April 2010

The robbery of Key Bank at 4701 Calfornia Ave. S.W. on Apr 5 shortly after 3 PM remains under investigation but the FBI has released surveillance photos of the suspect.

The robber is described as a white female - or possibly a male in disguise, in his or her 20s or 30s. The suspect wore a black leather jacket, red scarf and a brown hat.

Contact: Special Agent Bill Mellott or Detective Len Carver, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, telephone (206)622-0460, email seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov.

CLICK THE PHOTO FOR ANOTHER IMAGE

The Ballard High School softball team didn't play like itself in a 7-3 loss to Roosevelt April 5 to open KingCo play.

"We picked the worst time to play our worst game," coach Kyle Gray said. "We're better than that. It was just a bad day for us."

The Beavers had eight hits to Roosevelt's seven, but Roosevelt's hits were more timely, Gray said. He said errors and strikeouts became contagious for the Ballard players at the wrong moments in the game.

Roosevelt led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Ballard was able to cut that lead to 5-3, but Roosevelt pulled away in the seventh for the win.

Freshman Brittney Blokker went two-for-four with a double, and junior Karissa Marshall went one-for three with two RBIs.

Freshman pitcher Andrea Jewett threw 11 strikeouts and gave up two walks in seven innings.

Ballard opened the season with four straight wins in nonconference play. The team is now 0-1 in KingCo and 4-1 overall.

The Beavers take on Garfield at 4 p.m. on April 6 at Garfield High School.

Cafe Osita, at 7349 35th Ave. SW in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood just south of the Myrtle Street reservoir will hold a Grand Opening Saturday and Sunday April 10 and 11 from 8 AM to 3 PM.

Owner Andrea Ramirez said, "We'll have our outside seating area open, our custom woodwork will be installed by then so we will have
extra seating on the inside and we're working on some vendors right now so we will have some freebies."

During the event visitors will be able to get a 12 oz latte for $2 and "Maybe something flavored special," Ramirez said.

The shop, formerly known as Coffee at the Heights was purchased by Ramirez in November from the owners of PB& J Textiles who first built the shop.
Ramirez also plans to bring in gluten free products soon.

The Woodland Park Zoo’s all-new, sustainably designed West Entrance opens to the public on May 1, replacing the current North and West Entrances.

The new entrance is set back from Phinney Avenue North between North 55th Street and North 56th Street. A landscaped path leads visitors to the new Bank of America Commons, a welcoming space for groups to gather in the West Entrance before embarking on their zoo adventure.

The commons features state-of-the-art soundscaping with real audio samples from Woodland Park Zoo animals.

The 58,000-square-foot West Entrance complex also contains ticketing booths, family restrooms, member and visitor services, a coffee cart and a second ZooStore location.

As part of Woodland Park Zoo’s ongoing commitment to green practices, the new West Entrance is targeting Silver certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building certification system, according to a zoo press release.

Ignorance is not always "bliss"!!!!!

New windows, doors and insulation to protect us from aircraft NOISE made us ignore the POS's warning about the legal processes that went along with it.

"State laws require the POS to obtain easements in return for the services they perform at no charge."

The avigation easement is a legal document that, I guess, follows our property thru eternity. I hate to admit it but the POS recommended we consult an attorney before signing it.

How many recipients did? Not me! The Port does not represent a warrant that the homeowner will experience a reduction in the noise levels within the Premises as a result of work undertaken as part of the program.

On top of that, by signing the avigation easement, we have given the Port a permanent and non-exclusive easement for the free and unrestricted use and passage of all types of aircraft through the airspace or in the vicinity of the premises---etc, etc, etc,

Did any of us really read and/or comprehend those written words? I dug my copy "out of the past" and know the Port got a better deal then we did.

Virginia Dana
Burien

Lake Burien is fine the way it is. Boris Sieverts claims in his Special to the Times/News that it is a scandal that the City of Burien does not want to spend the money on purchase and upkeep of a lot on the lake.

First, he says this can be done "for no tax money" and then he later says the municipality (Burien) should buy the property. Huh?

The lake is very small, so keeping it clean is harder than for a large lake, where pollutants can be easily spread out. Opening the lake to the public is risky for the health of the lake and will take city money for upkeep and control.

Besides that, Burien already has parks. Seahurst Park has a large beach area. There is a skateboard park, and a park next to where the old library was. There is a park near 18th SW, where the old Lake Burien School used to be.

If childhood memories of ice cream in a park on summer evenings are his goal, then we can do that now, without the expense of a new park.

Jeanette Burrage
Des Moines

I'm sure Boris Sieverts is a nice guy, but his "letter to Burien about its lake" is WAY off the mark. Let's start with some facts about Burien and the city he makes a comparison with, Haltern am See, Germany.

Haltern am See is a rural town with a population of around 38,000 people in 61 sq. miles of land area and a population density of 621 people per sq. mile.

The "lake" is a reservoir created by a dam built in 1930 that holds over 700 million cubic feet of water for distribution to surrounding communities. The extensive shoreline is largely undeveloped. Haltern has no other shoreline.

Burien is an urban city with a population of around 45,500 people in 7.4 sq. miles of land area and a population density of 4,287 people per sq. mile. Lake Burien is a natural lake that is a very small fraction of the size of the Haltern See.

The shoreline is fully developed with homes. Burien owns Seahurst Park, including approximately one mile of Puget Sound shoreline that is largely undeveloped.

Perhaps we should build a dam on Lake Burien? Or rename the city "Burien on the Sound," so our home prices will double, as happened in Haltern?

Four Highline schools will be recognized with the 2009 Washington Achievement Award. The award celebrates the state's top-performing schools and recognizes achievement in several categories: language arts, math, science, gifted education, graduation rate, and overall excellence.

The four Highline schools to receive the award are:

Aviation High School - Science, Overall Excellence

Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (ACE) - Language Arts

Health Sciences and Human Services High School (HS3) - Language Arts

Marvista Elementary - Science

Schools are selected for the award based on their state assessment data for the previous three years.

"The selection process for the Washington Achievement Award is very rigorous, and your staff, students, parents, and community can take real pride in being part of this elite group," says State Superintendent Randy Dorn.

The March 29 At Large in Ballard column, "Crossing the threshold," used a photo of an unrelated estate sale to illustrate a story about a different estate sale.

The intention was for the photo to be generic and not easily identifiable.

The Ballard News-Tribune regrets any confusion or emotional distress this has caused readers and families or friends of either of the deceased.

The photo of the unrelated estate sale has been removed from "At Large in Ballard: Crossing the threshold."

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these photos of the Tyee, Evergreen, Mt. Rainier and Highline track meet held Thursday, April 1. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.