originally uploaded by Fecki.

Capitol Hill cooks looking for local ingredients for their Tofurky Day feast contributions will find some new additions at the tables at Sunday's Broadway farmers market. Here's the list of items making their market debut this week:

Parsnips – The colder it gets, the sweeter they become.  Give them a try roasted, boiled or sautéed.  They are available at all three markets from Willie Green’s Organic Farm.

Pears – White Doyenne are new from Booth Canyon Orchards.  They are available alongside Bosc, Comice, D’Anjou and Olympic

 Freshly Ground Flour – Organic hard red wheat is being freshly ground by Nash’s Organic and is being sold in 4 pound bags at the U-District market.  The wheat was planted in the spring of 09, harvested in September and is being fresh ground every week for market shoppers.  How can anything be fresher?

Matsutake Mushrooms – from Foraged and Found – at the U-District and West Seattle markets.

HOLIDAY TREES AND WREATHS– We are excited to welcome back Three Tree Farm to the U-District and Broadway markets for the next 4 weekends.  The Noble and Blue Spruce trees have been freshly cut and come in all sizes.  Beautiful holiday wreaths are also available from Alm Hill Gardens at all three markets.

The market runs 11 AM - 3 PM in the parking lot behind Bank of America at Broadway and Thomas.

The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, by the way, is also sponsoring a Thanksgiving contest that rewards cooking skills, a dedication to locally-sourced ingredients and having your stuff together-ness (entering takes a little doing and more organization than CHS is capable of in the kitchen). Here are the details:

Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast CONTEST!

    Announcing the "Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast" CONTEST for the best and most direct-from-the-farmers-market Thanksgiving Dinner of 2009!

Grand Prize: a meal cooked in your home by award-winning Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant for you and up to 5 guests!!*

Second place prize: $100 shopping spree at any of our seven Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets*, plus two bottles of wine from market farmers, and a Farmers Market apron.

Third place prize: $75 Farmers Market gift certificate, one bottle of wine and a Farmers Market apron.

The Grand Prize will be awarded to the host/cook who makes the most farmers-market-sourced, delicious, unique and beautifully presented Thanksgiving dinner for 2009.  As much as possible, everything from the wine to the centerpiece should be sourced directly from local farms at the Broadway, U-District or West Seattle Farmers Markets.

1. It's easy! Host a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 26, 2009, of any size, featuring ingredients sourced from either one or all of these three Farmers Markets: Broadway, U-District, West Seattle.  The dinner can be pot-luck style or cooked all by you, but you (and your group) must be prepared to provide written recipes of all dishes served, and the source of all the ingredients.  (This contest is about supporting these three local winter farmers markets, which keep numerous small, diverse local farms in business.)  Also, as much as possible, the ingredients that you cannot purchase at the farmers markets should be locally sourced (eg, check out Stone Burr's line of Washington-sourced flour, available at various Seattle grocery stores).  Also remember: the original harvest feast held by the Pilgrims featured what was available, including fish, deer and other game.  Turkey and pumpkin pie are traditions that were only invented in the late 1800's.  SO, celebrate what's local, and be creative!

2. Take pictures of the dishes and the table setting, and also of the preparation in the kitchen (you don't need to detail every step of the process, but enough to give us an idea of what you did).  Write down your dinner menu and all recipes, plus where all the ingredients were sourced, including the drinks, wine and any decorations such as bouquets, etc.  Write down the name of the farm, and which farmers market the ingredient was purchased at.

3. Your entry will be judged on: the extent to which ingredients were sourced directly from local farmers at these three farmers markets, the quality of the recipes (they need not be elaborate to be good - simple can be exquisite too!), the uniqueness/creativity of the overall menu, and the presentation (again, simple can be just as beautiful as elaborate).  Our judges are nationally-known Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant, one of our market farmers, and local food writer Cynthia Nims (www.cynthianims.com).  It can be dinner for two or for twenty, elaborate or simple.

