March 2011

A new restaurant is under construction at 4752 California Avenue, called A Terrible Beauty. They describe themselves as "An authentic Irish Pub. Amid the crowded byways of cloned chains, A Terrible Beauty follows its own path, with an unparalleled commitment to authenticity & atmosphere, a gourmet, affordable menu and 28 imported and local beers on tap."

Run by Jenna Shannon Garvey-O'Brien and Paddy O'Brien, the couple is hoping for a May 1 opening, depending on construction. The family already owns and operates A Terrible Beauty in Renton on Williams Street where they've been open for 21 months and are doing well. "We're going to turn this into a proper irish pub," Jenna said.

"We're going to mimic our other location to the best of our ability," Jenna said which means everything from a stone front on the building to the food on the menu to the beers on tap.

The West Seattle Herald visited their Renton location to take some photos, sample the food and give you an idea what you can expect when the new location opens.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE SOME PHOTOS OF THEIR RENTON LOCATION

by Greg McCorkle

Yesterday (March 24) a group of nine young adults from across America got down on their hands and knees to make a difference in the lives of people they don’t know.

Kids from Americorps’ National Civilian Community Corps, working with King County Parks, and supervised by Tina Miller- Volunteer and Restoration Co-ordinator, paid a visit to White Center Heights Park with the expressed purpose of planting 250 different types of trees. These new trees will help absorb water and add to the habitat making the park more enjoyable for everyone. During the month of March they will perform this work in several Puget Sound locations. Then they will spend another four weeks doing invasive plant removal in other locations around Puget Sound before moving on to another western state.

Coming from as far away as Maine this group of young adults will give up 10 months of their lives for the sole purpose of parks and green space restoration. During their tenure they will do restoration work in several western states.

The ground rules were laid out that traffic and parking issues were not going to be discussed at the onset of the March 24 design review board meeting for Harbor Properties Nova apartments set to go in at the southeast corner of 36th Ave s.w. and s.w. Snoqualmie St.

Based on concerns brought up during the public comment phase of the meeting (held at the West Seattle Senior Center), however, parking and traffic are the very issues people are worried about.

Several business owners from that nook of the Fauntleroy Triangle expressed concern that parking is already maxed out in the area. Neighboring businesses to the proposed sight include the YMCA, Merrill Gardens Senior Community, Seattle West Inn and Suites (currently being remodeled) and other apartment complexes.

“Can you tell out how we went from .8 percent parking to .6 percent parking to 0 percent parking it a time period that I don’t think anyone knew we changed from .8?” Jim Sweeney, a property owner in the immediate area of the Nova site asked.

“We could have a thousand units in our West Seattle Triangle with no parking,” Sweeney added.

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

9:54 p.m. on March 18th. 23rd block of 85th St. NW.

One or more burglars stole numerous valuables from a home between March 17th and 18th while
the victim was in the hospital with his wife, who was giving birth. The unknown suspect(s)
entered and exited through the front door, which was forced open with such strength that the
door was torn from the doorframe.

The burglar(s) stole several thousands of dollars’ worth of watches and other jewelry, rare coins,
and a laptop computer. Several items were determined to have been moved during the burglary
and were sent to a lab for fingerprint analysis.

Neighbors did not report seeing or hearing anything suspicious.

11:56 a.m. on March 21st. 26th block of 54th St. NW.

Between March 18th and March 21st, a Ballard shipyard located along the ship canal was
burglarized. Pry marks on a rear office door indicate that the burglar entered through this door.
The burglar forced open several other doors inside the building, but did not attempt to open those
that had an additional deadbolt.

The suspect damaged a snack vending machine and took several snacks. A DVR and a monitor

The dental office of Rick Chavez on 80th and 15th Avenue N.W is celebrating a big anniversary this year. The self-titled "friendly neighborhood dentist" has been fighting cavities and restoring the smiles of Ballardites for 30 years.

The California native came up to Seattle for dental school in 1970s and hasn't left since.

"I live, shop, play, and work in this neighborhood. My sons went through the school system and this is where I'm comfortable," Chavez said.
"The community has embraced and welcomed us since the beginning and I'm very thankful."

Over the years Chavez has seen businesses come and go but the visibility on the busy thorough fare has been good for him.

"People know me, like me and trust me," Chavez said adding that he gives back to the community with an annual Doctors with a Heart Day, which is a day of free dentistry.

"It's a pay it forward kind of thing," Chavez said. "Some people don't have health insurance of can't afford dentistry so on that day they can come in and get a cleaning or fill a cavity."

