Seattle King

A group that works with law enforcement officials to bring attention to cases and help identify and capture suspects has offered a reward for information in the Zachary Lewis murder case.

Lewis was found beaten to death in the lot at Federal and Republican three weeks ago early on the morning of Sunday, March 6th. Last week, we reported on the status of the investigation and the hope that DNA and forensic evidence might yield more clues about who killed the 37-year-old.

One new element documented in the reward poster is information about the victim's activities the night of the murder. According to the information shared by Crime Stoppers, Lewis had been "hanging out along the Broadway corridor."

You can expect more noise and more trucks than usual this weekend as a 10-foot slab of concrete is poured to create the floor of the Broadway light rail station. Sound Transit's bulletin on the work slated to have begun early Saturday morning is below. Earlier this year, Sound Transit said crews will pour the slab over five Saturdays this spring.

With the arrival of the giant crane, and the tunnel boring machines soon to arrive, Sound Transit contractors are moving closer to the tunneling phase when three machines will bore tunnels from Montlake, under Volunteer Park and through to Broadway and from Broadway to downtown as part of the $1.9 billion project. You can see the tunneling routes and more about the tunnel boring machines, here. Sound Transit is planning some community activities to mark the start of tunneling. More details on that soon.

You can watch work at the construction site on Broadway between John and Denny here via our light rail web cam page.

We'll also soon have details to share from a recent exercise at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning involving student projects to envision concepts for the Broadway station's "transit oriented development." We'll share details of that work and some of the cool ideas for the space soon.

Capitol Hill Station Concrete Slab

On Sat., March 26, starting as early as 4:00 a.m., Sound Transit’s contractor, JCM, will begin pouring another section of the concrete slab that will create the station floor. The floor is 10-feet thick and it will take several hours to pour approximately 6,000 cubic yards of concrete needed for the station floor. This work will fall outside of the project’s normal work hours and the contractor will be operating under a noise variance from the City of Seattle.

Expect increased concrete truck activity (40 to 45 trucks per hour) in the area. Seattle Police Officers will be posted at:

Broadway Ave & East Denny Way

and Broadway East & East John to help address any traffic impacts.

The former home of Broadway News is re-opened and, again, putting ink to good use. We featured his new awning earlier this week -- probably time to find out direct from Bryan Griffith himself about his new Broadway tattoo shop, Social Skins:

Griffith and family (Image: Social Skins)

Sorry for the delay but things have been crazy getting the shop together but I really appreciate the response from the community.   My friends talk highly of the cap hill.com and I have eagerly been wanting to be apart of  it.

I am a native of the northwest and my wife Wendy  is from Mexico, we have lived on Capitol Hill  for  over 10 years where we own a home with our 19 month old son Bryan Balam.

Having been coming to Capitol Hill since I was a kid, I was always inspired by the energy this neighborhood emanates from the artists,  freaks and counterculture warriors living side by side  with families and elders who have been here for decades.

  Born in San Francisco and raised in the northwest, art has been a part of my life since the time I can remember thanks to the support of my family and especially my Grandmother who was an artist herself.

At age 15 I saw a portrait of an Indian in a tattoo magazine, amazed by the possibility, I started on my quest to learn everything I could about this art form starting with the history of traditional tattooing techniques form the Americas to Polynesia, Asia and in Europe with the Neanderthals.  

I have been tattooing since 1999, beginning with a “traditional” tattoo apprenticeship at a busy street shop for 7 years.   Now I specialize in portraits, black & grey,  & colorful fantasy, however I am open to any idea that is sincere and serious.

   Being of Choctaw Indian decent, among other proud traditions my artwork is influenced by traditional peoples all over the world.  People who have left us clues and knowledge about the past, our present and possible future, perspectives desperately needed in these times

During my 12 years of tattooing I have lived here but worked  many other places, traveling extensivelyaround the U.S,  Mexico  and Europe.    When it came time to open my own shop I couldn't think of any other place  that I would rather be than here.  I feel it is my turn to bring something to Broadway to  give back and strengthen the  funky artistic vibe that has given me so much fun and great times!    My family lives here, ,my son was born here and so has my business.