4. Submit your photos and written menu/recipes to the NFMA by December 4, either via email or snail mail, or by dropping it off at the info table at any of the three farmers markets.  Winner will be chosen by December 16, and first, second and third-place entries will be posted on the NFMA website as well as displayed at our winter markets, to inspire others to think creatively and locally for the holidays.  Please also give your dinner a 'name' - eg., the Smith Family Feast, or the 34th and Yesler Street Party.

5. This contest is open to home cooks only please, not professional chefs and cooks (i.e., anyone who makes their living via catering or cooking or restaurant).

Wednesday night's early design guidance meeting for the 230 Broadway project revealed a Brix-like apartment and retail complex that left the Capitol Hill Design board wanting more specific details.

The 7-story mixed use development will house 235 residential spaces (47 units of affordable housing), room for 24,000 sq. ft. of retail, have space for neighborhood offices and will stretch from Thomas St. all the way to Castle and the tanning salon; replacing the space for the farmers market as well as a multitude other businesses. (If you need to brush up your memory on the guts of the project, a link to the architects proposal can be found here.) As with any project of this size landing on the uniformly two-story area on and around Broadway, concerns surrounding its mass, looks, and function as a community space topped the issue list for the review board.

While it received the most praise in our previous coverage of the development, the proposed courtyard and community room became clouded in confusion after the board began looking into the function, placement, and use of the space. As a whole, the board felt the design left too many questions about whether the courtyard, located in the center of the building, was open to the public or restricted only to the tenants. According to lead architect Brian Runberg, street access would be restricted at night in parallel with a community room hours by way of a "welcoming" gate, but the board felt the current design, which has no visual or physical access to Broadway, lacked character as an effective public space. "For a space that is supposed be a community space, it's pretty impoverished," said Bryan Cavanaugh, the business owner representative on the design review board. This brought up questions of possible relocation of the community room or rearrangement of entrances, but ultimately resulted in the board wanting more clarity.

As a brand new yet lasting face of Broadway, community members and board members wanted to ensure the facade would reflect the culture and historical precedence created by the current retail stretch on the street. Runberg's goal with the Broadway facade was to create a "strong urban edge" -- reinforcing the vibrant night life, creating wider sidewalks, and allowing retail businesses to create unique storefronts. The board praised these efforts, but without a solid decision on the look and setback of the front, they demanded a strong, clear, and simple front that would be made interesting by the individual store owners.

The final board recommendations also called for more definition on the how the building turns the corner at 10th & Thomas, and a clear design on what turned out to be a controversial service alley on the south end of the building.

Despite the criticisms, the review board did commend the architects and developer for their analysis of the history of Capitol Hill developments as well as the new building's aesthetic fit into environment of Broadway. One went so far as to call the design "elegant."

Taking the advice of the board and community with them, the next step for the developers, according to project planner Lisa Rutzick, will be applying for a master use permit. After more zoning and environmental assessments, the group will come back to the design review board for more community input.

CHS will feature coverage this week of the 10-year anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle with a focus on Capitol Hill's role in the events. As part of the remembrance, we are sponsoring a new kind of civil disobedience. There's still a place for facing down jack-booted thugs and noxious gas -- but we also admire people who get their point across in more subversive ways.

In that spirit, CHS is proud to co-present The Yes Men Fix the World at Northwest Film Forum. The film documents the work of two pranksters who put technology and empty-headed bureaucracy to work to infiltrate the modern media loop and hijack corporate and governmental posturing in the name of social activism. It's like Borat with purpose beyond watching a skinny man wrestle a fat man naked. Seeing one of the Yes Men portraying a government official addressing the community in storm-ravaged New Orleans and making promises that are entirely doable but also entirely outside the realities of government is both funny and heart-breaking. But it's also inspiring when you see the residents catch on to the message, get the 'joke,' and join in on bashing the mind-blown politicians and media who have been punk'd into playing their parts in the stunt.

The Yes Men plays November 27 through December 3. Friday's opening night showing is a benefit for WTO +10, with Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum and other guests in attendance at both of the evening's shows. Bichlbaum will also attend screenings on November 28 and 29. And CHS will be in the house to say hello before most screenings.

When CHS first walked into Roy Street Coffee and Tea this morning shortly before 7 am, the place was bustling.

