December 2013

High schools
Boys basketball
West Seattle will play in Wenatchee this coming Friday and Saturday. The Wildcats take on Wenatchee at 7 p.m. Friday and Eastmont at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Girls basketball
Chief Sealth is scheduled to entertain Lindbergh in a 7 p.m. game Friday and West Seattle will be at home playing Tahoma at 3:30 p.m. Saturday before going to Garfield for 7:30 p.m. action this coming Monday.

Wrestling
Evergreen will be participating in the Eastside Catholic Classic that starts at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Colleges
Football
The University of Washington plays Brigham Young University in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco this coming Saturday
ESPN will carry the action live starting at 6:30 p.m.

Men's basketball
Washington will play Mississippi Valley in a 7:30 p.m. home game Friday before entertaining Hartford at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Both non-league games can be seen on the Pac-12 network.

information from King County

The King County Ferry District announced today a contract has been signed with Bellingham-based All American Marine to design and build two new water taxis to replace its pair of 25 year-old leased vessels.

The new catamarans will replace the Rachel Marie and Melissa Ann - vessels that have been operating from Vashon Island and West Seattle to downtown Seattle since 2010. The Ferry District also owns and operates a third vessel, the Spirit of Kingston, which will remain part of the water taxi fleet.

“This action will lead to more reliability and capacity for water taxi riders. We continue to see increased ridership, and these new boats will help us meet the demand of King County residents looking for an alternative from single occupancy cars,” said Joe McDermott, Chair of the King County Ferry District.

“These new passenger ferry boats, funded almost entirely by grants, will allow us to provide more reliable and cost-effective service on our ferry routes to Vashon and West Seattle,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Well raising the minimum wage has once again become a popular crusade again. It has been called an attempt to achieve "economic Justice". In the current PC culture governments are tempted to guarantee a so called living wage.

This is basically is classic socialism, but we still live in country where free markets mostly prevails, since minimum wages were never meant to support a household it was designed to get one's foot in the door, to obtain marketable skills and not an end all permanent situation. Workers were to acquire skills and move on. Most everyone remembers starting at a job earning a paltry wage, it created character, instilled a work ethic and often later fond memories.

Highline High School (HHS) received a $67,000 grant from the King County Sheriff’s Office to pay for a truancy mentor, athletic equipment and laptop computers.

The grant covers the cost of a truancy mentor for the 2013-2014 school year. The mentor provides early intervention for students who are chronically absent from school.

The grant will also pay for $12,000 in new laptop computers at HHS. Students will be able to check the computers out during the day and use them in class as well as during a new after-school program called PRREP.
PRREP is a two-hour after-school program available to all HHS students four days a week,. PRREP gives students the opportunity to work with tutors on homework, as well as time to participate in various activities including intermural sports, service projects and field trips to learn about different college and career choices.

“PRREP gives students a safe place to be after school,” said Assistant Principal Paul Harvey. “It’s a great opportunity to give the support our kids need and set them up for success.”

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: calendar@robinsonnews.com
Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Southgate Eastern Star Christmas Tree Recycle
Southgate Masonic Hall
1004 S.W. 152nd St.
Sat., Jan. 4, 9-2 p.m. Suggested donation $5. No flocking or tinsel on the trees. We will happily recycle your Christmas tree back to nature. Info: Jan at 206-849-7906. Eastern Star: Making a positive impact in or community.

King County Water District No. 20 Board of Commissioners
Regular meetings are on the first Wednesday and third Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at the district office located at 12606 1st Avenue South, Seattle. For more information, please call 206-243-3990.

Free Community Dinner
Grace Lutheran Church
22975 24th Ave. S.

When the big branch of a 100-year-old poplar tree went through her windshield during a recent storm, Karen Reis had finally had it. She called the arborist at the City of Burien and asked him to take a look at the big tree in front of her house.

This wasn't the first time she had called. In fact, it was about the fifth or sixth time. The neighbors all knew the tree was bad. The arborist confirmed it and agree that it had to come down. The good news was that it was on city right-of-way.

So it was on a clear day last week that a crew from Nix Tree Cutting, hired by the city, took down the big tree and one next to it.

Karen Reis had strong praise for the city and Samir Basmeh of Burien Public Works for following through. Sixty years ago, when she was a student at Lake Burien Elementary, Karen remembers the tree as of modest size. Now, it is firewood.

Evening Christmas Window Display
“Touch of Glass” window
Located across the street from Jim Wiley Center Plaza
9800 8th Ave. S.W.
Greenbridge Area
December evenings from 5-9 p.m. An old fashioned Christmas window display with lighted houses and and a train chugging around the track. Created as a gift to the community. Come enjoy.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169
Looking for New Year's Eve finery? All Glam and Glitter clothing is just $1 starting December 22 and all holiday decorations, too. We close at 1 p.m. Christmas Eve and when we re-open December 26, we're having a 45% off storewide clearance. If you're looking for a New Year's resolution, consider volunteering with us as a cashier or in the back room preparing donations for the sales floor. When you volunteer, donate and shop with us you support our commitment to funding cancer cure research. The all volunteer run, non profit American Cancer Society shop will close at 1 p.m. December 31, is open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all other days 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Follow our blog at www.discoveryshopwestseattle.org

By Matt Wendland

Deputy Mayor Mia Gregerson of SeaTac has been appointed by the Metropolitan King County Council to fill the vacated 33rd Legislative District House seat following the election Dave Upthegrove to the King County Council in the 2013 general election.

The appointment came on December 16 when the King County Council broke from what has commonly been the tradition, and passed over first choice Elizabeth Albertson of the Kent City Council, for 33rd Legislative District PCO (Precinct Committee Officers) recommendation number two, Mia Gregerson.

While it has been common practice for the County Council to appoint whomever the district PCOs recommend, the Washington State Constitution states that the Council has the right to appoint any of the top three recommendations and is not held to accepting the recommendations in the order presented by the district’s PCOs.

The appointment norm was demonstrated twice at the same meeting when the Council appointed the top PCO recommendations from Seattle’s 43rd District.

by Joshua Watler

Our friends and family get sick. Sometimes it's serious and we can't control that. We can, however, control how we speak to the people we love. I'm 32 years old, have been battling Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) since April of 2009 and have indeed heard it all.

The cards, gifts and visits I've received in the past five years have been at the level of generosity most people do not receive in a lifetime. I have found friends and family to have the best of intentions, but without knowing how to put together the right words, the wrong ones often come flying out.

by Ann Kendall