September 2010

"Here in Washington, we're as bad off as any place could be. We are simply the most regressive tax system in the nation."

Bill Gates Sr., father of the Microsoft founder and spokesperson for Initiative 1098, which would create a state income tax, didn't sugar coat his message when he and Phinney resident John Burbank spoke at a Sept. 14 fundraiser at 36th District Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welle's Queen Anne home.

Gates pitched the initiative as a much-needed step toward improving public education in the state. Washington currently ranks 46th in the country in spending on education per $1,000 of income and 37th in per pupil spending, he said.

There have been $12 billion in cuts to the state budget during the past three years, including chronic underfunding of education, said Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute.

"It's an impossible situation we're putting our teachers in," he said. "And, it's going to get worse."

In 1935 Alki Beach was mostly beach houses and small cottages and Jack Alger started serving fish and chips from his garage. The popularity of his product grew so he converted the small space into the first Spud Fish and Chips. Spud is known for its freshly fried "Spud-cut" cod and french fries cut fresh every day in the restaurant. Its popularity continued to grow for the last 75 years and Wednesday Sept 15 the company will have a 75th Birthday Celebration at 2666 Alki Ave. s.w. from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

The celebration will include some special prices, music and door prizes.

$1.75 will get you a one-piece fish and chips meal if you bring in a non-perishable food item for the West Seattle Food Bank. No donation, no problem, Fish n' Chips will be $2.75 and the Spud will donate a dollar to food bank instead.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Nyamuziwa Marimba Ensemble from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The first 75 people in line (remember it opens at 10:30 a.m.) will win an Alki Spud Anniversary Pack. All patrons with a reciept will get a chance to spin the 75th Anniversary Prize Wheel until 3:00 p.m.

The Skylark cafe-club at 3803 Delridge Way s.w. is now open seven days a week as of Sept. 14. You can reach them on Facebook here. You can get their entertainment lineup through the West Seattle Herald's entertainment guide Westside-O-Rama under Features or through their Facebook schedule here.

The new hours of operation are:

Monday through Friday 3:00pm to 2:00am
Saturday 9:00am to 2:00am
Sunday 9:00am to 11:00pm.

Happy hour 7 days at week 3:00pm to 7:00pm.

Minors allowed until 9:00pm Monday through Saturday and all day Sundays.

Area seniors are invited to Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights free Casino Day, being held on Thursday, September 23 from 3 – 6 p.m. If you’ve always wanted to try your luck at blackjack, craps or roulette, this is the event for you.

They will have no risk gaming – which means that they supply the chips and you go home with the prizes. In addition to the free games tables, they will have live entertainment – including an Elvis impersonator – and a free buffet dinner. Please RSVP by Saturday, September 18 to join in the fun and reserve your place at dinner.

Casino Day will be held at Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights, located at 2326 California Ave SW in the Admiral District of West Seattle. If you are interested in finding out more about the Casino Day please contact Lee Ann Tucker Therriault at (206) 938-3964.

West Seattle has been buzzing with conversations about Westside School’s new location in the former E.C. Hughes School building at 7740 34th Ave. s.w. this Sunday, September 19, Westside School will open its doors to the community.

From 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. in the afternoon you are invited to stroll the halls of this beautiful circa 1926 school.

Neighbors, alumni families, and interested members of the community should plan on stopping by on Sunday afternoon. The faculty and staff will be on hand to show you around their “new” school. The large windows fill this historic building with a wonderful light.

Stroll the expansive halls, admire the student artwork, and chat with the faculty and staff about Westside School’s exciting next chapter.

Westside School was founded in 1981 and is located at 7740 34th Avenue SW at Holden and currently offers classes from Preschool through fifth grade.

A new beginning and a new home for NAVOS Mental Health Solutions outpatient clinic was unveiled Sept. 14 with a "beam signing" by local politicians, NAVOS board members, and staff.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

The NAVOS outpatient clinic is currently located in the shadow the SeaTac Airport’s third runway at 1010 S 146th St. Sometime in 2012 NAVOS will be moving into their new 15 million dollar outpatient clinic located at 1210 S.W. 136th St. in Burien, WA. The new facility will be capable of handling more than 3,000 outpatients per year.

