June 2012

Bobbie Cox got her dog Joey, an Australian Blue Heeler about four and a half years ago in Seattle's north end. "I saw an ad in the paper one day," Cox explained, "and I'd been looking for a long time. They are hard to find. I knew I liked that breed of dog so we got him and when my friends saw him they wanted one but there were none left."

She got him as a pup then, "But I could see he was going to be a looker," Cox said laughing.

His name is Joey Dundee, so named to be like the Australian movie character Crocodile Dundee.

They feed him the turkey strips from Costco, "and he likes pig ears."

But his regular diet is the Costco brand dry food.

Cox explained about what Joey does in their yard. "He has a window, " a cut out in the fence with an actual frame around it," and we live on a corner so when were home he communicates with people. People come down to see him. But we close it when we're gone. One day I saw this guy across the street and he had a camera and took a picture of him, his head sticking out."

Update for 6/15
The West Seattle Herald/White Center News posted an unscientific poll on June 12, asking our readers if White Center should use the term "Rat City" to promote the area. 47 people have voted; here are the results so far:

"Yes"
66 percent with 31 votes

"No"
34 percent with 16 votes

Original story on 6/12
Opinions on whether the White Center community should embrace the area’s sister term, “Rat City,” are as varied as the community itself, and several business owners converged upon the Salvadorian Bakery on June 12 to hash the idea out.

R.A.T., at one time, was an acronym for a Regional Army Training facility in the area, and the name has stuck.

VOTE ON THIS QUESTION IN OUR POLL AT THE LINK ABOVE

As the Seattle City Council considers a number of reforms to the city-wide land use development regulations, a number of Ballard neighborhood groups are joining together to demand more time and study be given to the reforms.

Intended to spur development and growth, City Council Bill 117430 proposes a number of reforms to development regulations, including controversial issues such as changing Environmental (SEPA) Review thresholds to allow bigger buildings; allowing commercial businesses in residential zones; releasing existing buildings from currently required street-level retail; and reducing or eliminating parking requirements.

While many of the proposed items will affect Ballard, it is the parking reform that concerns Ballard the most.

Press release

Hypnosis Comedy starring Joe Black to benefit One Less Mountain, a new non-profit organization which helps helps veterans with the transition of getting plugged back into society when they get back home from serving our country. It's tough to make that transition back into society, especially in this economy and since Afghanistan is being scaled back, there are 500-700 coming back into our State every month now, so this is a time where organizations like this are needed more than ever.

Where: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way S.W.)

When: June 16, 6:45 P.M.

How much: $20 to benefit One Less Mountain

More info (including tickets) here: http://xgym.com/joe-black/

More on One Less Mountain:

press release:
The overnight closure of the eastbound traffic lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct, along with the left westbound lane, previously scheduled for the nights of Wednesday, June 13, and Thursday, June 14, has been canceled. The closure has tentatively been rescheduled for Monday, June 18, and Tuesday, June 19. The closure will begin at 10 p.m. both nights and continue until 5 a.m. the following morning. (Westbound traffic will be maintained during this period in the remaining westbound lane.)

The previously announced Monday, June 18, overnight closure of the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 has tentatively been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 20, from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Thursday, June 21.

On the morning of Thursday, June 21, the eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue S will be reopened.

Press release:

The City of SeaTac is excited to announce the selection of Gwen Voelpel to become the new assistant city manager, bringing more than 20 years of executive-level public service experience and expertise to the community.

“We are so fortunate to have someone of Gwen’s caliber and experience join our team,” said Todd Cutts, city manager. “She has served many different communities throughout Western Washington in a variety of capacities and she will undoubtedly become an asset to our team and to the citizens of SeaTac.”

Most recently, Voelpel served as the parks and recreation director and chief policy adviser for the City of Snoqualmie, where she updated a number of parks, recreation and open space codes, rules, plans and policies, oversaw the construction of the city's first community center and managed more than 35 parks and 30 miles of trails including parks and facilities under development.

I recently had dinner with three of my writer friends. We all advised one another on how to write and market our next book, but none of us were following our own advice. “It’s the second book curse,” I thought when I left the restaurant. “We’re screwed,” quickly followed.

Update for 6/12
The Seattle Fire Department provided an update on yesterday's Alki Beach burn victims, confirming the fire was caused by a teenager pouring an accelerant (gasoline) into the BBQ pit, which exploded and caught several people on fire.

Two male teenagers were taken to Harborview hospital in serious condition with 2nd and 3rd degree burns to their face and arms.

Two other males and one female were taken to Harborview in stable condition, the males having suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns to their upper chest. The female's hair and face were burned.

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Original post on 6/11
Five students from the Federal Way area were injured Monday night when one young man poured gasoline into an envelope and placed it into a fire ring on the beach. The envelope exploded and sent flames out in a burst and caught shirts on fire. The incident happened near 59th and Alki Avenue SW.

Three students were burned and two were injured by sparks and cinders.

Press release:

Burien Little Theatre announces auditions for the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice. This will be an ALL FEMALE production (sorry guys). Characters range in age from mid-20s through mid-50s.
Synopsis: “Jesus Christ Superstar” is the controversial rock opera that traces the final days in the life of Jesus Christ — his arrival in Jerusalem, his betrayal, Passion and crucifixion — as well as his relationships with Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene. The show features the hits "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "What's the Buzz" and the title song “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Performances are at Burien Little Theatre in Burien from Feb. 15 through March 24, 2013. Rehearsals begin in late December, though may start earlier depending on schedules. Specific date will be determined later, with time off for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Auditions are Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, Jun 26 from 7 to 10 p.m. Callbacks are Wednesday, Jun 27 from 7 to 10 p.m.

The stage director is Steve Cooper.

$100 stipend provided.

Four students from Aviation High School are among the 160 high school juniors from across the state who have qualified for a spot in the Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) Summer Residency program.
 
Savannah Mattson, Tran Tonnu, Jacob Wagner, and Dustin Werran competed against nearly 300 students for acceptance into the Summer Residency.

They began in December by completing eight online lessons and a final project developed by NASA. Their academic performance on the WAS Phase One curriculum qualified the four AHS students for the Phase Two residency program.
 
As their final project, students created a proposal for a future colony on Mars.  They were challenged to design a colony capable of sustaining 30 colonists for an extended period of time and to create a visual design of their colony.  Top designs will be displayed at the Museum of Flight.