April 2013

Monday, April 8
Baseball
West Seattle 6, O'Dea 4
West Seattle edged out O'Dea in action on the Hiawatha field Monday.
Fastpitch
Foster 11, Evergreen 7
Foster downed Evergreen in a high-scoring game this past Monday.
Boys soccer
Hazen 2, Evergreen 0
The Wolverines were blanked by the Highlanders in Monday action.

Tuesday, April 9
Boys soccer
Chief Sealth 5, West Seattle 0
Kristian Nilssen earned the shutout for the Seahawks in their 5-0 victory over the crosstown rival Wildcats this last Tuesday.
Fastpitch
Hazen 22, Evergreen 0
The Highlanders crushed the Wolverines in Metro League action Tuesday.

Wednesday, April 10
Baseball
West Seattle 28, Rainier Beach 0
West Seattle's Wildcats went wild to win Wednesday's game.
Nathan Hale 5, Chief Sealth 1
The Seahawks took a loss this past Wednesday.
Fastpitch
Nathan Hale 11, Chief Sealth 1
The Seahawks came out on the short end of an 11-1 score Wednesday.
Boys soccer
Evergreen 4, Lindbergh 1
The Wolverines were big winners Wednesday.

Friday, April 12

HomeStreet Bank Kicks Off the Ballard Jazz Festival

What: Live music will be provided by the Mark Taylor Trio. There will be a drawing to win tickets to Jazz Festival events. Free

Where: HomeStreet Bank - Ballard Branch (8050 15th Ave. N.W.)

When: 4-6 p.m. Free.

More info: 206-783-6380

Sustainable Ballard Knitters for the Homeless

What: Come join us on 2nd Friday of the month. Knitting instruction and yarn provided.

Where: Aster Cafe (5615 24th Ave NW)

When: 7-9 p.m.

More info: Jody at 718-1529 or jodytgrage@gmail.com

Saturday, April 13

Clean up North Beach Park with EarthCorps

What: Join EarthCorps and the Green Seattle Partnership at North Beach Park as they improve the health of this urban forest. You will be removing invasive plant species and maintaining restoration sites to encourage habitat recovery. Sign up here.

If you were down on Alki Beach around 7:30 on April 11 you might have spotted a large tug boat heading north in Puget Sound. That was a Ship Assist Tractor Tug from Crowley Maritime. The boat was built 10 years ago and commonly will head to Tacoma and back to Seattle as needed to help steer large ships into the right place.

It is 105 feet long, has a 36 foot beam and its engines deliver 5000 horsepower.

It was built by the well known Nichols Brothers Boat Builders whose website has a complete portfolio of their projects.

Update for Aug. 12, 2013
Teresa K. Miller, a West Seattle native and accomplished poet (who you can read about in detail below), has a book reading from her work "sped" at Elliot Bay Book Company on Aug. 24.

Here are the details, shared by Teresa:

West Seattle native Teresa K. Miller appears on Aug. 24 to read from her debut poetry collection, sped, published in a beautiful edition by Sidebrow Books, a west coast independent press. sped consists of three poetic sequences, one of which was inspired by the 2006 accident in which her father was struck by a car and killed while riding his bicycle on Highland Park Way.

"Weaving these individual threads into a single plait, Miller's form highlights her expansive entanglements, as well as her singular focused journey through mourning ... What a gripping debut Sidebrow Books in San Francisco has recently released."
- Katrina Roberts, Los Angeles Review of Books

Location:
The Elliott Bay Book Company
1521 Tenth Avenue
Seattle, Washington
7:30 P.M., Aug. 24

-----------------------------------------

By Christopher Duclos

The season has finally come to an end. For the younger players, inspiration, energy and enthusiasm are sparked as they watch their senior teammates get honored.

Seniors not only reminisce on the season that just ended but all the seasons prior in which they suited for Ballard Basketball. Like every team in high school basketball, the ultimate goal was to get to the Tacoma Dome for the state tournament. While the Beavers fell short of that goal in a heartbreaking loss against Newport, there was no shortage of fond memories and proud accomplishments.

The Beavers ended the season with a 9-6 (15-9 overall) record in conference play. The Kingco 4A conference is home to western Washington powerhouse programs such as Bothell and Garfield -- both teams handing Ballard losses on the season.

