Monthly Archives: March 2018

Pikes/Pines | Listen for the spring hum of the Rufous Hummingbird, drinking its way north

Posted on by

A female Rufous Hummingbird taking a break between gulping nectar. Credit: Brendan McGarry

This recent spell of unbelievably gorgeous weather followed by a chilly snap has done little to abet my craze for spring. Last month, I was thinking about early blooming natives, this month I’m focused on who will be the next migratory bird to show up on my door. With currants and indian plum blooming full bore, my ears have been perked for a familiar sound that graces the Hill, the delightful buzz of a male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus).

We’ve talked about our resident Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) on Pikes/Pines before, but Rufous Hummingbirds are also very worthy of our attention. They weigh only as much as a piece of paper (.2 oz), but they migrate here from Mexico. They make lots of stops along the way, but when we compare body length to the distance they travel each year, they are champion migrants. Some individuals go as far north as coastal Southeastern Alaska, which also makes them the most northerly breeding species of hummingbird in the world. Continue reading →

‘Amazingly, there don’t seem to be any injuries’ — Truck flips in 10th/E Highland collision

Posted on by

https://twitter.com/sbhopper8/status/979903326501273600

A two-car collision on E Highland at 10th Ave E left a truck flipped on its roof and a sports car’s front-end mangled but miraculously nobody was hurt in the Friday night crash.

Preliminary reports indicate one driver was taken into custody for investigation of DUI but CHS has not yet confirmed the arrest with police.

Seattle Fire units rushed to the scene just after 6 PM for a serious “heavy rescue” incident but found occupants of the truck had been able to climb out on their own. “Amazingly, there don’t seem to be any injuries,” said one officer reporting on the scene via East Precinct radio. The crash also knocked down street signs at the corner.

The investigation and emergency response temporarily blocked traffic and buses on 10th Ave E but the street was reopened after about 30 minutes as the collision scene on the corner continued to block E Highland and police processed the scene.

UPDATE 4/2/2018: Police say the driver of the flipped truck had been traveling eastbound on E Highland at the time of the collision. The 34-year-old woman was evaluated for DUI and booked into King County Jail. Court records show she has not yet been charged.

Continue reading →

CHS Pics | This week in Capitol Hill pictures

Posted on by

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg2ZB_PhCEs/?tagged=capitolhillseattle

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

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

Rethinking the Capitol Hill Pac-Man pavement park

Posted on by

Kim’s picture of the Pac-man pocket park from the Capitol Hill Seattle Facebook Group

The latest discussion in the Capitol Hill Seattle Facebook Group brings together many themes familiar to readers of CHS — public space, parks and p-patches, homelessness… and dogs.

Kim posted this image of the E Olive Way at Summit at Denny Pac-Man pocket park and raises a valid issue — what use is a pocket park if nobody uses it? “I pass this sad scene every day and have never seen anything suggestive of added value going on there,” she writes. “Would make a great pea patch or dog park with a little investment.” Continue reading →

Grinding it out at Capitol Hill’s 35th North Skateshop

Posted on by

Tony Croghan

Tony Croghan has run 35th North at the corner of Pike and 11th since 2003. It’s a Capitol Hill institution and one of the only such shops in the city, hub for a generation-spanning pursuit that’s both sport and art. As the world of skateboarding prepares for its international debut in the Olympics in 2020, Croghan stays focused on the art and community it inspires.

“I think about a kid right now in middle school, an individual who might be artistic, who’s into music, but also likes to do activities and might be coordinated and athletic; that’s the skateboarder,” Croghan said. “If that kid is ever turned off by skating—‘That looks like a sport to me, I don’t wanna do it’—that would be a bad spot to be in.” Continue reading →

To help ease Seattle’s affordability crisis, City Hall launches site for civic deals, discounts

Posted on by

How bad has Seattle’s affordability crisis become? The city has launched a new seattle.gov/affordable site that is tantamount to a Seattle City Hall discount coupon service.

