January 2011

The National Weather Service has updated a Special Weather Statement regarding the potential of snow showers this weekend in our area with Sunday morning looking the most likely for snow to arrive and stick, though most likely locations are well outside West Seattle. They predict that it could be similar to what we saw on December 29. Then next week, Wednesday has the potential for what they characterize as a "Heavy snow event."

Updated at 3:22 pm Jan 8.

Special Weather Statement
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
3:22 PM PST SAT JAN 8 2011

...SNOW POTENTIAL THIS WEEKEND AND IN THE WEEK TO COME...

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY USHERING IN COOLER TEMPERATURES.

King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Captain Joseph Hodgson met with the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council at the North Highline Fire District building on Dec. 6 to recap crime statistics, explain how cuts to KCSO affect law enforcement and discuss the latest on Club Evo, a White Center club that recently shut down.

Captain Hodgson reviewed crime statistics from November to December 2010. He said residential burglaries in the unincorporated area dropped from 18 to ten, commercial burglaries dropped from nine to two, auto thefts slightly rose from 13 to 15, robberies of all types rose slightly from one to three, assaults dropped from 14 down to five and vehicle prowls remained steady at six per month.

Hodgson said residential burglaries were, “… the one area where we showed a significant change and it was a positive change.”

Next, Hodgson discussed cuts to the KCSO in 2011.

“I have been reluctant up to this point to really talk about what was going to happen because, frankly, everything was in flux right up to the end of the year,” he said. “There was a lot of rearranging happening right up to the last minute.”

Press Release:
The West Seattle Water Taxi Rachel Marie will resume service from Pier 50 at 6:30 a.m. Monday Jan. 10 between West Seattle and downtown Seattle. The vessel was removed from service on Sept. 26 and service was temporarily transferred to pier 55 after it struck the Washington Street Boat Landing on the downtown waterfront.

Since the accident, the Rachel Marie has undergone a variety of repairs. In addition to repairing structural damage to the bow and deckhouse, all electronic propulsion control units and associated wiring were replaced and a new power failure alarm installed to ensure safety.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound investigators have determined the factors that contributed to the accident and have been working with the King County Marine Division to ensure appropriate corrective measures are implemented prior to clearing the vessel for service. The Marine Division operates the vessel on behalf of the King County Ferry District.

Drive past 5437 California Ave s.w. and nothing really catches the eye. An old sign for Lange and Peizer Commercial Real Estate still stands, although that company has moved to a different location. A closer look, however, reveals the space is still bustling with customers as G.A.M.E. Collective, a medical marijuana outlet owned by Brionne Corbray.

Once inside, medical marijuana patients are greeted with potent flowery aromatics in a simple, clean waiting area and a warm welcome from Diane Cook, the matriarch/day-to-day operator of the West Seattle store. Behind Cook are stained-wood cabinets stocked with 30 jars of different marijuana strains and a myriad of THC-infused tinctures, baked goods and candies. A hand-written menu above the cabinets details the current offerings, from ice cream at $20 a pint to Skywalker Kush marijuana bud running $10 a gram.

G.A.M.E. stands for Green Piece Alternative Medicine and Education, and Collective stands for the three outlets started by 46-year-old Corbray – one in West Seattle, one in Federal Way and another in North Seattle.

The gymnastics team beat Woodinville for the first time ever last night but fell just short of Newport.

Senior Taylor Stern had another strong night, besting her career high all around score from a couple of weeks ago with a 37.9. She won vault, bars and the all around.

The Ballard team scored a total of 170.3 points.

"The KingCo league meet hosted at Ballard on Feb 5th is going to be extremely competitive," said coach Stephanie Gundel in an email.

Press Release from Office of Mayor:

After meeting with Mayor Mike McGinn, Stella Chao and the mayor agreed that the director's name would not be put forward for reconfirmation by the City Council.

In a letter to her staff, Chao said the four-year appointment by previous Mayor Greg Nickels “has flown by quickly, and it has truly been a privilege to serve the community in this post.”

Mayor McGinn issued the following statement:

“I’d like to thank Stella Chao for her able leadership of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Stella was appointed four years ago to direct the Department of Neighborhoods, and in that role she has helped build the city’s strong sense of neighborhood identity and pride, as well as give greater voice to residents of underrepresented communities of color and immigrants.

“Before her time as Neighborhoods Director, Stella was an accomplished community activist. She is also a strong voice for human services and the environment. I wish her well in her next ventures.”

Chao’s last day as director will be Jan. 31.

Thursday, Jan. 6, at 3:00 pm at the Port of Seattle Headquarters, the Secretary of Transportation, Paula Hammond, signed a $1.09 billion contract with Seattle Tunneling Partners to build the deep bore tunnel.

According to Hammond and other officials present, this makes the tunnel project a done deal with work to begin next week by the Seattle Tunnel Partners and construction workers building the tunnel.

They will start boring the 58-foot diameter hole "when we get the Environmental Impact Statement this summer," Hammond said. She suggested this was a formality and that all funding was in place and workers were ready to start immediately.

City Councilmember and Transportation Committee Chair, Tom Rasmussen, a strong supporter of the project, said the public was initially skeptical when the lower and then upper bridge were constructed. This was in response to our question about Initiative-101 which gathered 21,000 signatures.

Sili Savusa was selected by her fellow board members on Jan. 5 to serve as president of the Highline School Board for 2011.
Angelica Alvarez was chosen as vice president.
Savusa, who replaced Bernie Dorsey as president, was vice president of the board in 2010. She was initially elected to the board in November 2007.
Alvarez was first elected to the board in November 2009.

Sili Savusa was selected by her fellow board members on Jan. 5 to serve as president of the Highline School Board for 2011.
Angelica Alvarez was chosen as vice president.
Savusa, who replaced Bernie Dorsey as president, was vice president of the board in 2010. She was initially elected to the board in November 2007.
Alvarez was first elected to the board in November 2009.

The print deadline for calendar submissions is two weeks before the date of the event to be publicized. Email calendar@ballardnewstribune.com, or to get it posted online immediately, email anner@robinsonnews.com.

Breakfast & Neighborhood Cleanup
Jan 8th, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
8018 Fremont Ave N.

Celebrate the NEW YEAR by participating in GAIN's next litter cleanup. Join us for a FREE breakfast hosted by Greenwood Christian Church followed by a neighborhood cleanup.
We will be doing both a leaf / stormdrain cleanup as well as litter cleanup.

Sustainable Ballard sailboat CSA to talk at Sustainable
6:30 - 9 PM
January 18th
Senior Center of West Seattle
Ballard's Salish Sea Trading Cooperative, co-founded by two Sustainable Ballard members, will share their sailing adventures and lessons learned from working in harmony with Nature, using her gifts of wind and tide to power an organic vegetable CSA program (Sequim to Ballard).
In true potlatch style, the co-op will bring a small gift of sail repair tools for West Seattle's community tool lending library.
For more info, contact info@sustainablewestseattle.org.

Secret Garden Bookshop
2214 NW Market St.