The greenway follows the I-90 corridor. A recent extension of the trail brings it a little closer to Puget Sound, terminating (awkwardly) at Holgate on the west side of Beacon Hill. There are also plans to someday connect the trail from Beacon Hill to the International District.

A Heritage designation could also help to tell the story of the MTS greenway as a culturally-important stretch of America and help spread awareness of it.

From the MTS Greenway Trust:

The Mountains to Sound Greenway connects Puget Sound and Central Washington and is a national success story. In 1991, a broad coalition of stakeholders crafted a vision for a sustainable balance between the region’s built and natural environments. For the past twenty years, Greenway partners have worked together to achieve this vision of accessible natural areas, livable communities, productive working lands and incomparable scenic beauty.

Maintaining this balance is a growing challenge. Public land managers struggle with safety and sanitation in an age of shrinking budgets, while demand for outdoor recreation continues to grow. It is essential to carefully manage forests and natural areas that clean our air and water. Critical steps must also be taken to ensure that our cities remain attractive and dynamic, accommodating smart development and serve as catalysts for economic growth.

The designation of the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area by the U.S. Congress is a key strategy in preserving this iconic landscape.

Official recognition of the Greenway will strengthen a sense of place, enhance funding opportunities, empower partners to work together more efficiently, and formalize the Greenway coalition’s cooperative management style across this broad landscape.

At the same time, a National Heritage Area Designation will not affect private property or water/fishing rights or add regulatory authority.

What a National Heritage Designation WILL and WILL NOT DO.

The Greenway Trust conducted an extensive study on the future of the Greenway that included active community participation of over 1,000 stakeholders. Government agencies, local businesses and conservation organizations support the designation of the Greenway as a National Heritage Area.

Here’s a draft of the National Heritage designation feasibility study:

Green Way Feasibility Draft

Those old white dudes at the Academy (94 percent white and 77 percent male? Seriously?) might be working to decide the best films and actors of the past year, but the folks behind the 20/20 Awards are doing much more important work: Deciding the best films of 1992.

The third annual two-decades-delayed award show will announce the big winners during a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Central Cinema. Tickets are nearly sold out, so buy now if you want to go. (UPDATE: If you don't get tickets, Central Sounds is hosting an interesting crew from Women Who Rock tonight at Hollow Earth Radio, just around the corner from Central Cinema. See bottom of this post for details)

From the 20/20 Awards:

In 1992, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS swept the Academy Awards, taking 7 nominations and winning the “Big Five” including Best Picture, Best Actress (Foster), Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Director (Demme) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). This is the first year the 20/20 Awards is poised for a repeat, with an exciting opportunity for multiple coveted “Odd Couples”, when a nominee wins both an Oscar, and 20 years later wins a Felix. However, BARTON FINK is a heavy contender weighing in with 10 nominations.

The 20/20 Awards www.2020awards.org offer a unique alternative to award shows, emphasizing the test of time as the key criterion by which films and filmmakers should be honored. Looking back twenty years affords voters an insight free from industry insiderism and the contemporary zeitgeist.

Here's the list of nominees (Oscar winners marked with an *):

BEST PICTURE

BARTON FINK

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

THE FISHER KING

THELMA & LOUISE

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

BEST DIRECTOR

Joel Coen – BARTON FINK

Jonathan Demme – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

Terry GIlliam – THE FISHER KING

Barry Levinson – BUGSY

Ridley Scott – THELMA & LOUISE

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges – THE FISHER KING

Robert DeNiro – CAPE FEAR

Anthony Hopkins – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

John Turturro – BARTON FINK

Robin Williams – THE FISHER KING

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening – BUGSY

Judy Davis – NAKED LUNCH

Jodie Foster – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

Susan Sarandon – THELMA & LOUISE

Lily Taylor – DOGFIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

John Goodman – BARTON FINK

Ian Holm – NAKED LUNCH

Ted Levine – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Gary Oldman – JFK

Jack Palance – CITY SLICKERS*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Geena Davis – THELMA & LOUISE

Juliette Lewis – CAPE FEAR

Christina Ricci – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Brooke Smith – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Jessica Tandy – FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Albert Brooks – DEFENDING YOUR LIFE

Joel and Ethan Coen – BARTON FINK

Richard LaGravanese – THE FISHER KING

Callie Khouri – THELMA & LOUISE*

Steve Martin – L.A. STORY

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

David Cronenberg – NAKED LUNCH

Roddy Doyle, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais – THE COMMITMENTS

Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski – FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar - JFK

