March 2014

Sports Roundup

Wednesday, March 12
Girls lacrosse
Bainbridge 19, Kennedy 3
The local spring sports season opened Wednesday with Kennedy Catholic taking a 19-3 loss at Bainbridge.
Ashley Cusack scored two goals for the Lancers and Ryli McLaughlin racked up the other one.

Thursday, March 13
Girls lacrosse
Seattle Prep 15, Southwest Seattle 3
The new Southwest Seattle team that includes West Seattle, the Highline School District area, Des Moines and Federal Way opened its first season on a losing note Thursday.
Southwest Seattle took a 15-3 defeat in a road game at the Montlake Playground.
Scoring for Southwest Seattle were Gabriela Rojas-Luna of Federal Way, Tajinique Ruffin of Highline and Martha Girma of West Seattle.
Taryn Gural of Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines recorded 10 saves.

Spring 2014 registration for Highline Soccer Club is now open. Highline Soccer Club provides a community based soccer program for kids in Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and the surrounding community.

The spring program will be open to players ages 5-13 years old (U7 through U13) and will cost $75 per player. Scholarships and fee reductions are available by completing the form referenced on our Scholarship Guidelines page. We’re asking all players to register in the age group they would play in fall 2014. An age chart is available at the bottom of our home page, www.highlinesoccerclub.com, for reference. The registration system will require you to register on age based on birth date. If a child wishes to “play up”, please notify us at info.highlinesc@gmail.com and we’ll make the adjustment after registering, if appropriate.

By Gerardo Bolong

TACOMA - Zero hour in Tacoma struck well for the Mount Rainier Rams on Thurs., March 6, at the 2014 Class 4A girls Hardwood Classic state basketball tournament.

Utilizing a swarming defense and a nearly unrelenting transition game, Mount Rainier exacted deadly vengeance on Inglemoor for a 15 point loss in January at the ShoWare Center in Kent by running the Vikings into the ground before holding off a desperation fourth quarter Inglemoor charge in a 64-57 quarterfinal win that sent it into a semifinal Friday conflict with Moses Lake as part of the Final Four contingent of the high school March Madness..

"Everyone played well," Mount Rainier head coach Bob Bolam stressed. "If we're going to win it (the state title), we need everyone playing well and I thought today we had that.That was nice to see."

After Brittany McPhee's 3-pointer gave the Rams a 10-9 first quarter lead, Mount Rainier kept the lead for duration. McPhee continued by posting a two points on an athletic, twisting underhand scoop shot ahead of two free throws. Emily Fiso nailed a straight up 3-pointer for a 17-9 command as the Rams began their domination.

The Seattle Community Colleges District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its meeting March 13, 2014, to change the name of the District to Seattle Colleges and to change the names of the colleges to North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College.

The college, founded in 1970, includes programs in nursing (NAC, LPN and RN), aviation, culinary arts, health care, horticulture, the construction trades and winemaking. It is home to the South Seattle Community College Arboretum and incorporates the Georgetown Campus near Boeing Field.

The decision came after a year-long exploration of national and statewide trends; opinion surveys of students, employees and community partners; and consultation with business and civic leaders and representatives from Seattle Public Schools.

All three of the District’s colleges offer bachelor’s degrees now. These Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree programs provide the third and fourth year of college work for people who have completed a two-year technical degree. Previously the two-year technical degrees were considered “terminal degrees” with no next educational step.

By Gerardo Bolong

TACOMA - Brittany McPhee and her West Central
District/Southwest Bi-District champion Mt. Rainier
teammates battled bravely before falling to a
huge comeback by Greater Spokane League's Gonzaga Prep, 53-51, in the championship game of the 2014 WIAA Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires 4A girls basketball Hardwood Classic state championship on Sat., March 8 at the Tacoma Dome.

"We didn't move the ball around well against the zone and missed some easy shots," said MR head coach Bob Bolam of the school's first ever state championship game.

Completely dominating the encounter for nearly
three and one half quarters, the Rams hit hard times.
The Bullpups (25-1) from Spokane activated a never
used, extended 2-3 zone following Emily Fiso's inside
basket with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter. Mt. Rainier faltered from the field as Gonzaga changed the script of the game's momentum.

Ram turnovers plus hesitation that produced poor
shooting against the zone enabled the Bullpups to trim their disadvantage to 43-39 as 1:43 showed on the clock.

information from SDOT

Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation plan to repair pavement in the 9000 block of Olson Place Southwest from March 18 to March 20, weather permitting.

They will work in the eastbound, curb lane from Second Avenue Southwest to a point 160 feet eastward (downhill).

Drivers headed for the Park and Ride, the senior housing facility or other businesses in this area will have access from Myers Way South.

information from WSTC

At their February 11, 2014 meeting, the Interim Board of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition (WSTC), an advocacy group dedicated to advancing and improving all modes of transportation to benefit the 100,000 residents of the West Seattle Peninsula, voted to endorse King County’s “Proposition 1” transportation package with some important caveats. As proposed by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Proposition 1 is intended to save bus services and maintain roads in lieu of adoption of a balanced statewide transportation package with local options for funding transit and roads.

The caveats are:

1. Proposition 1 package should sunset in two years instead of ten years.

2. King County should continue to lobby the Legislature for permission to levy an MVET, which is less regressive for taxpayers.

3. King County should work with the City of Seattle and other jurisdictions to implement transit mitigation fees.

information from NWSO

Northwest Symphony Orchestra’s third concert of the season, “Music for the Soul,” is on March 15th, and will present Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 8 in C minor, followed by Motet by local Northwest composer Clement Reid. Bruckner’s final symphony is dedicated to Emperor Franz Josef I, and was published in 1892, the only one of his symphonies to see publication before its premiere performance. The piece is sometimes identified by the nickname “The Apocalyptic,” but this name was not applied by the composer himself. The concert will be at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle.

“Bruckner’s Symphony #8 is one of the most impressive symphonies of the Romantic Era. Massive in scale, it also includes one of the greatest, and moving slow movements in all of symphonic repertoire- a profound spiritual experience- a piece not to be missed," said NWSO Conductor Anthony Spain.

Covington- King County Sheriff’s detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying a man who they believe is responsible for two recent bank robberies.

The most recent robbery occurred today just before 11am at the Chase Bank located in the Fred Meyer in the 16700 block of SE 272nd St. The suspect entered the bank, passed a note and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

The previous robbery was also in a Fred Meyer/ Chase Bank in Auburn on March 3rd. The suspect is described as a black male, 30’s and about 6’3” tall. He was last seen wearing a Miami Heat cap, grey button-up jacket and jeans.

If you have information about these crimes please contact the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or you may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

West Seattle Helpline's Executive Director Tara Luckie has announced her departure from the job in a letter to supporters she shared with the West Seattle Herald.

Dear West Seattle Helpline Supporters,

I will be ending my tenure as Executive Director of the West Seattle Helpline at the end of this month. I have been offered and have accepted a position as Executive Director of the Environmental Science Center in Burien. I have very much appreciated your support while serving as the West Seattle Helpline Executive Director.

A transition plan is in place to ensure the momentum continues while searching for a new Executive Director. The Board of Directors is committed to finding a qualified leader within the community to take on this role. I will offer my support to the board in whatever capacity I can to ensure a smooth transition. The board is currently forming a hiring committee and taking the steps needed to hire a qualified candidate.