Author Archives: jseattle

About jseattle

Justin is publisher of CHS. You can reach him at [email protected] or call/txt (206) 399-5959. Follow @jseattle on Twitter or be best pals on Facebook.

911 | Crash at Harvard traffic circle leaves SUV on side, sends reported DUI driver to hospital

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(Image courtesy SB Hopper)

See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or tune into the CHS Scanner page.

  • Harvard crash: Seattle Police says the driver was “obviously inebriated” in a crash that left her small SUV flipped on its side at the Harvard at Thomas traffic circle Sunday night. A large contingent of Seattle Fire units were called to the scene for a “rescue extrication” just off Broadway to cut open the car and remove the injured driver. Police say the driver appeared to have struck a parked vehicle while traveling below 35 MPH, flipping the SUV onto its side, and trapping the woman. Police say the driver admitted to drinking and was to receive a blood test after she was transported to the hospital by private ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. There were no additional reported injuries. Continue reading →

With virtual reality gaming acquisition, Facebook joins Capitol Hill’s office space mix

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It’s a small project as far as the tech giant is concerned but for those who have fostered hopes of office space bringing more workers and activity to Pike/Pine, there will be a bit of celebrating in welcoming Facebook to Capitol Hill.

According to city construction and land use permits, the tech giant is making plans for a new office space project above 10th Ave and Cal Anderson Park on an upper floor of the historic Odd Fellows Building. The tenant improvement will create new offices on the fourth floor of the building, joining an upstairs tenant mix including the Century Ballroom. Street level tenants of the building include the Oddfellows cafe, the Molly Moon’s ice cream shop, and the Fleet Feet running shoe store. Continue reading →

The next time you find yourself in Bangkok, stop by Pike/Pine

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(Image: Pike/Pine)

Last winter, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport tried to capture a little of the local spirit with its new Capitol Hill Food Hall. “Nailed it,” CHS giggled.

The airport’s new Pike and Pine shop from the Hudson airport newsstand folks, part of an overhaul of the offerings at the North Satellite terminal including a SEA Roast Coffee House and a Filson shop, is equally funny to any E Pike regulars.

Turns out, the names of Capitol Hill make for popular branding around the world. CHS reported on Brighton, United Kingdom restaurant Pike & Pine here in 2017.

Another sincere homage can be found in Bangkok, Thailand where chef Clare Brillantes created the Pike/Pine Open Kitchen and Bake Bar. Continue reading →

‘The carpenters’ fight is our fight to make Seattle affordable for all’ — Sawant unveils construction worker parking reimbursement bill

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As members of the Northwest Carpenters Union have approved a new contract that included employers doing more to help defray the costs of transportation and transit to work sites in the city, City Councilmember Kshama Sawant has unveiled legislation she says will require contractors in Seattle to pay for the cost of parking for construction workers.

“Shamefully, construction industry contractors, who have made billions in profits off the backs of workers, have refused to cover the cost of parking for carpenters and many other construction workers,” Sawant said in a statement on her new legislation and called on her council colleagues to quickly approve the bill. Continue reading →

Latest report shows 2021 gun violence surge — What would Seattle’s candidates for mayor and city attorney do about it?

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(Image: King County Prosecutor)

A report from the King County Prosecutor’s office shows the region’s surge in gun violence only got worse over the summer.

According to the report, shots fired incidents climbed above 1,000 for the year through August, a 48% increase compared to the three-year average for King County. There were 73 shooting victims who died in the first nine months of the year and 283 were injured — both 70% above recent levels.

The shootings continue to affect communities disproportionately. “Of the 356 shooting victims in Q1-Q3 2021, 85% were male (302); 32% were between the ages of 18-24 (112); and 81% were people of color (289),” the report reads. “Similar to previous years, 50% of the shooting victims, both fatal and non-fatal, were Black or African American (178).” Continue reading →

911 | Fiery crash on MLK, failed Safeway drug heist, E Madison garbage chute ‘self extrication’

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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or tune into the CHS Scanner page.

