Of the five proposed routes for the First Hill Streetcar, an alignment between hospitals on the west side of the neighborhood would prove the most expensive and least practical, a report released by the city this month shows. The Seattle Department of Transportation found that all routes (one past hospitals on Boren Avenue, three down Broadway, and one along 12th Avenue) would have approximately the same number of riders. However, tracks on Boren Avenue (between Swedish and Virginia Mason hospitals) would cost approximately $25 million more than the least expensive alignment on Broadway—putting the project over budget by up to $14 million. Moreover, the route between the hospitals would have the longest travel times, pose the greatest inconvenience from construction, cause the greatest trouble for parking, and have the worst impacts on cyclists.
Kate Stineback, who has advocated for a couplet route along 12th Avenue and Broadway, says this proves the western alignments are “not worth it.” Meanwhile, Michael Gray, spokesman for the First Hill Improvement Association, says that the First Hill routes weren’t accurately represented. The city will pick an alignment by April. Sarah Anne Lloyd
Three baristas who worked at a drive-through coffee stand in Everett are fighting misdemeanor prostitution charges after they allegedly flashed their breasts and lady pies to undercover police officers in exchange for tips. “I’m scouring to find a case—ever, in the history of the United States—like this one that proves prostitution, and I can’t because it’s a stretch,” said attorney Brian Sullivan in a court hearing on February 11. “Is throwing money at a girl’s bra a sex act? I don’t think it is,” he said.
Prosecutors offered the defendants 30 days in jail in exchange for pleading guilty (one or two days is normal for prostitution charges), but the women, who pleaded not guilty, are trying to negotiate a milder penalty. Regardless of any court deal in the coming months, the revealing photos—taken by officers repeatedly visiting Grab-N-Go Espresso and released subsequent to a public records request—will probably remain online forever. Cienna Madrid
The charge should be lewd conduct, not prostitution. And luckily the kids texting naked pics of a minor were not charged as sex offenders. It is getting to the point where we are throwing the book at everyone for everything. Sex offender charges are the new age witch trials. We should worry more about the US falling from its leadership position in the world. This stuff is focusing on the wrong things.
from the everett herald:Detectives also witnessed some of the women charging customers to touch their bare breasts and naked buttocks. Touching of that kind, for pay, falls under the city’s definition of prostitution.
so where is a link to the pictures?
STREETCAR: Considering the “travel times” are from one end to the other, i.e. treating the streetcar as a ride unto itself (rather than the intent stated by law: to connect First Hill to 2 Link light rail stations), it’s no surprise that the route that goes up and down and through that same named hill (& neighborhood) would be slower and more costly.
Running Link through Kent and Renton rather than Seattle would have been cheaper and netted a faster ‘travel time’ too. Are we only concerned about speed? No. The ST/Seattle agreement states in writing we’re concerned about connections and providing transportation alternatives.
That said, Boren’s a foolish alignment for a surface streetcar: Minor or 9th do the same job of running through the middle of First Hill and only have the Madison crossing to really worry about. Why is the common sense approach being sidestepped?? (other than to drown an alignment that actually serves the very dense First Hill neighborhood)?