December 2012

By David Rosen and Patrick Robinson

The Space Needle's annual New Year's fireworks show saw improvements over previous years with a higher range on some of the effects and new smokeless fireworks which largely eliminated the smoky haze that in the past would obscure fireworks that followed.

Photographer David Rosen chose a vantage point on Admiral Way to capture the 8 minute show. Photographers Patrick and Kimberly Robinson chose a spot in the north parking lot at Providence Mt. St. Vincent.

Thousands of people put up with temperatures in the mid 30's and chose vantage points on Harbor Avenue and other east facing locations to catch show while people also gathered up at Myrtle Reservoir Park, Hamilton Viewpoint, and also near High Point.

Derek Lee and Racheal Prim were up at Mt.St. Vincent watching the show. "It was a great show, went on for a long time," said Lee. Despite being billed as a smokeless show, "It was pretty smoky," said Lee and Prim. They liked the finale the best, "the thumps that followed the big explosions," Lee said.

Statement from King County Sheriff's Office:

New Year’s Celebratory Gunfire- “DON’T DO IT!”

The consequences and risks of celebratory gunfire can be serious and the King County Sheriff’s Office is saying, “Don’t Do It!”

“Any bullet fired from a gun must land somewhere and the risks of causing an injury or death is significant”, said King County Sheriff John Urquhart.

Every year around the country people are injured and killed by celebratory gunfire and law enforcement officials want to keep that from happening in King County.

The Sheriff’s Office said if they can pinpoint someone shooting they will fully enforce the law. At a minimum a person can be charged with Reckless Endangerment and if convicted can land the shooter in jail for up to 364 days and imposed a fine of up to $5,000.

Sheriff Urquhart’s bottom line on New Year’s Eve, “Don’t spend your last day of 2012 in jail. Have fun but don’t risk lives.”

The Seattle Fire Department released a list of reminders on staying safe and preventing kitchen fires while cooking at home.

Here are their tips, from the Fire Line blog:

Recent Seattle home fires caused by unattended cooking are reminders about the precautions all people who use a stove should take before turning on a burner.

Cooking-related fires are the number one cause of home fires.

Safety Precautions

• Do not leave cooking unattended on the stove. A serious fire can start in just seconds.

• Keep the stove and oven clean. Butter, oil and other greasy foods left on the stove can catch fire.

• Keep children and pets away from the stove while cooking.

• Keep items that can catch fire, such as dishtowels, paper or plastic bags, at least three feet away from the range top.

• Never use the stove or oven to heat your home. Double-check the kitchen before you go to bed or leave the house.

If a fire starts in a pan, turn off the stove and carefully cover the pan with a lid or another pan. Do not move it until it is cool.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169
Wishing a happy and peaceful New Year to our customers old and new, our friends and supporters.  You won't want to miss our winter coat event, with warm coats and jackets for the entire family at 40% off marked price beginning Sunday, January 6th.  Also merchandise with blue tags is half price through January 21. If cancer has touched the lives of friends, family members, even yourself, you might want to help us in finding a cure.  Since our store opened in 1990, we have raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research and we need volunteers who can give one 4-hour shift a week to clerk in the store, accept and price merchandise in the back room or do simple repair work.  Stop by or call the store for more information.  The all volunteer run, non-profit American Cancer Society shop is open Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all other days from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tai Chi Class
Delridge Community Center
4501 Delridge Way S.W.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could order the earth to turn toward the sun any time we wanted? Well, it isn’t going to happen so if we choose to live in a temperate climate without freezing cold in winter or sweltering heat in summer, we must put up with the cloudy skies in Seattle during the winter months. That is, unless we plan a winter break. My friend and I did just that, traveling by train all the way down to San Diego watching the scenery change from Puget Sound to the vast fields of agribusiness in California. I felt like a little kid when the waiter in the dining car jokingly chided me when I asked for dessert, “You need to clean your plate first.”

By Kyra-lin Hom

Happy New Year, everyone! Happy 2013 to be exact. Congratulations, you, along with about seven billion other people, have survived the end of the world. Let's take a look at how.

First, a quick refresher. Around 2-3,000 years ago there existed a collection of mesoamerican peoples we now commonly refer to as the Mayans. Contrary to popular belief, the Mayans were not a single united nation. Think instead of the modern European Union. One of the many people within this geographical conglomerate were the Olmecs, brilliant astrologers and mathematicians.

When I was 11 my big brother Russell, who was thirteen, gave me two marbles for Christmas. One was bright red and the other was bright blue. I know it was a sacrifice for him as he had won them from some rookie and knew I wanted them bad.

Russell was in love too. He also gave Bessie Hurst a forty-nine cent sewing machine. It actually sewed stuff. It had a needle in it and you put the thread in the hole in the needle and turned a big wheel on one end and the needle went up and down. It was cool and we didn't even say "cool" back then.

Bessie was hard to please and never even said thanks. In an effort to win her heart, or possibly get revenge, Russell had this great idea. He put some water in a pop bottle. He added some salt and pepper and orange juice and crushed razzberries and some cough medicine and he had me go with him up to Bessie's house to give her this bottle of stuff.

Though the games were non-league and they didn't count toward playoff chances, the Ballard High basketball boys demonstrated that they still meant business in the Les Schwab Holiday Classic tournament, clinching all three wins and the tournament championship.

By winning 3-0 in the tournament, the team brought their record up to 6-4 from 3-4. However, they are still 2-3 in conference standing -- albeit their losses were against some of the state's top teams, and each loss was a close fight.

In the first round, Ballard trounced Christian Cascade in a 69-46 win. Senior Seth Berger led in scoring with 21 points, followed by Stuart MacGeorge with 12. Meanwhile, Senior Johnny Verduin was a rebound machine, gaining a total of 8.

Lindbergh fared little better against Ballard, as the Beavers came out on top 74-62. Verduin took the lead in scoring this time, scoring 26 points. Berger assisted with rebounds, getting a total of 9.

Finally, in the Holiday Classic championship bout Ballard overcame Kennedy Lancers, which came in with a strong 7-2 standing. Ballard won 53-38, with Verduin once again leading points with 14, followed by Raymond Owens with 13.

Got a gun? Don't shoot it. Not even to celebrate the new year.

So says King County Sheriff John Urquhart. A shooter can be charged with Reckless Endangerment, which can land a person in jail for up to 364 das and imposed a fine of up to $5,000.

See below for full release.

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King County- the consequences and risks of celebratory gunfire can be serious and the King County Sheriff’s Office is saying, “Don’t Do It!”

“Any bullet fired from a gun must land somewhere and the risks of causing an injury or death is significant”, said King County Sheriff John Urquhart

Every year around the country people are injured and killed by celebratory gunfire and law enforcement officials want to keep that from happening in King County.

The Sheriff’s Office said if they can pinpoint someone shooting they will fully enforce the law. At a minimum a person can be charged with Reckless Endangerment and if convicted can land the shooter in jail for up to 364 days and imposed a fine of up to $5,000.

Sheriff Urquhart’s bottom line on New Year’s Eve, “Don’t spend your last day of 2012 in jail. Have fun but don’t risk lives.”