Wallingford has been in the news lately, and not in a good way. There was a recent child endangerment incident, the tragic house fire and family deaths, a Medic One vehicle whose windshield was smashed on 45th with a rock while on a response, and the murder of a tent camper along NE 40th. Earlier in the year, there was a startling home invasion in which the residents were thankfully unharmed. This past weekend I watched the evening news and saw a local reporter standing a few houses down on my street doing a story on rampant …
Murder on a Sunday morning

WARNING: Distressing content follows.
I was on my way back from Fred Meyer and found NE 40th blocked at Latona by police vehicles…never a good sign. Upon walking down to see what was going on, one of the police officers recognized me: “Hey, you’re the guy from…Wallyworld.” We had interacted at a vacant home fire over on 5th NE a while back. I asked him what was going on, but he deferred…said he couldn’t say.
But, a couple of my neighbors could. They heard a gunshot around 3 a.m., followed by commotion and cries for help. They called …
Save the #20 Bus!

Wallingford neighbor Rosanne penned this article about a bus route of great importance to many in our area: the Route 20 line, which runs from the U District, through Wallingford, to Northgate and Lake City.
Rider Alert! Many riders don’t realize that the 20 bus may be on the chopping block or subject to reduced frequency. The 20, which runs up and down Latona Avenue, goes directly to the UW and to the U District Light Rail station.
Last spring, I found out about a possible extinction of the 20 via a friend of my husband. There were no “Rider …
100% Charity Yard Sale in Wallingford

Our longtime (22 years!) Wallingford neighbor, Marisol, sent a note to let us know about a charity/benefit yard sale she and her friends are sponsoring this Saturday, July 29th. ALL proceeds from this multi-family sale will benefit a 501 (c)(3) organization called Balo USA, helping to fund an English-language school in India for impoverished children, and a training program for at-risk young women. The big-hearted yard sale will run from 10am-4pm, at 4323 Bagley Ave N. Marisol promises quality items, a bake sale, and a free bin. Check out the poster below for a few more details and the Venmo …
Seattle City Council District 4 Candidates

If you haven’t noticed, by the volume of unsolicited cards in your mailbox showing smiling people and (mostly) professional layout and design…It’s Election Campaign Season! Election Day is Tuesday, August 1st. Our current Seattle City Council representative, Alex Pedersen, is stepping down from his seat at the end of the year to restore his sanity and presumably pursue life in the real world—or at least, an alternate reality than the bubble that is Seattle city government.
Pedersen is not alone in his decision to move on from his SCC seat. Citywide, there are 45 people who are running for the …
Archie McPhee’s 40th Anniversary!

Roger, self-proclaimed “Duke of Doodads” and the store manager over at iconic Wallingford retailer and cultural shrine, Archie McPhee, wrote to us this week to let us know that they are celebrating their landmark 40th anniversary on Thursday, July 13th! Not only will there be a 40% discount on all your favorite items like rubber chickens, devil ducks, and alien-related supplies, Roger says that there will also be “games and fun” in their parking lot at Stone Way N and N 45th from 3:00-5:00!
Just when you thought that perhaps our favorite neighborhood was getting …
Welcome to the Death Café!

As Monty Python used to say, “And now for something completely different…”
It’s an invite to the Death Café! As macabre as that may sound on the face of it, this is an earnest and well-intended effort sponsored by the Wallingford Community Senior Center (WCSC), at the Good Shepherd Center. The event flyer that was shared with Wallyhood describes it this way:
At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to drink tea, have a snack and discuss death. Our objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.…