December 2014

By Jeremy Martin

The 2014-15 boys basketball season tipped off Tuesday night with Chief Sealth hosting the Foster Bulldogs.

While both squads were eager to hit the court, the 77-49 Seahawk victory could easily be seen as a case of two teams with very separate agendas. With Sealth, a senior laden squad in win now mode up against a freshman led Foster team building towards the future.

For the Bulldogs (0-1) the youth movement will come with some lumps, namely turnovers and chemistry that has yet to fully develop.

“We weren't quite ready for the speed or to execute at a level to keep up. Too many turnovers too many layups,” Foster head coach Isaac Tucker said.

Some of the early game miscues could be chalked up to rust or simply playing too fast, but that would discount the disruptive presence of the Seahhawks' (1-0) 2-2-1 full court trapping press which helped the hosts account for 18 steals.

By Gerardo Bolong
Contributing Writer

Good second quarter court management enabled visiting Auburn Riverside to break away from a close match and eventually register a 62-52 boys basketball win at Mount Rainier on Tues., Dec. 2.

In a tightly officiated game in which fouls accumulated quickly, the Ravens led only 18-17 before Ram shooting percentages from the field and from the foul line went ice cold. The Ravens' shooting was much more favorable while they managed the court by causing eight turnovers as Riverside flew to a 26-17 lead before entering halftime leading 28-19.

This trend continued as ARHS fired itself up to a pair of 16 point leads before the hard fighting MRHS team scrapped its way to trail by eight points on two occasions and managed to stay within striking distance at 48-38 going into the fourth quarter.

Colton Hardy was forced into filling in for Malcom Cola in the third quarter due to Cola's four fouls. He worked solid minutes with a combination of reserves and starters in an excellent effort.

Riverside owned the offensive boards to fire away into a 58-40 dominance, but Mount Rainier refused to quit.

information from Seattle Public Schools

The Board of Directors for Seattle Public Schools tonight elected the following new officers:

Sherry Carr - President

Sharon Peaslee – Vice President

Marty McLaren – Member at Large

New officers assume duties immediately and serve their in their roles through the 2015 calendar year.

The board voted unanimously to elect Director Carr for the role of president, Director Peaslee for the role of vice president and Director McLaren to retain her role as Member-at-Large.

As Board President, Carr will preside at all Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings and sign all papers and documents as required by law or as authorized by the action of the Board. She will also serve as the Board spokesperson. In addition, Carr will be responsible for appointing committee chairs, to be announced in January.

“I appreciate your support and look forward to serving you in the coming year,” said Board President Sherry Carr.

Sharon Peaslee, the newly-elected Vice President, will serve on the Executive Committee and preside at Board meetings in Carr’s absence.

By Tim Clifford

SeaTac Police and the King County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a male and female who are wanted for a string of armed robberies to businesses in SeaTac.

Starting on Nov. 15, the felonious couple has robbed four motels and a pizza shop throughout the city of SeaTac late at night. All of the robberies have occurred between midnight and 3 a.m.

The male suspect armed with a handgun and wearing gloves and dark blue sweats, enters the businesses and charges at the clerks demanding the money. The male suspect is described as being white with a thin build.

In four of the cases the female suspect, who is the getaway driver, has “cased” the establishments shortly before the robberies. Calling to check how many rooms are available at the hotels or ordering shuttle pick-ups from the airport, these calls are to ensure that only one employee is on duty during the robbery.

The female suspect appears to have a darker skin complexion and long curly hair. She also appears to wear gray and dark sweats.

By Peggy Sturdivant

Dear Regnor,

I know your own shortest day is coming all too soon. Whether or not it will come before what would have been your 45th winter solstice party in Ballard is unknown. Whatever happens, whenever it happens, there will always be the solstice events just as you made them, with a keg of beer, jazz playing, potluck tables of good food and lots and lots of people.

I wasn’t there for the earliest solstice days, when you channeled the Norwegian in you and threw open your hot kiln on the shortest day. The ceramics still transparent in the heat, sold before they could be fully cooled and put on display. For almost four decades your studio on the west side of 32nd NW was a window on the heart and soul of Sunset Hill. In the summer, with Lily and the People, there was the Raku firing, and even more neighbors, friends, students dating back to the early 70’s all flowing through the longest day.

