Common Nighthawk, originally uploaded by kingernorth.

It has been a busy week at CHS with lots of big news -- some of it quite heavy. Thanks goodness for this lovely little essay which fluttered in from CHS history contributor Dotty DeCoster. Even if the nighthawks were still living in Seattle, they'd have already migrated away from this wet and dreary Pacific Northwest weather until spring -- when they used to return and, now, you can miss them like Dotty does. We're glad the swallows still come back to keep us company.

I’ve been reading Edward B. Dunn’s memoir called 1121 Union recently, and he asks a question:  “We always had nighthawks in summer on First Hill and in the country, too.  Where can they have gone? . . . Anyway  I miss them.  They can outdive any airplane, and I used to love watching them swooping over the housetops and abruptly coming out of the dive with a thrilling roar." (p. 53) 

Dunn was born in 1904 at 1121 Union and lived there for several decades. (southwest corner of Union and Minor.)  My old friend, who lived as a child near Lake Union and most of her adult life near 17th and Denny, taught me to go looking for nighthawks at dusk above the rooftops near the top of Capitol Hill during the 1960s. They are gone now, gone completely from King County and only found rarely in Western Washington.

The Seattle Audubon bird web describes the common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) as “a cryptic bird most often seen in flight, when it can be easily identified by the white bar across each long, pointed wing.  This mottled gray and black bird has large eyes.  It also has a tiny beak with a large gape. .  .”  They forage in flight on flying insects.  They have a loud, distinctive call.  At about 9 inches, common nighthawks are bigger than swallows and spectacular flyers.  They also have an odd habit while perching.  Rather than sitting on tree limbs or wires or rooftops facing you (with the perch on the horizontal) they sit sideways, aligned along the perch.  Called “goatsuckers” some places, they used to be a delightful addition to the August falling star show viewed from the Capitol Hill ridge crest.

They are odd birds that like open country (with lots of flying bugs) and don’t nest – they lay their eggs on gravel.  Both male and female birds help feed the young and care for them.  In the cities, they tended to like gravel or pebble roofs for reproducing, or infrequently disturbed gravel piles or alleys.  They seem to have been birds of a certain city development period.  They appeared here when the forest cover was opened up and disappeared once the gravel was smoothly paved over, the swampland drained, and the flying insects greatly reduced.  Peterson’s Western Birds says they winter in Argentina.  Apparently, nighthawks still are fairly common in eastern Washington, if you have an opportunity to go for a walk at dusk on the other side of the mountains you might see some.

In the meantime, swallows remain. They swoop over the large lawn in Volunteer Park between the art museum and the conservatory and you can see them during the day diving nearly to grass height as they catch insects mid-air.  At dusk they appear out of the ravine when one is standing at the overlook across from the cemetery entrance on 15th Avenue East.

Our newspartners at The Seattle Times are reporting that the "person of interest" in last weekend's police murder is in critical condition at Harborview with a wound to the head.

They've also proven that having sources and their phone numbers is much more productive than waiting for media briefings at crime scenes. As we reported earlier today, SPD detectives were in Tukwila to investigate a tip from a citizen in Officer Brenton's murder:

The person who tipped police to the car said the man had only recently covered it and had been acting bizarrely, according to a law enforcement source.

The wounded man apparently has no felony history. He had recently laid off from his job as a security guard, according to the source.

The shooting happened just as the memorial service for Brenton was ending at Seattle's KeyArena. Many of the officers who attended the memorial immediately left when they got word of the shooting, some rushing to Tukwila.

The Times is also reporting that two other men have been detained, and that...

The first of two Friday updates from King County Elections shows Mike McGinn has widened his lead over Joe Mallahan in the Seattle mayor's race. McGinn now leads his competitor by 1,209 votes.

Mike McGinn: 75,657 49.99%

Joe Mallahan: 74,448 49.19%

The next drop comes after 9 PM tonight. Seattle Post Globe reports that election workers decided to put in some extra work today instead of having to work over the weekend to produce a new count on Monday.

Not many details here, but it sounds significant. The Seattle PI reports that police have shot a person of interest in the Halloween killing of Office Timothy Brenton.

"Officers shot a man in Tukwila after being fired upon Friday afternoon while they served a search warrant, police said.