Ted Tally – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*

BEST FOREIGN FILM

DELICATESSEN

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE MADAME BOVARY

RAISE THE RED LANTERN

ZENTROPA

BEST DOCUMENTARY

35 UP

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME

DOING TIME: LIFE INSIDE THE BIG HOUSE

HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE

MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE

BEST SCORE

George Fenton – THE FISHER KING

Alan Menken – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST*

Ennio Morricone – BUGSY

Wilson Pickett – THE COMMITMENTS

Howard Shore – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

BEST SONG

Beauty And The Beast – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST*

Be Our Guest – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Everything I Do, I Do For You – ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THEIVES

Until The End Of The World – UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

BEST EDITING

Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, Richard A. Harris – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

Joe Hutsching, Pietro Scalia – JFK

Roderick Jaynes – BARTON FINK

Craig McKay – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Hervé Schneid - DELICATESSEN

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Roger Deakins – BARTON FINK

Tak Fujimoto – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Darius Khondji – DELICATESSEN

Edvard Klosinsky, Jean-Paul Meurisse, Joakim Holbek - ZENTROPA

Lun Yang – RAISE THE RED LANTERN

BEST ART DIRECTION

Mel Bourne – THE FISHER KING

Marc Caro – DELICATESSEN

Dennis Gassner - BARTON FINK

Richard MacDonald – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Carol Spier – NAKED LUNCH

BEST COSTUME

Richard Hornung – BARTON FINK

Ellen Lens – PROSPERO’S BOOKS

Ruth Myers – THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Valérj]ie Pozzo di Borgo – DELICATESSEN

Albert Wolsky – BUGSY*

BEST MAKEUP

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

HOOK

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

BEST VISUAL FX

BACKDRAFT

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

ZENTROPA

BEST SOUND DESIGN

BACKDRAFT

BARTON FINK

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*

UPDATE: Also tonight in the same block: Hollow Earth Radio's Central Sounds will be talking to some of the folks behind the upcoming Women Who Rock UnConference and Film Festival at Washington Hall March 2-3. Listen online:

WEDS NIGHT 9PM! @LadiesFirst206 will be representing @centralsounds on @hollowearth and discussing @WomenWhoRock206 Conference Wednesday!

— CENTRAL SOUNDS (@centralsounds) February 21, 2012

The students of Thurgood Marshall Elementary were rewarded for their exceptional attendance record with a February 16 visit from Blenda Rodriguez of the Harlem Globetrotters. The visit was part of the Be Here Get There program as reward for the school's January attendance rates.

From the Mayor's office:

Harlem Globetrotter Blenda Rodriguez performed at Thurgood Marshall Elementary on February 16 in partnership with the city of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools' citywide attendance campaign, Be Here Get There, to congratulate Thurgood Marshall Elementary for having the best elementary school attendance in Seattle for the month of January.

"We are very excited to be able to welcome the Harlem Globetrotters to our school," said Thurgood Marshall Elementary Principal Julie Breindenbach. "We're extremely proud of our faculty, students and parents for making attendance a priority."

"Improving attendance rates must be addressed in ways that engage students," said Mayor Mike McGinn. "We're very pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the Harlem Globetrotters and congratulate Thurgood Marshall Elementary on their successful attendance."

Mayor McGinn was also at the school for the visit, and he mentioned the program in Tuesday's State of the City speech:

Seattle is a town that cares whether or not our kids succeed. How do we do that? Make sure every one is in school.

Our citywide Be Here Get There attendance campaign has been delivering results. Preliminary data shows that the rate of students attending school is at its highest level in five years. I want to thank all of our community partners, especially the students, parents, teachers and administrators who are making this effort possible.

Video of the mayor's speech:

Though he doesn’t use the phrase “bicycle economy” like we did in a post about Fremont’s bike-powered boom last week, he makes sure to highlight that a new Brooks Sports/Skanska building in Fremont could bring along 300 new jobs. And the Burke-Gilman Trail is a huge reason why that location is so desirable to these companies.

From the Mayor’s State of the City Speech:

Last week I met with the CEO of Brooks Sports and the head of Skanska. They have submitted plans to construct a new green building in Fremont that will house Brooks’ headquarters and bring 300 new jobs to Seattle. Like Amazon they want to be in Seattle, creating new jobs next to the Burke Gilman Trail. Their CEO is very excited about this – he said “if you looked all over the world there isn’t a better place to be than the corner of Stone Way and 34th in Fremont.”

Given that big-time companies like Adobe, Google and now Skanska have all chosen to locate important offices in Fremont along the Burke-Gilman Trail, any business district that is hoping to attract these kinds of jobs should take a good look at its streets. Is this the kind of place where people can move about freely and happily? Because that’s what people want from a workplace, and the car-centric streets in many Seattle business districts are starting to look pretty backwards.

The mayor also talked about safe streets and the city-wide calls for neighborhood greenways. He said the clear message from the Road Safety Summit is that “everyone should feel safe out there.”

One of the things that makes our neighborhoods special is that we have a lot of ways to get around. One of the common themes in our neighborhood plans is that people want the sense of community that comes from being able to walk around and get to know your neighbors.

