Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking community feedback and will hold a meeting this weekend on plans for overhauling the Madrona Playground.
The $550,000 project is hoped to replace the play equipment and redesign and possibly repurpose the sandbox area to increase use, the city says.
The cherry tree grove health will be examined, and improvements made as needed. Pathway paving will be upgraded to ensure an accessible route to and through the play area. This project will also include a design to provide cover for the stage.
Prosecutors say the string of arsons that damaged multiple Madrona homes in the suspect’s 90-minute spree of chaos earlier this month began the day before with a fire set at the West Seattle home where the man’s ex-partner was staying.
Tukwila man Bert Dailing has been charged with five counts of first degree arson for the August 8th fire attacks that caused no serious injuries but left a smoky trail of damage across the neighborhood including significant damage to houses.
Police say Dailing told them after his arrest that the fire spree was drug fueled, saying he had smoked methamphetamines and set out to light fires but did not intend to hurt anyone. Continue reading →
The warming waters of Lake Washington off popular Madrona Beach are closed to swimmers this week after a power outage caused a sewage overflow at a city facility Monday.
Health officials have ordered the closure between Madrona Beach and Howell Park to the north “over the next several days” saying bacteria levels could make people or pets sick.
King County Wastewater says its crews responded to a power outage at the East Pine Street Pump Station in Madrona that shut down equipment Monday afternoon “and caused an overflow into Lake Washington.” Continue reading →
A string of fire attacks across the Madrona neighborhood area ended with police taking a suspect into custody at the scene of a fourth arson blaze after more than 90 minutes of mayhem stretching between 37th and 31st Ave Monday night.
There were no major injuries reported but some of the damage to homes involved in the melee reportedly suffered significant damage. SPD says five homes were damaged in the string.
Reports of the man walking shirtless with visible burn marks and carrying objects including a propane tank and possible lighter fluid spread after the initial fire reported around 7:30 PM at a $3 million home in the 600 block of 37th Ave. Continue reading →
E Union at 34th Ave E has a new honorary street name. Now, to find the former home of Seattle’s Black Arts/West Theatre, just look for Douglas Q. Barnett Street.
The new designation was celebrated last week before the Thanksgiving holiday with a ceremony at the corner where Barnett founded and led the theater from 1969 until it lost funding and was closed in 1980. Barnett passed away last year at the age of 88.
“I had none,” said Tee Dennard tells CHS of his acting experience before finding Black Arts/West Theatre. “I came out here on a bet — on an audition. And I got the part.” Denard eventually became artistic director and has enjoyed a lifetime as a working actor. Continue reading →
Sawant again performed strongly in the southwest core of District 3
It was a tale of two districts.
To the east and north were the wealthier homeowners of North Capitol Hill, Madrona, Montlake, and Broadmoor, where voters picked the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce-backed Egan Orion.
Meanwhile, in the more densely populated Broadway and Pike/Pine cores and the Central District, residents sided with the re-election of socialist Seattle City Council incumbent Kshama Sawant.
While the path to victory in 2019 included a dramatic shift from Election Night totals, Sawant’s win, in the end, looks extremely familiar.
To Erin Schultz, a consultant that worked on the Orion campaign, the voting distribution of District 3 looks like what Sawant saw in 2015 as she defeated Pamela Banks for the seat.
“The mapped results are similar to results Sawant has gotten in every election, but we were obviously hoping to close the narrow gap, especially after the Primary performance,” Schultz said in an email. She believes that Amazon’s late $1 million contribution turned the election into a “referendum on corporate influence in elections rather than solutions to addressing homelessness, improving affordability, and the many other issues our city is struggling with.” Continue reading →
Each dot represents 10 Jewish households. The dots are placed randomly within each zip code (Image: Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle)
Seattle’s central neighborhoods have the densest population of Jewish households in the metropolitan area, and the numbers are growing.
According to a recent study (PDF), the number of Jews in greater Seattle has increased 70% since 2001, the last time a similar study was conducted. The Jewish population boom is outpacing Seattle’s overall growth. The city’s roughly 33,000 Jews now outnumber residents claiming Norwegian ancestry. The Seattle Times reported on the trends last week.
According to the report, much of the growth has come from Jewish individuals and families moving into the city — only 23% were born in the area. Seattle’s availability of skilled jobs, progressive culture, and well educated population appears to have been a main driver in the Jewish population boom. 89% of Jewish adults surveyed had a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. Researchers estimated the total Jewish population in the greater Seattle area today to be around 63,400. Continue reading →
Expect the usual peculiarities around the neighborhood when POTUS visits the area — hopefully without those Madrona booms. President Barack Obama arrives in Seattle Tuesday for a double-header of fundraising events including a return to the Madrona home of Bruce and Anne Blume.
With the traffic armageddon from I-90 construction work so far yet to materialize, the presidential motorcade will likely tie up 520 and area roads here and there through the day before and after the afternoon event in Madrona.
The stay will be a short one. Obama is slated to spend the night in San Francisco before a day of California events.
UPDATE: The West Seattle Blog reports that Obama is slated to touch down at Boeing Field around 3 PM and head directly for Madrona before heading over to the Eastside for a fundraising dinner. The route from 405 to 520 to Lake Washington Blvd Lake Washington Blvd to 520 has been busy with security preparations — we found no parking signs all through the Arboretum. There are no public appearances scheduled as part of the fundraising stops.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking community feedback and will hold a meeting this weekend on plans for overhauling the Madrona Playground.