Seattle Police responded to Tukwila after receiving a tip that the man was connected to the fatal shooting Halloween Night of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. SWAT members were among those responding.

The warrant was being served in the 14300 block of 56th Avenue South, but it was not immediately clear what the warrant was for. Seattle police are taking over the scene investigation.

Some police belived the man shot had died at the scene, but that was not immediately confirmed.

The shooting occurred minutes after the memorial for Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton ended at KeyArena."

Breaking news in the hunt for the killer of Officer Timothy Brenton. Central District News is heading to the scene:

There's a massive police response down in Tukwila, where Tukwila police are reporting that a "person of interest" in Officer Brenton's shooting was shot by police while they were there serving a warrant.

This started about 25 minutes after the conclusion of Brenton's memorial at Key Arena.

TV chopper coverage is showing a covered vehicle in the parking lot of the apartment complex where today's shooting occurred, and it appears to be of the shape and size of a Datsun 210, the suspect vehicle in the Halloween shooting.

SPD homicide personnel are said to be on the scene in Tukwila, but so far SPD isn't talking about what might be going on.

More as we get it.

The Seattle Times is reporting the suspect was shot in the head by Seattle Police. Reports are that the suspect has been transported to Harborview.

SeattleCrime.com is reporting that the man who was shot has died. survived.

Tukwila police say two other people have been taken into custody in the incident.

With the investigation into the Halloween night murder of officer Timothy Brenton stretching into its sixth day, the Seattle Police Department is about to lose its newly appointed head of the Violent Crimes Section. Berkeley news sources are reporting that Seattle police captain Mike Meehan has been tabbed as the new police chief in the California city. According to the Berkeley Daily Planet, Meehan's appointment must still be confirmed by the Berkeley city council at its November 10th meeting.

Meehan, a former East Precinct commander, recently moved to take over Violent Crimes where he oversaw the Homicide, Robbery, CSI, Gang, Polygraph, Bias Crimes and Fugitive Units after a stint working in the Narcotics Section. He is a 23-year veteran officer according to this SPD blog post.

The Berkeley Planet story linked above also dug into the CHS archives for some insight into Meehan:

Comments on a Feb. 2009 blog catering to Seattle’s Capital Hill area [sic], a pre-dominantly gay neighborhood, discussed the...

I've been reviewing bathrooms in Seattle for a couple of months now. I'm not trying to create a comprehensive index and definitely don't want to spend a lot of time in nasty ones; I want everyone to know about the nice ones. I'm always looking for new ones to review, and am especially interested in hearing from business owners, because if I'm working with them, they can let me into the women's restrooms and tell me interesting stories. The blog is here, and all the entries are tagged by location, so you can view just the Capitol Hill entries if you like.

These cigar-chompin' ladies want to watch you pee. Indulge them next time you go to Coastal Kitchen.

donna at the polish festival
Originally uploaded by plexipixie

The 49th Annual Fall Bazaar takes place at Dom Polski, this weekend (11/7 - 11/8) from 12 to 7 pm each day.  

Booths upstairs will offer Polish crystal bowl and vases, Boleslawiec pottery, amber and silver jewelry, pottery, books, and crafts.  Downstairs, you can enjoy traditional Polish dishes of pierogi, sausage, cabbage rolls etc. served by the young generation of waiters clad in Polish folk costumes. You can also buy home made desserts and pastries.  The address is 1714 18th Ave. Seattle, and free admission and parking.

CHS will be covering the memorial procession to honor Seattle Police Department officer Timothy Brenton as it passes across Capitol Hill this morning. The more than 1,000 vehicles and thousands of police, fire and emergency personnel expected to participate in the procession leave the University of Washington's Husky Stadium parking lot starting at 9 AM. They are expected to begin passing through the Capitol Hill area after 10 AM on their way to Key Arena where the memorial will be held.

• A map of the route can be found here.
• There is no street parking along the route and bus service will be disrupted. Seattle Transit Blog has a list of planned re-routes. Metro says to expect delays.
• If you have a report from your morning's bus experience to share, leave a comment here or Tweet to #caphillbus

Watch this post for updates and pictures from the procession. Our news partner the Seattle Times is also updating an interactive map and timeline of today's events . You can watch live video coverage from KING-5 here .

