Building Owner Offers Year of Free Rent & More News

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Looking for a year of free rent? A local Seattle building owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, is offering a unique opportunity to live rent-free for a year in a one-bedroom apartment in the Queen Anne/Magnolia or Ballard neighborhoods. How do you participate? In a 350-word essay, candidates must explain to the landlord why a year of free rent would help them to achieve their goals in 10 years. Contest facilitators, Walls Property Management, advises entrants to be thoughtful and concise with their responses. The landlord hosting the contest told KING 5 News that the intention of the contest is to inspire other landlords in the community to to do the same as well as to spread goodwill. The deadline for the contest is March 31. The winner, decided in April, will be able to move in to his or her new apartment on June 1. For more information about the contest visit essayforfreeapartment.com.

It’s time for an #OfficeRescue! Tomorrow, Uber is teaming up with Lib Tech Snowboards, Snoqualmie brewer Dru Bru and Summit at Snoqualmie to get five lucky Seattleites out of the office and into the mountains. Starting at noon today, potential thrill seekers can open the Uber app and select the OfficeRescue option for a chance to win a day for two on the slopes this Friday, January 15. The package includes free round-trip transportation to Snoqualmie Pass, Lib Tech Snowboard demo rentals, lift passes, runs with professional riders, a VIP brewery tour and a Lib Tech Snowboard to take home. To bring a friend along, Uber says to “post your favorite snowboarding photo, tag your friend, and include the #OfficeRescue hashtag. If you win, they’ll be able to come along too.” Details for how to enter the contest can be found here. Good luck, shredders.

King County welcomes a new water taxi that will shuttle ferry passengers from West Seattle and the downtown waterfront. According to a report from Mass Transit, the new boat, called M/V Doc Maynard, has all the anemities of its sister ship, the Vashon-bound Sally Fox. Both boats support King County’s climate change goals by using a 10 percent blend of homegrown biodiesel to conserve energy and reduce harmful emissions. M/V Doc Maynard will replace The Spirit of Kingston and is the larger of the two vessels. Built by All American Marine in Bellingham, it carries 278 passengers with indoor and outdoor seating options, space for 26 bikes and a better viewing deck for passengers to soak in the scenery. With ridership up 11 percent over the last year, King County’s West Seattle service is expected to serve an estimated 300,000 passengers this year.

Last Friday, former U.S. President Bill Clinton headlined a Seattle fundraiser event to raise money for his wife, democratic presidental candidate and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. The event, which was closed to the media, was held at the Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill and tickets ranged from $250 to $2,700. It was an exclusive event with limited opportunity for access, but, according to King 5 News and The Seattle Times, Clinton made time to mingle and chat with suprised Seattleites in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. After the fundraising event Mr. Clinton made a special guest appearance at Elliot Bay Book Company, where he shook hands, took pictures, signed shirts and even recommended books to book browsers in the store and then enjoyed a vegan “scout” ice cream from Seattle’s Molly Moon’s Ice Cream.

Dick Spady, co-founder or Seattle’s beloved burger chain Dick’s Drive-In, passed away Sunday from natural causes at the age of 92. Spady and his two partners opened the first of seven Dick’s Drive-In‘s in 1954 in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood where, according to KIRO 7, burgers were just 19 cents and Cokes just 10 cents. Over the years, several locations were built around Seattle. The most recent location opened in 2011 in Edmonds. Born in Portland, Spady served in the Navy during WWII and in 1950 he graduated from Oregon State University with a business degree. After graduation, Spady served in Japan during the Koren War. During his time overseas, according to Seattlepi.com, Spady worked as a commissary officer at at Itazuke Air Base where he was responsible for feeding the troops and he ultimately retired from the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is survived by his wife, five children as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.