June 2007

It was a mission that was doomed from the very beginning.

The Four-Period Day Steering Committee was formulated in such a way that there was no hope of any real compromise. "The process was dysfunctional...we were doomed from the beginning, although parents did come to the table with open minds ready to work and tried very hard," said Nancy Swenson, a parent committee member.

It was parents who wanted to dump four periods, versus staff, teachers and a few parents who wanted the status quo.

Editor's Note: This letter was posted on the Ovio Bistro website.

Dear friends and fans of Ovio Bistro,

They say all good things must come to an end, and so it is with sadness that we must tell you that after nearly five years in West Seattle, Ovio Bistro will be closing at the end of June. It was a very difficult decision to make, but one that we feel will be best for our family at this time. As you know, we have worked very hard and put a lot into this restaurant ...

Competitive figure skating comes so close to self-parody that poking fun at it seems a little like shooting fish in a barrel

"Blades of Glory," the new Will Ferrell comedy, has no qualms about taking aim at an easy target. Its charm, in fact, seems to rest in its willingness to let loose with both barrels on every silly excess of the sport.

We want to say thank you to Shing and Ellie Chin, owners of Ovio Bistro for their tremendous commitment to the West Seattle community over the last five years.

When the doors close at the end of the month, they will leave a huge hole in our community. They may be known for their amazing fried chicken, spectacular wine list and becoming our first destination restaurant, but they should be remembered for their contribution to the West Seattle community.

Concerning the May 23 White Center News article by Tim St. Clair ("What if we had an election and (almost) nobody came").

There were only 32 votes cast in this recent May 19 North Highline Unincorporated Area Council election.

In the June 6 West Seattle Herald there was an article titled, "These cats need their space." In the article The Kenney was mentioned as a "nursing home" facility. In reality, we are a "continuing care retirement community," offering independent living, retirement living, assisted living and health center programs and services. It was also noted that we do not accept companion animals in our community, which is untrue.

We've lived in West Seattle and raised our children for nearly 20 years now on Gatewood Hill. The West Seattle community is similar to Capitol Hill where we grew up but a quarter of the costs for a young couple with new babies, at least at that time.

By community, we celebrate birthdays, attend funerals of our friend's moms and dads, bar and bat mitzvahs for nieces and nephews, first communions, graduations and weddings.

Some people get their thrills from skydiving or bungee jumping.

But not local drag racer Dan Benham.

Benham gets his thrills from the release of a button that sends his car to speeds of 169 miles-per-hour in an 8.9 second quarter-mile.

This is Benham's seventh year of competition in National Hot Rod Association's (NHRA) Division Six in the Super Comp division-a division in which he had a ninth-place finish in 2005, and placed second in overall points at the National Open Series.

After his top-10 finish, last season was "somewhat disappointing," Benha

Boating

Coast Guard Auxiliary

Ongoing

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Des Moines Flotilla No. 32 regularly offers Boating Safety and Seamanship courses at Mount Rainier High School.

They cover the full range of boating safety subjects, including federal requirements, basic piloting, marlin spike, seamanship and boat handling.

The instruction is free, although there is a nominal fee for the student text and work books.

This oversized ape was found on Eighth Avenue Northwest last week. It was actually quite harmless.