It’s happened. Long promised, routinely ignored, obfuscated and talked around—and tenaciously covered by KOMO—the dismantling and cleanup of the notorious Ship Canal encampment is well underway on the day that it commenced (Monday). KOMO, which must have a wholly-owned subsidiary dedicated to encampment reporting, had featured a story that said today would be the day. The State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), on whose property this camp has existed and persisted since sometime after the last Ice Age, had committed to removing the encampment by the end of the month in a letter to John Stanford International School (JSIS) parents.  This…

Ahhh, springtime in Seattle!  Ain’t it grand?  I went outside this morning to plant a few seeds, and wallowed in…the acrid smell of burnt plastic, fiberglass, and hydraulic fluid.  It is usually just exploded propane tanks and charred tents wafting in the morning air, so I knew something was up. Or more correctly, upwind, as I was downwind of the terrible fire at Seattle Boat Company (across Northlake from Voula’s Offshore Café, on the east side of the Ship Canal Bridge), which became engulfed in flames early this morning. The Seattle Times and other sources report a 32-year-old man was…

Just after the turn of the year to 2023, Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen announced that he would not seek re-election to the District 4 seat that he has held since 2019. Like many other seats on the City Council, Pedersen’s is up for reconsideration in November. District 4 includes Wallingford and something of a mixed bag of other neighborhoods in north Seattle (e.g., Eastlake, Fremont, Laurelhurst, Maple Leaf, University District, View Ridge, Windermere). Pedersen, who distinguished himself on a left-leaning Council as a centrist, has weathered some particularly tumultuous times for the city during his tenure.

As Councilmember Pedersen …

I am sorry to report that the Wallyhood Crime Beat Desk has been busy of late, even busier than the usual background drumbeat of petty and not-so-petty property crime might indicate. We don’t like to dwell on the seedier side of humanity on our little neighborhood blog (after all, it’s not like we’re the New York Times KOMO News), but we would also be remiss if we ignored the rather awful recent occurrences in the area. Last week, a couple of longtime Wallingford residents were victims of a horrific home invasion that required the intervention of SWAT officers and a …

As the region slowly awakens from its Covid-induced slumber, here’s a bit of welcome news on the local front: the Blue Star Café and Pub is resuming dinner and entertainment! Wallyhood heard from Wendy at the Blue Star and she happily announced that starting this Wednesday (1 February), they will begin everyday hours of 8am-8pm (with happy hour every day from 4-6 pm). Trivia nights return in a few weeks, so stay tuned. The first week’s kickoff includes a live acoustic singer (Tom Melancon), Friday, 3 February, from 5:30pm-8pm. This is a free event. Live music is planned every Friday.…

If, somehow, you have missed the subtle reminders that went up in Fred Meyer and other establishments the day after Halloween:  we are now in peak Christmas-and-other-December-holiday season. So get into the spirit, darn it!  If you have anything left over after filling your gas tank, buying groceries, and paying for all that heat you’re using because we’re in another La Niña winter—please patronize our Wallingford small businesses so they can try to cover pilfered inventory and repair the broken doors and windows from their latest incidents. Seriously…it’s an awfully challenging business climate in our town these days. It would …

We posted earlier this week about obtaining Covid test kits for free through the State of Washington, through the end of the year. We subsequently received a note from Warren Chin, the Interim Supervising Librarian at the Wallingford Branch of the Seattle Public Library. He wanted to let people know that kits are also available at the Wallingford Branch, and that you can stop by to claim one or two as needed. So while you are out and about in the neighborhood, you can avail yourself of this option, in addition to ordering through the State.…