See pictures of the opening here.

According to Major Cohen, Senior Project Manager and a key proponent of these "inspired by Starbucks" cafes,  the first group to arrive were the coffee nerds (our characterization - not his).  Many in the group were excited to try the Panama La Esmeralda (CHS sampled this brew and it was one of the best cups of coffee we've had in a while) and other Clover beans.  As we searched for a table, a bunch of them were excitedly discussing coffee, machinery and methods at a communal table.  The morning crowd was composed of Starbucks corporate family members (those visiting from corporate included CEO Howard Schultz ), well-to-do older couples from North Capitol Hill, curiosity seekers, I-5 shores residents and those of us in search of good coffee and free wi-fi.

Starbucks PR agency Edelman emphasized to us that this is the second LEED certified<...

Capitol Hill Seattle has been alerted to an apparent shooting near the intersection of Union and Boylston. At 5:55 PM, emergency units were dispatched to 702 E Union St. for an assault with weapons response.

We received the following e-mail from an eyewitness:

Shooting on Union between Boylston and Harvard. One guy shot, was conscious and speaking when police arrived.

More as we get it.

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WTO_Demo2.jpg,
originally uploaded by ntisocl.

On November 30, 1999, Capitol Hill became a battleground as police clashed with protesters and the city's downtown core erupted in confrontation. The World Trade Organization had come to Seattle bringing all the world's problems with it -- and exposing plenty of Seattle's along the way. Not every moment was warfare. Much of the protest and activism was the kind of thing you see here. Regular folks taking a stand. Or a sit. Of course, regular folks also fought back. We'll have more of that story this week -- if you have memories you'd like to share, please add to these posts in the comments -- but, first, let's focus on a present-day gathering of activists on Capitol Hill.

Next weekend, Seattle University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall host a free series of workshops and events to mark the anniversary of the protests. Here's more from Seattleplus10.org:

THE PEOPLE’S SUMMIT Nov 27-29

WTO+10: Global Justice Forward!

On Nov 30th the World Trade Organization (WTO) will host a “restart” meeting in Geneva – 10 years to the day from when we shut down the Seattle WTO! On Dec 7th, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change opens in Copenhagen. These are uncertain times and much is at stake: Join us to reclaim and amplify our voices with the vision we have for a healthy planet and people. Let’s harness the spirit of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle with a renewed commitment to move global justice forward!

Friday Nov 27 through Sunday Nov 29: three days of plenaries,  workshops and a cross-sector strategy session, held at Seattle  University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall. Visit www.seattleplus10.org for a full list of speakers, plenaries, and workshops!

Republic of Koffee,
originally uploaded by flckrd1.

Some business changes at 1720 12th Ave (between Olive & Howell, Lucky Devil Tattoo Parlor building), none lost, one added:

The People's Republic of Koffee stand has left their garage-on-the-street location and moved into the house next door and expanded with seating (and future food service).  Also in the space is the new People's Republic of Komedy office.

http://www.prokomedy.org/

Zone 4 Printing has moved into the old PRK space and has a great, compact retail store right on the sidewalk with T-shirts and posters, etc.

http://zone4printing.com/

CHS joked the other night about a Tweet we saw that was too artsy for us to fully comprehend. Turns out, the Tweeter is the owner of represents a new art gallery that is opening on the Hill tonight:

I wanted to follow-up to this tweet you posted recently and tell you a little more about "The Shogunate Revisited", opening tonight at pun(c)tuation on Pike Street. (The storefront that has been covered in newspapers for a few months and used to be Laced Up, next to the HoneyHole.)

 "The Shogunate Revisited", a show featuring new work from Seattle-based artists Mike Wagner and I AM, will be kicking-off with an opening reception from 6-10pm. You can read our press release below and there are pictures and flyers available on our Flickr page. (I can send you any of those as an attachment if you have problems opening or need a higher rez image.)

 This show is actually the first of three we have planned between now and January, including a tribute to Miles Davis coming soon, so I will be sure to pass that information along to you to share with the readers of CHS. Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you can join us tonight!