  As of now we are open Tue -Sat,  12:00 till 8:00  Sun and Mon by appointment only.  I am the only one working there for the moment but I am looking for artists who are talented, hard working,  and inspired to create something grand!

Most of all I wanted to create a space that is inviting and comfortable to all people.  Whether you are new to tattooing or  have many, I will strive to create something that you will  be proud to wear.

Know an individual or organization making a difference in Seattle through the arts? Nominate them for a 2011 Mayor’s Arts Award. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, May 5. The online nomination form is available here .  

“Forty years ago during another difficult economy, city leaders founded the Seattle Arts Commission because they believed support for the arts would enrich urban life. They were right. The arts have helped make Seattle the rich cultural city it is today” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “I look forward to honoring the inspiring accomplishments of artists and cultural organizations that have been shaping our city for many years.”

As the goal of the awards is to reflect the diversity of artistic achievement throughout the city, there are no preset award categories. This year marks the 40

A woman was robbed of her iPhone in broad daylight Tuesday morning while waiting for the bus outside the Safeway at 15th and East John., according to a just-released SPD report on the incident. According to the report, the victim suffered a great deal of pain in the attack due to a fall during the robbery on previously injured ribs. A search of the area did not turn up the suspect. Here is the full report from Seattle Police:

On 03/22/2011 I was on uniformed patrol in a marked vehicle operating as unit 1C2. I was dispatched to investigate a robbery in progress at   E John St. En route to the call, I was advised that the female victim, later identified as  , had been able to crawl into the lobby of a Wells Fargo bank near this location and ask for assistance. I arrived and contacted bank staff, who advised me that they had called 911 for   to report the robbery.

Bank staff advised me that   crawled into the bank approximately 10-15min prior to my arrival in a state of shock.   was screaming and wincing in pain and at first was unable to answer questions.   finallyasked the bank staff to call Verizon Wireless and cancel her phone account, as her phone had just been stolen. Bank staff did so, and then proceeded tocall 911 for  

Staff stated that   described the suspect in the robbery as a light complexioned black male, approximately 18 years old, wearing a green coat,a black beanie and black pants. After Seattle Fire Department screened  they advised me she would need to be transported to HMC for injuries to her ribs due to complications from a previous injury.

I contacted   and asked her what occurred.   stated she was standing at the bus stop just south of   E John St when the suspect walked up behind her. The suspect suddenly slapped her hand in a very rough manner and grabbed her Apple IPhone out of her other hand. The suspect slapped her hand into her ribcage, aggravating a previous injury to the point that she fell over in very aggravating pain.  was sweating and breathing very rapidly and heavily, nearly unable to get her words out as she spoke with me.   advised me that she was not able to provide mewith any further physical description of the suspect and that she issomewhat unsure if she could identify the suspect in the future, but she stated she might.   stated the only item taken in the robbery was her black Apple IPhone. 

was transported away from the scene by AMR for her injuries. Other officers in the area advised me that they were unable to find any suspects matching the description of the suspect in the immediate area.

UPDATE: Turns out, there's more to the report. Here are details on some of the investigative tools authorities have at their disposal when tracking a wireless phone. In this case, it sounds like the effort didn't turn up a suspect -- yet -- but it did trace the phone to south Seattle.

I returned to the East Precinct and screened the incident with Sgt. Guballa. I prepared an affadavit for a search warrant to ping the location of   cellphone. I responded to the King County Courthouse andcontacted Superior Court Judge Prochnau. Judge Prochnau reviewed my affadavit and signed my search warrant.

I responded to the SPD Communications Center and obtained the phone number for  . I was put in contact with   of the   who advised me of the procedure to obtain information on   phone from Apple. I faxed the a copy of the search warrant to   via   advising her I would need the activity and location of the phone tracked from the time of reception of the warrant to the point at which the information is provided to the Seattle Police Department.

