The fourth annual Sips & Shoes wine tasting and shoe auction is taking place this Sunday, November 8 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, with proceeds benefiting the Ryther Child Center. Try wines from over 30 Northwest wineries. Ogle shoe fashion displays. (No hot mingling firefighters like last year, however, boo!) Attendees are encouraged to dig in their closets for pairs of new or barely worn shoes to bring as a donation as well; later in the evening a raffle and live shoe auction will take place with all donated shoes: mo’ shoes, mo’ money for Rythers. Raffle prizes include a Grand Prize drawing for two tickets to the May 2010 American Idol Finale, Chef’s Dinner for four at El Gaucho and tickets to Teatro Zinzanni. more ›

• It was just another case of the slow-going Mondays when a power line pole--and a live wire--came down early this morning after a garbage truck slammed into it. Power was shut down and Aurora Ave. was closed while crews cleaned up the busted pole strewn across the corner of Northeast 84th Street and Aurora Ave North.
• This weekend's street closures were for a just cause, as 2,513 dedicated people walked, jogged, and pedaled their way throughout Seattle in the LIVESTRONG Challenge, which raised over $1 million to fight cancer.

This Saturday, Hugo House is once again putting on Write-O-Rama, and we hope that you've got your pencils sharpened and notebook ready, because this is one fundraiser not to be missed. more ›

HIPHOP EXTRAVAGANZA: My, oh my, Seattle hiphop fans are in luck this weekend: the Blue Scholars are doing a stripped-down version of last year's The Program, with three nights at Neumos. This time, Common Market will join them every night; Truckasaurus and very special guests are playing on Saturday, Macklemore and Dyme Def will play on Monday night. Saturday's already sold out, but the second two nights are equally as awesome. Don't miss it. Really. more ›

• Monica Guzman over at the P-I's Big Blog published an un-cut transcript of the story Denise Gloster told her about why she chose to get involved with her community in the Rainier Valley. The story is powerful and heart-wrenching, well worth your ten minutes to read it closely.
• Whoa, since when do elementary schools in Seattle auction off fancy Palm Springs condos and offer pine-nut crusted salmon as part of their fund-raising dinner menu? West Seattle Blog says Schmitz Park Elementary is doing just that to net money for the school's core programs.
• Shauna, the Seattle-based new mother and food writer over at Gluten Free Girl, has crafted a sensible list of must-have pantry items in response to Mark Bittman's controversial compilation on the same topic. Beans, onions, vinegar--sounds just like our pantry!

What'll you have: Dewars or Redhook? Go to Saint, Hazlewood, Shorty's, or the West Seattle Easy Street Records tonight, plunk down some cash, toss back a drink and support The Vera Project, one of the city's most avid supporters and nurturers of Seattle's underage music scene. Starting tonight and running through Saturday, participating bars around town will donate money to the Vera for every Dewars or Redhook you buy in a fundraising effort called A Drink For The Kids. Locations switch up every night, so check the website for times/places. What a fantastic, easy excuse to get drunk and simultaneously support a very deserving local venue! more ›

GET SMARTIE: So you think you're a smartypants, eh? And you want to see that smartypants professor in the white house? Then you're in luck! Go use your brain for Obama tonight, and participate in a trivia night fundraiser at the Hi-Life in Ballard. The entry fee is a bit high for trivia night at a bar, but excessively low for a political fundraiser. Just think of how those Eastsiders paid $1k/plate when Cindy McCain was in town, and the $20 you drop for trivia will seem like chump change. UPDATE: Smarties for Obama is sold out. Sorry, but also...awesome! more ›