August 2010

More than two decades after raising $1,109 for the Children's Hospital Foundation, Crown Hill's Thai Siam is still using its cuisine to raise money for charities at home and abroad. At its 23rd Anniversary Benefit Dinner Aug. 22, the restaurant is set to eclipse the $250,000 mark in total donations to the less fortunate.

When Thai Siam celebrated its first anniversary in 1988, owner Nancy Bhokayasupatt decided against raffling off a trip for two. Instead, she donated the dinner's proceeds to the Children's Hospital Foundation, starting the tradition that continues in 2010.

Reaching out to people is a great service, and as a restaurant, Thai Siam has the resources to do it, Bhokayasupatt told the Ballard News-Tribune in 2007.

The new eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct 4th Avenue S Off-ramp opened for use Monday, August 16th. Safety barriers were removed after the morning commute, then after a brief ribbon cutting and media tour, traffic was allowed to flow onto the new eastbound off-ramp. Both eastbound lanes of the upper roadway are now open to traffic.

Stuart Goldsmith, Project manager on the Spokane Street Project said, "75,000 vehicles a day are on the Spokane Street viaduct, and we estimate at least 5,000 a day on this Fourth Avenue Ramp, and more when I-5 backs up. The 1st Avenue ramp should open by fall of next year. That's the next big phase. The whole project will be complete in Spring, 2012.

This is really a safety project and this ramp adds a whole new dimension to safety, making it possible for smoother exits and entries. You used to have this old 4th Avenue suicide ramp."

Originally set to open for use by December 2010 the ramp opened well ahead of schedule. This will allow motorists, transit and freight traffic direct access to northbound and southbound 4th Avenue S while avoiding rail traffic.

Local nonprofit Environmental Coalition of South Seattle – with generous support from Providence Regina House, Seattle Parks and Rec, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, South Park Neighborhood Association, and South Park Arts - is hosting a community BBQ and garage sale on August 21st from 11-3 at the Duwamish Waterway Park.

The event will feature free BBQ (vegetarian friendly), kayaking, entertainment, kids crafts, activities from DRCC and South Park Arts and more - plus the opportunity to get great deals on gently used items.

Better yet - all proceeds from the garage sale will go towards establishing WiFi internet access along the 14th Avenue retail corridor. All items that do not sell will be donated to the Providence Regina House.

Come meet neighbors new and old, enjoy free barbeque, snacks and family-friendly activities, and get great deals on garage sale items, all while supporting South Park!

Location: Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Ave. S in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle
8/21/2010
11am-3pm
Open to All

WE NEED GARAGE SALE ITEMS!

5:46 p.m. Aug. 9, 900 Block of N.W. 45th St.

An extremely intoxicated woman threatened the victim, claiming she had a knife. The victim and his friend claimed they did not know the suspect.

The obviously intoxicated suspect started to harass them and at one point mentioned she had a knife, threatening to do physical harm to the victim with it The suspect started to walk off with the victim's bicycle.

The victim regained control of his bicycle. The suspect aggressively came at him, and he pushed her to the ground.

The victim declined to file charges but expressed a desire for the suspect to he transported to detox.

Police arrested the suspect in connection with a $500 warrant from the Everett Police Department.

7:30 a.m. Aug. 1 – 7:41 a.m. Aug. 8, 6400 Block of 17th Ave. N.W.

The victim was away on a business trip. When she returned, she founded the exterior basement door open and part of the dead-bolt lock on the ground.

According to police, the door appeared to have been kicked in by someone wearing sneakers.

Mary Kachi Cassinelli opened Dandelion Botanical Company, a natural apothecary shop, at the age of 26 and remembers early on the men in her life telling her how to run her business. But, the successful Ballard business owner of 14 years feels that it was her unique skill set and experiences as a woman that helped her run her business intuitively.

“[This centennial] is a huge stride," said Cassinelli. "It’s hard to imagine a world where we wouldn’t have these rights. I think I would have been back there with them. I would have been one of the marchers.”