I contacted SPD Communications to obtain immediate information on the location of the phone. I faxed a copy of the search warrant to SPD Communications and they performed a tower ping on the cell phone through  Verizon Wireless. The phone was turned off at approx 1335hrs, and was last used at approximately 1.1 mi NW of   S McClellan St.

I prepared a General Offense Report on the incident and will prepare a supplemental report upon return of the warrant to the King County Superior Court.

While there have been no public briefings on the Zachary Lewis murder investigation, East Precinct brass will be on hand Thursday night at the monthly meeting of the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition. Meanwhile, City Hall wants to know how safe you feel in your neighborhood and has posted a survey to collect your feedback. Details on both opportunities to make yourself heard by SPD, below.

Our next East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meeting will be held on March 24th, 6 p.m. at the Douglass Truth Library in the Meeting Room.   

Our special guests for the evening will be members of the SPD Gang Unit.  Bring your questions or community concerns and share them with the officers and a room full of active citizens who care about our community.

The address for Douglass Truth is 2300 East Yesler Way.

Online survey to gather community input on public safety  

SEATTLE – Today Mayor Mike McGinn announced a new tool to gather input on public safety from Seattle residents.  An online survey, drafted by a team of graduate students at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, will help determine residents’ primary public safety concerns in their own neighborhoods and on public transportation. Previous public safety surveys conducted by the City focused on citywide perceptions.

With this survey, the City hopes to have a snapshot of perceptions of the police and public safety at a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level. The survey also gives residents an opportunity to anonymously offer their opinions on the police and public safety in Seattle — a new option for this kind of survey.

The new survey asks residents their opinion of public safety conditions in Seattle’s urban villages, if there are any urban villages they avoid, and why. The survey also asks for opinions on the Seattle Police Department, focusing on community relations and behavior.  These questions are similar to questions the City posed in its biannual survey over the past ten years.

In order to hear input from the entire city, Evans School students will have paper copies delivered to targeted locations, and will actively solicit responses from traditionally underrepresented communities. The City hopes to receive up to 15,000 responses to the survey questions.

Evans School students will do an analysis of initial responses by May and plan to present their analysis to the mayor’s Youth and Families Initiative subcabinet in mid-May.

Please access the survey here: www.seattle.gov/publicsafetysurvey

We aren't the biggest fans of the media relations management that goes along with big, new food and drink openings. But when teams are spending +$240,000 on build-outs, you can sympathize with the urge to control the messaging. So it goes with Poquitos. There are some opening festivities coming over the next few nights before an official opening for all on Monday the 28th. The neon Poquito sign is hung. From the photos provided to us by the restaurant and included in this post, the new space is gorgeous. And not to sound like complete sour pusses -- thanks for sharing the pictures with us. We also threw in one of our own shots from the outside and a picture of some of the cool tiles featured on the Poquitos Facebook page. If you missed it, here's what you'll find at Poquitos come Monday. Or earlier.

Not our picture (Image: Poquitos)

Also not ours (Image: Poquitos)

Our picture! Quality! (Image: CHS)

Cool tiles (Image: Poquitos)

If you want advice on growing a beautiful garden that uses less water and pesticides, check out the Savvy Gardener Facebook page.

The Savvy Gardener Facebook page gives you practical tips, advice and resources on gardening the natural way.

With seasonal advice on dealing with weeds and pests, choosing the right plants, managing your lawn, smart watering, growing food at home, and building healthy soil, you’ll have the know-how to create a healthy garden that conserves water and helps keep chemicals out of local waterways.

Visit www.facebook.com/savvygardenernews and click on “Like” to access this free gardening resource.

Savvy Gardener is a service of Seattle Public Utilities and the Saving Water Partnership.

