February 2010

The Ballard High School basketball team is hoping to put an opening-round loss and one of its worst games of the season behind it as it moves on in the KingCo 4A playoffs.

The eighth-seed Beavers were trounced by number-one seed Skyline Feb. 16. The 59-36 final score matches Ballard's worst loss of the season.

Skyline jumped out to an 18-8 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

Ballard coach Billy Rodgers said it was a tough game. Skyline has a lot of weapons and caused problems for the Beavers on both ends of the floor, he said.

"There is a reason why they are the number-one seed in our tournament," he said.

Senior Kyler Korsmo led Ballard with 10 points. Senior Mitch Hipp added six.

Ballard's leading offensive weapons – junior Salim Gloyd and senior Gary Smith – never got off the ground, tallying just nine points between them.

Rodgers said Ballard struggled with cold shooting and missed some easy shots throughout the game.

The Beavers will have a chance at redemption due to the double-elimination format of the playoffs when they face Eastlake Feb. 19.

After 15 years of requests, the management of Secret Garden Bookshop on Market Street is caving to public pressure and starting the Secret Garden Book Club this March.

"We have a notebook this thick of people interested in a book club over the years," Secret Garden's Suzanne Perry said, holding her thumb and finger a few inches apart.

The bookstore, located at 2214 N.W. Market St., has long offered a 10 percent discount for members of other book clubs purchasing three or more copies of a book, but now it is finally offering a club of its own.

Perry said the book club is a way for Secret Garden to fully acknowledge the movement to support local businesses and keep people in the neighborhood.

"We're so lucky to be in Ballard where people get this whole 'buy local' thing," she said.

After years of waiting for a book club at Secret Garden, it does not appear customers have lost their interest.

Perry said the store already had tons of calls less than 24 hours after an announcement was made about the Secret Garden Book Club.

The club will be moderated by long-time bookseller Michelle Rhode, who volunteered herself for the position.

Last month, January, 2010, the demolition of the existing Chief Sealth locker rooms and auditorium was completed. The contractor continued work on the Chief Sealth drywall installation in preparation for painting as well as floor leveling in preparation for new floor coverings. At the new Denny School, the contractor continued work on the concrete slab pours on the 2nd and 3rd floor and the roofing installation for the new Galleria and the new Denny School. The entire site switched over to temporary power to prepare for the installation of the new transformer, required for the electrical power system.

Demolition of the existing Chief Sealth Gymnasium locker rooms

This month, February, 2010, the contractor is scheduled to complete the concrete slab pour work on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the new Denny School and the roofing for the new Galleria and Denny School. The new transformer for the electrical power system will be delivered and installed. The contractor will also begin work on the exterior metal wall framing and fire proofing for the new Galleria.

Read More at this link http://seattleschools.cmail1.com/t/y/l/oejhd/uypdjktl/y

The Duwamish River flows through the heart of King County and Seattle. However, years and years of industrial use has left the Duwamish horribly polluted. In fact, six miles of the lower Duwamish River are designated as superfund clean-up sites. While the major work hasn’t begun yet, Neal Chism decided he couldn't wait any longer...and took matters into his own hands to try to save fish, birds, and other critters from harmful trash.

See how one’s man mission will help transform the once lush waterway back into its natural beauty. Watch CityStream’s Duwamish River Clean-Up now by following this link:
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3071007

Be sure to tune in and join host Penny LeGate from the Duwamish River banks in West Seattle to find out how you can help out in the clean up. Plus, learn about a mentor program for young girls that builds confidence and strength one step at a time. Then, Reverend Samuel McKinney reflects on Martin Luther King Junior’s controversial 1961 Seattle visit. Catch those stories and more on CityStream, Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or watch it online at www.seattlechannel.org/CityStream/.

When I sit down to write, I tell myself I am only writing for myself, therefore I am able to be quite candid and blatantly honest.

By telling myself no one reads my work, I have felt censor-free for seven glorious years.

Even when I read mail from readers, signed my book contract and held said book in my hands, I was able to remain in my denial bubble that I only write for myself.

Well, that bubble burst when I was preparing to read from my memoir at Village Books in Bellingham.

You would think reading aloud to a live audience would have been enough to burst that denial bubble, but it wasn’t.

My view of the audience was merely a mass of blank yet friendly faces, until I remembered my ex-father-in-law lives near Bellingham.

