November 2014

The Sound Transit Board today approved a new reduced fare for low income riders on Sound Transit’s Link light rail services in Seattle. The new low-income fare category aligns with a new low-income fare on King County Metro bus routes.
 
“Keeping transit affordable for those of lesser means access to opportunity – the opportunity to get to work, get to school, and get to the services they need to reach their full potential,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Having the same reduced fare for Link and Metro keeps our systems in alignment and makes them simpler to navigate.”
 
The new fares will be implemented in March, 2015. All other light rail fares will increase by 25 cents to offset the low-income fare.  Sound Transit will provide the fare discount to riders who pay with special low-income ORCA cards issued by King County Metro or Kitsap Transit.
 
The reduced fare will be available to adult riders with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level — about $23,000 in annual income for an individual. To qualify, a household of four would have an annual household income at or below $47,700.
 

Ballard consignment stores are the place to find your ugly Christmas sweaters. Just imagine how dashing or cozy you will be with your family and friends drinking cider or eggnog wearing these ugly sweaters.

Both Ballard Consignment and Classic Consignment have a wide selection of the gaudiest looking sweaters around, ranging from $10 to $50. Their sweaters are stylish in the worst kind of way and were made as far away as Denmark, Taiwan and China. Hand knit, mass produced, relics from another era, Santa patches, Christmas trees, ect… these sweaters depict the essence of the holiday heart, cheer, decadence and awkward shamelessness.

Maja, at Classic Consignment, showing off a classic Danish wool sweater. The lucky customer to snare this sweater will turn heads and stomachs. During the holidays a fashion faux pas is reason enough for feasts, charity and cheer. This sweater will illicit jest wherever it goes…no matter what.

SEATTLE WA - To Scale (10,000 things for Mark Tobey) is a new large scale sound installation created by Pete Bjordahl (founder of Seattle's Parallel Public Works) and the Berlin-based artist Andy Graydon with funding and support from the Metropolitan Improvement District and Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture. This public art work uses voices and tones that flow up and down the stairway of the busy Pike Place Market Hill Climb. The Hill Climb links Seattle's iconic waterfront with the Pike Place Market and is located between Alaskan Way and Western Ave directly across from the Seattle Aquarium. To Scale will be installed for 1 year and can be viewed by the public at any time.

To help facilitate a peaceful march today, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray activated the City of Seattle's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 9:30 a.m. on November 25, 2014. The EOC will provide coordination amongst multiple departments during a solidarity march led by local faith leaders. This march is currently expected to start at 11:30 a.m. in the Central District of Seattle and is permitted by the city.

The City traditionally activates the Emergency Operations Center during parades, demonstrations, weather events and any time strong coordination across multiple City departments is beneficial.

The City of Seattle also activated the Joint Information Center (JIC) in support of EOC Operations. Please direct all media inquiries to the JIC using 206-233-5072.

Most mayoral press conferences are broadcast live to the web by Seattle Channel at www.seattle.gov/mayorlive.

Meeting: Ballard Library, 5614 22nd Ave NW, Seattle 98107, Meeting Room 3:00 - 5:00 PM

Dear Ballard signers of the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition Petition to preserve open space and friends of the Roy Street property on lower Capitol Hill: AND INTERESTED PARTIES

The following are potential open spaces that may be sold (or are being sold) by Seattle City Light. Please come to our meeting to discuss what you think should be done with these open spaces. Follow the KIRO News link below to see what is happening to one open space. As “rate payers” of Seattle City Light, bring your ideas to help preserve some of the others!

Green Lake Substation, 949 N. 80th St., For Sale Now! This was a beautiful green space with mature trees and growth in 2013. Take a look at it now. Follow link below:
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/guerilla-planters-protest-seattle-city-…
North Beach Substation, 9407 19th Ave. NW,
Loyal Heights Substation, 7750 28th Ave. NW (ALMOST A PARK NOW! See above) Loyal Heights Substation , mature rhodies, azaleas, pines and two large cherry trees. There is more land (vacant) inside the fence
North Beach Substation 9407 19th Ave NW

By Andrea Reay, Executive Director, Discover Burien


Saturday, November 29th is Small Business Saturday®. What is Small Business Saturday? It’s a day to celebrate and support our small businesses in Burien and all they do for our community.

