March 2009

The Seattle School district has presented a plan to parents that would assign their students to schools based first and foremost on their home address.

At a public meeting at Ballard High School last night, many parents arrived ready to hear where the boundary lines would be drawn for the district's new Student Assignment Plan. But they were told that information would nor be known until this fall.

District representatives said they want to ensure the plan balances every school in every neighborhood with high quality programs, diversity, opportunities for special education and bilingual services and decrease transportation costs by avoiding shipping kids clear across the city.

Tracy Libros, manager of enrollment services at the district, said that the plan would be more predictable and less complex for parents to decipher where their students will attend school beginning at the elementary level and leading to high school.

A major goal with the new plan is to have more families attending schools closer to their homes, thereby bringing services closer to the students who need them and encouraging greater family participation in education, according to the district.

In their first complete match of the season – the March 24 match was called on account of rain halfway through – the Ballard High School girls tennis team fell 6-3 to Garfield.

In singles, only Natasha Noltimier-Strauss was able to pull out a win for Ballard. She beat Garfield's Laura Baron 6-3 and 7-5.

The Beavers fared better in doubles play with two pairs pulling out victories.

Katie Lee and Anna Brokhaug won 8-2 and Sophie Hingten and Kristen Otness won 6-4 and 7-5.

Ballard faces Newport at 3:45 p.m., March 31 at Newport Tennis Courts.

Washington State Department of Transportation bridge inspection crews reported a small amount of settlement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct near Seneca Street. No structural damage or new cracks were found during last weekend’s semiannual inspection and closure.

New settlement in this area was approximately one-quarter of an inch, bringing total settlement near Seneca Street to 1 and 5/8 inches since the Nisqually earthquake in 2001. Tests of the fire detection and suppression systems in the Battery Street Tunnel were successful.

All sprinklers in the tunnel are functioning properly, and only a few of the heat detection devices need repairs, according to a release from the state.

Crews also measured existing cracks on the structure and completed maintenance work including removing loose concrete, repairing expansion joints and damaged bridge rails, cleaning the Battery Street Tunnel and re-painting lane markings the entire length of the viaduct.

Earth Hour - I first became aware of it last year (and mostly because I couldn’t figure out why the Google search engine was all dark). A little light dawned after the fact when I heard about it on the news and did a bit of research.

It’s a pretty cool thing: People all over the world turn off their lights March 28 at 8:30 p.m. – in their time zone, wherever they are - for 60 minutes to cast an (un)enlightened vote of support for Mother Earth.

This year, WWF, the global conservation organization, is looking for 1 billion people to vote against global warming and turn off their lights for one hour.

With some big time participants going dark in 2008 (the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to mention just a couple), it’s an event that has caught on since its inception in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

Results of the ‘voting’ will be brought to the Global Climate Change conference in Copenhagen this year.

The victim stated that on March 26 at about 10:40 p.m., two males in their 30’s wearing gloves and ski masks entered a business in the 7500 block of 35th Avenue Southwest. One was armed with a large butcher knife and the other was armed with a shotgun or something similar, according to the police report.

They demanded money from the cash register. The suspects grabbed the whole cash register and fled the scene. A K-9 tracked to an alley a half a block away, where it appeared the suspects left in a vehicle.

The adult male victim was treated on scene by Seattle Fire for lacerations he sustained during the struggle with one of the suspects. He was later transported to Highline Medical Center for follow up.

The Robbery Unit was contacted and responded to process the scene. The suspects are outstanding and the investigation continues.

Artists Marty Gordon, Robin Harlow, and Terence Healy provide a rousing poke at seriousness in ArtsWest’s exhibition, The Descent of SockMonkey, from April 5 through May 9. 
 
The exhibit was curated specifically to complement the concurrent stage production at ArtsWest, "Gutenberg! The Musical!" running April 15 through May 17.
 
“The artists all apply a sense of satiric whimsy to vintage objects and imagery,” said Gallery Director Nichole DeMent. “So the exhibit really compliments Gutenberg! as an imaginative spoof of “historical” musicals.”
 
The Descent of SockMonkey is display from for free noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. There will be a wine and cheese artist Rrception Thursday, April 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Minister turned artist Marty Gordon collages vintage images from books, religious materials, and encyclopedias for a comic book style commentary on the many ironies within human nature.  Gordon will be one of forty artists featured in the upcoming Lark Books publication, “Masters: Collage” coming out in May 2010. For more on his work, visit his Web site: www.WhatWouldJesusGlue.com.

Nearly 60 "arrests" were made yesterday at the Ballroom, a restaurant and bar in Fremont. Most did not put up a fight, as they were part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Seattle's "Lock-Up" fundraiser, and volunteered to be incarcerated.

To be set free, they had to promise to try to raise $2,000 bail from friends, family and community to donate to Jerry's Kids.

Volunteer and "judge," Dennis Kennedy, a former taxi driver, was recently afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." According to MDA Seattle's Web site, ALS is just one of 43 forms of Muscular Dystrophy.

"When diagnosed I walked around saying, 'not me. No way. I'm going to live forever.' It took me a year to really grab onto it," Kennedy said.

"I’m here to give a face to MDA clients so that people know that the money they raise stays local and helps out actual people," said Tabby Stover, 26, a volunteer at the fundraiser who also has muscular dystrophy.

She handed out books as door prizes.

Lanice Kennedy and her daughter Patience both love charms and charm bracelets. Ever since her husband Glenn gave her a charm
bracelet on their honeymoon she has been collecting them.

Her collection now includes tiny shoes, musical instruments, and charms with special meaning. When she happened to enter a contest on the Rembrandt Charms Web site (they are one of the largest in the world) she didn't think she would win. She didn't win the grand prize but she did become a runner up and was awarded a free sterling silver bracelet and charm.

But rather than just announce it, she chose to make it a surprise for her 11-year-old daughter Patience. She chose the initial P for her name and brought her to Wyatt's Jewelers in Westwood Village where the prize was awarded by owner Kirk Kepler.

She could have chosen any store that carried the charms but chose Wyatt's "because when I came in to have some watch batteries replaced, they were nice as pie."

Lanice explained, "Ever since my husband Glenn gave me a charm bracelet on our honeymoon I've been addicted to them and wanted
to share that with my daughter."

Police are continuing to search this morning for two armed men who robbed John'sCorner Deli on the 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Webster Street at 9:40 p.m. last night.

The two suspects reportedly entered the store, wearing ski masks, with a knife and a firearm, and stole the cash register. The clerk was assault and was taken to Harborview Medical Center with facial injuries.

The suspects have been described as a Hispanic male armed with a shotgun and a Caucasian male armed with a knife. Both are still at large.

A sign posted at the deli says they will open today at 10 a.m.

To see damage inside the store please click on the photo above.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

The Junction Association has started putting up new decorative banners around the local business district starting with Southwest Alaska Street and 44th Avenue Southwest.

New banners read “Downtown West Seattle,” the business district’s new tagline, and advertise the local Farmer’s Market.

According to Susan Melrose, Junction Association executive director, the rest of the banners will be installed this week.

Signs for the Junction's free parking lots will also be put up on 44th Avenue Southwest. The project is part of the Junction's effort to improve the Junction and create an inviting business district.

In April, the Junction Association will also be replanting crosswalk beds using local landscaping company Artegos Designs.