 Thanks,
Kizha Davidson @kydinseattle

Here's more from the Slog on the event and a slideshow from pun(c)tuation's flickr stream. Also, don't forget about this weekend's Expo 87 'micro-fest.'

A man so high on cocaine and wine that he needed to be hospitalized after being arrested was chased down by customers of nearby Tougo Coffee as he made his getaway after burglarizing 18th Ave boutique Gossamer Collective. The colorful details of the bust come from Tweets reported by the Central District News blog:

mgrummer tweets that it was Gossamer Collective which lives in the spot just south of Tougo. He says that he and other Tougo customers helped apprehend the perp: "I was there this am right after it happened. Another customer followed as the guy took off w/ the goods & directed patrol officers over the phone as to the thief's location"

Here's what SPD had to say about the incident:

CHS contributor alk17000 posted this news first this morning but due to a technical issue, we missed the post. Thanks for sharing the breaking news alk -- much appreciated and sorry for the mix-up. (Photo: Alk17000)

Update by jseattle: We screwed up on this story and missed breaking news reported by a contributor. We have a system that alerts us when new posts are created -- but it didn't fire for this post because of a glitch. As the comment on alk17000's post indicates, that's a lot of cops at the scene. Could be due to the proximity to East Precinct headquarters at 12th and Pine but we'll give SPD a call on Friday to find out. Still no word on person who was hit's condition.

Update 2: Our commenters and CHS news partner Seattle Times has part of the story answered:

A Seattle police officer was taken to Harborview Medical Center this morning after her foot was run over by a vehicle at the intersection of 15th Avenue and East Madison Street.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said the officer suffered a broken ankle, but was in otherwise good condition after the 11:30 a.m. incident.

Witt said the circumstances under which the officer was injured are unclear; the matter is under investigation.

We'll follow up on circumstances that led to the accident. Also, when we first posted this article, the headline mistakenly identified the location of the accident as 17th and Madison, not 15th.

When we spoke with the fire department spokesperson about the accident, there were two different incident numbers being tracked at the location so it appears the officer was at the scene of an aid response before the second accident occurred.

Original report: We received the following report from a neighbor.  We will update with any information we receive from the SPD and/or SFD.  

Wanted to report that this am at around 11:00 am as I was driving down Madison, at around 17th Ave. near the Madison Market I saw an accident.  There was a fire truck and a man lying in the street.  He looked like an older man with gray hair and glasses.  They were getting a stretcher ready for him.  As I drove by 5 police cars drove up.  On my drive back home at around 11:30 there were still police cars there and officers directing traffic.

Another neighbor reports that traffic is being impacted at Madison & Pine - possibly as a consequence of this accident:

FYI - Not sure what's going on, but the police are routing all traffic traveling west on Madison off at Pine. Only one lane going east is open. It's been like this for at least an hour now. Seems to be really slowing down traffic on Madison going west.

The Anne Bonny and Cairo have teamed up to bring you a second year of Expo:  the micro fest of film and music  and art in the micro 'hood of Sleepy Hollow/Top Pot/Summit. Expo 87 is three nights and includes two film series, more than 20 bands, and one interactive art installation.  The film series on Thursday are free; $10 will get you an all-festival pass for all events on both Friday and Saturday.

Here's my not-to-be-missed list from the lineup:

Supervideografen : A series of short animated films co-curated by Sean Pecknold;  and Pacific Open - A shorts program comprised of miscellaneous musically driven films from around the Northwest, co-curated by Christian Hansen. Free! Thursday, Cairo 7 - 10pm.

CMYK : dance pop band with a fun and bright sound. Friday, Cairo 7pm.

Seattle Band Map : a cartographic study of musical incest. This graphic illustration/chart of who has played with whom in Seattle bands looks super interesting to anyone who has at least...

It's a 6 AM Wednesday morning debut for the latest Starbucks creation on Capitol Hill. We'll have additional coverage this morning but wanted you to get a look inside. What do you think of the new place?

Roy Street Barrista

Chairs reused from somewhere

Busy morning opening day

Interesting lighting is a must

CHS didn't attend the pre-launch media event on Tuesday night but we did get a few shots from other folks on the outside. Thanks to Aaron Brethorst for sharing this picture via Twitter .