According to a report released in 2011 by the SBA (Small Business Association) “Small businesses are engine of the American economy, having created 64 percent of new American private sector jobs generated in the past 15 years—that’s 40 million net new jobs according to the Council of Economic Advisers”

When we shop local we support the businesses owned by our friends and neighbors. We contribute to the investment in our community. An Article published by the American Independent Business Alliance indicates that “for every dollar we spend locally, three dollars comes back to our community”. Sales tax dollars, property taxes and business license fees all go to pay for services such as police and fire protection and support for our local schools and parks.

Sustainable Ballard is hosting its 9th annual community holiday barter and celebration. This event brings together the community, encourages creativity and sharing, creates friendships and offers people a relaxing and enjoyable alternative to the more commercial holiday gift buying experience.

Skip Black Friday this week, enjoy a long weekend without shopping, then join Sustainable Ballard on Sunday, December 7th for a “shopping” experience that supports bringing our local community together.

Attendees are encouraged to bring anything home-made or home-grown...jams, chocolates, cheese, flowers, beer, scarves, mittens, aprons, artwork, jewelry, soap! Not a cook or craftsperson? Feeling crunched for time? Organizer of the fair, Jenny Heins: “You really don’t have to have made something ahead of time. There are lots of services people can offer, too. Just show up and make a certificate for an hour of dog-walking or garden weeding, a home-cooked meal, a session of yoga or fiddling. Any service or experience you can estimate a cost for is fair game.”

In past years, some interesting barter items have included:

Des Moines City Council and Recology CleanScapes Award Waste Reduction Grants to Midway and North Hill Elementary Schools

$2,500 reward for Green School Level One distinction
 
Des Moines, WA – Teachers, students, and parents at Midway and North Hill Elementary Schools were recognized by the Des Moines City Council and Recology CleanScapes, and accepted $2,500 checks for their efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. 
 
The schools were recognized and rewarded for their participation and achievement of Level One status in the King County Green Schools program. The first level in the Green Schools program encourages recycling and waste reduction, and schools that participate receive technical assistance and supplies from King County.
 
"I congratulate North Hill and Midway Elementary Schools, and the Highline School District, for their efforts at recycling.  Their reduction of waste contributed to our landfills shows the leadership of the upcoming generation toward a cleaner, and greener future."
 


Fourteen years ago, I began teaching history at a public high school and my students and colleagues were awesome, but I could see that the school did not have the same resources as the schools I'd attended.



At my old high school, we went on field trips; we had graphing calculators and were given the supplies to do just about any art project. We did not want for anything.



This wasn’t the case for my students. As their teacher, I saw first-hand that all schools are not created equal.



My colleagues and I spent a lot of our own money on copy paper and pencils, but we often couldn’t afford the resources that would get our students excited about learning. We’d talk about books our students should read, a field trip we wanted to take, or a microscope that would bring science to life.



I figured there were people out there who wanted to help our students, if they could see where their money was going. So, using a pencil and paper, I drew a website where teachers could post classroom project requests and donors could choose a project they wanted to support. 


December’s B-Town Beat is coming up on Thursday December 4th from 6 to 9pm.  This month featuring Dickens Carolers at RE/MAX! Also, each business participating will host an artist and be accepting canned food donations on behalf of Transform Burien.

Please come out and join us on Thursday December 4th from 6 to 9pm.

The B-Town Beat is an independent not-for-profit organization formed in early 2013 with the mission of supporting the development of arts, economic stability and community in Burien. The organization accomplishes this primarily through its monthly Music & Art Walk and its second program, the Art Alley Project

The free event is held from 6pm to 9pm every first Thursday of the month in downtown Burien. To learn more about the event and the B-Town Beat, visit:

www.b-townbeat.com
www.facebook.com/BTownBeat