July 2014

On July 16 the Committee on Housing Affordability, Human Services and Economic Resilience met in the sweltering Ballard Community Center to discuss a number of pressing housing issues. The meeting was part of an ongoing series of meetings working toward creating a Housing Strategic Plan.

City Councilmembers Sally Clark, Tom Rasmussen, Mike O’Brien and Nick Licata were in attendance and listened to community members present their opinions on development, housing and a litany of other issues affecting Ballard and Seattle.

Over 200 citizens sweated in their seats with council members amid opening presentations from concerned residents. Issues brought before the council included developer loop holes in the land use code, overdevelopment in Ballard, “sky-rocketing” rent rates, lack of community involvement in development and the Department of Planning and Development’s lack of oversight.

Citizens called for a pause in development, a vast reappraisal of the housing code, and a reorganization of the DPD.

by Katy Wilkens, MS, RD
Nutrition and fitness manager, Northwest Kidney Centers

You can’t do much about the price of gas when you travel, but with planning you can save a lot of money on food you eat on the road.

With your own food aboard, you’ll save money and time – and eat healthier. Skip stops at fast food places to offset gas prices. You’ll enjoy a better vacation because you’ll see interesting sights or get to your destination sooner rather than spending time to fill up on greasy burgers.

Keep it cool
There are many choices for keeping food cold in your car, from coolers just big enough for a six-pack to insulated bags, called soft coolers, that keep food chilled for hours. There are even mini-refrigerators that run off your car’s lighter plug.

Try freezing some foods before putting them in your cooler; they will slowly thaw and keep things colder longer. For example, tubes of yogurt can be frozen and then eaten when thawed.
They double as an ice pack for the cooler.

Not your average grease burger?

By Shin Yu Pai

This past May, Kula Movement welcomed Naturopathic Doctor Dr. Vaishali Verma to its studio space on Ballard Ave. A graduate of Bastyr College, Dr. Vaishali specializes in digestive issues, women’s health, pediatrics, preventative and primary care medicine. With additional training in India as an Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Vaishali’s Ballard practice brings together tools from both naturopathic and Ayurvedic traditions to treat imbalance and illness.

To the editor:

After I read about the Highline School Construction Bond, it appears to me like a re-run of a bad old movie. The Bond is submitted for the November General Election.

At this writing, I believe it necessary to reiterate to the Superintendent, Teachers, and other

Employees of Highline, this District is owned by all of its citizens. That means they are to represent everyone. Our employees are not to collude with their Unions to bilk citizens out of their scant income to satisfy employee appetites.

The Construction Bond as presented looks like about half construction with the remainder compiled from a list of items already paid for from State Basic Education Funds. Moreover, much of it is unspecified items in categories not related to construction.
As evidence of need, Class size is anti-correlative to how well a student performs. What's more, the point is moot because there is a very large initiative to the people about class size heading from the State to the voter polls in chorus, in November.

There are questions in my mind about the enrollment projections. I want to see more about the workup.

By Matt Wendland

One dead and one in jail following fight at SeaTac Int. Airport
According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, one man is dead and one man is in custody after a work related argument between the two Korean Air employees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, escalated into a physical altercation. The incident took place on the morning of Saturday, July 5th. According to filing paperwork, a 27-year-old man contracting with the international airline got into an argument with a permanent employee over a piece of work equipment. When the argument escalated, the contractor is said to have slapped the other man in the face. This caused the man to fall backward and lose conciseness after striking his head against the concrete floor. The man was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in critical condition with a fractured skull. The man was rushed into surgery but did not survive. The contractor is reported to have confessed to striking the man and is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail while being investigated for second-degree murder.

SeaTac Brushfire backs up I-5 for miles

information from King County

Up to 349,000 service hours to be reduced in September 2014 and February 2015; remaining 2015 reductions to be worked out in biennial budget process

To keep service in line with actual revenues, King County Executive Dow Constantine and the Metropolitan King County Council today agreed to a process for reducing 550,000 hours in Metro bus service over the next year. The measure was adopted this afternoon by a unanimous vote of the Council.

“This agreement adheres to the principles I insisted on many weeks ago: Don’t rely on money we don’t have; don’t spend one-time money for on-going service; and use objective criteria to make decisions on saving or cutting service,” said Executive Constantine. “I want to thank members for arriving at legislation that balances Metro’s budget, and that is sustainable.”

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

VANCOUVER--It took two tries to do it, but the District 7 Junior Little League team under the name of Pac West captured first place in the Washington state all-star baseball age 13-14 tournament Sunday.
After coming in as the undefeated winner's bracket champion with a 6-4 win over West Valley on Friday, the District 7 team was knocked off by Stilly Valley coming out of the loser's bracket by a 9-6 score Sunday morning.

But the squad of area all-stars based in Burien bounced back to beat Stilly Valley, 11-6, in the second game Sunday afternoon to win the state championship and earn a trip to the upcoming Western Regional tournament in Vancouver.

That will be a familiar place for the District 7 team as the state tournament was played at the Cascade Little League complex in Vancouver.
Western Regional action will be played under a round robin format instead of being double-elimination, meaning the times and opponents are set for the first four games.
As the Washington champions, District 7 will open against the Southern California champions at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 29.

By Ann Kendall

His parents told him, “You’re going to have to work hard the rest of your life, so you may as well enjoy it.” Evergreen grad Long Phan holds these words (and his family) close to this heart this summer as he interns at the White House – a dream a long-time and many miles in the making. When his parents immigrated to the United States and settled in White Center, they hoped that Long would do well in school and go to college so that he could work with his mind and not his hands – having a son graduate from Harvard and then intern at the White House is beyond what they hoped for.

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Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169
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New Alzheimer’s Association West Seattle Caregiver Support Group
Providence Mount St. Vincent
East Dining Room
4831 35th Ave. S.W.