I am asked every now and then how people can best support the site. Tell local businesses to buy a CHS ad, I usually say. The person usually laughs. Here’s something else you can do that might be a little easier.

First, to be clear — CHS is alive and well and sustainable. But if you would like to support CHS and become part of a group with a long-term, fuzzily defined interest in the site’s future, please consider a $5/month CHS subscription. We added a sign-up box to the right side of the page a week ago. One person — adventurous type, to be sure — took us up on the offer even though, at this point, there are no subscriber benefits, no free gifts, no reason other than your support. If you’d rather just add something to help us out and not sign up for the monthly payment, you can tip us here via Paypal. If you’d rather we survive or die, click here.

CHS average daily cringes (See also: TAL) *or* monthly “direct” CHS visitors (you great people who come straight to the site most every day)

It’s been two years since the first CHS Pledge Drive. That was around post #3000. In retrospect, it was not a do or die moment but it was definitely an effort that helped expand CHS at a critical time. Sometime toward the end of this summer, CHS will publish its 6,000th post. The site has been a full-time, (mostly) serious business since spring of 2008. These days, about 6,000 people visit CHS every day. In total, 78,000 unique visitors came to the site in June. Most importantly, a core of about 24,000 of you *really really meant* to come here by taking the time to type capitolhillseattle.com into a Web browser or having a link bookmarked. The rest wandered through via our robust RSS following, social media like Twitter and Facebook, traffic from news partners like Seattle Times and SeattleCrime, search, etc.

As a community news site, CHS is a modest success. As an obsession, it’s my density. As a business, the industry is less rewarding. I have found ways to sustain it while also keeping a similarly modest start-up afloat. If you appreciate the site and want to help boost our effort, this is one way to do it. We plan to stick around to give you plenty of other ways to help, too.

The FBI has sent CHS these images obtained of a Yankees cap-wearing bandit from the security cameras at the Broadway US Bank during Wednesday night’s hold-up.

Here’s the bulletin from the FBI’s Seattle office:

The suspect in the pictures robbed the bank at 4:50 pm, using a note stating that he was armed.  He is a white male, estimated to be in his 30s, around 5’9” and 180 lbs.  He wore a black “NY” baseball cap.  The suspect fled and remains at large. Anyone who can identify the suspect is asked to call the FBI Safe Streets Task Force at 206-622-0460.  This suspect should be considered armed and dangerous: USE CAUTION.

There’s quite a hum of activity along Summit and Bellevue Avenues this week as a new coffee shop celebrates its full opening, a new market is under construction and artists are doing wacky things like covering a home in plastic wrap. Here’s what we found on our recent visit.

First, the newest news. CHS has a few details to share about the new grocery mart under construction along a stretch of Summit at Thomas being transformed into a little enclave of interesting things. Neighboring the new Analog Coffee (pictured on this post), the Thomas Market & Deli should join the hum in the next month. Owner Won Williamson is the man behind the U District’s Trinity Market. For a preview of what’s to come, know that Trinity is known as a serviceable-enough market and a great deli. Here are some thoughts from Yelp:

The Veggie Reuben is my personal favorite. It comes on soft, lightly toasted rye with the normal Reubenish stuff — Russian dressing, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese. The big difference from your normal Reuben is the inclusion of Field Roast wild mushroom slices — some of the tastiest faux meat I’ve had and it’s local! Highly recommended, even if it is a bit greasy.

It’s a mom/pop place so things are a bit more expensive. Fruits and vegetables are never to be trusted. But aside from that, they have everything you’d need to survive. I’ll return frequently. Mainly because it’s the biggest little market you’ll find in the area.

Building owner and architect Bob Weisenbach tells us he’s planning to continue the overhaul of his building to create a community gathering place. Thomas Market will join Analog and Thomas St. Bistro as well as an incoming retailer on a corner of Summit most recently home to offices and a gym.

As for Analog, CHS has already had quite a bit to say about the coffee-dedicated coffee shop. Seattle Weekly gets teary eyed:

(Images: CHS)

The coffee that makes it into the translucent little green mug in my hands is the Brazil, Fazenda Amerello Serrado. I chose it, in all honesty, because the tasting notes said “gingerbread.” And I love gingerbread. The notes were no lie. Cherry, lemon, gingerbread . . . smooth, juicy, spicy, and consistent throughout the cooling process. Never too tart, just sweet enough, with beautifully rounded flavor.