Most readers have heard the words “party foul,” or “alcohol abuse,” when a beer is spilled. Like milk, no one likes spilled beer, and when it affects the bottom line of a business, some hospitality operators are literarily crying over it. With craft brewing on the rise, entrepreneurs are becoming all too aware of wasted beer.

According to the Brewers Association, 14.3 billion dollars in craft beer sold in 2013, equating for 15.6 million barrels. However, in the hospitality industry, 20 percent of draft poured beer is wasted due to sloppy pouring, giveaways and technical malfunction.

Luckily beer abuse is something a Ballard based company will not stand for, and because of that they are drawing attention for a software/hardware system they developed that is changing the way beer is poured and the way business “on draft” is measured and conducted.

information from Lafayette Elementary PTA

The Lafayette Elementary PTA is presenting their 2014 Representatives’ Forum featuring Seattle School Board Director and West Seattle District Representative Marty McClaren on Thursday, December 4th from 6:30-8pm in the school cafeteria.

Top items of concern include:

• What is being done to make Lafayette safer?
• Why are Lafayette families required to pay for full-day kindergarten when other schools in Seattle are not?
• Why is the Lafayette PTA paying for a nurse, playground supervision, and lunchroom assistance, when these are basic measures that the District should provide?
• Why does Lafayette continually have such a late start time?
• How did the current math curriculum (Math in Focus) come to be adopted by the School Board, when it was not the curriculum recommended by the Board’s committee?
• What is the plan for advanced learning in West Seattle?
• Why do our boundaries keep getting redrawn?
• What is the plan for bussing for Lafayette students?

Today the White House recognized Seattle as a Climate Action Champion, one of 16 local and tribal governments that demonstrated a strong and ongoing commitment to actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience.

“This is a tremendous honor that adds momentum to our innovations on climate action and community resilience,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “We applaud President Obama for drawing attention to climate change and supporting local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Obama Administration launched the local community Climate Action Champions competition this fall as a compliment to his commitment to address climate change at the national and international scale. On the front lines of climate impacts and a proving ground for climate solutions, local communities have a powerful role to play in addressing climate change.

Seattle stands out as a national leader with a citywide goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, ambitious Climate Action Plan and Seattle City Light’s decade-long track record as a 100 percent carbon neutral electric utility.

By Gerardo Bolong
Contributing Writer

AUBURN - SPSL 3A Auburn High School scored the first six points in the second overtime to defeat visiting Seamount League 2A Evergreen of White Center 77-67 in a non league season opener, but Wolverine head coach Tony White was more than encouraged by his team's efforts.
"I'm proud of the way our guys kept coming back," he said. "This was quite good for a season opener."
Evergreen worked its way to three six-point leads, the last at 28-22 as the third quarter showed early action.

Suddenly, the Wolverine offense went stagnant and the Trojans turned the tables on them for 15 straight points and a 37-28 lead that grew to 44-33 before AHS settled for a 48-39 lead after three quarters.
"We were playing together, getting the extra pass, rebounding and boxing out," added White. "Then there was too much one-on-one and defensive lapses."

The Trojans continued to lead by nine at 50-41 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before Evergreen stormed back.

By Tim Clinton
Sport Correspondents

For the week of Dec. 3-9
High Schools
Boys basketball
Sammamish visits Tyee for 7 p.m. action Wednesday as Evergreen travels to Interlake.
Friday at the same time Foster is at Kennedy, Tyee at Christian Faith Center and Highline at Renton.
Mount Rainier goes to Sammamish for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday, while at 8 p.m. are the Chief Sealth at Blanchet and West Seattle at Roosevelt games.

Shorewood Christian is playing in a tournament at Friday Harbor on Friday and Saturday and Seattle Lutheran goes to Bend, Ore. for tournament action the same times.
Seattle Christian plays Kentlake in 2 p.m. game at Auburn-Riverside on Saturday and Mount Rainier entertains Evergreen at 5 p.m.

Monday's schedule has Foster at Sultan for a 6:45 p.m. game, with Tyee at Mount Rainier and Sammamish at Evergreen at 7 p.m.

Mount Rainier hosts Graham-Kapowsin at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Seattle Christian goes to Cedar Park Christian at the same time.

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday West Seattle hosts Nathan Hale, Chief Sealth entertains Cleveland and Seattle Lutheran goes to Evergreen Lutheran, which is now in Puyallup instead of Des Moines.