Capitol Hill Seattle

As I'm sure you know the Meany Middle School program is on the block suddenly this year. This is a program that is growing in vitality and faster year to year. I hope you had a chance to attend the Jaguar Arts Festival. More and more families from the neighbourhood are banking on Meany being there for their kids for middle school as a viable option to the overcrowded Washington Middle School.

I don't know how the community feels about Meany really, I know there are some strong supporters, but if you know of people who are supporters could you PLEASE have them write all of the board members and the superintendent IMMEDIATELY. This process is moving very quickly, and if anybody out there is still unclear about how Darwinianism works, they need only to watch what is happening in child/school distribution.

Meany is a vital place for many diverse children and happens to be a safe haven for many at risk kids. We can't all save everyone all of the time, and some of us don't, but Meany has a personal eye on a lot of kids who would otherwise disappear, and probably not make it to 20. If these kids get randomly dispersed, the CD will have a lost a program that is literally saving lives at a time when an unprecedented number of youth are killing one another. It's as easy to buy a gun as it is to buy candy.

Meany has the only arts coach in the district, it has an orchestra that has grown from 13-53 in 5 years under the tutelage of Fred Strom, a full time volunteer retiree of the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra. It has nurtured the growth and huge success of some low income students who would otherwise never have been introduced to music at a serious level. There is one child who is now receiving 3 hours of private lessons donated by members of a chamber group at Seattle University.

We have a student in 7th grade who was awarded one the most outstanding students awards of the year last year. She comes from a very at risk background.

Quietly, Meany is turning the lives of many at risk students around.

Our PTSA is very energetic ( I am co VP ), but we are few, and we are very tired. We could use all of the help any of the Miller Community can offer.

Time is of the essence. The board is voting in January - we were given notice the night before Thanksgiving. I just thought of you this morning as a possible ally.

Can you help, and how?

Please go to www.seattleschools.org website for school board member addresses (they actually read their emails), write to the paper, send out notices to your community and whatever else you can think of. (If you write on their behalf, send a copy to meanypta@hotmail.com . Thanks, Andrew)

We are working fast and hard to come up with viable fiscal options to fill the seats at Meany - a marriage with TT Minor, a marriage with the SBOC from Queen Anne? Summit K-12 with Meany? Any ideas? Right now the school board is suggesting simply dispersing the kids into whatever seats are available, and there actually aren't any in the CD...140 kids from the reference area, and 34 from the 98122 and 98112 zip codes alone.. you don't have to have a PhD to know the numbers don't work. Washington is full, and Madrona not considered a reference school because it's a K-8 - apart from the fact that 100 families left there last year....

Thanks,

Sandy Hirsch, MS CCC

206.718.4387

shirsch58@msn.com

www.givevoice.com

The seventh annual Chicks Play Hard will be held Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill.

Chicks Play Hard is aimed at girls ages 9 to 13 and strives to build self-confidence in girls by providing them with a nurturing environment to try different activities and develop self expression. You may learn more at http://www.chicksplayhard.org

In these trying economic times, the event remains FREE for participants, and you may register via www.chicksplayhard.org

We've got an awesome line up this year - female fire fighters from Seattle will be leading a session, EMP/SFM will again donate recording equipment for our songwriting session and we are proud to also host rock climbing, double dutch (www.nwdoubledutch.com), Skate like a Girl http://www.skatelikeagirl.com/), yoga and a belly dancing session taught by women from the Middle East Arts organization http://middleeastarts.org/). Please join us - and we are also still looking for female volunteers. Questions? Send us an e-mail at chicksplayhard@gmail.com

If you ever listen to CNBC, they'll often talk about which investments are "recession proof" and likely to hold their value even as the economy declines.  I think we can add the townhouses construction sector to that list, since they're holding to a steady pace of development even as interest rates rise, credit tightens, and property values slide.

And townhouses are exactly what is planned for a line of properties in the 1100 block of Yakima Ave S.  First, at 1115 there's an old one-story triplex that will be demolished, replaced with 4 units of townhouses across two buildings.  It appears that the new structures will have the usual first floor garage and parking court arrangement.   http://web1.seattle.gov/DPD/permitstatus/Project.aspx?id=617

Then just to the south at 1119 there's a vacant lot where they're planning another 4 units of townhouses in two more buildings, again with attached garages.  Both of these properties are midway up the hill towards Leschi/Mt. Baker and will have pretty good views towards the west.   http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Notice.aspx?id=8322

The next project is officially a Capitol Hill one, since it is just on the north side of Madison (the universally accepted demarcation between the CD & the hill).  But it's still close enough to be of interest to us.   The plan is to tear down the old muffler shop that sits on the northwest corner of 13th & Madison (just behind the Elysian Brewing Co).  In its place will rise a 108 unit apartment building with 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail.  This continues the rapid expansion of retail options around 12th & Madison - it'll be interesting to see what goes in there once it's finished.

There's a design review scheduled for July 16th & 6:30pm.

  http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Notice.aspx?id=8335

A friend and I stumbled upon this curious sight at the corner of 13th and Olive.

It claims to be a ham, but perhaps it is something more sinister?

The Stranger is reporting that an arrest has been made in the murder of Shannon Harps on New Years Eve. No details yet, but cdguy is going to the 4pm press conference to find out more.

