I love stories that are unique and personal. Ballard is changing very fast but it's important to remember how it used to be. There is a lot of history that should be remembered.
Liz Sternberg
Seattle
"A warrior knows no gender," Edith told me. "Never forget that, lest you imprison yourself."
I wish to personally thank the Ballard News-Tribune and writer Steve Shay for sensitively portraying my friend Edith Macefield, and for giving our community an insider's view of an amazing local icon.
"Maybe all those damned reporters will all get re-assigned to the Mideast," she mused a few months before her passing. "In my day, overt rudeness got rewarded with a switch!"
Now, can the community put her to rest?
My wife died in 1994 from breast cancer. Her two sons were ages 11 and 7 years.
Even though it has been some time since she was taken from us whenever a news story (June 25, News-Tribune, Page 2) comes up about cancer my youngest is sure to say that "If Mom had gotten cancer now shed would have probably survived."
We have come a long way but it still is with us. Thank you for your efforts to find a cure.
Ed Macy
Ballard
I have been telling people for years we need to preserve that house where it is as it is. I am more than willing to get involved if such a movement takes hold. Let me know if any traction has been generated by your editorial. Let's get this thing going! Take care!
Jordan Gussin
Ballard
I read your article in the Ballard News-Tribune earlier this evening, and was touched by Edith Macefield's unwillingness to surrender to the powers that be.
It is people like her that put things into perspective in this fast-paced, booming society. I have the utmost respect for those who do things not because they want attention, but because they see the fundamental value in doing something just for the sake of doing it without any expectations of fame, fortune, or even a simple acknowledgment. Money has a greater chance at leading to delusion than it does happiness.
Restore government vision
By Jonathan Bechtle
Do you see any problem with our state's ban on smoking in public places? What about Seattle's prohibition on restaurants using trans fats? These laws may make us feel more comfortable or healthy, but is it the role of government to micro-manage our personal health choices?
Or what about the now-defunct Monorail's use of eminent domain to take a large parcel of property in Seattle's Pioneer Square, most of which it planned to sell for a profit?
Despite the constant drumbeat of housing doom and gloom reported nationally, Ballard's single-family home market is still rosy but has a few faded blooms.
Nationwide, home values have dropped nearly15 percent in one year.
Forty-three years of tradition ended last week in one hour as demolition crews turned the Ballard Denny's into a pile of rubble to make way for a condominium.
The building with its unique roof and architectural features, designed by architect Clarence Mayhew, opened as a Mannings Restaurant in 1965 and the Denny's chain took over in 1983, continuing a tradition of 24-hour service and a place for the neighborhood to gather.
Owners BCC Mikie Ballard LLC will build an eight-story, 260-unit condominium on the site.
"I think it is sad," said Randi Hansen.
Ballard, already exceeding its 20-year growth targets by 174 percent, seems an obvious choice for a neighborhood plan update, but the community may have to wait at least a year to see who goes first.
The Seattle City Council is getting set to vote on a proposal to update and assess the status of the city's 38 Neighborhood Plans, which would include establishing a citywide Neighborhood Plan Advisory Group.
The plans were adopted by the city in 1999 and identify actions aimed at managing growth over a 20-year period in each major neighborhood.
The group would be
Parks department officials are working with local residents to start a Friends of North Beach Park group to help maintain the greenbelt.
A meeting held on June 23 was a follow up one held in May, when over 30 homeowners complained about illegal trails, encroachment on city property by residents and dumping of trash in the park.
Seattle Parks and Recreation crew chief Patrick Merriam said he inspected the park and found beer bottles, graffiti on trees and debris left in the park.
"When I walked through it, it is a unique property and should be left alone and not
