October 2007

One expected outcome. One surprise. Three "almosts." That summarizes last Wednesday's 2007 Metro League cross country championship meet for West Seattle and Chief Sealth high schools at Lincoln Park.

West Seattle junior Kyle MacDonald delivered what was expected, and what he expected of himself. Following in the footsteps of Stephanie Honan in 2005 and Kylen Johnson in 2006, MacDonald became the lone runner from his school to advance to the postseason.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council wants to lead a public process to create a "community spaces plan" for what it calls the Denny-Sealth-Southwest Community Center Campus.

The group is waiting to see if it's awarded a $15,000 Seattle Department of Neighborhoods matching fund grant that would help hire a facilitator to guide the process, said Steven Fischer, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council.

It will examine a collection of spaces located in the "heart of the Westwood neighborhood," said Fischer.

Publisher Jerry Robinson was awarded a first place for humor writing in the annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspaper Contest recently and also was given a clock with a funny movement. Robinson writes a regular column that appears in the West Seattle Herald and the White Center News. He began his newspaper career in 1947 and a year later, won his first award, a first place, for a sports story. The annual Better Newspaper Contest recognizes excellence among more than 100 newspapers in communities across the state. Photo by Tim Robinson.

Woodinville breaks winning streak

By Dean Wong

With a four game winning streak and a spot in the playoffs locked up, the Beavers volleyball team hosted unbeaten Woodinville at home last Wednesday.

Woodinville prevailed in that test, defeating the Beavers 3 to 1 on Ballard's home court.

Before the game, head coach Tami Reese said the match up would be a test for her Beavers to see where they stand in KingCo.

The top eight KingCo teams qualify for the playoffs and Ballard is in fourth place behind Woodinville, Bothell and Eastlake.

It took two years for Ballard resident Matt Smith and a pair of his equally laid-back buddies from his Washington State University days to sail their 44-footer from Shilshole Marina to Tacoma. Sure, they could have made it in one day, but they decided to take the long way around, via Mexico, Bora Bora, Australia, Cape Town, and the Panama Canal.

Smith, 29, was a Boeing engineer for nearly five years. Then he rented out his house in Ballard before embarking on the SohCahToa with Casey McNeese, and Jeff Stewart, on August 23rd, 2005. On Sept.

Olivia McIntyre, 6, screams into a telephone transmitter for Ballard Goodwill store manager Tony Barnes. Constume consultants will be on hand every Saturday in the month.

Jessie Trost picks up a handful of marble-size hailstones on the sidewalk in front of Ballard Library. The storm hit at noon last Friday and lasted about 15 minutes.

Marble-size hailstones collect on the steps of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ballard. The storm hit at noon, Friday, October 19th, and lasted about 15 minutes.

A child's poor performance in school can be caused by many things, but should be a signal to parents to take a closer look.

As kids go back to school, parents should take note.

I am responding to the letter titled "Why live next to a playfield?" (Oct. 17). I would say "Why put a sports complex next to the houses?"

Loyal Heights Playfield used to be a nice grassy field, with softball, baseball, and football being played eight or nine months of the year. The field would rest and recover the other three or four months a year, giving the neighborhood some much needed down time as well. The traffic congestion was bad at times, but not every night. In between baseball and football seasons there were breaks. The athletes and the neighborhood co-existed relatively peacefully, in spite of the noise of the games and practice, because of those breaks.

The (adult) soccer players of Seattle were not satisfied though. When they see a grass playfield with lights, they do not rest until it is replaced with artificial turf. Read their web sites. They have a paid lobbyist to work on this goal. All they want is more fields. It's all they care about - not preserving the neighborhoods, not cooperating together, not compromising.

Every Seattle city park is not an appropriate place for a sports complex with activity every night.