August 2011

Yesterday, Mayor Mike McGinn transmitted to the City Council a legislative package to reduce regulatory burdens that hinder job creation.

The package was developed by a panel of developers, neighborhood activists, design professionals, labor leaders, and environmentalists and is part of McGinn's Jobs Plan, to spark innovation and entrepreneurial investment, and make it easier for businesses to be sustainable in Seattle.

“In an uncertain economy, government needs to focus on finding ways to get people back to work,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. who convened the panel. “These recommendations highlight ways we can reduce red tape and encourage job growth while enhancing our commitment to the environment.”

The regulatory reform package was announced by Mayor McGinn, Council President Richard Conlin, and members of the panel in early July. It includes legislation to achieve the following goals:

• Encourage home entrepreneurship
• Allow flexibility for street level uses in apartment buildings
• Reduce and eliminate some parking requirements
• Allow small commercial uses in multifamily zones
• Expand options for accessory dwelling units

There has been quite some road work going on in Fremont lately and the months of detours, construction noises, and delays sure have paid off for cyclists on 34th Street headed towards Fremont Avenue or one of the many businesses along the ship canal.

Not only has 34th street been repaved, Seattle Department of Transportation also added new bike lanes.

Leading up to the Fremont Avenue Intersection, a green left-turn bike lane makes it more visible and safer for cyclists turning south on Fremont Avenue towards the Fremont Bridge.

Several SPD squad cars responded to a tripped alarm at the US Bank at the corner of 42nd Ave S.W. and S.W. Edmunds St on the evening of Aug. 30.

According to officers on the scene, it turned out to be a false alarm.

Traffic was temporarily obstructed but is back to normal as of 7 p.m.

There was a manager and cleaning crew in the bank when the alarm went off and bank technicians will look into why it tripped tomorrow. An officer on the scene said bank alarms are often very sensitive, leading to the occasional false alert.

TACOMA -- One of the best qualities Vincent Thompson's trainers like about him is his ability to improve after each fight and show them something better and different in the next one.

The undefeated Federal Way boxer did not disappoint, dispatching Masataka Takehara easily in eight rounds in a unanimous decision in the Battle of the Boat 83 main event Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. Thompson looked polished, confident and effective, more so than at any time in his career so far.

Thompson's crisp, punishing jab was the story of the night, keeping the powerful but plodding Takehara (6-5-3, 2 KOs) frustrated, and at bay. If Thompson wasn't firing off his point-scoring jabs, he was using his adept, much-improved footwork to stay out of the harm's way or punching his way out of clinches with flurries of combination hooks and uppercuts.

It left Takehara off-balance and ineffective in trying to press the action through the course of the fight.

"Thompson is a very good, young fighter, very clever," said Takehara, who is Japan's top heavyweight. "His (hand and foot) speed were good. His clinch technique was good. He has no power."

The 20-year-old man police were searching for on July 15 for investigation of assault charges, leading to a several hour standoff at a Delridge Way S.W. home, entered into a plea agreement with King County court on Aug. 23.

Jory Preston pleaded guilty to one charge of third degree domestic violence assault for a July 11 incident where he told the court he pushed and bit his ex-girlfriend. His sentencing range is one to three months. This charge was originally for fourth degree assault.

In exchange for the plea agreement, prosecutor’s dropped a second degree assault charge where police alleged Preston threatened his ex-girlfriend with a handgun at a party at Camp Long in West Seattle on July 14.

In the aftermath of allegations brought against Preston at Camp Long, police went to a Delridge Way S.W. home to apprehend him, leading to a standoff that ended in the early morning hours of July 15. It is unclear for what duration of the standoff Preston was actually in the house and police said he was eventually dropped off at the Southwest Precinct where he turned himself in, ending the standoff peacefully.

Two months ahead of schedule, the five-story, 500-stall Burien Park-and-Ride Garage was dedicated Aug. 30.

