March 2011

In 2006 community and developer hopes were high for Fauntleroy Place at 3922 s.w. Alaska St at the northwest corner of the Fauntleroy Junction between 40th Ave s.w. and 39th Ave s.w.

Northwest Resource Management Group announced a mixed-use development that would include a Whole Foods Market, Hancock Fabrics, 185 apartments and four floors of underground parking, designed by Seattle architect firm Stricker Cato Murphy.

Excavation began in 2008 and a massive hole was dug in preparation for Fauntleroy Place to rise out of it.

Four years later, that massive hole is still here - long enough to earn its nickname, The Hole.

According to a Puget Sound Business Journal article earlier this year, the project developer Bluestar ran into difficulty, fueled by the recession, and construction stopped.

Activity shifted from laying foundation and building walls to lawsuits, court filings and foreclosure proceedings, where it sits today.

Today the Senate unanimously passed two bills aimed at bringing an end to human trafficking—the criminal act of trading or enslaving human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor.

Senate Bill 5546, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, and Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, would expand the criminal definition of human trafficking to include forced labor, involuntary servitude, commercial sexual abuse of a minor and criminal sex acts. It also would include as trafficking the illegal harvesting or sale of human organs, as well as strengthen the laws to more effectively hold accountable criminals caught transporting a person for the future purpose of prostitution or forced manual labor.

“We know that our state is one of the most vulnerable in the country for human trafficking crimes due to our close proximity to Asia, our international boarder, and our numerous public ports,” Kohl-Welles said. “This legislation will go far in continuing our efforts to end this modern-day form of slavery and helping prosecution efforts to bring criminals participating in the illicit trade to justice.”

Jonathan Baquiring, 21, was sentenced to just under six years in prison by Judge Carol Schapira at the King County Courthouse on March 4.

Baquiring pled guilty to first degree robbery and malicious harassment (Washington State’s hate crime statute) for a May 2010 attack on then 16-year-old Shane McClellan in Highland Park.

Ahmed Mohamed, 22, also pled guilty in the attack and received a sentence of just under six years on Jan. 21, 2010.

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.

For more background on this story, please check out these Herald stories:
One of Shane McClellan’s attackers pleads guilty, gets just under six years behind bars for West Seattle attack

Councilmember Larry Phillips stopped by the Ballard NW Senior Center for lunch today to present the center with a $15,000 check.

Phillips was able to set aside the $15,000 for the center from the King County fourth quarter ordinance correction.

The center relies heavily on this funding every year for its operations and in recent years there have been doubts wether money was available.

"With the county and the current economic situation, it's always iffy wether we'll get the funding," said Carlye Teel, Director of the Ballard NW Senior Center.

"But Larry is a wonderful supporter and he always comes through for us."

Leah Zoppi, legislative aide to Councilmember Phillips said Phillips enjoys to stay in touch with the senior community and stops by the center at least once a year.

"He's a real presence around here and a true advocate for seniors," Teel added.

For more information about the Ballard NW Senior Center and the many activities, classes and services it offers, visit www.nwseniorcenter.org

Bright Horizons, a nationally known child care company will open its doors at the Link in the West Seattle Triangle on May 2, bringing to the community a wide range of care options. The company considers itself a network of centers with more than 600 locations worldwide, including 565 across the U.S. and more than 141 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They also operate centers in Canada and Puerto Rico.

Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, it is the largest provider of employer-sponsored child care in the U.S.

Bright Horizons manages child care centers for some of the world's leading corporations, hospitals, universities, and government agencies. They follow standards set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

While the local center is still under construction the West Seattle Herald paid a visit to the existing location near South Lake Union to get a sense of what Bright Horizons looks and operates like. To enter a Bright Horizons center you must be buzzed in through a security door.

Click on photo to start slideshow

The Port of Seattle is celebrating its centennial this year with numerous events throughout the year. With Fisherman's Terminal and Shilshole Bay Marina, the Port's history is very much tied with Ballard's history. In fact, Fisherman's Terminal was the Port's first property. Following is a brief history of the Port's main properties in Ballard.

