February 2013

press release
This Saturday Rat City Rollergirls are rolling back into White Center with a double-header bout at Southgate Roller Rink, the original venue where Seattle's now infamous roller derby league began back in 2004.

You can see the blood, sweat and tears fly from rink side seats as all four of Rat City's home teams battle it out in this epic Bout 3 of Season 9! No stadium seating, no jumbotron, no halftime acts – just pure, hard-hitting roller derby at its finest.

Doors open at 5:30 PM, and the action starts at 6 PM. The first match-up will feature Derby Liberation Front (DLF), in their first ranked bout of the season, as they take on the ladies in black, the Throttle Rockets. DLF is coming off of a huge win in January against the visiting Faster Pussycats from Terminal City, while the Throttle Rockets are still looking to chalk up a win after a pair of agonizing close losses.

TACOMA - One day after the Friday, Feb. 15 Class 3A/2A state gymnastics all-round championships, individual finals qualifications and team competition, all-around runner up Mia Alvarez of Highline led local athletes as the gold medalist on the floor exercise with a 9.625 as part of four top-five all-around competitors who picked up individual event titles on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.
Sophomore gymnast Nykaela Dodson, third in the all-around, claimed the gold medal on beam (9.525).

Junior Olivia Bannerot of 3A/2A team champion Enumclaw (fourth in all-around) swung to the bars title at 9.375 while Kelsey Jaquish of Kamiakin, fifth in the all-around captured the vault title by edging out Alvarez and Bannerot, who deadlocked for second at 9.625.

After devoting her junior year to club gymnastics in order to refine her skills and reach level 10, the Pirate athlete returned to high school competition for this, her senior year. Her next outings will be back with club gymnastics.

KENT - State top-ranked Class 4A Mount Rainier never gave an inch in the girls basketball Presidents day Tip-Off Championships held on Monday, Feb. 18 at the ShoWare Center.

In a previous game on Feb. 7 at this same locale, the Rams had to make a fourth quarter comeback to beat Todd Beamer, 57-56, in the SPSL title game. This time the desire exemplified by six-foot junior Brittany McPhee showed up right away during the West Central/Southwest Washington bi-district 51-33 title victory against No. 7 Beamer of Federal Way.

"We knew who they were and what they like to do," said Ram star Brittany McPhee who blistered Beamer for a game-high 26 points. "This game was important for seeding. Our ultimate goal is getting to state and doing well there."

SEATTLE, WA – This Saturday Rat City Rollergirls are rolling back into White Center with a double-header bout at Southgate Roller Rink, the original venue where Seattle's now infamous roller derby league began back in 2004.

You can see the blood, sweat and tears fly from rink side seats as all four of Rat City's home teams battle it out in this epic Bout 3 of Season 9! No stadium seating, no jumbotron, no halftime acts – just pure, hard-hitting roller derby at its finest.

Doors open at 5:30 PM, and the action starts at 6 PM. The first match-up will feature Derby Liberation Front (DLF), in their first ranked bout of the season, as they take on the ladies in black, the Throttle Rockets. DLF is coming off of a huge win in January against the visiting Faster Pussycats from Terminal City, while the Throttle Rockets are still looking to chalk up a win after a pair of agonizing close losses.

When asked why he selected LEND ME A TENOR, Centerstage Artistic Director, Alan Bryce remembered his Grandma. She used to say: “You should always get to know what you’re getting into before you get into it. And once you’ve gotten into it, you better damn well like it.”’

“LEND ME A TENOR is a farce”, said Bryce. “And the dictionary defines farce as ‘a comic dramatic work which uses buffoonery, horseplay, broad humor, simple characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.’ But as buffoonery, horseplay, broad humor, simple characterization and ludicrously improbable situations go...” said Bryce, “it doesn’t get any better than LEND ME A TENOR. So yes, I DO like it…because it is quite simply the best of its kind.”

And if that’s what audiences expect, they cannot go wrong with this ridiculously funny play, which has been earning belly laughs worldwide for the past 25 years.

"Lucky Them", a film that was the last project of the late Paul Newman, has been filming in and around West Seattle. Directed by Megan Griffiths the film stars actress Toni Collette of "The Sixth Sense," "Spider-Man 3" star Thomas Haden Church, Oliver Platt from "X-Men", and "The Help" star Ahna O'Reilly.

Newman was one of the original executive producers on "Lucky Them," and the film is about a female rock journalist on assignment to locate her musician ex-boyfriend.

The crew has been filming on Alki Beach and in the Gatewood neighborhood.

The movie resumed filming in late January and is set for a release in 2014.

The Alki Homestead, a Seattle Landmark Building at 2717 61st Ave. S.W. just south of Alki Beach, oozes with old-timey charm from the outside with its Douglas Fir log walls and cobbled-stone chimneys. The structure’s inviting nature diminishes upon closer inspection, however, with yellow caution tape blocking the entryways and plywood boarding up windows: the result of a fire in 2009 that severely damaged the innards and put an end to several decades of family-oriented dining.

The building has sat vacant ever since with its future in limbo, but beginning in January of this year a group of paranormal investigators, armed with high tech surveillance equipment, have taken an interest in the Homestead: not for the lip-smacking fried chicken made famous by Doris Nelson in the 1960s, but for the spirits that may roam its interior to this day.

A little history
Before delving too deeply into the paranormal side of things, it’s helpful to know a little history of Alki Homestead.

Science Teacher India Carlson sent us the following about her botany class, which won two awards:

"Ballard High School Botany Class students won two awards in the student competition at the NW flower and garden show. We won "Best Overall Design" and "Best Recycled Item." The student competition is sponsored by the ReStore and centers on using recycled items in a student designed and built garden. We had generous donations from Miller Paint, Swanson’s Nursery, Limback Lumber, and the ReStore so a big shout out to the local business for helping Ballard. Our theme was based on Jurassic Park complete with a dinosaur made of car parts."

Thanks India!

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By Elizabeth Wang

A crowd of protesters gathered at Golden Gardens Park on Sunday, Feb. 17 to cheer on a greener, cleaner Puget Sound and hiss at the proposed coal-train terminal near Bellingham.

Donning bright red anti-coal shirts and wielding neon, "No Coal Exports" signs, hundreds from Ballard to Shoreline and beyond applauded the words of featured speaker Mayor Mike McGinn before marching about a mile along the Burke Gilman Trail toward Ray’s Boathouse.

According to coal opponents, the fear of coal dust and mercury pollution, increased street traffic, climate disruption and ocean acidification rolls over into our Ballard's neighborhoods, affecting areas like Golden Gardens and children-favorite Carkeek Park. At the rally, any possible pro-terminal arguments -- such as boosted trade opportunities and an expanded job market -- were drowned out by anti-coal sentiment.

“Don’t be fooled by the jobs argument,” said McGinn in his speech. “We know how to create jobs –- the clean and sustainable way.”

By Cassandra Baker

2:59 a.m., February 18. 83rd block of 15th Ave NW

Police responded to reports of a robbery at the Safeway on 15th Ave NW that had turned into a fight in which one of the subjects had a knife. The responding officer spoke with the witness who had reported the incident. The witness said that the suspect, a black male in his 30s, approached a Shuttle Express driver in his van and asked to borrow his cell phone. The suspect then took the phone and ran away, and the victim chased after him.

While the officer was speaking to the witness, the victim approached, introduced himself, and said that he had left his van running. The officer and victim relocated to the place where the van was parked.