February 2014

by Joseph Moldovan

BURIEN, WA-
Sometime after 1:30pm on Sunday Feburary 9th, it appears no one was injured in a residental home fire that was not occupied requiring a response from the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Dept. The smoke was thick and black as the house was being consumed, but there were no flames visible. Within a few minutes Fire trucks and rescue vehicles arrived to battle the blaze. The intersection near Highline Hospitals Emergency Entrance was blocked to through traffic Local citizens assisted in traffic control until the Burien police arrived to take command, allowing the fire department to perform its job. The smoke from the residence was finally abated in about an hour, however the fire department stayed on the scene to check for further flare-ups.

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.

Artist Marianne Perkins Work on Display
Burien Community Center 14700 6th Ave. S.W. 206-988-3700

Through the end of March.
Marianne Perkins has traveled extensively and studied art in many countries. She is a Signature Member of the Northwest Watercolor Society, and is well-known for her massive and still growing collection of art supplies.

Des Moines Ongoing Library Events
21620 11th Ave. S. 206-824-6066

Would-be purse thief bites Trader Joe’s patron’s thumb in struggle
According to the Burien Police Department, a would-be purse thief bit the thumb of a shopper at the Burien Trader Joe’s while attempting to steal her purse just before the store closed on Jan. 28. Witnesses told the police that the suspect tried to grab the victim’s purse, but when the victim resisted giving up her bag, a struggle ensued. During the struggle, the thief bit the victim’s right thumb but still failed take the purse. Thanks to intervention from employees and other patrons, the robbery was thwarted but the thief got away. Police have not released any further information about the suspect.

Sister turns step-brother into police for cooking meth in N.E. Shorewood neighborhood

A decision was made a on short platt application in Ballard. All information provided by Seattle Department of Planning.

At 2611 NW 65th Street, permission was granted on a Land Use Application to subdivide one parcel into two parcels of land. Proposed parcel sizes are: A) 2,063 sq. ft. and B) 2,415 sq. ft. Existing structures to be demolished.

Project zoning: LR1 and Ballard Hub Urban Village. The adjacent public right-of-way, NW 65th Street, an arterial, is fully improved with curb, gutter and sidewalk.

Public Comment: The public comment period for this project began on November 7, 2013 and ended on November 20, 2013. One comment letter was received.

Conclusion:

By Ann Kendall

What goes into calculating a district’s graduation rate? How did Highline’s estimated on-time graduation rate of 72.1 % in the 2009-2010 school-year slide to 65.8% in the 2012-13 school year? For Highline, and school districts nationwide, new calculation methodology has altered who, how and when districts count students.

It’s 7:25 am and students at Highline’s Arts and Academics Academy (AAA) ninth graders are settling down to business for the day. This year’s freshman class of 2017 is different than those that walked these halls just last year. As part of the Highline School District’s 2013-2017 Strategic Plan, these ninth graders will benefit from the assignment of a mentor from their building – a mentor who can guide their academic success, help with issues at home and keep students from falling behind or even off track. The Strategic Plan clearly states, that starting with this freshman class, 19 out of 20 of these students will graduate from Highline ready to choose their future and individual mentors are just one part of this aggressive goal.

BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University student Meagan Lynn Curran, daughter of Anthony and Daneen Curran of Des Moines, received a $2,000 Elizabeth Rider Montgomery Scholarship for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Curran graduated from Mount Rainer High School in 2010 and she is expected to graduate from Western in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She currently has a 3.2 cumulative GPA.

Her goal is to eventually get her master’s degree in Administration and International Education.

The Polar Vortex is tapering off now, but the weather across the nation is still pretty chilly.

Smithsonian Magazine reported this morning that some parts of Michigan are showing temps of 42 degrees below zero, which makes it colder than some parts of the planet Mars.

But by the time you are reading this, the temperature gauge in our part of the galaxy has likely climbed back into less Mars-like numbers and the it's safe to go outside again without wearing all of your clothing, but if the thermometer was just an inch longer I'm sure we'd have frozen over completely.

Compared to the rest of the country and the world, us Washingtonians are pretty wimpy when it comes to enduring inclement weather, and I know this because my friend Tom lives in Michigan and he tells me that they have about ten inches of ice and snow over EVERYTHING there. That's an interesting phenomenon, trying to get to work and your car when it's encased in a block of frozen water. On the phone, I could here Tom's teeth chattering, so had to ask him, "How cold is it?"

The time is rapidly approaching for the Northwest’s only music festival that exclusively features classic jazz from the first half of the 20th Century.

Burien Arts Association’s Sixth Annual Highline Classic Jazz Festival on Saturday March 8th from 2:30-10 p.m. will offer 14 bands playing on three separate stages.

The musicians will perform several styles of jazz including early and mid-20th century jazz, from Dixieland, Gypsy Jazz, Blues, Western Swing, Ragtime to Big Band Swing as well as Straight Ahead Jazz classics..

This great jazz experience includes concerts, dancing, food, drink and an opportunity to mingle with the musicians.

The spectacular setting for this unique jazz festival is the historic Landmark on the Sound Event Center, 23660 Marine View Dr. S. in the Waterland Community of Des Moines. The beautiful building is perched on a bluff high above Puget Sound.

This will be the last opportunity for festivalgoers to enjoy jazz in this amazing venue.

With spring training getting underway, the Highline Historical Society and Humanities Washington are hosting a free program about baseball and its American roots at SeaTac City Hall on Sunday, February 23. William Woodward, Seattle Pacific University history professor and a member of the 2012-14 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, will trace the closely linked history of the game and our nation. Not only has baseball provided us with metaphors for the American way of life – “big league,” “ballpark figure,” “touching base” and more – it also has served as an engine of social change. Woodward will be speaking at 2 PM on Sunday, February 23. SeaTac City Hall is located at 4800 S 188th Street in SeaTac. Admission is free and there is plenty of free parking. For more information visit www.highlinehistory.org

Pathfinder K8 has won a Neighborhood Matching Fund Small and Simple Grant to rebuild their playground.

The $25,000 will help the organizers get started by hiring a designer, and recruiting volunteers to match the funds through donated time. Their plan includes hosting 3 public meetings to develop the playground in a way that best serves you, the school and community. It was originally built to serve the needs of an elementary school but now that it's being used by a larger student body it no longer meets their needs.

They offered "a huge thank you to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods for helping our community work together to build a better playground."

If you'd like to help the project you are asked to first take a brief survey. Anyone who uses the playground is encouraged to participate. Tell them what matters to you at the Pathfinder K8 Playground by filling out the short online survey: http://bit.ly/1i4sxN9 .