Wallingford, Seattle

Nicole from the Wallingford branch of the public library sent us this late birthday announcement: Margaret Parker has been a volunteer at the Wallingford branch for over 10 years. Marnie, as she is known, lives at the University House now, but over the years has raised 8 children, with 13 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren! Loves to volunteer, has enjoyed book clubs and still reads the Wall St Journal and New Yorker. Played tennis avidly since she was 6 and continuing through raising all…

Crime, art, redemption. I love getting my hair cut at Spin's. Spin's Barbershop has a rotating display of art on the walls, and the latest set caught my eye a few weeks back, as I sat in the chair under the blade. "What's the story with the art," I asked. So he tells me. Ow and Phantom attend a local high school and produced art, which they distributed for free. On stickers. Where "distributed" meant "stuck in public places that seemed that…

Michael from City Cellars writes: What do you get when you pair an award-winning Washington winemaker, grapes from some of the state’s top growing regions and your local food bank? Sozo Friends, a local winery dedicated to helping those who are helping others. But unlike any other fundraising source, Sozo Friends raises money through developing and selling wine. Each bottle of wine makes it very clear to the consumer just how much help is being provided, as the number of meals…

[There is a wrenching debate going on around the John Stanford International School and whether it should remain a neighborhood school, providing a center of community for those families who live around it, or whether it should be an option school, making its enviable immersion program available to children throughout the city, including those who can't afford to live nearby. Cathy Lu wrote asked that we share her opinion below. In the interest of balance, we would like to offer equal…

David P . asked us to pass along the news that there have been a number of burglaries in the neighborhood recently. On a neighborhood list, a homeowner near 43rd and Burke reported that someone "pried open a locked window on our sunroom and climbed through leaving a small step ladder behind." Cash, jewelry and electronics were stolen. Over by 42nd and Meridian, burglars "went into the backyard, pried open a locked window and climbed in. They rifled through most of…

This fall, my daughter started school at B.F. Day. Monday through Friday, we wait on the corner for the school bus to pick her up. Across the street, a couple of children wait for the bus to McDonald Elementary. Other families walk past us on their way to John Stanford. On my block, the second grader goes to John Stanford, the first grader to McDonald and my daughter to BF Day. And next year's kindergarteners are currently slotted to go to…