April 2013

April 20th was a day of celebration for the West Seattle community as the renovations at Roxhill Park were officially unveiled for everyone’s use, including a renovated “Roxhill Castle” playground and new skatepark.

Both the playground and skatepark were filled to the brim with smiling kids and adults as a new favorite gathering spot came to fruition.

Seattle Parks and Recreation hosted the event at 2850 S.W. Roxbury St. to thank taxpayers for contributing to the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, and praise the many, many volunteers who helped build the playground. The event was filled with skateboard lessons, giveaways, music and refreshments.

Mat McBride, Delridge Neighborhood District Council Chair and Roxhill Volunteer Coordinator, deserves much credit for bringing the community together to vastly improve the park, while West Seattle-based Grindline Skateparks won the bid to build the skatepark.

“I didn’t understand the importance of this park when I signed on. But I get it now: kids need a place that is special, just for them, something that says ‘I value you.’ Well, nothing says ‘I value you’ quite like ‘I built this for you with my hands,’” McBride said.

Friday night, April 19, bars and restaurants all over Ballard thumped with the sweet, sweet sound of jazz.

The neighobrhood pulsed with music as strings were strummed, drums were drummed, vibraphones were vibed and pianos were, uh, pianoed. Over 70 Pacific Northwest musicians packed 12 different venues throughout Ballard as part of the 11th Annual Jazz Festival.

We here at the Ballard News-Tribune took it upon ourselves to wander from bar to brewery to bar so we could document a little bit of the action. If you missed out on last night's festivities, you can still try and catch the mainstage concert tonight at the Nordic Heritage Museum with jazz legends Gary Bartz and Lou Soloff (Find more info at http://ballardjazzfestival.com/tickets.php), or you can catch some of the bands around town, as most (all?) of them are local.

And, you know, there's always next year.

We started off the night at the Leif Erickson Lodge with Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom featuring Cuong Vu. Miller was chosen as a "Rising Star Drummer" by Downbeat's 53rd and 58th Critics Poll.

From SDOT
The Seattle Department of Transportation is in Phase 2 of the project to rebuild much of Delridge Way SW between SW Orchard and SW Roxbury streets. This work is scheduled to close the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Thistle Street from 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, until 6 a.m. Monday, April 29 if the weather is dry.
For the closure of the Delridge/Thistle intersection, the detour will be as follows, with local access maintained (see map at link):
· Northbound traffic on Delridge Way SW - Take SW Trenton Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Holden Street to Delridge Way SW
· Southbound traffic on Delridge Way SW - Take SW Holden Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Trenton Street to Delridge Way SW
· Westbound traffic on SW Thistle Street - Take 16th Avenue SW to SW Henderson Street to Delridge Way SW
· Eastbound traffic on SW Thistle Street - Take 35th Avenue SW to SW Holden Street or SW Trenton Street to Delridge Way SW

On a day when the nation is focused on events in Boston, MA, and abandoned packages seem to draw even more attention than usual, Seattle Police looked at two different abandoned brief cases in West Seattle.

A case was abandoned in the 4400 block of California Ave. SW and found to be empty. Later in the day, near 34th and Kenyon another case was left.

Police taped off the area, and brought out the experts who examined the case with tools, including a portable x-ray machine plus a bomb sniffing dog to determine that the case was in fact empty.

Beavers Leave No Doubt Beat Kentwood 3-2, April 6

The Ballard Beavers left no doubt that they are a top-10 team after their performance against the undefeated #1 ranked team in State, the Kentwood Conquerors. The Ballard team outplayed the defending State Champions in their first ever invitation to play in the High School Classic at Safeco Field. Coach Doug Montgomery used a 7 man rotation allowing all but one of his varsity pitchers a chance to hold their own against a potent Conquerors lineup. George Chrisafis earned player of the game honors, going 2 for 2 at the plate and for his heads up play. Ballard took the early lead and they were leading most of the game until Kentwood tied things up 2-2 in the 7th inning. The Ballard offence kept their poise as Kentwood walked in the winning run.

