August 2010

The Aug. 17 primary election was a good one for the three incumbents – Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson and Rep. Reuven Carlyle – from the 36th District.

In the first counts released shortly after 8 p.m. Aug. 17, Kohl-Welles, a 16-year state senator, had 82.33 percent of the vote to challenger Leslie Klein's 17.14 percent.

Seven-term State Rep. Dickerson was showing 79.24 percent of the vote to challenger Jill England's 20.43 percent.

In his bid for a second term as 36th District representative, Carlyle, running unopposed, pulled in 97.25 percent of the vote.

Due to the state's top-two primary system, all candidates will move on to the November general election.

Uncle Mike's Barbecue is set to open in White Center Monday August 23 at 9640 16th Ave. S.W. and you might be suprised at what you find on the menu, even if you are a vegetarian. That's because the husband and wife team of Michael and Elizabeth Gordon that own and operate the restaurant are a carnivore and a vegetarian that saw an opportunity to satisfy the public taste for barbecue from both sides of the meat eating question.

It's quite likely in fact that this is the first barbecue restaurant with specific vegetarian entrees.

Who is Uncle Mike?

"Micheal has a large extended family," explained Elizabeth,"and everybody calls him Uncle Mike."

The idea for the restaurant grew out of the barbecues he has at their home every summer. He also barbecues for the holidays, often making a smoked turkey although he's known for cooking ribs, both pork and beef.

Michael, while he's mastered the art of barbecue, is also a licensed electrician. Elizabeth is formerly a disability rights lawyer and has earned her Masters of Divinity degree and is working on her dissertation in a Phd. program. "The focus of my research is spirituality and mental health," she said.

President Obama landed at Boeing Field in our own backyard Election Day, Aug. 17 at about 11:00 a.m. and was greeted by supporters and dignitaries before heading to visit the Grand Central Bakery in Pioneer Square and on to a fundraiser at the Westin Hotel for candidate, Senator Patty Murray.

He later attended a second fundraiser at the home of Real Networks Founder Rob Glaser at his home on Lake Washington.

During his visit and just before the President left the Westin, two loud booms were heard across the region. They were caused by fighter aircraft responding to a small aircraft that had violated the 10 mile restricted air space set up around Boeing Field.

The Service Board, or tSB, located in West Seattle’s Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, has a motto, “Open the door for kids who want to change their lives.” The organization holds three sessions a year, and youth and teen mentors meet once or twice weekly to develop job skills, life skills, awareness of social justice, plan community service including beautifying Delridge and White Center, plan snowboarding trips, and “wrap it all up in food and love and building families,” said Ashley Miller, 26, tSB executive director. There is a second TSB facility at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center.

“Most in tSB over the years have returned in a leadership capacity, and are in the 14-to-28 year-old range,” said Miller. “I really think we’re a great example of a youth-lead organization. These kids have transformed since I’ve known them. Many were shy, so hard, tough nuts to crack. These kids have been through a lot and don’t open up easily. Once you get them to open up they’re just beautiful inside.”

UPDATE 3:

Fitzgibbon slightly ahead of Heavey. But top two move on to general election.

http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/elections/201008/Respage7.aspx

State Representative Legislative Dist No. 34 - Position 2

Joe Fitzgibbon Prefers Democratic Party 9056 34.53%

Mike Heavey Prefers Democratic Party 8574 32.69%

Geoffrey Mac McElroy Prefers Independent Party 4758 18.14%

Marcee Stone Prefers Democratic Party 3710 14.15%

Write-in 130 0.50%

In a race without a Republican opponent for the 34th District Position 2 Mike Heavey ended with 32.69% in the vote count with Joe Fitzgibbon slightly ahead at 35.53 % of the vote .

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE IMAGES FROM ELECTION NIGHT

Heavey and Fitzgibbon faced challengers, Marcee Stone who was endorsed by the 34th District Democrats, and Independant candidate Geoffrey Mac McElroy.

Heavey's campaign night party took place at his father, Judge Michael Heavey's house located near the Fauntleroy Ferry.