The mission of NAVOS is to provide improve the quality of life of people vulnerable to mental illness by providing a broad continuum of care. Every day, hundreds of severely mentally ill Seattle residents make their homes in the streets, shelters, and greenbelts of the city. NAVOS’ multi-disciplinary PACT team reaches out to help. NAVOS connects homeless individuals with housing, treatment, and wraparound services, resulting in fewer people on the street, in jail, and in state hospitals—and more people living independently.

The 2nd meeting on the proposed West Seattle Golf Course Driving Range is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. at the golf course at 4600 35th Ave. s.w.

See our previous coverage of the first meeting here.
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The first meeting, held August 4 was really meant to introduce the core ideas of the project and solicit feedback, not show any kind of finished plan. Project Manager Garrett Farrell said, "We started out with a concept in the Master Plan, and I put that concept out and even though it was a pretty small audience I got from them and from the public via email over the subsequent weeks a lot of comments that pretty much track with the 20 some odd questions we put on there so tomorrow night is the opportunity for me to take some of the efforts of the team, based on what they heard and put it out there."

This press release just sent by Seattle Public Schools announcing a press conference to discuss the "landmark contract agreement" with the Seattle Education Association:

On Wednesday, September 15, 2010, leaders from Seattle Public Schools and the broader community will hold a press conference to discuss the landmark SPS-SEA contract agreement, which links all Seattle teachers’ evaluations to their students’ growth. Civic and community leaders will also be in attendance during the press conference to offer comments and answer questions.

The press conference is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. at the John Stanford Center, 2445 3rd Ave. S., and will occur prior to the Seattle School Board’s Wednesday night vote on the contract.

What: Press conference to discuss new SPS-SEA teacher contract

When: Wednesday, September 15 at 3 p.m.

Where: John Stanford Center auditorium, 2445 3rd Ave. S., Seattle

A few weeks ago, friends and contacts were forced to actually pick up the phone rather than email me.

“Your emails are bouncing back,” they said accusingly. As if I was intentionally trying to make their life more difficult.

I wasn’t too concerned about this phenomenon, figuring people could still call me or do something really crazy such as stop by my house. Plus, I was receiving some emails, so I figured if they tried again, maybe they would be successful.

My friends were not as nonchalant about this conundrum, as they perceived it.

“Have you called Clearwire?” asked Willow, who happens to work in technology.

“No, I figure it will all sort itself out after Mercury retrograde,” I answered.

Now, I know that makes me sound incredibly woo-woo, which I am, but I am even more of a luddite. If talking about Mercury retrograde allows me to avoid talking to a tech support person, I’ll be the first to start chanting and looking at the stars.

Willow, who is also woo-woo, but even more left-brained, asked, “When is the last time you cleaned out your inbox?”

“I don’t know. I try to delete messages as I go.”

Ed. Note: The following letter was sent to the Seattle City Council. A copy of it was sent to the Ballard News-Tribune.

I was walking in Ballard recently and noticed a blind woman with a cane trying to negotiate Market Street in front of Tulley's. I offered to help her, but maybe others don't.

Because of the proliferating number of sandwich boards advertising businesses and the increase in the number of fenced-in areas used by restaurants and bars, this woman was having a difficult time. She nearly went off the curb twice and bumped into a number of the signs and then the refuse can.

There is no way a blind person can memorize the territory now, even in a familiar landscape. The signs move around and there are more of them every day. I have personally been inconvenienced by them and have moved some of them closer to the buildings. I have gone in to ask proprietors to keep their signs closer to the buildings they occupy, but they seem not to care.

I think it is time to charge a fee for the use of the public right of way and to limit the number of signs on the sidewalks. Merchants could take turns by day of the week.