February 2013

The weather forecast called for rain but while the temperatures were in the 40's it was dry for the first White Center 5K Walk and Run on Feb. 16.

380 people gathered with kids, dogs and friends at White Center Heights Park for the event whose purpose, according to originator Tony Vo, was to promote healthy living. It was also a fundraiser for the White Center Community Development Association and Yes Foundation of White Center.

The race was run in three waves to accommodate so many people with those with pets, strollers and younger children bringing up the rear.
The winner of the first wave with a time of 19:14 was West Seattle's Adrienne Salzwedel. Right behind her was Tony Ling of Bellevue with a time of 19:16. Full race results will be posted later.

The race course took the participants from White Center Heights Park out along the road over through Lakewood Park and up to and around the Evergreen Campus track three times before they headed back to the point of origin.

Winners were awarded prizes in three categories:

press release
It has been almost 7 years since the Southern Resident Killer Whales (J, K and L pods) were listed as endangered. How are they doing? What progress has been made towards their recovery? What can we do to help?

Join us for this informal and informative talk featuring Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries at C and P Coffee Feb 21. Learn what NOAA and its partners are doing to conserve and protect these iconic and beloved whales, including current research findings, management approaches and population updates.

Lynne is the Branch Chief in the Protected Resources Division at NOAA. She worked on the endangered listing of the Southern Residents, designated critical habitat, and developed and finalized the SRKW Recovery Plan.

As part of the recovery program, Lynne developed an oil spill response plan and protective regulations for killer whales in Washington. She works closely with partner organizations, including The Whale Trail, to implement the recovery plan. Lynne also works on the newly listed rockfish species and coordinates with Puget Sound salmon recovery.

For SLIDESHOW, click on photo for more, or click on photo from gallery below

The Vietnamese Lunar New Year known as T"ết Nguyên Đán" or Tet, was celebrated today, Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Vietnamese Cultural Center, 2236 SW Orchard St. in West Seattle. Mayor Mike McGinn attended, and spoke. He sported a yellow and red-striped tie, the colors of the South Vietnamese flag, given to him at a prior Vietnamese celebration he attended at Seattle Center. In the background was the community center's second memorial, what some may call a temple, adjacent to the existing memorial. It is under construction and expected to be finished by Aug. 1.

The mayor's opening words were, "Chúc mừng năm mới", or Happy New Year in Vietnamese.

"The Seattle City Council passed a resolution recognizing this flag as the 'Heritage Flag of the Vietnamese Community in Seattle' and I was given this tie in recognition of that resolution," Mayor McGinn told the West Seattle Herald after he spoke.

The weather forecast called for rain but while the temperatures were in the 40's it was dry for the first White Center 5K Walk and Run on Feb. 16.

380 people gathered with kids, dogs and friends at White Center Heights Park for the event whose purpose, according to originator Tony Vo, was to promote healthy living. It was also a fundraiser for the White Center Community Development Association and Yes Foundation of White Center.

The race was run in three waves to accommodate so many people with those with pets, strollers and younger children bringing up the rear.

The winner of the first wave with a time of 19:14 was West Seattle's Adrienne Salzwedel. Right behind her was Tony Ling of Bellevue with a time of 19:16. Full race results will be posted later.

The race course took the participants from White Center Heights Park out along the road over through Lakewood Park and up to and around the Evergreen Campus track three times before they headed back to the point of origin.

Winners were awarded prizes in three categories:
Age 55 plus got a massage from Advance Massage Therapy, a Free WC T-Shirt, Green Mountain Coffee and a $35 McLendon Hardware Gift Card.

Press release:

For the fifteenth consecutive year, Highline’s Transportation Department has received outstanding marks on the school bus safety inspection conducted by the Washington State Patrol.

Every year the Washington State Patrol conducts an annual and a surprise inspection to ensure the proper working order, maintenance, and safety of Highline school buses.

All buses and vehicles are examined during the annual inspection and 25 percent of the fleet is inspected during the surprise visit. The inspection covers all aspects of student transportation safety, including 300 separate points on each vehicle.

“Student safety while riding the school bus is our number one priority,” said Scott Logan, Interim Director of Transportation and Security. “Highline transports nearly 10,000 students every day using more than 100 school buses and a dozen other vehicles."

“This outstanding track record demonstrates the high level of commitment to student safety of all of our mechanics, drivers, departmental staff, and administrators,” said Logan.

Press release:
Bow Lake, Madrona, Mount View, and White Center Heights Elementary Schools and Chinook Middle School are now offering the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) After-School Meal Program.
The USDA program was expanded as part of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, and is available to schools where 50 percent or more of the student body qualifies for free- or reduced-price meals and where there is a planned after-school program. There is no charge to participating students.

“Seventy percent of Highline students qualify for free- or reduced-price meals, so many of our families are not able to provide their children with a nutritionally-balanced meal at home,” said Chris Neal, director of Nutrition Services.

“This program helps students receive the balanced nutrition that is so important to their health, minds, and bodies," said Neal. "My hope is to expand the program to other schools in the near future."

Press release:

The City of SeaTac is pleased to announce the opening of SeaTac Market, a multicultural grocery store and bakery. The 10,500 square foot grocery opened to a crowd of 500 people on January 24.

“This is the only grocery store of this size to serve the nearby community,” said Jeff Robinson, economic development manager for the City. “Not only does this market allow the neighborhood to have access to fresh produce and a large selection of grocery items, but it creates a more walkable community where people don’t have to get in the car or on the bus to shop.”

Located in the SeaTac Center on 152nd and International Boulevard, the store is dedicated to a mix of food and grocery options including American, African, Asian and Mexican food, a bakery and coffee shop. The second floor includes a growing collection of furniture from around the world that is for sale.

Press release:

The City Council will celebrate the City of Burien's 20th birthday at its Monday, March 4 meeting, 7 p.m., at City Hall first floor Council Chambers.

Past Councilmembers in attendance will be recognized and Mayor Brian Bennett will speak.

The public is invited to come and enjoy some birthday cake and help celebrate the city's birthday.

Burien officially became a city on Feb. 28, 1993.

The 2013 Citizen of the Year also will be honored at the meeting.

Metro press release
Effective with the start of its Spring service revisions, and in conjunction with the completed installation and activation of the traffic signal at SW Avalon Way and SW Genesee St, as well as other improvements, Metro’s Route 50 will assume its original intended routing in both the Delridge and Admiral areas at the start of service on Saturday, February 16.

Route 50 heading toward West Seattle and Alki will no longer serve stops along SW Spokane St and SW Avalon Way north of SW Genesee St. Instead it will travel south on Delridge and west on Genesee to Avalon, serving stops on Delridge at SW Andover St and SW Genesee St, and westbound on Genesee just east of
30th Av SW. After that its next stop is southbound on 35th Av SW just south of SW Avalon Way.

In the Admiral District, when heading toward SODO, Columbia City and Othello Link Station, Route 50 will continue on SW Admiral Way and turn south directly onto California Av SW, and will no longer circle the block to – or stop at - SW College St.