February 2013

This game was a tiebreaker. This game would determine who would advance to the 2A playoffs and who would, as they say, go home.

Evergreen, coming off its victory at home over Foster last week, was looking to make it two in a row. They won a close contest, 58-52 in overtime to force this tiebreaker.

“It was tough to be put into the position to play back-to-back games here”, said Foster’s coach Isaac Tucker.

Well, you just have to do what you have to do, and this was no exception: Foster was ready and eager, as was Evergreen.

Before the game began there was a technical foul against Foster. Evergreen’s Chris Sainz would step up to the line and make one of two free throws, putting them ahead 1-0 without one tick off the clock.

After the center jump, it took a while for both teams to score. It wasn’t until the 5:14 mark in the first quarter that Evergreen scored its first field goal, and Foster’s was at 4:44.

This was a very intense, aggressive game as you would expect -- it was playoff- style basketball. Both teams play a fast, running game and they cover a lot of court very quickly.

Mount Rainier qualified for the bi-district West Central/Southwest Class 4A gymnastics meet with a fifth-place team score of 162.5 as one of six teams qualifying from the South Puget Sound League sub-district meet held on Feb. 2 at Mount Rainier High High School. Emerald Ridge won the SPSL meet with a score of 172.3 followed by Puyallup (167.075), Thomas Jefferson (164.75), Kentlake (163.95), Mount Rainier and Auburn Riverside (153.125).

Katya Komissarova led the Rams with a 35.1 sixth place all around. Her best events were a third place 8.45 on the uneven parallel bars and a fifth place 9.0 on the balance beam.

Next up for the Rams was the seventh place AA of Ava Welch at 34.975 which included an outsatnding 9.2 second place on the balance beam and a third place 9.15 on the vault.

Kerrie Heckel earned a ninth place all-around total of 34.425. Heckel posted eighth place scores of 9.35 on the floor exercise and 8.05 on the uneven bars.

Press release:

At 1:22 am this morning, Tukwila police officers were dispatched to the report of a shooting in the 15800 block of 39th Pl. S. in Tukwila.

Upon arrival, officers found two victims that had been shot; A 50-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 20- year-old male with a gunshot wound to the leg. The two victims are father and son.

The suspect, a 35 year-old male, had fled from the scene on foot. However, he was quickly located by a Tukwila police K-9 unit and taken into custody.

Once in custody, it was discovered that the suspect had a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

Both victims were transported to the hospital and are being treated for their injuries. (Injuries were not life-threatening.)

The suspect was treated for his injuries and has been released from the hospital. He is currently being interviewed by Tukwila detectives.

At this time the association between the victims and suspect is unknown.

No further information is being released at this time.

Press release:

At 1:22 am this morning, Tukwila police officers were dispatched to the report of a shooting in the 15800 block of 39th Pl. S. in Tukwila.

Upon arrival, officers found two victims that had been shot; A 50-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 20- year-old male with a gunshot wound to the leg. The two victims are father and son.

The suspect, a 35 year-old male, had fled from the scene on foot. However, he was quickly located by a Tukwila police K-9 unit and taken into custody.

Once in custody, it was discovered that the suspect had a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

Both victims were transported to the hospital and are being treated for their injuries. (Injuries were not life-threatening.)

The suspect was treated for his injuries and has been released from the hospital. He is currently being interviewed by Tukwila detectives.

At this time the association between the victims and suspect is unknown.

No further information is being released at this time.

Remember to vote in the special election tomorrow, Feb. 12.

That's the message given by long-time Ballard residents and former Ballard High School PTSA president Cyndie Richter-Juarez, Jerri Harden and Lyn Porterfield, who were joined by former school board member Peter Maier (as well as their furry friends Scout and Tyson).

You might've seen them at the corner of 15th Ave NW and NW Market Street early Monday, waving signs and reminding voters to turn in their ballots for Tuesday's levy election.

Ballots can be dropped off at the dropbox in front of the Ballard library no later than 8 p.m. on Feb. 12, or can be mailed in (must be postmarked by Feb 12).