  • (Image from SPD’s video of the response)

    MLK crash: A police search for a MLK Way driver who refused to yield after being spotted driving while using his phone ended with a fiery crash and rescue in Madison Valley on Monday night, Seattle Police said. SPD posted details of the chase and video from the crash scene near MLK and E Denny Way as a responding officer dragged the driver from the destroyed vehicle moments before it burst into flames. According to the SPD report on the incident, police attempted to stop the driver just before 10 PM near MLK and E Yesler. He reportedly sped away and crashed minutes later in the 1800 block of MLK Way where SPD found the street strewn with debris and the driver injured inside the destroyed vehicle. SPD says car parts and debris from the impact of the collision damaged nearby homes. SPD-released body worn video from a responding officer shows police unsuccessfully try to use an extinguisher as flames began to grow from the car’s engine. Continue reading →

Seattle ready to ramp vax efforts back up with new downtown Vaccination Hub, boosters, and plans for kids

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The Seattle “megasite” clinic won’t be coming back… hopefully (Image: City of Seattle)

Nineteen months after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the City of Seattle is again ramping up its vaccination efforts with mobile teams, partnerships, booster shots, a new high-capacity downtown “Vaccination Hub,” and new preparations to finally vaccinate kids as winter approaches and transmission rates remain at some of their highest levels of the pandemic.

The efforts will be able to provide approximately 10,000 vaccinations per week, officials said Monday, “with the ability to surge capacity if needed.”

The plans come as Seattle prepares for another fall and winter under pandemic conditions with more than 400 cases still being identified daily in the county. The terrible math continues. Every day, 14 people are hospitalized with COVID. Every day, three more people die.

Though it is only slowly climbing, there is progress in getting more people vaccinated. King County totals have now tipped over 81% fully vaccinated. Here in the central city, ZIP code 98112 covering eastern Capitol Hill and nearby neighborhoods have an estimated 88% completed vaccination rate. But it is sandwiched between areas with younger, more diverse, less wealthy demographics where the county says vaccination rates are lower. ZIP code 98102 covering the core of the Hill has a 71% completion rate, the county says, while the population of the 98122 area covering most of the Central District has reached 75% fully vaccinated. Continue reading →

With Bishops acquisition, Rudy’s now has three barbershops on its Capitol Hill home turf

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(Image: Rudy’s Barbershop)

Rescued from bankruptcy by its original Pike/Pine founders, the Capitol Hill-based Rudy’s Barbershop chain is growing with the pandemic-era acquisition of fellow Pacific Northwest barbershop chain Bishops.

The deal means Rudy’s is now operating three salons in its home neighborhood including the former Bishops at 12th and Pike.

West Seattle Blog reported the ripples from the deal gracing that neighborhood with its second Rudy’s.

Like Rudy’s, Bishops has faced major pandemic challenges. The deal reportedly includes a dozen Bishops-operated locations in the Pacific Northwest including the West Seattle and 12th and Pike locations while franchised salons will operate independently. Continue reading →

With more than 40% of city’s homeless population living in vehicles, Seattle will restore enforcement of 72-hour parking rule — UPDATE

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City officials estimate vehicle residents account for more than 40% of the unsheltered homeless population in Seattle (Image: Seattle.gov)

In what it says will be an initial focus to clear abandoned or dangerously parked vehicles off the streets, Seattle City Hall says its traffic enforcement squad will begin issuing warnings this week for violations of the 72-hour parking rule:

With an increase of abandoned vehicles across Seattle, the City of Seattle will resume enforcing the 72-hour parking rule beginning on October 15, 2021. While warnings and citations may be issued on any vehicle parked in one place for 72 hours, the initial focus will be on clearing unoccupied hazardous vehicles that may have been abandoned over the past 19 months.

“City Traffic Code does not allow a vehicle to be parked on the same block of a city street for longer than 72 consecutive hours,” the announcement from the Seattle Department of Transportation reads. “In general, public streets are not an appropriate place for long-term vehicle storage. The 72-hour parking rule can also help prevent people from abandoning broken or unused vehicles on city streets.”

The city’s transportation department now manages parking warnings and tickets in Seattle following changes to move 911 and parking enforcement out of Seattle Police in an effort to rein in the department’s spending. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill is getting a club dedicated to laughs — Club Comedy Seattle coming to 15th Ave E

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(Image: Club Comedy Seattle)

After years of helping to keep the city’s scene alive with shows at bars and restaurants, Club Comedy Seattle is bringing a new stage to Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave E in a dedicated, comedy-first venue.

When you are starting a fully dedicated club — even after months of pandemic and uncertainty for area performers — people ready to tell jokes will find you, Club Comedy’s Rick Taylor tells CHS.

“We really don’t know what we’ll find,” Taylor says of the city’s performers and appetite for shows. “But when you open a club, people start to show up.”

For now, Taylor is keeping the soon to open club under wraps, trying to build a bit of anticipation toward a hoped-for opening at some point this month.

But, when it opens, he’s promising the “nicest, most well-appointment comedy club in Seattle.” Continue reading →