First Hill Seattle

You can let your 43rd District elected leaders know what you want for the 520 bridge replacement plan and more important issues like privatizing the state's liquor sales at Saturday's town hall just across the street in First Hill at lovely First Baptist Church.

43rd District legislators set to host Feb. 20 town hall

OLYMPIA – The 43rd District legislative delegation of House Speaker Frank Chopp, Sen. Ed Murray and Rep. Jamie Pedersen will host a local town hall meeting on Sat., Feb. 20 at the Seattle First Baptist Church from 1:30-3 p.m. 

The three lawmakers will provide an update on the 2010 Legislative Session and take questions from constituents. The lawmakers expect a range of questions on issues before the Legislature, such as how to resolve the state’s budget crisis and the replacement of the SR 520 bridge. 

The event is free and open to all constituents of the 43rd Legislative District, which includes Capitol Hill, University District, Madison Park, Washington Park, Broadmoor, Montlake, Wallingford, Madison Valley and parts of Fremont, Ravenna, Denny Regrade and downtown Seattle. 

The 2010 Legislative Session began in January and will continue through mid-March. 

43rd Legislative District Town Hall Meeting
Saturday, Feb. 20, 1:30-3 p.m.

Seattle First Baptist Church
1111 Harvard Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122 

Questions can be directed to any legislator’s office:
House Speaker Frank Chopp, 360.786.7920
Sen. Ed Murray, 360.786.7628
Rep. Jamie Pedersen, 360.786.7826

Fire in a First Hill apartment building at 1201 Boylston Ave forced residents to evacuate on a rainy, cold morning around 3:45 AM Sunday but firefighters had the situation in hand quickly enough to have everybody back inside only 30 minutes later. The fire was limited to an upper-level unit in the Charbonneau apartment building's north wing. In addition to the drizzle, water cascaded down from the unit's balcony as emergency crews cleaned up the scene.

We have no official word on damage and nothing on the cause yet.

This resident Tweeted the situation as it happened.

Seattle Police have identified a suspect in the murder of 21-year-old rapper Max Gasoi, who was shot and killed in an apparent drug robbery near the St. James Cathedral on First Hill last month.

From SPD's Blotter:

Tyrese B. Harrison, age 22, has been charged with murder for a shooting that occurred at 9th and Columbia St. in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood on November 27, 2009. He has a $1,000,000 bail-Murder 2 warrant for his arrest. Harrison is considered armed and dangerous. Harrison’s previous residences and police contacts have been in Bremerton and Tacoma. Harrison may also go by the moniker Reese Morgan or “Young Reese”. Harrison is 5′9″ tall and weighs about 165 pounds. Anyone with information regarding Harrison’s location is urged to call either 911 or the Seattle Police Homicide Unit at 206 684-5550. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800 222-TIPS (8477) or send a text to CRIMES (274637). Your text message should include “TIP486” to ensure proper routing. If a tip leads to an arrest and the filing of charges, callers may qualify for a cash reward of up to $1000. Calls are taken 24 hours a day.

According to charges filed against Harrison, Gasoi drove to meet Harrison on First Hill shortly before 9:00 p.m. on November 27th. The day after the shooting, detectives received a call from a man who said he was with Gasoi when he was killed.

The man told police Gasoi had gone to meet up with Harrison on First Hill and was shot during an apparent drug deal. Police records indicate Harrison fired on Gasoi from the back seat of Gasoi's Nissan Maxima. Court records say a bullet entered Gasoi's right arm, went into his side, and through his heart.

Harrison then allegedly fled with a grocery bag containing marijuana.

When police arrived, Gasoi was laying in the street next to the Nissan, which was still running. Gasoi was clutching a 9mm pistol in his left hand, and it appears he fired off several rounds before he was killed.

Seattle University campus security issued this bulletin about an ugly incident reported early this morning. While not technically on the Hill, we wanted to get word out.

