January 2010

Author and artist Peter Brown will present his new children’s book, “The Curious Garden,” from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Ballard branch of the Seattle Public Library, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

“The Curious Garden” is a picture book about urban renewal and perseverance.  The book is geared toward children ages 3 to 8.

Brown is also author and illustrator of the children’s book “Flight of the Dodo.”  He is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and now lives in Brooklyn.

The program is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Free parking is available in the library garage.

This program is presented in partnership with the Secret Garden Bookshop. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

For more information, call the Ballard branch at 206.684.4089.

Dear Editor:

It is a travesty for the 8th County Council District of West Seattle to witness someone so dishonest as Janet Drago appointed to warm our seat on Council through the year 2010. And robbery that she will walk away with roughly $100,000 or our money for the privilege!

Readers may recall that it was Drago who conspired with Tim Ceis of the now-rejected Nickels regime to rig the February 2007 vote of citizen preference for a Viaduct replacement. That vote should have been an honest competition between a Rebuild or a Tunnel. Drago and Ceis-Nickels knew they had a loser in their Tunnel. So they conspired to structure the vote such that any outcome would be inconclusive.

Anyone can read Drago's public admission at http://www.orphanroad.com/aggregator/sources/5

Remember that quirky two-part vote in March of 2007, where voters of Seattle said “No” (to an elevated, by 57 percent) and “Hell No” (to a tunnel, by 70 percent)? Splitting it into two was a Drago idea — and it made all the difference. “Had it been a single vote, tunnel vs. elevated,” she now says, “we [tunnel supporters] would have been dead on arrival.”

Suspect Shane L. Carlson, a 26-year-old male wanted by Seattle Police and believed to be responsible for over 35 dental/medical office burglaries in the Seattle area, was arrested by the Eugene (Oregon) Police Department during the course of a burglary investigation. Carlson has multiple warrants for his arrest in Washington, including a $100,000 Burglary 2nd Degree warrant, a $150,000 Possession of Stolen Property warrant, and a Violation of Uniformed Controlled Substances Act (felony drugs) warrant. Carlson is the prime suspect in these burglaries, most of which occurred in North and West Seattle, but also in Bothell, Shoreline and Bellevue since May of this year.

For additional information regarding Carlson’s arrest in Oregon, contact the Eugene Police Department. This remains an active and on-going Seattle Police Department burglary investigation.

The Salmon Bay Eagles will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Blue Thursdays on Jan. 17.

During the past two decades, the Salmon Bay Eagles have had a virtual parade of the finest local and national blues acts on their stage on Thursday evenings.

Little Bill and The Bluenotes, Mike Lynch and Nitelife, Duffy Bishop, Sweet Talkin’ Jones, Mark Defresne, Mark Riley, David Brewer, Jack Cook, Paul Green, Chris Stevens, Mark Whitman, Robbie Laws Trio and Tim Sherman are amont the artists who have appeared at the 1,040 Blue Thursdays.

"Blues musicians and bands continue to play the club as homage to the dedication of the club to this genre of American roots music, Dennis Zyvoloski, music coordinator for the Salmon Bay Eagles, said in a press release. "New musicians and newly formed bands in the area feel that they haven’t quite been accepted in the community until they have been hired to play a gig at this humble venue."

The 20th anniversary celebration runs from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 17 and will include a blues jam that will incorporate as many of the musicians who have played at the club in the past 20 years that can fit into the time slot.

At 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, a dumpster was being emptied at a transfer station in the 1300 block of North 34th Street. In the debris, the employees found an "OD green-colored," 155-millimeter Howitzer artillery round.

Seattle Police Arson Bomb Squad detectives responded to the scene. U.S. Army Explosive Technicians from Fort Lewis were notified and responded.

It was determined the artillery round, an M116, was manufactured in 1951 and was a live "smoke projectile" complete with a small bursting charge.

The projectile was secured by the Army technicians and returned to the military base for proper disposal.

I experienced a boom of activity in the fourth quarter, and it is only anticipated to get busier since 1st quarter months are traditionally the best time to sell in our local West Seattle market. The boom I experienced is confirmed when you read the activity that is reported from the Associated Press.

