September 2013

A few schools near Ballard will be getting road safety improvements as the result of the revenues generated from school zone speeding cameras.

By the end of 2014, the city will install 15 school zone speeding cameras, in addition to the four that there already are. These cameras, officials say, should generate $14.8 million.

That revenue will work toward improving roads around schools. At more than 20 schools, including West Woodland Elementary in East Ballard/Phinney Ridge and Viewlands Elementary in Crown Hill, the city will make improvements such as new sidewalks, improved street crossings, and traffic calming.

“Keeping children safe as they travel to and from school, as well as throughout their neighborhood, is a top priority,” said McGinn. “This substantial new investment will help us make lasting improvements and encourage everyone to be safe on our roads.”

This effort is part of the School Road Safety Initiative launched earlier this year. This initiative is being advised by a School Road Safety Task Force and Interagency Team, made up of residents and members of school communities throughout the city.

If all goes according to plan (and permits) The Tap Station, a place for craft beers and select wines to go, should be open by late September according to the owners. Hopefully the week of Sept. 23. The West Seattle Herald was the first to tell you about this business in May when two of the owners, Kyle Duce (co-owner of Locol Vine and Barley next door) and Charlie Worden first announced their idea. Tap Station is in the former Sharon's Westwood Florist location at 7900 35th SW, right next to Locol.

The interior of Tap Station will be rustic but comfortable with large, overstuffed, leather chairs, burnt orange walls, recycled wood forming the back wall and unique and very clever antique beer bottles converted to light fixtures. Large maps of the area will fill one wall.

But the highlight, and reason for being is the beer and wine to go.

Scott Brenneman, with over 10 years of experience kayak fishing in the Pacific Northwest, will share some of the subtle techniques that he has refined over the years Sept 12. It's the Mountain 2 Sound Outfitters Fall Salmon Kayak Fishing seminar. Topics will include safety, rigging your kayak, terminal tackle, hardware and bait. The discussion will also include the popular estuaries of our region and how to correctly fish them throughout the tide cycles.

The seminar will be presented at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (www.m2soutfitters.com) at 7 PM on Thursday September 12, 2013.

LOCATION: Mountain to Sound Outfitters 3602 SW Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98126 206-935-7669
DATE: Thursday September 12, 2013 @ 7PM

Shrek the Musical continues this week on Saturday night. Performances are held at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 S. 152nd Street.

About Shrek

In a faraway kingdom tried upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre--not a handsome prince--shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won't shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and a over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand…and his name is Shrek. Based on the Dreamworks Animation Motion Picture and the book by William Steig.

Performance schedule

*Saturday, Sept. 14, 7:30pm
* Sunday, Sept. 15, 1:30pm
* Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30 pm
*Sunday, Sept. 22, 1:30 p.m.

Ticket Prices

* Premium: $25 ($(28 at the door)
* Adult: $18 ($21 at the door)
* Senior: $15 ($18 at the door)
* Student: $12 ($15 at the door)
* Child: $12 ($12 at the door)

for more info, go to www.Hi-liners.org

According to Seattle Police a female in her mid-30s walked into the 7-11 convenience store at the corner of 35th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Barton St. in West Seattle a little before 1 a.m. on Sept. 9 with a serious hankering for a snack.

The woman grabbed a bag of Doritos, opened them up, walked over to the store’s liquid cheese dispenser (generally reserved for those stale tortilla chips) and started squirting liquid gold onto her snack chips for double the processed cheese experience.

SPD wrote “when the clerk informed the woman he would have to charge her for the cheese, she flew into a rage and began screaming at the man, before she threw the cheese-filled bag at his head, spattering him with hot orange goo.”

