Monthly Archives: August 2019

Longtime Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema had to scale back in Cal Anderson this year — Here’s why

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(Image: CHS)

At least a couple dozen. That’s how many emails and messages longtime Capitol Hill film nonprofit Three Dollar Bill Cinema received in the last couple of months, according to executive director Ben McCarthy.

The reason? This year, the organization behind Seattle’s annual gay film festival and summer cinema in Cal Anderson Park will only screen one movie — the British feel-good comedy Kinky Boots — during their yearly outdoor cinema in the park this Friday. Since the annual campy summer event’s start in 2008, the mini-film festival has always included three or more movie screenings spread out over a couple of days.

People are disappointed “it is only happening once this year and that it is something they look forward to,” McCarthy said.

He said the reason for scaling back the program was simple. This year, they didn’t get the Seattle Parks and Recreation grant that has “essentially funded the program” for years.  Continue reading →

On the List | Pistil Books Outdoor Book Sale, Kinky Boots in Cal Anderson, Lizzo dance party, free burgers

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A long weekend! Good vibes with marimbas and vibraphones! Free Punk Rock Aerobics in Volunteer Park! Slushies and queer summer parties! Riot Grrrl music at Pony! Labor Day Weekend sales! Jeff Goldblum in fifties outfits! Summer fun is not over, and if you need any more proof, check out the list below. Head over to our calendar for more events. 

WEDNESDAY, Aug 28: If there’s one thing that sometimes feels missing from the arts scene in Seattle, it’s “real talk.” Expect a lot of it during “The Mixer: Advancing Equity in the Arts – Real Talk,” the fourth and final panel discussion in a series of community discussions at Northwest African American Museum. Theatre maven Sara Porkalob, dancer and recent Mayor’s Arts Award winner Dani Tirrell, as well as Reese Tanimura, Managing Director of Northwest Folklife, will discuss what the city can do to mitigate racial disparities in the creative economy. Northwest African American Museum, 5 – 7 PM 

THURSDAY, Aug 29 – THURSDAY, Sep 5: It looks like we’re getting at least some hot summer days in the end. For the Seattleites who can’t wait for the darker days to begin, Northwest Film Forum is screening some excellent films this week. The Proposal sounds like a random rom-com though it’s anything but: the film by artist Jill Magid chronicles her artistic obsession with the archives of famed architect Luis Barragán, whose ashes she’s also had made into a diamond ring. Fans of Jeff Goldblum and the fifties will get their money’s worth at the fifties-set The Mountain, wherein Goldblum is  a“lobotomist for hire.” Northwest Film Forum, various times  Continue reading →

What’s more painful? Running for mayor of Redmond — or closing down your struggling Capitol Hill coffee shop?

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Redmond City Council member Steve Fields should have bigger things to worry about than the closing of a Capitol Hill coffee shop his wife Ronni Fields has run for three years. He’s running for mayor of the Eastside city, the state’s 18th largest.

“I’m the grassroots candidate. My opponent is very well established with lots of support from developers.”

The political match-up, in a way, parallels the August shuttering of Harvard Ave’s tiny Down Pour Coffee.

Fields says the lessons from Down Pour are about making sure you remember you’re going up against a well established system when you’re chasing your dreams of small business ownership. Continue reading →

¡9/8/19 — Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day 2019 is ON! — 9/8/19!

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A couple of weeks ago, CHS announced the 2019 Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day would not be happening this August.

That was true.

It’s happening in September.

Short notice? Maybe — but it’s good to stay nimble. Thanks to the Cal Anderson Park Alliance and friends, CHGSD 2019 will be Sunday, September 8th with a community sale in Cal Anderson from 10 AM to 3 PM.

You can REGISTER NOW for a space in the park — or let us know about your hastily arranged but still totally awesome yard/parking strip/garage/alley/stoop sale for the Garage Sale Day map.

 

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Voter turnout is up — particularly in D3’s wealthier neighborhoods — What will that mean for Sawant and Orion in November?

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In the “election surprises” category, this curious nugget of information wins first prize: in Broadmoor, the gated golf club community near Madison Park, five people voted for District 3 incumbent and Socialist Alternative member Kshama Sawant. Over 400 people in Broadmoor turned in ballots (mostly supporting third-place finisher Pat Murakami) this year. An unusually high number for the precinct.

Broadmoor is not alone. The uptick in voter turnout reflects a city- and D3-wide trend. Particularly higher-income homeowners turned out in larger numbers compared to 2015.

“The most conservative voters were more motivated for this election than they’ve been in quite some time in Seattle,” said local political consultant Crystal Fincher.

But, she added, “we’re seeing an overall energized electorate, particularly in Seattle. That’s a really, really big deal.” Fincher partly credits the city’s Democracy Voucher program.

