Author Archives: CHS

Seattle readying domestic worker ‘bill of rights’ with minimum wage for nannies, house cleaners

Posted on by
4

With reporting by SCC Insight

Thursday, a Seattle City Council committee will begin working on a “domestic workers’ bill of rights,” a new ordinance that sets rules for nannies, house cleaners, gardeners, and more including a minimum wage and rest breaks.

Teresa Mosqueda is sponsoring the “domestic workers’ bill of rights” ordinance that establishes several rights and protections for domestic workers in Seattle.

Under the ordinance, a “domestic worker” is someone who provides services to an individual or household in a private home, and whose primary occupation is nanny, house cleaner, home care worker, gardener, cook, and/or household manager. It includes both hourly and salaried employees, as well as independent contractors, full-time and part-time workers, and temp workers. It does not include: Continue reading →

Families Belong Together protests on June 30th include Seattle rally

Posted on by
1

Jayapal at a Father’s Day rally in downtown Seattle against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is calling for “a mass mobilization to demand the Trump administration stop its practice of separating families.”

The U.S. Representative from Washington’s 7th Congressional District is calling on her constituents to join a nationwide Families Belong Together protest on June 30th:

Families Belong Together Seattle

“This is the moral test of our time and we must show up together to protect innocent children and their parents,” Jayapal’s message to supporters reads.

Earlier this month, Rep. Jayapal met with asylum seekers being held in the SeaTac Federal Detention Center. “I hugged as many of them as I could because I just want them to know that we know they are human beings who are seeking safety and security. It was heartbreaking.” Jayapal said.

“President Trump and top administration officials have continued to defend their practice of breaking up families who arrive at the border in the face of bipartisan outcry, criticism from the United Nations and a lawsuit,” the New York Times reports.

Remembering DeCharlene Williams, Central District celebrates Juneteenth ‘freedom day’

Posted on by
Reply

The Buffalo Soldiers Of Seattle, 9th-10th Cavalry (Image: Karen Toering)

With reporting and photography by Alex Garland

Seattle is marking Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom and the end of slavery in the United States, with parties and events again in 2018 though it has lost one of its driving forces behind the holiday.

The King County Council issued a proclamation this week recognizing the importance of the celebration. “Juneteenth is now the closest occasion for there being a true ‘freedom day’ to celebrate in this country for people of African descent,” said council member Larry Gossett, the sponsor of the proclamation. “Now, more than ever, people of Martin Luther King, Jr. County should understand the significance of Juneteenth.” Continue reading →

The Belmont debuts as Capitol Hill wine bar transforms to add cocktails to the mix

Posted on by
6

A quick change at E Pike and Belmont (Image: The Belmont)

The revolution is over. It’s time for a cocktail.

Owner Mark Brown tells CHS that the closing of his Capitol Hill wine lounge and bottle shop Revolution Wine is also the opening for a project with a new twist.

The Belmont opens Thursday night as “a wine and cocktail lounge inspired by the eccentric London social clubs like The Groucho, Soho House and Blacks Club.”

“We want to create an adult hangout spot on Capitol Hill, a comfortable space to meet with light fare, an excellent wine program, and well-made craft cocktails,” Brown writes.

Continue reading →

Pride in your work(s of art) — Capitol Hill’s Queer Art Walk tonight

Posted on by
Reply

Not everything made the map — check out Surreal Soirée!, free at Fred Wildlife Refuge (Image: @cybeles_spells)

With the celebration of Capitol Hill’s “only holiday” in full swing, Thursday night brings a special “Queer” edition of the neighborhood’s monthly art walk. A map of the special events, shows, and performances is below. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | Celebrating Capitol Hill’s ‘only holiday’ at the Volunteer Park Pride Festival

Posted on by
Reply

“Was supposed to rain but didn’t” is pretty much the way Pride celebrations roll every June in Seattle. Saturday, around 12,000 people enjoyed the sun breaks at the annual Volunteer Park Pride Festival.

The event has morphed from a family picnic into a day of information and action — there were more than 100 booths this year — and music.

“Earlier today we were standing in the drink line and my bandmate Eric said, ‘This is the only holiday I give a fuck about,’ and I thought that’s a good point,” Lelah Maupin of Tacocat, this year’s “secret” act at the festival. “It’s celebrating love and positivity, you can low key guarantee anyone you run into is a good person. It’s a higher concentration of people more like me.”

Ryan Williams, an Amazon employee found at the festival’s “Glamazon” booth, said “the sense of community, the tight knit atmosphere and inclusiveness” is the big draw at the Volunteer Park gathering. Continue reading →

Proposal to boost transit includes plan for privately operated bus routes in Seattle

Posted on by
Reply

Stutter Bus

With reporting from SCC Insight

Along with Mayor Jenny Durkan’s push to put ORCA cards in the pockets of more Seattle students, legislation to change Seattle’s flush with cash Transportation Benefits District in front of the City Council Monday afternoon will also set the city up for a counter-punchline to those “Uber just invented the bus” jokes — privately operated bus routes in the city. UPDATE: Delayed! Committee chair Mike O’Brien has pushed a vote on the legislation back two weeks to pound out issues around the private operator plan.

CB 119256 will set up funding to power the Mayor’s ORCA Opportunity program to provide the passes to Seattle Public School students at no charge at a cost of about $4 million per year. But, if approved Monday afternoon, another part of the $11.5 million annual boost in transportation spending from new sales tax and vehicle license fees implemented in 2014 would go to a limited private bus system. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | This week in Capitol Hill pictures

Posted on by
Reply

The CHS Flickr Pool contains more than 36,000 photographs — most of Capitol Hill images, many glorious, some technically amazing. The pool is a mix of contributions from Capitol Hill — and nearby — shutterbugs. Interested in being part of it? If we like your photo and it helps us tell the story, we may feature it on CHS so please include your name and/or a link to your website so we can properly credit you. Interested in working as a paid CHS contributor for scheduled assignments? Drop us a line.

We also keep our eyes on the #capitolhillseattle Instagram tag —- you should, too! Below are this week’s best Capitol Hill shots. Thanks for sharing! Continue reading →

Neighborhood grant will help power new South Asian literary festival from 12th Ave’s Tasveer

Posted on by
Reply

12th Ave’s Tasveer’s grant will help power a new literary festival (Image: Tasveer)

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has selected four District 3 projects to receive more than $200,000 in 2018 Neighborhood Matching Fund support. The awards are part of more than $1 million in matching funds for 22 community-based projects announced this week.

Included in the District 3 grants is money to support a December literary event from 12th Ave-headquartered Tasveer, a nonprofit dedicated to South Asian films and art.

The full roster of District 3 awards is below:

  • $60,000 to Tasveer for the Desi X NW festival, a six-day literary and storytelling event in December featuring poets, novelists, and other writers from the South Asian community. The festival includes workshops on writing fiction, comedy, screenplays and graphic novels. (Community match: $37,500)
  • $96,000 for the Borealis Festival of Light, a nightly display of light art in South Lake Union Park and surrounding areas this October. The festival will feature live music, street art performances, lighting art installations, and multi-media projections on surrounding structures. (Community match: $162,800)
  • $28,000 to African Ethnic Media of Seattle for the Community Connect Through Ethnic Media project training ten youth ages 16 to 21 in video production, broadcast techniques, interview and research practices, journalistic writing, and documentary methods. (Community match: $30,300)
  • $28,000 to BEGO, Inc. for the Ethiopian Heritage Arts and Music Festival 2018, a free all-day event featuring Ethiopian musicians, dancers, artists, food, family activities, and multi-cultural performances in collaboration with the Duwamish community. (Community match: $69,500)