January 2011

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Saturday is the plunge. The actual plunge is at noon, while registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and awards presentation is at 11:15 a.m.

They present the awards prior to the noon plunge as the wet participants tend to disperse to warm up immediately following their exit from the Sound, we were told.

On January 29, Super Special Olympics athlete Zach Smith and his father Norm and the rest of their team will be "Freezin' For A Reason" as they run into the water on Alki Beach as participants of the annual Polar Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics - Washington, organized by law enforcement throughout the state of Washington. Norm is VP of Athlete Experience, a new job title in the Special Olympics, and on the board of directors. It is a volunteer position.

Norm said that all board members taking the plunge promise to dress in pink and purple tutus. One year the guys wore coconut bras and grass skirts.

The Smiths plunged Columbia Park, Kennewick today, and will do so again at Redondo Beach in Puget Sound Feb. 14. They raise money as a team, involving other fundraisers who will plunge in unison.

Press Release:
A pedestrian footbridge at King County’s White Center Heights Park, damaged and closed to public access since early summer of last year, will be repaired this year and is expected to be open by this fall.

The suspension bridge was constructed across a small pond in September 2009 as part of a series of improvements to the park. To protect the public, King County Parks closed access to the footbridge in June 2010 after the bridge was discovered to have lost several of the many bolts that hold the complex structure together.

The County's bridge engineers examined the damaged bridge and analyzed its design. They identified design flaws, and proposed solutions to safely return the bridge to service. Last week, an outside peer review of the County's engineering study concluded that the proposed solutions would fix the identified flaws.

The County proposes to retrofit the bridge by beefing up the arch and portions of the deck with additional steel to stiffen the structure, and installing several "dampers" or suspended weights to help the bridge absorb vibrations and reduce its range of motion.

Two independent forensic experts from Rome were sworn in today in court in Perugia, Italy to make it official that, starting in February, they will have 90 days to review controversial evidence that prosecutors have claimed link Amanda Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito to the murder of Meredith Kercher Nov. 1, 2007, her British roommate there.

The experts Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti from Rome's Sapienza University will review DNA findings on the knife the prosecutors have claimed to be the murder weapon, and on Ms. Kercher's bra clasp prosecutors claimed contained Sollecito's finger prints.

The forensic team has between Feb. 9 and May 9 at a university lab, and will report back to the court May 21.

Knox's lawyers want to question the prosecution's key witness, Antonio Curatolo, possibly in March. He lives on a bench in Perugia and was recently busted for dealing illegal drugs.

Amanda's father, Curt, told the West Seattle Herald before the hearing that he had hoped the forensic pair would take 60 rather than 90 days, but that the most important thing was that they do a thorough job in order to reach a positive outcome for his daughter.

The Ballard High School basketball teams hosted the Bothell Cougars last night.

The lady Beavers started off behind and were down until the end. The score was still tied until the end of the game until Theresa Moriarty hit a 3 pointer to put the Beavers ahead for good. Ballard won by five points in the end for a final score of 43 to 38. Senior Elena DeWeese led the team by 19 points.

The Boys Beavers gained a six-point lead in the first quarter and stayed ahead for the whole game. Ballard won with a final score of 69 to 45.

The boys and girls varsity teams will host Issaquah on Saturday, Jan 22nd.

The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is hosting a brown bag lunch on January 26 with a presentation entitled “Why the Tunnel Works”

The event will feature John Creighton Commissioner, Port of Seattle and Dave Gering Director, Manufacturing Industrial Council who will provide, quoting from the Chamber invitation "facts about keeping our economy moving and why the Deep Bored Tunnel is both critical to the economic health of our region and the best choice."

The cost is $25 per attendee, and $20 for Chamber members who RSVP by 1/24/11. If you plan on attending please call 206-932-5685 before Jan. 24.

The event will be held from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm at The Kenney, 7125 Fauntleroy Way s.w.

In contrast to the negative rhetoric that seems to have overtaken political and talk-show discourse lately, The West Seattle Earlybirds Toastmasters Club promotes civility in speech. For instance, one member who spoke in front of the others described his "bad-ass" bicycle he was designing as a topic. The evaluator who assessed his talk said he was great, but that there was no need for the word "ass" or other swear words to project his topic with passion.

Earlybirds is one of three Toastmasters groups in West Seattle and meets at ArtsWest Friday mornings, 7:45 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. Members are literally on stage as they address their audience in theater chairs.

Looking for something to do this weekend here are a few ideas:

Ghost Light Theatricals' Metamorphosis

Whether you’re a Kafka fan or you had to read Metamorphosis as part of your High School curriculum, Ghost Light Theatricals’ production of Matamorphosis at the Ballard Underground is worth seeing.

The play, written and directed by Wilder Nutting-Heath, is based on the famous short story by Franz Kafka and tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a salesman who is the sole provider of his parents and sister. One morning he wakes up to find that he has transformed into a bug overnight. His appearance is horrific and he is no longer able to leave his room and risk being seen. He goes from being the family’s provider to being the burden in need of his family’s care.

Press Release:
The City Council and Mayor Mike McGinn, along with departments across city government, are hosting a City Hall open house to take place Saturday January 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mayor McGinn will highlight 2011 plans for his Engage Seattle initiative and the Cities of Service plan. Staff and volunteers will also conduct tours of the Mayor’s Office.

Molly Moon’s ice cream truck, the mobile food truck Skillet and Caspar Babypants, a popular local rock group for kids featuring the lead singer of Presidents of the USA, will be featured at the open house. The ice cream truck, Skillet and a City of Seattle fire truck will be parked on Fifth Avenue in front of City Hall. The Seattle Animal Shelter will also have adoptable dogs, cats and critters (e.g., guinea pigs, rabbits) available to meet in the main lobby, near the Bertha Knight Landes Room.

Details are as follows:

1st floor lobby near base of steps

Buddy Catlett & Friends (Jazz and swing)
11 a.m.– noon

Mayor’s and Councilmembers’ Remarks
Noon -12:30 p.m.

Caspar Babypants
12:45 – 2 p.m. with short break between sets

7th floor lobby across from reception

Press Release:
Construction Reroute – Rts 15, 18, 21, 22, 56 & 85. Northbound 1st Av S is closed at S Royal Brougham Way; Jan 24-28, 6:30PM-5AM each night. Use the stops northbound on 1st Av S just north of Edgar Martinez Dr S or just north of S Jackson St.

Editor's Note for Jan. 22: Changed Eric Swansen's title from shelter director to operations manager.

Many animal shelters across the nation have a 72-hour policy. If a dog, cat … even a lizard lands in the shelter and is not adopted within that 72-hour period they are often euthanized.

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) takes a different approach, according to Kent operations manager Eric Swansen.

“We have a commitment here,” he said. “We will not euthanize an adoptable animal, end of story.”

The term, “adoptable animal,” means some animals are still euthanized, generally for dangerously aggressive behavior or untreatable illness, but their policy means many animals are kept at the Kent shelter until a family is found.

The policy also means Animal Services is always in need of volunteers, foster parents and donations to keep the animals healthy and adoptable.

Animal Services has been under the watchful eye of King County Executive (and West Seattleite) Dow Constantine since he took his position in 2009.