January 2013

KENT - It was a win that would have been coveted greatly, but in the final analysis, the potential payoffs nearly balanced the scales against the instantaneous letdown.

Fighting back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit behind ultimate competitor Brittany McPhee, the No. 1 Washington state Class 4A girls basketball team from Mount Rainier took the battle to overtime before falling 54-52 to the No.1 Class 6A team (in the highest state of Oregon classification) of Oregon City in featured action at the King Showcase held at the ShoWare Center on Mon., Jan. 21.

In their first defeat of the season, the Rams (16-1) were as buoyant as could be anticipated as they departed from the locker room after dropping such a tense tussle.

"We've been fighting the flu all weekend," said McPhee who scored the final nine points of regulation and closed out with 30. "I am really proud they fought hard. I think it is a really good game to prepare us for February and hopefully, March."

Incoming Freshman Rep. Gael Tarleton’s first official week in the 2013 legislative session was intense, but nothing new. After all, she’s had plenty of experience working and collaborating with people.

Take, for instance, that time she was a senior defense intelligence analyst for ten years.

Or when she was in Russia in the 90’s, developing plans between U.S. and Russian engineers, among other things, after the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union fell apart. It was during that time that she happened to be the first U.S. businesswoman to address a joint session of the Russian Parliament.

Or there was that time she worked at the University of Washington as a strategic advisor for the Institute for National Security Education and Research, consulting faculty members on how to transform their research into ideas that can help people.

And, oh yeah, Tarleton also reported to Al Gore’s commission on global climate change, developing plans for oil spill response and clean up for the U.S. Coast Guard

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

While the rest of my family was on vacation last month, I was reminded of how hard it can be to get motivated to cook for one.

I can spend hours in the kitchen for people I care about, but when it comes to cooking for just myself, a peanut butter sandwich seems enough. Why is that? I think it’s because there is such inherent joy in cooking for others.

To motivate yourself to cook for one, remember that you not only eat healthier when you cook from scratch, you save a lot of money and time. Follow these tips.

1. Make a plan. Knowing you have everything you need at home can save you a grocery store run, or divert you from fast food.
2. Cook fresh. Buy nice cuts of meat, fresh produce and herbs. Sign up for a produce delivery service – a box every other week is a great incentive to cook so you don’t waste any food.
3. Cook fast. Develop a repertoire of five recipes you can fix in 15 minutes or less, and keep the ingredients on hand.

In their first meeting of the New Year, West Seattle’s Block Watch Captains Network maxed out seating at the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct to learn about options and techniques in setting up home surveillance.

Southwest Precinct Officer Jonathan Kiehn opened the presentation with pointers on where to train the eye of a camera for maximum effectiveness and Detective Scotty Bach – a surveillance specialist for SPD – went into personal experience on the subject.

Kiehn said camera surveillance is part of a larger approach to safeguarding one’s home from burglars, and a component of “CPTED.” CPTED stands for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, and includes pointers on how to make your home less attractive to potential thieves as they prowl the neighborhoods for an easy target.

Camera location

By Cassandra Baker

1:00 a.m., January 21. 14th block of NW 56th St

A grocery store employee called police in the middle of the night on Jan. 21 after he and a coworker were assaulted by intoxicated customers. The victim said that two males and one female were attempting to buy alcohol, but they were obviously intoxicated and the victim and his coworker refused to sell them any. The female suspect became angry and threw a potted plant at the employees, hitting one of them in the head.

The two male suspects left with the female, and the victim followed them into the parking lot. One of the male suspects hit him in the shoulder and he fell to the ground, at which point the other male suspect began kicking him. The victim was able to escape, but he said the suspects threw another plant at him.

From the City of Burien:

In 2012 over 1,150 people attended and help raise $18,400 for the Food Banks! We look forward to seeing you in 2013!

