June 2012

By Kyle Howard

The Dodgers and Orioles faced off in Little League Majors action Sunday, June 10 to reach Monday's PacWest championship. The Dodgers scored early with a leadoff single by Ethan Weets, followed by a two-run home run to right center off the bat of Chris Coyle. The Dodgers scored a third time in the first on a bases loaded walk that gave them the 3-0 lead. The Orioles got one back in the bottom of the second and third innings to narrow the scoring gap to 3-2.

In the bottom of the fourth the Orioles' offense started to heat up with a bases-loaded triple from Tony Brookbank that gave them an 8-4 lead. The Orioles rallied in the bottom of the fifth for another four runs coming from five more hits, including another RBI triple from Brookbank. That gave him four RBI for the game.

The game appeared to be over with the Orioles needing just three final outs to close out the game. But the Dodgers put together a rally of their own. They scored five runs on five hits but still fell just short as the Orioles topped the Dodgers, 12-9.

By Kyle Howard

The AAA Little League Rangers and Cardinals played June 10 at PacWest complex for the right to advance to the PacWest championship. The Rangers were able to top the Cardinals, 6-4, to earn the trip to Monday's game.

The Rangers picked up an early lead 1-0 in the bottom of the first that was answered back by the Cardinals in the top of the second to tie the game at one.

After the Rangers took the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third the Cardinals then picked up three runs in the top of the fourth. Going into the bottom of the fifth with the Cardinals leading 4-3 the Rangers rallied to score three of their own to close out the game and seal the victory.

The Cardinals scored four runs on just five hits, and the Rangers scored six runs on six hits. All hits from both sides came from different players -- no player had a multiple hit game and Blaine Patten of the Rangers was the only player to score two runs.

By Kyle Howard

PacWest's Pirates earned a trip to the District 7 Juniors Tournament of Champions by winning big against the Angels Friday night, June 9 at the PacWest field complex in SeaTac. The game lasted only five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule as the Pirates exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Angels began the scoring right out of the gate, taking the lead 2-0. That didn’t last long as the Pirates answered back with three runs of their own to take the lead 3-2. Both teams scored three runs in the second inning and the Pirates maintained a one run lead at 6-5 going into the third.

The Pirates started to put the game into motion by being aggressive on the base path, stealing nine bases for the game.

Once the bottom of the fourth came around and the score still at 6-5 the Pirates' bats lit up. They scored nine runs on seven hits in the inning to push the score to 15-5, leaving them to only need three outs in the top of the fifth to win the game and earn an appearance in the Tournament of Champions. They made easy work for the final three outs and ended the game with no more damage done.

By Kyle Howard

Junior Little League action took place Friday, June 8 at PacWest field in SeaTac. The winner between the Athletics and Angels would go on to play the Pirates for a chance to earn a trip to the upcoming District 7 Tournament of Champions. The game was slow going and lasted an unusually long three hours for only a seven inning game.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Angel’s pitcher Nathan Gordon got a bases loaded infield single, scoring Xavier Cruz for a 1-0 lead.

The Athletics answered right back and tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth. Kepel Allison walked and made his way to second on a passed ball. Allison was pinch ran for by Benji Box, who was able to score on a clutch hit by Christian Stacy.

The Angels regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Jacob Green that scored Marcus Villanueva. Green scored later on an error. The Athletics picked up one final run but fell short, 3-2. Angels starting pitcher Nathan Gordon racked up an impressive 11 strikeouts for the game.

Information from Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, Seattle Police Department

Two men arrested in West Seattle early this morning told police they were just having some “rowdy fun” when they broke into a fruit stand and had an impromptu food fight.

Just after 2 am, a convenience store employee flagged down an officer near 35th Avenue SW and SW Barton Street and reported he’d seen several men skulking around inside a nearby market.

As the officer pulled up to the market, he found fruit and vegetables strewn in and around the business, and in the middle of the street.

Officers searched inside the market, found two men hiding under tables, and arrested them.

