The Beat Goes On - in a wikli kind of way

That bastion of Columbia City business news has come to a close.  "Get the Beat" is shutting down it's electronic distribution in favor of the wiki.

I have to say, I'm sad to see it go.  The Wiki is pretty awesome, but it contributes in a different way to the community.  I think there's always room for an additional outlet for solid reporting, news and views from a consistent involved voice like the Beat.  Ah well, in all things change is constant I suppose.

I republish the last edition of the Beat in full below.  RIP the Beat - long live the wiki!

Columbia City News

"Get the Beat" gives way to the Wiki... Bowing to the power of our wonderful "Columbia Citizens' Wikli" (http://ColumbiaCitizens.net/wikli:current), this will be the last edition of the Get the Beat electronic newsletter. Your editor has enjoyed trying to keep you informed about goings-on in the business district, but there's nothing like the power of the Wikli's multiple voices to provide the real scoop. And, the Wikli's calendar is all you need to figure out what your future holds. Plug in, be thoughtful, be honest, be caring.

Business Association names Angies' as 2007 recipient of "Good Neighbor Award"... It is surprising how few Columbia City businesses bother to sweep the sidewalk in front of their establishments each day. Tutta Bella, Columbia City Bakery, and Columbia City Fitness are a few of the ones that do. But nobody takes their responsibility more seriously than Angies', which is fortunate, because Angies' customers generate one heck of a lot of litter every night. Dan and Suki, the owners, make sure the sidewalk and alley are carefully swept every day, and they were recognized at the CCBA's December meeting with a certificate of appreciation "for demonstrated community spirit".

CCBA names new officers for 2008... At its December meeting, the CCBA membership voted in Bull Stewart (Columbia City Fitness) as president, Jim Orrey (Washington Federal) as vice-president, Laureen Kelly (Einstein Signs) as secretary, and Pam Stokes (Hasegawa Family Dentistry) as treasurer.

Last Loft offers lodging in Columbia City... it is a fully-furnished, two-level, loft-style apartment available for stays as short as 7 days. Designed for your out-of-town visitors, it can accommodate up to 4 people. Call 922-3656 to inquire about availability.

Special Holiday Offer: Owners Zeke and Kidia of Tagla at 4423 Rainier Avenue S is offering a special Holiday discount through December 31st(2007). Get the fabulous combination plate for only $9.95 and add a meat dish for only $5.00 more. For those that love Ethiopian food this is a very special deal. For those who have not tried this wonderful food this is a great opportunity. Call 206-721-3355 for pick or reservations.

That's it... see you on the Wikli!

Perhaps wait another week before swimming

It's been a week now since the rain storms of early December. I just saw this article in the PI recently that talks about something that seemingly happens every big storm each year - raw sewage was sent directly into Lake Washington, including right near our very own Seward Park. Check it out.

This made me curious, and so I tracked down a map which shows all of the combined sewer overflow locations in our neighborhood - it turns out there are a few along our stretch of Lake Washington.

Perhaps wait another week for all that sewage to get eaten by the algae before going for that Christmas swim...

Get out: weekend starting 12/7

We enter a weekend that looks to be thankfully a little bit drier and a little bit sunnier then last weekend.  Take that time to

• Beatwalk beatwalk beatwalk!  Last beatwalk of 2007 no less!  They lineup is below.
• The Mt Baker Home Tour is this Saturday.  Beginning at Mt Baker Community Clubhouse, this show cases the "architectural treasures of the neighborhood".  Tickets are $20 per person.
• Frosty the Snowman's Winter Magic show, this Saturday from 10:30 to 1 at the Columbia City Theater.  Bring your donations for the food bank!
• The holiday season must be upon us, since everywhere is commerce!
• Neighbor Paula's Soaps open house sale.  This Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm at 4814 43rd Ave. S.  Christmas themed products are 50% off, check out the studio where she works!
• Seward Park Pottery Studio continues it's month long pottery sale.  The admiral and I checked it out last weekend, and it's good as always.
• The Columbia City Gallery is featuring gifts made by local artisans all month long.  Drop by for gifts from 5 to 500.

The beatwalk lineup for tonight:

Awash:
Zydeco Locals
High energy, traditional zydeco music from southwestern Louisiana with a modern twist. You don't want to leave your dancin' shoes at home for this one.
www.zydecolocals.com

Fitness Center:
Lora and Sukutai
Traditional marimba and dance ensemble from Zimbabwe brings to you the music and culture of the Shona people. They've been making audiences happy for 25 years.
www.myspace.com/sukutai

Gallery:
Correo Aereo
Passionate and thoughtful, this duo plays music from Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. Lush, rich, smokey vocals with guitar, harp, percussion, and always a few surprises.
www.correoaereo.com

Lottie's:
Reggie Garrett & the SnakeOil Peddlers
Purveyors of fine urban acoustic folk-soul music.
www.seapeace.org/bands/garrett.html

Bakery:
Foglite
This acoustic trio plays an exciting mix of traditional and contemporary music in the bluegrass style.
www.lostinthefog.com/

Verve:
Lost Pedro
This guitar trio plays an eclectic mix of Latin, jazz, and contemporary – smooth as silk.