The Associated Press reports good news on the economy front as we saw a 2.2% growth in the 3rd quarter. The US Commerce Department was slightly off in their estimations, previously estimating a 2.8% growth rate. Officials attributed this discrepancy to consumer caution, saying that consumers simply didn’t spend as much. But many analysts still believe the economy is likely to improve in the current quarter, growing at an estimated 4%, or perhaps, even 5%. Those Fourth quarter results will be released on January 29, so we won’t have long to find out.

Today, Jan. 4, As Mike McGinn was inaugurated, Richard Conlin too took the oath of office, as Seattle City Council President. He took time at the reception that followed on the second floor of City Hall to talk to the West Seattle Herald.

"My number one goal is to build a strong team with the mayor so that the mayor and the Council are working together instead of, as we sometimes have in the past been at cross purposes, so keeping those communication lines going, really making things happen in a positive way. That's what the public expect with us. They don't want us to fight with each other.

"My personal goal is to get transit-oriented development really working. We're getting all these transit lines going, and getting Rapid Ride into West Seattle. We really want to get the transit and the housing connected.

Two months after election day, Seattle's new and returning political leaders took their oaths of office during the Jan. 4 Seattle City Council meeting.

The ceremony was old hat for returning councilmembers Nick Licata and Richard Conlin, who was reelected by the council as its president, while some of the first-timers found it difficult to contain their excitement.

"I'm having trouble keeping the smile off my face today," Mike O'Brien said after being sworn in for his first term on the Seattle City Council.

New City Attorney Peter Holmes was mostly relieved to have the campaign behind him.

"If you carry a cat by the tail, you can learn things you couldn't learn in any other way," Holmes said of the campaign, paraphrasing Mark Twain.

The ceremony kicked off with Mayor Mike McGinn's two daughters administering the oath of office to their father.

McGinn said it was fitting that his daughters would swear him in because his wife says that he has taken his work in the community more seriously since he became a father.

McGinn said he takes office as the city is facing serious economic challenges.

"We don't enter into this budget process lightly," he said.

Following the inauguration of Mayor Mike McGinn, City Attorney Pete Holmes, and Councilmembers Richard Conlin, Sally Bagshaw, Nick Licata, and Mike O’Brien, a reception was held on the second floor of City Hall.

The West Seattle Herald asked the new mayor about Roger Patten's floating bridge proposal we reported on here:

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2009/12/21/news/burien-architect-respo…

He expressed interest in the article and has heard of Patten but said, "The bridge proposal has never really caught on with any of the departments at state or city level to look at this so it doesn't really seem like an option. But I'll take another look at the newspaper article."

The new mayor said things were moving forward fast and that he was excited to start his new job.

"We pulled pulled the team in yesterday, Sunday. It's nice to have the official full day of work. We put out some executive orders today focusing on how to deal with the $40 million deficit next year. This is after deep cuts, so we have some hard work to do ahead. It's good to start working with the councilmembers, agency folks, with the mayor's office team.

Swedish/Ballard’s first baby of the new year – and the medical center’s centennial year – was born at 12:21 a.m. on Jan. 2.

Henry Alvin Ramirez – who weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces and a little over 20 inches long – was welcomed by first-time parents Mary and Dan Ramirez of Crown Hill.

For having the first baby of Swedish’s centennial year, the Ramirez family received a newborn gift basket from the Swedish Auxiliary, a baby receiving blanket from Swaddle Designs and a manicure-pedicure set from ButterLondon.

In addition, Henry – and every baby born at the First Hill or Ballard campus throughout 2010 – will receive a souvenir ‘I’m a Swedish Baby’ one-piece.

“We knew we wanted a natural childbirth, but also wanted the security of being at a hospital," said Mary Ramirez. "After meeting with the Certified Nurse Midwives at Swedish/Ballard, we realized their philosophy on childbirth matched ours perfectly."

Recognizing the New Year’s baby is an annual tradition at Swedish, but it is even more special this year because 2010 represents the medical center’s 100th anniversary.