UPDATE:

Photo: Scott Durham/Central District News

Central District News has coverage of the memorial ceremony at Key Arena . You can also check out photos of the procession's path through the CD here .

It's been a long time since Seattle's last big shake had everybody diving under desks and thinking about being more prepared for emergencies. If you were here for the Nisqually earthquake in 2001, you'll be happy to know that we apparently got lucky. These scientists say 'the big one' might end up being even bigger than previously thought when it finally strikes the city.

All of this toward freaking you out a a bit and encouraging you to give serious thought to attending a community meeting on disaster preparedness this Saturday -- or, at least, getting prepared on your own.

The Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare group is bringing its seminar to the Capitol Hill library Saturday at 10:30 AM. You'll learn how to be prepared as an individual -- and as a community -- for emergencies big and small and, yes, even snowy.

The SNAP group has also been working with community groups in the city to prepare neighborhood disaster response plans for the areas. Where on Capitol Hill will people gather in the event of a major catastrophe that destroys homes and apartment buildings? That's the kind of thing you might want to have a plan for as a community. As an individual, much of it is as simple as making sure you have the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of your neighbors and extra water.

And being prepared on Capitol Hill is an especially good idea. WARNING: More freak-you-out stuff follows. At a recent meeting of the Capitol Hill Community Council, Seattle Office of Emergency Management's Mark Howard said Capitol Hill's older homes are a big concern in a significant earthquake. Howard said older houses on the Hill are often not attached securely to their foundations and the risk is that they will collapse in the event of a strong earthquake. Howard said the most vulnerable area of Capitol Hill is the west side along I-5 where there is also the risk of landslides. Freak-out stuff over.

With that as inspiration, for you do-it-yourselfers, here are some SNAP resources linked to from the Seattle Office of Emergency Management Web site:

SNAP Meeting Packet Items for Shelter and Special Needs, Communications and Damage Assessment:

• Getting Organized Meeting Agenda (PDF)
• Neighborhood Coordinator Task List (PDF)
• Search and Rescue Task List (PDF)
• Shelter and Special Needs Task List (PDF)
• Communications Task List (PDF)
• Utility Control Task List (PDF)
• First Aid Task List (PDF)
• Damage Assessment Task List (PDF)
• Help/OK Sign (PDF)
• Neighborhood Response Site Signs (PDF)
• Getting Organized Worksheet (PDF)
• Getting Organized Beginner Drill (PDF)
• Download All SNAP Host Kit Materials (PDF)
• Download All Preparedness Materials (PDF)
• Download All Task List Materials (PDF)
• Download All Meeting Packet Materials (PDF)

SNAP Drills:

• Conducting Effective Neighborhood Drills (PDF)
• Planning Process for a Neighborhood Drill (PDF)
• Neighborhood Drill Log (PDF)
• Getting Organized Beginner Drill (PDF)
• Beginner Tabletop Drill - Task Responsibilities (PDF)
• Intermediate Functional Drill - Map Your Neighbhorhood (PDF)
• Advanced Drill to Drill Kit (PDF)
• Download All Drill Kit Materials (PDF)

Special Medical Needs (PDF)

Store Emergency Water for Disasters (PDF)

Supply Kits

• Family Disaster Supplies Kit (PDF)
• Pet Preparedness (PDF)
• Car Kits (PDF)
• Work/School Kits (PDF)

Storing Emergency Water (PDF)

A wind-driven lightning and hailstorm that quickly passed across the city also rumbled across Capitol Hill late tonight. The storm arrived on Capitol Hill around 10:42 if you believe Twitter -- about 5 minutes after reports started spreading across the social messaging service's Tweets from the West Seattle area. In the 15-minute window around the storm's coming and going, there were 1,267 Tweets about 'thunder' in the Seattle area.

Here's what a few of you had to say about it:

moohaha: Seattle Cap Hill: huge lightening + thunder. Cloud covered Space Needle in <5 min. Now it's hailing

SEATTLE

eliranderson: Wicked hail storm on Cap Hill.

Seattle, WA, USA

Power on the Hill is still on (fingers crossed) but there are reports of outages in Leschi and Queen Anne was dark earlier this evening. The Western Washington forecast says to expect more of the same blustery wet weather through Friday and into Saturday.

Here's a video of the heavy downpour from...

