Student hit in shooting outside Garfield High School — UPDATE

One teen was reported shot in the leg and police were searching for a possible suspect vehicle in a shooting outside 23rd Ave’s Garfield High School as school got out for the day.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 2:42 PM to treat and transport a shooting victim to the hospital.

SPD reported shell casings were located in a crosswalk at Jefferson and 23rd amid crowds of students leaving school. Continue reading

Mayor to launch series of public safety forums to focus on Seattle’s ‘top issue’

The CARE car — Seattle leaders hope to grow the city’s still tiny Community Assisted Response and Engagement effort (Image: City of Seattle)

Seattle leaders including Mayor Bruce Harrell and the new members of the Seattle City Council have promised a new focus on public safety in the city. Thursday night, Harrell will begin an initiative to address crime and street disorder in Seattle with a series of forums including meetings in each of the Seattle Police Department’s five precincts where the mayor says he is inviting the public to hear “his vision for creating a safer Seattle.”

“Public safety is not just our first charter responsibility as a City, it is the top issue for our community today. I look forward to meeting with neighbors to hear their concerns and ideas, and to share the actions we are taking,” Harrell said in Tuesday’s announcement of the Thursday night forum.

It’s not clear why the Harrell administration provided only a few days notice on the forum. In-person attendance will require registration. The forum will also be streamed live by the city.

Harrell said this week’s session will be followed by additional forums held across the city, one in each of SPD’s five precincts including the East Precinct covering Capitol Hill and the Central District. Continue reading

Victim in serious condition, police search for alleged armed assailant after E Olive Way rock beating

A suspect was reportedly pointing a handgun at nightlife patrons and passersby and one person suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a rock and knocked out during an E Olive Way street fight late Tuesday night.

Seattle Police were called to E Olive Way’s Crescent Lounge just before midnight where the victim in the assault had been brought inside after being struck in the head and knocked unconscious in the fight involving five or six people including the reported gunman.

Seattle Fire provided an “assault with weapons” level response to the call to treat the 40-year-old victim before transporting him to Harborview in serious condition. Continue reading

‘YOU DESERVE A SWEET LITTLE TREAT’ — Shikorina Pastries now open on E Pike

There is a new organic bakeshop and cafe in the heart of Pike/Pine. Shikorina Pastries celebrated its “grand re-opening” and is now settled in on E Pike.

“Cake is back!,” the latest social media post for Shikorina exclaims. “Chocolate chiffon w/ strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream,” the hand written sign promises.

CHS reported here last month on the plans from baker Hana Yohannes to move the Black, queer, and woman-owned “organic, sustainable Central District bakery” off of E Union and into the heart of E Pike in the space left empty by the exit of Portland vegan Jewish deli chain Ben and Esther’s.

The move is an opportunity to leave lease, financial, and personal challenges behind, Yohannes said. Continue reading

City warns about protests as organizers say Boeing has changed plans for Aerospace and Defense Supplier Summit underway at convention center

Organizers planning protests against this week’s 2024 Aerospace and Defense Supplier Summit at Seattle’s downtown convention center say Boeing’s decision to move some of the multi-day event online show their efforts are making an impact.

The City of Seattle sent a bulletin to neighborhood business groups around downtown and Capitol Hill warning about possible protests and unrest related to the summit. “There may be demonstrations and traffic disruptions in your area related to a Seattle Convention Center event taking place 3/12 – 3/14,” the bulletin shared by the Capitol Hill Business Alliance reads. Continue reading

Elections! Biden suffers small ‘uncommitted’ protest vote dent, battle for Seattle citywide Position 8 begins (again)

Their totals will climb but groups backing an “uncommitted delegates” protest vote over Gaza against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in the Washington presidential primary only dented the president’s Election Night tally.

Meanwhile, Seattle is turning its attention to the start of a 2024 political race that will be a big deal for the city.

Statewide in Tuesday night’s first count, Biden landed with just under 86% of the Democratic vote. The “uncommitted” ballots landed at just over 7%. For comparison, in 2020’s Washington primary, Biden finished neck and neck with challenger Bernie Sanders, each with around a third of the vote. Continue reading

Reborn and revived on Capitol Hill, Kedai Makan readying Belltown expansion

Sayap Ayam Pedas wings and a coconut shake, please (Image: Kedai Makan)

First, Kedai Makan came back from restaurant limbo with a new life at 15th and Pine. Now, it is getting ready to expand to Belltown.

