September 2013

According to Seattle Police, a 7-year-old boy is under Child Protective Services custody after his mother abandoned him at the newly-formed Nickelsville homeless camp on the 2000 block of S. Jackson St.

Police responded to the camp around 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 after reports came in of the child wandering through the camp, soaked by rain, according to Det. Renee Witt.

Campers told police the boy had been abandoned by his mother, who was nowhere to be found. The child said he had no idea when his mom would return.

The child told police he hadn't eaten since breakfast, so police took him to McDonald's for dinner while they waited for CPS to arrive, Witt said.

No arrests have been made.

Nickelsville's former site in the Highland Park neighborhood of West Seattle was dismantled on Sept. 1 after Seattle's City Council deemed that the move-out deadline for campers illegally squatting there.

More than 5000 residents and businesses were affected Saturday by a possible e.Coli outbreak in Water District 54's system. Inspectors found evidence of e.Coli from a tap during a routine inspection and immediately informed customers of the need to boil drinking water. Water District 54 serves residents and businesses from S. 212th just outside down town Des Moines and south to Kent-Des Moines Rd and from the marina east to 13th Avenue S.

Commissioner John Rayback said they not know the source yet but suspect it might have been a false reading. Pipes were to be flushed with chlorine and then flushed with fresh water to eliminate the chlorine as a precaution. "We flush our pipes with chlorine when needed," Rayback said. Water District 54 is one of the few districts in the state who do not regularly add chlorine to their water, unlike Highline and Seattle. " If inspectors contaminate the sample, it can give you a false-positive," Rayback added. Rayback said samples are taken each month. A test further downstream tested for coliform so further tests are needed.

Sports Roundup

Football

Friday, Sept. 20
Lindbergh 28, Evergreen 16
The Wolverines gave Lindbergh a battle before taking a loss in the Seamount League opener for both teams.
Renton 58, Foster 7
The Bulldogs avoided a shutout in Friday's loss to the Indians. Both teams were opening their Seamount League seasons.
Hazen 46, Highline 0
Highline was hammered by Hazen in the Seamount League opener for both teams on Friday.

Saturday, Sept. 21
Ballard 28, Kennedy 21
Kennedy Catholic came up one touchdown shy of the Beavers, who were the Lancers' third Class 4A non-league opponent in as many games. JFK is only Class 3A.
Charles Wright 21, SCS 16
The combined Seattle Christian/Life Christian team lost a close one to Charles Wright this past Saturday.
Kentwood 50, Mt. Rainier 0
Kentwood made it convincing against Mount Rainier in Class 4A South Puget Sound League North Division action on Saturday.

Information from King County

Building upon reforms put in place over the past four years, King County Executive Dow Constantine today proposed a balanced 2014 Budget with no new taxes that sustains essential functions and restores some critical services lost in the recession.

“We are reforming from the inside, forging ahead even as other levels of government are paralyzed, to construct local solutions to complex problems,” said Executive Constantine in his annual budget address to the Metropolitan King County Council.

With cities and metropolitan areas fast becoming the engines of innovation, prosperity and social transformation in the United States, the Executive outlined several initiatives for the County to chart its way forward:

· A $500,000 Catalyst Fund to lead the transformation of the regional health and human service system from reactive crisis response to proactive preventive strategies and services. These one-time funds are intended to kick start the best new ideas and advances, attract other investments and revenue sources, and lead to better outcomes, particularly in the treatment of those with mental health and addiction issues.

Sportswatch

High schools

Football
Foster will go to Highline for an 8 p.m. game Friday at Highline Memorial, while Mount Rainier will be at French Field for 5 p.m. action against Kentridge.

Evergreen drops in on close rival Kennedy in a 7 p.m. game at Highline Memorial on Saturday with the combined Seattle Christian/Life Christian team visits Cascade Christian at 5 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

Girls soccer

Foster visits Tyee for a 3:30 p.m. match at Valley Ridge on Tuesday and Kennedy entertains Lindbergh at Starfire at 6 p.m. Highline hosts Hazen at 6 p.m. and Evergreen entertains Renton at 7:30 p.m.
Highline hosts Decatur for a 7:30 p.m. non-league match at Highline Memorial this Wednesday.

