December 2012

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish presented their 8th annual Tree Lighting and caroling celebration on December 7 at 7:00 P.M. at 3401 Myrtle Street SW.

The 60 foot Christmas Tree was lit and the crowd sang Christmas carols.

Each year the event draws hundreds of onlookers to the site near the highest point in the City of Seattle in the High Point neighborhood. The Parish and tree are located at 35th Avenue SW and SW Myrtle St.

People brought non-perishable food items to help neighbors in need. Donation will benefit St. Vincent DePaul food bank.

Immediately following the tree lighting, the new gym was open with crafts for kids, cocoa, cookies and holiday cheer.

This image, which is from Ballard Historical Sociey's Peterson Collection. It appeared in their 2009 calendar, which is where the below caption is from.

The hectic late 19th century railroad construction period which ended with Seattle as the terminus of the Great Northern Railroad in 1893 opened the door to a record number of migrants flooding into Washington State. The sign for the former Ballard train station can still be seen at 58th Avenue on the tracks. These young women are dressed in bloomers, a shift away from long skirts or dresses for more daring and progressive women in the 1910-1920s. Bloomers were associated with the suffrage movement and the campaign for women’s voting rights. The state of Washington had a strong and active suffrage movement since its early pioneer days and in 1910 was the fifth state in the nation to give women the right to vote, a full decade before women were given the right to vote nationally through the 14th amendment to the federal constitution in 1920.

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By Christy Wolyniak

For the last 40 years, the Literacy Council of Seattle has provided education for refugees, immigrants, and native-born adults. Finally, after so many years, they are starting to get recognized for their work.

“The most vulnerable parts of our population were ones out of work that were becoming homeless. I started wanting to look at LCS in a more global way and help the bigger picture of it, because I believe in the mission so strongly. Literacy is the first step,” said Jennifer Collins-Friedrichs, President of the LCS Board of Directors.

LCS recently won a Seattle Met Magazine’s Light a Fire Award 2012, which were given to organizations and individuals that “made Seattle a better place to live, learn, and grow.” Nominated for the “Most with the Least” category, LCS enriches the lives of adult learners with minimal resources, using the help of volunteers and donations.

“It is quite remarkable with everything that we do,” said Anna Kovacevic, a part-time program manager. “I’m happy Seattle Met Magazine picked us. I couldn’t have picked a better category myself.”

Onlookers along the Des Moines shore were treated to the arrival of the annual Argosy Christmas Ship™ and its accompanying Parade Ship Wednesday night, Nov. 5. The Rainier Youth Choir sang Christmas songs onboard for 20-minute performances, 8:00 p.m.-8:20 p.m. at Brown’s Point, then from 8:55 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. at Redondo Beach.

People gather behind the roaring bonfire anticipating the arrival of the ships. A portion of all ticket sales benefits The Seattle Times Fund For The Needy, an annual program that raises money for several charitable organizations in the Puget Sound area.

They will return Wednesday, Dec. 19.

CHOIR: Tahoma Valley Youth Chorus - Cantabile

Depart/Return: Des Moines Marina, 7:00pm-9:20pm
7:10-7:30 Des Moines Marina*
8:10-8:30 Dash Point

Get tickets to board the Christmas ships from Argosy.

It has been 71 years since the then Ensign Frank W. “Bud” Reanier, now a spry 95 with 20/20 vision, and a resident at Wesley Gardens in Des Moines, Wa., received a frantic, early-morning phone call at the Honolulu apartment he shared with his new bride, Jane. He was to drive to the base ASAP as there was an emergency. It was that infamous day, Dec. 7, and he did not yet know the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and that a second wave of attacks was to follow within two hours.

Following the beginning of the early morning attack, "I got a call from the office and they said get out here in a hurry," Reanier recalled. "I said this is going to be a long day. They didn't say we've been attacked. They just said get the hell over here. I fried a couple of eggs which was my normal breakfast before I left. I had a car and the other guys didn't. I had to pick up a buddy. I had a '37 Plymouth. The car cost more to ship there from California than my wife. We drove through every red light in town. It was a Sunday morning, dullsville in Honolulu."

John Boyd, former Chief Sealth High School Principal for seven years, and colleague of Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, shared some thoughts with Robinson Newspapers about her passing. He is now one of three executive directors of K-12 Schools for Highline, is an advisor, and is involved in Highline Athletics.