Last week, CHS featured a guest post from Angela Wallis of Capitol Hill Preparedness People about three ways Capitol Hill can prepare for a megaquake. CHiPP has also been working on a plan to create a communications system for the Hill that will serve the community in the event of emergency. The group passed along some good news about their emergency radio effort:

Dear Neighbors: 

I'm writing to announce TWO ways you can build your preparedness skills AND get involved with CHiPP this spring!

1) CHiPP was just awarded a Department of Neighborhoods grant for $5,200 to equip 3 emergency communications centers on Capitol Hill! During disaster they will be activated by volunteers (we need YOU!) at Cal Anderson, Volunteer and Miller Parks. The Centers will be a resource for all Capitol Hill residents, and will be equiped to deliver information via radio about local conditions and needs TO the City, between neighborhoods and between these three regions of the neighborhood.  We will also distribute information...

Whether it's a large, city-wide network of public bikes or a smaller system at a private institution, Capitol Hill is likely to be at the center of bike sharing efforts in Seattle. The Associated Students of Seattle University (ASSU), comprised of students elected by the Seattle U student body, voted in February to approve formation and funding for Seattle University Bike Share (SUBS). Meanwhile, King County has a grant to plan a county-wide system that could launch as soon as 2012.

Bike sharing schemes have become valuable parts of the transportation systems in cities across the world in the past few years. The networks of public bikes took hold in many European cities, such as Paris, London and Barcelona, in the past decade. However, more recent systems are even proving successful in American cities, like Denver and Washington DC.

There is not yet a launch date for SUBS and many details are still being worked out, reports SU's student paper the Spectator:

The Bike Share would be available to the campus community,...

We have some tough news for anybody who regularly walks Olive Way to or from downtown between the hours of 9 AM and 3 PM. For the rest of the week, you may need to cross the street:

Seattle Department of Transportation crews will repair a sidewalk and an expansion joint on the overpass over I-5 at Olive Way. They expect to start the work tomorrow (March 23) and complete the work by Friday (March 25). They will close the eastbound, left lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pedestrians will be detoured.

View Larger Map

The carpools left from East Olive Way's Gaybucks early this morning. The signs were ready on Saturday. Tuesday, hundreds of people -- including plenty from Capitol Hill -- rallied in Olympia for Equality Day.

We will be lobbying our State legislators on a variety issues of importance to the LGBT community and our allies. These include making progress towards marriage equality, creating a safe and supportive educational environment for our students, and advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness & budget priorities.

The day may be nearly done but you can still do your part to help in the lobbying effort with this Virtual Lobby Day 2011 page from Equal Rights Washington .

With the mainstream media catching up with the Seattle speakeasy case centered around East Pike's "The Yard" that has brought charges against seven for illegal gambling and drugs, here is a look at the charges as documented by the King County Prosecutor. We've included the entire document, below, so that you may review the charges and draw your own conclusions about this stage of the case.

In reviewing the 25-pages of charges and overview of the prosecutor's evidence, look for references to "The Yard" for segments that focus on what occurred here on East Pike. For more on the case and some color from reports of what the Capitol Hill card room was like, see the Seattle PI's new write-up on the charges. For the full history of the case including the first round of federal drug charges see SeattleCrime's scoop on the new gambling charges here.

State_of_Washington_Speakeasy_Case

We’re seeking an artist or artist team to create a temporary, site-specific public art project for the new Jackson Street Plaza at King Street Station. The station is located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood at South Jackson Street and Third Avenue South.

The artwork should enliven the space and offer passersby a new and energized view of the historic train station. Possible approaches may include projections or light, participatory or interactive artworks, and/or a temporary installation in the plaza.

The opportunity is open to established professional artists living in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Alaska, or British Columbia, Canada. The application deadline is 11 p.m., Wednesday, April 27. The total project budget is $35,000, all–inclusive of travel expenses, taxes, and all project costs for design, fabrication/production, installation and removal of artwork.

A link to the online application and guidelines is available here.

The project is in partnership with the Seattle Department of...