Update: Just heard back from cdguy: The man under arrest is James Anthony Williams. He was already in custody of the state Department of Corrections after a parole investigation. Police claim that they have DNA evidence linking him with the crime. Police believe he had no connection to the victim and that it was a random murder.

Seattle police aren't releasing any more information yet, but some other news outlets have dug up his picture. See King 5 for a scary example.

Here's the stories from the daily papers:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348936_harps27.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004145603_webharps25m.html

On January 13th a teacher at Adams Elementary in Ballard was seriously hurt in an assault that took place at a bus stop in the 300 block of E. Pine on Capitol Hill. The victim was calling 911 to assist a female who was being harassed by the suspect when the suspect hit him from behind, causing the victim to fall and hit his head on the ground. He's still in the hospital and could have permanent brain injury due to the attack.

Today the Seattle Police department released a sketch of the suspect in the crime. The suspect is described as:

A black male in his late 40's. He is described as between 5'9" to 6' tall, 150 pounds, with a slim build. He has been described as having a "wrinkled face" He was last seen wearing a black knit ski cap, black thigh length coat with a 1-2" white stripe down the length of the sleeve. He may have been wearing a black velvet sweat suit and was carrying a large black backpack. He may also be wearing gold rings and/or bracelets.

If you have any information on the suspect or other details of the incident, call the Homicide Unit at 206-684-5550.

Via Capitol Hill Seattle, there's some potentially very good news in the New-Year's Eve slaying of Shannon Harps on Capitol Hill. A parolee who matches the description of the killer has been in custody since January 4th, after he was picked up by the state Department of Corrections for violating the no-drinking condition of his release.

Currently incarcerated at the prison in Monroe, he was scheduled to be released today, but is being held pending results of DNA tests that would definitively link him to the murder.

The suspect has a "lengthy history of violence against women" that includes an assault against a former girlfriend.

More in the Seattle PI and the Seattle Times.

Our friends at Capitol Hill Seattle and Miller Park Seattle have helped organize a public meeting next week to talk about neighborhood safety and the murder of Shannon Harps at 15th & Howell.

Here's all the details:

Dear East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition and Capitol Hill Neighbors,

In response to the tragic homicide of Capitol Hill resident Shannon Harps on New Year's Eve, we are conducting a neighborhood safety forum to offer community members the opportunity to respond to the incident and discuss neighborhood safety. The police will be present at this forum to provide updates regarding this particular case as well as safety advice. The forum will be facilitated by Stephanie Tschida, EPCPC Chair and SPD East Precinct Lieutenant John Hayes.

When: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM


Where: Group Health Capitol Hill Campus, South Building , Level A, Atrium
201 16th Ave East , Seattle WA 98112

Parking is available in the Group Health Parking Garage on Denny Way , just off of 15th Ave. S. If you are parking in the garage take the elevator to level A. If you are walking, enter the Group Health South Building off of 15th or 16th Ave , near Denny Way , and take the stairs or the elevator down to level A.

Driving/walking directions to the campus: http://www.ghc.org/locations/medcenters/3/capitolhill_directions.jhtml

This forum is open to the public, so please attend to share your questions, concerns and ideas. Personal safety information and resources will be provided.

For questions regarding this forum, please contact Mike Yasutake, SPD East Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, 206.684.7717 or michael.yasutake@seattle.gov.


Kindest Regards,

Sita DeGiulio Das
East & Southeast Program Coordinator
Seattle Neighborhood Group
1810 East Yesler Way
Seattle , WA 98122-5748
206.323.9666
206.322.9330 (Direct Line)
sita@sngi.org
www.sngi.org

The PI is reporting that a woman was killed in a stabbing assault last night around 7:15pm on Capitol Hill near Group Health.

Neighbors heard a scream and called 911, and police found her unresponsive with multiple stab wounds. She later died at Harborview.

Police detectives are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the crime or have other information to help in the investigation.

Also covered in The Stranger and The Seattle Times.

UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Shannon Harps, a Sierra Club employee who had lived on that block at 15th & Howell for a couple of years.

Police have released the following description of the killer:
White Male in his 40's
6' tall
3-4 inch long beard
"scruffy looking"
Wearing a blue starter jacket and possibly a yellow hoody
Possibly a transient

A police sketch should be coming later in the week.

UPDATE x2:
The Seattle Times has more information on the 31-year-old victim and a few more details on the description of the attacker. The attack occurred as she approached her condo, after walking home from the grocery store. Ms. Harps was a global-warming organizer for the Sierra Club, and had lived in the area for 3 years after moving here from Ohio.

And The Stranger has posted some speculation that the attack could be linked to a Sierra Club volunteer who had pursued a date with Ms. Harps and made staff members "uncomfortable".

Update x3:
Capitol Hill Blog has a good write-up on the latest twist, where the police released a drawing that resembles the description of the suspect, but which is evidently actually for a witness that they're looking for. Very odd.

Although this is a Capitol Hill event, I thought we'd mention it in case you were curious about all the sirens around 6am today. The big response was for a fire that burned a plumbing business on 12th between Olive and Howell.

The good news according to the Seattle Fire Department is that no one was hurt and Firefighters saved a dog from the blaze. Also, be aware that the 12th Ave is still closed to Southbound traffic in case your commute takes you that direction.

UPDATE: The fire investigator determined that it was an "accidental" fire. Damages are estimated at $250,000.