The Barking Dog Alehouse, 705 NW 70th St., is hosting a Haiti fundraiser at 7 p.m. tonight (Jan. 23) for People in Need Partnership.

Besides what the restaurant is kicking in, Georgetown Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery and Diamond Knot Brewing have all donated beer. Proceeds from all four kegs alone could total $1,000, according to a restaurant manager.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, Carmelita, 7314 Greenwood Ave. N, is serving a special menu, of which 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Oxfam America Haiti relief fund. You can see the special menu here.

If you know of any other upcoming Haiti fundraisers not already mentioned, please post something in comments, or send us a note at tips@phinneywood.com.

As the Seattle Public Library system deals with a budget crunch, it’s reducing hours at a number of libraries. Greenwood Library, however, is actually increasing its hours by five hours a week.

Until Feb. 3, Greenwood Library’s hours are:

• Monday: 1-8 p.m.
• Tuesday: 1-8 p.m.
• Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sunday: 12-5 p.m.

On Feb. 3, Greenwood Library’s hours on Monday and Tuesday will change to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday to 1-5 p.m.

Several people have written to us about suspicious men canvassing the neighborhood, supposedly in support of charities.

I live near Greenwood and 57th and a young guy came to my door this evening asking for money for the “Greenwood Mission”. He had photos of the “mission” in a book and said it was his job to canvas the neighborhood for donations. Since my roommate answered the door I didn’t get to talk to him or I would have asked him for ID. When I came downstairs to see who it was he had already left and was making notes in a book at the bottom of my steps. She also said he smelled like alcohol. Since I had never heard of the Greenwood Mission it all seemed a little suspicious, so I called the Police. They said they were going to check in to it but they haven’t got back to me yet. Anyone know if this is legit?

In doing a little searching, I found a “U.S. Mission” with a Greenwood address (actually the postal address is at the Greenwood Sip & Ship, which rents mailboxes). The U.S. Mission’s website says it has locations in Seattle, Portland, California, Phoenix and Kansas City, and that they receive no funding from social service agencies or governments, instead relying on community donations. I’ve got a message in to the U.S. Mission to find out more about its legitimacy.

Update: We received this response from the U.S. Mission:

Please be advised that there is no connection whatsoever between the named individual purportedly representing the so-called “Greenwood Mission” and the United States Mission which operates facilities in Greenwood.

While Emissaries from the United States Mission do engage in door-to-door, religious solicitation, they do not sell magazines or any product or service. Our Emissaries are all properly credentialed with photo ID, copies of our 501(c)3 determination letter, Washington Certificate of Authority, and other documents, photos, and literature explaining our Mission program as well as providing contact information for the United States Mission, 8560 Greenwood Ave, N, #17, Seattle, WA 98103 (mailing), located at 8720 Third Ave. NW and 128 NW 81st Street, Seattle, WA 98117.

Such persons as you reported are a scourge to our Mission, causing confusion and generating mistrust in the community. They need to be stopped. We shall be happy to do whatever we can to assist you in exposing these frauds.

And here’s another:

A man came to my door last night, I answered and he gave me a highly suspect spiel about being from a charity that helps people get back on their feet…When I asked him to get to his point, he showed me a certificate that he carried in a leather bi-fold for an alleged “Strategic Inc”, claiming he would earn points if I bought a magazine subscription from him. He had a bogus printout of Magazine descriptions, and a pad of paper where he appeared to be taking notes on the doors he knocked on. He left when I asked.

Across the street I could see another man knocking on my neighbors doors, doing the same thing. The man on my porch identified the other man as his partner.

Tonight, the other man knocked on our door, apparently with the same scenario. I made a 911 report about 10 minutes ago, they said they would send a patrol to check the area. We live in the 300 block of NW 81st.

The only Strategic Inc. I could find is a fundraising company located in Minnesota, but their website says nothing about door-to-door soliciting, only telemarketing. I’ve got a message into Strategic Fundraising Inc. to see if this person is connected to the company.

Update 10:50 a.m. A vice president at Strategic Fundraising just contacted me. “This person is not associated with our company. We do mostly telefundraising for major non-profit organizations.”

Update 10:50 a.m.: The dog’s owner has just been found.

Earlier: Laura sent us a note about an adorable dog she found this morning.

I found this little dog running across Greenwood between 74th and 75th with its chewed off leash dangling around 8:30 this morning. The dog has a tag and I have left a message for the owner, but thought Phinneywood would be a good place to post this in case they were at work or sent out a search party. Please call 206-818-4629.

Discovery Park in Magnolia is looking for people who want to be park docents. The docent coordinator tells us that many of the current docents come from our neighborhood.

Docents lead many of the programs here at Discovery Park, including teaching school groups, tots, families, seniors, and more! We provide our docents with extensive training in Northwest natural history and interpretation techniques so they can feel comfortable venturing into the world of education at a park. Docents are the reason that Discovery Park is able to provide so many educational programs to the public. They are able to help children touch their first sea star or hear a red-winged blackbird by the ponds. They teach the importance of our natural world through games, sensory activities, and FUN!

