April 2013

The crowd got there early and it became apparent that this was no ordinary show. Mudhoney, formed in 1988, were at Easy Street Records to help the store celebrate 25 years in the West Seattle Junction. Mark Arm, Steve Turner, Guy Maddison and Dan Peters rocked the crowd which had gone out into the sidewalk and street even before they started playing. Mudhoney has produced 10 studio albums previously and are now releasing their latest, Vanishing Point.

This was an all ages, in-store event for Easy Street and the roaring surging sound of the band filled the heart of West Seattle with the band's own brand of surging grungy punk.

Reporter/Photographer Greg McCorkle was at the show and wrote:

"I remember in 1996 I saw them play an awesome show at the Central Tavern in Pioneer Square. Mark Arm did a stage dive that blew my mind. Here we are seventeen years later and they can still rock the house.

Many of the people that gathered in the cramp confines of the iconic record store on the corner of California Avenue and SW Alaska looked like they could have been at the same show as I almost two decades ago.

The game started well for the Seahawks and starting pitcher Marley Lucas. Lucas’s first pitch was a line drive hit right back to him for an easy out. The second Panther batter hit a towering fly ball to center field that was snagged for out number two. The third Prep batter was caught looking for a called strike three and one, two, three, just like that the Seahawks took care of the side.

The first Sealth batter, catcher Jake Jaramillo, slapped a single and was safe at first. Next up Isac Bauer showed patience at the plate and took four balls but not before Jaramillo stole second. Then #15 Aiden Behar was struck by a wild pitch and the Seahawks had the bases loaded with no outs. Jake Eddy was the next batter, and on the first pitch Eddy hits a floater over first base that lands fair by only two feet and rolls deep into right field clearing the bases with a standup double and Sealth is up 3-0. Prep starting pitcher Max Winkelhake was able to get out of the inning holding the Seahawks to three runs.

Organizers announced today that the West Seattle Grand Parade will be held this year on Saturday, July 20 at 11:00 AM.

Dave Vague said, "We are still in our planning stages and have secured a couple of our sponsors from last year, but we are still a little short and are once again asking for the support of the West Seattle Community, who has been so generous in the past and helped us to continue this cherished community event."

Donations can be made at the West Seattle Grand Parade website:
http://thewestseattleparade.com/Donate.html

An otherwise friendly and lovely Easter egg hunt yesterday at the Woodland Park Zoo turned foul when an outbreak of pushing and shoving began. We can't do justice to Public Affairs Officer Jonah Spangenthal-Lee's pun-filled report, so we'll let him take it away:

"Police were called to the Woodland Park Zoo on Sunday after an Easter egg hunt turned rotten (groan).

The hard-boiled tale began around 1 pm, when one woman reportedly pushed a child aside as her own child was scrambling toward some brightly colored eggs.

The shoving sparked a confrontation between the first woman (the supposed shover) and the second child’s mother, who began fighting and had to be separated three or four times. The brawl left the first woman with a bloody nose.

The second woman was gone when police arrived at the zoo, and when officers tried talking to the first woman to see if she had any info that could crack the case, she said she wasn’t interested in pursuing charges against her attacker."

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King County Metro Bus could have some problems come 2014, when temporary funding measures run dry.

Metro says for northwest Seattle and North King County, including your favorite neighborhood, bus trips and hours of service are reduced or changed on about 25 routes. Many routes in this area were already changed or eliminated as part of a major service restructure in September, 2012.

In King County overall, 65 routes could get cut and 86 more could get reduced service. Metro has a total of 217 routes.

The cuts are due to a funding gap leftover from a flailing economy and a reliance on a gas tax that has failed to keep pace with the needs of Metro.

According to Metro:

"Metro depends on sales tax revenue for about 60 percent of its operating funds, and has experienced a dramatic drop in revenue since the economic downturn began in 2008. Facing a $1.2 billion revenue shortfall for 2008-2015, Metro has taken many steps to preserve as much service as possible. In 2011, the King County Council approved a temporary congestion reduction charge that is providing about $25 million annually until 2014."

Information from Sam Reed, Chief Sealth Athletic Director:

Good afternoon Chief Sealth supporters!

If this past weekend's sunshine wasn't enough to get you excited for spring and summer, how about an e-mail about golf sent on the opening day of the newest MLB season! Selfishly, I'm hoping to capitalize on that excitement and to invite you all to join me for the 3rd Annual Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament, coming Friday, June 7th to Foster Golf Links.

After two great years at Rainier Golf and Country Club, I'm excited to announce that we're moving this year's event to the recently updated Foster Golf Links in nearby Tukwila. The new location will allow for this event to continue to grow and help to raise even more money for our athletic programs and student-athletes - all while actually lowering the price to participate in the event!

Beer lovers, today is a good day: Reuben's Brews is bottling their beer, and they just finished their first batch yesterday.

The first batch -- which consists of 225 cases of American Rye, Imperial Rye IPA, and the Roggenbier -- will be made available at Whole Foods, said owner Adam Robbings. There's one in Interbay at 2001 15th Ave W.

From there, Robbings said they will brew again, and that batch will be made available at specialty beer stores in the area.

Photographer Erik Haugen went out to the brewery to take some photos of the bottling process. Ever wonder what bottling looks like at a small brewery? Well, here's your chance.

Preparing the pallets the cases will be stacked on

Last minute checks

Empty bottles ready to be filled

Press release
Sixty-five Metro Transit bus routes are at risk of being canceled, and service reduced on another 86 routes, if state lawmakers allow temporary two-year funding for the agency to expire without authorizing a permanent and sustainable source of revenue.

That message – showing cuts to up to 17 percent of Metro’s service which will cascade through the agency’s 217-route system – is included in Metro’s 2012 Service Guidelines Report, sent today to the King County Council.

The report measures and analyzes transit service based on measures of productivity, geographic value, social equity, and ridership.
Included is a look at where investments are needed to reduce overcrowding, keep buses on time and meet growing demand.

The report also offers the first glimpse at which Metro routes are at risk for canceling or reducing if the state Legislature doesn’t authorize funding to fill Metro’s projected $75 million annual budget gap.

Press release:

Date: April 21 @ 2pm
Location: Highline Performing Arts Center – Burien
Tickets: $15 (17 & under free with a paid adult ticket) www.northwestassociatedarts.org or 206-246-6040

SilverSounds Northwest pays tribute to the long running TV show, American Bandstand, with their own Rockin’ version titled B-Town Bandstand.

SilverSounds Northwest salutes American popular music from the sixties through today by performing hits like, Help Me Rhonda, Fire and Rain, The Man in the Mirror, and Don’t Stop Believin’.

SilverSounds, is a group of retired folks who believe “You’re never too old to rock ‘n roll.”

Under the direction of Paula Hawkins, SilverSounds delights audiences of all ages. With this, their third concert ever, the ensemble combines energetic singing with clever staging and choreography to create a fun-filled show.

One of the 50 people arrested in the 2011 "Center of Attention" raids of gun and drug traffickers operating out of White Center has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 35-year-old Auburn resident Michael Paul Gradney was convicted by jury in December 2012 "for being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, and possession and distribution of cocaine base." He was sentenced to 15 years followed by five years of probation by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on April 1.

Here are some additional details from the U.S. Attorney's Office press release: