November 2013

It does not seem so long ago that I left my job as a test electrician at Boeing (they went on strike) in 1946. Curly Witherbee, shop foreman, said we'd be back in three weeks. Six months later they were still "out" and I needed work for my growing family. With three kids in a 750 sq ft house in McMicken Heights, I knew I had to do something!

We might be called the "Greatest Generation" by a number of folks but I only know, without a job, you don't eat. A friend mentioned some excavating and cement work not far from our house. Near the old Lewis & Clark theaters a crew was putting in a meat locker with cold storage. The hole had been dug, the 14 foot deep frame was in place and cement was pouring in when the whole form caved in. It was my job, with others, to muck out the wet cement so the crew could start over the next day. I was not built for this kind of back-breaking work but it was work. I lasted a day and what a day it was. My scrawny frame was exhausted as I traipsed dirt and muddy cement boots into my house.

By Matt Wendland

Hundreds of people from across King County and western Washington poured into the Burien Community Center Saturday night to take part in Burien Arts Association’s 6th annual Vision 20/20.

Burien Arts Association is considered to be one of the longest running arts organizations in the Puget Sound region, established in the 1960s with the mission of bringing quality arts experiences to the greater Burien community. The group puts on a number of arts-related events each year such as Shakespeare in the Park, the Sing and Sketch, the Highline Classic Jazz Festival and you can find board members and organization volunteers faithfully working away dishing up strawberry shortcake each year at Burien’s Wild Strawberry Festival, an event they had a foundational roll of establishing years ago.

By Betty Rose Cortes

Tulpe Edwin was homesick. She missed her friends. She missed her family. And she missed the type of special foods she could get at home, things like canned mackerel, rice crackers, corned beef in a can and breadfruit.

She told Johnston, her husband, she wanted to go home.

In 2010, they had saved enough money for a trip back to their home island in Kosrae, but on the day of departure, Johnston instead surprised his wife with their very own Island Mini Mart in Vancouver, Washington.

“I took her to the door, showed her the key and opened it to show her what I have been doing. She started crying. I thought she was crying because she was happy, but she was mad!” Johnston laughed.

“I said, ‘If we use the money to go home, we will only go home one time. With this, we can go home many times,’” he recalled.

by Aya Hashiguchi Clark

The Christmas season is almost upon us. Christmas parties, caroling and holiday baking are among the celebrations we look forward to.

Another yearly treat Burien theatre-goers have come to expect is the Christmas show at Burien Actors Theatre. But, for anyone who has attended one of BAT’s holiday plays, you know not to expect anything from the usual line-up of Christmas dramas. There will be no “A Christmas Carol” or “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

No, BAT likes to observe Christmas their own way. This year, BAT is celebrating Christmas the Jewish way.

This Friday, BAT opens their latest holiday show CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS. Written by Donald Marguiles, this is a humorous tale about Shirley Abramowitz, a Jewish girl who, much to her immigrant parents’ exasperation, is cast as Jesus in her school’s Christmas pageant in 1935.

Sea-Tac Food Donations Surpass 100,000 Pounds
Food Bank Donation Program has provided over 80,000 meals

Restaurants at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport display generosity every day, not just during the holiday season, as total food donations to the Des Moines Area Food Bank have exceeded 100,000 pounds since the program began in 2006.



The community has benefited from 110,397 pounds of donated food from Sea-Tac Airport — equivalent to roughly one third of the weight of an unloaded Boeing 777 aircraft.



Through an innovative effort, the Port of Seattle encourages its airport stores to participate in the food donation program, this year alone providing 23,527 pounds of surplus food — or 361 meals per week — to the food bank. The trend of increased giving from 2011 to 2012 is even more striking. At 25,061 pounds, food donations increased 240 percent over 2011 donations of 7,370 pounds. Additional restaurant participation accounts for the dramatic uptick in donations.



Kennedy Catholic captured three of the four top awards for the Seamount League volleyball all-star scene and the fourth -- the Team Sportsmanship award -- went to the Tyee Totems of SeaTac.

JFK's Shayne McPherson was named as the Athlete of the Year following only her sophomore season as a hitter and Joanne Uhl was honored as the Coach of the Year.