Consider this your Friday morning, crowd-source Capitol Hill transportation bulletin. With all due respect to the officer and the department Friday's memorial procession honors, there is a lot of confusion about transportation in the Capitol Hill area as the streets will be blocked and Metro's buses delayed and rerouted. Metro's bulletin on the service disruptions lacks specifics and the promised reroute information has not been posted as of 10:45 PM. It's for a good cause -- we'll just need to make the best of it. UPDATE: Seattle Transit Blog has reroute info.

So, why not harness social media for something a little more useful? Might still leave this post in place given likelihood things won't be smooth. Please post your experiences, questions and tips here in the comments or to Twitter with the hashtag #caphillbus so they automagically appear in the post.

Metro Bulletin<...

Our partner site SeattleCrime.com is reporting tonight on a large police and Metro sheriff response at Bellevue and Pine around 8:15 PM.

According to a Seattlecrime.com tipster, there are about 20-25 police officers, and sheriffs deputies at Bellevue and Pine with guns drawn. A man is lying face down on the pavement, crying.

CHS hustled down there to find the scene breaking up and the bad guys already taken away. A deputy at the scene said the incident involved two men 'making bad decisions' in a Metro bus shelter but wouldn't elaborate.

"Kind of a big response," I said.

"Yeah, that's how things are," the deputy said. I also asked the three deputies huddling in the bus shelter where their jackets were on this rainy, windy night. In their cars, turns out.

We'll have to wait for more info from SPD or the sheriff on this one. The public information officers will be part of the memorial procession and event at Key Arena tomorrow and likely won't be available for comment until next week.

First we had the Neighborhood Plan Status Update Meetings: most neighborhoods got one, Capitol Hill was so special it got to have two.  Now it's time for Neighborhood Plan Status Checks, which will be summaries of what the community told the Planning Commission and the Neighborhood Plan Advisory Committee to change in our Neighborhood Plans during the aforementioned Update meetings. In short, it's time to find out if the city was paying any attention to what we were saying.

The Capitol Hill/ Central District/ Eastlake/ First Hill/ Pike-Pine/Belltown/ Queen Anne-Uptown Neighborhood Plan Status Check will be on November 10th from 6-8pm at Seattle Central Community College, Rm. BE 1110/1111. If you'd like to attend a Status Check meeting for another neighborhood, see below.

During June and July, many neighbors joined in meetings and many other hundreds participated in on line questionnaires to review the Draft Neighborhood Status Reports and comment on changes— good, bad, and unexpected —that have occurred since...

A reminder that tomorrow morning's procession to honor Seattle Police Department officer Timothy Brenton will cross Capitol Hill and pass by East Precinct headquarters at 12th and Pine. The precinct HQ will likely be a congregation area for many to observe the procession and pay their respects to the fallen officer. Seattle University has encouraged students to gather there and along the route which will enter the Hill from Madison, down Pine past the East Precinct to Broadway and then, down Denny on its way to Key Arena.

SPD has asked for the public's assistance in solving the Halloween night murder of the veteran officer and has released pictures from police car cameras that show the suspect's car and also made an extensive psychological profile of the suspect available.

CHS will be moving along the Capitol Hill portion of the route and broadcasting pictures and updates to the site from the streets. We'll also feature coverage from Central District News and our news partner, The Seattle Times.

Parking will not be allowed along the route and bus service will be 'disrupted,' Metro says. The agency did not list specific delays or reroutes but said to expect both if you are traveling in the area of the procession which stretches from Montlake to Key Arena.

SPD announcement about the procession:

During the procession, which is expected to last from 9:00 a.m. to noon, other traffic will not be allowed on the route and will not be allowed to cross it. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers to expect severe congestion near its path, especially as mourners are also anticipated along its course.

The memorial procession will use the following route: begins at the University of Washington’s E-1 parking lot; south on Montlake Blvd NE to 24th Ave E; south on 24th to 23rd Ave E; south on 23rd to E Madison St; west on Madison to E Pine St; west on Pine to Broadway; north on Broadway to E Denny Way; west on Denny to 1st Ave N; north on 1st to Key Arena. Staging will begin in the E-1 parking lot (north of Husky Stadium on Montlake Blvd NE) beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m.

View Brenton Memorial Procession in a larger map

Parking will not be allowed along the route and temporary “No Parking” signs will be emplaced. Officers from the Seattle Police Department will manage all intersections for the procession.