Friday, January 25, 2013
11:00AM-2:00PM & 4:00-8:00PM
Burien Communty Center
14700 6th Avenue SW
$15 minimum donation for adults, $10 minimum donation for children

Moshier potters have teamed up with Discover Burien and Burien Parks and Recreation to host Empty Bowls 2013. Empty Bowls events can be found around the country raising money to combat hunger in our communities. Potters have donated bowls to be filled with soup at this fun event…all are invited!

Your donation will get you the opportunity to pick out a beautiful handmade bowl, as well as a simple but wonderful meal of soup, bread, drink and dessert donated by area businesses. Proceeds will go to the Highline Food Bank and White Center Food Bank.

Information: (206) 988-3700

Rachel’s Challenge is presenting an assembly at St. Francis of Assisi School in Burien Monday, Jan. 28th.

9:00 -9:35 for k-5

10:15 -11:15 for grades 6-8

Rachel’s Challenge exists to equip and inspire individuals to replace acts of violence, bullying, and negativity with acts of respect, kindness, and compassion.

Click on here for the Rachel's Challenge website.

This program was created to honor Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first victim of the Columbine School shootings in 1999. At an early age she set her goal to show small acts of kindness and acceptance to everyone, every day. Her inspirational example and writings have influenced thousands of students to recommit to acts of kindness and compassion.

The assemblies will be held in the Church basement, “Unity Place”.

Lonnie Miller

St. Francis of Assisi Church
15226 21st Avenue SW
Burien

lmiller@stfoa.org

Daytime, forced-entry house burglaries suddenly spiked in December around the region, SeaTac Police Chief James Graddon reported to City Council members on Jan. 22.

Graddon is King County Sheriff's Office commander for Precinct 4, which includes SeaTac, Burien and North Highline. SeaTac and Burien contract with the county for police services.

Burglary rates have come down a little bit in January, he noted.

Graddon said the burglars are using items found outside residences to smash windows or pry open doors to get inside.

Once inside, burglars snatch small items such as laptop computers or jewelry, according to Graddon. Since the stolen items are so portable, the thieves can get away on foot without needing a vehicle.

Graddon suspects many of the burglars are transients.

He advised victims to check places like Craig’s List to see if their stolen items turn up for sale.

Councilmember Pam Fernald said she had been told burglars often come back to a residence after the stolen items have been replaced. Graddon said that some times happens but is not a common occurrence.

By Holly Brown

For a pasta loading, carb loving, bread craving foodie like me, the idea of going gluten free was about as likely as growing pointed ears and hitching a ride on the Starship Enterprise. However, with friends and family increasingly dealing with health issues, dietary restrictions, and food allergies, I’ve become increasingly interested in the health and wellness benefits of reducing, and even eliminating wheat from our diet.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat and other grains such as oats, barley, spelt, and rye. It’s gluten that gives dough its elasticity. Bakers love it, but our digestive tracts generally don’t. The Wikipedia definition of a gluten-free diet is one that excludes foods containing gluten, irrespective of their source. Wheat is a major culprit, but it’s not the only gluten agent.

A Ballard husband-and-wife duo have entered Puget Sound Energy (PSE)'s "Re-Energized by Design" challenge, a reality show-styled competition in which contestants will complete a series of fast-paced room-makeover challenges, combining elegant home design with energy efficient products.

And the grand prize? $5,000.

Repping our neighborhood are the Mendes pair: Marie, an Environmental Engineer, and her husband Mike, a geologist. It's a one-two punch of analytic focus and energy efficiency knowledge that no other team can match. (Well, we might be biased.)

Marie and Mike have two children, Mateus (14-months old) and Cristiano (four years old). Marie and Mike were East Coast-bred, but they came to Seattle, falling in love with the outdoors, the wealth of nationalities and districts and, of course, the eco-conscious people.

“We’d like to learn about design, push our limits to accomplish our goals, and to convey to the kids the importance of the environment and energy," Marie told PSE in a press release. "Improving the style of our home while reducing our environmental impact is the perfect project for our family.”