PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 36 NO 32
AUGUST 5 – AUGUST 11, 2017
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Photo by Jason Cruz/NWAW
Tournament of Nations AAPIs see mixed results in comes to Seattle Washington primary elections
Manka Dhingra (left) and Jinyoung Englund (right). Team Japan practice, days before their game.
The excitement of women’s international soccer made a stop in Seattle last week as four national teams, including the United States and the Japan Women’s National Soccer Team, played in the inaugural Tournament of Nations exhibition on July 27 at CenturyLink Field. The Tournament of Nations brought the best in women’s international soccer together to compete, including the United States (ranked 1st in the world), Australia (7th), Brazil, (8th), and Japan (6th). Seattle played host to two matches on the same night. Japan played Brazil and Australia played the United States. The teams played a round robin format with games happening in Seattle, Carson, Calif., and San Diego. The Seattle Reign FC’s midfielder Rumi Utsugi was picked to play for Team Japan for the
Tournament of Nations. She was the only representative from the Reign and only Japanese player to play for a U.S. soccer club on the team. Utsugi was on the 2011 FIFA Women’s team that won the World Cup and the only Japanese player to play with a French top division soccer club. Overall, Team Japan looked relaxed heading into their match against Team Brazil at Centurylink. The team had a relaxed practice on a sunny Monday afternoon prior to the Thursday game at Grass Lawn Park in Redmond. The team dribbled the soccer ball around, played a couple of easy games, and kept loose while many laughed and smiled throughout the one-hour practice. Several onlookers, including several girl soccer players, watched as some of the best players in the world kicked the soccer ball around. The current Reign FC player spent a few minutes answering see TEAM JAPAN on 15
A&E Seattle Opera’s Madame Butterfly and cultural appropriation. »7
MYSTERIES OF CHINA A documentary that traces the story behind the Terracotta Warriors. »8&9
PUBLISHER’S BLOG Life is supposed to be fun, according to Publisher Ng. Learn how to not take yourself so seriously. » 10
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The top two vote-getters in the primary election advance to the general election on November 7. Voter turnout in King County was 18.68 percent. Ballots will continue to be counted for several days, and the results won’t be officially certified until Aug. 15. Here’s a snapshot of how AAPI candidates fared in the primary.
STATE
Democrat Manka Dhingra leads Republican Jinyoung Englund in the high-profile state Senate race. As of press time, Dhingra leads with 50.5 percent of the vote in the 45th District race to fill a vacancy created last year by the death of Sen. Andy Hill, R-Redmond. Englund got about 42.5 percent of the vote. The contest will likely decide if the see ELECTIONS on 15
Chinatown-ID housing affordability measures By Assunta Ng and Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Developers will be able to upzone buildings one to three stories higher than previously allowed in the Chinatown/International District (CID), while creating affordable housing units at the same time. On Aug. 2, Mayor Ed Murray, joined by business owners and community advocates, signed Seattle City Council Bill (CB) 118959 into law. The measure was unanimously passed by City Council this week, and is related to land use and Mayor Ed Murray rezoning certain land in the CID. In its current incarnation, it will implement Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements aimed at maintaining and preserving the neighborhood’s economic and cultural vitality, as well as dictate low-income housing requirements to combat displacement.
Hotel
There is a proposed development under review at 616 8th Avenue South, by Hotel Concepts, which will be a 14-story, approximately 225,000-squarefoot, mixed-use structure containing 158 hotel rooms and 103 apartments with retail space on the ground level. Hotel Concepts purchased the site in 2014 for $4.5 million. Ben Chen, owner of Vital Tea Shop, said it’s important to make ID look nice. “I invest money to make my tea shop look good. Those old, dirty, and broken buildings are not going to enhance the image of the ID. It will just encourage more homeless and
Courtesy: Studio19 Architects
By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Artist’s rendering of the SpringHill Suits on 8th Ave.
drug addicts to take over the building. If no one wants to come here, it will be the end of the ID. I applaud those who want to build a hotel in the ID. It will bring new energy and new life.” Faye Hong, former owner of the House of Hong and leader of two Chinatown organizations, is for the hotel. “We need a hotel here.” A leader of the Yee Family Association, Fred Yee said, “There are both sides, pros and cons. I hope they can negotiate and work something out.”
Displaced?
When upzoning was first considered in April 2017, see HOTEL on 12
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