Here are the latest totals from King County Elections and the state for the mayor's race and R-71. You can see all the races here. Make sure to track your ballot to make sure it's been counted. See a problem? Contact the elections office:  http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/contactus.aspx

Various news sources are calling the R-71 race over -- here's what Publicola had to say about the victory. Congratulations to everybody on the Hill who worked so hard on the campaign.

Regardless of the outcome of the still undecided Mayors race, one of the biggest stories coming out of this election cycle is the grassroots, all volunteer campaign run by Mike McGinn.  McGinn was outspent and out staffed by the Mallahan campaign and rarely led in the polls, but won the primary and is currently in the lead after the first three batches of votes have been counted.  I went to the McGinn Campaign Headquarters yesterday to talk to the volunteers to find out what it was like working on the groundbreaking campaign. 

UPDATE: 4:25 PM
At an afternoon conference, Seattle Police released pictures believed to capture the suspect's car before and after the shooting of officer Brenton. The also provided a psychological profile of the suspect included in this post below the photos after the jump.

About 20 minutes before the shooting, pictured near the site of Officers Sweeney and Brenton's previous traffic stop in the 300 block of MLK

This image shows the vehicle heading westbound at an unknown time through the intersection of 14th & Yesler

This un-timestamped image shows the vehicle on a hill in an unidentified part of town.

Murder suspect profile; vehicle of interest images

While I cannot discuss all of our current investigation details and methods, please know that we are working with local, state and federal agencies to process all of the forensic evidence.  There is no technology or resource that is not or will not be fully exploited in order to identify the individual (or individuals) responsible for this crime.  As we continue in our efforts, we are calling for the assistance of the public to help us identify this subject or this group.  We believe this subject engaged in recognizable behaviors and activities prior to, during and after the commission of this crime.  He likely possesses certain traits and characteristics that would be noted by those around him.

His skills in weapons use and close quarter techniques suggest prior training.  He has likely practiced a great deal with weapons and those around him will note his abilities and interest in them.  These skills may have been developed through previous employment or hobbies.  In the days and weeks prior to the shooting, he may have increased his practice with weapons.

After the shooting, he may have disposed of, altered, hidden or repaired his vehicle in some form.  This vehicle may have been damaged in the firefight.  It is described as a 1980 to 1983 Datsun 210.  It is important that if anyone has recently sold a vehicle of this type or had one stolen that they call Seattle Police at 206 233-5000.

After the homicide, he may have displayed uncharacteristic behavior, such as being silent and quiet about the shooting when others would have expected him to be outspoken about it.  He may also display an uncharacteristic interest or even fascination in the news of the shooting.  Regardless, the stress of this homicide may cause him to behave differently from his norm.

On Halloween night, October 31st, he was notably absent for a period of time, in the hours before midnight.  If there are others who are a part of his life and aware of his routine, and this includes relatives, co-workers, friends or others, he will have had to provide a plausible explanation for this absence to them.

He likely has experienced a significant personal crisis in the recent past.  This event may have been the death of a loved one, loss of job or status, divorce, financial hardship, or other failure.  Whatever it is that is bothering him, he may often be outspoken about what he perceives to be a deeply personal grievance.  We’d like to know what this grievance is.  His grievance may relate to his employment or position in life.  We do believe that although he shot a police officer, he may in fact admire them and even act like them.

He knows that there are very good officers, and Officer Tim Brenton was a very good officer who swore a solemn oath to protect our citizenry.  We’d like to know why this person chose the Seattle Police Department as the target of his grievance.

While it may appear we are focusing on a sole male offender, we have not ruled out the possibility of this crime being committed by a small group.  What I have been describing is the likely personality and behavior of the dominant individual behind this plan that has turned into a serious crime.  In fact, there may be others involved in the planning or actual attack who may not have expected this incident to have become the murder of a good and innocent police officer.  If there is such an individual he or she may be in fear for their own safety.  We are willing to listen and help, if such an individual wishes to contact us about the killer.

Clearly, we are also willing to listen to the offender to better understand his grievance.

