November 2011

On Saturday, Dec 3, more than 3,000 Washington students will compete in FIRST® LEGO® League regional qualifying tournaments across the state.

One of these tournaments will take place right here in Ballard.

Ranging from ages 9 to 14, these future engineers, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs are tasked with building and programming robots using LEGO® MINDSTORMS technology that also solve real-world problems.

This year, students face a “Food Factor Challenge.” Teams will be judged on how their robot performs and demonstrates innovative food safety solutions.

Winning teams from the 13 regional competitions will advance to state finals in January.

With 375 teams competing statewide, the event marks the largest FIRST® competition in Washington.

Parents, educators, community and business leaders, elected officials and the general public are invited to attend the free events to cheer on Washington’s future workforce.

In Ballard, the competition will take place at Ballard High School and begin at 1:00 p.m. An awards ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m.

Just in from the Governor's office, Gov. Gregoire sent a petition to the DEA asking them to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug, "which will allow its use for treatment - prescribed by doctors and pharmacists." Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the DEA, characterized by high abuse, no recognized medical value and a lack of safety in use. It is classified with heroin, LSD, MDMA and methaqualone.

According to the press release, Gregoire's petition will require the FDA "to conduct a new scientific review and analysis of recent advances in Cannabis research," since it was last reviewed in 2006.

In 1998 Washington voters approved the medical marijuana law which allows doctors to recommend marijuana as a medicine, but not actually prescribe it.

Here is the press release in its entirety:

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced she filed a petition with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration asking the agency to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug, which will allow its use for treatment – prescribed by doctors and filled by pharmacists. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I-RI) also signed the petition.

The Tully's Coffee on Alki invites the public to drop off new toys into their shop. Toys will benefit the children of homeless and other low-income families this Christmas in Shoreline, Redmond, and other communities further east. Tully's is on the corner of Alki Ave. and 60th Ave. SW.

Tully's Coffee
2676 Alki Avenue Southwest, Seattle, WA
(206) 938-0732

According to www.hope-link.org:

Hopelink offers an integrated array of programs that enable families in crisis to make progress toward and achieve self-sufficiency (...)

Food

Hopelink’s five centers each offer food banks, plus food deliveries to elderly and disabled individuals who are homebound. Related programs include education and seasonal activities. Hopelink also offers an Emergency Feeding Service, which delivers bags of food to schools, religious institutions, and community centers to provide to families in need.

Housing

Highline College students will raise funds next week to support a program that helps feed elementary school students who might otherwise not have food at home.

The Weekend Backpack Program, run by the Des Moines Food Bank and the Des Moines Rotary, sends backpacks full of food home with students who are on free and reduced-price lunches at seven schools in the Highline School District. The program started after local leaders discovered that many of these students might not have any food when they are not in school.

Some 69 percent of students in the district, which is not affiliated with the college, are on free or reduced-price lunches.

Highline College students studying American government will host a panel to discuss the program on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. in Building 7. The panel will feature Highline students and representatives from Des Moines Rotary and from local schools.

A bake sale to benefit the program will follow on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union, Building 8. All proceeds will go to support the Weekend Backpack Program.

The state Department of Ecology is holding a public meeting on its interim action plan to deal with the Tukwila plume on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Des Moines Activity Center, 2045 S. 216th St.

The open house is 6:30-8:30 p.m. with a presentation at 7 p.m.

Here’s more information from the DOE:
Ecology is using a $94 million settlement from Asarco to manage risk from Tacoma Smelter Plume contamination. The plume is too large to clean up every property, so we are doing partial cleanup, known as an “interim action”. The draft Interim Action Plan describes how Ecology will address contamination and gives the public a chance to provide input.
What is in the Interim Action Plan?

