by Lizz Giordano
With $400,000 recently set aside by the City to fund upgrades for people walking, rolling, and biking along Lake Washington Boulevard, a redesign might be coming to a South End road beloved by cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike.
Continue reading Task Force Weighs Redesign Options for Lake Washington Boulevardcurated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Starbucks strikes continue to make local and national news, including their current request for the National Labor Relations Board to suspend union elections at all of its U.S. stores.
In continued coverage of safety concerns around transit, we share news of a developing story around a death at Mount Baker Station.
A community storytelling series will also be presented at Hing Hay Park, featuring Yuko Kodama, Anne Xuan Clarke, Christina Shimizu, Norma Timbang, and Luzviminda (Lulu) Carpenter.
—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Starbucks Pushes to Suspend Union Elections Nationwide, Community Storytelling Series in the CIDby Ronnie Estoque
On Saturday, July 23, at noon, local community leaders gathered at the closed-down Starbucks across from Franklin High School for a rally in opposition to a proposed Amazon warehouse in the neighborhood. While it has been widely reported that Amazon no longer has plans to build a warehouse in the Rainier Valley neighborhood, protesters rallied, calling for the company to officially pull its permit of development.
Continue reading Protestors Urge Amazon to Pull Mount Baker Warehouse Permitby Gloria Hodge
In 1975, following the end of the Vietnam war, thousands of South Vietnamese refugees were fleeing to the United States to start a new life. Today, the Vietnamese immigrant population in Seattle is large, second only to China as the country of origin for immigrants in our city. This month, Hoa Mai Vietnamese Bilingual Preschool will celebrate its sixth anniversary of serving children from 20 months to 5 years old. Located adjacent to the Mount Baker Light Rail Station, we are part of the Sound Child Care Solutions Consortium. At Hoa Mai, two of our core values are providing a joyful workplace and promoting social justice. I have had the honor of working for our organization for almost 11 years and am also the founding director of Hoa Mai.
Before we closed for the pandemic in March of 2020, things were happening quickly. Yet there was a lot of confusion and unknowns. We received very few guidelines about best safety practices from King County Public Health; there were also mixed messages regarding mask- wearing. At first, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) told us to save the masks for the medical field. There were also conversations about the possible negative impacts on young children seeing adults wearing masks. One of our employees from China expressed safety concerns and wanted to wear her mask, which I denied. It seems so trivial now, but it is the one regret I have about handling the pandemic — not immediately permitting masks to be worn.
Continue reading OPINION: We Must Collaborate to Address Violence and Safety Issues in Mount Bakerby Ben Adlin
Following a deadly shooting last week next to the Mount Baker light rail station, a group of South End residents are set to meet privately with City and County officials on Wednesday, Dec. 1, to discuss how to prevent future violence in the area.
Residents say they’re frustrated with the lack of progress by Seattle, King County, and Sound Transit officials to address their safety concerns. The director of a nearby preschool, for example, said the situation has gotten so bad that she’s hoping to install ballistic fencing around the school’s playground.
Continue reading Mount Baker Community To Meet With Officials Over Latest Fatal Shootingby Luke Schaefer
Where there once stood a historic Seattle ballpark, land that’s now home to the Rainier Valley Lowe’s hardware store may soon be leveled once again to make way for an Amazon distribution facility.
Despite being re-zoned to accommodate dense, affordable housing and small businesses, concept documents filed with the City this week suggest that the Lowe’s property on Rainier Avenue South could soon host a 68,000 square-foot distribution center and a small ocean of parking spaces. The Pepsi plant north of Lowe’s is also part of the proposed reconstruction and it appears as though a deal with Amazon would involve the use of both properties.
Continue reading Amazon Eyes Site of Rainier Valley Lowe’s for New Distribution Centerby Mark Van Streefkerk
The Gardner House and Allen Family Center, a one-stop service hub and permanent housing solution for families leaving homelessness, kicked off their three-day Virtual Grand Opening on June 24. Community members are invited to virtual tours, a Q & A with muralist Kenji Hamai Stoll, and a Meet the Families segment, culminating in a virtual block party on Facebook at noon on Friday, June 26, featuring Seattle Seahawks DJ Supa Sam.
Continue reading Mount Baker’s Gardner House and Allen Family Center Offer Permanent Housing and Resources For Underhoused Familiesby Carolyn Bick
Anne Miller paused, wiping off the dirt from her gardening gloves onto her overalls.
“It’s not my best look,” the South Seattle Climate Action Network co-founding member said with a chuckle and a glance down at her clothes, before layering more cardboard into the open bottoms of one of the five new ground-level garden beds she and her neighbors have been setting up for the last several days.
With the physical and financial help of at least 15 other people, including the neighbor who offered the strip of space in front of his house to create the garden on 33rd Avenue South in South Seattle, Miller has started up a community garden on her block. Like the rest of the nation, Miller’s neighbors and friends have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and she wants to help support those in need, during what’s proving to be a difficult and frightening time for many.
Continue reading Mt. Baker resident sets up community garden to aid those in needby Steve Potter
Artists Ari Glass and Craig Cundiff have collaborated on a new mural near the Mt. Baker light rail station, and it’s a beauty. Covering the southern and western walls of Cash America Pawn at 2825 Rainier Ave. S., the artwork spans approximately 4,000 square feet and took about a month to paint.
Continue reading Mount Baker Mural Washed Vast Sea Across Two Walls
Events this weekend in the South Seattle area
Friday, November 21st
Movies: Opening of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Details:Katniss Everdeen is in District 13, after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage. – Showings: 12:00pm, 3:45pm, 7:00pm, 9:15pm, 9:45pm –Where: 4816 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118 – More Info: http://www.arklodgecinemas.com Continue reading This Weekend In South Seattle: Hear the Untold Tale of the Duwamish, Follow The Pied Piper to Mount Baker and Recieve a Message From Guinea