Photo: Aaron Brethorst

And thanks to http://starbucksmelody.com for a shot from the inside at the preview.

Photo: Starbucks Melody (with permission)

Over on the article where we first posted the announcement that Roy St. Coffee and Tea was opening on Wednesday, there's a debate, um, brewing about the good and bad of corporate coffee and indie-styling . CHS goes back and forth between hostility and ignorance about Starbucks' 'Street Level Coffee' efforts. But the company seems to court the controversy with images like this:

Roy Street Coffee & Tea, originally uploaded by SlayerSeattle.

PoDog fits in with the gritty, industrial surroundings . . . and then there's the pug

We attended a friends & family event last night and can report that  Po Dog is ready for the public starting today .  We were pleased with our choice of a couple of Veggie Dogs (smartly - they are using field roast ) with a side of fries and PBRs on tap.  We then split a Chicago Dog (you can substitute a field roast dog in any of their offerings).  A great cheap meal for under $30.  Po Dog is located at 1009 East Union (next to the Lifelong Thrift Store) and hours of operation will be: Mon-Thu 11am-Midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-3am, Sun 11am-10pm

Po Dog already has a Happy Hour offering.  Hours will be 4:30 - 6:30 M-F.  Included food: Mini Dog Sliders ($4.97) and Homemade Chips & Fries ($1.75).  Included Drink: PBR Draft ($2), Manny's Draft ($3), Domestic Bottles ($2.5) and Import ($3).

As the Seattle Times (via the Associated Press) reported this morning, there was an early morning fire on 11th Avenue between Republican and Mercer.  We have a call in to the Seattle Fire Department for additional information:

Smoking in bed started a fire that injured two men early today in an older house that had been converted to apartments, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen says firefighters responding about 2:30 a.m. found one man in a room. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

She says another man who was able to get out of the house on his own also was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.

Damage is estimated at [$]20,000 to the three-story house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Update (11/11) 2:19 pm: CHS has learned that the man who started the fire has died

Update (11/11) 2:51 pm: Line Out identifies Comet Bouncer Ben Hills as the man killed in the fire

Update (11/11) 5:08 pm: Line...

A purse snatcher tried to ruin this man's Halloween by snagging his bag from his gorilla-suited paws. All the thief made off with was the man's car keys. Props to the gorilla for finishing his night of fun before going to the fuzz.

The gorilla did it! Sorry for the error!

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill was the site of one of *two* unrelated bleach attacks in the city. More from our partner site, SeattleCrime.com:

On October 31st, 10:30 a.m. a man walked in to Duvall's apartment building on 10th Ave E and E Roy inquiring about renting an apartment. Duvall, prosecutors say, approached the man and threw a coffee mug full of bleach in the man's face

Five hours later, court records say Duvall, 40, approached a woman on 10th Avenue E and E Roy carrying two yellow tumblers. As he passed the woman, records say, he turned and threw bleach into the woman's face. Moments later, Duvall approached another man riding his bike on Roy Street and threw a cup of bleach in his face, and ran back into his building. Duvall's neighbors identified him to police, who took him in to custody.

SeattleCrime is the project of former Stranger reporter Jonah Spangenthal-Lee. In addition to the occasional crime news of the weird (see above), Jonah has been adding great reporting to the citywide coverage of the Tim Brenton murder investigation.

In addition to quality local journalism, SeattleCrime also has some pretty cool bells and whistles that we continue to work on. You'll be seeing more of these tools in our CHS crime reporting.

The SeattleCrime Map is especially useful. We're mapping 911 callouts, Central District News scanner reports and police reports from across the city. We're still refining and fixing things like enabling permalinks but it's already a pretty interesting tool. You can use it to drill down on any area in the city to see what from the crime files has been happening lately. Here's a view of recent automobile-related theft on Capitol Hill. Can't show you the trend yet -- but take my word for it, there's been a bump in the last few weeks with a mini-outbreak between Broadway and I-5 shores.

