June 2012

Competitive runner and West Seattle resident Sarah MacKay draws her inspiration from a non-traditional source. It’s not a cheetah, a puma or a gazelle, but a starfish … a species not exactly known for its running prowess.

“I just think starfish are very fragile and beautiful, and they can lose a whole leg and grow it back,” Mackay said.

MacKay, 28, is a runner by blood with a recent knack for placing well in half marathons and aspirations to reach times (around 1 hour, 15 minutes) that could give her a shot at running in the next round of Olympic trials, four years away. On June 10, she stepped out of her 13 mile jaunts to run the Sound to Narrows 12k in Tacoma. She blew away the competition and finished two minutes ahead of second place with a time of 46:06. Within the last year she won the Columbia Gorge half marathon (1:21:43) and placed third at the Eugene race (1:19:11).

Tons of talent, but a body that wouldn’t cooperate

press release
On Wednesday, July 4, from approximately 9:00 AM until about 10:00 AM, Route 55 will be rerouted off of California Av SW north of SW Walker St, due to the Admiral Neighborhood Kiddie Parade Ceremony.

During this event, Route 55 heading toward the Admiral District will travel instead via SW Walker St, Ferry Av SW, SW Hill St and California Av SW to the temporary terminal on southbound California Av SW just south of SW Hill St.

Heading toward downtown Seattle, Route 55 will not be affected and is expected to operate normally.

Harbor Island based Vigor Shipyards has been the home for The Kulluk and Noble Discoverer, two ships outfitted with drilling rigs that have been in the yard for almost a year.

The ships left today for Alaska where they will explore for oil and natural gas for Shell Oil.

Chuck Hilliard captured a time lapse of the departure of the first of the ships leaving and posted it on Flickr here.

King County Metro's In Motion program is coming to Ballard this September.

With a mission to encourage people to try alternative transportation options such as walking, biking, carpooling, and riding the bus, Metro's In Motion program has already visited 28 neighborhoods and inspired over 100,000 people to travel differently.

King County Metro Transit is partnering with local communities to encourage residents to use healthier travel options that save time and money.

To promote this program, Ballard/Crown Hill In Motion wants to work with community organizations to raise awareness and encourage involvement.

Metro invites the public to sign up to support your community by committing to be a community partner or sponsor (see flyer).

Learn more about In Motion and partnership options at today's In Motion discussion group at 6 p.m. at the Ballard Library, 5614 22nd Avenue NW. Food and beverages will be provided.

Alki Arts Gallery, 2820 Alki Ave. SW, West Seattle, located next to Cactus Restaurant, says:

Can you believe that we have been here two years?

We are throwing a big 'Thank You' celebration for our artists and customers...it will be a day to appreciate all of the support you have all given us! Stop in during the day to see all the new art in the gallery and meet many of the artists.

We will have live music all day performed by some of our favorite local musicians who have been regulars at the gallery the last two years:

12:00-2:00 Alan Sobel
3:00-5:00 Tim & Tuesday
6:00-8:00 Moongirl

Stop in and celebrate with us!

(206) 432-9936

By Christopher Duclos, intern

Seattle mayor Mike McGinn as well as representatives from various city departments held their routine town hall meeting at Ballard First Lutheran Church on Tuesday evening.

A few dozen Ballard residents attended the event to voice their questions and concerns to Mayor McGinn.

McGinn's short introduction provided the audience with a sense of optimism:

“…In the city of Seattle, from the top to the peak to the bottom we lost about 35,000 jobs in what some call ‘The Great Recession’ and we have regained more than half of that now - That’s the good news. We are indeed seeing construction and pick-up again. Certain projects that were on hold are now restarting back up again. I just want to say that in the big picture that that is a good thing,” he said.

However, despite the city's path to recovery, the public voiced concerns about unemployment and public safety.

Improving the unemployment rate:

The day we heard that the Greenwood location of the Department of Licensing was going to close there was a lot of chatter. One friend volunteered that it had been “evil” and another told of her existential crisis when the numbers never advanced. But after all those years and experiences, that amazing blend of humanity second only to a television emergency room drama, the Greenwood location closed without fanfare. It was as though they had always been just one number away “this window closed” in every direction.

The State’s Department of Licensing in Greenwood was a rite of passage for almost every Ballard-based driver for the last three decades. It was the kind of place that you couldn’t call on the phone; you just had to take your chances in person. On whether you could understand the clerk’s English or which staff member would walk out with clipboard when it was time for the driving test.

Nikita is a Shiba Inu whose, "origin is Japan", explained Al Mizrahi, "where they were bred as small hunters for royalty," and has a very calm demeanor. Mizrahi is not Nikita's actual owner however. His son Anthony is but Mizrahi and his wife Nancy have taken Nikita on as a "grand dog."

She came from a breeder in Wisconsin and she is now almost 10 years old.

As a North Admiral resident, that's their favored walking zone but they also come down to Alki and Harbor Avenue from time to time.

"Shibas are real picky eaters," explained Mizrahi about her diet, " and we usually have to try various types of foods and keep an eye out for her allergies. They are very allergic to certain foods."

She loves peanut butter and mozzarella cheese sticks and, "We'll play a little game together where she'll have a piece and I'll have a piece," he said chuckling.

Nikita can do tricks and loves to play with a small red soccer ball. "She actually kicks it with her paws," Mizrahi said.

by Kaelyn Sayles

To kick off the Seattle Summer Swim League (SSSL) season, Gregory Seahurst hosted Arbor Heights in a 72-event dual meet on Tuesday.

Arbor Heights beat Gregory Seahurst 459.5 to 271.5, but both teams looked like they were having fun at their first meet of the season.

After the meet, Gregory Seahurst head coach Mike Fosberg was overheard telling one of his young swimmers, “it looks like we got second…better than third.”

Even the Seattle weather decided to play along as the sun broke through for the duration of the meet.

Both teams compete in the southern division of the SSSL, and the friendly rivalry brought family and friends in support of their favorite swimmers. As a special surprise to the Gregory Seahurst community, former Gators head coach Melissa Low showed up to cheer on the team.

Part of the mystery of the whereabouts of gunman Ian Stawicki during his time in West Seattle on May 30 has been clarified by a West Seattle hairdresser who claims to have cut his hair and trimmed his beard.

Stawicki went on a deadly rampage that day, killing four people at Café Racer in north Seattle and shooting another near city hall before stealing her vehicle and fleeing to West Seattle. He abandoned the SUV on Delridge and roamed the peninsula for four hours before shooting himself in the Fairmount Park neighborhood as police approached.

The hairdresser, who spoke to the West Seattle Herald only on the condition of anonymity, said she had received a call from her husband that a gunman was in West Seattle and on the loose. He warned her to lock her door. She did.

She said Stawicki appeared outside her California Ave S.W. salon shortly thereafter, carrying a blueberry plant he had just purchased at West Seattle Nursery. She unlocked the door and let him in, unaware at the time who he was.