Verdict in Lita Byrnes Murder Trial

On Thursday, the jury in the Lita Byrnes murder trial reached a verdict in King County Superior Court. The jury found:- Guilty on First Degree Premeditated murder- Guilty on Second Degree Felony Murder- Yes on Use of a Deadly Weapon- Yes on Deliberate CrueltyThese charges make the defendant eligible for a life sentence. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 10th, and anyone may write a victim's impact statement as long as they send it to the victim's advocate by November…

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Senior Center Party

Community organizations often hold “galas” as fund raisers. That has become hard during the pandemic. Most have moved to a hybrid, where a few folks come in person while others sign in via the internet -- to make it a gala, they add some food and drink that you can enjoy at home. That is what the Wallingford Community Senior Center is doing for their Share to Care event. The Senior Center is asking everyone who cares about the seniors in…

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Pedestrian and Cyclist Crossing of I-5 on NE 45th: Please Sign Petition and/or Comment this Thursday at 9:30

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A report from The Urbanist of the imminent demise of the pedestrian and cyclist crossing at NE 45th over I-5 is overstated. Ever since 2015, we've been working to improve the crossing for cyclists and pedestrians, including getting the project funded as part of the Levy to Move Seattle. We've also gotten the project voted to the top ranks through "your voice, your choice", and as the top priority for district 4 of Seattle Greenways. Through all these community actions, SDOT…

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Closing Arguments in Local Murder Trial

While just about everyone in our neighborhood—and in the city as a whole, for that matter—has experienced some sort of property crime, real acts of violence are thankfully rare in Wallingford. However, one of note in the latter category that did happen here, and hit close to home for many in the community including the editors of Wallyhood at the time, was the tragic murder of Lita Byrnes in 2018. People who knew and loved her have not forgotten, and we…

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Oceans of Emotion at Sewer Project Site

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No, people aren’t getting all worked up over Seattle Public Utility’s Ship Canal Water Quality Project. Oceans of Emotion is, in fact, the newest art installation to decorate the work site. (A previous art work heralded the start of the project.) The goal of the project, which extends from Ballard on the west end of site to Wallingford on the east end, is to provide temporary storage space for runoff and sewerage during times of heavy rainfall when treatment plants cannot…

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The Good Shepherd P-Patch: Community Asset and Link to a Storied Past

If the Wallingford neighborhood has a heart, a strong case could be made that Meridian Park and the Good Shepherd Center are a big part of it. The Meridian School and the Wallingford Community Senior Center serve two ends of the local age spectrum. The Wallingford Farmers’ Market draws in big crowds during the summer months. Seattle Tilth attracts eager crowds with an interest in plants with classes and plant sales. The venerable old Good Shepherd Center is home to a…

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Wallingford Library – October Updates

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Wallingford Branch Library

Many of us were glad to see the Wallingford Branch of the Seattle Public Library reopen in September 2021. It is a small but mighty library that is well-used by the community. (See photos below).

Jason Davis, the Temporary Supervising Librarian, provided some updated information about the branch.

Q: Do you know when the outside drop boxes will re-open? Is there an explanation for why they are closed?

A: The Library lost staff positions due to citywide pandemic-related budget cuts in 2020 and 2021 and we are still not back to pre-pandemic staffing levels.  We look forward to opening the exterior drop box at Wallingford as soon as we have enough staff to monitor and empty it regularly. In the meantime, Wallingford patrons can use the drop boxes currently available at the nearby Fremont or Green Lake branches, which are open for returns seven days a week.

Q: Do you know when there will be expanded hours?

A:  Increased staffing levels allowed us to more than double our open hours system-wide on September 1, and as we hire and train additional staff we will continue to expand hours and restore services. Due to factors such as size and shared space with other organizations, a few of our branches, like Wallingford, Madrona Sally-Goldmark and NewHolly, have taken more time to reopen and/or are still operating with limited schedules. We appreciate the patience of our patrons in these neighborhoods and are working hard to restore their open hours and services. We hope to expand open hours at Wallingford by the end of 2021.

Library services and perks:

Peak Picks: Hot titles with multiple copies.

New Arrivals: the Latest.

Staff Picks: curated titles.

Holds: convenient pickup for your holds.

Download five songs per week, using Playback and Freegal.

Free scanning

Free Movies: using Kanopy and Hoopla.

Digital Magazines: via Flipster and PressReader.

 

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