February 2011

Machel Spence, whose stunning photographs of local mushrooms have earned her both a local following and and a large fan base on FLICKR has landed a national magazine cover. The West Seattle Herald has profiled her work with a video in a story we did last March.

"I am in the current winter issue of Fungi Magazine" said Spence, "there is an article inside with more photographs and I was chosen for the cover shot too! I think it's such an amazing boost for West Seattle and another reason why we should protect our parks here! Here is the link to get the magazine, all of the proceeds go directly to Fungi Magazine!! This goes out all over the world so West Seattle should be a bit of a spotlight in the fungi world!"

http://www.spencephotography.com/Resources#news-20110211-094157

West Seattle-raised Zachary Odegard, 14, now of Dallas, Oregon, became the "middle level youth volunteer" in that state for The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Just two students are awarded per state, one from middle-school and one from high school.

He is an eighth-grader at La Creole Middle School and a member of the Polk County 4-H, started “Links of Love to Chains of Hope,” a service club that raised money for needy families, donated items for local troops deployed to Afghanistan, and participated in the national “Pay It Forward Day.” As a leader in his 4-H club, Odegard’s job was to make sure the club completed a monthly community service project. He was Inspired by his mother and grandfather. He asked the West Seattle Herald if he could tell his story, and how his award was due in large part to his grandparents who still live in West Seattle.

By Zachary Odegard

My name is Zachary Odegard. Five years ago I moved from West Seattle to Oregon. My grandparents Duane and Sue Odegard and sister Katie still live in West Seattle. On Feb 8th I was awarded The Prudential Spirit Of Community award for outstanding youth volunteer in Oregon.

Press release: West Seattle Practitioners Reflect on Their Work

This month health and wellness practitioners in West Seattle shared insights about cultivating positive goals for the new year, instead of just focusing attention on problem areas. They also shared their thoughts about how fortunate they feel to be able to find meaning in their work. The survey of these thoughts was by WellnessWestSeattle.com to test the idea of a professional blog for the site.

In describing her work, West Seattle’s Soheyla Shakerine, a certified hypnotherapist and life coach says she thinks we are programmed to set negative goals and "look for our flaws and the flaws of others, rather than looking for our strengths." She goes on to to say that she helps her clients find positive goals by finding meaning and purpose. She explained, "With my clients, I work on developing a plan to use their strengths to let go of habits that don't serve them any more and to step forward onto an authentic path of self empowerment."

CLICK PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW:

The Seattle Police Department announced that, thanks to the joint efforts of the Seattle Police Foundation and the Seattle Hotel Association, Mounted Patrol Unit of one hundred years will not run out of horsepower for at least another two. Its Save Our Horses campaign hopes private donations will extend this for an additional year.

The unit has seven police horses, all quarter-horses and paint horses, geldings, named Justice, Harvest, Charlie, Tiger, Blaze, Jet, and Cody. They are based out of Westcrest Park in West Seattle. It is costly to keep the unit, considering they require new shoes every 12 weeks. The West Seattle Herald posted the SPD press release here:

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2011/02/07/news/seattle-police-foundat…-“sa

"I didn't ride much as a kid,' said Grant Ballingham, Sergeant of the Mounted Patrol Unit, who helps tend the seven-acre stable in Westcrest Park. "The training has been through the police department." Ballingham has been with the SPD for 26 years, the last six or seven as a sergeant with the patrol unit. He rides Tiger.

The West Seattle Junction Merchants Association has made available on line this years application for businesses and others to take part in the annual Summer Fest event set to take place this year on July 8, 9 and 10.

Susan Melrose, Director of the West Seattle Junction Association said, "We strongly encourage West Seattle businesses and non-profits to participate. Space in this event is in high demand and in an effort to have our local flavor well represented, the Junction Association is offering West Seattleites priority.

All West Seattle businesses and non-profits that turn in complete applications by March 15 will get priority consideration. Bands can also apply now!"

2011 Crafts/Imports/Non-profits/Services vendor applications are available HERE

2011 Food vendor applications available HERE

A set of new spots and striping has appeared at Woodland Park Zoo with the birth of an ocelot.

The single kitten was born last month but won't be seen by the public until it's big enough to leave the den.

The mother and kitten are off public view in a birthing den where they are being monitored via a web cam. See a clip of this footage, here.