Training for the Docent Class of 2010 begins Feb. 24, and applications are being accepted through the end of January. You can contact the docent coordinator at 206-386-4237 for more information, or download an application.

State representatives Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle (both D-36th District) held a “telephone town hall” Tuesday evening Jan. 19 to discuss the important issues facing Olympia this legislative session. About 30,000 constituents district-wide were called to enter into the conversation, although the exact number who made it on the line is not known. Questions ranged from Dickerson’s controversial legalization of marijuana bill to broader issues including education, taxes and transportation.

The town hall worked as a sort of large conference call. Everyone on the call could hear the questions and answers, and if so inclined, could enter into a queue to ask questions themselves.

While the focus of most questions was the economy, Dickerson’s bill (HB 2401) to legalize marijuana for those who are 21 and older may prove to be the most contentious issue facing the Legislature. On Wednesday, Jan. 20th, an executive session was scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness. The importance of this bill to Dickerson was expressed clearly in her opening remarks.

“The bill itself will generate $300 million worth of income that will go to pay for drug and alcohol treatment prevention services,” Dickerson said.

Carlyle, who stated that he supports some form of marijuana decriminalization, focused on the hot topic of cell phone use while driving a car. This would become a primary offense with the passage of a bill that Carlyle is sponsoring. The bill would make the use of a cell phone that is not hands-free, as well as texting or emailing, a primary offense.

The overwhelming theme of the meeting, however, was the budget: how to fix it and how it would affect other government services. With a projected $2.6 billion deficit facing the state, Carlyle spoke on the biggest problem at hand.

“Once again, we’re faced with some very serious questions about not only how to balance [the budget], but what’s the right thing from an equity, fairness and really a progressive approach to how we look at our funding in this state,” Carlyle said.

A couple questions from callers dealt with the potential for an income tax. Despite both representatives noting that an income tax has never received much support outside of Seattle, they talked about their belief in some sort of progressive tax, but with different approaches.

Carlyle made it clear that while he favors an income tax, his support is contingent on the lowering of other taxes such as sales and property. Dickerson, on the other hand, focused on a specific type of income tax known as the “millionaire’s tax.”

“It is a tax on high income earners,” Dickerson explained. “I have heard different scenarios on this, but it could raise hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars that we could use for education and basic health and human services.”

Education was also a big issue, with concerns about special-needs students attending colleges and universities, as well as how to make in-state universities more accessible to students graduating from in-state high schools. Serving on the committee of higher education, Carlyle addressed these questions and talked about a big priority in the Legislature known as “Reach to the Top.”

“The Obama administration has been very aggressive about setting the stage for education reform and Reach to the Top is how that’s playing out,” Carlyle clarified. “Reach to the top is a K-12 funding effort to have states compete for dollars.”

The other big issue of the evening was funding for transportation. Both reps talked about their desire to improve connections between downtown Seattle and Ballard, as well as work on linking transportation between the bus system, light rail and passenger cars.

Those who were unable to get on the call for the town hall, or have follow-up questions, may phone or email these representatives: Carlyle, (360) 786-7814, carlyle.reuven@leg.wa.gov; Dickerson, (360) 786-7860, Dickerson.marylou@leg.wa.gov.

(Contributor Scott Eisen is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)

The Seattle City Council is seeking a new member for the Board of Park Commissioners, a seven-member volunteer advisory board. Candidates should have the following qualifications:

• Experience with community engagement;
• History of working collaboratively with a broad range of people and interests;
• Experience with parks, landscaping, urban design, gardening, or comparable issues and interests;
• Demonstrated concern for neighborhoods and neighborhood parks;
• Established record of objectivity and the ability to think broadly;
• Willingness to commit at least 10 hours per week; and,
• Active in our city in an advocacy capacity.

Resumes and letter of interest must be received by Feb. 5. Electronic submissions are preferred. E-mail your letter of interest and résumé, and contact information for three references to Philip Roewe.

Paper submissions can be sent to:
Philip Roewe, Office of City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Council, PO Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025

Three Board members are appointed by Seattle’s mayor, three by the Seattle City Council, and the seventh by the Board of Park Commissioners. The current vacant position is a Seattle City Council appointee. Members serve three-year, renewable terms.

The Board convenes at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, and typically holds approximately twelve public hearings each year.

Board members spend an average of 30-40 hours per month on Seattle Parks and Recreation business. In addition to the regular meetings, members attend committee meetings, park dedications and celebrations, and other community gatherings. Board members receive a number of briefing papers, listen to and read an extensive amount of public testimony, and receive a large volume of general information from Seattle Parks and Recreation and other city agencies.

Candidates should have a strong interest in parks and recreation opportunities for people of all ages and capabilities. Candidates should have regular access to a computer and e-mail, as most information is sent electronically.