As fellow Capitol Hill blog types Cap to the Hill point out, some of the neighborhood's anticipated projects have moved to the "sign" phase while others seem to be only pretenders. Bleu Grotto is definitely much more than rumor. As is Poquitos, slated for an opening later this week. See? Here's the sign:

Thanks to neighbor Kate for sharing even though she's not a fan, she says. We're told Poquitos -- or is it Poquito's? -- founders acquired the sign years ago while on travels in Mexico. So it's muy autentico. UPDATE: Wrong! It's muy autentico because it's from Greenwood! Details below.

More details on what the arrival of the neon Poquito heralds, here.

While we're talking new signs, 12th Ave's Varro lounge is gearing up for an end-of-month debut and has the lights on to say hello.

(Image: Varro)

As for the pretender Cap to the Hill points out, yup, East Olive Way's Online Cafe never opened this weekend past as the hand-written signs indicated was the plan. We haven't heard back from anybody associated with the project, yet, so nothing to report on the situation other than to note the replacement for Online Coffee Company hasn't opened yet.

CHS community contributor umvue hooked us up with news of a sign and an imminent opening on north Broadway. Social Skins Tattoo is making final preparations for a Wednesday opening at the old home of Broadway News . Commenter Tony notes, rightly, that the new shop is a project of tattoo artist Bryan Griffith  formerly of Apocalypse Tattoo. Tony also says he's getting work done in the new shop on Wednesday. We're certain he's adding a CHS Crow somewhere highly visible.

Thanks for the post and picture, umvue

Neighbor Julissa asks:

Does anyone know anything about the decoy herons that are in koi ponds placed with in a week or two? Are they supposed to keep the heron's away?

We've celebrated the beautiful birds in the past. But Parks isn't celebrating their voracious appetites. Here's the scoop:

Yes, decoys do keep the herons away, and the one your reader saw seems to be working, because a crew member, Nancy Cifuentes, saw the heron fly toward the pond then leave before landing. Left to their own devices the herons will eat the koi. So we’ve begun calling them dekois. 

Meanwhile, we've asked Parks for an update on the Interlaken Drive closure. Why? We dunno. Just curious, I guess. Fine by CHS if they leave it closed. We kind of like it this way.

Yes, they have vegetarian options. Got a tip? chs@capitolhillseattle.com. Pass the mustard.

• Capitol Hill is getting a new burger joint. Blue Moon Burgers plans to open its third Seattle location this summer in the Joule Building.

"We've been looking at Capitol Hill for a long time," Blue Moon owner Charlie Olson tells CHS. They had been in discussions about leasing the space in the not-even-a-year-old building for a while, but recently decided to move forward "before they all sell out." The restaurant is now waiting on permits before construction can begin.

The Capitol Hill location will be Blue Moon's first new location since opening the Fremont store four years ago. Their original location is in South Lake Union.

Each restaurant tries to reflect the neighborhood it's in, said Olson, so the Joule Building location at Broadway and Republican will be "hipper" than the others. He does not yet know the hours for sure, but the restaurant will likely be slinging burgers and selling beers until midnight or 1 on weekends....

Got something to say to the mayor? You'll have your chance Tuesday, March 22 at Garfield Community Center as Mayor Mike McGinn continues his series of neighborhood town halls.

From the event flier:

Mayor Mike McGinn, City Departments & Community Groups will answer your questions and hear what’s on your mind

Agenda

5:30-6:30 Meet and Greet: City Departments and local volunteer organi- zations have info tables, answer questions and offer volunteer opportunities

6:30-6:40 Performance by youth performers

6:40-8:00 Open question and answer session with the Mayor and City staff

Two weeks later and we still don't know how Zachary Lewis ended up beaten and left in an empty lot on Capitol Hill. But East Precinct operations lead Lt. Joel Guay says that's not because the department isn't continuing to work to solve the case. "We understand that it is a terrible crime," Guay said, "'Did you forget about us?' somebody might ask. The answer is no."

