The Assessor does his thing

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Foodie news

Stepping it up at Bing'sIt's certainly not obvious from the outside (although that may be about to change) but on the inside it's pretty clear that that there's something different about Bing's, which since its inception a dozen years ago has nicely filled the "neighborhood restaurant" niche in Madison Park. A major revamp of the interior space is in progress, and the menu has definitely moved in a new direction.Owner George Marshall---who...

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Christmas Ship flotilla returns Saturday

Holiday Bash timed for peak shopping weekendThere will be music, both on land and on the water, as well as holiday goodies and lots of Christmas cheer as the Christmas Ship(s) make their reappearance off Madison Park beach Saturday evening at about 4:55 pm. The live on-board music will be provided by the Dickens Carolers.  There will also be a live band performing at the bathhouse from 3:30 until 4:45 pm, sponsored by the Madison Park Community...

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Construction delays on SR 520 today

Drawspan to be opened this eveningWSDOT announced yesterday that drivers on the floating bridge will face periodic stoppages tonight as the bridge is opened at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 pm for construction-barge traffic.  There will also be a full 520 highway closure during the night.The planned drawspan openings may take up to thirty minutes each. Complete closure of 520 between Montlake Boulevard on the westside and Bellevue Way on the eastside...

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Still standing after all these years

The Original Children's Shop turns 60Back in the day when Madison Park was a destination shopping neighborhood (or at least more of one that it is today), there were multiple clothing stores in the neighborhood’s business district.  Among them were Nubia’s, The Yankee Peddler, and Ropa Bella.  Today there is just one apparel-shop survivor in The Village:  The Original Children’s Shop, which this year celebrated its 60th anniversary...

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Rautureau pulls the plug on Rover's

In an email to his loyal fans, "Chef in the Hat!!!" Thierry Rautureau confirmed today that the 25-year run of Madison Valley's premier French restaurant, Rover's, will end in April. "We are not putting Rover’s up for sale," he reported, "we are turning the lights off."No reasons were given for this move, though the timing of the announcement was apparently prompted by the fact that the Rover's location has been listed either for sale or lease. The...

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How we voted 2012

Madison Park: reliably blue and socially liberalThe 3,000 or so Madison Park residents who voted in the recent General Election overwhelmingly supported the major winning statewide ballot issues and all of the major candidates who won their races in Washington, including the President. Our analysis of the recently released vote totals for the Madison Park precincts showed that the neighborhood's voters were far more Democratic and intensely liberal...

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Madison Valley gets into the holiday spirit

"Holiday Happy Hour" Shopping on WednesdayTo encourage us to get out and buy our holiday decorations and presents early, Madison Valley merchants are sponsoring a special extended-shopping event tomorrow evening, 5:00 to 7:30 pm, with many businesses offering special sales and "festive treats" to those who partake. Among those participating is Seattle Fast Frame, which is offering shoppers "hot drinks and nibbles" during the event.  Restaurants...

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Russian consulate draws pickets

'Putin Nyet!'It was a pretty sedate group of protesters that showed up at the Russian Consulate yesterday to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin's "repression" of political and free-speech rights in Russia. The action, which was sponsored by the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women, drew about 25 well-behaved activists to the neighborhood for a short rally in front of  the of Consulate, located at 3726 E. Madison St.It's unusual for...

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Sick coyote reportedly killed

This is far from being a first-hand account, since for this news we are relying on a report that appeared yesterday on the Seattle Times webpage. That report, which relied on an earlier report by KING-TV, stated that federal wildlife officials had confirmed that a coyote that had been seen in various neighborhoods in the area over the past few weeks had been euthanized by officers on Capitol Hill.We are were not aware of any sightings of this...

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Destruction and renewal in Madison Park

Those doubting the vibrancy of the housing scene in Madison Park would certainly change their perspective if they stood at the intersection of McGilvra Boulevard E. and E. Newton Street.  From that vantage point, they could glance in almost any direction (well, three out of four) and see an active construction project underway-- or perhaps even two.  Within 100 paces of this intersection, there are in fact five separate houses either being...

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Missing child report draws big police response

At about 5:30 on the afternoon of Friday, November 16, a succession of police cars began racing into Madison Park from various directions, sirens screaming. They converged at the intersection of E. Madison St. and McGilvra Boulevard E., though their purpose for being at the scene was apparently not obvious to those passing by. Several readers later asked us what exactly had been going on.Though we were able to find a "missing person" report for about...

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McGilvra Students Send Holiday Cheer to Soldiers in Afghanistan

Guest Posting By Regina BrownIn honor of Veteran’s Day and the upcoming holidays, the McGilvra Elementary School’s Student Council took on a special project -- personal care packages for Lewis-McChord soldiers who can’t come home for the holidays.Kicking off the care-package drive at a school-wide assembly, ten students from the K-5th grade student council stood up in front of their classmates and gave a moving presentation about history, war, and...

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Whither the Tully's crowd?

Since the closing of the neighborhood Tully's in early October, many of the coffee shop's onetime aficionados are feeling bereft.  We understand, though we have not seen this with our own eyes, that a few regulars can now been seen gracing spots at the neighborhood Starbucks, perhaps with some discomfort.  Others are turning up for their fix at Madison Park Bakery or other existing local coffee purveyors.But knowing the Tully's crowd...

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This is not a charity's drop box

To be fair, the drop box that sits next to Bert's Red Apple on 41st Avenue E. has a notice right on the front which reads: "USAgain is a for profit clothes collection company. Deposits are not tax deductable [sic]."  Yet this for-profit company (USAgain, that is, not Bert's) has been accused of misleading unsuspecting (and, apparently, un-reading) donors who don't realize that their dropped-off used clothes, phones and shoes are simply being...

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520 closed yet again this weekend

But what about those pontoons?We usually get invited to the media tours that WSDOT puts on when it wants coverage of the SR-520 bridge-replacement project.  But so far, we've resisted making the trek to Medina to see the show.  Yesterday, those who took the tour were able to get inside the infamous once-leaking-but-now-sealed pontoons and hear directly from state engineers that these concrete behemoths are perfectly safe. The WSDOT story...

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Upcoming events

Christmas Ship(s) to arrive December 22The date and time have been set for the annual arrival of the holiday flotilla at Madison Park. The ships will be off the beach between 4:55 and 5:15 pm on Saturday, December 22. The live on-board music will be provided by the Dickens Carolers, the same group that did the honors last year.  As always, neighborhood businesses will be chipping in to provide refreshments for those enjoying the festivities....

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