Please click the photo above for a slideshow

The garage was actually opened to the public on Saturday, Aug. 27. The early opening eased the burden on patrons who brought their cars to the transit center. During garage construction, they had to slog back and forth from the center on Southwest 148th Street and 4th Avenue Southwest to the temporary parking lot at the old BBC Dodge site at First Avenue South and South 148th Street.

The dedication and ribboncutting ceremonies drew the "usual suspects" as U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-7) joked in addressing a group of state, county, city and private company officials as well as staffers from Metro Transit and Sound Transit.

Congressman McDermott said he hopes Burien is not redistricted out of his congressional district because he enjoys seeing the start and finish of worthwhile projects such as the garage and Burien Town Square. He lamented that earmarking funds for projects by lawmakers is now out of favor.

The 2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale, a six-week-long exhibition celebrating design, fashion and innovation, will kick-off on September 30 with the two-day NFB 2011 Fashion Summit featuring top international designers and artists. The summit is designed to inspire conversation and exploration between master professionals, industry leaders, emerging designers, fashion students and trend setters. Key themes that are woven throughout the summit include slow fashion, sustainability and design, cultural heritage, and the business of fashion.

This unprecedented gathering in Seattle of top international fashion experts and designers will feature key presenters including:

· Áslaug Magnúsdottir, Iceland
Founder of Moda Operandi who has been dubbed 'fashion's fairy godmother' by Vogue and ‘one of the most influential people in British retail by Draper's

· Henrik Vibskov, Denmark
Founder of his self-named label and a sought-after international performer and drummer

· Orlando Palacios, United States
Owner and head-designer of the renowned New York haberdashery Worth & Worth.
· Annika Axelsson, Sweden
One of the founders of DEM Collective

· Yvan Mispelaere, France

By Councilmember Larry Phillips

When Metro Transit officials first came to my colleagues and I in 2008 with news of a budget gap due to rising fuel costs and declining sales tax revenues, transit ridership was increasing at record rates, gas prices were over $4 per gallon, and traffic congestion was the top complaint of King County residents. Looking at our economy and the population and job growth we were expecting in our region, one thing was clear: People needed an affordable alternative to get to and from work. Shrinking our transit system was not the answer.

As Budget Chair in 2008, I believed that if we were going to preserve transit service we had to start by wrenching every available dollar out of the bureaucracy and into service on the street. So I proposed and passed a comprehensive performance audit. The audit identified $105 million in available one-time funding and $35-50 million in ongoing savings. We also responded by asking transit users to pay more, raising fares four times over four years.

The long sought after restoration of White Center’s storefront deputy is one of seven programs that will receive funding from King County’s Criminal Justice Reserve at the request of KC Executive Dow Constantine.

In light of recent news that Burien and Kent are the battleground for rival Hispanic gangs, these programs aim to attack that very issue and include more resources for the Sheriff's Office gang unit, restoration of two nurses for high-risk mothers in White Center/Burien/Tukwila/SeaTac, a multitude of crime and gang prevention programs and funding for the King County Prosecutor's Office to go after gang leaders.

In total, $1.4 million will be used from the reserve to “fund seven programs that address gang issues and can be implemented quickly,” according to a King County press release. Funding will be released in early October and last through 2012.

Word just came in from King County Councilmember Joe McDermott that a storefront deputy will return to White Center as part of King County Executive Dow Constantine’s proposal for gang violence intervention and prevention.

Councilmember McDermott said the deputy will be in place starting early October and funding is set aside for the position through 2012.

“The organization of the White Center community made sure they were heard and that the storefront deputy was restored,” McDermott said.

A petition to restore the storefront deputy to White Center, started by the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, has been circulating for some time and is one of seven programs that will receive funding from King County’s Criminal Justice Reserve.

In total, $1.4 million will be used from the reserve to “fund seven programs that address gang issues and can be implemented quickly,” according to a King County press release.