August 2012

By Nicklaus Weinheimer

A new community smoothie bar and nutrition center, Moxie Nutrition, has just opened up at 5443 Ballard Ave. More than just a smoothie place, it promises to become a center and resource for those want to become healthier.

Co-owners Marjorie Miller, Anna Littlejohn, Iris Carrera and Jaqueline Nelson call themselves “Personal Wellness Coaches” and they envision the smoothie bar as a gathering place for health-conscious individuals in the Ballard area. They offer services related to developing weight loss strategies, becoming more physically fit and choosing healthier snacks. Smoothies can be ordered based on employee blends or customers can make their own. They are designed to be high in protein and vitamins and low in calories.

By David Rosen

Update Aug 24 at 9:10am

Seattle Police indicate that the suspect in a violent hit and run last night at 1120 has not yet been apprehended. Police said they are still investigating and will advise with any updates.

Original Story

Seattle Fire and Police were dispatched to a hit and run motor vehicle accident around 11:20pm in the 5200 block on 35th Ave SW. The two cars involved were a later model black Jeep Liberty and a Mini Cooper.

The Jeep sped off southbound but police on the scene said they did not believe it could have made it too far due to the extensive damage.

The Mini Cooper was completely demolished. There were also trees down from the accident and the mini cooper's engine ripped from the car and jettisoned to the sidewalk,one of its wheels landed across the street.

The driver of the Cooper was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Last Thursday Night, Aug. 23, Laura Walker's life changed completely.

While she was away from the house, an electrical malfunction had caused a fire in her house in Crown Hill, quickly spreading and effectively gutting the house from the inside out. Her husband, Al Walker, was found unconscious in the bathroom, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Firefighters performed CPR, determined he still had a heartbeat and got him to the Harborview Hospital. He was "fighting for his life" on the ride over, according to an early report from Ballard News-Tribune's news partner Q13 News. Around 5 a.m. Friday morning, Aug. 24, Al Walker passed away. He was 83.

Bringing back any deteriorating building is always a mixed bag of challenges. When it's also a building designated as an historical landmark and the storehouse of many thousands of memories for a community the challenges only increase.

That's the problem facing those who must consider what to do about the Alki Homestead. The meeting between Tom Lin, the owner, and a collection of historical preservation representatives set for Aug. 28 will help define the direction for the building but given the the opinions of two key players, its future appears to be in serious doubt.

Some background is important to provide more insight.

press release:
With the project approximately 95 percent finished, major elements of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project are nearing completion. The combination westbound on/off ramp at First Avenue S and S Spokane Street will open to motorists next Friday morning, August 31. The on-ramp provides the only westbound access to the viaduct and the West Seattle Bridge from SODO, and its opening will eliminate the need for SODO motorists to take the detour across the low level swing bridge.

The old westbound off-ramp at Fourth Avenue S and on-ramp at First Avenue S had to be closed and demolished to make room for the widened viaduct structure.

Construction activity on the upper viaduct deck is also nearing completion, with the permanent barrier between east and westbound traffic installed. Westbound motorists are now traveling in the final lane configurations and the eastbound on-ramp from Harbor Island has reopened.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of food posts by West Seattle's own Holly Brown whose food blog and WebTV show, The Brown Lounge has gained a national following.

by Holly Brown

My first trip to Spain was one of the most romantic and captivating culinary experiences of my life. From the museums of Madrid, to the wine country of the Rioja Valley, up to the Atlantic Coast of the Basque region, and ultimately to the big city that is Barcelona, I soaked in the juxtaposition of old world tradition, new world innovation, and all the tapas, “vino tinto”, and paella I could eat!

The rhythm of Spain takes about a minute to get used to. Even in the fast-paced, Internet driven world of the 21st century, the siesta defines Spanish life.  The siesta, or as Spaniards say, “the time,” is not so much a nap, as a rest. It’s a great concept!

Our news partner Q13Fox News reports that a wanted fugitive has been taken into custody in Burien.

"Acting on information called into Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound by a Washington’s Most Wanted viewer, The King County Sheriff’s Gang Unit staked out an apartment and spotted Clorissa Bossart on the balcony of her new boyfriend’s apartment in Burien at the Fox Cove apartments on 149th SW/ 160th Street.

Deputies say she tried to hide her face from them and cried when they took her into custody saying she knew she was on WMW and was wanted but didn’t want to turn herself in.

The 19 year old is accused of threatening her own grandmother and then attacking a 54 year old woman who came to her grandma’s help, knocking her unconscious, busting up her face, ripping out a chunk of her hair and breaking her rib. She had warrants for assault and theft.

Bossart is the 314th fugitive captured thanks to a viewer tip since Washington’s Most Wanted launched in November of 2008.

Kellie Bassen is looking for volunteers to help start an official off-leash dog park at Hilltop Park in Burien.

The closest off-leash park now s Grandview Park in SeaTac.

Those interested should email Bassen at kbassen@comcast.net.

Here’s part of her her email to us:

I was asked by Jack Block, Jr. to spearhead an effort to organize volunteers for a steering committee in order to convert Hilltop Park into an official off-leash dog park.

Burien is in need of an off-leash park where the city might even have dog-centric events in the future! Dogs love to run and socialize...and so do their owners.

Proper fencing, landscaping and a small agility course would be needed. As well as signage and a bag dispenser.

We are in need of 6-8 people (or more!) and will be getting together for a discussion next Thursday, 11:00 am at the Burien Press. (423 S.W. 152nd St.) They could just e-mail me if interested.

Kellie Bassen

Bowing to what they deemed economic reality, Burien lawmakers unanimously approved Aug. 20 an agreement that most likely will lead to rental apartments instead of owner-occupied condominiums being built on the vacant Town Square parcels.

The City Council approved a standstill agreement with Harbor Urban that gives the developers and city until Nov. 15 to agree on an acceptable alternative to the previously planned condos. Condominiums at the Town Square complex completed in 2009 have sold very slowly.

The city entered into an agreement with Urban Ventures in 2005 to develop the parcels. The developers chose to develop the downtown Burien properties in phases. When the developers did not begin construction on the other phases, as promised, Burien city officials in June informed the developers the city would repurchase the undeveloped parcels.

By that time, Urban Ventures had merged with Harbor Ventures to form Harbor Urban. After extensive discussion between the developers and city staff, a standstill agreement was negotiated suspending the repurchase until Nov. 15.

Update: The Landmarks Preservation Board will consider landmark nomination for the Ballard Carnegie Free Library on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 3:30 p.m., in the 40th floor, Rm. 4060 of the Seattle Municipal Tower.

The meeting is open to the public and comments may be made. Written comments can be submitted until 5 p.m., Sept. 17 at the following address: Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, P.O. Box 94649, Seattle WA, 98124-4649.

Looking at the building from the outside, it would seem like a no-brainer: The Ballard Carnegie Free Public Library is a historic landmark, no question. The brick masonry and the "Neo-Italianate" style architecture speaks for itself.

But it isn't a landmark. At least, not officially. Which is one of the reasons why it's now home to the relatively popular Kangaroo & Kiwi Pub, and why they were able to change the windows without any if, ands or buts about it. Because it isn't a landmark, the building can technically be altered, renovated or torn down entirely at any point in time. (Thankfully, nothing so extreme has happened quite yet.)