July 2011

UPDATE for July 22: Former Highline athletic assistant and stadium manager Jayson Boehm was sentenced to 13 months in prison on Friday, July 22.

According to King County Prosecutors, Boehm was sentenced "for conducting medical exams on students without a license. Boehm pleaded guilty last month as charged to four counts of Unlicensed Practice of Medicine. Boehm is not a physician or physician's assistant. Boehm also pleaded guilty to Forgery for forging a medical form and Theft First Degree. The sentence range was 12 to 14 months."

Original story: When former Highline Stadium substitute manager Jayson Boehm is sentenced tomorrow (Friday, July 22) most of the focus will be on the four counts of unlicensed practice of medicine and forgery of forms to make it appear a physician signed them. But members of the Evergreen High Booster Club also want attention paid to the first-degree theft charges.

According to organizers the White Center Artwalk, which takes place on the third Saturday of the month, has been growing in popularity and scope over the past couple of months and this has led them to seek more artists to participate. This is not a conservative artwalk where paintings hang on walls and people walk around quietly viewing them. This is White Center, and true to the community's active spirit they are seeking dancers. spoken word artists, street performers, musicians and "live" artists, all encouraged to perform.

Here's a letter sent by the organizers/curators of the Artwalk:

Dear Artists & Art Lovers,

The White Center Community Development Association Live Auction and Dinner, set for Sept. 16 is still seeking sponsorships for the event but the time is almost up. The sponsorship levels are listed below but they must be in place by July 22. The event, themed "Celebrating our Global Village FAMILIES" will run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the South Seattle Community College Jerry Brockey Center at 6000 16th Avenue s.w..

2011 Sponsorship Levels

Iris Sponsor - $250 and up; this sponsorship includes:

Your company logo on CDA’s website www.wccda.org
Public recognition at the CDA dinner
Two complimentary dinner invitations listing your company name

Hibiscus Sponsor - $500 and up; this sponsorship includes:

Your company logo on CDA’s website www.wccda.org
Public recognition in CDA E-newsletter and at the dinner
Four complimentary dinner invitations listing your company name

Dahlia Sponsor - $1,000 and up; this sponsorship includes:

Your company logo on CDA’s website www.wccda.org) and in dinner marketing materials
Public recognition in CDA E-newsletter and at the dinner

Press release:

This past legislative session homeowners fought for and won ground breaking new laws that entitled families to mediation with their mortgage lenders. Homeowners can now “trigger” mediation. They must seek the aid of organization like OUR Washington in order to sign up for mediation.

Mediation is a process where a state mediator helps the homeowner and the lender reach a fair and negotiated agreement. Foreclosure mediation programs have proven very effective in other states.

OUR Washington will conduct weekly intakes at the Burien office (and other locations TBA) to help families sign up and get trained on mediation. Homeowners will also have the opportunity to join a growing network of families for support and advocacy. This will give homeowners strength and confidence needed for what is a very stressful process.

“it gives me hope that I will actually be able to talk to someone at my bank” says Marliza Melzer, of Burien and one of the first to sign up for mediation at the Burien office.

The White Center business district is holding an August mixer that will highlight the progress made so far on a Shopping Guide that Nhan Nguyen of the White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA) has been working to get produced.

Kathi Wheeler of Noise without Sound design, will present a template of what it will look like.

Nguyen notes, "This is the final time we have to comment and give Kathi the go-ahead to proceed."

The agenda is still flexible if you plan on attending so other issues and ideas can still be added. If you have a subject you'd like to bring up, contact Nguyen at nhan@wccda.org .

The meeting will be at the Triangle Pub at 9454 Delridge Way s.w. on Thursday 07/21 at 12:00pm.

Press release:

Join officials in Des Moines to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new four-star Artemis Hotel on Wednesday, July 27.

The groundbreaking for the multi-million dollar, 250-room hotel at 22406 Pacific Highway S. will take place from 11 a.m. to noon. Officiating at the event will be State Representative Dave Upthegrove, Des Moines Mayor Robert Sheckler, City Manager Tony Piasecki, Belay Architects, and Mr. Yang, a majority owner in the project. Light refreshments will be served.