Kennedy also won the Seamount League regular season championship.

Making the first team for the Lancers were McPherson, sophomore hitter Apryll Eneliko and sophomore setter Jasmine Moore.

Evergreen had junior hitter Mailelei Faletogo named to the first team, while Highline had senior hitter Cara Bender named and Foster had senior hitter Eunica Serafica named.

For the Renton schools, senior hitter Kesley Allen was named to the first team from Hazen along with junior defensive specialist/libero Marcela Macias, while junior setter Lauren Martinez made the squad from Lindbergh.

The second team included three Kennedy players in junior hitter Stephanie George, senior hitter Sydney Beach and senior defensive specialist/libero Alex Rodal.

This year's all-star girls soccer selections for the Seamount League were led by Foster High School senior forward Sierra Parsons being named as the Athlete of the Year.

Hazen took the other three top awards given, taking the overall league championship and earning the team sportsmanship award as well as having Ken Matthews named as Coach of the Year.

First team positions from Kennedy Catholic went to junior midfielder Mary Witkowski, senior midfielder Samantha Bell and sophomore midfielder/defender Kit Bruner.

Two Highline players made the first team in senior midfielder Aimie Inthoulay and junior forward Flor Aquino, and senior forward Sierra Parsons was named to the first team from Foster.

Named to the first team from Hazen of Renton were senior defender Gabby Brower, senior midfielder Cindy Hanson, senior defender Courtney Kiteley, junior forward Brook Swensen and senior forward Chelsea Delgado.

Selected from Lindbergh of Renton were senior defender Alicia Wasisco, senior forward Lindsay Pfluger and senior keeper Liz Beltran. Renton High School's Asia Brisco was chosen as a forward after her sophomore year.

Lindbergh may have taken the overall Seamount League football title this fall and landed three of the top six top all-star awards, but Kennedy Catholic and Foster both received one top award.

Foster earned the team sportsmanship award this year and junior Manase Kamoto of JFK was named as the Offensive Lineman of the Year.

For Lindbergh of Renton, Matt Leamer was honored as the Coach of the Year, senior Tre Russell was named as the Defensive Lineman of the Year and senior Daniel Wiitenen as the Offensive Back of the Year. The Defensive Back of the Year was senior Ernie Davis of Renton High School.
Kamoto also landed a first team offensive tackle position as well as a first team defensive tackle position.

Also from Kennedy -- the top finishing Class 3A team in the Seamount League while Lindbergh won the 2A and overall titles -- senior Colin Cossette was named as a first team running back, junior Jacob Thurber as the first team tight end and as a first team defensive back and junior Sabastian Ferraro as a defensive end.

I would like to go on record in opposition to permit LA2031-0032

Paying for parking at the marina will create undue hardships to thousands of low income and elderly people and will discourage young families who now benefit from a place of beauty and freedom at the waterfront.

Paying for parking will bring ruin to the Farmer's Market just now when it has really caught on.

How can paying for parking at the marina possibly benefit Des Moines at the very time our community needs all the good will it can get?

I do not believe this is a well thought out decision. Please reconsider.

Additionally, you have insulted all whom you sent a letter telling them to read the documents on the website. On your site I was given the royal runaround and never did find the documents. It makes me wonder ...

Willma L. King- Des Moines

BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- Middle blocker Kayla Erickson (Jr., Gig Harbor/Peninsula) had match highs of 13 kills and five blocks as nationally ranked Western Washington University ended its regular season with a 25-12, 25-12, 26-24 victory over Simon Fraser University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

The Vikings, ranked No.10 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, improved to 23-3 with their ninth straight victory. They won the GNAC title with a 16-2 record, earning the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA II West Regional.

The NCAA Selection Show takes place Monday, Nov. 25, at 4:30 p.m. where the site, field and WWU’s first-round opponent will be announced.

Simon Fraser ended its season 11-13 overall and 6-12 in conference play. The Clan was led by the 10 kills of Madeline Hait. Alanna Chan added a match-high 26 digs.

Erickson had six kills in the opening set, and Kelsey Moore (Jr., Bellevue/Newport), who finished with 12 kills, had seven in the second frame, as the Vikings rolled to a 2-0 lead.