April 2013

Seattle Public Schools announced a new tool on April 3 that will help parents track whether their child’s bus will be on time.

Called “Late Bus Alerts,” the online tool is found at www.seattleschools.org/latebus

According to SPS, the tool is updated throughout the day anytime a bus is expected to be more than 10 minutes late.

“We designed this feature with parents in mind, because it allows them to access the information from their smart phone or other device rather than having to call into our transportation control center,” Ellen Reyes, Assistant Manager of Transportation Business Operations, said in a statement. “While the new tool doesn't estimate the actual arrival time of a school bus, it does reassure parents that their child’s bus is on its way so that they can plan their schedules accordingly.”

Parents can contact transportation by phone at (206) 252-0900 for updates or questions.

Ballard High School Head Coach NancyEllen Elster is stepping into semi-retirement (we're told she can't fully let go) and will be taking a role as assistant coach.

Elster was recently inducted into the Washington State Cheer Coach Association's Hall of Fame for her work in radically transforming the BHS cheer program. Elster led her cheerleaders from a "moribund state" to win awards, state championships and compete nationally. She herself won the State Coach of the Year award in 2006 and the Cheer Ltd Pinnacle National Coaching Award for Coaching Excellence in 2009.

A group of Ballard mothers would like to show Elster their love, support and thanks by having a banquet in her honor. They also would like community members to take time to write a note for Elster and send it to NEEisthebest@gmail.com by April 12. Read their full note below:

Hello Ballard Community,

After 25 years, the two Angelos of Angelo Hair Design (5331 Tallman Ave NW) are closing up shop for good, according to Angelo Sacco.

Ballard News-Tribune columnist Peggy Sturdivant wrote about the pair in a Dec. 29, 2007 article called "The two Angelos." Peggy writes:

"It's like entering the below sidewalk bar in the old sitcom Cheers, a place where everyone knows your name. There is immediate familiarity, zinging retorts, a variety of quirky characters. It's a place where you want to belong. Angelo One (also known as the Good Angelo) works more slowly with clients, sitting across from them while they tint. Angelo Two (also known as the Crazy One) is a whirling dervish who can do a partial foil, rinse and blow-dry while another client gets just a haircut with Angelo One."

We'll stop by sometime this month and give an update on the why and the what next. Meanwhile, if you've always wanted to get your hair styled by two talented neighborhood characters, there's still time.

Zachariah Bryan can be reached at zachb@robinsonnews.com

A woman jogging on the 5400 block of California Ave. S.W. was attacked by an unknown male just after 5 a.m. on April 3, according to Seattle Police Det. Renee Witt.

Witt said the man came out of the shadows and "grabbed the victim's waist, pulled her down into crouch position and fondled her genital area."

The victim screamed and the man let go, running northbound and then east onto S.W. Brandon St.

When police arrived the woman said the suspect, described as an unknown race male at 5'9" tall and wearing a dark colored hoodie and dark pants, never said anything during the attack. She declined medical attention.

A few hours after the attack, a message was found at the scene, written in chalk on the sidewalk:

"Women of West Seattle:

Physical / Sexual Assault took place HERE.

The man ran away & was not located by police. I was out for my A.M. run in our neighborhood. Be AWARE!

WARN YOUR FRIENDS"

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 9-1-1. Anonymous tips are welcome.

Update for April 4
SPD Det. Mark Jamieson confirmed the April 2 shooting on the 2000 block of S.W. Cloverdale St. was targeting the same house targeted in two prior shootings from March.

Jamieson said the residents of that home have told detectives they have no idea why they are being targeted.

Police are still looking for leads in all three shootings.

Original post on April 3
The night after two young men were shot several times in West Seattle, Seattle Police are reporting two drive-by shootings occurred on April 2.

The first shooting occurred on the 2000 block of S.W. Cloverdale St., the third reported drive-by on that block since March 10. (You can read more about those here and here).

Last January, the Ballard District Council asked neighborhood residents to take a survey on the changes to transit that took place on Sept. 29, 2012. Routes were cut, other routes were rerouted, RapidRide D was installed and stops were decreased.

