October 2013

Visitors at Golden Gardens were treated to an especially adorable sight last Saturday: a seal pup bathing in the sun. Ballard resident Erin McCoy was at the scene and sent a couple of photos.

Sun bathing seal pups are a perfectly normal thing. While they are pups (the birthing season runs from June to September), they will "haul out" onto beaches and rocks to get much needed rest and warmth, often for long hours, according to West Seattle Seal Sitters.

During this time, it's important to leave them alone. Keep a distance of at least a hundred feet, as if the mother feels she would be in any danger she may abandon the pup. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach, but if you do have one, make sure its on a leash. Most of the time, the seal pup is in no immediate danger, but if they are on the beach for over 48 hours make sure to call the Seattle Marine Mammal Stranding Network at (206) 695-2277.

If an animal is being harassed or is in danger, call NOAA law enforcement at 1-800-853-1964, or call 911.

Information from SDOT

Northbound traffic on Delridge Way SW is now detoured at SW Roxbury Street. The change reverses the direction of the previous detour in phase five, between SW Roxbury and SW Henderson streets. The detour went into effect this afternoon and will remain until project completion, expected the end of this year. Southbound traffic along this stretch of Delridge Way SW will be maintained.

Northbound Delridge Way SW traffic at SW Roxbury Street is directed along one of two paths:

· West on SW Roxbury Street

· North on 26th Avenue SW

· East on SW Barton Street/ SW Barton Place onto Delridge Way SW

Or

· North on 16th Avenue SW

· West on SW Henderson Street to Delridge Way SW

Please see the attached detour map. Traffic signals will be adjusted as traffic flow is monitored. The phase five detour change is taking place to better accommodate traffic and construction work.

By Rachel Lusby

Students at the Academy of Citizenship and Environment, (A.C.E., part of the Tyee Educational Complex in SeaTac,) welcomed a special visitor on Oct. 8, popular motivational speaker Jim Madrid.

Madrid is a renowned speaker whose clients include Microsoft, Amazon, the Seattle Sounders and more.

Tuesday’s talk in the gym focused on positivity, responsibility and changing one’s mindset. “Anything is possible,” was the motif. The title: “Achieving Unprecedented Record Breaking Success in a Competitive World”

At the beginning of the lecture Madrid immediately engaged students in a uniform activity; a simple clapping exercise. He divided students up into 3 groups. “Group 1, clap once” and so on it went. Then he jumped right to the point.

“You can be doing a whole lot more than you are doing now,” Madrid told students. He said in athletics, with grades, behavior, anything, they could be doing more.

UPDATE 11:40am

Seattle Police Gang Unit detectives are now investigating a stabbing of two males Thursday night Oct10 at Westwood Village in the 2600 block of S.W. Barton Street.

According to the SPD Blotter report:

"At about 6:45 pm, several Southwest Precinct officers were handling a disturbance call in the 2600 Block of SW Barton when someone came running up to them stating that someone had been stabbed across the street. Officers immediately ran over and found the 15-year-old male on the street. Seattle Fire was immediately called and responded. A second victim, the 21-year-old, was found across the street.

Award-winning National Geographic photographer David McLain shared stunning images and stories of elders from around the world at the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation's fundraising luncheon Oct. 3. The event raised $200,000.

McLain showed, via a multi-media presentation, elders who are living vibrant, passionate and long lives and the profound effect of embracing one's Ikigai, or "reason for being" as it relates to longevity, fulfillment and happiness.

This year's luncheon theme was "Finding Your Ikigai--Discover Your Reason for Being No Matter Your Age" and McLain's presentation fit with Providence Mount St. Vincent's mission to offer older adults a loving home in its assisted living and skilled nursing facility as they age and continue toward the end of their life's journey.

"At Providence Mount St. Vincent we strive to help all who live here to find meaning and purpose in their lives, regardless of stage in life or the challenges often faced in aging," said Molly Swain, executive director of the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation.

The Central Ballard Residents Association, a group of neighbors who work on issues pertaining to the downtown core of Ballard, will be meeting tonight (Thursday, Oct. 10) to talk about Charter Amendment 19 -- the amendment that seeks to elect councilmembers by district instead of at large. (See our debate coverage from the Ballard District Council here.)

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Swedish Hospital Ballard Campus, Conference Room A on the main floor of the hospital, to the right after going through the entrance on 5330 Tallman Ave.

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While all media focus last night was on the mayoral debate, a debate on Charter Amendment 19 -- on whether to elect council members by district -- was also unfolding at the Ballard District Council.

The Seattle Districts Now campaign seeks to interrupt the current way the city of Seattle elects councilmembers. Currently, all nine councilmembers are elected at large. The 7-2 proposal under Charter Amendment 19 would have seven councilmembers elected by district and two elected at large.

Currently, 47 of the top 50 U.S. cities (as well as the King County and Washington state governments) elect representatives by district and not at large.

The map for the districts, shown above, was created by UW Geography Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard Morrill to conform with Washington State Law -- it shows equal population districts whose boundaries conform, where possible, to recognizable geographic boundaries.

With no clear end in sight to the federal government shutdown, King County elected officials took to their podium on Oct. 9 at the Public Health Center in White Center to vent about the problems caused here at home, including a loss of support for women and children.

Executive Dow Constantine’s office said he was forced to send advance layoff notices to 82 county employees “who provide essential nutrition services for women, infants and children, as a consequence of the continuing federal shutdown.”

The program at risk is known as WIC (Women, Infants and Children), and USDA funding is set to run out on Oct. 31. WIC historically helps 38,000 women and children “eat well, learn about nutrition and stay healthy” with services like health screenings and critical items like baby formula, according to the county.

“This self-inflicted, manufactured crisis will interrupt essential nutrition services for 38,000 pregnant women, new mothers, and young children in King County,” Constantine said in a transcript shared by the county. “They are literally taking food from the mouths of babies.”

GoPetFriendly.com is a website dedicated to reporting on travel destinations and how they rank in terms of traveling with canine companions. The site is the creation of husband and wife Amy and Rod Burkert, who recently traveled to West Seattle for a wedding with their two dogs, Ty and Buster.

The title of their report, “How Pet Friendly West Seattle Stole Our Hearts,” pretty much says it all.

While the couple noted our “distinct lack of hotels,” they said The Grove – West Seattle Inn was very accommodating, even allowing Buster (who is well over the Grove's 40 lbs. limit) to stay.

The couple made their way to California Ave. S.W., where they noted “a couple of pet supply stores to keep your pooch happy, an ice cream shop that was always busy, and one of the best bakeries known to man.”

The only downside they noted was during a walk along Alki: “There are more enticing eateries here, though at many of them pets had to wait outside the fence at the patio seating area – which I don’t consider very pet friendly.”

Ever since Rob Mattson started working in Ballard in 1973, under Mayor Wes Uhlman's new Community Service Center program, he has quietly pulled the ropes and levers behind the curtain, forming throughout the years one of Seattle's strongest communities.

Now, Rob is retiring from his position as Ballard District Coordinator.

According to a letter he sent out to community members, he has sold his house in Ballard and on Nov. 2 he will be headed over to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, a small city of 24,000. His plans? "Not work," he says a little devilishly. But in all seriousness, because Rob is Rob, he'll probably get involved in community matters again, either attending Oak Harbor City Council Meetings or writing cranky letters to the local newspaper.