Welcome Jonah and his team to the Seattle Internet. Oh, and don't forget to remove your valuables from your car.

Back in September, we told you about a new retailer coming to Pike/Pine and joining the scene inside the Odd Fellows building. We noticed that the store was taking shape this week and a quick check of their Web site reveals Nube Green opens on Monday. UPDATE: It's open! From Josh in the comments:

Although their website says they aren't open until Monday they were actually open today and I think they will be tomorrow (the owner said the website is just hard to change).

Its a great little shop. Some really interesting stuff including some very cool cardboard lanterns made by a group just down the street.

The new retailer is targeting "ecologically minded consumers" and plans to "provide a strorefront for local artists." Nube Green is the creation of Ruth True. She and her husband Bill opened the nonprofit art gallery Western Bridge.

Here is a snippet from a press release explaining the new store's concept.

Also on the ground floor -- sandwiched between the popular OddFellows Café and Molly Moon's, and right next to flora and henri -- Nube Green plans to open the doors on its 2,300 square foot mercantile store in November. This retailer will carry a broad array of simple, fun and elegant gifts for the ecologically minded consumer.

The store will only sell products that have not crossed any oceans, including locally made items from recycled and sustainable materials. Nube Green will also carry its own line of products.

Top shelf children's clothier Flora and Henri also moved into Odd Fellows recently.

Meanwhile, down the street, CHS also noted 'sign' of an existing business doing some upgrades for the holidays. Looks like Seattle Running Company got a new sign for Christmas.

Pike/Pine isn't the only area on the Hill with some good biz news. CHS reported yesterday on some cool changes for the People's Republic of Koffee over on 12th Ave. Meanwhile, beloved Broadway bookseller Bailey Coy is officially no more.

If my interview with Roy Street Coffee and Tea manager Jacob Webber taught me anything, it’s that despite being a much better coffee shop than your typical Starbucks, Roy Street Coffee and Tea is still a Starbucks.

Jacob describes the store as his “pipe dream,” and seemed really excited about all the new features they’re trying out in the store, like their new Synesso espresso machine, and a pull down movie screen to host film showings for local filmmakers.  He said a lot of positive things and really seemed committed to making the concept work.  

On the other hand, Jacob said he didn’t know much about Capitol Hill, he didn’t have much to say about the well established coffee scene on the Hill, beyond “they make great coffee”, and he didn’t offer direct responses to any of the criticism they’ve been getting from many in the community -- namely that it's disingenuous to not display the Starbucks name, and the clipboard observers that were...

While I wouldn't have picked it as the venue in which to discuss the issue, there was some healthy debate in the comments thread that accompanied the CHS coverage of the memorial procession for slain Seattle Police Department officer Timothy Brenton. On its surface, the debate centered around whether a public ceremony of that scale was justified by the killing of a police officer. But below, there were bigger questions of authority, respect and society. This won't end it -- and it may very well re-ignite some of it -- but CHS would like to share a letter sent out by acting Seattle Chief of Police John Diaz and new East Precinct Commander Jim Dermody thanking people for their support in the weeks following the Brenton murder:

The man who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to likely spend the rest of his life in prison for stabbing Capitol Hill resident Shannon Harps to death now claims he was coerced to confess to the murder, CHS partner SeattleCrime.com has learned:

James Anthony Williams, who received a 35 year sentence for the the brutal slaying of Shannon Harps outside of her Capitol Hill apartment on New Years Eve in 2007, is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea and is asking the court to provide him with new legal counsel.

Williams on the day of his May 2009 sentencing (Photo: chrisdaniels5)

In court documents filed in King County Superior Court earlier this month, Williams claims he was "compelled...to plead guilty." While documents show Williams apparently believed he was in physical danger while in jail, prosecutors—who, naturally, are opposing Williams' motion—contend Williams made numerous declarations of his own guilt, prior to entering his plea.

SeattleCrime.com reports that prosecutors are citing multiple statements by Williams "that his plea was solely motivated by the fact that he was guilty" in their response to the claims.