Chavez takes fear for the dentist as serious as a cavity.

Bartell Drugs in Des Moines and Take Back Your Meds are offering resources to help local communities stay safe. From 3-5 p.m., on Saturday, March 26, Mr. Yuk will be passing out Mr. Yuk stickers to put on poisonous products at the Des Moines Bartell’s, 21615 Pacific Highway S.
As part of Poison Prevention Week, Bartells and Take Back Your Meds offers safety tips to Protect families from accidental poisoning.
Poisonings are the leading cause of accidental deaths in Washington, surpassing car crashes and falls. Poison Prevention Week is designed to reduce illnesses, injuries, and deaths due to poisonings; build safer communities; and reduce unnecessary health care costs.
Poison Prevention Tips
Children, teens, adults, seniors, and pets are all at risk for accidental poisonings. Here are a few tips from the American Association of Poison Control Centers to help Washington families to stay safe.

The civil complaint against Des Moines police officers, who shot a dog in November, is still searching for a court to hear it.
The civil complaint was filed by Chuck and Deirdre Wright, who are alleging Officer Michael Graddon and Sgt. Steve Weiland committed misdemeanors, including animal cruelty, when dealing with their dog, Rosie, who was loose. The complaint has been sent to three different courts, which say they cannot hear the case.
The complaint was originally filed in Des Moines Municipal Court. At the initial hearing in February, Des Moines Municipal Court Judge Veronica Alicea-Galvan recused herself and sent the case to be heard by the King County District Court.
Earlier this week, King County District Chief Presiding Judge Barbara Linde sent the case to Pierce County District Court, saying all of the members of the King County court bench were disqualified from hearing the case.
However on March 25, a Pierce County District Court official said they had no judges who could hear the case.

(click on photo to start a slideshow of the ten nominees)

On Wednesday, April 6, ten more faces will be smiling down on Ballard High students from the Wall of Recognition in the lobby of the high school's main entrance.

Created by the Ballard High School Foundation in 1997, the Wall of Recognition honors BHS alumni who have been recognized by their peers for their achieved preeminence in their respective field.

Ballard High Foundation's founding president, C. David Hughbanks, said the original purpose of recognizing alumni was to show students what previous BHS students have accomplished and to inspire them.

"When the foundation was founded it was really about getting back to the basics - to learn the Alma Mater and to celebrate our alumni's achievement," Hughbanks said.

The purpose of the Ballard High School Foundation is to provide resources to enhance the educational experience of students and to honor the school's past.

"We are the most giving and successful public high school foundation in our area," said Richard Lee, Interim Executive director of the foundation. "To date we've put 2.1 million dollars back into the school."

UPDATE:

SHB 1689 Bill

The SHB 1689 "bookings" bill to allow newspapers and other media to access and publish mug shots after a suspect is charged, but before convicted, was struck down in Olympia Thursday, March 24. Arguments were made Monday by the ACLU and those representing Washington State newspapers, and others.

At the heart of the matter is whether the mug shot of someone charged, but not yet convicted, of a crime, must be released to a media outlet upon request. Since 1998, Washington State said no, that police investigators were permitted to release such photos at their discretion, but not obligated to do so. Once charged, media has access to mug shots, and of course can take photos of those charged exiting the court, too.

The bill tried to overturn this and was unsuccessful.

State Senator Sharon Nelson's view

State Senator Sharon Nelson sits on the Senate Government Operations Committee. She represents the 34th District, which includes part of Burien, North Highline, Vashon/Maury Islands, and West Seattle. She spoke with the West Seattle Herald Thursday on this matter.

Garden season, for us fair-weathered types, is finally here.

Poet, farmer, prolific author, and philosopher Wendell Berry is well-known for his statement, “Eating is an agricultural act.” I’m sure he’d agree that it’s also an environmental act. Gardening is both.

When speaking about the decline of rural areas, our loss of farmland – and even the loss of our farmers, Mr. Berry has been asked by city folks what they can do, and his answer is, “Eat responsibly.”

Many of us are more removed than ever from where our food comes from, or how it’s produced. A lot of our food – whether fresh or packaged – comes from big agricultural factories – and I say factory intentionally. Our food is mass-produced, maximizing yields and profits. Growing methods (from produce to meats) and their residual products are damaging to our health, our soil, and the air we breathe. Despite a growing movement, this is still uncommon knowledge.

So what does it mean to “eat responsibly?” Here’s where gardening comes in. But first, I’ll take a guess at what he’s getting at: