May 2010

They arrived as a pair in late March at the Sylvan Learning Center in Ballard. The first man asked director Pam Cople about reading comprehension help for his sixth-grade daughter then excused himself to take a phone call.

A second man walked in, also chatting on a cell phone. Cople said she didn’t notice he’d swiped her purse from her office until he was nearly out the door.

“I grabbed him, missed him and ran after him,” she said.

He escaped. Cople said she assumed he’d been talking to his buddy on the phone, alerting him that she’d left her office and he could search for her purse. The police didn’t catch the crooks.

“They had it all planned,” Cople said. “You have to have some kind of game plan. I feel like it was quite organized.”

Once a quiet, Scandinavian suburb of Seattle, Ballard has morphed into an urban hotspot, complete with top-rated restaurants, fresh nightlife and, yes, crime.

Two vacant lots sit adjacent to Greenwood Park along Fremont Avenue North. Several years ago, when the plots were purchased by the city, the Vision Greenwood Park steering committee thought this unused space could be put to better use by annexing them into their neighborhood park.

Now, plans for the expansion of Greenwood Park are almost in their final stages. During a May 26 open house, landscape architecture firm Site Workshop presented their conceptual designs and solicited comments from a handful of Greenwood residents.

Steering committee chair Mike Stringer said he was looking forward to a multi-use park. As it is now, Greenwood Park mostly targets younger children.

“I’m excited about getting more use out of the park, to bring together different generations, to bring the community together and bridge connections," Stringer said.

Two meetings last year gauged what people wanted to see in the park. Many latched onto the idea of a P-Patch, as the waiting lists for others can last years. People wanted more shaded areas, and more features for all-ages use, Stringer said.

New York Times best-selling legal-thriller author Robert Dugoni signed copies of his latest novel, "Bodily Harm" at Olde Burien's Tin Room Bar & Grill on Thursday, May 27.
"Bodily Harm" is the third in a series of David Sloane legal thrillers. The fictional Sloane, "the lawyer who never loses," hangs out at the Tin Room and lives in an old white house on Three Tree Point.

Dan House, Tin Room proprietor, is also a character in the series. He also appeared at the book signing.

Eric Mathison talked to Dugoni last month at the Tin Room and wrote the following previously published column:

Some how I got hooked on Nero Wolfe mystery novels. That's strange because if I envisioned my own crime fiction series, my protagonist certainly wouldn't be a fat guy who rarely leaves his house, lives with two men and tends orchids in the attic.
Even stranger was my flirtation with Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder. In that series, the hero is a grumpy cat burglar.
So it was refreshing to discover the fictional world of David Sloane, a nearly unbeatable courtroom attorney whose cases inevitably lead he and his loved ones into danger.

New York Times best-selling legal-thriller author Robert Dugoni signed copies of his latest novel, "Bodily Harm" at Olde Burien's Tin Room Bar & Grill on Thursday, May 27.

"Bodily Harm" is the third in a series of David Sloane legal thrillers. The fictional Sloane, "the lawyer who never loses," hangs out at the Tin Room and lives in an old white house on Three Tree Point.

Dan House, Tin Room proprietor, is also a character in the series. He also appeared at the book signing.

Eric Mathison talked to Dugoni last month at the Tin Room and wrote the following previously published column:

Some how I got hooked on Nero Wolfe mystery novels. That's strange because if I envisioned my own crime fiction series, my protagonist certainly wouldn't be a fat guy who rarely leaves his house, lives with two men and tends orchids in the attic.

Even stranger was my flirtation with Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder. In that series, the hero is a grumpy cat burglar.

So it was refreshing to discover the fictional world of David Sloane, a nearly unbeatable courtroom attorney whose cases inevitably lead he and his loved ones into danger.

Lynn Barnicle loved reading. As a fifth grade teacher at Arbor Heights Elementary School she brought a special passion to reading and impressed everyone with her love of books. When she died of Leukemia in July of 2009 it left a big void in the lives of all those she had taught, and the entire school community.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE A SLIDESHOW OF OTHER PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

Thursday night, May 27, hundreds of people gathered to honor Barnicle's memory by naming the school library after her. The Lynn Barnicle Memorial Library will now carry a very special sign, made by her close friend and artist, Michael Dupille. Dupille created the sign out of fused glass.

Carol Coram, Arbor Heights Principal said, "Basically it was a staff idea, and so it was not anything we could just do. because there's school district policy. We had to submit it...and it finally gets to the school board for their approval. Then we decided as a staff, that since we have this young authors conference every year where they write books and we celebrate their writing...and we have a book fair going on, we decided this would be the appropriate time to name the library after Lynn."

