February 2012

By Kurt Howard

The Evergreen Wolverines took one on the chin from the Lindbergh Eagles in a West Central District III playoff game at Foss High School in Tacoma, Thursday night, February 16th. Final score was Evergreen 31, Lindbergh 55.

Evergreen had won the two previous conference games with Lindbergh but this is the playoffs. Could that cause an overconfident mindset before the game? “Always with teenagers.” Coach White said. “I harped on that, I harped on that all day yesterday at practice. I told them it doesn’t matter what happened in the regular reason, what happened earlier. Whether we beat them twice or they beat us twice, none of that matters. It’s what happens tomorrow night on the court. Maybe it was in their head and they came out a little overconfident, over looked them a little bit.”

To start the game Lindbergh scored on the opening tip-off, and as they say, they never looked back. Evergreen finally scored their first basket with 3:03 left in the first quarter. It wasn’t for lack of effort, they hustled but they just weren’t in sync.

Still glum from the heartbreaking King County playoff basketball game that went into three overtimes before Newport defeated the Ballard High School boys team, head coach William "Billy" Rodgers is already looking at next season.

"We'll be pretty high next year and on paper we should be good," he said. “It’s nice to see the expectations set high."

Rodgers, once a Beaver basketball player himself, has been the head coach at Ballard for seven seasons. It's one of the many hats he wears.

In addition to being the head basketball coach at BHS, Rodgers is also the Athletic Director of the Ballard Boys and Girls Club, a member of the Ballard Rotary Club, and a member of the Ballard High School Foundation.

"I like to dabble in many things," he said. "I've never been someone who could do just one thing."

His involvements have two common denominators, however; sports and Ballard.

Originally from Washington D.C., Rodgers' father taught law at Georgetown University and the University of Washington, so the family split their time between both cities before settling in Ballard when Rodger's father began teaching at UW full-time.

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

10:52 p.m. on February 9th. 22nd Ave NW and NW Market St

This is an update on the February 9th stabbing: The responding officer arrived at the scene to find two males lying on the ground. One had a laceration on his face, and the other had a stab wound in his abdomen. Both were clearly intoxicated. The officer recognized them from previous contact and knew them to be hostile toward police. Both refused to describe what had happened to them or provide any suspect information.

A man who identified himself as the father of one of the victims later arrived on the scene. He was also intoxicated. He said that he had been with both victims all night until he left them briefly to look for a bus schedule, and when he came back they were lying on the ground. The man said that no one else was with the group and that they were not fighting with anyone. He spoke with his son, who said that the suspects might have been a black male who was 5’11” and a white male who was 5’4” or 5’5”.

press release:
The Fauntleroy Expressway (at the east end of the West Seattle Bridge) will be closed from Saturday night, February 18, until midnight on Sunday, February 19. To get to the West Seattle Bridge, traffic will be directed to the Delridge on-ramp because the intersection of SW Avalon Way and SW Spokane Street will be restricted. The West Seattle Bridge and the Spokane Street Viaduct will remain open. First Avenue S will be closed at S Spokane Street.

Fauntleroy Expressway (from 35th Avenue SW to Delridge Way SW): The Fauntleroy Expressway will be open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, February 18, and will be closed from 9 p.m. on Saturday until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 19. Detours will be the same as during the week—eastbound traffic on Fauntleroy Way SW will be detoured at 35th Avenue SW and will be directed to the West Seattle Bridge via SW Genesee Street and Delridge Way SW. Westbound traffic on the West Seattle Bridge will be directed off the bridge at the Delridge Way SW off-ramp.

Those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or those impacted by it have an opportunity to learn more about it at a forum coming up Feb. 22 at South Seattle Community College.

The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Forum is designed for military veterans and those who want to learn more about this invisible injury. Noted psychologist Dr. Peter G. Schmidt will facilitate the forum and facilitate discussion of the needs and issues related to PTSD. Student veterans who have been exposed to, or experienced, PTSD will share their stories.

The event, which is sponsored by South’s Veterans Club, is free of charge and open to the public

South Seattle Community College has been designated a Military Friendly School for 2012, based on its role in accepting and serving student veterans. The college’s experienced staff and personal is committed to ensuring that each and every veteran that comes to South has all the means necessary to complete his or her academic goals.

PTSD Forum
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
1400 – 1530 (2 – 3:30 pm)
South Seattle Community College
Olympic Hall 120
6000-16th Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98106

press release:
In partnership with King County Metro Transit, the Seattle Department of Transportation is making transit improvements in West Seattle to prepare for the launch of Metro’s RapidRide C Line in September. Construction is scheduled to begin this week, affecting the following northbound bus stops:

• Fauntleroy Way SW & SW Rose Street (serving Route 54)
• Fauntleroy Way SW & SW Webster Street (serving Route 54)
• Fauntleroy Way SW & SW Myrtle Street (serving Route 54)
• California Avenue SW & SW Morgan ST (serving routes 54, 22, 128, and 560)
• California Avenue SW & SW Findlay ST (serving routes 54, 22, and 128)
• 35th Avenue SW & SW Avalon Way (serving routes 54, 21, 22, and 55)

Cascade Bicycle Club announced on Wednesday, Feb 16, that King County Superior Court Judge Rogers has once again sent the design for the completion of the Burke Gilman Trail back to the City of Seattle for further study.

While Rogers agreed with the City Hearing Examiner on 18 of 19 conclusions (in favor of the completion of the trail), he ruled against conclusion #9 of the Hearing Examiner’s ruling, asserting that further design details from the City of Seattle are necessary.

The "Missing Link" section of the Burke Gilman trail refers to the area where the trail ends at Ballard's Fred Meyer and people are left to find their own route to the Chittenden Locks where the trail picks up again.

Mayor Mike McGinn will be in Ballard for a town hall meeting this evening at the Ballard Landmark.

McGinn will give Ballard one hour out of his busy schedule starting at 5 p.m.

Here is your chance to ask Mayor McGinn those burning questions or give him a piece of your mind.

Read about last year's Town Hall, here.
Again, the Neighborhood Town Hall will take place on Tuesday, February 28, from 5 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at
The Ballard Landmark, 5433 Leary Ave NW.

A private investor, Christopher Hansen, has sent a proposal to the City and County to construct a new arena in Seattle’s Stadium District with the ability to host an NBA and NHL team. Working in concert, Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the proposal today and also appointed a panel of community leaders and finance experts to evaluate it.

In a letter, Mr. Hansen proposes to raise $290 million in private investment for the facility. In addition, he and his investor group would bear the costs associated with acquiring an NBA team and seek a partner who would recruit an NHL team to the new facility. The remaining arena development and construction costs would be financed by a combination of tax revenues generated by the facility, and property and rental income paid by the teams.

Executive Constantine and Mayor McGinn said that any agreement eventually reached by the City, County and the private investor must adhere to the following principles:

· A new arena must be self-funding, and not rely on new taxes;
· Existing City and County funds and services would not be adversely impacted;

Eight graders from Whitman Middle School collected over 500 pairs of socks for distribution at United Way's Community Resource Exchange (CRE) last month.

CRE is an event at CenturyLink Field that helps connect people experiencing homelessness with resources and services.

This was the first CRE held in the midst of winter and cold weather supplies like sleeping bags, jackets, and warm socks were in high demand.

Thanks in part to a group of eight graders from Whitman Middle School, 1500 homeless people left the CRE with a warm pair of socks.

United Way expressed thanks to the eight graders on its blog and Whitman teacher Blythe Asmann, who led the Whitman Sock Drive, hopes to hold the sock drive again, and include the whole school that time.