November 2009

It won't be long now before there's a verdict...Can Thomas Jefferson sophomore Amber Cratsenberg reel in the Swimmer Of The Meet honor in two weeks (Nov. 12-14) at the 4A state swimming and diving championships for her school, coached by Wendy Neely?

And can Todd Beamer junior Rachel Kim provide a threat to the Raider stars' hopes of being Swimmer Of The Meet, or Kentlake's Chelsea Bailey?

And after Beamer beat TJ second place to sixth in team scores of the recent West Central District district meet held Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Rogers pool -- can Neely's husband and Beamer swim coach Malcolm Neely, beat his wife for best local school placement at state at the King County Weyerhaueser Acquatic Center in Federal Way this year?

Questions, questions, questions, all to come with answers soon enough.

For now, the good finishes of Cratsenberg (1st in 100 freestyle, 2nd 50 free), and Kim (1st 200 Individual Medley, 2nd 100 backstroke, on winning 200 medley Beamer relay and 2nd 200 free relay) at the WCD meet take center stage.

It may not have meant as much as the playoff games that were going on around the South Puget Sound League area Thursday night, but don't tell either of the teams involved.

Decatur and Thomas Jefferson were both looking for a win in the crosstown and SPSL crossover game, and both could have easily gotten it.

The TJ Raiders took a 17-0 lead in the action at Federal Way Memorial Field, then the Gators chipped it down to an 18-17 lead for themselves before tacking on one more touchdown that brought them a 24-17 win.

It was the season finale for both teams, with Decatur finishing with a 3-7 overall record and Thomas Jefferson winding up at 1-9. Both finished just above the bottom of their respective divisions -- with the Gators playing in the SPSL South Division and the Raiders in the SPSL North Division.

Both teams got out to a slow start in the action played under extremely wet and windy conditions.

Thomas Jefferson opened with a nine play drive before turning the ball over on downs at the Decatur 34-yard line. then the Gators marched down the field on 13 plays before giving it over on downs at their 49.

Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church will be closing the SHARE shelter it has been operating in the Calvary Lutheran Church building since last spring.

Jane Klausen, a neighbor and member of the shelter task force, said the announcement was made during the Nov. 5 meeting of Our Redeemer's, SHARE and neighborhood representatives.

She said Our Redeemer's offered SHARE the opportunity to conduct sex offender background checks or move out. The shelter declined to conduct the checks.

"We have requested that SHARE take responsibility for screening for Level III Sex Offender Background checks," Our Redeemer's Council President Janet Woodfield said in a letter to neighbors. "If they refuse, the shelter will close."

On Sept. 12, a sex offender living at the shelter at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W. was removed by SHARE.

Prior to the shelter moving to Ballard June 1, many neighbors had been adamant that SHARE conduct background checks on shelter residents. The organization refused, stating that their interview process was enough.

Since Sept. 12, no new shelter residents have been allowed into the shelter.

The Ballard High School volleyball team saw its season end in a 3-0 loss to Newport Nov. 5 in the third match of the playoffs.

The Beavers lost by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-13.

Senior Lisa Day had 10 kills and sophomore Monique Marques had 16 assists for Ballard.

Newport previously shutout the Beavers Oct. 7 during the regular season.

Ballard fell to Issaquah in the first round of the double-elimination KingCo playoffs. But the team defeated Eastlake Nov. 3 to stay alive.

The Beavers finished the 2009 season and postseason with an 8-8 record.

By State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson

I hope we never forget the tragic 1994 drive-by shooting of Melissa Fernandez at Ballard High School.

That tragedy caused a great deal of soul-searching in Ballard and around Seattle. People were scared by alarming increases in gang activity, youth violence and juvenile crime.

It was our worst fears coming true in our own neighborhoods.

I remembered all this recently as I reviewed new information that shows our state’s juvenile justice reforms are working effectively to rescue kids from crime – both as perpetrators and victims.

For example:

– The number of youth incarcerated in Juvenile Rehabilitation facilities is only half what it was in 1997 (a 49 percent reduction).

– Juvenile arrests have fallen by one-third over the past 10 years.

– Prosecutor filings for felony crimes committed by youth have dropped 36 percent since 1995.

– Misdemeanor filings by prosecutors (which often indicate larger trends) have been reduced by 64 percent since 1995.

Successes like these show why Washington is one of the four best states in America for leadership on juvenile justice.

The Seattle Fire Department will be conducting arson patrols and distributing arson prevention information in response to recent arsons in the Greenwood neighborhood.

According to the Fire Department, two fires occurred early in the morning on Nov. 5 that investigators believe were started by the same person.

The first fire was set on the back porch of a business at 3:43 a.m. at 300 Northwest 85th Street. Neighbors used fire extinguishers to help contain the fire until firefighters arrived. The fire did not extend to the business and there were no injuries. Damage is estimated at $5,000.

Shortly afterwards, at 4:11 a.m. firefighters responded to a fire at North 84th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. This fire was set between two buildings used by Rosewood Guitars and damaged the exteriors of both buildings. There were no injuries. Damage is estimated at $20,000.

On Oct. 23, a fire was set in the Green Bean Coffee House that burned three other businesses and caused $2 million in damages. Investigators are working to determine whether this fire is connected to the Nov. 5 fires.

Jessie Israel, the only Ballardite in the 2009 Seattle City Council race, isn't doing so well in the polls, trailing incumbent Nick Licata 56.5 percent to 43.3 percent as of Nov. 5. But, that doesn't mean she is ready to stop working toward improving her neighborhood and her city.

"I know that Nick is the victor, but I feel great about the race we ran," Israel said.

She said she loved the experience of running for the city council – knocking on doors, meeting people face-to-face and hearing the opinions of voters.

In order to keep Ballard and other Seattle neighborhoods on the right track, Licata and the rest of the elected officials will need to bring more solutions to the table and refocus on what it takes to successfully run a city," she said.

Israel said public safety and education need to be a priorities.

"We need more cops," she said. That has become pretty acute recently. We are failing kids in our public schools, and we have to turn that around."

She said those goals are doable despite the difficult budget situation.

By Anna Markee, outreach director for the Housing Development Consortium and Yes For Homes spokesperson

Seattle voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1 Nov. 3, renewing the Seattle Housing Levy. Despite the recession, current reports from King County Elections show the Housing Levy passing with 64.2 percent of the vote.

The $145 million Housing Levy will preserve existing affordable housing; provide affordable housing for people coming out of homelessness, seniors and people who are disabled; provide emergency rental assistance; and provide loans to first-time homebuyers.

In these tough economic times, Seattle voters understand that it is a wiser and more compassionate investment to pay about $65 a year to keep thousands of seniors who are on fixed incomes, people with disabilities, and very low income families in affordable apartments, rather than to let them sleep on the streets, in cars or other unsafe places.

We are grateful to the Seattle voters for showing their generosity and compassion once again.

By Billy Rodgers, Ballard Boys & Girls Club athletic director

Seattle Storm center Ashley Robinson joined kindergarten through first-grade basketball teams Nov. 3 at the Ballard Boys & Girls Club

Ashley along with Storm staffer Chauntelle Johnson provided tips on basketball, teamwork and sportsmanship.

There was also time for a few photos and high fives.

There are 14 teams of kindergarten through first-grade players at the club. They play games twice a week.

All of the teams enjoyed spending time with a professional basketball player.

The Storm and the Ballard Boys & Girls Club are partners in the Jr. Storm Basketball Club. This program promotes youth basketball, provides coaching resources and promotes a healthy lifestyle and choices.