Shimi Kahn, 26, grew up in Israel, but his father passed away when he was 5 1/2 years old. Shimi and his mother tried very hard but she was not the best of cooks. "She has gotten much better since, and I love her soup now, but back then she was not so good." So, at age 7 he took up the task of cooking, gaining practice, and experience up through his teens. In High School he met a beautiful girl from Russia, named Alina, 22, who later became his wife and business partner. After his time in the military he found work in the restaurant business, as a cook, and later as a manager.

When The Bit Saloon announced it was closing in October 2009, it left scores of metal, punk and hardcore bands, not to mention countless other fans of the 62-year-old Ballard bar, in despair.

Reactions to the news that The Bit, located at 4818 17th Ave. N.W., was closing ranged from "That sucks" to "Where the hell am I going to drink now?"

But, thanks to two Burien residents, the bar has been given a second life, revived as The 2 Bit Saloon.

Jessica Young and Jamie Bernard took over the lease in January and officially opened The 2 Bit May 8.

Young has 12 years of experience as a bartender, most recently seven years at The Funhouse downtown.

"Jamie has lots of experience in going to bars," Young joked.

Last years, Young and Bernard were looking for opportunities to start their own bar because Young said she didn't want to be a bartender forever and she wanted to help keep local music alive in small venues.

The two focused their search in Ballard and Fremont. Young said those neighborhoods are old Seattle, and while they have a few condos, they still maintain an industrial area, which cuts down on noise complaints for live music.

After three days, teams got to dodge balls instead of roaring rain drops as softball teams began a tournament that was originally scheduled to begin on Friday, May 21, as teams descended upon Sprinker Recreation Center to determine six places in the state tournament to be held at the South End Recreation Area in Tacoma on Friday, May 28.

John F. Kennedy remained in the chase for a state berth in fastpitch by knocking out Lakes 10-0 in five innings in day one concluding action at the Sprinker Recreation Center on Monday, May 24.

Scoring in every inning but the fifth, the Lancers recovered from a disappointing morning loss in their opener of the West Central/Southwest Bi-District tournament. Kennedy won with steady offense, notching single tallies in the first and second innings before delivering a three-spot in the third and a pair in the fourth. Three tallies in the sixth inning completed the carnage.

Ashley Davis batted 3-for-4 with a triple while Jenny Donohue was 3-for-3. Shee Samaniego was 3-for-4 and Kelsey Trautmann hit 3-for-4 with a triple.

Jessica Lewis went the distance on a four-hitter that had three strikeouts.

Great concentration and stroke making catapulted representatives from all four Federal Way School high schools into the Washington state tennis tournament after play was completed at the Class 4A West Central District tennis tournament after top six finishes on Saturday, May 22, at the Sprinker Recreation Center.

From Friday through Saturday, local players earned their final tickets to the state championships to be held at Kamiakin High School and the Tri-Cities Court Club in Kennewick beginning May 28.

Decatur junior Meghan Cassens completed a four-match, zero sets lost coronation march to her third consecutive girls singles crown with a 6-1, 6-0, semifinal rout of Olympia's Katelyn Orchard before returning to the court late Friday night to outduel Corrinne Wurden of Central Kitsap, 6-1, 6-3, in the championship. Wurden claimed a 3-2 second set lead before the Gator ace turned up her powerful all-around skills to win four consecutive games and the match.

Cassens opened up at state against Ami Vo of Newport.

The second Federal Way girls singles qualifier was decided in a triple threat series of matches involving Federal Way School District hopefuls.

Three consecutive days of battling the rainy weather and awesome opponents finally harvested Class 3A West Central District seeding spots into state being held in Vancouver, Washington.

On Thursday, May 20, the continuing rain showers forced the shuttling of players from outdoor courts into the four-court indoor facilities at the Sprinker Recreation Center.

Attempting to play catchup on Friday, the 3A players tried to gain some outdoor play by sharing court space with the Class 4A players as well as sharing indoor space. Showers returned, forcing a large number of boys matches to be sent to satellite indoor courts in Olympia.

By Saturday morning, May 22, tournament Director and Evergreen High School coach Doris Burdin had a more manageable situation with longer periods of outdoor play aiding the tournament progress.

Mitchell Thorp of John F. Kennedy led Highline area qualifiers with a second place in boys singles. Thorp's outstanding run started with a 6-0, 6-0, bageling of Justin Shuck from Lakes. Thorp next threw his power into a 6-0, 6-3, domination of Franklin Pierce's Drew Dawson to gain the winners bracket semifinals.