Player of the Game goes to George Chrisafis, who went 2 for 2 at the plate, with a walk, the game winning run, and a couple outstanding heads up plays at 1B.

Ballard Loses to Bothell, April 8

Press release:

Detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office, and the Burien and SeaTac Police Department served search warrants on 5 locations last night related to a lengthy prostitution investigation.

The warrants were served at three businesses and two residences around 7pm last night. Detectives arrested 3 females, 1 male and seized three vehicles and a small amount of cash during the raid.

Locations included the Royal Orchid Massage/Hair and Nail Salon in the 2800 block of S. 200th St. in SeaTac,

The Adam and Eve Hair Styling, Nail and Tanning Salon in the 19000 block of International Blvd. in SeaTac,

The Zen Remedy Massage in the 100 block of SW 153rd St. in Burien, an apartment in the 19800 block of International Blvd. in SeaTac and a house in the 21000 block of 131 PL SE in Kent.

Detectives said business were fronts for prostitution and money laundering.

The three women were booked for Prostitution, Money Laundering, Conspiracy and Leading Organized Crime.

The man, who is a convicted felon and was in possession of a firearm, was booked for Violation of the Uniformed Firearms Act.

Beloved neighborhood watering hole The Viking is set to close on Tuesday, April 30, which is the last day of the lease, according to restaurant owners Tim and Peggy Cannon.

In its final days, the tavern has been "packed to capacity" and currently there is no "grand party" planned by the owners.

So far, owners say the intent is to have The Viking reopen after the development but nothing is certain yet. We have a call in to developer Bill Parks but have not received an answer yet.

If you don't know, the property which The Viking sits on, on 24th Ave NW between NW 65th and NW 64th streets, will be developed into a five-story, 72-unit apartment complex called "Ballard Lofts."

You can read our initial story on the development here and a sit-down interview with developer Bill Parks here.

The Viking's neighbor, 2 and 1/2 Happy Barbers, already moved to Ravenna.

The 31-year-old man who robbed the White Center Chase Bank in July of 2012 was sentenced to 8.5 years in federal prison on April 19.

Bryan Allen Hill was convicted of armed robbery and brandishing a firearm by a jury in January, and U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez handed down the sentence, saying Hill’s crime was “a very, very serious offense … basically terrorizing the individuals in the bank,” according to a U.S. Attorney’s office press release.

Hill entered the bank at 1616 S.W. 100th St. around 10:15 a.m. on July 25 wearing a bandanna over his face. He pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the teller’s face and demanded the teller fill a bag with cash.

According to court documents, Hill’s bandana fell from his face while the teller was stuffing cash into the bag, revealing his identity to everyone on staff. Meanwhile, other employees had pushed their panic buttons and notified both the King County Sheriff’s Office and Seattle Police to the robbery.

By Holly Brown

The Mediterranean Sea is a deep blue jewel, surrounded by 21 countries. From Southern Europe, to Northern Africa, and the Middle East, Mediterranean Cuisine is vibrant and nourishing. Seafood, olive oil, wheat, and the vine are well represented. Everything from herbs and rice, to lamb, nuts, and fruit can be found rolled in a leaf, or delicate pastry. Herbs like rosemary, mint, and dill are also prominent.

The “Mediterranean Diet” is rich in natural anti-oxidants from fruits and vegetables, as well as omega-3 fat. According to the MayoClinic.com, research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and reduced incidence of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes:
- Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
- Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil

Washington brewers, including a few from the Ballard neighborhood (at least Hilliard's and Populuxe), were in Olympia today protesting the proposed beer tax expansion under Gov. Jay Inslee's and House budgets which could double or quadruple the amount small breweries would have to pay in excise taxes. Read our full story, "Ballard breweries nervous, furious about beer tax proposal."

Amy Besunder of Populuxe Brewing sent us a few pictures of the rally, which you can see below. If you have any, send them our way at zachb@robinsonnews.com