At approximately 6 A.M. on Friday, December 11, 2009 the SU Department of Public Safety (DPS) monitored Seattle Police response to a reported sexual assault, which possibly involved the use of a hand gun. The assault was reported in the parking garage located on private property, at the 600 Broadway Building adjacent campus (SW corner of 10^th & E. Cherry). The woman victim reported the male assailant had very dark skin, was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a dark ski mask. The suspect was last seen running northbound from the garage. SPD searched the area and DPS searched all campus garages, parking lots, and main campus areas. No person matching the description was located.  DPS staffs are currently on, and will continue to be on, campus wide emphasis patrols.

Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen confirmed that emergency personnel treated a 35-year-old woman at the location but could not provide more information on her condition. Vander Houwen said the woman was not transported by SFD to the hospital.

UPDATE:
SPD has posted a brief on the incident:

Detectives investigating sexual assault on Broadway
On December 11th at approximately 5:55 am,  East Precinct officers responded to a call of a sexual assault in a parking garage located in the 600 Block of Broadway Avenue.  Officers arrived and contacted the female victim, who stated that she had been attacked by an unknown male sometime between 5:30 and 5:45 am.  The suspect is described as an unknown age dark skinned black male, 6′ tall, with a muscular build.  He was wearing a grey sweatshirt (hoodie) with the hood up.  He was also wearing a dark ski mask and black, lace up boots.  The suspect implied that he had a gun.  The suspect then fled the area after the attack. 

The victim was transported to the hospital where she is receiving medical treatment.  Detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit and the CSI Unit responded to the scene to investigate and search for evidence.  This is an active and on-going investigation.  If/when any surveillance footage or a suspect sketch becomes available, we will release this material publicly.

While there is nothing that the victim could have done differently to prevent this crime, we ask citizen to continue to be aware of their surroundings at all times, to be aware of their surroundings and to trust their instincts.  If  a situations doesn’t seem right, remove yourself from it immediately.  Report ALL suspicious activity to 911.  For additional personal safety measures, please visit our Safety and Prevention page at seattle.gov/police.

View Larger Map

A man died of gunshot wounds in an attack less than a mile from last Friday night's shooting on E. Union, SeattleCrime.com reports:

One man was killed in a shooting near 9th and Columbia earlier tonight. The man, who is apparently in his late teens or early twenties, was shot in the torso at about 9:15. Police were searching for a man wearing a nylon over his head and we're told the victim may have also returned fire, although police haven't confirmed this.

The Seattle Times reports the unidentified man died at the scene. Seattle police have not released a full description of the suspect.

Update: Added a few pictures from the visit. Not every day the Speaker of the House is in the house. The dignitaries toured Swedish's intensive care unit facility and learned about the hospitals success at reducing 'ventilator associated pneumonia.' According to medical studies, this type of pneumonia occurs in about 25% of patients who require ventilation. Swedish says because of their practices and technology they have not had an incident at their facility in 21 months.

Original Post: Fresh off Saturday night's vote to pass a bill overhauling the nation's health care industry, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will be on Broadway this afternoon to tour Swedish Medical Center and continue to drum up support for the legislation as it moves on to the Senate. It's more First Hill than Capitol Hill but in the neighborhood for any of you wonk types who want to come out and get Pelosi to sign your copy of HR 3962.

WHO:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Congressman Jim McDermott

Congressman Jay Inslee

Congressman Norm Dicks

---

Cal Knight, President, Swedish Medical Center

Dr. Martin Siegel, Chair of the Swedish Board of Trustees

Hospital Administrators

WHAT:

·       Speaker Pelosi and Members of Congress will be talking with hospital officials about how the groundbreaking health insurance reform legislation passed on Saturday by the US House of Representatives helps Seattle.

·       The Speaker and other Members of Congress will briefly tour Swedish Medical Center’s facilities, including their Intensive Care Unit. Swedish Staff will be on the floor to describe the program to reduce ventilator associated pneumonia, a significant cause of mortality nationally.  Photo/  B- roll opportunity at start of tour.

·       Press Conference will immediately follow the tour.

