An oak tree estimated to be 40 to 50 years old was destroyed by someone who hacked it with a sharp instrument in downtown Ballard last week.
The tree, located at northwest corner of Leary Avenue Northwest and Northwest Vernon Place was found with a ring gouged out completely around the trunk.
The marks on the tree, appeared to have been done with a chisel or other tool that was used in a downward motion.
Nightlife premises in Ballard 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 rare French bulldog was stolen from the Ballard Pet Store on Nov. 27 and owner Norm Blacksher is willing to pay a $300 reward to get it back.
Around 5 p.m. that day, a man and a woman came into the store. The woman distracted the store's two employees by showing interest in another dog.
When the couple left the store, the French bulldog was found missing.
Dead body; robber to prison
A dead body was found inside the trunk of a car parked on Northwest 100th Place near Carkeek Park on Dec. 3 and police have a suspect in custody.
According to the Seattle Police Incident Report, a woman looked inside her boyfriend's vehicle and found women's clothing and a large plastic bag.
She saw what looked like a body inside.
When the police arrived, the woman was waiting for them outside her duplex. She pointed to a silver Mercury in her driveway. The two officers opened the trunk and saw what appeared to be a body.
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.
Big talent available for Beaver varsity boys team
By Dean Wong
Forty-two Beavers were seen splashing around the Ballard Pool last week and it's an indication of the growth of the Ballard High School boys team in recent years.
Head Coach Michael Bruesch is counting on some new swimmers to blend their talents with returning varsity talent for another successful year in KingCo.
Bruesch is now in his fourth season leading the Beaver program and has built up the depth of the team to keep the program swimming at a high level.
Gabe Pratt and Bria
The flood of new condominiums will bring in people with higher incomes but will also mean many low income people will be squeezed out of the community.
Senior Randi Hansen and 66 other tenants have less than three months left, they will be forced to move out of the Klondike Apartments and three other Ballard buildings because the buildings are in the process of being sold for conversion to condominiums.
"The last word I have is they have to move by March," said Leo Valdok, a local broker who has been handling rental payments on the apartments.
The Klondike and
A new movie came out last week called Who Killed The Electric Car.
Mrs. A brought it home because it seemed like a good movie to watch after enduring Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
Gore's movie was so depressing that I wanted to shut off the power at the breaker box and sit in my dark, cold house in shame for being a member of the human species.
But even though it's no fun to be scolded, it's an important film to see, especially for young people, because they will be saddled with the decisions their elders make today.
1. Federal Way police reported that they apprehended a man with an outstanding warrant for his arrest after pulling over his vehicle during a routine traffic stop. The man, Michael D. Christ, was driving a white 1996 Ford near 32000 Pacific Highway South when officers stopped him for a failure to transfer the vehicle title. Upon searching his record, officers determined that he was driving with a suspended license and that he had a warrant for his arrest. Federal Way police placed Christ into custody and transported him to the King County Justice Center in Kent for booking.
A Kentridge High School student's fight moves on to Olympia.
Across the state, many high school students with developmental disabilities are being denied the privilege of participating in graduation with their classmates.
Many districts won't allow special education students who have completed four years of high school to participate in graduation if they plan on continuing with special education services beyond the fourth year.
"Walking with your friends at graduation is an important right of passage," said State Representative Dave Upthegrove (D - Des Moines)
