March 2013

Obie Wilkerson got his dog Bo, who is a Newfoundland, with the help of his girlfriend who found the dog online a little over a year ago.

Bo has had a big impact on Obie's life and Bo is still growing. "He tackles me, he pulls me and he's just a wonderful dog. He's always curious," Obie said.

"When I come home he jumps on me with excitement. I have to prepare myself," by going into a stance, Obie explained.

At 175 pounds, Bo surprisingly "doesn't eat much." He will grow to 190 according to Obie.

Because of skin problems caused by fleas, Bo gets a non-grain dog food and treats from Petco. Bo enjoys beef knee bones too.

Obie lives with Julie Crabtree who operates a small daycare facility in their home.

A forum for the Seattle Mayor's race sponsored by the 11th, 34th, and 37th District Democrats is being held at the South Seattle Community College- Georgetown Campus on April 29.

In a Facebook post by Michael Heavey, Marcee Stone-Vekich and Michael Wolfe they announced the event that will begin at 6pm and run until 9pm.

More details on the forum will be released as they are finalized.

South Seattle Community College
6737 Corson Av S, Seattle, Washington 98108

Press release from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks small chamber will close to marine traffic beginning 1 p.m., March 11 through 7 p.m., March 22.

Crews will conduct maintenance and safety inspections during the small chamber closure. Foot traffic will not be affected and the large lock will continue around-the-clock operations for vessels. Lock wall staff will get commercial traffic through as quickly as possible.

All pleasure boats will use the large lock and boaters should be prepared with appropriate equipment and crew. Large lock requirements include long lines and fenders on board. Current locking through information is available at http://bit.ly/BoaterInfo. Mariners may experience delays, depending on passage demand.

Apparently, with the legalization of marijuana, someone thought that it would be perfectly fine to grow some in a park, according to the SPD Blotter blog.

Way north of Ballard, on the very tippy-toe edge of Seattle and Shoreline in the Bitterlake area, police discovered several marijuana plants growing in the Llandover Woods Greenspace.

Just before 9 a.m. on Saturday, King County Sheriff deputies called SPD to inform them that they found several of the plants growing in the park.

Police found 40-45 small marijuana plants growing inside planters, according to the blog. Since it's still not legal to grow non-medicinal marijuana, especially in a city park, responding officers seized and destroyed the plants. However, since pot enforcement is a very low priority for SPD, there will likely be no further investigation.

Update for March 14
The design review for a 166-unit apartment complex at 3210 California Ave. S.W. scheduled for March 14 has been cancelled, according to the Department of Planning and Development website.

This post will be updated when a new date is set.

Original post on March 5
A public design review meeting is planned on March 14 for developers and architects to unveil their plans for a new apartment complex at 3210 California Ave. S.W., just south of West Seattle High School.

Here are the meeting specifics:
Review Meeting: March 14, 6:30 PM
West Seattle Senior Center
4217 S.W. Oregon St.
Hatten Hall
Review Phase: EDG--Early Design Guidance
Project Number: 3014176
Planner: Michael Dorcy

In Ballard, RealRyder indoor cycling seems to be taking hold. More than just your ordinary stationary cycle, proponents laud the RealRyder as an evolution, claiming its dynamic method "integrates several muscle groups for a cohesive, total body workout that improves strength, stability and coordination, while increasing cardio capacity and burning extra calories (20 percent more than traditional 'spinning')."

Phew. It's a workout just reading that sentence.

In any case, a new studio called The Beautiful Bike is all about the RealRyder and says it's Seattle's first and only RealRyder indoor cycling studio. (Maybe it was the only one when the press release was written, but there is now a second studio, at CorePower Yoga in the Ballard Blocks building.)

According to a press release, the RealRyder indoor cycles mimic road bicycling by having articulating frames that turn, tilt and lean, delivering an "exhilirating" cardio and full body workout.

West Woodland Elementary students got a special treat this morning, March 5, when Seattle Opera came to perform a rendition of "Heron and the Salmon Girl" with a little bit of help from the school's children's choir.

A turtle and an orca are two of the characters looking for salmon.

"Heron and the Salmon Girl" is the first in a trilogy of operas called "Our Earth." Designed especially for young audiences, and sung in English, the story surrounds a peculiar event: One spring, the salmon fail to return to sea. An array of characters -- a hungry orca, a heron, a turtle, and a grumpy fisherman -- embark on a journey to find where the salmon have gone.

Pelican and Orca have a standoff over the Salmon Girl.

Update for 1:54 p.m., March 5
The King County Sheriff's Office is calling off their search for Alan Polevia as of 1:54 p.m.

Polevia escaped from KCSO custody at Harborview Hospital on Feb. 25 and was spotted by a deputy near Arbor Heights in West Seattle on March 5. Containment was set up and K-9 units were brought in, but Polevia was able to elude the authorities yet again.

Update for 12:30 p.m., March 5
The suspect KCSO deputies are searching for near Arbor Heights in West Seattle is identified as Alan Polevia (seen above). Sgt. Cindi West said he now has a shaved head.

Original post at 12:13 p.m., March 5
The King County Sheriff’s Office, as of 12:13 p.m. on March 5, is searching for a recent escapee near S.W. 107th St. and 28th Ave. S.W. at the West Seattle/North Highline border.

According to KCSO Sgt. Cindi West, the same man who escaped from deputy custody at Harborview Hospital on Feb. 25 (with handcuffs still on) was spotted by a deputy in the area earlier today. The deputy attempted to stop the suspect, described as a Samoan male, 5’8”, 170 lbs., who fled.

Digs, a modern home and lifestyle retail store that is moving to Ballard all the way from Bellingham, will be opening this Saturday, March 9, coinciding with the monthly Ballard ArtWalk.

It will be moving into the location that was long held by Master Yun's Martial Arts. As we reported over the summer, Grandmaster Solomon Yun had to close down the place for a variety of reasons, including leasing issues, medical problems and, simply, age.

More than just furniture, Digs appears to have a large array of tasteful household items, including fire places, candles and candle holders, wallpaper, office supplies, lights, kitchenware and more.

At their grand opening on Saturday, there will be champagne, treats and a 20 percent discount for the night between 6-9 p.m. With every purchase, there will be a free "goody bag."

Digs
Location: 2002 NW Market St
Grand Opening: Saturday, March 9, 6-9 p.m.

You can reach Zachariah Bryan at zachb@robinsonnews.com

Compiled by Shara Wallace

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Art Exhibits

Burien Community Center——Paintings by Richard Jahn. 14700 6th Ave. S.W. Through March 31. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Burien Town Square Retail Space—--S.W. 151st St and 5th Pl. S.W. Crimson Park Design’s Fall Furniture Line, Series 1, Back from Nature as a part of an art installation by Shelli Park called Love Letters, An Installation. Love Letters includes Park’s recent works.
Burien Town Square Retail Space——S.W. 151st St. and 5th Pl. S.W. Work by Burien artist Don Liljar.