July 2007

Johnson returns for his academy

By Dean Wong

Michael Johnson grew up on the basketball courts of Ballard, learning the game, becoming a star at the local high school and going on to the college and professional game.

Johnson now has a vision of giving back to the community through his Hoopaholics Academy's basketball clinics coming to Ballard July 23 to 26 and August 13 to 16 for boys and July 10 to 13 for girls.

As a boy, Johnson and his father had the key to the gymnasium at the Ballard Boys and Girls Club.

You've had breakfast, now try dinner

Senor Moose

5242 Leary Ave. N.W.

784-5568

Open 7 days, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

By Patricia Devine and Jim Anderson

In December of 1852 David and Arthur Denny and William Bell set off to explore the area north of Elliott Bay searching for good land. Bell, discouraged by the exhausting job of fighting through the incredibly dense vegetation and cold steady rain, turned back around 2 p.m.

The brothers continued on until they reached the tidewater, called Shilshole by the native residents. This is the first time on record that Shilshole was seen by Euro-Americans. The settlers soon named the tidewater Salmon Bay because of the huge seasonal salmon runs.

Musician Karin Kajita's reflection is seen on the lid of a piano during a performance at Egan's Ballard Jam House on June 21 as part of Jack Straw Productions Artist showcase. Jack Straw Productions is a non-profit audio production facility that works with artists, musicians and school children in producing recordings.

Do you ever think you are awash in stories in the newspaper, on television and on the Internet about the plans of government and quasi-government to make Seattle and the Puget Sound region better and ready for the expected deluge of new residents over the next five, ten, fifty years?

Do news stories about the woes of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the 520 floating bridge give you heartburn because each of them seems to come with a higher and higher billions of dollars price tag.

Proposal would restore worker union rights

By Rick Bender

If it's not clear to you by now, President Bush and the rest of the Republican Party think it should be exceedingly difficult for workers to form unions.

In fact, they would prefer that it be impossible.

On June 26, Republicans blocked a U.S. Senate vote on the House-approved Employee Free Choice Act reforming federal labor laws to allow workers to choose card-check union elections.

A taxi stand was installed last month in front of Bergen Place Park at 22nd Avenue Northwest at Northwest Market Street to promote a new designated driver and safe-ride home program.

It's part of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center's Last Call.

Starting in August 2008, Ballard High School students are going to enjoy a new athletic field and track.

Plans are moving forward on the Seattle School District's plans to construct a multi-purpose field at the high school.

Field reconstruction is part of the Building Technology and Academics Levy passed in 2004. The $1.65 million dollar project calls for a six-lane running track surrounding a synthetic turf field designed to accommodate football, soccer and lacrosse games, as well as track and field events.

The Regional Transportation Investment District's road and transit financing funding package got closer to the November ballot last week when the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved the plan for submittal to voters in the three-county district.

Action by either the Snohomish or the Pierce county councils (or both) is still required for the Regional Transportation package to appear with the Sound Transit Phase 2 plan on the November ballot.

The $9.7 billion regional road-building plan will be combined on the ballot with a $23.6 billion proposal

Initial results from the recent inspection revealed that a section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct has settled an additional one-quarter of an inch to a total of approximately five inches.

The settlement continues to occur in the same area between Columbia Street and Yesler Way. No new structural damage was caused by the additional settlement, such as widening cracks or development of new cracks.

"The viaduct is still safe for drivers.