Since the beginning of Carol Hallen's tenure at Highline Medical Center, even the hospital's name has changed.

Thirty-six years and four bosses later, Hallen is ready to retire. Over the course of her long stint at the facility, she has observed the evolution of not only the medical center, but also the surrounding community.

When she arrived at Highline Community Hospital to work as a technologist, she recalled, the facility was significantly smaller and more limited.

"Now it is a medical center," she said, "and for this community, that's been a wonderful thing."

After some time spent working with EEG machines, she began to work in human resources administration, and later in the marketing department.

Recently she has worked with the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce and Discover Burien on behalf of the hospital, and she pointed to the new city hall and library as signs that Burien is growing up.

Highline Home Health & Hospice Medical Director Jeanne Isaacson, MD, has received the Physician of the Year award from Home Care Association of Washington.

The association provides support, advocacy, expertise and training opportunities to home health, home care and hospice care centers and providers across Washington state.

In her role as medical director, Dr. Isaacson directs the skilled nursing facility hospice team and in-home care team. She has been with Highline Home Health and Hospice since 2007.

The association noted her staff says she is pleasant, calm, caring, and passionate about her patients. She always makes sure her patients are comfortable, they said.

The association reported that she received the distinction as physician of the year for going above and beyond to care for her patients.

For more information about Highline's Home Health and Hospice program, log onto www.highlinemedicalcenter.org/healthcare-services/health-hospice/.

I missed the 45th reunion of my Highline High Class of 1965 last week. It was a low-key affair at Lake Burien School Park held during a Music in the Parks concert.

But our big 5-0 reunion is lurking in five years.

Among other 50th festivities planned by the Highline Class of 1960 this year is a seven-day cruise to Alaska.

Be honest. How many of those people you went to high school with a half-century ago would you want to be stuck on a boat with for a week?

While off on vacation this week to the Oregon Coast with Marge's New York relatives, I'll leave you with this column I wrote five years ago describing my 40th reunion. It was one of three columns I submitted when I received the best humor column-writing award in a state community newspaper contest.

The column is a bit dated. For one thing, we've moved from 153rd. And the idea that the Cougar football team could be three touchdowns ahead of UCLA in the first half seems a little far-fetched now.

"I'm sick. I think I have a fever," I whined.

Marge handed me the thermometer and left the room.

I immediately thrust it up next to a hot light bulb.

I am up at five. Read paper. Go on computer to write. Open mail.

Beth comes downstairs, reads paper in prone position on couch

First thing, I make coffee while my love takes her pills.

I find small pot to boil some eggs for myself. She only wants a sticky bun and java.

Put water on to boil and get eggs from fridge, open carton, grab an egg with clumsy fingers, lose grip as I start transfer of first egg to pot and egg crashes into open drawer of 1000 table knives, forks and spoons. This brings forth a historic howl of dismay and anguish.

Spend 10 minutes cleaning raw egg off all silverware while water is boiling.

She is listening but silent.

After getting two eggs into boiling water, get impatient and take eggs out too soon.

Eat half-done eggs out of desperation.

Notice I have egg on right pant leg and yellow smear on toe of what were shiny white shoes Elsbeth had cleaned.

Stop eating slightly boiled eggs and find dishtowel, run it under tap and clean egg off shoe and pant leg and counter.

Eat rest of cold eggs and partly gnawed sticky bun Elsbeth has discarded.

The West Seattle Herald iPhone and Android apps have been updated to version 1.1. The update includes some minor bug fixes and new revised "citizen journalism" submission interface. The app has a built in and brief slideshow tutorial that explains how to use it to submit stories with photo and/or video through the app itself with either the iPhone or an Android device.

The app provides access to the latest headlines from West Seattle Herald.com, a gallery of images from the Herald's Flickr pages, and access to our YouTube videos produced as standalone news stories.

It also contains a "Push" functionality that will post any important breaking news to your device immediately.

Similar apps are coming in the next 60 days for the Highline Times and the Ballard News Tribune, two other Robinson Newspapers and a Blackberry app is in development.

You can download the app for FREE from iTunes HERE or do a search in the Android Market.