December 2009

To the Editor:

It is a fine thing to have a watchdog monitoring our constitutional rights. Bob Warden is to be commended for ensuring that our right to carry our concealed weapons everywhere is protected. The audacity of Mayor Nickels in trying to keep guns out of city parks and recreational areas has to be condemned and overturned.

How can our children and grandchildren’s safety be guaranteed on the playfields and in the swimming areas in the city unless anyone who chooses to carry a gun there has that right. No one should have their Second Amendment rights infringed at any time. It would be like limiting someone’s freedom speech to yell “fire” in a crowded theater as a joke.

Oh, right. You can limit the right of free speech in cases like that. Well, thank goodness the state doesn’t allow such limitations on guns. Way to go Bob.

Bruce Colwell
1220 SW 132nd Lane
Burien

Ten minutes of viewing any Quentin Tarantino feature inevitably leads to the same question: what does this guy smoke in the morning?

His films are a tangle of multiple plot lines that occasionally bump into each other and are powered by an old testament morality that has, in this late stage of civil society, been mainly consigned to comic books.
What keeps him from sharing a B-movie niche with Stephen Seagal is an unearthly sense of balance. While you wouldn’t call Tarantino’s directorial style a cinematic ballet, he is certainly Cirque du Soleil.
He juggles bits of weirdness like few directors around.

Tarantino’s latest film, “Inglourious Basterds,” is true to form. Set during World War II it has been widely described as a revenge fantasy. That is to say the villains, in this case German soldiers and their leaders, fare very badly—as does historical accuracy.

The names, addresses and signatures of those who sign initiatives and referendum petitions would be public information under legislation introduced Dec. 7 by 36th District Rep. Reuven Carlyle.

“Initiatives and referendum are part of the soul of our state’s history from the progressive era of the 1880s, and this bill is an effort to make it clear that the public deserves full, open and transparent access to petitions,” Carlyle said. “Signing a petition is your fundamental constitutional right, and with that right comes a public responsibility to ensure our state provides open access to that information.”
Carlyle believes legislation will clarify the state’s intent that public access to this information improves the initiative and referendum process.

“It’s the public’s right to solicit signatures, and it’s the public’s right to access signatures,” Carlyle said.
The legislation, House Bill 2418, explicitly states that referendum and initiative forms, and the names and addresses contained on them, are open to the public.

On Dec. 19, Ballard will twinkle with 1,000 luminaries, horse drawn hay rides and sweet treats handed out by participating shops.

The In Ballard Merchants Association is looking for volunteers to help build the luminaries and distribute them around the retail core of the neighborhood.

The association will start putting the luminaries together at 1 p.m. in Bergen Place.

"It will be a fun neighborhood work party and hopefully the start of an annual tradition, event coordinator Tiffany Gabrel said in a press release. "Anyone is welcome to come help us light up Ballard. The more the merrier."

The Luminary Walk will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The In Ballard Merchants Association invites the whole neighborhood to come out to stroll the neighborhood to enjoy the holiday mood and festivities.

Participating merchants will display “Holiday Treats Here” signs in their windows.


Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation
4736 40th Ave. S.W.

206-935-0418
Sunday, Dec. 20, 10:30 a.m. “Will the Light Return?”  Rev. Peg Morgan
Today, as people of ancient times, we celebrate the solstice, exploring the richness of darkness as well as our yearning for the return of the light. 

Christmas Eve Service

Thursday, Dec. 24, 5-6 p.m.
“A Warm Christmas Eve”  Rev. Peg Morgan, Rev. Mark Newton, the WSUU Choir with Heidi Hoelting. A service of carols & readings, and our traditions: of “The Night Before Christmas,” a homily by Rev. Peg, candy cane and peace dove communion, and our happy circle of lights. Bring the your parents, bring your kids, bring your friends in from the cold, into the warmth of this service. 

Hometown Holidays Headquarters


Key Bank


4701 California Ave. S.W.


Sunday, Dec. 20, 12-4 p.m.

Come and get information on all of the Junction festivities, shopping and more. Santa photos, mule carriage rides and free gift wrap for purchases over $50.

Winter Break Art Camp


Alki Bathhouse


2701 Alki Ave. S.W
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A year ago this week, Martin and I were just five days each from selling our respective houses; what’s known as the “closing.”

