Pam’s Kitchen, the Trinidad-homestyle eatery that opened last year on 45th St thinks that if you just came in and tried the food, you’d be hooked. So to encourage those first-time customers-to-be to get themselves in and see what it’s all about, they’re offering a free lunch this Sunday, June 5th from 12 – 3 pm. All the recipes are made from scratch from Pam’s traditional upbringing in Trinidad.

On the menu:

The homeless encampment under I-5 at NE 42nd Street is on fire, police and firefighters are there. No word on what caused it, and nobody appeared to be hurt. 

Update at 2:30 PM: Everything’s out, just a burnt out camp. There are a remarkable number of bike parts (I saw four stripped frames, plus piles of parts), as well as gas cans, tools and other detritus.

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With both the John Stanford International School and the Hamilton International Middle School sporting a Spanish immersion program for their students, Wallingford has a strong connection to Spanish. Amanda Reichert, owner of the the Vámonos Spanish Center at 45th St and Bagley, wants to dial that up.

Perhaps taking a cue from Wallingford’s cat cafe, Amanda envisions a Spanish café:

Imagine walking into a café in the heart of Madrid during a trip to Spain; you order a café con leche and pan tostado, have a seat next to another patron and strike up a conversation in Spanish, while hearing …

Here’s a random assortment of crime updates, replete with photographic evidence:

First, breaking (breaking!) right now, lots of folks have been asking about the huge police presence at the corner of 45th and Stone Way, complete with helicopters. According to Gwydion on Facebook: “I just spoke with an officer. Someone just robbed Verity Credit Union. White male, 30s, wearing all black, red shoes. On foot, may still be in the area.”

Then, over on 4th Ave NE by I-5, Brandi reports:

“Bike theft! This guy stole my sons bike from inside our fully fenced, gated yard early yesterday evening. This …

Every year (more or less), I publish a list of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that deliver to the Wallingford neighborhood. I used my 2014 guide as a reference, so it was interesting to see the things that had changed.

Tiny’s Organics doesn’t look like they offer a CSA-type program anymore, and both Boistfort Valley Farm and CityGrown Seattle have already sold out (although CityGrown will still be selling through their farmstand at 4108 Eastern Ave N on Saturdays from 10 – 2 pm). Prices haven’t changed much, although a few have edged up by a dollar or two per …

We don’t get enough author readings in Wallingford. Or at least not enough that I hear about. And certainly not enough with musical accompaniment.

How about at a bar, where you can order a drink? Enough of those?

No, not enough.

So great, here we go: this Friday, May 13th Katy Bourne will be reading from Weirdo Simpatico, Little Stories for Short Attention Spans at the Seamonster Lounge (2202 N. 45th St) from 5 – 5:30 pm. Bassist Paul Gabrielson will improvise a live “soundtrack” as Bourne shares her very-short stories celebrating the weirdo in us all.

Says her press …

I struggle to find the right word to describe the lead poisoning of Flint, Michigan. “Debacle” is pretty close, but there’s a lightness about it, a humor to it that doesn’t fit the gravity of poisoning and permanently damaging the health and intellect of thousands of children. “Scandal” poses it as a political issue, rather than a humanitarian atrocity. “Crisis” suggests something that something that occurs suddenly and can be suddenly solved.

With it all so fresh in our minds, the news that lead was showing up in the water in Tacoma, and that Seattle Public Utilities was advising residents …