May 2012

Hyundai Hope On Wheels® and Seattle-area Hyundai dealers last week awarded Seattle Children’s with a $75,000 Hyundai Scholar Grant to Dr. Abraham Fong for his work to fund pediatric cancer research.

“We are tremendously grateful to Hyundai for this significant investment in pediatric cancer research,” said Abraham Fong, MD, PhD, an attending physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and member of the Center for Clinical & Translational Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. “This support will enable us to understand how some cancers evade normal maturation signals, which will help us to develop alternative treatment strategies that are hopefully less toxic to our patients."

During the grant presentation, Seattle-area children battling cancer placed their handprints in colorful paint on a new Hyundai Tucson, the official vehicle of the program, to commemorate their battles with cancer. Every Handprint Ceremony celebrates the courageous lives of the children faced with cancer and brings our community of supporters together.  

The Tox-Ick campaign is partnering with Sustainable Ballard to empower Ballard citizens to reduce Puget Sound toxic runoff with a free event at the Ballard Library. 

Born out of Sustainable West Seattle, the Tox-Ick campaign is taking on a monster of a problem in Ballard by supporting a vision for healthy waterways. 

According to studies by the Department of Ecology, urban storm water runoff is the No. 1 threat to the health of Puget Sound.

Fourteen million pounds of pollutants wash from our streets and driveways directly into our rivers and streams, and ultimately into the Sound each year. 

Toxic runoff comes from many everyday sources, including cars, soap, paint, fertilizers and herbicides, and even dog poop.  

“We have an opportunity to better protect the waterway by taking small, simple solutions to reduce pollution entering Puget Sound,” said Elizabeth Dunigan, leader of Ballard’s Tox-Ick outreach group, in a release. “Our collaborative event is meant to foster constructive action to reduce the flow of toxic runoff”.
 
The informative event will take place Thursday, June 7th at 6 p.m. at the Ballard Library.

Sixteen Whitman Middle School students have been awarded summer camp scholarships of up to $500 through Assistance League of Seattle's Enrichment Scholarship Program.   

The Assistance League received over 70 applications from 17 middle and high schools in the Seattle School District. Preference was given to applications for programs in music, art, science, debate, mathematics, language, drama, technology, leadership and journalism, but the Assistance League was able to fund all qualified applicants at a full or partial level for a total of almost $32,000.

Students will be attending various programs including Cornish Institute, Whitman Dance, UW Robinson Center, Marrowstone Music, language camp and art, theater and outdoor programs.

Updated 3:25pm May 31
In a press conference this afternoon Seattle Police Assistant Chief Jim Pugel revealed new details about yesterday's deadly shootings that ended in the death of the suspect, Ian Stawicki on a West Seattle street.

Chief Pugel said that after shooting the driver of an SUV at 8th and Seneca he drove it to West Seattlle, abandoned it on Delridge way near Dakota Street s.w. and shortly thereafter contacted a, "Southwest Seattle acquaintance," who reportedly said that the shooter was "acting erratically, talking nonsense" and he then broke off contact with him. Pugel said that Stawicki then "roamed in very crowded areas for some time," during which the acquaintance had not heard of the shootings. Once he heard the news and realized what Stawicki had done, he called SPD to report the contact.

Police said that a video of the shootings in Roosevelt will not be released for some time.

Updated story for 10:00p.m.

Press release from WSAW Committee

Deadline for participation is next Friday, June 8th!

Please click on the following link and complete the form and payment: https://wsjunction.wufoo.com/forms/west-seattle-art-walk-registration-3…

If you haven't already, the time has come to get signed up for participation in 2012's 3rd Quarter West Seattle Art Walk!

We continue our fight to make each Quarter bigger and better that the last, so we're looking for excited, art-loving, local merchants to join us in featuring artist(s) at your business on Art Walk night, July through September. 3rd Quarter is always an great time of year to be a WSAW business, as there are so many fun things happening around West Seattle and the sunshine really gets people out walking the streets!

