Category Archives: News, etc.

The Broadway Whole Foods is, indeed, closing

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That’s the 2018 price, by the way

Company officials say “performance and growth potential” are behind the planned closure of the Broadway Whole Foods grocery store.

“Like any business, we regularly evaluate the performance and growth potential of each of our stores and make decisions to position the company for long-term success,” a Whole Foods spokesperson told CHS Saturday morning.

The company says “all team members will transfer to roles” at other area Whole Foods Market locations. The final day of business is planned for June 20th. Clearance sales begin now.

“Our stores remain an important part of our growth strategy, and we currently have more than 100 new stores in the pipeline and continuously explore new sites,” the spokesperson for the Amazon-owned grocery giant said.

CHS reported here on the October 2018 debut of the much anticipated two-level, 40,000-square-foot addition to the Capitol Hill-area grocery scene. Continue reading →

Norma and Terri — Women in First Hill senior community bus accident identified

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(Image: Hilltop House)

The community around Terrace Street’s Hilltop House senior living facility lost two neighbors this week. Friends, loved ones, and family are remembering Norma Luisa Versakos and Terri May Marble.

The King County Medical Examiner has identified the women as the victims in Tuesday’s terrible incident in which a shuttle bus serving the facility was backed into a smoking shelter in the Hilltop House parking lot. Both women died at the scene. A third narrowly escape injury. Police say the driver was evaluated and no signs of impairment were found.

Results of the state collision investigation will not be released for weeks.

Versakos was 77 and Marble, 66. Continue reading →

‘It’s crazy out there’ — In challenging times, Capitol Hill restaurant Cook Weaver shifting to more proletariat menu

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(Image: Cook Weaver)

Food is political. Capitol Hill’s Cook Weaver is making a shift to give the people what they want — and what they need:

There is no way to say how sorry we are for everyone who is being harmed and targeted by this administration. We know that this moment requires a response at all levels: the personal, the communal, the political. For our part, we want to nourish our community, bring people together for joy, pleasure, and rejuvenation, and celebrate the culinary context of the Pacific Northwest. So, we are making a change.

Next week, the E Roy restaurant just off North Broadway is making changes it says will focus on a more affordable, more flexible menu, “so that we can serve more people and meet our community at this moment.”

“In this iteration we will offer a place to have a few dishes with wine. A cocktail with friends.
Or a full dinner,” Cook Weaver’s announcement of its new “neo-bistro format” reads. “And, we will continue to offer Chef Zac’s curated tasting menu for our guests who desire that expansive culinary experience.” Continue reading →

Three years after Starbucks boarded the place up and left, All the Best ready to serve Capitol Hill pets on E Olive Way

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(Image: All the Best)

A new era for an E Olive Way commercial building begins Friday as All the Best debuts its new Capitol Hill store:

After sitting vacant, boarded up, and behind fencing since 2022, this historic space has been transformed into a bright, welcoming destination for Capitol Hill’s pet lovers. Local illustrator Sarah Robbins helped bring the space to life with a joyful mural that reflects the energy of the neighborhood—and the pets we serve.

Starting on the 13th, All the Best says it is welcoming dogs (“and brave cats”) with “tasty treats, and offering personalized recommendations on the best food, treats, and gear to help them thrive.” Continue reading →

911 | E Pike stabbing, 20/Union hit and run, hate crime assault suspect busted after club to club chase

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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 reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

  • E Pike stabbing: A man was stabbed in the stomach, arm, and back and a male and a female suspect were chased down by police after an assault in the middle of E Pike nightlife crowds early Thursday morning. According to SPD’s brief on the incident and East Precinct radio updates, police were called to the area in front of Big Mario’s to the reported stabbing around 12:10 AM. SPD says witnesses reported an altercation between several men during which the female suspect stabbed the victim. The woman and and a man fled the area on foot but were quickly apprehended. Police say they chased the female suspect down after a brief chase near 12th and Madison where she also reportedly tried to ditch a knife. Police recovered the weapon and took the 37-year-old woman and 31-year-old man into custody after they were identified by witnesses at the scene. Police say the victim was treated at the scene and transported by Seattle Fire to Harborview in serious condition.
  • E Union hit and run: Police were unable to track down the vehicle after the driver of a SUV struck a woman crossing 20th and Union last Thursday. The victim fortunately suffered only what Seattle Fire described as a minor injury. The 6:30 PM hit and run had several witnesses near Chuck’s Hop Shop. Police were looking for a black GMC with no plates last seen northbound on 18th Ave. There were no arrests. Continue reading →

Cyberattack at massive grocery distributor hitting Capitol Hill-area stores large and small

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(Image: Amazon Fresh)

Shopping in Capitol Hill-area grocery stores has become wacky enough that shoppers may not have noticed that a cyberattack targeting massive distributor United Natural Foods is causing bare spots on shelves and inventory problems at local stores.

