatality at that location. According to county records, it is now owned by "BROADWAY-COLUMBIA ACQUISITION I LP" and registered to an address in Dallas, Texas.

No word yet from the fire department as to the cause. We'll update this once we get more information on it.

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A man so high on cocaine and wine that he needed to be hospitalized after being arrested was chased down by customers of nearby Tougo Coffee as he made his getaway after burglarizing 18th Ave boutique Gossamer Collective. The colorful details of the bust come from Tweets reported by the Central District News blog:

mgrummer tweets that it was Gossamer Collective which lives in the spot just south of Tougo. He says that he and other Tougo customers helped apprehend the perp: "I was there this am right after it happened. Another customer followed as the guy took off w/ the goods & directed patrol officers over the phone as to the thief's location"

Here's what SPD had to say about the incident:

CHS joked the other night about a Tweet we saw that was too artsy for us to fully comprehend. Turns out, the Tweeter is the owner of represents a new art gallery that is opening on the Hill tonight:

I wanted to follow-up to this tweet you posted recently and tell you a little more about "The Shogunate Revisited", opening tonight at pun(c)tuation on Pike Street. (The storefront that has been covered in newspapers for a few months and used to be Laced Up, next to the HoneyHole.)

 "The Shogunate Revisited", a show featuring new work from Seattle-based artists Mike Wagner and I AM, will be kicking-off with an opening reception from 6-10pm. You can read our press release below and there are pictures and flyers available on our Flickr page. (I can send you any of those as an attachment if you have problems opening or need a higher rez image.)

 This show is actually the first of three we have planned between now and January, including a tribute to Miles Davis coming soon, so I will be sure to pass that information along to you to share with the readers of CHS. Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you can join us tonight!

 Thanks,
Kizha Davidson @kydinseattle

Here's more from the Slog on the event and a slideshow from pun(c)tuation's flickr stream. Also, don't forget about this weekend's Expo 87 'micro-fest.'

It's a 6 AM Wednesday morning debut for the latest Starbucks creation on Capitol Hill. We'll have additional coverage this morning but wanted you to get a look inside. What do you think of the new place?

Roy Street Barrista

Chairs reused from somewhere

Busy morning opening day

Interesting lighting is a must

CHS didn't attend the pre-launch media event on Tuesday night but we did get a few shots from other folks on the outside. Thanks to Aaron Brethorst for sharing this picture via Twitter .

Photo: Aaron Brethorst

And thanks to http://starbucksmelody.com for a shot from the inside at the preview.

Photo: Starbucks Melody (with permission)

Over on the article where we first posted the announcement that Roy St. Coffee and Tea was opening on Wednesday, there's a debate, um, brewing about the good and bad of corporate coffee and indie-styling . CHS goes back and forth between hostility and ignorance about Starbucks' 'Street Level Coffee' efforts. But the company seems to court the controversy with images like this:

Roy Street Coffee & Tea, originally uploaded by SlayerSeattle.

CHS contributor alk17000 posted this news first this morning but due to a technical issue, we missed the post. Thanks for sharing the breaking news alk -- much appreciated and sorry for the mix-up. (Photo: Alk17000)

Update by jseattle: We screwed up on this story and missed breaking news reported by a contributor. We have a system that alerts us when new posts are created -- but it didn't fire for this post because of a glitch. As the comment on alk17000's post indicates, that's a lot of cops at the scene. Could be due to the proximity to East Precinct headquarters at 12th and Pine but we'll give SPD a call on Friday to find out. Still no word on person who was hit's condition.

Update 2: Our commenters and CHS news partner Seattle Times has part of the story answered:

A Seattle police officer was taken to Harborview Medical Center this morning after her foot was run over by a vehicle at the intersection of 15th Avenue and East Madison Street.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said the officer suffered a broken ankle, but was in otherwise good condition after the 11:30 a.m. incident.

Witt said the circumstances under which the officer was injured are unclear; the matter is under investigation.

We'll follow up on circumstances that led to the accident. Also, when we first posted this article, the headline mistakenly identified the location of the accident as 17th and Madison, not 15th.

When we spoke with the fire department spokesperson about the accident, there were two different incident numbers being tracked at the location so it appears the officer was at the scene of an aid response before the second accident occurred.

Original report: We received the following report from a neighbor.  We will update with any information we receive from the SPD and/or SFD.  

Wanted to report that this am at around 11:00 am as I was driving down Madison, at around 17th Ave. near the Madison Market I saw an accident.  There was a fire truck and a man lying in the street.  He looked like an older man with gray hair and glasses.  They were getting a stretcher ready for him.  As I drove by 5 police cars drove up.  On my drive back home at around 11:30 there were still police cars there and officers directing traffic.

Another neighbor reports that traffic is being impacted at Madison & Pine - possibly as a consequence of this accident:

FYI - Not sure what's going on, but the police are routing all traffic traveling west on Madison off at Pine. Only one lane going east is open. It's been like this for at least an hour now. Seems to be really slowing down traffic on Madison going west.