December 2010

Fire truck sirens were heard a second time in Ballard today as Seattle Fire Department responded to a small electrical fire at Fisherman's Terminal.

The fire was found in a closet of a 100 ft ship at Fisherman's Terminal and was quickly extinguished.

Early this morning, Seattle Fire responded to a house fire on 3021 Northwest 92nd Street. Flames completely engulfed the house by the time fire crews arrived at 7:40 a.m.

One occupant was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non life threatening injuries.

Firefighters worked hard to keep the blaze from spreading to nearby homes.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this point.

What's red, round, and shows up in the tens of thousands each December in Highline? No, not Christmas tree ornaments - Coho salmon eggs.
Each year, volunteers from Trout Unlimited receive Coho salmon eggs from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery at Soos Creek near Auburn. The eggs are raised for about a month in a small hatchery building on the grounds of the Southwest Suburban Sewer District plant on Miller Creek. Continuously bathed in clean well water, the eggs incubate and turn into 2-3 cm long fish (alevins).
Just as the fish have absorbed their yolk sacks in mid- to late-January, volunteers then outplant the salmon throughout Miller Creek and Walker Creek as well as Des Moines Creek and other smaller streams in Highline.

The King County prosecutor has charged Jayson Boehm, formerly employed by the Highline School District as substitute stadium manager at Memorial Field, with four counts of unlicensed practice of medicine and one count of forgery. Boehm is accused of improperly providing sports physicals and medical treatment to student athletes and with signing a doctor's name to a form documenting a sports physical.
Boehm's employment was immediately terminated and barred from school properties when the district learned of Boehm's activity last May.
"We are pleased that charges have been filed, and we are working with the prosecutor and sheriff's department to ensure that Jayson Boehm is held accountable for his actions," said Superintendent John Welch. "The safety of our students is of the highest importance, and I have taken actions to prevent this from happening again."

PRESS RELEASE

Dear Friends of the Alki Statue of Liberty,

The Alki Community Council would like to thank all of you who have purchased engraved bricks and plaques for the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Over 165 new bricks and 2 bronze plaques were added this fall, bringing the totals installed to over 2700 bricks and 32 plaques since the project began.

Only about 120 bricks and 4 Tribute Plaques are still available. Our agreement with the Plaza designers stipulates that we will not place additional bricks in the main Plaza floor so that the original spiral design remains intact. All new bricks ordered will be placed in the top landing in the pattern surrounding the Time Capsule Plaque. Orders placed by the end of March 2011, will be installed in the spring. Installation will be done by Seattle Parks & Recreation and we will email donors when an exact date is set.

The sale will continue with installations twice a year until our allotment of bricks and plaques is exhausted. To download an order form and for additional information, click on the links below:

The newest Brick Order Form - www.sealady.org/brickform.pdf

Ballard High School hosted the Inglemoor VIkings last night and they put on an exciting game.

The Beavers gained a two-point lead in the first quarter and by half time, the Beavers were playing a very tight game.

Forward Salim Gloyd, the 6-foot-6 Senior, was making shot after shot for a total of 27 points and Sophomore Seth Berger was also on target.

The Vikings stepped up their defensive play and inched closer in the second half.

The Beavers were up by four points when the Vikings hit a three pointer at the buzzer.

In the end, the Beavers got away with a 56 to 55 win.

The Beavers are now 3-0 in league and 4-1 overall. The next game is Dec. 21st at Redmond.

(Click on photo to start slideshow)

At the Design Review Board meeting on Monday evening, the proposal for Weber Thompson’s “Ballard West” building received conditional approval.

The six-story mixed use, retail-residential building will replace the old library site on 24th Ave N.W.

Monday's meeting was originally scheduled for Nov. 22 but was postponed due to the snowfall.

The proposed building will contain 9,572 sq. ft. of ground level retail space, three live-work units with 107 residential units, below grade parking for 80 vehicles to be provided. The proposal also contains several sustainability goals including a green roof and an ambition to meet LEED Platinum requirements.

At earlier meetings, neighbors expressed concern about the size of the building, the development blocking their light, and enduring more construction.

SLIDESHOW

Rain may leave a mess behind. Sometimes it also leaves time to reflect.

Click on photo to see more locations.

For more than two years Sherrill Miller followed her own advice. "Avoid two life changing events in the same year."

Then came one she could not avoid. Now, two years later, the other is on the horizon. E.B. Foote winery is for sale.

Rich Higginbotham, Sherrill's husband, passed away in Sept. 2008. She and Rich had built the winery up from a languished brand in 1991 to a respectably good-selling one in those 19 years.

"Wine making is a physical business," Sherrill explained. There are trucks to drive, casks to move, cases to stack.

It was a business in which she and Rich shared duties. Each had a specific set of tasks. Each brought skills. She was the outside face, he the inside man with the quiet reserve. Things got done, wine got sold. Life went on until Rich got sick.

In 1991 Rich was managing food services for King County jail. Sherrill was teaching at North Hill Elementary. They sometimes joked about owning a business when they retired. Then one day they visited Gene Foote at his winery in South Park.

Press Release:
The first WSU 4-H Challenge Course in an urban setting will be built at Camp Long in West Seattle.

A memorandum of agreement between WSU Extension 4-H and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation will provide outdoor facilities for youth to experience hands-on activities designed to help them develop decision-making, teamwork, and leadership skills.

Scott VanderWey, WSU 4-H Adventure Education Director, said the activities will help increase the teens’ self-confidence and positive risk taking.

“Our learn-by-doing method engages teens so they understand what it’s like to make healthy decisions for themselves and their peers,” said VanderWey. "The research-based approach, known as Social Emotional Learning, is proven to increase student motivation, student attendance, mastery of subject material, and a more positive school climate."

Press Release:
The Seattle Storm today announced the organization’s schedule of holiday community events headlined by Brian Agler, the reigning WNBA Coach of the Year.

Beginning on Wednesday, Dec.15, Head Coach Brian Agler will make a pregame visit to the Renton High School girls basketball team. Agler will talk with the team about how hard work and dedication in practice can lead to great things. On Thursday, Dec. 16, Agler, CEO Karen Bryant and the entire Storm staff along with students from Dearborn Park Elementary will volunteer their efforts at the Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle/King County by packaging food that will be distributed to local food banks.

“I enjoy returning to Seattle during the offseason and volunteering my time to those in need,” said Agler. “This community has been an integral part of our success as a team and an organization. I can’t think of a better way to express our gratitude.”