According to local consultant Ben Anderstone, Trump and KOMO’s controversial ‘Seattle Is Dying’ documentary have something to do with it as well.

Continue reading →

911 | Owner stops armed First Hill car prowler, I-5 gun false alarm, Cal Anderson right-wing rally draws smaller than expected turnout

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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS Crime coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or tune into the CHS Scanner page.

  • First Hill car prowl robbery: Police are investigating a First Hill car prowl as an armed robbery after the perpetrator was caught in the act Sunday night by the vehicle’s owner and dropped his gun in the ensuing struggle:
    Shortly after 5:00 pm on Sunday, East Precinct officers responded to the 1000 block of Spring Street for the reported robbery. The owners of the vehicle stated that they saw the suspect inside their parked car, removing items from it. A struggle ensued, with the suspect actively fighting to hold on to the stolen property. Nearby security officers heard the commotion and rushed over to assist. During the struggle, a 9mm handgun fell from the suspect’s waistband to the ground. The security officers were able to detain the suspect until officers arrived. Officers arrested the suspect. A check of the suspect’s name showed that he is a convicted felon, and thereby prohibited from possessing a handgun. A check of the gun showed that it was reported as stolen.
    Police say the 25-year-old suspect is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing the handgun that reportedly dropped from his waistband during a struggle over items ripped off from the vehicle. “A check of the gun showed that it was reported as stolen,” police write. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for investigation of robbery, felony gun charges, and possession of a stolen firearm. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Tex-Mex bar and grill Rooster’s kisses Broadway — and ‘irrelevant and unnecessary’ critics — goodbye

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(Image: Rooster’s)


There is another opportunity on Broadway opening up for a food and drink entrepreneur to make a big, comfortable splash on the neighborhood’s central drag.

After four years of Tex-Mex by way of Madison Park on Broadway, Rooster’s Bar & Grill is set to close at the end of the month.

Owners Stan Moshier and Lori Campbell announced the impending closure with a sign in the window of the north Broadway restaurant. Thanks to eagle-eyed reader Todd for the tip.  Continue reading →

23rd Ave Vision Zero work ready to move into fifth year of construction — including 23rd and John overhaul

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https://twitter.com/JoyHollings/status/1136864717073338368

We’re still almost a year away from the start of construction on the northern segment of 23rd Ave. When it’s done, expect some big changes to the intersection at John Street, and lots of other little upgrades scattered about.

If it feels like some kind of construction has been happening on 23rd Ave for a long time, that’s because it has. Major roadwork began on 23rd back in 2015, with the section between Madison and Jackson streets. That phase wrapped up in 2017, and then work started on the stretch between Jackson and Rainier. While the work is largely done there, there are still some bits left such as intersections and sidewalk ramps.

The stretch from John to Roanoke is next in line for a series of upgrades. In 2018, the city put that stretch of 23rd (which is actually 24th for most of its length) on a road diet, leaving two southbound lanes, but changing one of the northbound lanes into a turn lane.

But the project is far from over. In the next couple of weeks, the city plans to install High Friction Surface Treatments at Lousia, Lynn and Helen streets. The treatments, a layer of a rough, granular coating, should provide some extra grip to help cars navigate the road without skidding. The hope is that crews will be able to install the treatments over a weekend, probably the weekend after Labor Day, if the weather cooperates. Continue reading →

Tentative agreement on new contract for Seattle teachers

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(Image: SEA)

The Seattle Education Association, the union representing around 6,000 teachers and educators in the Seattle Public School system announced over the weekend it has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

In its latest bargaining update, the SEA team said it was moving toward a tentative agreement focused around racial equity and fair compensation.

SPS, In its most recent bargaining update, meanwhile, called educator salary increases “important” but any increase “must be balanced with spending within our means.” Continue reading →

As Seattle looks to rein in PAC cash, here’s how District 3 money stacks up

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And then there were two.

With only Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant and Broadway Business Improvement Area head Egan Orion remaining after the city’s most expensive Primary battle, the race for District 3 money ramps up — even as another city council member is ready to introduce legislation to try to slow the escalating cost of getting elected in Seattle.

Orion was boosted by more than $156,000 in independent expenditures from the pro-business Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy during the primary, the biggest outside spending in the city. Amazon has contributed $250,000 to CASE and Vulcan has given $155,000, according to filings with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC). Some say this money lifted him over the line over other qualified candidates, including Seattle Public Schools Board member Zachary DeWolf.

“I think that Egan has the business community to thank for him getting through, absolutely,” a veteran Seattle political consultant said, adding that “the outside groups were able to move the needles where they needed to go roughly to boost Egan where his direct campaign couldn’t do it.”

At the same time, citywide Council member Lorena González has recently drafted legislation that would limit how much contributors could give to PACs and place more stringent regulations on foreign money in Seattle politics. Continue reading →