The attack targeting UNFI first came to light last week and continues as the natural and organic grocery company says it has made progress but is still not able to fulfill and distribute customer orders.

UNFI is fully intertwined with the modern United States grocery economy including serving as the main provider for Amazon-owned Whole Foods, and also serving the parent companies of Capitol Hill area QFC and Safeway stores.

Smaller entities are also caught up in the mess. Capitol Hill’s Central Co-op says UFNI is “one of our largest suppliers” and is telling customers about possible shortages and “some temporarily sparse shelves.”

Central Co-op says it is trying to fill some of the gaps “by bulking up orders with local vendors and alternate suppliers.”

“Thanks for sticking with us while we sort through this challenge together!,” the Co-op said Wednesday.

 

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With daunting list of open issues, Seattle City Council comprehensive growth plan committee meets Friday

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The Seattle City Council’s Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan helmed by District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth will meet again Friday morning as it works this summer to finalize the update of the city’s 20-year growth plan including new “Middle Housing” laws that will expand zoning to allow a greater range of housing types in more parts of the city.

Friday’s session will include a discussion of issues that have emerged on growth strategy, land use elements, and the state’s new Middle Housing requirements as the committee works through compromises shaped after massive pushback from some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city.

Planners have revised and shrunken the borders of 9 out of 30 proposed , more densely-zoned Neighborhood Centers in the proposal. Continue reading →

A rare mix of mixed-use and beer-making, Capitol Hill Redhook brewery and taproom to close

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(Image: Redhook Brewlab)

It took a few marvels of engineering to squeeze it in there but the Redhook microbrewery below Capitol Hill’s Pike Motorworks mixed-use development is shutting down after eight years of beer making on E Pike.

Tilray, the “leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company” that acquired the brewery and taproom along with the Redhook brand in a $85 million deal with industry giant Anheuser-Busch in the summer of 2023, says it is looking for a new location but did not provide an explanation for the shutdown. Continue reading →

‘No Kings’ protests planned for Seattle include rally in Cal Anderson Park amid heated clashes over federal immigration enforcement — UPDATE: Wednesday night bulletin

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UPDATE: Hundreds filled Cal Anderson Wednesday night in a protest against ICE and the Trump administration. The demonstrators marched to the downtown federal building where the protest continued into the night (Image: Alex Garland/CHS)

Cal Anderson’s place as a gathering space for free speech and defiance against the Trump administration in Seattle will be on display this weekend as “No Kings” protests are planned across the country Saturday.

Crowds and energy will be split in the city. Many groups and organizations are planning a Saturday noontime rally in the Capitol Hill park before a march to the Seattle Center. Other groups have centered on the University of Washington for their demonstrations.

UPDATE 5:00 PM: SPD’s East Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator has issued a bulletin to businesses and community groups about protest activities expected in the area Wednesday night. “It is likely unaffiliated small groups intent on committing violence and/or property damage will attempt to embed themselves un this rally,” the SPD bulletin reads. We have posted the full statement at the end of this report. UPDATE x2: East Precinct Captain Jung Trinh has clarified that the bulletin was issued by the city’s Office of Economic Development, not the precinct.

Continue reading →

‘That nook deserves to LIVE!’ — Bean Espresso revives famed Broadway coffee bar

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Like any environment, you can measure the health of the Broadway biospher by some of its tiniest organisms.

Bean Espresso seems like a good sign.

Bean has given new life to the storied Capitol Hill coffee stand once home to Vivace’s walk-up bar. It appeared in the 300 block Broadway E space last week.

As a possible indicator species, Bean Espresso might represent a utilitarian, no-frills era for the street. Affordability is also a factor. The stand is starting with some of the lowest coffee prices on the Hill. Continue reading →