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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

• WSP pursuit: “96 in a 60” is what a Washington State Patrol spokesperson tells CHS kicked off the long and winding aircraft pursuit of a driver who fled law enforcement on a chase through the streets of Capitol Hill Friday night. Residents irritated by the ongoing buzz of the state patrol’s low-flying Cessna 206H Stationair began tracking the airplane as it executed a series of seemingly endless loops above northwest Capitol Hill. “Our plane was following a pursuit. The suspect left the freeway and troopers backed off,” the WSP spokesperson said. Reports in the CHS Facebook Group describe the plane circling around 10:45 PM with a report of state troopers spotted searching on the ground near Harvard and Prospect where Seattle Police took over. One report had the suspect fleeing on foot, last seen southbound on Harvard and possibly disappearing into the wilds of the St. Mark’s Greenbelt. The spokesperson for the WSP says the suspect pursuit began as speed enforcement before the suspect fled northbound on I-5 and into the city where the driver fled on foot. It also turned out the search and those droning loops weren’t really necessary. “Troopers were able to confirm the driver is the registered owner and charges will be forwarded to the prosecutor,” the spokesperson said. There were no reported injuries. CHS has reported on the planes used by WSP in the past including the impressive surveillance capabilities of the fleet utilized during CHOP.
• Jackson gunfire: No victims were immediately located after gunfire near 22nd and Jackson Saturday night. Seattle Police were called to the area just before 7:30 PM to the reports of gunfire and a group fleeing the area on foot. Arriving officers found at least one parked vehicle damaged by the gunfire and shell casings in the street but no victims at the scene. No suspects or firearms were located. There were no reported arrests. The gunfire came amidst a wave of deadly gun violence incidents in the city. Overnight, a man was shot and killed, and three others were injured in a shooting at Denny and 4th Ave. Later in the night, a woman was shot and killed near 3rd and Blanchard.
• Club Z death: Medics were called to Pike’s bathhouse Club Z Friday morning to reports of a man suffering a medical condition at the sex club. Seattle Fire says its crews began life-saving measures in the just after 9;30 AM call but the man in his 60s was reported dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner will determine a cause.
• 19th/Cherry crash: A woman was injured Friday afternoon in a three-vehicle collision at 19th and Cherry where the city just deployed a new 4-way stop configuration. Seattle Fire says it treated two patients in the crash but only one required a trip to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The patients were in separate vehicles. The new stop signs have been added to Cherry to require east and westbound drivers to now stop at the intersection but no additional warning markers were used to alert people about the change. We’ll follow up with SDOT to learn more about the configuration and lack of warning signs or markers.
• Pizza smoke causes alarm: Callers worried about a building fire reported smoke billowing near 11th and Pike Wednesday but it turned out to only be the output of an ambitiously smoky wood-fired pizza oven operating at the corner. Seattle Fire says its crews were dispatched but quickly pulled back after the source was determined to be the “outdoor pizza oven.” It’s not clear if the pizza operation was related to an event at a nearby business or one of the proliferation of street vendors who operate in the neighborhood. There were no reported injuries.

  

• SPD reports building fire heroism: The Seattle Police Department is applauding a rookie officer for joining a veteran cop in helping rescue people from a fire last week in an historic E Madison apartment building. CHS reported here on the just after 5:15 AM fire Monday in the 1912-era Olympian Apartments in the 1600 block of E Madison. SPD says its two officers were first to see the flames from the fire and rushed in to help:
  On August 31st, just after 5:00 a.m., officers spotted flames coming from a second story apartment window in the 1600 block of East Madison Street. Officers broke the glass of the lobby door to enter, then ran up the stairs till they found the burning unit. Police kicked at the door, until the disoriented 28-year-old resident opened it. Officers evacuated the man from his burning, smokey unit, but not before asking if he had any pets that needed to be saved as well.
  SPD says multiple officers ended up responding in the minutes before Seattle Fire arrived to battle the apartment unit fire. According to SPD, the building’s fire alarm “was not sounded.” “Officers ran up flights of stairs, yelling for residents to leave and banging on their doors,” SPD reports. “When the rescue efforts became too dangerous, officers evacuated the building while the Seattle Fire Department prepared to begin fighting the flames.”
  CHS is following up to learn more about the situation and why the building’s fire alarm system did not alert residents. There were no reported serious injuries.

