Wallingford, Seattle

City Budget

The City of Seattle faces a $67 million general fund deficit for 2011, meaning there are some very difficult budget decisions to be made in the months to come.  For example, SPD's Crime Prevention Coordinator for Wallingford, Diane Horswill, told Wallyhood in August that the Crime Preventation program is at risk. The City Council is tasked with balancing Seattle's 2011-2012 budget, and requests input from residents as they try to figure out how to do that.  So, the Seattle City Council…

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House Thief!

First it's bikes gone missing, then cats and dogs, now this! Observe these before and after photos of 1809 N 43rd St: With those leaded glass windows and that cute little balcony, we can see what attracted the thieves. What will they stoop to next? ("Before" photo from Google Street View)

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My Beautiful Bow – An Adoption Story

Ask any adoptive parent, and they will tell you that discussing adoption with their children doesn’t happen in merely one, full-length conversation that’s planned in advance, and then executed and crossed off a list.  Rather, it’s a lifelong dialog that begins from the moment parents adopt a child, and continues through a series of spontaneous questions and answers. Some adoptive parents, like Wallingford neighbor Lauren Goldman Marshall, create picture books for their young children to help explain how they became a…

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My Neighbor’s Electric Ride

Ever wondered what it's like to plug in instead of gassing up? Recently while snooping around, I saw a snazzy little blue vehicle parked across the street.  Looking more closely, I realized it was a snazzy little blue electric vehicle. My neighbor Dave is its owner.  Here's his story: We've known the folks at MC Electric where we bought the car for over five years.  I approached them as a possible sponsor for the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Annual Dinner…

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Highlights from today’s SHARE shelter meeting

A meeting was held today at the Mosaic Coffeehouse, led by Pastor Jami Fecher from Gift of Grace, who invited the community to participate in an interactive discussion concerning the SHARE shelter.  He encouraged everyone in attendance to “engage with intentional good will,” and to be able to hear and understand one another.  Attendees of the 90-minute meeting included neighbors of the church, Gift of Grace congregation members, and preschool parents, among others.  Woody Pidcock, a member of the Gift of…

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Royal Enterprise Trawler Fire on Lake Union

I just happened to be walking out of Durn Good Grocery around 7:45pm tonight as fire trucks and emergency response teams flew by turning left onto Stone Way.  The continuous sound of sirens flying down Stone Way was heard for over 15 minutes from my home. As I approached the scene, emergency response teams worked quickly as thick white smoke escaped the ship from the main deck level.  Water was quickly being sprayed onto the trawler from all angles.  The Northlake…

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