June 2012

The Emerald City Wanderers will celebrate Midsummer Night and the Summer Solstice with a walk in Ballard.

Sponsored by the Emerald City Wanderers and sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association, the early evening walk is a free event and participants of all ages can enjoy the five or ten kilometer stroll with beautiful views. 

The five kilometer route is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs. 

Participants are invited to meet at the Nordic Heritage Museum at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, and walks will start anytime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The Nordic Heritage Museum is at 3014 N.W. 67th Street. 

For more information contact Mike at m.nagan@comcast.net or 206-935-3225. Or visit http://www.walkingwithecw.org.

By Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles

On April 11th, the Legislature adjourned what was without doubt one of the most trying but rewarding sessions in memory.

During the last weeks of session, the Senate Republicans were able to push through a “ninth order” procedural motion that allowed them to pass their version of the budget that had no chance of going forward in the House.

By Christopher Duclos, Sports Intern

The Euro 2012 kicked off on Friday morning, and for the next few weeks 16 nations will be competing for the ultimate European soccer glory - the Euro cup.

Formally known as the UEFA European Football Championship, the tournament the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

This prestigious event has been held every four years since 1960, in between the World Cup tournaments. The Top European soccer nations will compete in hopes of winning the Eurocup title.

Among the fan favorites for this summer’s tournament are world cup power houses Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and France.

A complete list of the match dates, times and countries can be found at UEFA.com.
Listed below are the top sports restaurants and pubs in or near Ballard that will be showing the European international soccer matches

Ballard Loft


Thousands of spectators came out to Ballard on Saturday afternoon to watch the 19th annual Second Ascent Twilight Criterium.

Commonly called "The Ballard Crit", the race is one of Seattle’s classic bike races and a favorite among both racers and spectators.

A criterium takes all the excitement of a road race -- team tactics, climbs, descents, sharp turns, and sprints -- and concentrates it into an aggressive, high-speed race along a single, spectator-friendly urban block.

What makes the Ballard Crit so popular is a combination of a challenging course, a great crowd and good organization.

Mother Nature was kind to Ballard and the race drew top cyclists from the region and beyond to race the Ballard course which took them from Ballard Avenue down the descent on Vernon Place onto Shilshole Avenue and via a sketchy sharp turn on Dock Place back to the Ave where racers faced cobblestones and competition on their way to a sprint finish.

Thousands of spectators lined the street to feel the push of wind as the riders flew close enough to be touched.

The tragic events of May 30, when Ian Stawicki took the lives of five people, ended in West Seattle when, surrounded by police, he shot himself.

But for many people, especially his family, questions as to what happened, and why linger in a mixture of pain, regret and confusion.

Walt Stawicki, Ian's father came to West Seattle on Saturday June 2, "Just to see where this occurred," he said quietly and to speak to neighbors near the location close to 37th and Raymond. "I wanted to come and see that there wasn't going to be a lot of connection and have him stuck," Stawicki said.

Stawicki walked along 37th s.w. speaking to whoever was outside and asking them about their feelings and memories of the incident.

Neighbor Kitty Pelkin told him, "We heard the police say 'Put your hands where we can see them and almost two seconds later we heard one shot. My husband stood in the window and saw four policemen come around a car, in a line, cautiously walking, but the shot had already been fired."

Burien Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, at 1031 SW 130th St., just east of Ambaum Blvd., was just awarded the highest overall rating, five stars, following a recent, thorough eight-day inspection. This is the facility's third consecutive five-star year. They received just two minor citations out of a possible 170 by the Department of Social and Health Services, which is state run and federally funded. Only about 10-percent of King County facilities earn this rating.

"They arrived on May 16 at 4:45 a.m., totally unannounced," said Lynda Baldwin, facility president and administrator, who lives in Des Moines. "They keep you guessing. In 2010 we had one citation, in 2011 we had two, and this year two. That's what is really important to me, that we developed this history of compliance. We're quick to jump on concerns. One citation was tiny, a documentation issue. The other involved a few expired meds on a cart that were never given to residents. Our nurses will inspect the meds weekly and our pharmacy will audit monthly. Washington's codes are more stringent than Federal guidelines."

Burien Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, at 1031 SW 130th St., just east of Ambaum Blvd., was just awarded the highest overall rating, five stars, following a recent, thorough eight-day inspection. This is the facility's third consecutive five-star year. They received just two minor citations out of a possible 170 by the Department of Social and Health Services, which is state run and federally funded. Only about 10-percent of King County facilities earn this rating.

"They arrived on May 16 at 4:45 a.m., totally unannounced," said Lynda Baldwin, facility president and administrator, who lives in Des Moines. "They keep you guessing. In 2010 we had one citation, in 2011 we had two, and this year two. That's what is really important to me, that we developed this history of compliance. We're quick to jump on concerns. One citation was tiny, a documentation issue. The other involved a few expired meds on a cart that were never given to residents. Our nurses will inspect the meds weekly and our pharmacy will audit monthly. Washington's codes are more stringent than Federal guidelines."

On May 11, the Museum of History and Industry announced the winners of their 2012 History Is _____ Film Competition, and teen interns with the RecTech program at Delridge Community Center walked away with several awards, including the top prize.

RecTech is a City of Seattle program that “works to bridge the digital divide, providing technology access, training and opportunities for personal and career development where the need is greatest,” according to their website. Community Technology Centers across south and central Seattle (including Delridge) offer technology training across the spectrum, for all ages.

An eclectic group of teens from several area high schools meet up every Thursday at the Delridge Computer Lab after school, and one of their projects this year was the MOHAI short film competition. They had 24 hours to come up with an idea and create a video with the open-ended prompt: History is ______ (fill in the blank).

The students were broken up into teams of two to three and worked feverishly over the 24 hour span to create their stories … and the work paid off.

It started out with ten neighbors congregating at Emma Schmitz Park along Beach Drive, coming to a place they enjoy on a daily basis – walking the dog, taking a jog, catching up with a friend.

But it was also a symbolic confrontation with a piece of West Seattle where tragedy struck nearly three months ago. It was the night of March 11 when 51-year-old Greggette Guy drove from Kent to this spot, intending to take a solo walk in blustery weather so she could enjoy the sights of a raucous Sound. She never returned home, and suffered injuries sometime that night deemed a homicide by police. Her body was found floating several hundred yards to the north the next morning.

The case remains unsolved.

On the evening of June 1, the neighbors of Beach Drive were invited to the park by the people who are charged with helping to keep it safe: the Southwest Precinct of the Seattle Police Department.

Please click the image above for more

Operations Lt. Pierre Davis, Community Police Team Officers Kevin McDaniel, John Kiehn, Ken Mazzuca, and Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon brought the group together to take a unifying stroll.

SLIDESHOW. CLICK ON PHOTO FOR MORE.

The West Seattle High School All School Reunion 2012 gave both the young, and the young at heart, the chance to mingle, find familiar faces, and show school pride. Those arriving by the school's north side entrance.were greeted by a display of alumni-owned classic cars. A green '39 Pontiac with lots of character (see slideshow) attracted much attention.

West Seattle icon Cal Bannon, 91, graduated West Seattle High School the same year that Pontiac rolled out of the factory. And, you might say, he also has lots of character. We reported on his birthday celebration here.

"I have a lot of things to do yet even though I'm 91," said Bannon, who just returned from another reunion, in Branson, Missouri, thrown for World War II soldiers who served in China and Burma."

During the war he flew C-47's over the Himalayas into Tibet from northern Burma and recalls seeing Mt. Everest on a clear day.