Pictured above is the Ballard starting five for the 2012-2013 season. This group of seniors started all 24 games together this season for the Beavers, leading their team to the Kingco Semi-Finals in the playoffs.

Starting five heading off to college?:

Seth Berger will attend the University of Massachusetts and play basketball.

Port Press Release:

Dale Hornung will be honored as the Port of Seattle Firefighter of the Year for 2012. Selected by a department-wide vote, Hornung has served the department for 26 years.

“Firefighter Hornung has all of the best qualities we hope for in a firefighter – a skilled professional, leader and team player who cares about his colleagues and community both inside and outside the fire house,” said Port of Seattle Fire Chief Randy Krause.

Hornung continually dedicates himself to numerous projects and committees including: Diversity Firefighters Association president, Port of Seattle Diversity and Development Council member, Emergency Medical Technician/Defibrillation instructor, and annual Woody Gray memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament Director.

Hornung plays a key role in the department’s charitable efforts. For over 20 years, he has directed the Pancake Breakfast fundraiser with proceeds going to a Camp Eyabsut for burn survivors. Eyabsut, which translates into “to rise above everything” in the dialect of the Native American Skagit tribe, provides a week-long opportunity for seven to 17-year old children to feel a sense of belonging.

Update, April 18

If you missed the Open House last week, you can find the presentation and display boards on SDOT’s project website (http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ballardgreenway.htm).

The folks at SDOT are now starting the planning process for a greenways network in Ballard, A.K.A., the “Ballard Box.” You can submit your suggestions for where you like to walk and ride your bike at walkandbike@seattle.gov.

Of course, you can read our in-depth coverage of last week's open house below.

Original, April 12

Though the same small group of vocal opponents once again made their pleas, it appears installation of the Ballard Greenway is set to move forward, with completion set for the end of summer.

The Ballard Greenway, if you don't know yet, will modify residential roads along NW 58th St from 4th Ave NW to 32nd Ave NW and then down to Seaview Ave NW. It's intended to make the roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians by slowing traffic and making clear signals at major arterial roads.

By Corbin Lewars

I recently had the opportunity to host a woman and her two sons for a week and a half. They were in Seattle under difficult circumstances, the death of her mother, who happened to be a writer. During one late night discussion, the woman told me her mother had been working on a memoir and it would be published posthumously.

“But how do you know it was finished?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s done,” she said with confidence.

I thought back to all of the times I claimed I was “done” with a book or essay and shuddered at the thought of anyone believing me and publishing those pieces. For me, and I believe many writers would agree, “done” has many meanings. The first phase of being done is a draft. Sure, it can be two hundred pages of incoherent spewing to a reader, but somewhere in there are all, or most, of the key elements that I wanted to address. The original goal of writing a book about (insert idea here), in order to (insert reason why to write said book and who cares about such topic here) is accomplished.

By Cassandra Baker

6:58 p.m., April 7. 70th block of 23rd Ave NW

A woman called police after her home was burglarized while she was out of town. She told the responding officer that she returned to the house to find that the back door had been forced open. Her neighbors believed the burglary had occurred around midnight because many neighborhood dogs had begun barking at that time.

The burglar stole about $300 worth of rare silver coins from the early 1900s, over $200 in cash, about $50 worth of loose change, and two laptops. The officer found three fingerprints on the change jar.

Neighbors reported seeing a suspicious-looking male in the area earlier in the week. The male was described as white, 6’0” with a prominent stomach, and transient-looking.

7:58 a.m., April 6. 28th block of NW 68th St

The Washington State Department of Transportation has announced a series of road closures this weekend that might put a crimp in your travel plans, especially if you are heading to one of the sports events over the next two days. WSDOT provided a complete list.

• The ramp from eastbound West Seattle Bridge to northbound I-5 will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge repair. Signed detour provided.
• The ramp from eastbound West Seattle Bridge to South Columbian Way (Beacon Hill) will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge repair. Signed detour provided.
• The ramp from Lower Spokane Street/Sixth Avenue South to northbound I-5 will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge repair. Signed detour provided.
• The ramp from Lower Spokane Street/Sixth Avenue South to South Columbian Way (Beacon Hill) will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge repair. Signed detour provided.