We ask the public to carefully consider the information provided above and consider whether or not they may know this offender or have noted behaviors or activities suggestive of involvement in this incident.  Please contact the Police Department if you feel you may have information related to this crime, no matter how insignificant it may appear to you.  You may contact us by the following ways:  206-233-5000, anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 206-343-2020 or through a text message by texting TIP486 with a message, then sending that to 274637 (CRIMES).

We also remind the public of the $105,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this investigation.

Original Post:
Seattle police are looking for a Datsun B210 car similar to this one shown in an online car advertisement. The vehicle may be connected with the shooting death of Seattle Police officer Tim Brenton .

This photo was distributed by the Seattle Police Department in connection with the shooting death of Seattle Police officer Tim Brenton.

From SPD: Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call either 911 or the Seattle Police Homicide Unit at 206 684-5550, or the tipline at (206) 233-5000. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a text to CRIMES (274637). Your text message should include “TIP486″ to ensure proper routing. Calls are taken 24 hours a day.

The new face of the poster-covered Sunset Electric building is slowly coming to light. Wednesday night's Early Design Guidance meeting at the new Seattle U AA building was the second in a long process to develop the property where the brick building has stood since 1916. As the first development project to go through the city's design review process under Pike/Pine's new conservation overlay district, the Sunset represents a test for the city and the Capitol Hill community of how to best redevelop the area without losing the historical character of the neighborhood.

If you haven't been following the process, here's a quick run-down of developer Pryde + Johnson's stated plans for the historic building:

• Retain and restore the existing two-story facade and use as retail space.
• Create a 7 story structure, building on top of the historic area, and filling 5 floors with 92 units.
• LEED Silver certified
• 20% Workforce Housing
• 36 Stalls of underground parking.

Wednesday night's meeting unveiled a revamped design for the project as Pryde + Johnson has brought in a new architecture firm on the project.

"The new concept will save the existing character, but not imitate it," said Dwayne Kohler, of Kohler Architects, Wednesday night. 

A detailed description of the project can be found here,  with a link to the full design proposal here.

(Photo: Lucas Anderson/Neighborlogs.com)

Community members responding to the proposal at the meeting had both praise and criticism for the designers. Capitol Hill resident Dennis Saxman was concerned with the height of the building, describing a towering 7-story building amongst its currently smaller neighbors. Saxman, like many others, was concerned about the use of the garage as a parking space instead of an art or community space. However, Saxman, a well known neighborhood watch dog, said the proposal was "One of the most responsive designs I've ever seen...and I don't say that easily." 

Others agreed on the need to reconsider the parking situation, looking ahead to long term uses of the building. "I hope that the space would be able to be adapted in the future for a better use," one attendee said. The Review Board agreed with this sentiment, but Rutzick noted that the parking issues (which Kohler stated was a "marketing, leasing, and financing" issue) were to be discussed during Environmental Review sessions.

The design board's final recommendations included a closer look at both the parking situation and the relationship between the old and new parts of the new development, as well as further investigation into the center courtyard that divides the residential portion of the building: Will it be just a rain catcher, a dark tunnel, a compromise of privacy, or just benefit those on the first floor?

According to City of Seattle project planner Lisa Rutzick, the next steps for the project are for the architect and the developer to continue to evolve the design in response to the Capitol Hill Design Board’s guidance and develop the plans for the Master Use Permit application. The next official step is to submit the Master Use Permit application to the city's Department of Planning and Development, which will initiate DPD’s formal review of the zoning, environmental and design issues. Once all of these reviews have occurred and requirements from DPD are responded to by the developer, the Design Review Recommendation meeting will occur. And that's how a development project is born in Seattle.

As the first project to be considered under the new Pike/Pine conservation overlay district ordinance, the project is setting a precedence for future, similar buildings, Rutzick said at the meeting. 

In exchange for preserving and enhancing the historic building, the developers are allowed to build the structure higher, while still complimenting the original design. Yet debate arose over whether the new design is too similar to the nearly century old look of the first two stories. The board did not want a cheap look-alike stacked atop the old building, and had support from some audience members. "Build something that is of its time, that is not imitating some other era," one citizen said.

As an independent retailer I notice a lack of ongoing coverage of retail activity.  Sure things get coverage when they open, when misfortune strikes or when they close.  Reading this blog over the last month I have definitely seen a lot of love shown towards local retailers like Bliss and Bailey-Coy.  So why wait for these types of events to share our love for what makes our local shopping experiences unique to our neighborhood? 