This birth marks the second litter between mother Bella, 10 years old, and father Brazil, 15 years old.

Twin females were born to the pair in 2008.

Like in the wild, mother ocelots care for their young alone. The kitten’s father can be seen in the Tropical Rain Forest section of the zoo.

A citizen criminal complaint has been filed against Des Moines Police Officers Micheal Graddon and Steve Weiland, for their involvement in the shooting of Rosie, a Newfoundland Dog, in November. The charges were filed on behalf of Rosie’s owners’, Charles and Deirdre Wright.
The complaint charges Graddon and Weiland with allegedly committing acts of animal cruelty in the second degree and trapping and wounding an animal. Both of these charges are misdemeanors.
On Sunday Nov. 7 Des Moines police officers responded to a roaming dog call. The officers’ tased Rosie twice and unsuccessfully attempted use a catchpole in an effort to subdue and capture her. After attempts to capture Rosie failed the officers finally followed her into Lora Perry’s backyard. Based on her previous aggressive behavior, Sgt. Weiland gave officer Graddon permission to use lethal force.
Perry said Rosie had been in her yard for 20 minutes not moving, huddled in the bushes, before officers came into her backyard looking for her. She said her gate had been closed since Rosie had gotten into the backyard, and she would have allowed Rosie to stay there if the officers had asked.

Jon Marvin Jonsson has called Ballard his home for nearly 83 years and has gathered many unique stories along the way. His stories include being discharged from the armed forces twice before the age of 20, gaining a reputation as a lawyer for prostitutes, becoming an accidental politician, climbing Mt. Rainier twice, investing in a little company in Kirkland called "Microsoft", and more.

At 83, Jonsson is still practicing law and gathering stories.

Born in 1928, Jón Marvin Jónsson was the second baby to be born in the Ballard Hospital.

His parents were Icelandic and Jonsson recalls doing what he was told, which was to "not leave the yard and mingle with foreigners". By "foreigners" his mother meant non-icelandic kids.

"When I got to grade school I couldn't understand what the kids were saying. I only spoke icelandic," Jonsson said. "I had a D in English all through junior high and high school."

A former Seattle P.I. paperboy of the year, Jonsson was clever but an awful student.

At the end of high school, at age 17, Jonsson entered the Navy but was discharged before even attending training.

Jonathan Baquiring, 21, pled guilty today to charges of first degree robbery with a deadly weapon enhancement and malicious harassment, Washington State's hate crime law, on Feb. 11 according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Baquiring and Ahmed Mohamed were both charged with the above crimes in the May 25, 2010 beating and torture of West Seattle teenager Shane McClellan.

Mohamed was sentenced to just under six years in prison on Jan. 21 after pleading guilty to his charges.

McClellan, who is white, was attacked and tortured on a set of stairs on the corner of Holden s.w. and 14th Ave s.w. over four hours by the two men, one African American (Mohamed) and one Pacific Asian (Baquiring). The attack received national attention as a hate crime since one of the attackers screamed racial slurs about McClellan being white while he was beaten.

Baquiring will be sentenced on May 11.

For more background on this story, check out these Herald stories:

Monday, Feb. 7
Boys basketball
West Seattle 73, Cleveland 46
West Seattle won in convincing fashion over Cleveland Monday, Feb. 7.

Tuesday, Feb. 8
Boys basketball
Chief Sealth 61, Eastside 50
Chief Sealth opened postseason action with a Metro League tournament opening victory over Eastside Catholic.
Kean Lewis paced the Seahawks with 25 points and Kerwin Flowers was next with 12. Charlie Smith tossed in 10.

Thursday, Feb. 10
Chief Sealth 52, Lakeside 30
Chief Sealth once again prevailed in a playoff Thursday.
Lewis and Abdi Mohamed scored 11 points apiece to lead the Seahawks.
Chief Sealth hosts its next action, with Eastside Catholic coming in for a 12 p.m. Saturday.
Eastside 43, West Seattle 39
West Seattle's Wildcats stayed alive for more tournament action despite Thursday's loss to Eastside Catholic. West Seattle is set to play Bellevue in a 4 p.m. road game Saturday.
Vidal Griffin led the Wildcats with 15 points.
Sequim 61, Evergreen 60
Sequim squeezed out a one point victory over the Wolverines this past Thursday.