Guay said there is no new information to provide following the department's plea for help in the investigation and release of a picture of Lewis on Tuesday. Guay said detectives would like to talk to more possible witnesses. Anybody with information is encouraged to call the Seattle Police Homicide Unit at (206) 684-5550.

Another possible source of new information will be the results of DNA and forensic testing that should be available to detectives working the case soon. Evidence collected from the empty lot at Federal and Republican where Lewis's body was found could yield important clues to what occurred in the early morning hours of March 6 and,...

Supporters of Planned Parenthood filled the grassy amphitheater of Cal Anderson wearing pink and dodging soppy spring mud for a rally Saturday afternoon as the organization faces cuts to portions of its federal funding:

On March 9, the United States Senate defeated H.R. 1, a bill that used the misleading cover of deficit reduction to push an extreme ideological agenda designed to take health care away from women.

However, the budget negotiations are not yet over and conservative members of Congress will continue to push to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds.

Join us for Washington Stands with Planned Parenthood, an event coinciding with a National Day of Action. Hear from local leaders and activists and help us stand strong against these unprecedented attacks. Wear pink and bring a rally sign! We'll see you soon.

Last month, the Walk for Choice event drew hundreds to the Hill for a rally and march to Westlake.

Signs in hand (Image: Frances Dinger/The Spectator special to CHS)

King County Executive...

The road closure signs are still up on winding Interlaken Drive where a large crack formed last week. While repairs have been made, Seattle Parks tells us the road will remain closed "to vehicular traffic" until Monday when a geotechnical engineer will re-evaluate the situation.

A commenter on our previous post said that the Internet has also been unavailable in the area but CHS was not able to confirm the outage.

The net of all this? Sunday is supposed to be another lovely day (jinx!). Interlaken Drive and the the park's trails might make a fun destination for a quiet(er than usual) walk or ride.

Supermoons draw a crowd. CHS joined a group near the Louisa Boren lookout Saturday night to greet the moon as it rose over Lake Washington during its closest pass to the earth since 1993.

The shoot proved CHS is no super photographer. Tough shot! Some other hotshots did well, though. Have a cool shot to share? Add it to the CHS Flickr group or send it to chs@capitolhillseattle.com

(Images: CHS)

Seattle Fire emergency crews responded Saturday morning to a man found seriously injured in the alley at the base of the Harvard Court apartment tower. According to radio dispatches, the emergency crew believed the man had fallen about 6 stories. The incident was reported to 911 just after 8 AM.

In the span of two weeks in March 2010, CHS reported on two residents who committed suicide by jumping from the tall 80-unit apartment tower operated by Seattle Housing Authority.

In an interview with CHS last year, Virginia Felton, director of strategic planning and communications for Seattle Housing Authority, said her agency doesn't believe Harvard Court's residents should be treated differently than residents in any apartment building. "Our approach is as a landlord," Felton told CHS. "We're not trying to 'suicide proof' our building."

While suicide is typically not reported by the mainstream media, CHS believes it is an important community issue to include in our coverage. Here are two resources to help: National suicide-...

Some people on the Hill have space but don't have the time to cultivate a garden. Some people want to garden, but they don't have the space. Peter Rothbart saw need on one side and supply on the other, so he decided to connect the dots.

"A couple years ago, I was biking near the intersection of 14th and Howell, and I saw this guy looking over the traffic circle forlornly," said Rothbart. The man had planted a garden in the traffic circle, but someone had driven right through it, leaving a "huge cavernous rut of a truck tire right in the middle of it."

Later, he went to a barbecue in Madrona. One of his friends said she had a huge front lawn that would be great for a garden, but she did not have the time to do it.

"It just seemed natural to bring those two people together," he said. So he gathered a team of web developers and created WePatch.org.