Bookworm:
Katy Bourne Quartet
Take a trip through a vast and wide world of jazz with this local duo with lots of heart and soul.
www.katy-bourne.com

Tonight is the night for Strategery

Remember how the city is collecting feedback on what their strategy should be going forward in terms of park maintenance now that the pro parks levy is starting to run out?  I blogged about it previously here.

Well tonight is the night for input from you!

Diana Vinh from King County says

the new parks superintendent, Tim Gallagher, will be visiting the Rainier Community Center from 7-9 pm to hear from the community what we would like to see in Parks and Rec's new strategic plan.  This is a great chance to support the staff at the community center and let parks know what you want.

New sidewalks in Columbia City

Another interesting article in the local rags recently - the Seattle Times reports that we're getting new sidewalks in Columbia City!

Actually, that article is almost exclusively about the sidewalks that are going in on Alki, but if you look at this graphic, you can see that on Rainier Ave from S. Hudson St to S. Ferdinand St. we'll be getting new sidewalks put in.

Also interesting was this map of the sidewalk situation in Seattle.  Columbia City seems to be about average - not quite all red like north Seattle, but not a perfect grey either like capitol hill.

Bus Route 7 Lawsuit Reaches Court

The Seattle Times has an article detailing an incident that happened on the number 7 bus at Alaska and Rainier back in early summer 2005, and how a court case that arose from it is just now going to trial.

The lawsuit seems to be primarily geared against the city, since none of the people involved in the assault were actually caught.

I must admit, I've never really thought highly of the number 7 route.  Perhaps that route is cursed.  It's almost always late, it's the only bus route in Seattle that I've ever felt unsafe while riding on, it's a milk run that stops at every . single . bus . stop along the way.  It's a little better since it was split in two a few years ago and now doesn't run all the way up into north Seattle as well, but still.  Perhaps I should go ride the 300 series that serves north Seattle (particularly Aurora) to put things in perspective, but then again, perhaps I should be able to feel safe in all metro buses, regardless of route.

The admiral and I are more fans of 39 or 34.  39 especially offers a fast, no stops, efficient route into downtown.  And we're really hoping that when the rail starts up, a lot of these bus routes will be reconfigured to be feeders towards light rail. Then perhaps the 7 will completely go away, and the curse along with it.

Villa Victoria makes the news

This isn't surprising to us, of course.  Whether it's a trip to the movies, or a trip to the market, or just looking for good food cheap, the Admiral and I are all over the tasty eats at Villa Victoria. 

But the Seattle PI just discovered Villa Victoria themselves.  Verdict?  Tasty tasty eats.

SPD South Precinct Newsletter

Normally, the south precinct is pretty good about updating their homepage to include a link to their latest community newsletter.  But it appears that they're a bit behind the times at the moment, even though they sent out an updated newsletter late last week. 

While we wait for that link to update, here are some quotes from the latest and greatest:

A pattern of actual or attempted sexual assaults against Asian women
has been noted in the South Precinct area. They date back several
months, the most recent occurring the morning of November 28th. The
frequency of the assaults has increased, as has the level of
aggression as the suspect has progressed from groping from behind to
attempting to drag the victim away to continue the sexual assault.

The assaults have most often occurred as the women have exited a Metro
bus and are on their way home or on their way to the bus in the
morning. The suspect has attacked along routes served by the Metro
bus routes of the 7, 32 and 36.

[...]

The suspect has been described as a black male, late teens to early
30s, 5'9", thin to medium build, medium to dark complexion. The
suspect often wears a hooded sweatshirt or otherwise attempts to
conceal his face. As the suspect often attacks the victims from
behind, distinct suspect information has been lacking because often
the victims do not get a good look at the suspect.

An additional complication we face is that many of the victims have
been reluctant to speak with detectives in the Sexual Assault Unit to
provide further information. In some cases, where the suspect grabbed
the woman's rear, the victims didn't feel it was serious enough to
report because "all he did was grope me. No big deal"

Yowzers.  Whoever this guy is, he's a moron.  It's moments like this where I wonder how life would be different if schools taught kids (particularly girls) basic self defense as part of physical education.  A quick knee to the groin a few times in a row would hopefully start to discourage this dimwit.

Ladies, if you see somebody matching this description, call 911!  The police are obviously trying hard to track this guy down.  And if you get groped, report that too!  Groping, given the current climate, is no questions an assault.

PS.  The admiral was nice enough to point out that my previous post was riddled with excellent displays of kul speling and goodly grammar.  Ummm...yeah.  Sorry 'bout that.