This year, Washington, the fifth state in the Union to grant women the right to vote, celebrates the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

The movement was rooted in communities throughout the state. Among them was Ballard, a neighborhood originally supported by such labor-centric industries as fishing, boat building and lumber.

She lured me in with the promise of a ripe blackberry bush, but the subsequent obsession was entirely my own. This is a story about my daughter Emily’s last week in Seattle before returning to college and her crazy mother.

Dating back at least 15 years, we used to carry handled baskets in the car with us during late summer in case we found blackberries.

We picked in Discovery Park, by Bitter Lake, on the slope behind North Beach Elementary, along the Burke-Gilman, by the railroad tracks above Shilshole. The goal was enough berries to produce enough jam to get us through the year.

Over the years, we fashioned coat hangers to pull down thorny branches from above our reach. We learned how to remove blackberry stains from our clothes (boiling water poured from at least 10 feet above), and we wore our scratched arms with hubris.

Last May, Emily returned to Seattle after her freshman year feeling at loss in job-hunting because of her mid-August departure. But within a few weeks, she had fashioned summer employment, first taking over Scott McCredie’s electric lawn mowing business for the summer then becoming a pedal cab driver working the Mariner games and waterfront.

You can head to the beach but shade, cool drinks and better yet air conditioning will help of course.
The National Weather Service has a heat advisory in effect until 10 PM Monday night Aug. 16.

Here are some other tips you can try:
Close windows and blinds during the heat of the day.
Unplug unnecessary appliances and electronic equipment – coffee machines, microwaves, printers, etc.
Reduce lighting to minimal levels.
Investigate personal and space cooling with small room fans and ice packs.
Set your printers to power saver mode when they are not in use.
Set your computer screens to power saver mode when they are not in use.
Turn off all unnecessary lights.
Consume fresh, cold meals or cook during cooler hours.
For residents that don't want to escape the sun by hiding inside with an array of fans, ice packs and popsicles,
Seattle Parks and Recreation offers its outdoor pools, water features and beaches.

The wading pool for toddlers in Lincoln Park is open daily in the upper park or you can head over to E.C. Hughes at 2805 SW Holden St., noon to 7 p.m. Wed, Thu, Fri through Aug. 20. for their 'Three Day' wading pool.

The annual Seattle Police Department Picnic at the Precinct event happened today Aug. 21 with a healthy attendance as hundreds of people enjoyed music food and getting to know the officers from the Southwest Precinct. Newly appointed Chief John Diaz came by to show his support. Information booths, equipment demonstrations, and specialized police vehicles such as robotically controlled crime and bomb devices were part of the fun.

The Chief said, "These events and these picnics are fantastic. We have one in every precinct. The Police Foundation has been the one that's really helped get these going. It's a way to celebrate with the community and to thank the community for their partnership with us. I make sure even if I can't stay long that I drop everything to come to one of these. I've gone to every one of them."

Now that Diaz is chief he's found that his new job is just a little different.

By William Malgren (special to the Herald)

I have a lot of memories from my childhood in West Seattle. Some of the fondest come from the early sixties, when as a ten year old; I delivered our community newspaper, the West Seattle Herald. That is why I am amazed when I see ads describing a newspaper route as a job. I was glad to deliver the Herald. The route was never a job, more of a social activity. Every Thursday afternoon I raced home from school or play to start delivery.

My route began a block from my home, near the corner of California and Fauntleroy. The route was not large, just a little over a quarter square mile. The hundred or so small papers were carried in a gray bag with the word Herald stenciled in red on the front. The bag hung around my neck like a giant pocket on a Kangaroo and banged against my knees as I walked. I never hurried because there was so much to see and do.

What do West Seattleites do on a sunny day in August. Sure, some of us go to Alki but the whole city can show up there. So, true West Seattleites head for our other beach, the one at Lincoln Park.

Contributing Photojournalist Greg McCorkle spent some time there on Sunday, Aug 15 and captured some of what "going to the park" means for many that live around here.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS