Serving Queen Anne & Magnolia Since 1919 www.QueenAnneNews.com
JUL 1, 2026
VOL. 107, NO. 27
Seattle In the Dark? City Light Offers Apologies Launches Free and a Long Wait for Queen Anne Cable Fix Summer Meals Program More than 80,000 meals and snacks served in 2025 Seattle Human Services
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ave the date: Community celebration on July 17 highlights free summer meals and food access for children and teens The City of Seattle’s Summer Meals Program returns June 24, 2026, offering free, nutritious meals to children and teens ages 1 through 18 at 50 sites across the city. No ID, proof of address, application, or paperwork is required. For more than 50 years, Seattle’s Summer Meals Program has helped make sure children and teens have access to healthy food when school is out. The program, officially the Summer Food Service Program, is led by the Human Services Department in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Parks and Recreation, United Way of King County, and community organizations. Visit seattle.gov/Summer-Food to find nearby sites.
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eattle City Light officials apologized to Queen Anne residents during a June 10 Queen Anne Community Council meeting, but said the utility’s long-term fix for
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City Light plans to install a new underground electrical system while coordinating with Seattle Public Utilities to replace water mains and valves in six intersections, reducing the number of times streets must be excavated. Strong said the failures are tied to direct-buried cable, which is placed directly in the ground and relies on protective sheathing that breaks down over time. “Our underground cable network, particularly our direct-buried cable, is seeing a significant uptick in outages,” Strong said. “Queen Anne is one, of course, where direct-buried cables are failing at a high rate.” City Light has used cable injection and other maintenance programs to extend the life of underground cable where possible. But in some areas, including portions of Queen Anne, those approaches are no longer enough.
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Seattle Pride Rally Unites Generations Downtown Laura Marie Rivera
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n a beautiful PNW day, downtown Seattle transformed this last Sunday in June into a celebration of community as the Seattle Pride Parade drew large crowds for a grand procession stretching from Westlake Park to Seattle Center. This year’s parade was led by grand marshal Deaunte Damper and centered on the theme “RALLY,” a call for groups and communities to organize, show up, and strengthen collective action.
With the city already buzzing from FIFA excitement, the parade added an extra layer of energy to an already vibrant weekend. Music, cheering crowds, and rainbow flags lined more than a mile of 4th Avenue as thousands of participants made their way through the heart of downtown. SEATTLE PRIDE has long been known for its visibility and celebration. And this year’s parade stood out for something quieter but deeply present throughout the route: the presence of families and multiple generations participating side by side. Families weren’t just watching from the sidelines—they were marching in the parade itself. Groups of all ages moved
together through the streets, from young children experiencing their first Pride to longtime participants who have returned year after year. Elected officials added to the multigenerational presence. King County Executive Girmay Zahilay has been marching this route for years. This year, he marched alongside his father and young daughter. And Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson participated with her own young daughter. Seattle Public Schools made its presence known with one of the parade’s largest—and loudest— contingents, led by School Board Director Jen LaVallee. That sense of continuity was reflected by Tyler Crone, a local advocate and Mother, who said, “We’ve been marching as a
family at Pride for more than a decade. Getting to share this day with so many trailblazers over the years means the world to us!” Her words echoed a broader theme visible throughout the event: Pride as both celebration and tradition, passed across generations. That generational thread appeared in the organizations represented along the route. CCRM Fertility highlighted the beginning of inclusive family journeys, while a senior LGBTQ+ group marched with “Graying Gay-ly” signs. Community groups, civic organizations, and advocacy leaders filled the space between, reflecting every stage of life.
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LAURA MARIE RIVERA
The program continues this year as food costs remain high for many families. It also reflects Mayor Katie Wilson’s focus on food access, affordability, and making Seattle a city where families can raise children and thrive. Mayor Wilson recently announced that free school meals will be available to all Seattle Public Schools students starting this fall. The Summer Meals Program helps bridge the gap when children and teens lose access to the free and reduced-price meals provided during the school year. “When school is out, many families lose access to the meals their children count on during the school year,” said Mayor Katie Wilson. “At a time when groceries and other living expenses are on the rise, the Summer Meals Program helps take pressure off families and makes sure children and teens can get healthy food during the summer. No child in Seattle should go hungry because cafeterias are closed.” Last year, Seattle’s Summer Meals Program served more than 80,000 free meals and snacks to local children and teens. Amid cuts to safety net programs like SNAP, the Seattle Summer Meals Program is a lifeline to local families who can access food without the need for identification or proof of residency. No application or paperwork is required. The Summer Meals Program is made possible with funding from local, state, and federal partners. “Rising grocery costs, federal cuts, and limited food bank capacity are putting pressure on low-income families like never before,” said Tanya Kim, director of the Seattle Human Services Department.
repeated outages remains years from completion. The utility plans to replace four miles of direct-buried underground cable serving Queen Anne. Phase 1 will replace 2.5
miles of cable and equipment with the greatest number of failures, with construction expected to begin in mid-2027. Phase 2, covering the remaining cable and equipment, is expected to begin before 2030. “We are truly sorry to the Queen Anne community that there has been a significant number of recent outages,” said Andy Strong, Seattle City Light’s officer for engineering and project delivery. “As public servants, this does affect us deeply as we take pride in providing what is an essential service.” Rob Santo, Seattle City Light’s interim general manager and CEO, said nearly 1,500 customers on the southwest side of Queen Anne are served by aging direct-buried cable. He said outages over the past several years, and especially in recent weeks, have affected that system. “We know these outages are frustrating and unpredictable,” Santo said. The work will span about 85 acres and more than 40 blocks.
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and his daughter lead a contingent of about 100 King County employees during the Seattle Pride Parade on Sunday, June 28. Families and multiple generations were a recurring theme throughout this year’s RALLY celebration.