January 2015

The oldest Boy Scout troop in continuous service in Washington State, Troop 284 will celebrate their 100 year anniversary on Feb. 21. But in keeping with their commitment to service they gathered at the West Seattle Foodbank on Jan. 24 to help assemble and install some much needed storage shelving.

The project was completed with assistance from Walter F. Toth Construction.

Troop 284 has served the West Seattle Food Bank through "Scouting for food" since 1988; an annual program where the Scouts collect food donations from the West Seattle community.

Then next month on Feb. 21 the troop will host an alumni reunion in recognition of their 100 years of continuous service. Troop 284 was established in 1915 under the direction of William Barnet and remains chartered to the Boy Scouts of America through the West Seattle Kiwanis. All Troop 284 alumni, families and interested persons are welcome to register for the celebration to be held at the Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate company in the Puget Sound area of Washington is merging with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate company in Oregon and southern Washington.   This consolidation will combine the strength of two companies with more than 725 real estate professionals creating a regional Pacific Northwest brokerage. 

Jason Waugh, the current President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate in Portland, will assume the role of President and CEO of the combined companies.
​ Mike Gain will be the Chairman Emeritus focusing on future acquisitions to continue the expansion of Berkshire Hathaway in the northwest region.

"I am extremely proud of what everyone has accomplished since I returned to the company in 2009," Gain said​. "It has been very rewarding to welcome new agents and to see the accomplishments of our loyal, experienced agents who have been with us for many years", Gain added.​

A new boat race is being compared to the Iditarod and is bringing boat designers and competitors out from the woodwork for a chance to show off their skills and endurance.

The Race to Alaska is a 750-mile motorless boat race from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. The race has very few rules but stipulates that racers can use any propulsion they want except for an engine. That leaves human powered propulsion systems and wind.

Jake Beattie, Executive Director of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, thought up the race.

Beattie said that the goal of the race is to explore different modes of travel on the water that do not include engines, forcing racers to get creative in what they use to travel.

“ We really want to strip it down and put the most control in the hands of the racers. …It’s a chance for people to think about being on the water in ways they haven’t thought of before,” said Beattie.

West Seattle's Wildcats were winners in both games of a basketball double-header against Ballard on Friday night.

West Seattle posted a 47-35 victory over the Beavers in boys action and emerged as 57-33 winners in the girls game.

Next up for both teams is a trip to Blanchet.

The boys battle the Braves at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and the girls will visit the Lady Braves at the same time Wednesday.

by Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

The Evergreen coach, Tony White, looked exasperated, arms going every which way, face, contorting, some, trying to explain to his senior leader, Joseph Thatch, during a timeout, early in the fourth quarter, that Thatch needed to do things differently, as, the Wolverines trailed, 38-36, to Foster, then.
And, he did!

Thatch helped the Wolverines catch fire after that timeout and go on to a 65-56 win over the visiting Bulldogs Friday.

Quickly, the Wolverines, 4-6, in the Seamount League, have four games left in their regular season, at Highline on Wednesday, before coming home for Renton, and, then, Tyee, and, Kennedy after that.
"The next three games will determine if we go to the playoffs or not," said White. Bulldogs dropped to 3-8, and, are behind, Tyee, 3-6. They need to win their games and get help from Tyee, too, but, there chance is more remote of making the playoffs. Top four Seamount 2A teams go on to the postseason, plus the two 3A teams, Kennedy and Hazen, who are 1-2 in the league, anyway. Foster is the fifth place 2A team, and, Highline is the sixth, 1-10.

By Anastasia Stepankowsky

The Chief Sealth girl’s basketball team was in over its head against the Lakeside Lions (12-1). The Seahawks (4-7) have been climbing up the ranks of the Metro Conference recently. But in Friday night’s game the climb hit a wall, ending in a 79-46 loss at home.

The Seahawks (4-9) had no answer for Lakeview’s height advantage and deadeye three-point shooting.
Oshae Walker’s layup got the Seahawks on the board first. But Lakeside went on a 19-0 tear and ended the half with a 52-25 lead.

“We couldn’t match the scoreboard. Our shots didn’t fall.” Chief Sealth head coach Katie Jo Maris said. “We’re usually a better shooting team, and it didn’t happen for us tonight.”

Lakeside is ranked No. 1 in the Metro Conference and has only three players shorter than 5-foot-5. Only five Seahawks are above that height.

By Anastasia Stepankowsky

Lakeside’s Daejon Davis and Isiah Brown nearly matched Chief Sealth’s scoring output, netting 56 points in a 74-57 rout by the Lions in boys Metro Conference basketball action Friday night.

Chief Sealth held the Lions to six points through the early part of the first quarter. However, that was the last lead the Seahawks would enjoy for the game, as the team could not reach Lakeside’s energy level.

Despite the final margin, the Seahawks managed to keep the game close until the closing minutes. At one point, the team managed to close the gap to within three points. But Lakeside (7-4) turned on the jets in the fourth quarter and turned a nail-biter into a blowout. The Seahawks (1-9) remain in last place in the Sound Division of the Metro Conference.

Chief Sealth plays at Ingraham at 7:30 p.m. this coming Tuesday.

The road to the Super Bowl begins in SeaTac this Sunday. Here are a few key events and notices to excite and inform every “12th Man” in the area:

• Sunday Jan. 25 the Seahawks are encouraging all fans to come out and send the team off along S. 188th St. (along the 1.1 mile stretch between 28th Ave. S. and 46 Ave. S.). The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. with team buses passing through the crowd.
• Parking for the event will be available at the Tyee Educational Complex, SeaTac City Hall, Angle Lake Park, Alaska Airlines Headquarters, Bow Lake Elementary School, Chinook Middle School, and the paid parking lot at the SeaTac Airport.
• Closures: I-5 off ramps at exit #152 with no access onto S. 188 St. from the freeways during the event, S. 188 St. closed in both directions at 8:30 a.m., International Blvd. in both directions closed at 9:15 a.m.
• Due to construction pedestrian access will be restricted at Air Cargo Road (28th Ave. S.)
• Due to TSA security restrictions fans will not be able to view the team boarding the aircraft

By Amanda Knox

The modern, character-driven 4000 Miles by the young playwright Amy Herzog is artistic director Mathew Wright’s latest contribution to the ArtsWest stage. It stands out as a change in direction from the musicals of 2014's autumn and winter in terms of genre, but keeps in line with the themes of connection, communication, and the weight of mortality featured in Dogfight and Judy’s Scary Little Christmas.

In this particular story, Wright sets a focused lens upon the importance of metaphor and experience that Herzog establishes in the text. Through the counterparts of the aged Vera, played by Susan Corzatte, and the youthful Leo, played by Adam Standley, the audience is introduced to a counter-balanced perspective of such epic themes as death, grief, and their weight upon a person’s psyche. Grounded in the plausible and realistic situation of a bike trip and convalescence in a family setting, death is both a sudden tragedy and a sad routine, the weight of years is set against the weight of feathers, and the convention of moving on as opposed to holding on is called into question.

Two possibly juvenile burglary suspects were pursued and caught by Seattle Police Friday, Jan 23 in the 4500 block of 46th SW.

According to an eyewitness, the two male suspects broke into a residence in that area but someone called the police. They fled south on foot through the alley and then broke into another residence trying to hide. Police in cars and on bikes caught both suspects and took them into custody without incident.