Residents have begun organizing to design and build neighborhood greenways for bicycles, and with Councilmember Bagshaw we’re doing our part to help. A group of residents on Linden Avenue in the North End, many of them seniors, organized to ask the city to build sidewalks, bike paths, and other improvements to help them get around safely. That project is out to bid and should begin construction this spring.

Soon we will announce our Transportation Action Agenda for the next three years, describing the work we’re doing across this city for every mode of travel.

We know there have been concerns about how we share the roads, especially in the wake of tragedies that took place on our streets and sidewalks last year. That’s why we called together a Road Safety Summit. Working with Councilmembers Bagshaw and Rasmussen, we brought the public together to listen to what they had to say. We heard a lot of ideas and comments about ways we can improve safety on our roads. But the main thing we heard was that people in Seattle agree — everyone should feel safe out there.

As a result of that summit, later this spring we will launch a sustained campaign to address safety on our roads. It will emphasize education, enforcement, and the way we design our roads for safety. It will also focus on creating a culture of empathy on our roads.

Watch the speech:

Text of the speech:
FINAL SOTC With Links1

No victims have been located yet, and it's unknown if anyone was struck in the shooting.

From SPD:

Seattle Police officers, including SWAT and K-9, and Washington State Patrol troopers conducted a search for a man who discharged a firearm near 12th Avenue South and South Dearborn Street at around 11:15 a.m.  It is not known at this time if anyone was injured in the shooting.  The suspect fled on foot crossing I-5.  He was last seen headed in a southwesterly direction underneath I-5 at approximately South Massachusetts Street. 

The suspect was described as an Asian male in his 30′s, about 5’6″ tall, wearing a dark blue baseball hat and a grey and white hooded sweatshirt, possibly in a plaid, camouflage or leopard print. 

At approximately 12:40 p.m. SWAT officers stopped a male suspect matching the description in the greenbelt area near 13th Avenue South and South Dearborn Street.  That man was placed under arrest and transported to the East Precinct for processing.   

The search resulted in area road and freeway closures.  The Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol appreciate the public’s patience with associated traffic delays as they searched for the suspect. 

KIRO 7′s Chopper 7 took video and the below still image of a person fleeing the area officers were searching.

No victims have been located yet, and it's unknown if anyone was struck in the shooting.

From SPD:

Seattle Police officers, including SWAT and K-9, and Washington State Patrol troopers conducted a search for a man who discharged a firearm near 12th Avenue South and South Dearborn Street at around 11:15 a.m.  It is not known at this time if anyone was injured in the shooting.  The suspect fled on foot crossing I-5.  He was last seen headed in a southwesterly direction underneath I-5 at approximately South Massachusetts Street. 

The suspect was described as an Asian male in his 30′s, about 5’6″ tall, wearing a dark blue baseball hat and a grey and white hooded sweatshirt, possibly in a plaid, camouflage or leopard print. 

At approximately 12:40 p.m. SWAT officers stopped a male suspect matching the description in the greenbelt area near 13th Avenue South and South Dearborn Street.  That man was placed under arrest and transported to the East Precinct for processing.   

The search resulted in area road and freeway closures.  The Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol appreciate the public’s patience with associated traffic delays as they searched for the suspect. 

KIRO 7′s Chopper 7 took video and the below still image of a person fleeing the area officers were searching.

From SDOT

Plans for a key crossing for the Wallingford neighborhood greenway has been scaled back in response to concerns from residents. The crossing at N 43rd St and Stone Way is the biggest component of the project, giving people on foot or bike a safe and more comfortable way to cross the busy street.

Originally, plans called for a median island that would have prevented people driving from turning left both from 43rd onto Stone Way and from Stone to 43rd. New plans would remove the center sections of the median to allow left-turning movements (see above). Here’s how plans looked at a December open house:

From a December community open house

SDOT says the change came after some community members expressed concerns about the diverting traffic when a 90-unit building opens with driveway access only on 43rd. They say traffic volumes are already low enough that the median was not seen as a key to the greenway’s success.

From Sam Woods at SDOT:

The current design provides pedestrians and bicyclists with a significant safety improvement.   Left turn movements will be taken more slowly and with more awareness of crossing pedestrians and bicyclists.  The islands on the approaches to the crosswalks allow pedestrians and bicyclists the opportunity to cross half the roadway, with a stopping area.  This generally results in very good compliance with motorists stopping from the other direction because the pedestrians and bicyclists are very visible.

We did hear pushback with the original design (with some people suggesting a traffic signal – which would have drawn more traffic to the greenway route) with the new development of 90 units on the corner with driveway access only on N 43rd St and residents having to reroute to other residential streets.  The alternate routes were on narrow streets that we would have had to improve for the diverted traffic with parking restrictions at the intersections.

