May 2009

Loyal Heights Elementary School will get a new principal, Wayne Floyd, starting June 1.

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., and Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno made the appointment for the 2009-2010 school year, along with several others.

Current Loyal Heights principal Cashel Toner will take over Leschi Elementary School, which is absorbing T.T. Minor's Montessori program. That school is closing this year.

Toner was chosen for Leschi due to her experience with Montessori programs, said David Tucker, school district spokesperson.

Floyd has been an integral part of Seattle Public Schools for the past 31 years, according to the district. He served as co-principal at Wing Luke Elementary for one year and as interim principal at Cleveland High School.

Lt. Steven Paulsen has reported that there has been a rise of burglaries this month in the Highland Park neighborhood, which detectives suspect are being caused by Latino gang members.

Similar burglaries have also been occurring in south King County.

Items typically stolen include cash and jewelry, things that can easily be sold or traded. These incidents have commonly occurred mid-week, during the day when residents are at work.

Paulsen said arrests have been made but that they are still searching for additional suspects.

Both Paulsen and Precinct Captain Joe Kessler, advised local residents to start community a block watch to defend their homes against burglaries.

Meanwhile, many other types of crime have decreased in the past month in West Seattle. Car prowls are down 10 percent and auto thefts have decreased from 36 in March to 23 in April. Assaults also decreased by 50 percent across the community.

When a King County Sheriff's deputy put out the call to fellow officers for assistance, it was because he was in a street fight with man who had been threatening passersby and challenging them to fight.

The deputy had been looking for the man near White Center Fieldhouse park earlier when he learned the man had made his way to busy 16th Avenue Southwest, the main street that runs through White Center. The deputy found the man near 106th and 16th Southwest in the street.

When the deputy confronted the man, according to witnesses at a nearby coffee shop, the fight began. The officer radioed for help, telling the dispatcher that he was dealing with a subject in a state of "excited delirium.”

Deputies from the Sheriff's department in Burien rushed to the scene along with Burien Police and at least six police vehicles and one fire truck responded to the scene. It took several officers to finally subdue the man after Officer Brown had him on the ground, according to Sgt. J.R. Hall, incident commander.

The Admiral Theater has been included in the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), as it will host, from June 5 to June 11, a variety of modern films from around the world.

"We are honored that the prestigious Seattle International Film Festival has chosen the Historic Admiral Theater as one of its official screening venues," said theater representatives. "We're looking forward to working together this year and hope we can continue a partnership for many years to come."

Now in its 35th year, SIFF is the largest and most highly-attended film festival in the United States, showcasing more than 400 films from more than 60 countries to an audience of 150,000 attendees annually. It's listed by Variety magazine as one of the world's "50 do not miss film festivals."

“We’re thrilled to have a home at the Admiral Theater for this year’s festival,” said SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence. “West Seattle is a terrific place for SIFF to reach out to find new audiences and showcase films from around the world that would not otherwise be seen in this neighborhood. My home is in West Seattle, so it’s especially gratifying for me to have this new association.”

The West Seattle High School Parent Teacher Student Association’s 5K Run will take place in conjunction with the Alki and Seattle Summer Streets Party, Sunday, May 31 on Alki Avenue Southwest from California Way Southwest to 63rd Avenue Southwest 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Seattle Summer Streets is a city program that will open up streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, and aims to celebrate the spirit and personality of their neighborhood, and support local businesses, according to the city.

Each event is organized by a local group.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase Alki Beach in a way the locals and visitors don’t get a chance to see on a daily basis,” said Joe Fraser, general manager of Duke’s Chowder House. “People can walk along the boardwalk and see what the buzz is about. From boutique retail shops to restaurants, Alki is the place to be.”

Indus Workhouse, a new housing development at 2411 Harbor Ave. S.W., will combine living units with retail or office space so that residents would have the opportunity to work just steps away from their homes.

The project will include 13 three-story town homes. Windermere’s John Cowan explained that each level is 600 square feet. The top two stories will contain two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and other living spaces. The bottom level will be designed for retail and office space.

Each level of the units will have a separate entrance to ensure privacy.

The northeast side of the building has views of the water and rooftop decks are strategically located to maximize views, looking out above the adjacent ship yard,

Cowan said aesthetically the buildings will have a modern design. Designer DB2 will be building steel trusses on inside with metal siding and roofing.

He added that the complex is Built Green certified and will include many “green” features including Built Green Bamboo hardwoods, concrete floors, caesarstone counters, low-toxic interior paints and low pile carpets. Developers are aiming for platinum LEED certification.

The campaign to re-elect Greg Nickels as Seattle's mayor announced today that six unions have pledged support to the two-term incumbent's re-election campaign.

The unions endorsing the mayor include the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 751, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, The Washington State Council of County and City Employees (AFSCME Council 2), UNITE HERE Local 8, the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Laborers Local 440.

The unions cited Nickels record of supporting working people and focus on job creation, according to a release from Nickels campaign.  

"I really appreciate the support of each of these organizations," Nickels said. "I've worked hard over the last eight years to make Seattle a great place for working people, but we have more to do to get people through this tough economic time, and I intend to continue to make that a priority over the next four years."
 
The unions represent tens of thousands of working people in the city of Seattle.
 

How is it possible to balance work, family, friends, community and personal time?

There are some simple steps that can go a long way toward helping us all find balance in our busy lives. The key is to assess whether you are living consistently with what you believe to be important.

I’m a lover of lists. It keeps me from being distracted and helps me feel successful to see checked- off items that I’ve completed during the day.

My sister, a consummate list maker, even stores lists on the computer that include everyday chores and events with blank lines for adding specific tasks. She has created a grocery shopping list with everything in her cupboard that has been categorized and some empty slots, so she can put a check next to items as she uses them up.

This keeps her from spending money on things she already has and helps her remember what she needs, preventing multiple grocery store trips (and wasted time trying to remember what she forgot).

Consider sitting down for 30 minutes and writing out your weekly plans. Look specifically for items that are unappealing and unnecessary.

The Metropolitan King County Council recently adopted a set of priorities to guide the county executive’s development of a budget plan for 2010 with priority placed on efficiency in government and the protection of public safety, health and human services, and the physical environment.

The county is facing a gap between projected revenues and expenses for next year approaching 50 million dollars.

“The economic challenges facing King County call upon us to find ways to maintain the safety net for our most needy and vulnerable populations, and to provide mandated services in a period of shrinking revenues,” said council member Larry Gossett, chair of the council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. “The priorities we adopted today reflect the idea that in protecting the safety, health, and quality of life of King County citizens, we must look beyond our standard way of preparing the budget.”

The Seattle Playwrights Studio (SPS) presents its seventh Annual Showcase of New Works, May 29, 30 and 31 at ArtsWest.

The program commemorates the eighth anniversary of the founding of SPS, and highlights the works in progress of its 21 members.

This year's showcase of new works comprises three evenings of staged readings, performed by local actors. Each night offers a completely different sampling of plays, followed by a reception where the audience can enjoy refreshments and conversation with the writers and actors.

The evening of Friday, May 29 features work by Lyn Coffin, Kirsten Fatland, Carl Nelson and Ann Teplick.

On the next night, Saturday, Lea Galanter, Judy Jacobs, Babs Lindsay and Jeff Mandels will be welcomed.

And on Sunday: Scot Bastian, Len Goodisman, Mavis Lamb, George Savage and Dave Tucker.

SPS was created to provide the opportunity for playwrights to hear their plays-in-progress read aloud and to receive moderated feedback from fellow writers in a supportive environment. Under the support of ArtsWest, SPS meets three times per month.