The Interim Action Plan has four main actions:
1. Create a residential yard sampling and cleanup program.
2. Continue the existing Soil Safety Program for schools, childcares, parks, camps, and multi-family housing.
3. Continue education and outreach through the Dirt Alert program.
4. Continue technical assistance for cleaning up properties during development.
Formal written comments can be sent to:
Cynthia Walker
Southwest Regional Office, Toxics Cleanup Program
Department of Ecology

Swedish Medical Center announced that the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has designated three of its campuses – Ballard, First Hill and Cherry Hill – to provide stroke care.

The Washington State DOH Emergency Cardiac and Stroke system was created to provide a statewide designation program that recognizes the level of stroke care capabilities available to stroke patients in medical facilities across the state. The Swedish Stroke System of Care has been certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center since 2004.

Swedish/Ballard was designated as a Level III designation with infrastructure and ability to provide acute thrombolytic rescue therapy for stroke patients.

Swedish/Cherry Hill received a Level I designation, making it one of only four hospital campuses in King County to provide comprehensive stroke care – including acute thrombolytic interventions to break clots down and restore circulation, advanced diagnostic imaging to identify a blocked artery, and catheter-based interventions to re-open arteries.

It was joyful. That’s the only word to describe the 50th reunion of the Ballard Eagles 172 Drill Team. Girls in party dresses were flocking between tables like a type of exotic bird that comes in all sizes. Women were recognizing each other from childhood and then linking arms into group hugs.

I didn’t grow up around drill teams; my introductions to them were through Syttende Mai or the Torchlight Parade in downtown Seattle. Their uniforms often looked dated and it tugged my heart strings to see so many girls at the gawky stages that occur when some limbs have growth spurts and others don’t. The girls always looked so serious in drill formation, boots hitting the pavement of 24th NW in perfect unison.

By Greg McCorkle

An estimated 3,000 people from all over the state of Washington converged on the capitol building yesterday to voice their opinion over proposed cuts to education, social, and health services. Many unions, such as the WEA and SCIU, bused in representatives from as far away as Spokane. Throughout the day people spoke of the need to increase spending for health and education and that any further cuts would drastically effect Washingtonians who already have been hit the hardest. The main thrust of the day was over cuts to health care for the disabled.

West Seattle resident Eric Matthes Coordinator of Advocacy for The Arc of King County has come to Olympia to voice his displeasure over cuts to health care funding, “Because I know it’s important for everyone…people with disabilities want to make enough noise here in Olympia so our governor and our state actually hears what we’re concerned about.”

The Ballard High School girls basketball team opened their season with a win against Highline last night.

Highline hosted the Beavers for a non-conference game and the Ballard started off strong with a 28 to 3 lead in the first quarter.

By halftime the lead was expanded to 47 to 10, making it difficult for the Burien team to catch up.

Ballard scored ten more points before the end of the game and while Highline’s scoring increased in the second half, they couldn’t catch up to the Beavers.

The Beavers won with a final score of 57 to 25.

Sophomore Cailey Becket lead the team with 13 points, followed by Sophomore Shelby Bailess with 12 points, and with Freshmen Makeylah Kirkwood with 11 points.

The Lady Beavers play again on Friday in a non-conference home game against Rogers (Puyallup) at 7:30 p.m. in the BHS main gym.

Natalie Scherwin understands the mind of canine champions. Her dog, Eddie is a Basenji, and has won numerous competitions in his four short years. Scherwin has shown dogs since she was 13 years old and she knew the breeder, Jordan Reed of the Atarasi Kennel in Federal Way since those days, and even used to show with him. In 2007 she visited him and, "wasn't planning on getting a dog but I saw Eddie in with a group of puppies and fell in love."

Eddie has been in close to 100 dog shows. "Most shows are two to three days," said Scherwin," and he has been showing since he was six months old, pretty regularly. Eddie has recently taken six "Best of Breed" titles has won other competitions.

Scherwin explained that the Basenji is a "natural breed," from the Congo meaning you can still find them in the Congo today in remote villages where dogs of other origins have not had access. They are a hunting dog and are, "really independent if they catch a smell they are off out the door. You have to be really careful letting them off leash. They are kind of aloof with strangers too."