February 2013

West Seattle bounced back from a 76-36 Metro League tournament loss to Cleveland Tuesday to capture the No. 3 Sea-King tournament berth with a 33-28 victory over Holy Names Thursday.

The Wildcats, who ran their overall season record to 14-8, took a 13-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and gained control with an 8-0 dominance of the second quarter for a 21-9 halftime lead.

Ursino swished in 15 points to lead the West Seattle scorers and Lexi Ioane added 11. Elliott scored five points and Sarver two in the low-scoring game.

Ioane was the top scorer for West Seattle Tuesday with 20 points, while Joyce Harrell paced the second-ranked Cleveland team with a season-high 23 points.

Elliott, Walker and Sarver all scored four points for the Wildcats in that game and Ursino and Giomi both hit two.

West Seattle only trailed the lofty Eagles by three points at 16-13 by the end of the first quarter, but Cleveland dominated the second quarter, 24-10, for a 40-23 halftime advantage.
Cleveland outscored the Wildcats, 21-5, in the third quarter and 15-8 in the fourth to never let them back into the game.

The season ended for four other area teams on Monday.

King County Metro announced on Feb. 6 that “in response to rider requests, Metro is testing a new style RapidRide timetable for the C (West Seattle to downtown) and D (Ballard to downtown) Lines that shows departure times along their routes to make it easier to plan travel and make connections to other bus routes.”

The timetables will be posted at RapidRide stops starting Feb. 16.

A common complaint with RapidRide travelers is the uncertainty of stops. When Metro launched the C Line last year, the promise was that a bus would arrive at least every 15 minutes. Several riders reported waiting much longer for a bus, disrupting their transit schedules along the way. Metro has added additional buses in an attempt to better match the 15 minute time frame since the C Line’s introduction.

An incident involving a woman claiming her property was being sold illegally at West Seattle Coins today was briefly misinterpreted as a robbery at the well known store at the corner of S.W. Oregon St. and California Ave. S.W.

The West Seattle Herald spoke to the woman involved, Ms. Nora Van Hala, who said, "I knew the gems had been sold and I physically saw at least two or three that had been either my grandmother's or my mom's."

The gems had been controlled by, according to Van Hala, Guardianship Services of Seattle. They have control of it but they were under the protection of her uncle who is ill. "I didn't give them permission to sell those gems."

Frank Carpino of West Seattle Coins said, "There was something obviously wrong with the woman that came in and she basically called the police on herself. There was no robbery and no weapons involved. The police showed up and took care of it."

Seattle Police initially tweeted they were investigating a robbery with a white female suspect at large (describing Van Hala as their suspect). 45 minutes later they reported the robbery call was "unfounded."

Seth Berger dunks against Skyline at the beginning of the year. Just one of many. Video courtesy of Ballard High School.

Seth Berger has wowed Ballard over and over again with his leaping slam dunks. And now, he's being pitted against other dunkers in a national online competition that will result in the winner playing in a championship game in Atlanta, GA and being aired on CBS.

The game is simple. He who gets the most votes on an online survey (http://highschoolslam.com/highschool/canvas), wins. Everyone may cast one vote a day for their favorite basketball player (coughSethBergercough).

Currently our man is losing, though, against some chump from Fort Washington, PA.

So what're you waiting for? Vote for Seth Berger under "Slam Dunk" at http://highschoolslam.com/highschool/canvas

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

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

On January 31, a brazen criminal walked into an estate sale in West Seattle and forced people to the ground at gunpoint before robbing them and fleeing the scene. He made off with cash and jewelry, the proceeds of which were to be donated to the Woodland Park Zoo at the request of the recently deceased man who owned the home.

Seattle Police asked neighbors surrounding the incident at S.W. Hinds St. and Belvidere Ave. S.W. to check their home surveillance cameras for any evidence during the robbery, and have now released photos of some of the jewelry stolen and a car believed to be used as the getaway vehicle.

The vehicle is described as a blue two-door 2007 or 2008 Chevy Cobalt. Victims of the robbery described the suspect as a white male in his late 20’s to early 30’s. According to police the man is “5’9 to 5’10, with a large build and dark hair. He was dressed in a black ski mask, black jacket, and black pants, and was armed with a semi-automatic pistol."

Most likely, your plans are to go to King's Hardware on Sunday, Feb 10, anyway.

Well, this is good, because this time, your visit will actually help someone. Bartender Farah Clinch, a King's staple on Saturdays and Sundays, has been injured, out of work for over a month and needs help paying medical bills.

Enter you, a King's frequenter or a teetotaler who simply wants to help someone in need. Starting at 8 p.m., 100 percent of the proceeds from select items (we're not sure which ones, but most likely they're clearly marked) will be going toward helping Clinch.

Also, King's tells us there'll be a kissing booth featuring some of their "most coveted employees."

If you haven't been guilt tripped enough, here's a picture of Clinch's dog, Coal, who we're sure needs to be fed:

What: A benefit for an injured bartender and her adorable dog
When: Sunday, Feb. 10, 8 p.m. (the date on the poster is a misprint)
Where: King's Hardware (5225 Ballard Ave NW)

A great Ballardite and a great Pacific Northwest artist, Alden Mason, died Feb. 6 after a bout with flu and pneumonia, according to the Seattle Times. He was 93.

While working in the Puget Sound region all of his life, he was celebrated well beyond the area, with exhibits in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, according to the Seattle Times. His paintings hang in museums, galleries and private collections throughout the states.

Mason eventually settled down in Ballard and was a resident of Ballard's Lock Vista Apartments (he was the central subject in our story about the apartments possibly converting into condos back in 2007).

We'll update this story.

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

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

By Cassandra Baker

8:29 p.m., February 3. 9th block of NW Leary Way

A convenience store employee called police after a violent customer threw a bunch of magazines at his face. He said that the suspect, whom he described as a white male in his 50s, threw several magazines at him and then walked to the store next door. Police responded to the scene and located the suspect, who was yelling and screaming. One of the officers recognized him as someone he had arrested six days ago for breaking property. The suspect would not obey officers’ commands and had to be forcibly handcuffed.

One of the officers spoke with the victim, who said that his boss had told him not to let the suspect into the store. He said that he had called 911 two other times because of the suspect. The victim said that the suspect entered the store and tried to buy a cigar, and when the victim told him to leave, he refused and began ranting and swearing at the victim. The suspect then grabbed several magazines and threw them at the victim’s face.

The beginning of what will be a one year campaign to raise money for aid agency Transitional Resources gets underway at Ola Salon with an event they are calling a "Cut-A-Thon" from 5pm to 8pm Feb. 8.

Haircuts by the expert stylists at Ola for a suggested $40 donation are just part of the program which also includes raffle prizes, food, drinks and more.

Ola's goal is to raise $10,000 for the organization which provides people in need with safe and affordable housing, mental health care and the support necessary for them to return to work.

Ola Salon is located at 2942 Avalon Way SW. Parking is limited.

Rejoice! RapidRide D (and C) will finally be getting timetables that say more than "Every ten minutes" or so, after hearing what one can guess was a never-ending stream of complaints from riders.

According to a statement that also marks numerous cuts (none affecting Ballard buses), they outlined what the timetable will look like. Departure times will be marked along the routes to make it easier to plan travel and connect with other buses. Planned spacing between buses will also still be marked, Metro states.

Changes will be taking effect on Feb. 16, Metro says.

Still, Metro does note that actual times may vary considerably due to afternoon traffic congestion, as everyone who has ridden the RapidRide D (and called us to complain) knows.