December 2014

information from the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the final cleanup plan for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site, a major industrial waterway that includes the mouth of the Duwamish River on the south end of Elliott Bay.

As part of the cleanup plan, the Washington State Department of Ecology will continue leading source control efforts that reduce incoming pollution to the river and support the EPA in-waterway cleanup.

“This is a momentous day in the history of the Duwamish River,” said Dennis McLerran, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 10. “The Duwamish serves as the region’s industrial backbone and it is home to tribes and vibrant communities. Today we celebrate the river’s history and look to a healthier future for the Duwamish with a cleanup plan that provides habitat, recreation, and a future of economic vitality.”

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

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.

Today, Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants and other advocates demonstrated in front of the Education Building of the Woodland Park Zoo where the WPZ Board members were conducting a meeting.

In the frigid 36 degrees, over 50 demonstrators chanted and held signs that demanded sanctuary for two Asian elephants, Chai and Bamboo. They thronged the building entree way and demanded that the elephants be retired and sent to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

WPZ closed the exhibit on Nov. 19 and announced that they plan to move the elephants to a new facility later on in 2015.

16 members of the public were granted access to the meeting. However, the rest of the public and the press were not allowed to enter.

Paige Heggie, a member of the Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, demonstrated with the crowd. She said it was disappointing that demonstrators were not allowed in the meeting.

Protesters walked in a circle and said they were mimicking what the elephants do in captivity. Photo by Shane Harms.

By Tim Clifford

At 11:45 p.m. on Dec.1 Tukwila police officers responded to a call concerning a 14-year-old boy who had been stabbed in the hand on the 14200 block of 42 Ave. S. The victim informed police that a middle-aged man had stabbed him and then ran away.

The stabbing occurred in an empty lot about a block from Foster High School.

When officers arrived on the scene and made contact with the victim the information they received lead them to believe the suspect was hiding in an apartment building nearby. This information also gave officers the identity of the suspect though that information is currently being withheld.

Tukwila P.D. and Valley S.W.A.T. team members along with a negotiator were sent to the apartment complex at 2 a.m. on Dec.2 in an attempt to apprehend the suspect. After trying multiple times to contact the suspect the officers breached the apartment, discovering that the suspect had already fled.

information from the West Seattle Tool Library

Now in its 5th year of providing free tools, advice and workshop space to the community on a donation basis, the West Seattle Tool Library is holding its second annual fundraiser.

The fundraiser, which will also serve as Sustainable West Seattle’s annual winter holiday party, will be held Friday, December 5, from 5-9pm at the SoDo MakerSpace, 1914 Occidental Ave S. All net proceeds will go to the maintenance of tool library operations, as well as potential enhancements such as extended hours and more classes.

The fundraiser, continuing with last year’s theme of a “Festivus” party, will be a gala with a dinner buffet, beer, wine, soft drinks, music, a raffle, kid activities, and a tool sale. In addition, discounts will be offered on tool library lifetime memberships, and members who have tool library items they’ve been meaning to return will be offered amnesty for any returned tools. No fines and no questions asked!

Everyone is welcome. No cover charge except for a voluntary suggested donation for food.

By Amanda Knox

Troy Wageman, director of ArtsWest’s production of Judy’s Scary Little Christmas, has many reasons for being a good candidate for the job: he has been a fan of Judy Garland since childhood; his knowledge of pop culture is very strong; the style of choreography that is his specialty is 60’s variety show; and he loves the challenge of injecting heart where you’d least expect it.

This, according to Wageman, is the strength of JSLC. He wants his audience to “expect to be pleasantly surprised” by this newer (1997) show that, so far, has flown very much under the radar. While it’s certainly a ridiculous and hilarious reenactment of the iconic 1964 Judy Garland Christmas Special, it is also a commentary on celebrity, public expectation, and what effects that has on a real-life individual that Wageman promises offers “a solid message to slap people across the face in the end.”

Small businesses felt the rush of holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29. Businesses across Ballard experienced a flux of shoppers eager to purchase their holiday items. To encourage local spending, Calvin Goings, Regional Administrator with the U.S. Small Business Administration, spoke at Mud Bay Pet Foods in Ballard.

“Small businesses really are the key to the U.S. economy. We read a lot about the big corporations – Amazon, Microsoft , which are very important to our economy here as well -- however, it’s the small businesses like the Mud Bay Pet Foods, the Cup Cake Royal’s that are hiring, expanding and creating new net jobs. Highlighting their success is really critical,” said Goings.

Studies show that the money spent at local small businesses goes right back into the local economy. According to a 2008 Michigan based report by Civic Economics, $68 of spending $100 locally stays in the community, compared to $43 staying in the community when buying at non-local based shops. According to the SMA, consumers spent an estimated $5.7 billion with independent merchants during last year’s Small Business Saturday.

Update 2:00pm

The King County Media Relations Officer, D.B. Gates, was on the scene to give updates on what is known so far.

The suspect drove through the front of the Big 5 store and then drove through the inside of the store to the gun section.

“He actually took a little drive through the store, he was inside, I mean he went all inside” described Gates.

The suspect then began filling his van with ammo and guns and retreated to the ceiling when officers arrived. Upon seeing the boxes of ammo responding officers reported that the suspect was believed to be armed.

Concerning the suspect Gates confirmed that they arrested a lone male with an extensive criminal history that included a prior felony conviction. The suspect is also confirmed to have “ties to other states” but at this time she was unsure which state.

The suspect’s identity has not yet been released.

The suspect refused to communicate with the officers during the standoff and was resistant upon arrest.

by Chef Jeremy Maclachlan

If you grab an East Coaster and ask them which crab is the best, they will reply blue crab. Deep down this person knows they are lying to you — do not believe them! The most fantastic crab in the entire world is Dungeness crab. Every time I nosh on this sweet and delicate creature of the West Coast, the theme song from Karate Kid floats through my mind: "You're the best around, nothing's going to stop or bring you down!" Next thing that happens: I find myself standing on the pilings outside our restaurant working on my crane defense skills! In this blog I give you my favorite way to enjoy Dungeness crab and also where to get it. You should also read Kathy Kingen's blog on its amazing health benefits, "Eat Crab For Me!"

by Kathryn Kingen

It's really a subtle form of torture not eating crab. I love crab. There is nothing else that has the succulent fibrous texture of those sweet lumps of white. When my family moved to the Northwest from Minnesota decades ago, we went from thinking fish sticks were seafood to celebrating Christmas Eve dining on the delicious delicacy of fresh Dungeness crab. Those were the days! We loved the adventure of dining on this new, strangely armored seafood that looked more like a transformer robot than Yuletide dinner. Since every mallet, hammer and pliers in the house was needed to crack them, you can imagine the chaos with six kids. Alas, over the years I eventually developed an ironic allergy to crustaceans and now I only have visions of those crab legs dancing in my head.