WHEN:

Monday, November  9, 2pm

Pre-set at 1:30 pm

WHERE:

Glaser Foyer, Swedish Medical Center, 747 Broadway, Seattle

Common Nighthawk, originally uploaded by kingernorth.

It has been a busy week at CHS with lots of big news -- some of it quite heavy. Thanks goodness for this lovely little essay which fluttered in from CHS history contributor Dotty DeCoster. Even if the nighthawks were still living in Seattle, they'd have already migrated away from this wet and dreary Pacific Northwest weather until spring -- when they used to return and, now, you can miss them like Dotty does. We're glad the swallows still come back to keep us company.

I’ve been reading Edward B. Dunn’s memoir called 1121 Union recently, and he asks a question:  “We always had nighthawks in summer on First Hill and in the country, too.  Where can they have gone? . . . Anyway  I miss them.  They can outdive any airplane, and I used to love watching them swooping over the housetops and abruptly coming out of the dive with a thrilling roar." (p. 53) 

Dunn was born in 1904 at 1121 Union and lived there for several decades. (southwest corner of Union and Minor.)  My old friend, who lived as a child near Lake Union and most of her adult life near 17th and Denny, taught me to go looking for nighthawks at dusk above the rooftops near the top of Capitol Hill during the 1960s. They are gone now, gone completely from King County and only found rarely in Western Washington.

The Seattle Audubon bird web describes the common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) as “a cryptic bird most often seen in flight, when it can be easily identified by the white bar across each long, pointed wing.  This mottled gray and black bird has large eyes.  It also has a tiny beak with a large gape. .  .”  They forage in flight on flying insects.  They have a loud, distinctive call.  At about 9 inches, common nighthawks are bigger than swallows and spectacular flyers.  They also have an odd habit while perching.  Rather than sitting on tree limbs or wires or rooftops facing you (with the perch on the horizontal) they sit sideways, aligned along the perch.  Called “goatsuckers” some places, they used to be a delightful addition to the August falling star show viewed from the Capitol Hill ridge crest.

They are odd birds that like open country (with lots of flying bugs) and don’t nest – they lay their eggs on gravel.  Both male and female birds help feed the young and care for them.  In the cities, they tended to like gravel or pebble roofs for reproducing, or infrequently disturbed gravel piles or alleys.  They seem to have been birds of a certain city development period.  They appeared here when the forest cover was opened up and disappeared once the gravel was smoothly paved over, the swampland drained, and the flying insects greatly reduced.  Peterson’s Western Birds says they winter in Argentina.  Apparently, nighthawks still are fairly common in eastern Washington, if you have an opportunity to go for a walk at dusk on the other side of the mountains you might see some.

In the meantime, swallows remain. They swoop over the large lawn in Volunteer Park between the art museum and the conservatory and you can see them during the day diving nearly to grass height as they catch insects mid-air.  At dusk they appear out of the ravine when one is standing at the overlook across from the cemetery entrance on 15th Avenue East.

UPDATE 2:27 PM:
Mallahan campaign spokesperson Charla Neuman said her camp's position hasn't changed following the McGinn conference. She said Joe Mallahan will continue to oppose the First Hill/Cap Hill streetcar. "He's going to keep looking for wise investments. We can get more done with less dollars if we invest in bus routes," Neuman said.

Neuman said McGinn's bid to drag Mallahan into a fight on the streetcar issue is a desperate ploy to create a new campaign issue. "He says the streetcar is already paid for," Neuman said. "He's trying to politicize the issue. We don't know what this is going to cost yet."

"Joe knows that there are better ways to spend transportation dollars than on empty streetcars," Neuman said. "He also knows that voters approved this. If the project ends up being more expensive or is not feasible, the city should renegotiate."

"McGinn is very smooth at talking about and covering what he doesn't know," Neuman said. "He doesn''t have anything else to talk about other than the Viaduct. He's a one issue candidate."

