September 2007

It has been a good month for the Ballard Food Bank. Last week the organization accepted a $10,000 donation from the Ballard Rotary Club and a new executive director has been hired.

Food bank Board of Director's President Monica Greenberg was not ready to release the name of the new director, but promised to introduce her to the community in the coming weeks.

A new operations manager, Peggy Bailey has also joined the staff to run the food collection and storage part of the organization.

"The food bank is here to provide assistance to folks who need food.

Members of the Ballard Lions have been busy organizing their Golden Ears fundraiser on Oct. 5 and 6, and starting a new service club for local high school students.

While the Golden Ears Days take place annually, for the very first time, the Ballard Lions have started a Leo Club at Ballard High School.

With Lions Club membership peaking at 40, the club is targeting a younger audience.

The Seattle City Council has said it would wait one year before considering forcing nightlife establishments to obtain controversial licenses and aide by certain operating rules.

Mayor Greg Nickels had proposed last year that clubs and bars should apply for licenses and adhere to rules preventing litter, violence and excessive noise. It also required businesses to police around their property.

Seattle City Council members Nick Licata, Tom Rasmussen and David Della have proposed adding 24 traffic-safety cameras to the City's Red-Light Camera Program at a cost of approximately $1 million dollars.

The council members' recommendation follows a draft evaluation report released in July that showed a great deal of promise for the City's Red-Light Camera Program.

This report found that violations decreased by one third and the severity of collisions decreased overall at the six intersections where the cameras are installed.

Rains couldn't dampen the spirit of the merchants or shoppers at the Farmer's Market on Sunday. Several merchants mentioned that the crowd was surprisingly good despite the heavy rains. "This area always turns out for the market," said the people at Tiny's of Wenatchee, one of the fruit merchants.

The Department of Neighborhoods is adding more hours and more places for passport applications, offered Tuesday through Friday.

Delridge Neighborhood Service Center, 5405 Delridge Way S.W., Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Saturdays.

West Seattle Neighborhood Service Center, 4205 S.W. Alaska St., Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturdays.

Passports usually take 10-12 weeks and are mailed directly. Expedited service is available (at least 14 days prior to travel) for an additional $60.

When I got the call from Sally Ganong urging me to attend the annual reunion block party for the Fentonwood community, I grabbed Elsbeth and away we went.

After all, we were once residents in this cluster of dramatically different homes in the Shorewood area. We were so stunned by this group of 19 homes designed by West Seattle's Bob Norsen we bought one instantly. This was in 1962 and to this day they are the most uniquely designed homes I have ever seen. This clever man was way ahead of his time. He pioneered epoxy resin entries and full size bathtubs.

"Sicko," Michael Moore's documentary about the American healthcare system, starts out with a clever sleight-of-hand.

Three children race handmade zucchini racers at the West Seattle Farmers Market annual event on Sunday. Photo by Patrick Robinson.