September 2010

Internationally acclaimed knitters and designers from across the United States and Scandinavia will gather in Seattle Oct. 15 through Oct. 17 when the Nordic Heritage Museum hosts its third annual Nordic Knitting Conference, expected to draw hundreds of knitters from around the world.

The conference will feature intensive, hands-on classes in various Nordic techniques representing Scandinavia’s rich knitting traditions and contemporary interpretations of this legacy.

The conference also includes a Friday night happy hour, a Saturday evening banquet with a keynote address on Estonian lace by Nancy Bush, and educational and social interactions with other knitters.

“Knitting is not only a celebrated tradition in the Nordic countries but has also become popular with contemporary textile artists and DIY enthusiasts of all ages," Eric Nelson, CEO of the Nordic Heritage Museum, said in a museum press release. "We are proud to bring these internationally acclaimed craftspeople, artists and designers together for this popular program.”

He has strode the halls of power and stood outside the oval office, dealt with some of the biggest names of our time, worked in high tech and followed many paths yet Geoffrey Abdian never found fulfillment until now, here in the West Seattle Junction.

He will open Suite Arrangements, a furniture consignment store at 4706 California Ave. s.w. in the West Seattle Junction on Oct. 1 and the business means more to to him than anything he's ever done.

Abdian has lived in West Seattle for 16 years working in custom remodeling but he began his career as a press agent and legislative aide for U.S. Senator John Melcher, Montana (D) in the 1970's. Dealing with people meant working, "in a heady atmosphere" he said but left him with no sense of having served his life's purpose.

He later went on to work in the paper and pulp industry, migrated to the world of high tech working in marketing and advertising and along the way wrote a novel, created a unique "periodic table of behaviors" for the educational market and most recently supported himself by helping West Seattle homeowners fix up their houses as a general contractor but even after all this said "I'm a writer."

Two days after earning its first win of the season, the Ballard High School volleyball team suffered a letdown against KingCo powerhouse Woodinville in a 3-0 loss Sept. 29.

Woodinville, who is 5-2 overall and undefeated in KingCo, beat the Beavers 25-17 in the first game. Things only went downhill after that for Ballard, as the team lost the final two games 25-12 and 25-11 in the most lopsided Ballard defeat of the season.

Junior Monique Marquez led the team with 11 assists, a season low for her. Junior Deanna Myers chipped in five kills for the Beavers.

With the loss, Ballard fell to 1-3 in KingCo and 1-6 overall.

The Beavers will look to rebound at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Bothell High School.

Bothell beat Ballard 3-0 last season, but so far 2010 has been a different story for both teams.

Bothell had won four of its five matches heading into its competition with Ballard last season and finished with a 15-4 record (10-1 in KingCo). This season, Bothell is struggling with a 2-5 record.

West Seattle diners now have another dinner option, with the opening of the Highsstrike Grill at West Seattle Bowl at 4505 39th Ave. s.w. It replaces the long time chinese restaurant Terrace West as you'd expect the entire section has been remodeled and upgraded. Comfortable booths line the windows and the former counter has been replaced with a stylish wall.

The head Chef is Ian Joyce who hails from eastern Washington. His experience includes his original training at The Art Institute of Seattle’s Culinary school and his work for four of the Anthony's Homeport restaurants. Eastern Washington is" where I get all my wine influences from," Joyce said.

They will have a daily fresh sheet, are working to bring in as many local suppliers as possible and the highest priced item on the menu is their $17.99 Ribeye steak.
"The most a couple would likely spend for dinner here is around $40," Joyce said.

On the menu for appetizers are such items as homemade potato chips, a hummus platter, and a "Wine Lovers Plate" with cheeses, red grapes, greek olives and fresh pita bread.

In every attic and spare room across the country there are dozens of photo albums, 8mm movies reels, color slides and letters detailing lives lived. It is true in Burien too. What can be lost is the narrative that goes with those pictures. Thanks to Tellit Productions, not anymore.

Don Norling, retired Highline District educator, was given the gift of a session at Tellit last month. His daughter had purchased the legacy video package at the Mar Vista school auction. Brothers Bill Reid, a former DJ and David Leaming teamed up to create a lasting memento for Don's children and beyond.

