December 2006

I have known Steve Cox for six or seven years and in that time came to regard him as a friend. I believe that he regarded me likewise.

This Community has lost a true asset, the kind that is not measured in monetary value but in human value.

I don't know a lot about Steve's background. Steve did not talk much about the past, but was always looking to the future and how it was going to be better. From what I know Steve grew up in Shorewood, went to Evergreen High School and on to Central Washington University.

Nightlife premises in West Seattle and throughout the city would be required to abide by specific security, litter and noise regulations if the Seattle City Council approves legislation proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels last month.

Nickels says the new rules aim to improve communication and resolve disputes between booming nighttime businesses in the heart of dense neighborhoods. The proposal would also give the city more power to control establishments that become neighborhood nuisances.

Earlier drafts of the legislation targeted businesses with live music or disc jockeys.

- A license is required if the business is used at any time between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The ethical tradeoffs involved in replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct were discussed at a business forum where they presented this dilemma: Would it better to monkey-wrench comparatively few businesses for a shorter construction period or just inconvenience a lot more people for a longer time?

Such moral questions, with an emphasis on how they might affect businesses that depend on the waterfront corridor, arose frequently at a forum held in the Diamond Club at Safeco Field.

The shop at 4737 California Ave. S.W. has housed a succession of bakeries over the past 80 years, most recently Remo Borracchini's Bakery. Before that it was Blake's Bakery for decades. Now the place has another bakery almost cooked through.

Bakery Nouveau is the product of West Seattle resident William Leaman, leader of a three-person baking team that won the 2005 World Cup of Baking in Paris.

Westside School celebrates its 25 year anniversary this year.

Starting as just a kindergarten, Westside School now serves students in preschool to fifth grade. Westside is West Seattle's only elementary school to be accredited by the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools.

Westside started with only 11 kindergarten students in a small classroom. Alice Howell, along with a group of West Seattle parents, founded the school in 1981. They were committed to opening a kindergarten with positive, esteem-building curriculum.

The Food Research and Action Center says Seattle joins five other cities at the bottom of the food stamp participation list, with barely half of eligible people receiving food assistance through the federal Food Stamp Program.

The program is called the Basic Food Program in Washington State.

The center's data is based on an indicator that compares persons below 130 percent of the federal poverty level to persons participating in the Food Stamp program in 2004.

Joining Seattle at the bottom of the list are San Diego, Las Vegas, Jacksonville and Los Angeles.

The city of Seattle announced five civic improvement projects in West Seattle won grants of up to $15,000 each in the latest quarterly round of "small and simple grants" from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

The city awarded money to 21 community projects around the city. In each case, the local community matches the city's contribution with an equal or greater amount of money, volunteer labor and donated materials.

Alki's smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty has been recast and now needs a new plaza on the Alki promenade.

"I urge those with a strong interest in pedestrian issues and keeping Seattle a walkable city to consider this important position" said Nickels.

The board was established in 1993 and advises the mayor, City Council and departments on issues related to pedestrian safety and accessibility. These include policies and plans affecting the pedestrian environment, and ongoing input on projects throughout the city which could potentially change that pedestrian environment.

Plant now after wet weather

By Stephen Lamphear

A couple days of the deep freeze could have severely damaged gardens across Puget Sound. Below 20 degrees is not normal for the region. Plants on the edge of hardiness and those hardy in less severe Zone 8 winters may have suffered.

But don't get out and chop things willy-nilly. It will be necessary to wait until spring to assess the full effects of the November deep freeze. Fortunately, it was only a couple days.