March 2010

Ellie is a tri-color Shelty, 23.5 lbs, and stands 16 inches tall at the shoulder. Her owner Rochelle Lewis got Ellie from a breeder in Spokane named Weathermens.

But Ellie is actually her nickname. "My husband likes to name our dogs after the Presidents and their wives so her full name is 'Weathermen's First Lady Roosevelt' or Ellie for short."

The funniest thing we've realized she does lately is when we give her a kibble or a little treat she'll put it in the back of her mouth and hold it there, then put her head down to the ground and she'll start talking at the ground, chippering away until the treat falls forward in her mouth then she'll chew it up, So she's taken to playing with her food," Lewis said.

Ellie is a good companion dog. "She likes being where we are," Lewis explained, "If she's tired and needs to take a nap, she'll just nap wherever we happen to be." Ellie loves the outdoors, "Her two favorite things are (including steak and string cheese) are seagulls and squirrels. No getting her back....but her favorite thing to do is play at Me-Kwa-Mooks (park) with her new friend Sadie." Sadie is a four month old golden lab.

Seattle Public Schools will apply for state School Improvement Grants for three schools eligible under the federal School Improvement Grant program. The three SPS schools eligible for the grants, being funded by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) through the federal stimulus package, are Cleveland High School and Hawthorne and West Seattle elementary schools.

The school district has notified the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction that it intends to apply for the funds. Under the program, which is being administered by OSPI, qualifying school districts can request up to $2 million per year, per eligible school for up to three years. The grant applications are due March 5 and successful applicants will be notified in April 2010 for the 2010-11 school year. The state has identified about 50 eligible schools and has $42 million to award over three years.

Cora Edmonds is optimistic, productive and perky, and would never be described as a brooding artist. However, the West Seattle resident does have quite a brood, and all-of-a- sudden, too.

Edmonds, a photographer and the owner of the elegant, 3000 square-foot ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Avenue South, in the heart of SODO, adopted three siblings from Ukraine four months ago with husband, Phil Crean, and brought them home to his two teens, her step-children. Add to that the young Nepalese villagers she and Phil are sending to school long-distance and you wonder when she has time to sell paintings or take pictures.

“I was a marketing manager at Microsoft, and I love technology but really had a passion for photography, art, traveling, people,” she said. Her husband is in the international seafood industry. “I wasn’t rich, but just followed my passion. I’m at the gallery 10 to15 hours a week because of the kids. I have a very well run team at work. We deal mostly in contemporary art and focus bringing in different world cultures, artists with their own aesthetics.”

The Evergreen Lutheran girls' basketball team made its eighth consecutive date to state official with a 35-28 winner-to-state, loser-out 2010 Class 2B Tri-District basketball victory against the Bear Creek Grizzlies of Redmond on the floor of the Four Seasons Center at the campus of the Chief Leschi Schools.

The Eagles moved on to a Saturday game for the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds to state from Tri-District.

"No team from Tri-District has ever won eight straight berths at state," stated a pleased Eagle head coach Jeff Kurbis. "I'm proud of the girls. this is a great feat for any school. The girls really wanted it and had to play well."

Evergreen Lutheran (18-6) controlled the the action for most of the game with pressure defense and up tempo offense and lead 29-19 after Caty Poetter's running shot went through the rim with 4:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

While sitting in a café, I can’t help but overhear the girls’ conversation next to me.

“I mean, he totally didn’t even listen to what I said. I was like, dude, I told you last week that I didn’t want to go to that party, and he was like all, ‘But I thought you did.' And I was like, ‘I did, but then I changed my mind, and…”

A week later, I had a similar conversation with one of the Fabulosities, minus the “dudes” and “likes.”

“He doesn’t know what he wants. He says one thing, but then changes his mind, and he says that’s because of me.”

And several days later, a woman in her 50s from my memoir class shared a recent struggle she had with her husband.

“I know he genuinely wants to please me, but even when I spell out what I need from him, he doesn’t seem to get it.”

In each and every one of these situations I nodded and commiserated with the woman and then said, “Poor men.”

“Poor men?” they exclaimed. “What about me? I’m the one not getting my needs met.”