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Roma Roma — with Roman pizza ‘by the cut’ — coming to Capitol Hill’s 12th Ave

Capitol Hill: New home of the two wealthiest Puget Sound ZIP Codes

Amid ongoing twin crises of affordability and homelessness, final debates for Seattle’s next 20-year growth plan include neighborhood borders and ‘bees and trees’

Report: King County Council mulling pause in Broadway Crisis Care Center process — UPDATE

Amid new police cameras and catenary lights, Capitol Hill ‘Stay Out of Drug Area’ now leads the city in banishment orders

Amid efforts to address Broadway/Pike public safety concerns, Capitol Hill’s Harvard Market put up for sale — UPDATE

Pride and repairs after vandalism targets Capitol Hill’s rainbow crosswalks and bus stop

‘5 things I learned from visiting Amsterdam this weekend’ — District 3 council member locks down social media after Dutch slavery controversy

‘A big percentage’ — Marking CHOP’s real borders as Capitol Hill tuned in to Trump-Harris debate

Study: The air on Seattle’s trains and buses is safe — and likely to contain meth and fentanyl

After 35 years on Capitol Hill, Machiavelli family growing with new restaurant in Edmonds

Eight-story E Olive Way development finally ready for last step in Seattle design review process

Xóm ready to create a new Vietnamese food+drink ‘neighborhood’ in Capitol Hill’s Chophouse Row

‘Haze’ — 2022 Seattle smoke season is here (for the weekend?)

Seattle approves cannabis equity legislation

When it is finally reborn, Capitol Hill’s Coastal Kitchen will be a changed restaurant with plans for another 30 years on 15th Ave E

Old home destined for demolition to make way for townhouse project burns on 13th Ave — UPDATE

‘You are ordered to disperse’ — Echoes of CHOP as SPD arrest on Broadway draws large crowd — UPDATE

How Mandatory Housing Affordability and Seattle’s congested growth made this Central District pot shop the hottest property on the block — UPDATE

Ready to ‘lean into really dark,’ Anchorhead Coffee opening new bakery and cafe on Capitol Hill

King County ‘vaccine verification’ system could start in October

https://clicky.com/stats/content?site_id=18685&date=2011-09-06,2011-09-12

Area 51, providing excellent window shopping for 17 years, cuts back prior to ‘building re-tenanting’

City Council will consider 65-foot height to clear path for 23rd and Union project

Stranger sued over Drunk of the Week photo

Teen victim flees to community center after 23rd Ave shooting

Have a Jack Daniels and an Amstel Light to honor the passing of Don Stevens, owner of Bill’s off Broadway

Vivace general manager suffers brain injury in cycling crash — UPDATE

Capitol Hill street a movie set for big ’21 and Over’ stunt scene

‘Until safety is restored’ — East Precinct commander cracks down on Cal Anderson

Planned 4-story apartment project to replace craft store, Capitol Hill Hair on 19th Ave E

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Seattle Parks and Recreation

The community group formed to protect Denny Blaine says now is the time “for the people who actually use and love this park to make their voices heard.”

The public process includes a community meeting on Tuesday, September 15th at 6 PM at the Miller Community Center, located at 330 19th Ave E. Seattle Parks representatives will gather community feedback during the session before the guidelines are finalized.

A virtual public meeting will follow on September 17 at 6 PM and an online feedback period will remain open through October 5 to capture written public input.

While specific park configurations remain constrained by the court’s ruling, advocacy organization Friends of Denny Blaine say they have met with city officials to help ensure park users shape the final policy. Priority areas targeted for public input include improving physical accessibility, installing screening to protect visitors’ privacy from unwanted surveillance, and adding thoughtful landscaping, signage, and amenities. Community advocates are also urging the city to officially recognize Denny Blaine’s history as a queer and clothing-optional gathering place.

The guidelines also must comply to the court’s rulings, the city says:

Several aspects of the proposed guidelines are set by court order and cannot be unilaterally changed by the City through the rulemaking process. These include the designation of clothing-optional and clothing-required areas, the specific line where the areas are divided, the requirement for visual screening between the areas, the allowance of toplessness throughout the park, and the minimum frequency of visits and monitoring by Park Rangers and maintenance staff.

The city says the court has “also required SPR to install some additional screening to ensure that clothing-optional areas of the park are not visible from neighboring properties.”

