January 2012

The growth of enrollment in Seattle Public Schools has created a need for the system to address capacity management the Seattle Public Schools said in a press release. The plan, to be introduced at a School Board meeting at the John Stanford Center on January 4 recommends reopening Boren School as an "interim site" for K-5 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for students at Denny International Middle School and Madison Middle School.

The press release states:

A short-term capacity management plan to address Seattle Public Schools’ enrollment growth is being introduced at the Seattle School Board meeting Wednesday night, Jan. 4, with board action scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The recommended plan, approved by the School Board’s Operations Committee Dec. 14, was developed following input from the Facilities and Capital Management Advisory Committee (FACMAC) and from 300 attendees at six community meetings held in September-December 2010, plus 550 written comments.

By Kyle Howard
Rainier Beach visited West Seattle in a Metro Sound Division game Tuesday night. Rainier Beach is currently ranked number one in state for 3A boy’s basketball and they showed why against West Seattle with another victory, 76-53. With this win Rainier Beach's record now stands at to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in league. West Seattle's record is 5-4 overall and 1-3 in league.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Rainier Beach senior guard Anrio Adams scored a game high 21 points, Will Dorsey also added 19 points of his own. On West Seattle’s side both Vidal Griffin II and Latrey Newsome scored 16 for the Wildcats.

Defense and shot selection was the key to Rainier Beach’s win. They were able to penetrate well to the basket and played solid Defense, causing over 20 turnovers from West Seattle and racking up 13 steals.

“Our defense was very intense”, Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea stated after the game.

A public meeting about the Occupy movement (not the protest itself) is set for Thursday Jan. 5 from 6pm to 7:30pm at the West Seattle Library (behind the Metropolitan Market) 2306 - 42nd Ave s.w.

A press release offers what will happen:

 Meet some Occupy participants and hear their stories.
 Learn how the Occupy movement relates to you and your community.
 Share your concerns and questions.

Guest speakers will talk about how we can:
 Create a Public Bank here in Washington State
 Overturn Supreme Court decisions on corporations  Link up with the Occupy movement

Hosted by: West Seattle Neighbors for Peace & Justice
Snacks will be provided. BYO hot/cold drink (covered container, non-alcoholic).

Please note: This neighborhood meeting is not endorsed by Occupy Seattle, nor is it part of the Occupy movement's General Assembly structure.

The Ballard boys basketball team visited Skyline last night for their first conference game since returning from a San Diego tournament. The Beavers upset second ranked Skyline as their defeat was Skyline's first conference loss.

The competition was tough and while both teams played hard, Skyline entered halftime in the lead with a 27 to 22 score.

But whatever pep talk the Beaver players received during halftime, it worked. Ballard outscored Skyline in the third quarter 18 to 8, putting Ballard in the lead. The Beavers finished the game strongly and solidified their win with a final score of 56 to 47.

Junior Seth Berger was the top scorer with 14 points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one assist.

Senior Jake Devine came off the bench to score a career high 11 points and grab 4 rebounds. Devine hit three of the Beavers' five three-pointers.

And junior Raymond Owens had a career high of eight points with four assists and three rebounds.

The Beavers play again on Friday, January 6 at 8 p.m. at Garfield High School.

Ben Shimizu got his dog Annie, who is a pit bull and German Shepherd mix, 4 years ago "at a dog convention downtown. They had booths where dogs were competing in both agility and confirmation and behavioral training. She was for sale by this organization called Bullseye Pitbull Rescue. They had a number of dogs there and she was the product of a litter, she was six months old at the show. I already had two dogs and two cats at the time so I wasn't looking for another dog. She had this little bib on that said, 'Please adopt me' and the rest is history."

In the house now are a one year old cat named Shabu along with Annie. "They wrestle all the time. They love each other."

"I never saw the father but the papers say he was a German Shepherd. I met all of her siblings and she was the only one that was unlike them. They all looked like what you'd assume is a pit bull but she had much softer features. A lot of that tendency comes out when she's out in the woods in the mountains."

Press release
A reception will be held prior to the City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 9 for newly-elected and re-elected City Councilmembers Lucy Krakowiak, Gerald Robison and Bob Edgar. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with the oath of office at 7 p.m. at Burien City Hall, 400 SW 152
nd St, first floor Council chambers.

The public is invited.

Here are the new and returning Councilmembers:

Lucy Krakowiak
Lucy Krakowiak, first elected in November 2003, won re-election to Position 2 on the Burien City Council. Her new term runs through 2015. She has lived in Burien since 1988 and has had a local massage therapy business since 1994. She has been the chief organizer of Burien Clean Sweep and a member of the Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership Advisory Board. She also serves on the Suburban Cities Association Board of Directors, the King County Library System Board of Trustees and the King County Growth Management Planning Council.

Gerald Robison

Press release from North Delridge Neighborhood Council
The Delridge Alliance is an advisory group of Delridge Neighbors with the purpose of organizing and addressing the community concerns regarding the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) location in Delridge. In an effort to create an effective group, they are seeking additional Alliance Advocates, volunteers who can represent the views of the community. They are seeking stakeholders such as adjacent property owners, businesses and institutions to name a few.

The Alliance role will help develop a list of neighborhood concerns related to the project, and organize meetings to address them. Those interested should read the PDF attachment on the Delridge Alliance Call for Nominations post available at the NDNC.org website (also provided as a link up top).

After keeping the Ballard streets clean, safe, and attractive for over a decade, Rudy McCoy, the friendly neighborhood caretaker, is leaving the Ballard Clean Streets Program.

Started by Ballard merchants, the program intended to keep the streets clean, safe, and attractive to encourage foot traffic and draw in business.

McCoy has managed the program for ten years but with a lack of funding and recent harassment issues, McCoy said it's time for him to move on.

"It's time. I have been at Market Street too long," said McCoy. "The revenue just isn't coming in. When I took on this work, businesses in the Ballard Merchants Association paid into the program but over the years, the old businesses have closed and new businesses have not shown interest in being part of the Clean Streets Program."

What was once a paid service has turned into a mostly volunteer position, McCoy added.

The much anticipated Trader Joes grocery store is "75% done" as far as exterior work goes according to the foreman on the site who expects to have the exterior fully enclosed by the end of January when the interior work can begin.

Workmen were finishing the facade work, placing plywood panels over steel studs on Tuesday, Jan 3, while others were up doing some preliminary painting. The painting will be on hold until a stretch of dry weather will make it more reasonable.

When asked about the opening date for the store, employees in the Burien location said they believe it will be scheduled for May.

That would mean it's been a full two years since the West Seattle Herald first told you they were confirmed for the former Huling Brothers location at 4545 Fauntleroy Way s.w.

The Seattle DPD page notes that the estimated cost of the remodel is $420,000.

When complete the store will be the 17th Trader Joes location in Washington State.

Thistle Theatre returns once more to the Knutzen Family Theatre with their magical musical puppet show based on an old English version of Jack trading his family's cow for beans. An amazing musical adventure ensues with a giant beanstalk, a giant, a golden hen, a magic singing harp, a fool and a green fairy. Fun for the young and the young at heart!

Venue: Centerstage! Theatre

Time: January 7, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Tickets: General Admission: $10
Youth (17 & under): $7