Fishermen's Terminal

Fisherman's Terminal was the Port of Seattle's first property and as the Port began its Comprehensive Scheme of Development soon after municipal ownership was approved by the voters of King County in 1911, Fishermen’s Terminal became a priority.

Fishermen in the area needed a homeport and in 1912, land on Salmon Bay was acquired for this purpose. The original building was dedicated in 1914 in front of a huge fanfare and parade of 200 boats, and what was known then as Salmon Bay Terminal, or Fishermen’s Headquarters, became home to the North Pacific Fishing Fleet. This development occurred at the same time the Hiram Chittenden Locks were being completed on the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

Can anyone survive their encounter with the ghost of the woman in black?

Can family attorney Arthur Kipp? After visiting a remote village to examine the papers of a deceased client, he cannot relinquish the memory of the ghostly presence he encountered there. Desperate to free himself of the awful vision of the woman in black, he hires an actor to help him re-enact the horrors he experienced. But in so doing, he realizes that his terrors have only just begun.

This new ghost story is already a classic. It is one of the more unheralded and unexpected theatrical successes of recent times. The original London production has been running at the Fortune Theatre since 1989 and the play has played to critical acclaim around the world.

Based on a novel by Susan Hill, the stage adaptation was written by Stephen Mallatrat and first produced at Alan Ayckbourn’s theatre in Scarborough, England. When Mallatrat suggested to Hill that her story could be adapted by using very little in the way of scenery and props, with very few actors, and that the most chilling aspects of the play could be created by the audience’s imagination, she balked.

The City of Federal Way is holding a free recycling event on Saturday, March 19, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the Twin Lakes Park & Ride (21st Avenue Southwest and Southwest 344th Street) for a variety of items that are not typically collected at the curb and/or banned from disposal. Items that will be accepted include appliances, wood, mattresses, tires, electronics, Styrofoam blocks, oil, fuel, batteries, fluorescent tubes and more.

This event is for King County residents only – businesses should check alternative recycling options at King County’s What Do I Do With website: www.kingcounty.gov/whatdoidowith

“We encourage residents to always reuse items before recycling or trashing them.” said Jeanette Brizendine, event coordinator and Recycling Project Manager for the City. “We see so many items at the recycling event that are perfectly useable, but just unwanted.” Think ‘reuse’ before recycling. Posting a free ad on FreeCycle, 2Good2Toss, Craigslist, or King County’s On-line Exchange is easy. Don’t forget that one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure.

On Wednesday, the School board unanimously voted to terminate Maria Goodloe-Johnson from her position as the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools and voted 6-1 to appoint Dr. Susan Enfield as Interim Superintendent.

The appointment is effective immediately and extends through June 30, 2012. The Board anticipates considering whether to extend a longer term employment agreement to Dr. Enfield or conduct a search for a permanent Superintendent prior to January 19, 2012.

Dr. Enfield is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and earned master’s degrees in education from Stanford University and Harvard University. She also earned a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University with a concentration in the Urban Superintendents Program. She began her career in education as a high school English, ESL and journalism teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has served as Chief Academic Officer of the district since July 2009 and she previously served a three-year-term as the Deputy Superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools.

Following is a statement from Dr. Enfield to the board and community:

Last Saturday, the Ballard boys basketball team's season abruptly came to an end with a loss against Puyallup which ended their State tournament.

Now that the season has ended and it has had a few days to all sink in, Coach WIlliam "Billy" Rodgers reflects on the most successful season since 2002.

"What a ride! I'm still hoping we could play and practice another day. Truly a special group of young men. I thought we had pretty good talent and I thought we would have a good season, but our team really meshed together and that allowed for a special season. These kids really had fun playing together which in the end, that is what it is all about. Our two captains: Brad Baker and Nick Onstad-Hawes were both great leaders and really kept our team focused and headed in the right direction.