The Capitol Hill Malaysian favorite says it is working on the new 1st Ave location and ready to expand from the E Pine corner where it reopened last year under after founders Kevin Burzell and Alysson Wilson decided they were ready to step away.

At 15th and Pine, the new Kedai Makan is continuing the traditions started at the original Bellevue Ave location and the many farmers markets where the Kedai Makan approach to Malaysian flavors were perfected. It has been a happy transition for the collaboration from Khampaeng “KP” Panyathong with Joe and Lucy Ye of Hangry Panda who originally came together to form the short-lived Money Frog concept.

Kedai Makan now moves forward under the Hagnry Panda ownership.

The old Bellevue Kedai Makan spot is now home to the Jilted Siren lounge.

Permit records show work is underway to make upgrades for the 1st Ave location where “Asian fusion” restaurant Lai Rai closed last summer.

Kedai Makan says only that the new location will open “soon.”

Kedai Makan is located at 1449 E Pine. Learn more at kedaimakansea.com.

 

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911 | Pike/Pine gunpoint cowboy hat robbery, 13th and Fir gunfire, auto theft stats

See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt/Signal (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

  • Cowboy hat robbery: Police responded to reported armed robbery after a group of bandits allegedly stole a man’s cowboy hat at gunpoint on Capitol Hill Friday night. According to the SPD report on the hold-up, police were called to the crime scene near E Pike’s Poquitos just before 9:30 PM. “The victim stated suspects stole his cowboy hat from his head and ran.” the SPD brief on the incident reads. “The suspects flashed a gun at him when he attempted to chase them.” Police say the cowboy eventually got his hat back — but not before the bad guys made off with some loot. “The suspects later dropped the hat but took dollars that were attached to it,” SPD reports. There were no arrests.
  • 13th/Fir gunfire: Police were called to the area of 13th and E Fir Saturday afternoon to reports of a suspect inside a car shooting at another vehicle. SPD said officers arrived in the area around 2:40 PM and located two crime scenes “with shell casings of different calibers.” In addition to the casings, police found a parked vehicle had sustained damage during the shooting. Police found nobody injured at the scene and a check of area hospitals came up clear of any gunshot wound victims. There were no arrests. Continue reading

City says work starting on latest 23rd Ave overhaul adding bus-friendly traffic signals, safer crossings, and a short stretch of ‘transit-only’ lanes

(Image: SDOT)

The city’s department of transportation is following up on the 23rd Ave corridor’s road diet with a scaled-back project to improve bus service through the busy route connecting the coming soon Judkins Park Station and the Central District to the University of Washington across the backside of Capitol HIll.

The Seattle Department of Transportation isn’t saying when work will wrap up as crews have begun digging in on the north end of the $2.6 million Route 48 – Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project that will add limited bus-only lanes to separate transit from traffic, improve crossings at intersections “to help people access transit safely,” and add new optimized and “smart” traffic signals “that prioritize transit with queue jumps that give buses a head start and “activate or extend green lights for buses” to the route.

“We are excited to announce that construction on the Route 48 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project’s North Segment is kicking off,” the announcement from SDOT reads. “We’re making these improvements to reduce bus travel times, increase bus service reliability, and make street crossings safer for people getting to bus stops.”

UPDATE: SDOT tells CHS they hope to have the completed “the majority of the work” by the end of 2024.

The upgrades will be missing one key component. Continue reading

Seattle’s I-5 lid hopes get $2M federal ‘research and planning’ boost

(Image: U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal)

(Image: Lid I-5)

Seattle’s hopes for someday lidding I-5 through downtown capping noise and pollution while re-connecting neighborhoods and creating millions in dollars of new development opportunities are getting a federal boost.

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal representing the WA-07 district including Capitol Hill and much of the city’s central and northern neighborhoods says she has helped secure $2 million in federal funding “for the City of Seattle to continue their research and planning of a project to construct a lid over Interstate 5 (I-5) in downtown Seattle.” Continue reading