Now, the results are in. 782 people took the 21-question survey (though not everyone answered all of the questions) within the month of January. 129,885 words were written in free-form questions, which either means Ballardites are really cranky about the changes or that they care about the future of transit to their neighborhood.

Here are data visualizations for several of the questions, provided to us by the Ballard District Council.

Question: RapidRide Improvement?

From left to right, "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree."

Blue: RapidRide D is an improvement over the former 15 local service

Green: Service on the RapidRide C Line is an improvement over the former 54 and 55 service.

Question: time to bus stop?

When Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway began cutting trees at the Ballard bascule bridge right of way by the Salmon Bay Natural Area on Wednesday, March 20, no one was quite sure what was going on.

It had caught the concern and curiosity of neighbors. But it wasn’t until most of the trees were already cut down over the weekend when Groundswell NW board member Dave Boyd caught whiff of it. He had been involved in the Salmon Bay Natural Area project since 1998, and while BNSF cut trees within their property, the trees were still part of a vulnerable salmon habitat environment and BNSF worked without community or city input. What they left behind was a massacre scene consisting of fallen trees, a tangle of twigs and freshly cut stumps.

“I was really angry and upset. I consider that area part of the natural area, an area we’ve been working to restore for years," he said. "… It was just very upsetting that they would go in and do that kind of work without contacting the city or the community."

Gus Melonas, spokesman for BNSF, said that the clear-cutting was necessary work and that the safety of rail workers were paramount.

An offensive scheme that kept the pressure on all game long produced a 5-0 win over the Raiders of Nathan Hale. The Seahawks spent most of their match against Nathan Hale on the Raiders half of the pitch and that offensive determination paid off when in the 28th minute #7 forward Abdinur Galgalo took a pass on the ten yard line and hit a shot just beyond the reach of Raider goalie Stuart Long for a 1-0 lead. The half ended with that one goal advantage.

Approximately 18 minutes into the second half with Sealth inbounding the ball five yards in front of the Raider goal Hale defender Spencer Carlson tried to clear the ball away from the net but ended up sending it in for an own goal and Sealth was up 2-0.

A similar scenario occurred just a few minutes later when, on an inbounds pass from nearly the same location, Sealth midfielder Mori Tsuchiya juked the Raider goalie and fired a shot that nearly took out the back of the net. And the Seahawks were up 3-0.

Phoebe is brand new to West Seattle, and she has a history. She's a "Schnauzer Mix" and was "found as a stray in Elko, Nevada," said her new owner Carole Isakson. "I was looking for a dog online and I saw the picture of her on Angel Paws Pet Rescue in West Seattle.

She once had a good home. She's not afraid of people, and kind of self confident. She's been trained before because when I get out her leash she sits down in front of me. But I think she's also a little sad and depressed.
Every day she gets a little perkier though," Isakson said.

When Phoebe was picked up she was, "dragging a collar and leash but nobody ever came and claimed her at the shelter. The pet rescue in West Seattle has a relationship with this rural overcrowded shelter in Nevada. They keep dogs for a very short period of time and then euthanize them. The shelter has an agreement that twice a month they will get a shipment of the most adoptable dogs. A truckload of 14 dogs came up on the 17th of March. So i sent an email and they said I could come and meet her. It turned out it was in West Seattle.

(Editor's Note: This update reflects corrections to the previously-posted story.)

The Burien City Council rebuffed Lake Burien residents again April 1 in their efforts to have the city’s land use map changed to show the neighborhood as low-density use.

Mayor Brian Bennett and council members Jack Block Jr., Rose Clark, Gerald Robison and Joan McGilton opposed placing the request on the 2013 comprehensive plan amendments docket. Deputy Mayor Lucy Krakowiak and Councilmember Bob Edgar voted to place it on the docket.

The vote was not on approving the request but just on whether the city should consider the matter further.

‘It’s like the Supreme Court deciding which cases to take,” City Manager Mike Martin noted.

The council is expected to vote on the comprehensive plan amendments at the end of the year.

The City Council has previously rejected the proposal. The proposal is not eligible to be put back on the docket for another three years after rejection unless circumstances have changed.

During public comments a tag team of Lake Burien residents argued the neighborhood has markedly changed since 2010 when the request was on the plan docket.