"The last word that I remember hearing was that she was doing OK in the battle. And then all of a sudden the news came that she passed away. I had sent her emails of hope and 'Just hang in there'.

"I'm actually a fan ( of Dr. Goodloe-Johnson) and was there during her whole tenure. When she interviewed for the position and I was part of that interview process and was real pleased that they hired her. I thought she did a lot of excellent strategic planning and put a lot of good things in place.

"She was really clear and gave us direction and i think many of the things she put in place will be a legacy for her, and for the district. Unfortunately, her ending in Seattle was really difficult but I remain a fan of hers, professionally and personally."

Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, the former Seattle Schools Superintendent, has died Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Click on photo above or in gallery below for SLIDESHOW

Amid a celebratory atmosphere approximately 250 couples led by West Seattleites Jane Abbott Lighty and Pete-e Petersen same sex couples came to the King County Courthouse to get their marriage licenses signed by King County Executive Dow Constantine just after midnight, Dec. 6. Crowded with media and family and friends the couples are celebrating a legal milestone made possible by the passage of Referendum 71 in the November election.

By 1:00 a.m., 237 numbered tickets – referred to by some as their “golden ticket” – had been distributed to those in line, and recorders had issued 71 marriage licenses.

The Executive signed the first licenses with one of the pens used by Governor Gregoire to sign the marriage equality bill into law on Feb. 13, soon after it had been approved by the Washington State Legislature. Opponents gathered petition signatures to block implementation of the law, but voters on Nov. 6 approved Referendum 74 to enact it. That vote was certified today by the Washington Secretary of State.

Celebratory joints, pipes and bongs packed with marijuana were fired up around Washington State on Dec. 6 with Initiative 502 - allowing for the recreational use of pot for those 21 and older - kicking in.

While it is now perfectly legal under state law for adults to have up to an ounce of marijuana in their possession (in addition to 16 ounces of marijuana-infused foods and 72 ounces of THC-infused liquids) and use it in the privacy of their own home, there is still the question of how exactly people are supposed to get it.

Everyday citizens (besides medical marijuana patients who operate under a different set of rules from I-502) are not allowed to grow their own pot. They are supposed to purchase it from state-licensed retail stores where sin taxes can be applied and revenue raised, primarily for public health programs in the state.

One problem: Those stores don’t exist yet.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board, recently relieved of their jurisdiction over liquor sales with privatization taking effect, has given themselves one year to write the rules on how to license marijuana growers, distributors and retail outlets.

Burien Public Works director Maiya Andrews briefed lawmakers Dec. 3 on steps the city is taking to prevent cost overruns that have plagued projects along First Avenue South and Ambaum Boulevard Southwest.

“I’ve had big concerns about several recent projects but my biggest concern is that we not keep making the same mistakes,” Councilmember Jack Block Jr. declared. “

Andrews said the city seeks to keep costs in line by project estimating, monitoring change orders and managing risk along with other cost controls.

City Manager Mike Martin emphasized Andrews has 20 years of experience managing projects.

He said previous public works managers did not have Andrews’ project management experience.

“We are head and shoulders above where we were in project management,” Martin noted.

Martin added the first phase of the First Avenue project that involved undergrounding wires was “extremely complicated.”

He said the various utility agencies did not coordinate very well on the project.

“We’ve evolved,” Martin added.

Andrews noted, “It is important to have the utilities in the game with us.”

Press release:

The Annual Community Food and Toy Drive for Des Moines and Federal Way has kicked into high gear.

Firefighters are asking once again for your help and generosity. The need will be more significant this year with the downturn of the economy.

Citizens may drop off donations of canned food or dry goods, new unwrapped toys (no stuffed animals please) or money at any South King Fire & Rescue Fire Station between Saturday, December 1st and Friday, December 21st. Donations of cash or checks made out to the “Community Food and Toy Drive” will also be collected. Delivery of food and toys is set for Saturday December 22nd.

The Annual Community Food & Toy Drive started in the 1980s with retired Fire Chief ML “Bud” Thorson and local community service clubs. When the program first started they were only able to help about 30 families.

Since that time, thanks to the continuing assistance and generosity of local service clubs, private businesses and neighborhood groups the program has grown.