WSAW happens the 2nd Thursday of every month, 6-9pm. 3rd Quarter WSAW dates are July 12th, August 9th, and September 13th.

Information from King County Public Health
Many community clinics also offering low-cost booster shots for clients

Bartell Drugs
9600 15th Ave SW Seattle
M - F 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
SAT 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
SUN 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Age Group: 14 and older

QFC
4550 42nd Ave SW Seattle
M - F 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
SAT 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
SUN 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Age Group: 11 and older

People without health insurance or who can't afford to pay for whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine are now able to get it for low-cost at two local pharmacy chains, made available with help from the AmeriCares patient assistance program. Whooping cough continues at high levels in King County and vaccine is the best protection against the disease.

Local QFC and Bartell Drugs pharmacies are now offering low-cost adult whooping cough booster shots (known as Tdap vaccine). A full listing of pharmacy locations with low cost vaccines, as well as locations with vaccine at full cost for those with insurance, is available at www.kingcounty.gov/health/pertussis.

My last week has been somewhat consumed with breasts. A good friend and I had hoped to schedule our mammograms for the same day, but it didn’t work out. Her Tuesday appointment ‘earned’ her a follow-up biopsy for the following week because her mammogram revealed a previously undetected lump. The following day my own mammogram was happily overshadowed by a behind-the-scenes peek at courses for the putt-putt golf competition between each of the imaging departments. Perhaps not surprisingly the Swedish/Ballard Women’s Imaging Center had a distinctly mammary theme and was destined to win “Best Design.”

At my mammogram I learned that Swedish/Ballard is on the verge of dramatically expanding to become a full service breast center. There will be added hours for problem-solving breast imaging as well as mammography and bone density screening services and a new machine that will allow for biopsies beyond what has been possible using guided ultrasound.

By Kaelyn Sayles

Athletes and volunteers at West Seattle Stadium celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Hershey's Track and Field Games Tuesday night.

Kids as young as five and up to 14 competed in running, throwing and jumping events. Ages nine to 14 competed for the chance to qualify in the state meet and continue to participate in the games.

Frank Cammarano, coordinator of the games from the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, has been doing this for 12 years.

PLEASE CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE

“The Hershey’s program does things a little on the noncompetitive end in that you don’t wear spikes, you don’t use starting blocks,” Cammarano said. “It’s about participation for all kids, of any ability, so that’s what we’re hoping every year.”

Hershey's Track and Field Games alum and former NFL player Eric Metcalf stayed for most of the event to show his support.

Metcalf participated in the games back in the early 1980s and still remembers his first experience. He laughs at the memory.

Sleepers in Seattle, a sleeper sofa specialty store and Junction staple, has been expanding at a rapid clip since the Alcabes (family owners) embraced the digital age in 2010 and revamped their website for national and international sales.

In August of 2011, the West Seattle Herald did a feature on Sleepers in Seattle success, and recent word from employee David Feldhammer indicates the growth continues on with their expansion into selling leather sofas.

One of the keys to their sleeper sofa success is the option for customers to customize their furniture, and Feldhammer said they are taking the same approach with sister company Savvy Leather Sofas.

No word yet on whether Max Alcabes, owner Carlos’ son and creator of the company websites, will be crafting another rap song dedicated to leather sofas (here’s the link to their Sleeper Sofa Rap on YouTube).

City of Seattle press release

The previously announced overnight traffic shift of eastbound traffic on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be implemented and in effect in time for the Wednesday morning traffic commute. The eastbound off-ramp at Fourth Avenue S, which has been closed since mid-April, will reopen by 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning. At the same time, the eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue S will be closed, and will remain closed for the next two to three weeks.

These alternating closures of the eastbound off-ramps are needed to allow the project contractor room to repair and resurface the bridge deck on the old viaduct structure. This work is being in done in phases in order to keep through traffic moving while repairs are being made, and is expected to continue until late August or early September. It is one of the last remaining elements in the project that will double the width of the viaduct as well as make important seismic upgrades.