“Yeah, but that’s because your needs change all of the time. There’s no way in hell he can follow them.”

Two Federal Way School District gymnasts earned medals with solid performances in state finals gymnastics.

Madi Kellar earned a spot on the medalist podium in a truly competitive Class 4A State Gymnastics event finals held on Saturday, February 20, at theTacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.

Competitors qualified by virtue of their Friday night scores and returned for the finals on Saturday.

Previously, 10 competitors qualified from Friday and returned to compete from scratch while automatically qualifying for the medalist podium.

In a new format, the top eight from Friday in each event still started out even but performed for four medal winning perches on the podium.

For sophomore Madi Kellar of Thomas Jefferson, a stellar 9.55 dance routine on the floor exercise put her in fourth place behind the title-sharing trio of Hailey West (Woodinville), Mary McIntosh (Woodinville) and Britni Atwell (Heritage) who posted identical scores of 9.675.

Kellar just missed the podium on the bars, scoring 8.75 to finish fifth. Hailey Wells of Woodinville captured the gold on bars with a 9.55.

Kentwood defensive pressure collapsed Todd Beamer's hopes in a Conqueror West Central 4A district boys basketball 58-39 victory Friday night in a winner-to-state. loser-out game, at the Dalesky and Black gymnasium on the campus of Foss High School.

Kentwood (16-10) earned the district's fifth seed to the state tournament.

Grasping a 38-37 lead with 7:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, Beamer fell to the tension-building Conqueror defense and could only muster up a Lorenzo Holcomb free throw with 56 seconds left in regulation after Kentwood had reeled off 20 consecutive points. The margin began as a short drop off that eventually transformed into a deep chasm.

"Napa started off really hot and kept us in the game," related Titan head coach Brent Brilhante. "Kentwood wore us down mentally and defended us with great pressure. Defensively, we were there, but offensively, we had trouble. Give credit to them (the Conquerors). I thought it would be a race to 63 and they just got ahead of us."

Girls and boys.
That's right, both genders placed high for Highline, and Kennedy and Evergreen had one, too.

They were on the podium -- in third, fourth, seventh places-at the Washington Mat Classic XXII State Championships at the Tacoma Dome Friday and Saturday Feb. 19-20.

Kennedy Catholic senior Steve Conn finished third place overall in the 171 pound weight class while Lancers girls team member Taylor Stagliano placed seventh at 160 for this private high school in Burien. Good finishes for head coach Donny Moore.

And, for Highline, sophomore Jamila Culcleasure won all but one match and that was good enough for her to finish third.

Sixteen of the state's best westlers compete in each weight class, so a third place finish like third for Culcleasure, at 275, was good, if not unexpected, if one looks at how Culcleasure started out the season -- green.

"First year wrestler, converted basketball player," said Highline coach Steve Peterson, who is on his way out after having coached the past 10 years for the Pirates. "She's got to learn a few more moves. She never wrestled in her life before this season."

I just happened across your newspaper online and saw that you had done some historical stories.

I was raised in White Center and I am trying to gather biographical information about my father. He once owned a café on the main corner near the city line. His café was simply "Jim's Café" and I wondered if you have seen anything in your searches or stories?

If not, maybe you would keep it in mind as you look in the future? He was an amazing man, but sadly died at a very young age due to complications from WWII.

I believe the café was around sometime in the early/mid 1960s. I would guess 1962-1966? He died in 1968 and I have no family to ask for this information, so anything would be appreciated.

Debbie Backus
Shelton

Recently, the Des Moines Police Officers' Guild started a Web site www.desmoinespoliceguild.com to pass on information to its members and the public.

We, as a group, felt it was important to open a more effective line of communication with the citizens we serve and again our members. On our site you will find important links to other local guild's web pages along with links to other law enforcement organizations.

Recently on our site, we have posted, with permission, a memo written by Chief Baker about the state of the Des Moines Police Department and how recent budget cuts have affected us and the voter approved 2006 Tax Levy Lid Lift.

This memo is posted on the home page of the site under the "What's New" section.

Kevin Montgomery
Vice President
Des Moines Police Officers' Guild