June 2009

Best Regards owner Mary Hurley has announced her last few days of business. The store will close to customers Saturday, June 27 and the storefront vacated by June 30.

The cards and stationery store at 2242 N.W. Market St., will be closing its doors after 16 years in Ballard.

Hurley is hoping to sell racks and fixtures from her store to other Ballard business owners at a "great deal." All merchandise is at a 50 percent discount, too.

The slumping economy played a large part in her decision to close the store, said Hurley last month when she announced she would close her business.

Hurley, a past president of the Ballard District Council, said a pending hike in her lease due to the sale of the building has also impacted her decision.

"Since last fall, it's been really tough to keep it together," she told the Ballard News-Tribune last month.

Hurley said she will miss the store and her customers, though, as a Ballard resident, she will still see them around the neighborhood.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed being here," she said.

In the hard fought “Battle in West Seattle," at Lincoln Park on June 16, the Bronco Yankee baseball team captured the Southwest Seattle Pony Baseball 2009 Bronco championship in a hard fought battle with the Bronco White Sox team.

Fighting back from a 9-2 deficit, the “Boys in Pin Stripes” went on to win the championship game 12-11 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The win topped off a stellar 20-2 season, which includes a POD and playoff 5-0 record.

The Yankee team, made up of Ben Wexler, Kevin Stordahl, Jordan Sagmoen, Carter Mensing, Trent Moury, Julius Chu-Eneliko, Marco Calderon, Jack Price, Jake George, Thomas Lange, Max Loorem, and Bryan Karl, celebrated after receiving the tournament championship trophies from league president Paul Leonardo.

Thanks to reader Stu Wexler for sending in this story.

While art lovers often wonder what an artist is thinking when creating their work, few are able to observe that process. But the Admiral Theater is now hosting a series in which the audience will not only get to watch art being created but will also hear what inspires it.

The latest Listening Room series will include live music, spoken word and painters working onstage. To begin, a trio of singer/songwriters will perform followed by a spoken word artist.

Inspired by these performers, four painters will paint on canvases in all four corners of the stage, rotating to work on others' canvases as well.

Once they are complete, the four paintings will be auctioned off.

"Hopefully the outcome will be very interesting and eclectic," said Dinah Brein, the event coordinator. "It's about the unknown, you never know what's going to happen,"

Unlike most concerts, the audience will have opportunities to connect with the musicians and artists.

"It will be more interactive than most concerts," said Brein. "The audience doesn't usually get to know the inspiration of art or get to experience the process."

Opening night of the series will be June 20 at 9 p.m. 

With so many unknowns, it’s hard to predict how next year’s budget for the Seattle Public School District is going to affect schools, teachers, and students.

According to district statements, it seems plain and simple: the district is facing a $34 million dollar budget deficit and has to make cuts to close the gap. So far, these have included closing schools and merging--or ending--programs, reducing central office staff, changing start times, reducing transportation, switching to bulk food for student's meals, and laying off 172 teachers.

However, to teacher’s union representatives, parents, and now unemployed teachers analyzing the district’s decisions, it’s not as straightforward as they would make it seem. The district budget and plans for next year have been changing almost every week.

As budget estimates change, and new figures are revealed, the district sends out new statements that stir up a whole new set of issues. The most recent of these announcements was the Reduction In Force list. West Seattle High School was one of the hardest hit schools
in the district, losing a total of its 10 teachers.

Woodland Park Zoo celebrated the birth of snow leopard cubs, a male and a female of the endangered species.

“The birth marks another milestone for Woodland Park Zoo and North American zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), as the cubs will help bolster the genetic diversity of the endangered species,” said zoo Interim Curator Tina Mullett. “These beautiful conservation ambassadors help visitors connect with snow leopards and become inspired to learn about and take action to help preserve their future in their range countries.”

Seven additional snow leopards have been born this year in four other AZA zoos.

Veterinarians performed a neonatal examination today on the cubs. The first-time mom and cubs are off public exhibit to allow bonding and proper nursing.