Designs for the Artemis Hotel complex feature a 1930s art-deco influence, spectacular views of Puget Sound and Des Moines' first convention center. The hotel will also include nine deluxe suites, banquet facilities, water-feature spa, workout facilities, poker room, and bar featuring live music.
There will be two full-service restaurants-one authentic Chinese and one American.

The Artemis Hotel is designed by Belay Architecture of Tacoma for Yareton Investment & Management LLC, a Washington real estate developer. Located a convenient 3 miles south of SeaTac International Airport, the hotel is anticipated to open sometime in fall 2013.

While a nickel may seem like a small amount of money, a lot of them can make a big difference. Last month, Metropolitan Market customers donated 480,000 nickels, totaling $24,000, to Ballard's Puget Soundkeeper Alliance.

Customers bringing in a reusable bag on their shopping trip to their local Metropolitan Market are offered a five cent rebate toward their bill or an option to donate it to a local charity. From August 2009 to December 2010, thousands of customers opted to put their nickel toward a local charity.

The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance was chosen as the recipient for customer donations because of its work to preserve the Puget Sound. By patrolling the waterways and acting as the eyes and ears of the public, the organization aims to reduce the pollution of Puget Sound, making offenders accountable to the law while promoting education and cooperation.

“We thank our customers for their generosity,” said Brad Halverson, Metropolitan Market’s vice president of marketing. “We want to support an organization that helps keep Puget Sound healthy and preserves the quality of the Northwest seafood that comes to our store.”

UPDATE: Today's Award Ceremony well-attended

Over 30 attendees, some sitting in folding chairs, others standing, all facing the Seattle Museum of Flight's B-17 and dais, witnessed a humble West Seattle WWII pilot and Boeing test pilot, Henry Sanford "Sandy" McMurray, 90, receiving an award this morning.

He was officially presented with a medal, the prestigious "Chevalie Légion d’Honneur". Dan Hagedorn, Senior Curator of the Museum of Flight, made opening remarks. Jack A. Cowan, Seattle's Consul Honoraire de France, pinned McMurray with the badge, and a cultural kiss on each cheek. The badge has a metallic star over a green garland below another garland, dangling firmly from a bright red ribbon. His sister, three children, grandchildren, and great-granson witnessed the honors.

Said Cowan at the podium, "(We honor) the courage, faith and dedication shown by Mr McMurray contributed more than 60 years ago in defending and preserving the independence of France and save our common values of freedom, tolerance and democracy (...) Courage and bravery are precisely the qualities that Napoleon wished to reward by the creation of the Légion d’Honneur in 1802.

Burien lawmakers opted July 18 to slow down a bit the decision process on White Center annexation by postponing a formal discussion until Aug. 15.

Council members will receive the results of a study of the financial viability of annexing White Center by consultants Berke and Associates on Aug. 1.

But City Manager Mike Martin said the report would not come in the usual packet of agenda information lawmakers receive on the Friday before a council meeting. The packet is also made available to the public on the city's website.

The lawmakers agreed they wanted a chance to study the report and formulate questions before discussing annexation in depth.

The consultant is scheduled to make a presentation on Aug. 15, so council members decided to wait until then for a formal dialogue.

That is one day before the deadline for mailing ballots in this year's primary election.

Parks Board member Ed Dacy and Planning Commission member Greg Duff are challenging councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, who was the lone vote against Boulevard Park annexation.

Councilman Gordon Shaw is also in a primary battle with Bob Edgar and Joey Martinez.

On Monday, July 18, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted in favor of Bill 117229, which establishes a licensing and regulation system for medical marijuana distribution in city of Seattle.

Mayor Mike McGinn is expected to sign the ordinance soon, which would allow medical marijuana patients to obtain medical marijuana in the city of Seattle.

This measure comes months after Gov. Chris Gregoire partially vetoed a bill that would have regulated medical marijuana dispensaries and producers on a state level.

The veto eliminated a grey area in the 1988 voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes which didn't criminalize nor approve dispensaries to sell marijuana to patients and caused a proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries in Seattle.

The new state law prohibits the distribution of medical marijuana with the exception of small co-operatives of up to 10 patients, totaling no more than 45 plants.