The Seattle City Council is committed to promoting diversity on the Board, and encourages women, young people, senior citizens, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, and people of color to apply.

The new Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Cafe at 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. is adding meetings and entertainment in its new space.

Starting Monday, Feb. 1, they’ll be hosting a new writing group at 6 p.m.

Leader, Marilyn Stauter calls her approach “Guided Spontaneity.” For more information contact Marilyn Stauter at stauter5687@msn.com, or 206-633-5687.

And every Thursday from 6-9 p.m. is now Family Game Evening, with cards and board games.

Chess, Go, Bridge, Scrabble, Dominos and more. The Cafe will also be open for drinks and food. 206-436-2960.

We’ve received several emails in recent days about car prowls and other suspicious incidents. This note is from Lisa:

My car was broken into (smashed window) last Thursday morning while I dropped off my child at the Early Learning Development Center daycare at N 70th and Palatine. I was in the center for about 4 minutes. The thief took my briefcase, laptop, phone and wallet. I have filed a police report. I am not the first ELDC parent who has experienced this. There seems to be a pattern of someone breaking into cars quickly while parents are occupied with dropping on their kids on this quiet street…Neighbors should be warned not to leave valuables (or children!) in their cars and encouraged to be watchful for these crimes. The police officer I spoke with indicated that these types of crimes are rising significantly.

And a man on NW 73rd St. reports this happened on Tuesday:

We had two strangers come to our house today and ring the doorbell. When we came to the door they quickly took off without saying anything. They didn’t have flyers or clipboards or anything.

Woodland Park Zoo just announced that its Night Exhibit (formerly called the Nocturnal House) will close on March 1. Most of the animals on exhibit there will go to other exhibits throughout the zoo.

(Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo.)

The zoo is closing the Night Exhibit because it’s too expensive too operate, and the building is in need of major upgrades.

The animals to remain at the zoo include a pair of two-toed sloths, which will move to the zoo’s award-winning Tropical Rain Forest exhibit. The Rodrigues fruit bats, tamanduas (small anteaters native to South America) and springhaas (small rodents native to southeastern Africa) will move to the zoo’s Adaptations Building. A three-banded armadillo will be used as a presentation animal for up-close education programs. These animals were selected to stay at the zoo primarily because they are not completely “nocturnal,” but rather active during daylight hours as well.

The remaining animals will be moved to other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) based on recommendations by population managers and Species Survival Plans (SSPs). “Providing quality care to the animals is our priority. Our Animal Management team engaged in a methodical process to identify which animals would stay at the zoo and to find good homes for the other animals,” added Bohmke.

A trio of pygmy lorises, small arboreal primates native to southeast Asia, will live in an exhibit off view to the public. “Although we currently don’t have an exhibit for the public to view these animals, we would still like to participate in the pygmy loris SSP and help maintain the species,” noted Bohmke. “We hope to put them back on view in the future.” SSPs are cooperative breeding programs designed to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in accredited North American zoos and aquariums.

(Photo of Rodrigues Fruit Bat by Ryan Hawk, WPZ.)

 Many members of the community have expressed interest in exploring a fundraising campaign to keep the Night Exhibit open. “We appreciate the suggestion to raise funds, but this would provide a short-term solution only and would not sustain the annual costs of operation and staffing over the long run,” said Jensen. “We can’t accept donations to keep the exhibit open but we would be very pleased to accept donations to help make modifications to existing areas for the Night Exhibit animals that will remain at the zoo and to support their long-term care, as well as for the evaluation of the building to determine its long-term operation.

Donations to the “Nocturnal Animal Fund” can be made online at: www.zoo.org/nocturnalanimalfund or mailed to: Woodland Park Zoo, 601 N. 59th St., Seattle, WA 98103.

Yesterday we wrote about several Haiti earthquake fundraisers in the neighborhood. Here are two more:

8 Limbs Yoga Studio at 6801 Greenwood Ave. N. is offering an all-levels benefit class from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Friday with Megan. All drop-in class payments will go directly to Doctors without Borders. Please bring cash or make checks payable to Doctors without Borders.

Also, Red Mill Burgers at 312 N. 67th St. has been collecting donations at both their Phinney and Interbay stores, and will continue until this Thursday, matching the donations up to $1,000. Red Mill’s designated charity is also Doctors Without Borders.

If you know of any more, please put a note in comments or email us.

Just a reminder that your phone might ring tonight just before 6:30, as State Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle host a telephone-town hall. Nearly 30,000 homes in the district will be called, inviting residents to stay on the line and participate. Carlyle and Dickerson will be giving opening thoughts, while the majority of the tele-town hall will be allocated to taking questions from constituents. If you don’t receive a call, you may dial-in directly by calling 877-229-8493 and entering the code 15354. Once on the line, participants can ask a question by hitting *3. (Disclosure: Rep. Reuven Carlyle is a sponsor of PhinneyWood.)