Even worse, I was stupid enough to tell him about my reading. Imagining his face as one of those audience members snapped me out of my imaginary audience dream and they became quite real.

Even worse, I used to be related to them.

Now, reading aloud to ex-in laws would be quite conceivable, maybe even fun, if I didn’t have to read about my inner most personal feelings.

Jodie Cadieux got her dog Beulah almost 8 years ago. Beulah is a Fila (or more completely Fila Brasileiro) and they come from Brazil. Sometimes called a Brazilian Mastiff they are descended in part from Bloodhounds. Beulah weighs in at 115 pounds.

"They are known for being really loyal to their owner and," as Beulah shook her large head and slobbered, "for being extremely slobbery" Cadieux said laughing. They are well mannered dogs, not overly excitable and very good protectors.

Beulah does have some endearing traits that make the slobbering worth it all. "She didn't have this when she was younger but now she groans. She really sounds like a 70 year old man," Cadieux explained. Beulah likes to have her 'armpits' rubbed and when she gets that treatment, she rolls on her back, "Which is really quite a funny sight."

Mom suspects that her runaway sons returned home for a brief visit while she was at work: Some rings were missing—as were some cookies from the kitchen. But it wasn't just take, take, take. One boy shaved his head and left his hair behind in the sink for mom to clean up.

A young woman with a history of abusing the 911 system recently called to report that her 78-year-old father had kicked her in the back and threatened to “kick her face in.” Daughter had no signs of bruising. And dad? He was in bed, with both feet swollen and wrapped in ice, recovering from recent foot surgery.

A 19-year-old gang member known to carry firearms made direct threats to kill two Southwest Precinct officers during a recent traffic stop on Delridge. Probably cause exists to arrest the SeaTac resident for harassment. The suspect was last seen running away after an officer took a step in his direction.

Tyler Burrows of Troop 398, a senior at Truman High School in Federal Way, recently received the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.

To earn the Eagle rank a scout must earn the required 21 merit badges, hold leadership positions within the troop, demonstrate the qualities of a scout (trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courageous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent), receive recommendations from those that have witnesses these qualities, and plan, organize, fund and lead a team of volunteers in completing a community project.

For his Eagle project, Tyler chose to document the history of Cheney Stadium and the Tacoma Rainiers. As part of his Learning Through Internship at Truman High School, Tyler spent four seasons working with the grounds crew at Cheney and his appreciation for the history and the impact of the team on the community grew.

Tyler wanted the community to share his appreciation for this local history and designed a granite monument with an etched photo of Cheney Stadium as it was being built in 1960. With a timeline of the major events throughout the team and stadium’s history.

I knew Tom Stewart.
For one day.
Most of us had an image of the man who ruled Vashon Island at his huge farm called Misty Isle. He operated an empire of thousands of employees supplying millions of dollars of edibles to countless restaurants and grocers. He had an image of a dictatorial king who usually got what he wanted but stumbled at least once when the city of Seattle refused to allow him to fly his helicopter from his farm over West Seattle to his headquarters on Delridge Way.

The Herald reflected what most citizens felt. No way Hosay.
Looking back it was probably wrong.

He was man who was not used to losing what he went after and died trying when his helicopter crashed.

He was a generous man to his friends and a major benefactor to South, our community college.He spent a huge sum every July 4th putting on a magnificent fireworks show for islanders and Tacoma citizens.

“My half-brothers said it’ll never last,” Walt Carlson told me. “We were too young.”

Despite those predictions 74 years ago, Walt and Helen Carlson are tucked next to each other on a loveseat, as close as two peas in a pod. The occasion is their 74th wedding anniversary.

Although recovering from a recent heart attack, Walt’s memory and voice are strong when he recalls the moment he first saw Helen while walking with a friend in Vancouver, Wash., in 1935.

“Who’s that girl?” he asked.

“That’s my sister,” his friend replied.

“Well I want to meet her,” Walt told him.

They were married 14 months later on Feb. 11, 1936. The weather on their wedding day was terrible – what’s called a silver thaw when rain freezes as it hits frozen ground and tree limbs, one step below an ice storm.

They each had two attendants, and there was a reception afterward; Helen’s mother had prepared all of the food.

Helen was 18 and Walt was just shy of 20.