Mayor Jenny Durkan is not calling it Groupon — but for living in Seattle. “One of our most important jobs is to make navigating your government a bit easier,” the mayor said. “Tens of thousands of families are currently eligible for money back in their pockets through the Child Care Assistance Program, Seattle Preschool Program, Utility Discount Program and dozens of other programs and initiatives.”

A quick visit to the site shows a wide selection of some 106 categories in which residents might find a way to save a buck or two living in the city. Its current “Popular Services” rankings include “Discount card for people with disabilities,” “Free ORCA cards for students,” and “King County taxpayer assistance.”

The mayor announced the new site along with a proposal for a new Seattle Rental Housing Assistance Pilot Program which would focus on “preventing households from falling into homelessness while on the waitlist for longer-term assistance.”

Nearly half of the 1,027 households issued a Seattle Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher in the 2015 lottery experienced homelessness at some point during their time on the waitlist, according to City Hall.

CHS Pics | At a Capitol Hill church, new green cisterns resurrect the rain

Posted on by


With the story of Christ’s resurrection and all that jazz, Easter, we suppose, is a story of recycling. Capitol Hill’s Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ is now ready for the Seattle rain it captures to rise again.

“The members of Prospect United Church of Christ are excited to have these two cisterns as tangible evidence of our willingness to walk the talk about caring for our environment,” church pastor, Meighan Pritchard said in the announcement of two new cisterns installed under the county and city’s joint RainWise rebate program at the 94-year-old church at the corner of 20th Ave E and E Prospect.
Continue reading →

From shadow of the Space Needle to Capitol Hill, Inform Interiors to join Blu Dot on E Pine

Posted on by
From the shadow of the Space Needle to Capitol Hill (Image: Inform Interiors)

The overhauled former home of a longtime Capitol Hill vintage and design store will be home to not one but two new furniture retailers.

Seattle furniture boutique Inform Interiors is moving up the Hill to Bellevue and Pine to join “contemporary furniture” retailer Blu Dot with its coming soon Capitol Hill showroom in the historic Colman Automotive building.

“We’re excited to be moving to a more vibrant area but we know everything is an adjustment,” Inform sales manager Hillary Rielly.

Their once low-key home on Dexter is now lined up for redevelopment by Vulcan which prompted owner Allison Mills to look for a new interior for her interiors. Inform plans to open the new showroom by the first week of May in the renovated auto row-era building, a space with triple their current square footage. Continue reading →

The 2018 Special Olympics are coming to Capitol Hill

Posted on by
(Images: Special Olympics USA Games)

Seattle University will be a key venue this summer as the Special Olympics come to the 12th Ave campus.

The school is slated to help host the 50th Anniversary of the Special Olympic Games. In July, more than 4,000 athletes will participate in 14 different sports throughout the Seattle region, including basketball and soccer events at Seattle U’s Championship Field and Connolly Complex.

“People probably underestimate the capabilities people with intellectual disability have –- that perceived gap really isn’t there. You will find within the intellectual disability community, there are more things alike than different,” said Jaymelina Esmele, a Special Olympics representative.

2018 Special Olympics Venues in Seattle

  • Seattle University: Basketball, Soccer
  • University of Washington: Basketball, Bocce, Flag Football
  • Seattle Pacific University: Gymnastics

Intellectual disability is the most common developmental disability and includes Fragile X
Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,
Apert Syndrome and others.

In one of the largest sporting events in Washington with an estimated 70,000 spectators, volunteer opportunities are plenty. Event and ongoing volunteer needs include data entry, sport coaching, and family support coordinators. The Special Olympics website lists events by area for anyone who wants to get involved. Seattle has over 10,000 volunteers lined up for the games but according to executive director Jayme Powers there is still a big need for medical professionals. Volunteers who work in the medical profession and therapeutic professions such as yoga are needed to assist athletes from the sideline as part of the program’s athlete health services. Continue reading →