Williams originally pleaded not guilty to the crime in February of 2008 and his mental competency was questioned. But after treatment at mental health facility Western State Hospital, Williams was determined fit to stand trial. The defendant then pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison. This is what prosecutors told CHS at the time of the sentencing about Williams' decision to plead guilty:

[Williams] pled as charged after our office worked to have him restored to competency to stand trial for the murder by sending him to Western State Hospital. He pled not guilty at arraignment in 2008 because every criminal defendant will enter a not guilty plea in order to consult with their attorney, discuss the various options they have and then chose either to plead, negotiate or fight the charge by gong to trial. Mr. Williams at first did not appear competent. The court sent him to Western State Hospital for evaluation at the request of the state and defense. He was found initially not-competent and then Western State doctors restored his competency. Mr. Williams returned to court and indicated he wanted to plead guilty as charged, which he did.

SeattleCrime.com reports that, along with his claims of a coerced confession, Williams also says his attorneys did not adequately represent him during trial and has requested new counsel.

Williams was convicted of murdering Harps in a bloody attack as the 31-year-old was about to enter her residence near 15th and Howell on the last night of 2007.

If you're looking to outsource your pie-making, two local business are offering special Thanksgiving pies.  Molly Moon's offers $15 Pumpkin Ice Cream Pies (pumpkin clove ice cream swirled into a graham cracker crust.).  You can either grab one from the freezer or call in an advance order at 206-547-5105.  Another local business Dani Cone(of Fuel Coffee fame)'s  High 5 Pies is offering Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, or Caramel Pecan 7" deep-dish pies for $12.  Contact Dani (dani at high5pie dot com) or order at one of Fuel's three locations.  Note that High 5 is offering a gluten free version of these pies.  Both Molly Moon & High 5 require that you order by close of business on Monday 11/23 - if you expect them to be ready for Thanksgiving Dinner.  As our commenters point out below, you can also be charitable in securing pie.  Lifelong Aids Alliance sells pies through Project Pie and their $25 pies are available for pickup on Tuesday and Wednesday at their 1002 East Seneca...

It appears as though a man was hit by a car on 15th and Madison, but details are fuzzy. At least 17 patrol cars, 2 fire engines, and 2 ambulances showed up. Another man in a wheel chair seemed involved as well. Update to follow.

Here is the latest batch of reports from the East Precinct for the first weeks of November. We also recently reported on the rash of car break-ins plaguing the area with a map of Hill car prowl hotspots.

We have created a new section in our forums for community Crime Reports if you see something or have something happen to you that you think the Hill needs to know about.

• 6-string thief: Sometime early this month, a person kicked in the door of a practice studio at 11th Ave's Chop House and took a 1970 Gibson L6S electric guitar. According to the very detailed report, the guitar has a natural wood finish with a custom Humbucker pickup installed near the bridge along with a custom three-way switch.
• Wrongfully accused man attacks with umbrella: A man was detained after struggling with a police officer outside of the Harvard QFC following an incident involving the man and QFC security. Late on Friday, Novemeber 6, store security believed the man had stolen a can of beer from the store but the follow-up investigation by the police officer determined that the man had the can of beer in his pocket prior to entering the store but became angry when he was accused and began assaulting people with his umbrella. The man was released following an interview at East Precinct.