She fled towards a silver Chevy Malibu and the clerk ran outside to get a license plate number, but she punched him in the back as he approached. The victim call 911 to report the sodium-rich assault (he was OK, it wasn’t too hot) and police responded.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Old habits die hard as they say. I still cling to my old habit of buying only what I really need. If I didn’t have the money, I always went without whatever it was that I thought I had to have. The “I want it and I want it now” urge was never in my scheme of things. When I was young I don’t remember of ever having a dress from the general store in our little town. My mother who taught herself to sew managed to create all my dresses on her new electric sewing machine. No, I never wore pants until later on when I actually broke the dress code by wearing a pants suit to my teaching job. But that is another story.

Since I was not affluent enough to buy the latest fashion, I would draw pictures of outfits that I dreamed about owning someday. I still have in my possession a big envelope holding all the styles I created on paper to fit the Flapper Fanny figure that I had copied from the daily newspaper cartoon. I fantasized wearing these fabulous creations someday.

One learns from experience how to fit one’s income to one’s essential purchases.

Where one Ballard-based music festival falls, another one starts.

Earlier this summer, Seattle Weekly announced that they would not be continuing it's annual ReverbFest due to declining year-over-year ticket sales and revenue.

In an explanation on Seattle Weekly, Mark Baumgarten (Correction: We accidentally misspelled it as Michael Baumgartner, because apparently we have Republican state senators on the mind) wrote, "A publication can endure the bleeding for some time, but when a pattern of declining ticket sales becomes apparent, a choice must be made. Try harder, or try something different. Unfortunately tickets sales for Reverb have been flagging over the past few years. Even last year, when the October sun was uncharacteristically shining brightly overhead and the lineup was solid, the festival found itself in the red. Likewise, sponsorships had become more and more difficult to secure in an increasingly crowded field of festivals."

UPDATE Sept. 13

Kendra Mcleod has reached her goal of $2300 necessary to walk in Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk coming up Sept. 20-22.

Mcleod said, "I feel really blessed I've been given the financial support I need to do this adventure. This past week has been very emotional and next week will continue to be that way as the 3-Day approaches. Thank you to everyone who helped me."

Original Post Sept. 9
This year, Kendra McLeod, a West Seattle resident, will participate for the first time in The Susan G Koman 3-Day 60 mile walk with her team Heart and Souls: Wytana Conner(cousin), Jeana Gresham(cousin), and Jana Wilbur(Aunt).

McLeod has already embarked on a physical and emotional journey in preparation for the 60-mile walk.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools
Football
Chief Sealth will be at home at the Southwest Athletic Complex for a 7 p.m. Metro League opening game Friday as West Seattle plays Seattle Prep at the same time at West Seattle Stadium.
Seattle Lutheran has West Seattle Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday against Lake Roosevelt.
Evergreen of White Center travels to Orting for a 7 p.m. game Friday.

Girls soccer
Chief Sealth hosts Roosevelt for a 6 p.m. match on Thursday.

Volleyball
Chief Sealth goes to Rainier Beach for a 7 p.m. match Tuesday before entertaining Franklin at 7 p.m. Thursday.
West Seattle visits Franklin at 7 p.m. Tuesday and hosts Rainier Beach at the same time Thursday.

Golf
West Seattle plays Franklin in 3 p.m. action at the West Seattle course Monday and takes on Lakeside at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Jefferson Park. Chief Sealth visits Eastside Catholic at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Colleges
Football

Baptism of fists
On Sept. 7 Southwest Precinct officers we called to the South Park Community Center shortly before midnight because a “large baptism” with “abundant alcohol served inside” turned ugly as several reverent revelers began throwing fists at each other. Things got even more out of hand when police arrived as, according to SPD, responding officers were “set upon by the crowd” and found themselves fighting as well. A massive police response ensued, including King County Sheriff’s deputies, and two suspects were ultimately arrested and booked for assault.

Tense moment at Westwood
Police responded to a call of a man wielding a crossbow at the Westwood Village shopping center just before 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. With rifles trained on the suspect, officers demanded the man put his weapon down and surrender, which he did after some convincing. With his crossbow were two arrows, including one with a razor steel hunting tip. After talking with the man police determined he was suffering from mental health issues. They placed him in four-point restraints before taking him to Harborview for involuntary commitment.