More than three years and many DVD videos later the brothers have perfected the craft of how to ask the right questions from their subjects. Nothing personal, you understand, but Don did say he'd volunteered some highlights of his life even his kids did not know. Don chronicled his life in education from teacher to coach to principal, eventually running school district athletics. He talked about his early life in Ellensburg."The old barn grandpa built is still standing", he said.

At the southern end of the South Seattle Community College campus a group of volunteers was working Wednesday Sep. 29 to save the earth with charcoal.

If that seems like a far fetched goal, the threads of the story behind what they were working on lead to a very rich and detailed set of ideas now being put into practice.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

Art Donnelly is the President and Co-Founder with Don Hennick of SeaChar.org an organization whose mission is to promote a form of charcoal called "Biochar" made from green waste which has applications for sequestering or removing and trapping carbon dioxide from the air, and acts as a remarkably effective soil amendment for crops.

Charges of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run have been filed against Shavelle Lewis, 20, who allegedly careened across five lanes on I-5 southbound in the early morning of Sept. 24 before striking and killing William Padilla, a tow truck operator for GT Towing Service, according to charging documents. Lewis has now been arrested by Washington State Patrol and was taken to King County Jail according to Trooper Christina Martin.

Our original coverage of the story is here.

Washington State Patrol officers sent charges against Shavelle Lewis to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on the afternoon of Sept. 29 which will likely result in her arrest this afternoon, according to Washington State Police spokesperson Christina Martin.

Lewis was kept in King County Jail after the accident, but was released on the evening of Sept. 28 because charges had not yet been filed against her, according to the Seattle Times.

The first deadline for Urban Partners to come up with $3.5 million or face foreclosure on the Burien Town Square project has come and gone with no changes.

The only way for Urban Partners to avoid foreclosure on the project now is to repay the entire amount of the loan before Oct. 29, or finish negotiating the loan with S.T. Residential, which Keller still anticipates they will do.

Paul Keller, a principal with Urban Partners, who developed Burien Town Square, called the foreclosure notice a negotiating tool. Keller described it as just doing what they (S.T. Residential) had to do. Urban Partners still owes $38.4 million on the Burien Town Square construction loan.

Chicago based Corus Bank held the construction loan on Burien Town Square, until they failed last year. The FDIC sold off the assets of the failed bank. Since Corus Bank failed, Urban Partners has been working to renegotiate the loan with the new loan holder S.T. Residential.

Cpt. Steve Paulsen knows West Seattle well.

He grew up here as a youngster and eventually returned as Operations Lieutenant for the Southwest Precinct for four and a half years before leaving in January of this year to take over as day watch lieutenant for the West Precinct.

“When I heard I was taking over the precinct, and this one specifically, I felt like I got two presents; I got promoted and I got to go back to West Seattle,” Paulsen said.

Cpt. Paulsen and Cpt. Kessler (who is leaving the Southwest Precinct to take over as commander for the West Precinct) are in the midst of transition and Paulsen expects to be fully settled in West Seattle by Oct. 1.

The two have worked together and been friends for many years, Paulsen said, making the transition an easy one.

“You are not going to see much change as far as the programs with the exception of continually taking the programs we have and looking at how we do more outreach within our neighborhoods and community,” Paulsen said.

Paulsen brings his own philosophy to the commander post, and said he likes to, “keep it simple.”

A going-away party was held for outgoing commander Cpt. Joe Kessler at the Southwest Precinct shortly before noon on Sept. 29.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

An army of officers, lieutenants and office employees joined in the community room to share their appreciation for Kessler’s leadership over the past two and a half years. They also came for a cake from Boracchini’s Bakery that read, “Thanks for your passion and dedication to the Southwest Precinct.”

Kessler is taking over as commander for the West Precinct and Cpt. Steve Paulsen will take his place in West Seattle.

“I’m looking forward in some respects to going back downtown as it’s been a long time since I worked there,” Kessler said, “but I will say that in my 21 years as a supervisor in this department this really has been the best assignment I’ve had.”

The precinct pooled their resources and had a custom Southwest Precinct Commander polo shirt made for Kessler to remember his time here.