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And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib

A fire on Sunday in the women's bathroom at the Ballard Church was considered to be a set fire. Here is the full statement from Seattle Fire Department's Fireline Blog.

We'll update with any new info.

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Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire at a Ballard Church is a set fire and is currently under investigation by the Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad.

At one minute past noon multiple 911 calls to dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center reported smoke and flames coming from a bathroom of a church located in the 1400 block of NW 73rd Street. The church evacuated an estimated 140 people out of the sanctuary during a worship service.

Prior to firefighters arriving at the scene, the fire was extinguished by church patrons using dry-chemical extinguishers. The fire damage was limited to the first floor women’s restroom. Smoke from the fire did drift through the sanctuary.

The damage estimate is $25,000.

There were no injuries.

Alki Elementary School will celebrate its 100th birthday on March 28 with an event including historical displays, opportunities for former students to share memories, and a big group photo.

The group photo is scheduled to be taken at 5 p.m. outside the school and will be made available widely online following the event. Organizers are expecting 600 to 700 people to attend so arriving early is essential as traffic and parking will be at a premium in the area.

The school is located at 3010 59th Ave. SW.

The Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society are co-sponsors of the celebration.

"This will be an exciting event with activities for the youngest of today's Alki Elementary students as well as for those who attended Alki many decades ago, and all ages in between," said Amy Bannister, Alki PTA chairperson for the event.

More rain gardens may be coming to Ballard. This time, in East Ballard, on the other side of 15th Ave NW and just beyond the border of the combined sewer system. The project area is located east of 15th Ave NW, west of 3rd Ave NW, south NW 65 St and north of Leary Way.

Armed with a $55,000 grant from the Russell Family Foundation and sponsored by Antioch University, Cari Simson is testing the pulse of a block of neighbors to see if there is interest in installing roadside rain gardens.

Though not on the combined sewer system, Simson insists that there is still a need for preventing rain water from simply draining into Salmon Bay by the ship canal. The rain water sweeps up toxins and pollutants left on the streets, goes down into the storm drain and gushes right out into Salmon Bay. Unlike the combined sewer system, it does not go to the West Point water treatment plant to get treated.

UPDATE 3pm Mar. 25
West Seattle's Andrew Borrachini will get some national television exposure on the David Letterman "Late Show" (CBS Channel 7 or 107 here locally) at 11:35pm tonight. He will get a chance to show off his award winning grocery bagging skills that took home honors as the best in the U.S. on Feb. 10.

Original Post Feb. 11
West Seattle's Andrew Borracchini won top honors at the National Grocers Association sponsored Best Bagger contest in Las Vegas on Feb 10. The win gained him a check for $10,000 and the "Golden Grocery Bag" trophy. The contest pitted him against the best-of-the-best from 23 states.

The "Best Bagger Golden Lane", a special checkout stand will be installed at the Metropolitan Market in the Admiral District to honor his accomplishment.

Andrew Borracchini has won the statewide qualifying Best Bagger competition for the last 2 years.

After the national win he flew to New York to schedule an appearance on the David Letterman show. Borrachini said of his win that he “just worked harder and tried to remain less stressed.”

By Luke Severn, UW News Lab

As she hastily cruises around the Ballard neighborhood in her blue minivan with the gas tank nearly dry, Alison Krupnick often wonders how she ended up where she is.

“20 years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I was going to be living in Seattle, you know, driving a minivan for god’s sakes,” she said. “It’s a shock.”

Knowing Krupnick’s story, where she comes from and what she’s experienced, it’s understandable to wonder the same thing.

She’s a former foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department and recently self-published author of the new book, “Ruminations from the Minivan: Musings From a World Grown Large, Then Small.” Her journey has taken her from living as a diplomat in Vietnam and India, to writing editorials for “Crosscut” and “Seattle Magazine,” to hauling her two young daughters around Ballard in the minivan that graces the cover of her book.