UPDATE 12:30 PM: 
In today's conference in First Hill Park, McGinn said, "I believe that when the voters vote for something, and approve something, we should build it." In an attempt to connect the streetcar issue with the planned Viaduct replacement tunnel, McGinn said that Mallahan supports an issue that "70% of voters disapprove of" yet does not support the street car with "70% voter approval."

"It shows a difference in values and a difference in vision for the city of Seattle," McGinn said.

More coverage can be found at CDNews.

Original Report
A spat over a streetcar that will run from First Hill to Capitol Hill has caused one of the first punches to be thrown in the fall election phase of Seattle's fight for mayor. Candidate Mike McGinn is holding a conference Tuesday morning in First Hill Park to show his support for the line and call on his opponent to drop opposition to the new streetcar route.

One issue with this first salvo: It's not clear Joe Mallahan will punch back or that he even opposes the streetcar coming to Capitol Hill.

UPDATE 10:15 AM:
According to campaign spokesperon Charla Neuman, Mallahan's opposition to the First Hill streetcar is based on his belief that streetcars are an inefficient use of taxpayer money. "And that's just something we can't have right now," Neuman said. "This is about all streetcars."

This weekend CHS noted a Seattle Times article that pointed out that both Seattle mayoral candidates oppose a streetcar extension along 1st Ave through downtown and Belltown. But the Times article reported that Capitol Hill's streetcar plans, too, were being scrutinized by candidate Mallahan. Mallahan has not yet issued a statement clarifying his position.

The First Hill/Capitol Hill streetcar project is being paid for by Sound Transit as part of an agreement reached when the original plans for light rail in the area had to be scrapped. Area community groups are already busy advocating for where the line should be built with Boren, Broadway, 12th Ave and even a Broadway-12th Ave loop concept being considered by city planners.

CHS will be at the conference and is also working to get a statement from the Mallahan camp to clarify their position on the First Hill/Cap Hill streetcar line.

Three large maple trees are tagged for replacement in front of the Stimson Green mansion. Reason? Prior topping has resulted in decay and structural defects.

A man reportedly fell from a window early this morning prompting a large medic response on First Hill just below PIke/Pine. At 5:08 AM, an ambulance, a fire engine and a medic unit were dispatched to the scene. Six minutes later, the department's Ladder 10 unit and another medic unit were also dispatched. We currently have no additional information about the man or his condition.

We received the following account from neighbor Swift Albero:

At 5:30 am, I woke up to huge cop and ambulance response at 903 Union. Looks like a guy fell out of a 8th story window...

We've contacted the Seattle Fire Department for more details. Will update when we have more.

The man suspected in yesterday's robbery at the Banner Bank on Madison near Broadway told detectives he committed the crime to support his drug habit and had already spent the money on drugs at the time of his arrest only hours later, Central District News reports. Ricardo Perez, 53, is suspected of robbing the bank Wednesday around 11:30 AM. His physical description matches the suspect in Saturday's bank robbery at the Wells Fargo at the Safeway at 15th Ave E and John.

UPDATE: CDNews is reporting the suspect has been arrested after being apprehended at 23rd and Jackson in the Central District in the Seattle Vocational Institute parking lot. CDN has pictures and video.

CDNews has also confirmed that SPD believes the suspect is also responsible for Saturday's heist. Ricardo Calvin Perez, was booked into King County Jail at 4:37pm today for investigation of robbery, according to CDNews.

--------------------------------------------

The bank robber who hit the Wells Fargo inside the Safeway at 15th and John on Saturday has apparently struck again at a Banner Bank at Madison and Boylston just across Broadway on First Hill.

From the CDNews Scanner report:
11:32AM - Madison St and Boylston Ave - Bank Robbery - Banner bank was robbed, Asian male, 5'5, 140, black medium length hair, khaki zip-up, blue jeans

While the physical description is nearly identical, SPD and the FBI have not yet confirmed that this the same man who walked into the Safeway at 15th and John on Saturday afternoon, handed the teller a note saying he had a weapon, and then fled with the loot after the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. Working on confirming and getting a suspect name -- hearing that there is a warrant out for his arrest.