The goal of the site is that simple: Connect people looking for gardening space with those who have space to offer. Users can post listings either offering or looking for space. These listings are placed on a map, making it easy to connect with others in your neighborhood. Once connected, prospective gardeners and land owners can work out whatever agreement works for them. The site is national and has helped to connect gardeners with spaces in places as far as Baltimore and southern California.

The name is an homage to Seattle's wildly successful P-Patch program. Rothbart is a fan of the P-Patches.

"I don't think people in Seattle realize how blessed they are to have such a great community garden program," he said. But demand for space is consistently far higher than supply, and waiting lists to get plots can be long.

Capitol Hill currently has a handful of gardeners and a few spaces listed.

"As more people use it, the more useful it will be for everyone," said Rothbart. "It's not just encouraged, it's important that they offer that space." Utilizing our urban land to grow food locally is an important way to overcome our nation's oil-based food economy, he said.

The average last frost in Seattle is mid-March, so planting season is about to begin. If you have space, but no time, there may be someone down the street with time, but no space. The two of you should talk.

Holy Names senior Erika Johnson led her team to the state championship this season and, along the way, picked up some significant accolades for herself. Here's the announcement from Gatorade and ESPN naming the 6-foot-1 Johnson their Washington girls player of the year:

In its 26th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Erika Johnson of Holy Names Academy as its 2010-11 Gatorade Washington Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Johnson is the first Gatorade Washington Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Holy Names Academy.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Johnson as Washington's best high school girls basketball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award announced in March, Johnson joins an elite alumni association of past state girls basketball award-winners, including Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Diana Taurasi (1998-99 & 1999-00, Don Antonio Lugo HS, Calif.), Maya Moore (2005-06 Collins Hill HS, Ga.), Rashanda McCants (2004-05, Asheville HS, N.C.), Shyra Ely (1999-00, Ben Davis HS, Ind.) and Lisa Leslie (1988-89, Morningside HS, Calif.)

The Seattle Times had previously named Johnson, who led Holy Names to a perfect 29-0 season, as their player of the year:

She has been the Cougars' reluctant star, as eager to pass off accolades as she is to dish the basketball.

"For as talented as she is, she's one of the most unassuming kids we've ever had," coach Lee Adams said.

On the court, she's like a time bomb waiting to explode.

"She sits back and waits for the right moment," Aldridge said. "She makes great choices."

Holy Names is a private, all-girls academy located on 21st Ave East.

Longtime fixture of the Pike (and beyond) nightlife scene Chris "Slats" Harveydied one year ago last Sunday. CHS isn't posting this to claim him as our own. We don't know if he ever read CHS. We doubt he did but we've been surprised before. We do know he has become, literally, part of the Hill. We also know, before he became a Hillebrity, he was just another Montlake kid. This week, Jesus candles and miscellaneous offerings including flowers, Hershey's Kisses and a few nickels were left in front of his bottle-cap mural on the light rail construction wall to remember Slats and mark his passing.

King County Health released a report Friday announcing that cases of syphilis jumped again in 2010 after a 2009 downtick from the steadily rising numbers of the mid 2000s:

Syphilis cases in King County reached a 30-year high in 2010, prompting public health officials to call for increased testing and education for high-risk populations, especially men who have sex with men. In 2010, 283 cases of syphilis were reported, an 82 percent increase from 2009. Syphilis had been virtually eliminated in King County in the early-1990s.

Looking for a local place to get tested? Gay City Health offers free testing by appointment or walk-in:

Gay City Health Project Wellness Center

511 E. Pike StSeattle, WA 98122Phone: 206-860-6969

• Tuesday-Friday, 3:30 pm to 8 pm
• Saturday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

 

Appointment and walk-in HIV and syphilis testing focused on the needs of gay and bisexual men. Testing is free with donations gladly accepted.

With the equipment installed and ready, the new electronic tolling system for the 520 bridge will be delayed -- perhaps until summer -- because of problems with the phone and online ordering system for the toll passes, the Seattle Times reports:

As soon as the marketing blitz to sell "Good to Go" transponders began Feb. 15, customers reported phone calls going unanswered and online orders stalled. State toll director Craig Stone apologized twice, and the vendor, Electronic Transaction Consultants, announced last week it would add staff, improve its telephone system and simplify its website.

