November 2011

King County has posted results from their first round of ballot tallies and we have reposted the results below. Results are not final until Nov. 30. Current leaders' names are in bold.

CITY OF BURIEN
Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: * 6022 / 22405 26.88%

Council Position No. 2
Lucy Krakowiak 3393 64.03%
Greg Duff 1886 35.59%
Write-in 20 0.38%

Council Position No. 4
Bob Edgar 3123 59.74%
Gordon M. Shaw 2080 39.79%
Write-in 25 0.48%

Council Position No. 6 short and full term
Debi Wagner 2379 45.60%
Jerry Robison 2820 54.05%
Write-in 18 0.35%

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CITY OF DES MOINES
Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: * 4294 / 14805 29.00%

Council Position No. 2
Jeanette Burrage 2280 61.04%
Carri Litowitz 1425 38.15%
Write-in 30 0.80%

Council Position No. 4
Dan Caldwell 2013 55.53%
Dave Markwell 1592 43.92%
Write-in 20 0.55%

Council Position No. 6

Update for 2 p.m., Nov. 9
The townhouse fire on the 8400 block of 26th Ave S.W. was ruled accidental, starting in a chimney with a fire that "had grown out of control," according to Seattle Fire.

No one was injured and investigators estimate $60,000 in damages.

When fire engines arrived shortly after 2:30 a.m. the fire had spread into the wood structuring of two townhouses and flames were shooting out of the roof. Firefighters were able to put the blaze out within 20 minutes, according to SFD.

Residents were able to escape unharmed and Red Cross responded to find temporary emergency housing.

Original post
Fire crews rushed to put out a chimney fire around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 9 at a townhouse near Chief Sealth High School.

While the official word from Seattle Fire on the cause and extent of damage is not expected until around noon today, no injuries were reported.

One fire crew was still on the scene at 9 a.m. this morning, using a chainsaw to cut the remaining chimney structure down.

The townhouse complex is located near the intersection of S.W. Thistle and 26th Ave S.W.

More details will be added later in the day.

Viking Bank announced on November 8 that, at a special meeting of shareholders held earlier this month, Viking shareholders approved the plan of merger and acquisition by AmericanWest Bank.

The votes cast in favor of the transaction represented more than 88% of the total number of shares outstanding.

The transaction is expected to close before year end and is subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of Viking Bank’s regulatory agencies.

“Viking and AmericanWest share similar cultures and a relationship-oriented approach to business-focused community banking," said Rich Mulcahy, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Viking Bank. "We are excited about the positive impact we can make in the communities we serve through this merger, and look forward to receiving the necessary regulatory approvals to close the transaction.”

After three years of financial struggles, the merger was first announced in September.

The Seattle School District announced on Monday that it will withdraw a policy proposal involving school district-sponsored freedom of expression.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield said that school board directors and district administrators jointly agreed to revisit the policy, introduced to the Seattle School Board Nov. 2, to ensure that it better reflects the community’s values.

“As we move forward in updating our policies, as chair of the curriculum and instruction policy committee, I will direct staff to ensure that any policy we develop regarding student expression is reflective of the language and values that we share in Seattle,” said School Board Director Harium Martin-Morris.

Policy No. 3220, which was based on a Washington State School Directors’ Association-recommended policy governing freedom of expression, was included among a series of policy updates introduced at the Nov. 2 School Board meeting in an effort to address inconsistent language, duplication of concepts, and amend policies to reflect current district practice.

UPDATE: McDermott, McLaren both expand leads slightly against their challengers.

With nearly 28-percent of the results in, McDermott at 67-percent. Also, McLaren ahead of Sundquist, 51.5-percent vs. 48-percent.
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The just over 24-percent of the votes totaled, incumbent Joe McDermott is ahead of challenger Diana Toledo with a two to one margin in the King County Council District 8 race.

A big surprise to many, in West Seattle, retired school teacher Marty McLaren is ahead of incumbent Steve Sundquist by almost 2,000 votes for Seattle School Board District 6. The other three incumbents running for school board are ahead of their challengers.

Joe McDermott

Joe stood on a chair and thanked his supporters, and his family and partner, Michael Culpepper who attended the reception.