CHS reported here in July as a judge denied a bid by a group of neighbors and nearby property owners to close the park over complaints of public nudity, sexual activity, and disorder.

In his decision, Judge Samuel Chung sided with the City of Seattle and Friends of Denny Blaine in keeping the two-acre park on the shores of Lake Washington open — and nude — calling Denny Blaine “a limited natural resource that must be shared by the residents of the neighborhood and the Park’s visitors.”

The decision came with caveats after several findings that the court said justified the neighbors’ claims around lewd acts and criminal activity at the park. In the ruling, the judge said the city must implement and manage a previously approved abatement plan, and “develop and implement a park specific user plan and code of conduct to address overcrowding, safety, and prohibited and acceptable behaviors.”

The new guideline review runs parallel to broader community sessions starting late September regarding long-term park investments and improvements:

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Provide feedback on the proposed Supplemental Use Guidelines:

• Review the draft guidelines here
• Attend one of our community meetings:
  • Tuesday, September 15 at 6 PM at Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E
  • Online: Thursday, September 17 at 6 PM (Meeting Link)
• Provide comments on our engagement hub from now until October 5. You may submit comments at any time during this period. Please note that the formal 14-day public comment period will begin after the public meetings and is anticipated to run from September 21 through October 5.

Help shape the park’s long-term design:

• If you are interested in taking part in the community design process for a long-term site improvement plan, join us at an open house or take the online survey to share your feedback and connect with the community! Meetings will have no formal design presentation.
  • September 20, from 11 AM – 2 PM at Cal Anderson Shelter House, 1700 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
  • September 23, from 4:30 – 6:30 PM at Madrona Shelter House, 917 34th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
• Share your experiences and desires for the space through our online survey that will open on September 20.

Neighbors are also watching how a major area real estate listing will play out. A 1928-era, 5,500-square-foot mansion neighboring the park hit the market this summer for $4.65 million, a 66% premium to the last time it sold in 2015.

“Tucked into the heart of Denny Blaine and only steps from the shores of Lake Washington, this stunning Mediterranean estate is a rare offering, where timeless European charm meets refined Northwest living,” the listing reads.

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(Image: Coffee TAB)

A key neighborhood hangout is going back in motion in the Central District as Coffee TAB is ready to open at 23rd and Jackson.

“We’re intentional about everything, from the way we pull a shot to the neighborhoods we choose to serve. We want to breathe new life into places by building something that serves the community well—somewhere people gather, form relationships, and feel a sense of belonging,” founder Jonathan Tran said in the joint announcement from TAB and Vulcan Real Estate, the owner of the building and the surrounding shopping center.  “Opening at 23rd & Jackson is another chance to live that out. It’s about investing in a neighborhood, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for young adults, and becoming part of the fabric of the Central Area.”

In addition to restoring much missed coffee service at the corner, the opening of Coffee TAB CD is an important milestone after years of concerns around public safety and street disorder in the area as the building sat empty.

In July, CHS was the first to report on the plans for Coffee TAB to fill the space, the third cafe for the four-year-old nonprofit dedicated to espresso and jobs training. The corner has been a sore spot. After Starbucks pulled out over what it said were concerns about public safety, Vulcan, the City of Seattle, and Black Coffee Northwest planned to open a new cafe in the space in a plan backed by Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, and District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth that ultimately fell apart despite announced intentions of rebuilding Black ownership in the neighborhood.

Hollingsworth marked progress at the corner in a recent video celebrating Coffee TAB’s opening, saying she is “super excited for this corner to activate” and is looking forward to a new community gathering space.

Appearing with Hollingsworth and Tran, State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña summed up the excitement.

“Because 23rd and Jackson is the heart of the Central District. It’s the heart of our community, and this place has been empty for way too long,” Saldaña says. “Our young people and our elders need a place to hang out, and the coffee is really delicious.”

Meanwhile, larger economic and community challenges remain with the shuttered buildings left by the closure of the center’s Walgreens and the shutdown of the neighborhood’s Amazon Fresh grocery store across the street.

Coffee Tab will be celebrating the new space in October as it holds a silent auction and fundraiser supporting its Barista Apprenticeship Program at the Jackson location.

Final inspections were needed before the space could finally reopen, according to a recent social media update.

Coffee TAB is ready to open at 2300 S Jackson. Learn more at coffeetab.org.