"The worst thing that can happen is to start electronic tolling and find out one of your systems aren't working as required to," said state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.

The horrific megaquake in Japan that hit one week ago may feel distant and unimaginable to Seattlites. Afterall, Japan is the known frequent recipient of the earth's groundshaking, and in Washington we rarely feel the quakesthat occur almost daily. But the big one is coming to the Northwest. Scientists are as certain as they can be.

The risk of devastation to Seattle, and to Capitol Hill, is real. Here are the top 3 things you can do this week to get prepared:

1. Store drinking water. King County asks you to store at least 3 days' supply for every member of your household - that's 1 gallon, per person, per day. CHiPPrecommends 7 days. Build up to it, with a one-gallon purchase each time you're at the grocery store. Store the water someplace generally accessible in your home. Replace it at least once a year. Keep some in your car if you drive, and at your office or workplace.
2. Store food. Again, one week's worth. My second cousin is subsisting off 1 bowl of rice a day, and rationed water, right now, 120km outside Tokyo. It's not fun.
3. Make a plan.This includes choosing a meeting place with your loved ones, and two out-of-state (better yet, out-of-region) contacts you can call or text to deliver messages about your safety.

If you want to prepare full-out, start withthis calendar from The Red Cross, getting you well-prepared in 24 weeks.

Bonus points: Get involved in neighborhood preparedness. CHiPP  will be hosting additional community trainings later this Spring and Summer to help you take personal responsibility before disaster strikes, and respond effectively as a neighborhood when it does.

With changes at the top for Seattle Public Schools, one of the first local acts for public schools here on Capitol Hill involves continuity.

Kelley Archer has been appointed as principal at Stevens Elementary. She has served as interim principal since last year.

The announcement from the desk of newly appointed interim schools superintendent Susan Enfield comes only weeks after former superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson was shown the door in the midst of a financial scandal.

18th and Galer's Stevens Elementary performed relatively well in assessments of Seattle schools released last fall.

According to the report for Stevens from the 2010 assessment, its goals for this year include small improvements in performance levels for students in state reading and math testing and "At least a increase to the district average of 65% of students reporting feeling positive about the school environment." The last goal is surely a stretch if CHS's elementary school experiences are any guide.

The school, however, could face change....

Thanks to CHS Flickr pool contributor liquidnight for these images of a cooper's hawk in Cal Anderson Park. We've written about the amazing birds in the past -- you won't always see them but it's not unusual to hear the hawks on a walk through Volunteer Park. For more on the hawks and their home on Capitol Hill, check out this post from last March.

For the unobservant or out of town, arriving at 1727 East Olive Way this weekend for a cup of coffee might seem like just another visit to the neighborhood coffee shop. An entity apparently called Online Cafe is planning to open for business where just over a week ago, one of the three Online Coffee Company locations in the city went out of business.

(Image: CHS)

We don't know much about Online Cafe yet but are checking around to see what we can learn. It's a safe bet that the owner of Online Coffee Company is not involved given the financial situation around the company. Paper went up in the windows earlier this week along with the hand-witten signs proclaiming the new venture.

Online Coffee Company abruptly shut its two Capitol Hill and one downtown location on March 8th. Owner Ken Fox blamed the high price of coffee and the increased availability of Internet access for ending his decade-plus run of business.

We reported this week that the first signs of major troubles with the Online Coffee Company business emerged in January as the company-owned headquarters at Pine and 14th had been foreclosed and sold at auction to a bank. Things weren't any better at Fox's leased Olive Way location. A notice posted at the East Olive Way shop says Online Coffee owed $56,661.98 in back rent.

Fox also cited four lawsuits as contributing to his chain's demise. We'll have more on those soon.

Thanks tipper Joe!