August 2013

So, we all know that Viking Days is happening this weekend (right!?), and that Nordic Heritage Museum is probably the best Scandinavian themed museum around.

With that being said, why WOULDN'T Evening Magazine visit the Nordic Heritage Museum and spread the word about Viking Days? The answer is, there is no reason not to visit. So, they did.

A photo album on Nordic Heritage's Facebook shows Evening Magazine Host Meeghan Black very seriously talking to men dressed up in full Viking regalia. Their also seems to be footage of them dueling. (The Vikings, not Meeghan.)

You can watch the episode on Friday, 5 p.m.

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Due to inclement weather, tonight’s Music in the Park has been moved to the Burien Community Center, 14700 6th Ave SW. Come on over to get some great Latin sunshine from band Tumbao!

Thank you!

Gina Kallman
Cultural Arts Supervisor
Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Tel: (206) 391-6605
ginak@burienwa.gov
www.BurienParks.net

A reader reported to us that a suspicious woman was seen at around 10:45 a.m., Aug. 15, casing houses on 7th Ave NW and NW 70th St. The reader, who we happen to know isn't the bashful sort, confronted her after she exited a neighbor's driveway. She became defensive and sped off on a bicycle heading west on NW 70th.

The reader took the photo above and describes the woman as a slender, white female with short medium brown hair and freckles, around 30 years old. She smokes, wears a pink jacket and a very distinctive yellow headband tied at the top.

If you see her around Ballard or Phinney Ridge today, particularly if she's acting suspicious again, call 911.

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Seattle is a mightily wired place, where smartphones are nearly as commonplace as shoes. To help the technically-inclined report a number of nuisances in their lives – from potholes to graffiti to abandoned vehicles – the city released their “Find It, Fix It” app for both Android and iOS devices on Aug. 13.

According to Mayor Mike McGinn’s office, “ The app takes advantage of technology available on mobile devices, including geographic awareness, to give mobile users a convenient way to alert the City to issues such as graffiti and potholes, while providing location information that helps City staff respond. The City is also soliciting public feedback on the app, which will be fine-tuned to respond to initial use and comments.”

"When you’re out in your neighborhood and see a pothole, graffiti, or something else you think the City should know about, Find It, Fix It gives you an easy way to notify us so we can fix it," McGinn said in a statement. “Download the app, test it out and share your feedback and ideas to help us develop more mobile services.”

Here are the details from the Mayor’s office:

The Seattle Fire Department sees a predictable jump in fires during the dry, warm summer months, and shared these tips with the community to help safeguard yourself and your property:

In the past month, the Seattle Fire Department has responded to more than 100 warm weather-related fires involving dry grass, bark and shrubs. Seattle residents can help reduce the chance of such outdoor fires by following a few simple steps:

• Remove long grass, weeds or anything that can burn from around your home. This includes limbs that touch your home or hang near the roof.

• Remove dead plants or bushes as soon as possible.

• Clear roof and gutters of needles and leaves.

• Make sure cigarettes have cooled completely before throwing them out. Carelessly discarded cigarettes can easily start a fire in dry conditions.

By Mayor Mike McGinn

Editor's note: Central Ballard has been included as one of the first 14 neighborhoods that will be connected to fiber broadband via Gigabit Squared, which will bring speeds up to 1 gigabit per second for $80 a month. Other areas can also solicit Gigabit for gaining access by signing up here. Gigabit says they are giving access to areas that have the most demand, so, if you want better Internet, you simply need to speak up. For more info, visit www.gigabitseattle.com.

Below is a message from the Mayor detailing the story of how he wants to bring better Internet to the city of Seattle.

Fifteen years ago America’s internet speeds were among the fastest in the world. That infrastructure helped build a tech industry that is helping create jobs and build prosperity here in Seattle today.

– No one was hurt during a late night house fire in the 2800 block of S. 142 Street. Firefighters from SeaTac, Tukwila, and North Highline responded to the call after a passerby reported the fire at 12:40 am.

When firefighters arrived, they found fire lapping up the side of a small single story home. After extinguishing the fire on the outside, firefighters discovered that fire had spread into the attic space. By removing ceiling and cutting a hole in the roof they were able to extinguish all the remaining flames and protect the rest of the house.

The single male resident was able to get out safely and was cooperating with the fire investigator to determine the cause.

The fire is considered under investigation. It does not appear that there were any working smoke alarms in the home.

Maria Pettinato got her dog Bella, an English Bulldog, as adoptee, "from a woman up in Lynnwood who got her from Oklahoma. She wasn't in very good shape when I got her. She was full of mites."

Bella only has one ear, "So she has kind of a wierd perception, one sided hearing."

"When she was two years old, we got her Sophie, who is a Labradoodle," Maria said," and she went from being a puppy to being an adult in one day. She watched Sophie grow and was pretty revolted by how big she got but they still love each other and play with each other."

Bella has a big personality and as we watched she rubbed along the edge of the bricks at the Alki Bathhouse and drank from the foot washing spray as if it were put there just for dogs.

"If she's demanding attention and not doing what we want to do, like read the paper, there's one way to make her stand still. She flips on her back and I'll tickle her back toes and she'll stay there forever. It's the only control I have over her. Other than that she rules the roost."

Maria described a special trip they took with Bella, that was unusual for that breed.

Aug. 13 at Steve Cox Memorial Park was a day of reflection on the unincorporated area of White Center and North Highline for King County Executive Dow Constantine, and a chance to talk about the area's future in addressing the WC Chamber of Commerce.

Before getting elected as executive in 2009, Constantine spent seven years on the King County Council (representing the 8th District which includes North Highline) and started his political career in 1996 as a state legislator. During that expanse of time, he said, he’s spoken to the Chamber several times. He took note of a difference on this most recent occasion.

“I used to come and speak to the Chamber, and this was something that was not lost on the members … the Chamber was not a very diverse group,” he said. “(It) was a lot of longtime white businesspeople and there was a lot of consternation about how could we have the chamber be truly representative of the whole community.”

By Mayor Mike McGinn

Fifteen years ago America’s internet speeds were among the fastest in the world. That infrastructure helped build a tech industry that is helping create jobs and build prosperity here in Seattle today.

But the private companies who own and operate that digital infrastructure haven’t kept up. American internet speeds and bandwidth are falling behind other countries. We continue to rely on copper wires to carry increasing amounts of data, even though those wires were originally intended to carry just voice and video. Meanwhile Australia is wiring their entire country with fiber broadband, which can provide enough capacity for data, voice, and video streaming for decades to come.

We want to keep Seattle as an attractive place for business, because we have the right talent, good quality of life, and first class infrastructure. That’s why I am working to bring better broadband service to Seattle.