In boys wrestling, the Ballard Beavers went through a rough stretch this month with losses to Redmond 63-9, Inglemoor 66-6 and Woodinville 63-9.
The Beavers, lead by coach Glen Bell, showed promise in a narrow defeat by Juanita 36-29 with a number of wrestlers stepping up to earn the respect of the Rebels.
Sophomore Josh Ochoa won by forfeit in the 112-pound division.
If you ever attended school you were supposedly taught things like algebra, chemistry, language arts and history. But how often did you ever care? How often did you want to learn, and how often did you fully understand what you were being taught?
More commonly than not, school systems drive their students into a realm of intellectually exhausted apathy.
I just read there's a large concentration of caffeine in Puget Sound. It seems that some of our lattes end up down the drain. Imagine the havoc this must wreak on the undersea kingdom, so near, yet mostly invisible.
I envision caffeinated sea lions swimming in nonstop circles frantically hoping a friendly fisherman will toss them some biscotti.
Even sadder will be the effect on those denizens of the deep, the reclusive giant Pacific octopus, one of the largest in the world.
As a trainer, I often hear about aspirations to lose weight, and a lot of it. When I hear how much individuals want to lose in such a short time I am surprised, it's tragic really, because in order to reach this effect there has to be a considerable amount of effort. And the reality is there are few who realize how much.
This is what is unrealistic; 10 pounds in one month.
What's wrong with this, you ask? If you want to lose this much weight you have to undertake a major lifestyle change.
Snow, wind and the deep freeze - should we next be expecting locusts or frogs? Probably most of the gardeners have had all the winter we care for and are ready for spring.
Well, spring does comes early in Puget Sound country with the annual Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. This year, the show runs from February 14 - 19. Expect to find the Lazy Gardener volunteering at one of the exhibits during the show.
November's hard freeze plus January's deep freeze may well have wreaked some havoc in gardens dependent on less hardy plants.
On Feb. 6 the Seattle School District will ask voters to approve $490 million in taxpayer money for major rebuilds and renovations for seven Seattle schools, including buildings in West Seattle.
But are they the right schools?
It's important not to overlook the beautiful, state-of-the-art buildings past levies have built, such as West Seattle High School and Madison Middle School.
On Feb. 6, Seattle voters can renew their commitment to educating every child in the city. Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 are renewals of expiring levies, not new taxes.
Proposition 1, a six-year bond measure, will provide funds to remodel seven school buildings, including a new Denny Middle School on the campus of Chief Sealth. Chief Sealth will also get major upgrades.
On Feb. 6, Seattle voters will be asked to vote for or against two levies brought forth by the Seattle Public Schools. One of the levies is for the operating fund and one is for capital improvements.
The operating levy represents about 23 percent of the operating budget of the district. It is a key component to the normal operations of the schools. The last time this levy failed was in 1975 and it took the district years to recover.
I was shocked when I called the West Seattle Herald recently and no one answered the phone during working hours.
I wanted to reach Tim St. Clair or Jack Mayne. I did reach Tim through the circulation department, who notified him.
If the Robinson Newspapers want to cut back on costs, about the worst cost saving they could offer is not having anyone to answer the phone or to be available when someone comes in the door.
The West Seattle Herald is the only newspaper I subscribe to and it is the way I get the news.
Editor's Note: This letter was written to Governor Chris Gregoire, State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and House Speaker Frank Chopp, among others.
We are writing to ask that state and city decision-makers join together in taking concrete, practical steps toward moving us forward on the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
