April 2010

While it is still unclear what animal control will look like in Burien it is known those services will not be coming from King County.

King County, who last year had said they were getting out of the animal control business, has offered cities an opportunity to continue to contract with the County after the contracts expire in June.

Burien has not adopted a plan for animal control, which City Manager Mike Martin informed the Council is a discretionary service. The City is not required by law to offer animal shelter options or animal control. But the Council did agree they wanted to pursue other options for animal control. They passed a resolution instructing Martin to write a letter to the County informing them of the City’s plan to look elsewhere for animal control services.

Martin said he strongly suggested the Council cut ties with the County. He said, since they had no alternative plan ready the City was taking a risk, but in his mind it was a reasonable risk to take.

At approximately 12:17 p.m. on April 26, officers responded to a report of a man pinned under a vehicle in a McDonald's parking lot located in the 5400 block of Northwest Market Street.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a 67-year-old male pedestrian was walking in the parking lot. At the same time, a green 1997 Pontiac Grand Am driven by a 37-year-old female backed out of a parking stall and drove southbound in the parking lot.

At some point, the pedestrian ended up beneath the Pontiac. Once the driver became aware there was someone underneath her car, she immediately stopped her vehicle.

Fearing that moving the vehicle could cause further injury to the pedestrian, responding officers lifted the vehicle off the pedestrian and extricated him. Seattle Fired Department medics administered first aid however, the pedestrian died at the scene.

The driver of the Pontiac was screened for any signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. None were observed. The driver was subsequently interviewed and released from the scene pending further investigation.

West Seattle High School Class of 2010 Grad Night celebration will be June 16th, from 9 pm to 6 am. This safe event will keep our seniors off the road on the most dangerous night of their high school days.

[Fact: 8 of 10 drivers on the road between 12 midnight and 5 am have used alcohol]. *

Grad Night is in it's 7th year at WSH. Because of Grad Night, over 700 students have been kept off the road on their Graduation Night, and had a blast at the same time for the last time, with their classmates. As WSHS has the largest Alumni Association in the United States at 17,000 members, Grad Night is an important event to celebrate achievement, promote community, and keep kids safe.

Donations welcome for this important West Seattle Tradition!
Send them to: WSHS PTSA, 3000 California Ave 98116 marked "Grad Night"

The Seattle Public Library is offering residents to chance to share their thoughts and ideas about library services and priorities to help inform the library's strategic planning efforts for its future.

The library’s survey is available May 3 through May 16 at the library's Web site or at local branches.

The survey will also be available in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian.

Survey responses will help guide the library’s future growth and services. The library launched its strategic planning effort in early March with five citywide conversations designed to encourage people to “think big” about future library services and the library’s role in the community.

The project, using the theme, "My Library: The Next Generation," is made possible by a grant from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

The library will present a panel discussion titled “Technology and Its Impact on the Future of Libraries” at 10 a.m. on May 8 at the Central Library, located at 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Room 1.

In a ceremony at Denny International Middle School Monday April 26 the opening of the new Confucious Institute was celebrated by students, faculty, school administrators and dignitaries from China. Confucius Institutes are a non-profit initiative of the Hanban, the executive body of the Chinese Language Council International, a non-governmental and non-profit organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. Over 250 Confucius Institutes have been established around the world, with 60 in the United States.

CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

The $3.7 billion biennial budget approved by the state legislature last week includes $2 million to construct a permanent facility for Aviation High School.

The school serves 400 students interested in careers related to the flight industry and has a strong curriculum that stresses math, science and engineering.

The school is currently located at the Olympic site in Des Moines. A site for a new building has been selected across the street from Tukwila's Museum of Flight.

The school is administered by the Highline School District but admits students from throughout the Puget Sound area.

Seattle entrepreneur James Raisbeck, along with wife and their foundation, donated $4 million to the project. The new school will be known as Raisbeck Aviation High School.

Highline superintendent John Welch reported at the April 7 school board meeting that about $21 million has been raised so far for the new construction. The goal is $43.5 million, Welch said.

Last weekend, my son finally agreed to a sleepover at his friend’s house. After numerous horror stories involving 2 a.m. phone calls and sleepy parents driving across town to pick up their sobbing child, I formed a bit of trepidation about this situation.

My son, a very sensitive homebody who cried when he read the notice from his teacher that his class was going on an overnight camping trip, could all too easily be the sobbing-at-2 a.m. child.

I kept my trepidation to myself, not wanting to spread the anxiety, and gave thanks that the friend only lived five minutes away.

On the eve of the big night, he ran out of the car and into the friend’s home, only to return to give his sister and me a hug when beckoned.

“I guess he’s all right,” I said to the parents.

“He’s fine,” the dad joked. “And, he’ll sleep great after we give him half of a bottle of Benadryl.”

Unlike some parents, sick humor is just what I need to feel comforted, so I smiled and said good-bye.

Once I was settled back into the car, my daughter asked, “Where is my sleep over?”

The first-ever Seattle Sweden Week, the brainchild of Swedish Consul to Washington Lars Jonsson, kicks of May 2 to pay tribute to the long shared history between Seattle and Sweden and to strengthen the current relationships between the two uniquely similar places.

Sweden Week includes both private and public events, such as a fashion show spotlighting Swedish designers, a VIP dinner recognizing six northwest Nobel laureates, a three-day business conference uniting Swedish and American business leaders, and a celebration of the centennial birthdays of both Swedish Hospital and the Scandinavian Department at the University of Washington.

Jonsson said the two major anniversaries – Swedish Hospital and the U.W. Scandinavian Department – created an appropriate opportunity to tell the story of the strong Swedish presence in Seattle's past.

"It's important to keep your heritage alive," he said.

Jonsson said Scandinavian influence was strong in the formation of Seattle. Nordstrom was founded by a Swedish immigrant and Swedish immigrants put up the money to start Swedish Hospital, he said.

Spring Spanish Classes in West Seattle
Quick Study Tutoring - Brenda Howald
8251 Northrop Pl. S.W.
206-501-1971
April 26 - June 16 on Mon. and Wed., 6:30-8:00 p.m. Learn and have fun doing it in 8 weeks of Beginner and Low Intermediate Level Spanish classes which include both conversation and grammar. Pre-registration is required.

Old Fashioned Bake Sale, Plant Sale and Mini Bazaar
Friday, April 30th from 9 am to 4 pm. Providence Mount St. Vincent, front lobby,
4831 35th Ave SW (between SW Hudson and SW Edmunds).
Funds raised benefit the residents and programs of The Mount.

West Seattle Food Bank Benefit
The Hall at Fauntleroy
9131 California Ave. S.W.
206-932-1059
Friday, April 30, 6 - 9p.m. Social hour with live music, a special guest speaker, dinner and a dessert auction. Fundraising event will bring neighbors together to support the Food Bank and ensure the organization’s continuing role in our community.

Threads of Love Honduras Project Work Party
Parish Hall at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church
3050 California Ave. S.W.

Untimely hitting handcuffed the Todd Beamer fastpitch team in an otherwise well played 4-3 loss to visiting cellar dweller Bethel on Friday, April 23.

Despite the tough loss, the Titans' 7-5 SPSL 4A South record kept them in third place behind Puyallup (9-1) and Rogers of Puyallup (9-2). Beamer moved to 9-6 overall. Bethel improved to 2-4 in league.

"Bethel played a good game with spectacular fielding and we fielded well," observed third-year Beamer head coach Dave Abrahamson.

"It was a well played game. Everyone on both sides put in a good effort. We found our bats a little late. We're much improved from last year. Our fielding is better, but our hitting is inconsistent."