It appears the two men—who are 26 and 27 years old—had been drinking before they broke into the market, damaged several cash registers and fruit scales, and had a food fight. One of the men told officers he and his friend “were just having rowdy fun.”

Officers booked the two men into the King County Jail for burglary.

The Seattle Public Library created a program 14 years ago that has since been emulated world-wide. On a cloudless Saturday morning in early May, Amy Waldman, the author of this year’s program selection Seattle Reads The Submission, told the Ballard Branch Library audience why she had to write the book. As a New York Times reporter covering the September 11, 2001 attacks she would go home at night experiencing the worst grief she had ever felt in her life.

The Submission, her first novel, was the book she needed to write in order to find a place to put her grief after interviewing family members of the dead. I have returned to Waldman’s remarks repeatedly over the last weeks; especially when I sat across from Blair Brooke-Weiss and her husband Craig. A year ago her 21 year-old son Justin Amorratanasuchad died accidentally from a fall while in his junior year as a film-production major at Emerson University in Boston.

Where does a mother put her grief? For Brooke-Weiss the answer has become, into creating a scholarship that will provide a portable scholarship for film students like her incredibly talented youngest son Justin.

The Ballard District Council is convening for its monthly meeting tonight and topics on the agenda for the evening include a chat with King County Assessor Lloyd Hara, responding to emergencies in Ballard, and more.

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

Agenda:

7:00 p.m. Introductions & Short Announcements
 
7:15 p.m. A Chat with King County Assessor Lloyd Hara

What are the factors affecting the tax rate we pay here in Ballard?  How is the assessed value of property determined for those zoned residential, commercial, or industrial? Hara will discuss current property valuation trends affecting Ballard and all of King County.  He will also describe an array of services and resources offered by the King County Assessor’s Office. 
 
7:40 p.m. Responding to Emergencies in Ballard, Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean

By Christopher Duclos, Sports Intern.

Sounders defender Adam Johansson made a special appearance at the Swedish Cultural Center on Friday evening to meet fans and share his background and journey to the Sounders team here in Seattle.

Born in Gothenburg Sweden, Adam Johansson has played in Sweden's top league for seven seasons and has made nine Swedish national team appearances.

Johansson joined the Sounders at the beginning of the 2012 season to replace former Seattle Sounder James Riley.

A BNT reporter was on scene on Friday to ask the Swedish National some questions.

- BNT: Tell me about your experience so far in Seattle. What are some of your current impressions on Seattle and Major League Soccer in general?

By Deanna Duff, contributor

Ballardite Jan Loder is creating happy, healthy smiles at the Ballard Northwest Senior Center. Loder, a registered dental hygienist, founded Healthy Pearls for Seniors in 2010, which is a mobile dental care unit that provides accessible and affordable dental care to seniors 60 years and older.

“People are now often 80 years old with all their teeth,” said Loder. “It’s even more important to think about long-term care. Yet, about 80 percent of my seniors don’t have a dentist.”

Upon retirement, medical coverage is often reduced or eliminated for many seniors. Budget cuts to senior services have further reduced options. To address the need, Washington State approved legislation in 2009 allowing dental hygienists to offer limited services in senior centers. The program has grown from two sites to over 50 statewide including Loder’s work in Ballard.

“A patient’s first appointment is about an hour and a half,” said Loder. “You can’t usually do that in a private practice, but that’s what it typically takes to accommodate their needs.”

Tom Fucoloro from Seattle Bike Blog informs the Ballard News-Tribune that the city is beginning a study to try to assess what opportunities exist for widening the sidewalks on the Ballard Bridge. The study, which is at least five months from completion, will look at three things:

-Is there some way to widen the sidewalk within the existing space? For example, can we shave off those concrete pillars that jut into the sidewalk?

- Is it possible to widen the sidewalks? This will require a study to see if the structure can support such an expansion.

- If the structure can support a widened sidewalk, the study will assess what sort of environmental studies, etc would be required.

The 2007 Bicycle Master Plan called for a new biking and walking bridge to the west of the current Ballard Bridge, which is among the worst bicycle facilities in the city and one of the top large project priorities for the bicycle network.