Consistent with many of the streets in this neighborhood, the traffic speeds and volumes on N 43rd ST,  are below the thresholds for neighborhood greenways, so diversion of the left turning traffic is not critical to the success of the greenway.  Finally, we also heard some questioning of the N 43rd Street route for bicyclists due to the grade.  In the end, the improvement of the full median did not outweigh the impacts to the surrounding neighborhood due to the diversion.

The cost of the full median versus the partial median was not a consideration in the decision process.

After squeaking out a 25-24 win Thursday, Garfield alumna Queen Underwood took apart her opponent in Saturday's final to win the US women's boxing trials in Spokane. This brings the Queen one step closer to competing in the 2012 Olympics in London.

She must now place in the top eight for weight class at a May Olympic qualifier in China before taking the ring in London to battle for the crown... er... gold medal.

Underwood had her home-state crowd going crazy, the AP reports. Her story of perseverance and strength in the face of childhood abuse has resonated nationwide. You can help the Queen by supporting her Living Out the Dream Foundation.

From the AP (via Seattle Times):

The sellout crowd was behind the Seattle native, stomping on the floor and chanting "Queen! Queen! Queen!" while Underwood took apart Mayer with brutally effective shots from all angles. The final margin was smaller than expected, but Underwood had little doubt, raising one finger in anticipation of the verdict.

"It hurts. I'm happy. All in one," she said. "I've been national champion since 2007 and waiting for this opportunity, and it's finally here, and it's over at once, but it feels great."

Even with extensive international experience, Underwood acknowledged a huge case of jitters when she entered the ring for her first fight at the trials Monday night. She was stunned by the exuberant reception from her home-state crowd, including dozens of family and friends who traveled from Seattle.

Underwood barely escaped with a 25-24 win over 19-year-old N'yteeyah Sherman in Thursday's fight, but the final was smoother.

"I don't believe in losing," Underwood said. "I don't want to lose, ever. I knew I had the opportunity to come back tomorrow if things didn't go right, but that wasn't in my rule book. My rule book is coming out with a win all days. I came here planning to have four fights, and I fought exactly the way I thought."

Swift Industries and Go Means Go are organizing the fair, which they hope will support and highlight all the creative people in Seattle and around the state who make things for and about bikes.

They got the idea from Portland’s annual BikeCraft fairs.

“We thought, ‘We don’t have anything like that in Seattle, that would be really cool,’” said Jason Goodman from Swift.

In addition to the fair, there will be music, workshops and a beer garden with locally-crafted beers. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Washington High School Cycling League, which promotes high school mountain biking programs.

If you want a space at the fair, you need to register online by March 31. A basic table space is $85 for two days.

More info from the Pedalers’ Fair:

We hope to showcase handcrafted goods from across the state, not just the Seattle area. There will also be free workshops, music, food, a beer garden and who knows- maybe some pleasant surprises.

Pedaler’s Fair was borne of a strong belief in buying local and supporting people that make things themselves.  We enjoy having a connection with the products we use on a daily basis.

Whether you are new to cycling, a seasoned rider, or someone that is just curious about handmade goods are being made in Washington state, you are invited to come peruse amazing wares celebrating the bicycle.

This is our first year with many more to follow.  Please spread the word!

Demonstrators are planing a noisy protest outside the King County Youth Services Center at 12th and Alder Wednesday at 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring "anything to make noise" to the demonstration as part of a national day of prison protests.

More details and reasons for the protest from the Occupy Seattle Calendar:

There will be a noise demonstration held at the King County Juvenile Detention Center in the Central District (Seattle) at 8PM.

This is organized to respond to the California prisoners call for solidarity with prisoners which was endorsed by Occupy Oakland. Occupy Oakland will be going out to the San Quentin Prison. Other cities including LA, Baltimore, Chicago and others will be joining in on the call as well.

Things to bring:

anything to make noise! (so the youth can hear us)

banners, flags, signs, fliers, etc.

This noise demonstration will be to express solidarity with all political and social prisoners as well as the youth imprisoned at King County Juvi to break the isolation that is both a requirement and a function of prisons.

We want the youth to know that they are not alone that there are those of us in the outer walls who are saying fuck prisons, down with every prison wall.

This prison society we live in, with every one of its laws, courts, cops, prisons and networks of surveillance, has made it very clear that the 'life' we're supposed to accept is nothing more than a life sentence in an open air prison and upon violation a 'life' of extreme alienation, isolation, and degradation. Those prisoners who resist inside recognize this as they continue to refuse the meek existence that the state and capital tries to impose on them.

Prison has a long history within capitalism and governments, as being one of the most archaic forms of prolonged torture and punishment. It has been used to kill some slowly and torture those “undesirables” to the reigning social order - who have do not fit within the predetermined mold of civil society.

More information: occupy4prisoners.org