​Leaning back against a window, seated on a wooden pew, and watching as the two-man team of cafe owners/managers/baristas Danny Hanlon and Tim Hayden take time to introduce themselves to each person who walks in the door, shaking hands and easily striking up conversation, I confess that I am quite taken with this space–both anxious to see what it becomes, and hopeful that it won’t hurry too much to grow up.

Analog is on the corner of Thomas and Summit. Hours, thanks to this community reporting, are now 7a-6p. Closed Sundays.

Meanwhile, down a block or so on Bellevue Ave E, the artists behind the Mad Homes project have started their work to transform a row of single family homes into an outdoor art exhibit. You could wait until the work is unveiled on the 16th but it’s more fun to watch the changes as a lucky Capitol Hill resident who can walk or bike by and see art in progress.

King County has put some teeth in its messaging about the dire condition of Metro’s budget by releasing a model showing how a 17% cutback of service would impact 80% of the routes it serves. Example cuts include the elimination of route 43 that serves an arc between UW and 24th Ave before slicing through Capitol Hill to downtown. A public meeting next week will be held to discuss the budget woes, the service cuts and to gather public comment. Details on that and how to provide your feedback on the situation, below.

On the table for King County is the proposed implementation of a new $20 car tab fee called the Congestion Reduction Charge. Without the charge, Metro says service cuts could begin as early as this winter. Seattle Transit Blog has rounded-up its posts on the topic here. If the King County Council doesn’t pass direct implementation of the new fee this summer, it’s likely the proposal will end up on the fall ballot.

Details on the Tuesday, July 12th Seattle meeting are below. You can also provide public testimony via this online form. This King County provided map shows how cuts would play out in the Capitol Hill and Central District area of the city.

Due to the dramatic recession-driven drop in sales tax revenues, Metro Transit is facing a 
$60 million annual deficit between revenues and the cost of providing current levels of transit 
service. To close this budget shortfall, King County has a choice of cutting 17 percent of transit 
service—taking the system back to 1996 service levels—or preserving current service levels by 
enacting a $20 congestion reduction charge on vehicles in King County.

The Metropolitan King County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee will 
host three special evening hearings to hear public testimony on the proposed transit service reduction 
and the Metro Transit budget crisis. These meetings are an opportunity for you to learn about the 
proposals and weigh in on the future of Metro transit.

The meetings will be held in Kirkland, Seattle and Burien:

Wednesday, July 6, 6:00 p.m.
Kirkland City Council Chambers 
123 Fifth Avenue
 
Tuesday, July 12, 6:00 p.m.
King County Council Chambers 
516 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, Seattle
 
Thursday, July 21, 6:00 p.m.
Burien City Council Chambers 
400 S.W. 152nd Street
 
In the past two years, Metro Transit has transformed its operations to hold off these cuts and wrench every available dollar out of the agency for service, including:- Achieving new scheduling efficiencies; 
– Eliminating more than 100 staff positions; 
– Deferring planned service expansion; 
– Reducing operating reserves, and 
– Reducing its capital program.  

80 percent. Metro’s employees were also part of the solution: negotiating cost-cutting labor agreements that will reduce Metro’s costs by $17 million per year. 

Despite these fare increases, budget reductions, and operational efficiencies, it is not enough to cover the anticipated shortfall and we are now nearly out of tools to save our system. The savings and efficiencies created by Metro over the past few years save approximately $147 million per year, but the drop in sales tax revenues means Metro still faces an operating shortfall of $60 million a year each year from 2012 through 2015.

The State Legislature has authorized a tool that is available to King County to help maintain Metro service at its current level: a temporary $20 Congestion Reduction Charge on vehicle licenses for a two–year period ending in mid-2014. County Executive Constantine has sent that proposal to the County Council as well as two other pieces of legislation:
– An ordinance approving a Congestion Reduction Plan, a prerequisite for Council action on a   Congestion Reduction Charge, and 
– An ordinance cutting 100,000 hours of Metro bus service effective February 2012 and directing 
  Metro to plan for reducing bus service by an additional 500,000 service hours in the 2012-2013   budget. 

Metro Transit service is critical to the economy of King County, providing approximately 110 million rides annually, taking hundreds of thousands of cars off the road each day, and helping people get to and from some of the largest employment and activity centers in our state. More information about Metro’s financial crisis and the Congestion Reduction Charge is available on the King County website http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/news/release/2011/June/20Metro.aspx

Seattle Police fanned out around Broadway around 5 PM Wednesday after a bank hold-up at the US Bank at Broadway and E Olive Way.

CHS found police swarming Harvard Ave where the bandit appears to have ditched items in a trash can behind Seattle Central.