It was Saturday night and there was a light snowfall. Because it preceded the storms of the following week it was still charming.

Martin decided to burn firewood that was too bulky to move. The fire in his fireplace was well established when he added two more logs.

Twenty minutes later the fire department had arrived and a series of contingent real estate moves looked like it could have been flattened like a line of dominoes.

“Is your damper open?” the firefighters asked as they efficiently snuffed the logs that Martin had wrestled out of his living room and thrown onto the snow. Martin told them yes. The chimney flue had been drawing perfectly for an hour.

“Damper’s closed,” a firefighter announced, reaching his gloved hand inside the chimney. One of the logs, from a spruce removed from my Ballard backyard had knocked the damper shut.

The small house had filled with smoke, paint on the hearth was scorched and there were burn marks on the wool rug. Elapsed time was 20 minutes; total smoke damage was in the thousands.

It was one of our frozen mornings—Wednesday the 9th, around 11:30 a.m.—when medics were called to the 5200 block of SW Charlestown where a woman was seen slumped over the steering wheel of a car.

The streets were icy, the car was in gear, the engine was running, and the suspect—a 41-year-old West Seattle resident—was snoring, oblivious to the cries of her two daughters. (The 18-month old was strapped into a car seat, but the six-month-old was simply lying across the back seat and dressed in only a cotton sleeper.) An officer shook the mother's shoulder and tried to ask questions, but mom kept drifting off to sleep and couldn't focus. Crack cocaine was found in her pockets and she told medics she had taken 15 milligrams of methadone within the previous few hours. Officers were able to contact the children's grandmother to take custody of the kids while mom was transported to Harborview for treatment and for investigation of narcotics possession and reckless endangerment.

Mount Rainier beat Evergreen, 68-14, and, right after that disposal, it was straight to the cleaner for Lindbergh, 68-12, against the defending Seamount League champion Rams. Meanwhile, Foster beat Evergreen, 36-30, and Lindbergh beat the Bulldogs, 46-24, in action between four teams going on two mats at the Rams’ gym Thursday.

And that “power” referred to has nothing to do with just this quad meet powerful performance for the Rams.

“We won the Seamount in 2009 and 2008,” said head coach Frank Brandt, then being asked how long it’s been since they haven’t won. “We’ve won it the last five years.”

Brandt mentioned his captains, William Triquero and Spencer Truong. Truong won both his matches by forfeit on this night  while Triquero won the first against Evergreen by forfeit before dispensing a 17-0 technical fall against his Lindbergh foe. Truong and Triquero are both seniors, both undefeated at 6-0 to start this season.

“They both missed out on state, they were state alternates,” said Brandt. They took fifth place but the top four go on to where all wrestlers want to get by season’s end -- state in mid-February.

After winning two consecutive non-league games, the Tyee girls basketball team fell victim to a tough start in a Wednesday 69-29 loss to Renton at home.

“We’re a lot better than we showed tonight,” observed Totem head coach Wayne Severson.”We came out slowly and let them get the jump on us. They really out rebounded us. We’ll put the components together.”

Renton dominated early against Tyee, forcing a myriad of turnovers while opening leads of 8-0 and 22-2. Only Melissa Fuavai’s outside field goal interrupted the Indian opening attack and a 10-0 run before the Totems closed within 26-7 after one quarter.

The rest of the game mirrored the first quarter, although Tyee improved its play in the second half. Running a better patterned offense, the Totems connected with passes to players cutting off the high post. Finishing the plays with field goals still stayed difficult.

Taking better care of the ball, Tyee played Renton evenly in the fourth quarter. Rebounding efforts were also better.

Car Left Unattended

A man went outside to warm up his car, which was parked in his parking spot at his apartment complex. The victim went into his apartment and left the car running outside. When he returned to the vehicle he discovered that someone had put putty in the door locks, and it had hardened. Nothing appeared to be missing from the vehicle.

Attempted Robbery at Bus Stop

While waiting at a bus stop at South 180th St and Pacific Highway South, a man was approached by an unknown subject. The suspect allegedly demanded the victim turn over his property. When the victim refused, the suspect pulled out a small pocket knife and slashed at the victim’s arm. The knife slashed the victim’s jacket and left a scratch on his arm.

Two Men Rob Restaurant at Gunpoint