More about the L6S from VintageGuitars.org.uk


• Two-TV burglary: On Monday, November 2 around 10 AM, a man was spotted leaving a house and walking down E. Republican near 21st Ave carrying a TV under each arm to load into his car. A neighbor called police but the man was gone by the time the officer arrived. The officer found a basement window that had been broken out giving the burglar access to the house. No suspect description was provided in the report.
• Leash law: A man entered a 10th Ave E doctor's office on November 4th and threatened staff saying, "I'll punch you in the head." He had also been observed trying to tackle people and standing in the street stopping traffic kicking at cars and trying to knock over a motorcycle. The man eventually left the office after somebody inside brought their dog out for protection. When the officer arrived, the man was shirtless, on his hands and knees and growling at the dog. The man was taken into custody and booked into King County Jail for assault (12A.06.010), Pedestrian Interference (12A.12.015), Harassment 12A.06.040, and Criminal Trespass 1st (12A.08.040.B).
• Bad drugs: Late on Sunday, November 1, a man reported being assaulted after "trying to buy weed" near Volunteer Park at 17th and Republican. The man had contusions and swelling on both sides of face. He was also extremely inebriated, according to the report. He could not describe his attacker beyond identifying him as the man he was trying to buy drugs from due to his condition.
• E. Olive burglary: A burglary of a home in the 700 block of E. Olive Way netted $2,300 in ill-gotten goods on November 4.
• 3-car haul on Summit: A break-in at a residential parking garage in the 1600 block of Summit Ave netted the thief two prowled automobiles and a stolen 2008 VW Beetle used as a getaway mobile. There were no witnesses and no suspect has yet been identified, according to the report.
• Liberty theft: Finally, cleaning up with one from October we missed. A man can be seen on security video footage walking behind the bar at 15th Ave's Liberty and grabbing cash early in the morning of October 27. Staff at the bar said that $160 in tips and another $120 in cash from a wallet was stolen by the man who is described as a black male, 5'5", 130 pounds with "three days of facial hair growth, with short black hair, a pierced left eyebrow, and a pierced tongue with a blue ring in it," according to the report. The report says a staff member told officers the man said he was "from the Central District area of Seattle, had been born at University Hospital, and had a sister named [redacted] who was a stripper."

You might not have noticed but another large media entity has geared up to offer a 'hyperlocal' site for Capitol Hill. The Seattle PI has had a Cap Hill blog forever but they recently gave it the same upgrade they've rolled out in a few other neighborhoods in the city. You can check out the Seattle PI site here. Or just enjoy this fine screen grab and save the click.

Like the PI's effort in other neighborhoods, the Hearst-backed online news outfit isn't committing any dedicated reporters or photographers to Capitol Hill and its posts come from unpaid community members. Contrary to what you might think, CHS is happy to have more people writing about the Hill -- we just wish they weren't doing it in a way that lines the pockets of a big corporation. Why not start your own site?

If you would like to help line our pockets, however, anybody can post an article to CHS. You just need an account -- then click the Post link in the menu and let it rip. And if you're serious about it, drop us a line and we can add you to our revenue sharing program. Yup -- unlike the PI, we pay. We're a community site, full of community voices. We welcome you to join the conversation.

Broadway retail had another hole poked in the middle of it tonight as, under the cover of darkness, employees scrambled to gut the Hollywood Video next to Dick's Burgers and directly across the street from the empty lot where Sound Transit's light rail station construction is soon to begin.

A sign on the door said the location is permanently closing and directed customers to the next closest Hollywood Video in Magnolia. Despite the sign, a customer tried the locked door before dropping his movie in the return slot. He said he had just joined Hollywood's monthly movie plan.

UPDATE: Adding some information about the building itself, the $2.8 million, three-story brick building was built in 1929 and is owned by Ron and Edel Amundson, according to King County records. It is also home to online provider of phonics-based spelling lessons, Headsprout and a company called Antique Cycle Northwest. From the Department of Neighborhoods:

Historic Name:      Del-Teet Furniture     &...

• Tuesday 11/17/09, 6PM at Miller Community Center: Join former Mayor Norm Rice for the kick-off of a major update to Seattle's Comprehensive Plan "Seattle 2030 and Beyond". 6 - 8 PM, presentation at 6:30. Mayor Rice introduced the "urban village" idea to Seattle, back in the 90's.
• Most of you sensibly avoided going out last Tuesday to the "Neighborhood Plan Status Check" presentation. After an introduction by Sally Clark, the 30 or so of us Queen Anne/Belltown/Pike-Pine/First Hill/Eastlake/Cap Hill/Centralites were treated to a brief Powerpoint presentation, and then broke into our separate areas (I attended the Central Area one). We discussed minutae, voted on priorities via sticky dots, then decided we couldn't even read the accursed neighborhood planning matrix in the time available, let alone comment sensibly on it.
• YOU can achieve much more, from the comfort of your couch, by reading the summaries of discussions and answers to questionnaires for the Capitol Hill area (attached here, more at Planning Commission...