July 2007

The Washington State Department of Transportation will team up with a Mukilteo contractor on repairs that could mean long delays for drivers heading north into downtown Seattle this August.

The state and Concrete Barrier Inc. will help protect drivers and extend the life of the freeway by paving more than one mile of northbound Interstate 5 and replacing failing bridge expansion joints between Spokane Street and I-90. The transportation department awarded the construction contract to Concrete Barrier Inc.

In a recent ceremony at Pier 36, West Seattle resident Chief Quartermaster Stuart Dederick retired after 30 years in the United States Coast Guard.

Dederick served on five ships (Yocona, Midgett, Blackhawk, Morganthau, and Munro) and saw action in the Persian Gulf following the first Gulf War.

Saying she was "bored," a 14-year-old girl decided to pass the time by standing at the bus stop at 35th and Thistle, and baring her buttocks to passing drivers. She got a ride to her grandmother's house from Seattle police officers and may face criminal charges.

In the Admiral Way repaving zone, an impatient man driving a gray Chevy Impala ignored a flagger's orders to stop. Instead he moved his car forward, striking the flagger in the leg. He then yelled a few obscenities and drove off.

Local teams compete in playoffs

By Dean Wong

Little league teams in the Ballard, Northwest Seattle and Magnolia were busy this month competing in the district and state playoffs, drawing large numbers of parents and fans to local fields.

For the first time in recent memory, two teams representing the Ballard Little League played for the District Eight championships in two age divisions.

A team from another Ballard league, the Northwest Little League Juniors, beat the Ballard Little League Juniors 5-0 to win the District Eight junior championship and

Ballard High School seniors Lucy Miner, Johannah Juarez, and Mikaela Winter, all 17, arrived in line 1:30 p.m. at Secret Garden Bookshop on Friday, for their copy of the final Harry Potter book. By 10 p.m., they still appeared chipper, with their trademark lightning bolt scars and owlish glasses.

Andy Tran and Kim Do walk past the future Ballard Corners Park.

Threat in a condo court ruling

By Paul Guppy

A little over two years ago, the Supreme Court handed down one of the most far-reaching decisions in a generation. In June 2005, five of the nine justices ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that an elderly citizen, Suzzette Kelo, had to sell her home of 55 years to the city, which in turn handed it over to a private developer to build shopping malls and upscale condominiums.

The seeds of a partnership sprouted last week between the Seattle School District, city officials and Crown Hill neighbors to preserve land that residents say brings the community together.

That was true last Wednesday when more than a hundred adults and children joined a community forum at the former Crown Hill Elementary School.

This year's 33rd Annual Ballard SeafoodFest is going green during the weekend event.

The Ballard Chamber of Commerce's new Sustainability Committee has taken a number of measures to reduce material and energy waste generated by the weekend-long festival.

"I suspect that this is the future of events, that there will be more and more push for events to do these kinds of things because clearly we have generated a lot of trash in the past," said Beth Miller, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, which annually organizes the event.

Among the environ

The largest and oldest sidewalk sale in Seattle has become a tradition as the business community welcomes the annual Ballard SeafoodFest each summer with deals and bargains for shoppers.

The four-day sale starts on July 26, two days before the SeafoodFest begins and has been going on since 1942.

"We love to do this for our customers to find bargains and enjoy their shopping in downtown Ballard," said Ballard Merchants Association President Mary Hurley, who owns Best Regards.

Over 100 businesses on Market Street and Ballard Avenue are expected to participate in