On Jan. 19 at 3 a.m., residents on the floors above V Garden Restaurant at 308 Fourth Avenue South smelled smoke, heard fire alarms, and called 911. By 4 a.m., Seattle firefighters arrived at V Garden and found flames coming from a restaurant. Firefighters contained the fire to the first floor. However, smoke from the fire spread into apartments on the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the building. Some residents were evacuated. No one was in the restaurant at the time of the fire. No one was seriously injured due to the fire.
4Culture funds local heritage and cultural facilities projects
Eleven heritage facility projects were awarded $328,835 by 4Culture — the cultural services agency for King County. The program is designed to enhance the cultural life of county citizens by funding the purchase, design, construction, and remodeling of heritage facilities, and the purchase of equipment intended to be used for at least 10 years.
EDI offers scholarship for leadership program
On Jan. 11, the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation provided a grant to the Executive Development Institute (EDI). As a result, a $3,500 scholarship will be offered to candidates who attend the EDI Leadership Discovery Program. Applications are due Feb. 15, and the final selection will be made by March 1.
Editorial: Wise’s decision not-so-wise? We disagree
Late last year, the University of Washington’s provost, Phyllis Wise, accepted a position on the corporate board of Nike, which has stirred up contention. Wise is the second highest administrator, behind UW President Mark Emmert.
Commentary: Double zero (or, pick on someone your own size!)
Double zero. What the heck is it? Well, I didn’t know about it until I became part of the elite club in my early 30s. Double zero has nothing to do with an IQ, a prescription, a drink, the mile high club, or the grade of your eye. My friend, double zero is a size of clothing, which means I’m smaller than a zero.
Blog: Lee a heartbeat away from mayor
For years, Bellevue City Councilmember Conrad Lee wanted to be the mayor of Bellevue. Well, believe and your dream will come true. Last Sunday, his head was held higher than usual. Lee was voted 7–0 as deputy mayor at the last Bellevue City Council meeting in January.
Blog: 0.5 Asians out of 9 on Seattle’s city council
The other day, I had lunch in the ID with a couple of political gurus. “We have only 0.5 Asians on the Seattle City Council,” complained one of them.
She was referring to Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, who is half Japanese and half African American. This can also be applied to the Black community — now there are only 0.5 Blacks on the council (Seattle City Councilmember Richard McIver retired last December).
Blog: 2010 rising stars
Seattle School Board member Betty Patu may be the only newly elected Asian American in the Greater Seattle area. But the opportunity for Asian Americans to rise in the political scene may be promising this year. Although Wilson Chin has lost his seat to Patu, don’t rule him out yet. Chin still has a great future in politics and is making a difference.
Dec. 29: Beth Takekawa appointed to Washington State Arts Commission
Beth Takekawa was appointed as a commissioner for the Washington State Arts Commission. Commissioners guide the direction, set policies, and advise the governor and legislators of the state of the arts in Washington state.
Dec. 28: Julie Pham awarded benefit to EDI
Julie Pham was selected as the recipient of the 2010 National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Seattle Leadership Award Benefit to the Executive Development Institute (EDI). Pham is the managing editor of Northwest Vietnamese News (Nguoi Viet Tay Bac), a Seattle-based, Vietnamese-language newspaper.