October 2010

Local artist launches solo show at The Pratt Gallery at Tashiro Kaplan Studios_Opening Reception: First Thursday, October 7, 6 - 8 pm

Something is Shifting opens this Thursday at Pratt Gallery's off-campus gallery in the heart of downtown Seattle's Art Walk. It's a remarkable selection of new and recent prints and artist books by Burien artist Kelda Martensen. In her first solo show on the West Coast, Martensen continues to explore interconnectivity -- addressing our travel through city and nature, and our quest to define home.

Martensen's fresh perspective incorporates photography, collage and drawing. Her compositions launch the viewer into their own tales and fantasies -- encouraging them to make a personal connection through and beyond the familiar materials of paper, ink and graphite. She defines contemporary collage using the methods of traditional printmaking.

Charges filed in tow truck driver's death

Prosecutors have charged a woman in the hit-and-run crash that killed a Burien tow truck driver last week. Shavelle M. Lewis, 20, has been charged with vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run in the death of William A. Padilla. Investigators said Padilla, 51, was assisting a broken-down car when he was hit.
Lewis has been released on bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned next month. According to the Washington State Patrol, Padilla was hit at about 1:15 a.m. while on the ramp from Spokane Street to southbound I-5. He was working on a vehicle damaged in an earlier crash.

Padilla, who worked for GT Towing in Seattle, was kneeling down at the front of the disabled car when a woman in an SUV drove across all southbound lanes and hit the tow truck operator. Padilla died at the scene. Investigators said the woman driving the SUV sped off but was captured minutes later at the bottom of the Michigan Street off-ramp. When troopers arrived they found Lewis standing outside the SUV, but the keys to the vehicle were in her pocket. Officials said she appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Burien now has a Toys "R" Us-- at least temporarily.

Toys "R" Us opened an express store at 14200 1st Ave. S. on Sept. 18. The story will remain open during the holidays.

The national toy retailer is doubling the number of its stores nationally, opening an additional 600 express stores during the holiday season.

The lease goes through January, after which Toys "R" Us will decide whether or not to keep it open as a permanent store, Burien Economic Director Dick Loman said.

"It is a pilot program for them to see if there is enough sales activity to keep it open as a year round store," Loman said. He said the city of Burien is hoping the sales response will be enough to justify keeping the store open.

Loman said he is pleased Toys "R" Us is giving the city a try during the holiday season.

The store is opening in a 5,000-foot space near the Fred Meyer store in Burien.

Toys "R" Us is also bringing back a store to Federal Way, which has not had one since the company closed down the store there in 2006.

The express store opened in the mall known as the Commons. Their lease, like the one in Burien, is only temporary,

On Oct. 4, the city gave approval to the Compass Housing Alliance to move forward on Ballard's Urness House, with conditions, in terms of the design and environmental impacts of the housing development for formerly homeless men and women.

The project, located at 1753 N.W. 56th St., is a seven-story building containing 80 low-income housing units above first and second-floor office and medical space. The project includes 13 parking spaces within the building.

This month Hank Bakken turns 90. Though he no longer builds remarkable houses, this modest Burien man has lived a remarkable life.

I luckily met him 30 years ago after I asked the owners of Logan Lumber (now Dunn Lumber) if they knew a good builder. I asked a bunch of their employees.

Everybody sang his praises.

Thirty years later the house Hank built has never had a crack in the plaster. Burien Architect Al Sasonoff designed it strong and Hank built it the same way. They made a great team.

Maybe it was the mud and dirt of Auburn High's football turf in the late 30's that gave Hank the grit he needed to become an all-star athlete in two sports. Maybe it was his mom and pop who instilled in him the traits that carried him through WWII and a 62-year marriage.

Whatever he learned as a youth was put to the test after Pearl Harbor. Hank enlisted with the Army Air Corp in 1942 just days before he got his draft notice.

Skinny and smart, Hank signed up for flight training in Uvalde, Texas, just west of San Antonio. His bunkmate from Illinois was Dick Barnes, later to become a Washington State Representative from Normandy Park.

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images of Lindbergh's 41-0 blowout of Highline on September 30. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images of Kennedy's 2-1 girls' soccer victory over Highline September 30. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.

Tuesday, Sept. 28

Volleyball

Kentwood 3, Mt. Rainier 0

The Rams were outscored by the Conquerors last Tuesday, 25-10, 25-18, 25-14.
Kathleen Mulligan had one ace, four digs, one block and three kills and Olivia Moss contributed two digs and three kills with Mykaela Klinger adding three kills. Vanessa Hoefs had four digs and two kills and Jenna Nye two aces, two digs and six assists. Megan Daley added two aces, two digs and six assists and Jackie Agusto added six digs.

JFK 3, Evergreen 0

Evergreen was iced over by Kennedy Catholic last Tuesday.

Highline 3, Foster 0

Highline hammered the Bulldogs in a Seamount League game last Tuesday.

Thursday, Sept. 30

Volleyball

Kentridge 3, Mt. Rainier 0

The Chargers beat up on the Rams Thursday, 25-21, 25-23, 25-9.
Mulligan had two blocks, four digs and seven kills for Mount Rainier and Moss managed two digs and six kills with Klinger adding three kills and Hoefs one ace, two digs and one kill. Nye had one ace and Daley two digs, 10 assists and one kill. Agusto scored six digs and Niklaus two digs and three assists.

Tyee 3, Foster 2

Sunrise Tuesday, Oct. 5, looking northwest across the Sound from Alki.

The start of work on the Burien Transit Center parking garage is slightly delayed as work is completed on the temporary park-and-ride at the old BBC Dodge lot.

The temporary park-and-ride was scheduled to open Oct. 2nd at the site along 1sr Avenue South near state Route 518. The park-and-ride lot at the transit center will close while a new parking garage is constructed.

Burien Economic Director Dick Loman said bus service will continue as usual at the Burien Transit Center even after the park-and-ride is closed.

"We have over 5,000 people who come into Burien and change buses there," Loman said. King County Metro has told the city bus service for those people will not be affected.

Loman described the work being done to the former BBC Dodge site before it opens as a temporary park and ride as cosmetic development. He said the contractor is cleaning it up and striping parking stalls.

Once the work is complete there will be 300 parking spaces available at the interim park-and-ride location.

The buses which will be running through the interim park and ride are Metro routes 121, 122, 123, 131 and 132.