“We’re pleased to announce that both cubs appear to be progressing normally," said zoo Associate Veterinarian Dr. Kelly Helmick. "They’re healthy and vigorous, and maternal care appears to be very good."

The cubs currently weigh between 3.6 and 4 pounds.

The Greenwood Food Bank will be moving in July to a location across the street from its current building on Greenwood Avenue North.

July 13 will be the food bank's first week in its new location at 1000 Greenwood Ave. N.

Thera Martin, spokesperson for Volunteers of America-Western Washington, which operates the food bank, said the lease for the food bank's building at 9747 Greenwood Ave. N. has ended, and the family that owns the property wants to do something else with it.

Sharon Sykes, manager of the Greenwood Food Bank, said the new space is smaller than the current location, but that it shouldn't be a problem.

“Each month, the Greenwood Food Bank serves approximately 3,000 individuals," Sharon Paskewitz, program director for Volunteers of America, said in an email. "During this transition, Volunteers of America remains committed to serving individuals in the Greenwood community.”

Sitting above the “center of the universe," Ballard resident Kristen Ramirez has become the Rapunzel of Fremont.

Perched in the northeast Fremont Bridge tower, she experiences the happenings of the neighborhood in what she now calls her art studio.

Opposite from Rapunzel’s captive state, Ramirez was chosen by Seattle's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to serve as the artist-in-residence in the tower this summer to create a $20,000 public art piece.

“In terms of how I got this project it was a competitive process,” she said. “They selected a certain number of finalists and we all had to interview. They didn’t want to know what you would do, they wanted to know what you’ve done in the past, what kind of artist you are and what you’re interested in.”

After major upgrades to the bridge were completed last fall, the city started its search to fill an artist residency spot.

Ramirez, 38, who left her northern California roots seven years ago to earn a master’s in fine arts in printmaking at the University of Washington, said she ended up falling in love with Seattle and hasn't been home since.

According to Seattle Police, on June 15 at 12:15 p.m. Southwest Precinct patrol officers responded to a report of an assault at the Southwest Community Center. A 12-year-old girl had struck a 12-year-old boy in the head twice with a backpack full of rocks. According to police reports, an argument occurred over a discussion the victim was having with a friend in regards to another girl.

Witnesses claimed that after the victim fell to the ground "his eyes rolled back in his head and his body began to twitch." When fire department personnel arrived at the scene the boy was still unconscious.

The boy was treated at the scene by Seattle Fire medics and then transported to Harborview Medical Center for additional treatment. His injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

The suspect claimed to police that she had accidentally struck the victim with her back pack when he ran by and denied that they had argued. An officer has informed the girl's mother that her daughter could be facing assault charges although she is currently released into the custody of her parents. She has also been suspended for the remainder of the school year.

Ballard High School girls gymnastics coach Stephanie Gundel was named KingCo 4A Coach of the Year for her work with the Beavers this past winter season.

Under her coaching, Ballard sophomore Taylor Sterns placed 10th all-around Feb. 10 at the Washington State Individual Gymnastics Meet.

In other news, Derek Fulwiler, first-year girls basketball coach at Ballard High School, resigned from his position last month.

The Beavers finished 24-3 and placed fourth in the state in 2008 under coach Karen Blair, but finished 3-17 in last place in the league in 2009.

The school is currently searching for Fulwiler's replacement.

Cooper Elementary School will host a benefit tonight for one of their families who lost their home in a recent fire. The event was originally scheduled for June 15 but was rescheduled for tonight.

Since Cooper is closing this year, their PTA funds are distributed to other schools and cannot be used to help the family.

Tonight the school will host a dinner and a movie event at Cooper to raise funds to help replace all that was lost. The public is invited to attend and enjoy a good movie and meal and to help the family.

The dinner will be an open taco bar and the movie shown is "Hotel for Dogs." Cooper Elementary School is located at 1901 S.W. Genesse St.

A $5 suggested donation is asked, but any donation amount is welcome. All proceeds will go to the replacement of household items and the kids toys.