Thursday's schedule has Kennedy at home against Evergreen at 6 p.m. at Starfire, with Foster hosting Hazen at 7:30 p.m.
Tyee visits Lindbergh at 4 p.m. at Renton Stadium.

Volleyball

Mount Rainier travels to Federal Way for a 7:15 p.m. non-league match on Tuesday.

The 2014 proposed budget by Mayor Mike McGinn if approved should have impact for preschoolers, seniors, law enforcement, school safety, and victims of domestic violence. The total budget is $4.4 billion which includes the city's $1 billion General Fund.

The mayor's 2014 Proposed Budget:
 
·        Increases investments to enhance public safety, including growing the police force to improve 911 response times, and strengthening the city’s commitment to the Center City Initiative to foster public safety in downtown Seattle.
·        Protects and expands the human services safety net by increasing support in key program areas, including homelessness, domestic violence and senior services.

Library Community Conversation Tonight! (SPL press release)

City Librarian Marcellus Turner is hosting 12 community conversations throughout the city. He will provide an update on implementation of the Library levy and hear from residents about how the Library can better serve them.

A Community Conversation is scheduled at The Seattle Public Library’s West Seattle Branch, 2306 42nd Ave. S.W. on Monday, Sept. 23 from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm.

For more information contact Jennifer Cargal, Office of the City Librarian, The Seattle Public Library, 206-233-2683 or by e-mail at Jennifer.Cargal@spl.org

High schools

Football
Chief Sealth hosts Blanchet for 7 p.m. action at the Southwest Athletic Complex this Friday and West Seattle is at Memorial Stadium in Seattle playing Cleveland at 5 p.m.
Seattle Lutheran travels to Concrete for a 7 p.m. game.

Girls soccer
A crosstown showdown takes place Tuesday, when Chief Sealth hosts West Seattle for 4 p.m. action at the SWAC.
Chief Sealth travels to Franklin for 3:30 p.m. action Friday.
West Seattle will visit Franklin at 3:30 p.m. match Thursday.

Volleyball
Chief Sealth visits Nathan Hale at 7 p.m. Tuesday and hosts Ingraham at the same time Thursday.
West Seattle goes to Ingraham for 7 p.m., action Tuesday and hosts Nathan Hale at the same time on Thursday.

Golf
West Seattle battles Eastside Catholic in a 3 p.m. match at Jefferson Park on Friday.

Colleges

UW Football
The University of Washington hosts Arizona this coming Saturday as Washington State University entertains Stanford at Century Link Field in Seattle.

Pro sports
Seahawks

By Holly Brown

Eggplant is in peak season during the late summer and early fall. Now is the perfect time to enjoy this voluptuous vegetable! When selecting one of these stylish beauties, be sure to choose eggplant that's heavy for its size, and has a fresh cap of leaves. The eggplant's shiny; deep purple skin should be free of brown spots or scars. Eggplant is a "meaty" vegetable, often a substitute for meat in pasta dishes, and sauces. This versatile veggie tastes great roasted, sautéed, and grilled.

Some chefs like to "sweat" the moisture from an eggplant, by salting it, and letting it sit in a colander for about 30 minutes. Then gently squeezing it with a paper towel. Sweating also reduces bitterness, which can be found in larger sized eggplants.

      Just off Ambaum Boulevard, at 124th St, I  bought a house in 1957. It had a long gravel drive at the end of 14th SW with an open view of Puget Sound over the tops of the trees that make up the Salmon Creek ravine. The yard was the gateway to exploration of a verdant forest. Our boys set about seizing territory like Alexander the Great.

         To those school age kids, this was Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and a little bit of Lord of the Flies. Nobody died, that I know of, down in that ravine but they sure had quite an adventure.

         A slightly overgrown, switchback trail led down the steep incline, 20 feet, to a more gentle slope for about 300 yards. The leafy brush struggled to grow among the Madrona, Alder and fir trees of this mostly damp ground where the confluences of several runoff creeks formed one larger creek they aptly named "Robinson Creek", reasoning that they did not see a sign in their investigation and certainly never consulted a map. And this was all on the first day!