If you've eaten at Cactus on Alki which opened in 2006, you will soon have a chance to enjoy the same flair with flavors at the chain's next iteration of the theme, Cactus at South Lake Union. It's been under construction since June, and is 5000 square feet in size. It will join Madison Park, Alki and Kirkland in the company.

The new location is on the corner of Terry/Harrison, just below Amazon.com's offices.

The new restaurant can seat 150 inside plus a private dining room that can seat up to 40. Also in the plans is a patio to be built this spring that will accommodate another 60 people.

While the exact opening date is not certain the owners, Marc and Bret Chatalas are aiming for Nov. 16.

In the meantime they are holding an event this Friday which is a "Facebook, friends and family event that will support Susan Komen of Puget Sound. We're donating 100% of the revenue from the event and think it will be between $5,000 and $6,000," said Marc. You can make reservations here.

The Ballard District Council is convening for its monthly meeting tonight and topics on the agenda for the evening include a chat with Sally Bagshaw, Seattle’s Shoreline Master Plan, recycling, and more.

As usual, the meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Library 5614 22nd N.W.

AGENDA:

7 p.m.: Introductions & Short Announcements - please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

7:15 p.m.: A Chat with City Council Member Sally Bagshaw

Bagshaw chairs the Council’s Parks & Seattle Center Committee and the Waterfront Planning Committee. She also serves on the Council’s Public Safety & Education Committee and Committee on the Built Environment.

7:40 p.m.: Updating Seattle’s Shoreline Master Program- Panel Presentation by

NSIA - Larry Ward, Operations Manager – Pacific Fishermen Shipyard
Groundswell NW – Dave Boyd, President
Washington Liveaboard Assn – Mike Humpston, President

As of 8:15 p.m., the following election results have been posted:

Initiative 1183: to privatize liquor stored
Yes: 61.1 percent
No: 38.89 percent

1125: "The Eyman Initiative": Limits on motor vehicle fund and vehicle toll revenue uses
Yes: 39.6 percent
No: 60.39 percent

1163: Background checks and training for long-term care workers
Yes 64.55 percent
No 35.44 percent

Senate Joint Resolution 8205:
Approved 78.73 percent
Rejected 21.26 percent

Senate Joint Resolution 8206:
Approved 67.65 percent
Rejected 32.34 percent

Seattle City Council Position No. 1
Jean Godden 53.61 percent
Bobby Forch 45.98 percent

Seattle City Council Position No. 3
Bruce Harrell 62 percent
Brad Meacham 37.55 percent

Seattle City Council Position No. 5
Tom Rasmussen 72.9 percent
Dale L. Pusey 26.43 percent

Seattle City Council Position No. 7
Tim Burgess 80.57 percent
David Schraer 18.87 percent

At approximately 3:55 p.m. (PST), a 12-year-old, female African lion at Woodland Park Zoo left its sleeping den and gained access to the service hallway that is behind the scenes of the felines building. The incident occurred minutes before the zoo closed to the public. The lion was contained inside the building and at no time were visitors or the staff in any danger.

The zoo’s emergency response team composed of the zoo’s firearms units and veterinary staff equipped with tranquilizer darts was immediately deployed.

The lion was safely tranquilized and secured at 4:53 p.m. inside the service area of the felines building.

In addition to the 12-year-old female lion, the other African lions at the zoo are a 12-year-old male and 2-year-old female. The other two lions were secured in their dens during the incident.

The zoo will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.

Saturday, Nov. 5
Football
Capital 35, West Seattle 6
West Seattle's playoff season came to an early end in a first round game this past Saturday,

Nov. 5.
The Wildcats finished with the 35-6 decision at Ingersoll Stadium in Olympia.

Girls soccer
Meridian 5, SCS 2
Seattle Christian also came to a quick end in girls soccer this past Saturday.

The Warriors wound up their season with a 5-2 loss to Meridian High School at King's High School in North Seattle.

Cross country
State meet
Yohana Salzano of Foster came away from the Saturday, Nov. 5 meet held east of the Cascades in Pasco with a ninth place individual finish in the Class 1A girls meet.

Salzano posted a time of 18 minutes, 53 seconds.