There are dozens of retail gems that are just waiting to be discovered in the diverse community that is Capitol Hill - and First Hill.   I am proposing a companion column to the Food & Drink Notes called New in Store.  Retail establishments could submit info that I would compile and post on a regular basis.  Maybe you are teaching a knitting class, have a new Tarot reader in  the store, or got some cool new products in that you know people would love if they only knew about them. 

If this has been done or tried in the past - I apologize....

Sherry Wolf, author ofSexuality and Socialism: History, Politics and Theory of LGBT Liberation[1], analyzes why the right won in its campaign against LGBT equality in .

November 5, 2009

IN STARK contrast to the surge of pro-LGBT activism, and legislative and legal progress in recent months, voters overturned equal marriage rights on Election Day by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent.

Voter turnout of nearly 50 percent, local efforts by 8,000 volunteers--many of them straight--and a national blitz of phone banking to try to sway Mainers to uphold equal marriage was not sufficient to retain same-sex marriage in that state. 's Question 1--similar to 's Proposition 8 that reversed same-sex marriage rights in that state exactly a year ago--once again placed civil rights on the ballot, this time in an off-year election.

In state, a new law that greatly expands the rights of LGBT couples--though doesn't grant marriage itself--was approved by voters, but by an unexpectedly narrow margin of 51...

Oddfellows (Veg) Breakfast Panini

• Zhivago's Cafe is open reports Thrillist (Daily Candy for men) - I stopped in there this morning & they said they would be open at 1 pm
• From 11/1 to 12/31, Ethan Stowell restaurants, including Anchovies & Olives, will discount you $1 for each cork you bring in (up to 25 per table) as part of the Cork ReHarvest Program
• Monsoon and Nishino are two area restaurants participating in Dine Around Seattle this month (3 courses for $30 - Sun - Thu but check site for hours and specifics); Lark taking part in 4 for $48
• Have you been to First Hill's The Hideout yet?
• PoDog opening postponed to next week (not opening today!)
• Rover's Thierry Rautureau spotted filming for Top Chef Masters
• Galerias offering $3.75 mojitos and free plate of nachos any time if you mention CHS sent you

I sat down and talked with Michael Wells this morning about the closure of his bookstore, the future of the publishing industry, and the changes he's seen in Capitol Hill in his 20 years with Bailey Coy.

Connection to Capitol Hill
Michael explains why Bailey Coy couldn't have existed in any other neighborhood, and how being on Capitol Hill affected Bailey Coy.

Changes in the publishing industry
Michael discusses the changes in the publishing and bookselling industries, which he says started about 10 years ago with the arrival of big box bookstores, and amazon.com.

Why Bailey Coy is closing
Michael explains why Bailey Boy couldn't hold on any longer, and responds to a CHS commenter that said he was stuck in the 80's, agreeing that he should have done more to move into the online space.

Changes in the neighborhood
Michael discusses the changing retail climate of Broadway and Pike/Pine, impact of the redevelopment currently underway in North Broadway, and the growing sense of community in Capitol Hill.

History of Bailey Coy
Michael tells the story of how Bailey Coy came to find it's home on Broadway, and how he ended up acquiring the store in 2003, after working there for 14 years.

Courtney Love
"Michael, there's a 6 foot tall drag queen out here and I think she's stealing books"

Elliot Bay Book Company
Michael explains why he hopes the rumors of Elliot Bay moving to Capitol Hill are true.

Pilot Books
Michaels thoughts on micro-independent bookstore Pilot Books, which recently opened near Bailey Coy, and where it fits into the future of bookselling.

Wake

Michael talks about his plans to hold a wake, to mark the end of Bailey Coy.

McGinn's lead has dropped from 910 to 462 (less than the # of write-in ballots counted). Your vote really is going to count this time. King County lets you follow the path of your ballot through the system, which you might care to do.

See a problem? Contact the elections office:  http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/contactus.aspx (many ways to contact them)

While you're there you can check the number of votes still to be counted (King County 129,000 on 11/4). Seattle Times estimates that about half the mayoral votes have been counted.

Parks was unsure when exactly the store would close doors, but said the owners had a target date during the after-christmas downtime in late december. "When the buildings built, we move."

The owners of the building were not available for comment. 

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