January 2008

Every day Seattleites hop in their cars ready to start another day. For a lucky few, the commute is easy.

When defending Madison Middle School geography bee champion, Sean Keller, missed a question about tornados midway through the preliminary round, his confidence was shaken, but he got his confidence back.

"By the end of the round, when I realized that no one had gotten through with a perfect score."

As it turned out, Keller was perfect the rest of the day.

Washington State Ferries is now using the Winter Ferry Sailing Schedule until March 29.

The winter season is traditionally a slow season for the ferry system so seasonal cuts or changes in service are made to save money. This is the fifth year for these seasonal cuts, which save approximately $500,000 a year.

During the winter, service between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C.

Mayor Greg Nickels has nominated Julie Nelson as the new director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights.

Nickels selected Nelson after an extensive nationwide search, headed by a committee made up of community representatives and representatives from Seattle Office of Civil Rights's three commissions - Sexual Minorities Commission, Seattle Women's Commission and the Human Rights Commission.

State Sen. Joe McDermott, D-West Seattle, has introduced legislation to protect and clarify the press rights of high school and college journalists.

McDermott's bill would prohibit unwarranted censorship of student media.

"Gaining experience in real life journalism is an important part of the learning process," McDermott said. "This puts students that much closer to success in their professional careers."

Student media groups believe that censorship has increased since the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court decision in 1988.

A customer walks into Nail Time salon on California Avenue and vigorously shakes off the cold. Within seconds a few women greet her by name.

Around 2 a.m. Sunday, at 8th and Cloverdale, a man and woman were walking, waiting for a light to change, when two men leapt from a passing Honda and demanded the man?s money. When he denied having any, one of the suspects pulled a knife and chased the man across the street, stabbing him in the leg and torso. The couple?s screams alerted citizens who called 911, and one who yelled for the victim to get to the fire station across the street for treatment.

The print editions of the (Ballard News-Trubune) (West Seattle Herald) (White Center News) (Highline Times) (DesMoines News) (Sea-Tac News) (Federal Way News) will be home delivered and mailed one day late this week due to mechanical break. We apologize for the disruption in your service. If you desire to call our circulation department, the number is 206.932.6456.

Growing up as a kid in West Seattle, I never realized how much my neighborhood had to offer. Sure it had parks, beaches, restaurants and schools. But didn't every town?

It was only after moving away for four years of college and a couple years abroad exploring the rest of the planet that I came back to truly discover my hometown. And when I did, I found opportunities abound.

All of the sudden (it seemed), West Seattle had grown a farmer's market, unveiled a playhouse, launched kayak treks on Alki, opened it's very own brewery, and a whole lot more.

Team finally at top of league

By Dean Wong

It has taken five season in KingCo for the Ballard Beavers to climb to the top of the league and now the team is looking towards the playoffs and a possible berth at state.

The team is an impressive 9-1 in KingCo and 14 and 1 overall. Ballard is riding the momentum of winning the Surf N' Slam championship during the holidays in San Diego.

"We have a long road ahead of us. It will be tough come playoff time.," said head coach Karen Blair.