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Seattle Public Utilities tells CHS it has not recorded an increase in needlestick injuries among contractors servicing the city. Unlike cities where crews manually lift trash bags, Seattle’s residential routes use mechanical arms to empty curbside carts directly into trucks, keeping drivers away from thin bags and protruding needles.

Cities with manual collection face different hazards. In New York City, where Department of Sanitation crews lift bags by hand, the agency has logged 49 needlestick injuries through early August. That surpassed the 46 incidents reported in 2025 and rose from 18 in 2020. The increase led New York to raise fines for improper needle disposal from $100 to $250. DSNY does not test recovered needles, but officials attribute the rise to more residents using at-home injectable drugs.

Manual collection remains standard in older, denser East Coast cities where narrow streets and row homes prevent automated side-loader trucks from operating. In Philadelphia, the city’s Community Life Improvement Program and Department of Sanitation deploy specialized teams equipped with puncture-resistant gear to clear corridors like Kensington, where union representatives with AFSCME District Council 33 have cited worker safety and punctures from loose needles during manual trash collection. In Boston, where contracted haulers physically toss bags into rear compactors, city public health officials conduct targeted daily needle sweeps along high-traffic corridors like the “Mass and Cass” area to clear loose syringes before curbside collection begins.

The municipal strain follows a broader shift documented by The New York Times, which reported last month that syringes and auto-injectors have migrated from clinical settings directly onto domestic bathroom vanities. According to the report, nearly one in five U.S. adults has tried an injectable GLP-1 medication like Ozempic, while consumer interest in injectable peptides and at-home fertility treatments like IVF — which grew nearly 40% between 2018 and 2026 — has routinely pushed medical sharps into households.

That proliferation has created new hazards in our waste The New York Times reports sanitation workers there frequently encounter exposed, loose needles when lifting plastic garbage bags, with one New York City department supervisor telling the paper that crews regularly open bags to find needles completely unshielded. The surge is also hitting retail businesses. The Times cited a Nordstrom Rack restroom that posted signs pleading with shoppers to stop dropping GLP-1 syringes into its public sharps containers due to the escalating fees the retailer pays to empty them.

SPU says that it does not track the source or type of discarded needles, meaning it cannot link box totals to specific drugs like GLP-1 weight-loss medications. While automated trucks protect Seattle drivers, the machinery does not protect downstream workers.

Washington law and King County health rules prohibit sharps in household garbage or curbside recycling. SPU directs residents to use puncture-resistant containers and drop them at public boxes or the North Transfer Station.

Improperly discarded sharps still reach sorting plants. Industry publications note that because retail pharmacies rarely provide mail-back boxes with injectable prescriptions, people often throw pens into the trash or stash needles in milk jugs and soda bottles sent to recycling.

Compactors inside automated trucks crush those plastic jugs, scattering loose needles into the sorting stream. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, needlestick wounds risk exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

The danger then falls on sorting facilities, where workers manually pull recyclables off conveyor belts. A study by the Environmental Research & Education Foundation and the Solid Waste Association of North America estimated somewhere around 1,000 needlestick injuries happen annually at recycling facilities, with manual sorters injured at a rate of 3.9 per 100 workers. More than half of surveyed facilities report finding loose needles mixed into recyclables daily or weekly.

A few drugmakers and select specialty pharmacies provide free mail-back sharps containers for specific injectables, but standard retail pharmacies rarely include disposal with prescriptions. As a result, safe disposal largely depends on state initiatives — such as Washington’s free prepaid injector mail-back service — and municipal drop-off sites provided by utilities like SPU.

Seattle’s tough years of drug crisis including spikes in intravenous drug use may be helping keep workers safe from the pricks. Seattle Public Utilities maintains 23 public drop boxes across the city for safe disposal. The disposal boxes, located on city property and public rights-of-way such as exterior restroom walls in parks like Cal Anderson, are heavy-duty, tamper-resistant deposit chutes. Residents drop sealed containers into the chute directly at any time.

Seattle’s drop boxes are also busier. SPU reports it collected 446,716 sharps through its 23 public drop boxes through the first half of 2026 — about 22% more than the pace in the previous two years. It’s unknown how many of the rest of those needles are taking a dangerous path to the landfill or recycling plant.

Learn more from King County Public Health on how to safely dispose of needles at home.

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