February 2015

UPDATE Feb. 10
With fans looking on Duke Moscrip unfurled the 13th Man flag Feb. 10 at Duke's on Alki in support of Pete Carroll and all the Seahawks coaches.
Moscrip said, "After the game, I couldn't stop thinking about it. People I talked to couldn't stop thinking about it so I thought there has to be something I can do that's positive to help the fans and the coaches too."

Original Post
The owner of Duke's on Alki Duke Moscrip, is a Seahawk fan, and their loss in Superbowl 49 was a blow to his hopes and those of millions of others. He came up with a plan to lift the spirits of Coach Pete Carroll and other coaches by celebrating not the now famous 12th man but instead the 13th Man. He wrote Pete and his coaches an open letter and then decided to place the letter in local media outlets from Seattle to Tacoma to inspire a fun and positive way for fans to cope with their loss.

On Tuesday Feb. 10 at 1pm he will unveil a large 13th Man flag at the Alki Beach location.

Here's his letter:

Open Letter to Pete Carroll and all Seahawks Coaches

Dear Pete,

Possibly the most famous ferry to ever sail the waters of Puget Sound, the art deco era MV Kalakala, after years of service and even more in moorage has found a final place in West Seattle at Salty’s on Alki.

The ferry was scrapped in a Tacoma dry dock in late January.

Salty’s owner Gerry Kingen bought the parts, which have been placed at the north end of the Salty’s parking lot on both east and west sides with the stern, and rudder assembly facing out to Elliott Bay, and other parts on facing Harbor Ave. SW.

Kingen has plans in place to incorporate these and other parts into the design of a 12 to 15 room boutique hotel he plans to build on the Salty’s site in the next 3 to 5 years. The existing concrete and rebar pieces that are in the location were moved to fit the ferry pieces, by Ness Cranes who did the work on Tuesday Feb. 10.

The Kalakala was built in 1926 and sailed on Puget Sound from 1935 until her retirement in 1967.

The streamlined design was typical of the art deco era and the ferry was popular with residents and visitors alike. During the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair the Kalakaua was voted second only to the Space Needle as an attraction.

Herbs House (716 NW 65th) is Ballard’s first recreational cannabis shop, and they held their grand opening over the weekend.

At noon on Saturday Feb. 7, Ballardites were not thronging the store waiting to get in like at the opening of Seattle’s fist recreational pot shop last year, but there was a solid showing of people eager to have a look at the new shop and take home a few treats.

One Ballardite showed up 15 minutes before the store opened and waited for the open sign to switch on. He joked that he had slept outside in order to be the first in the store. He asked not to use is real name, so for clarification the BNT will call him Larry. Larry said that he has visited shops in Colorado and is curious about the new local shops’ offerings. He said he had not yet visited a Washington State store and was excited to check out Herbs House.

information from South Seattle College

Thursday, Feb. 12, South Seattle College will host a Japanese American Day of Remembrance event featuring keynote speaker Lawrence Matsuda.

A noted author, Matsuda will hold two speaking sessions in the Olympic Hall Auditorium (OLY 120) at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

This annual event commemorates the anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorizing the evacuation and incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast; most of whom were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The order, known as Executive Order 9066, was signed on Feb. 19, 1942. In Washington State alone, nearly 13,000 people of Japanese descent were sent to detention centers, including Seattleites who were sent to Camp Minidoka near Hunt, Idaho.

Matsuda was born in an Idaho internment camp and spent the first three years of his life there. His latest book, “Glimpses of a Forever Foreigner,” is a collection of poetry that was inspired by the experience of those 120,000.

by Paul Moseley

Boys Basketball Metro League Tournament:

The Chief Sealth Boys take on Ingraham tonight (Feb 9) at Chief Sealth in the first round of the Metro League basketball tournament. If the Seahawks (Seeded 14th) win, they will take on 7th Seed Lakeside at Lakeside High School Wednesday the 11th at 7:00 PM. Chief Sealth is playing in the District bracket. A finish of third or higher will advance them to the District Tournament.

The West Seattle Boys (10th Seed) host O'Dea (11th Seed) on Tuesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM. West Seattle is also playing in the District bracket. If West Seattle beats O'Dea, they will play the winner of the Lakeside game, setting up a potential West Seattle/Chief Sealth match-up.

There is a chance for both West Seattle and Chief Sealth to advance to the districts even if they play one game head-to-head.

Girls Basketball Metro League Tournament:

information from the White Center CDA

The White Center Community Development Association (CDA) is partnering with the YES Foundation of White Center and the White Center Food Bank to host the third annual White Center 5K Walk & Run. This community event will take place on March 28, 2014 from 9:00am to 11:00am at White Center Heights Park. Like the previous year, this will be another Superhero Run and all participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superheroes.

The 5K has an official start time of 9:00am with registration beginning at 8:00am. Following the completion of the race there will be an award ceremony to recognize the fastest runners in each age group. The registration cost is based on the age of the participant. It will be free for kids 5 years old or younger, $5 for 6-12 years old, $25 for participants aged 13 through 18, $30 for people between the ages of 19 and 54, and $25 for those aged 55 and up. All proceeds from the event will benefit the White Center CDA, the YES Foundation of White Center, and the White Center Food Bank.

Thief uses old receipt for cash, caught by security officer

On Jan. 28 officers responded to a shoplifting call at a business residing on the 900 block of Northwest 45th Street. The security officer had the suspect in custody when officers arrived and officers told police that the suspect entered the store and grabbed a pair of Dr. Scholes insoles ($6.78). She took the insoles to the retail counter and “returned” them using a receipt from an earlier date and from a different store (Shoreline). As soon as the retail technician gave the suspect the money for the insoles the security officer asked the suspect to come with him. She did. The officer contacted the store in Shoreline and found out they had issued a criminal trespass notice for the suspect. The photo in the notice matched the suspect. The notice stated that the suspect is not allowed in any of the branch stores for any reason at any time. Seattle Police officers found out that the suspect had multiple warrants out for her arrest for theft. One had a bail amount of $7,600. Officers booked the suspect in King County jail.

Suspect kicks in door, takes nothing

To the Editor:
Traffic is definitely bad and will get worse as more people live and work here unless an alternative is provided. But, more than one alternative is possible and several will likely have to be taken—there is no single solution in sight that I see. Some options include expanding our infrastructure, using more buses, adding light rail, carpooling / van pooling, bicycling, walking, and working remotely among others.
Certainly not one of these options works for everyone, but a combination gives people choices and collectively, may begin to address the traffic mess.

Mary Zielsdorf, from Normandy Park Athletic Club, is the Seattle Seahawks arm sox winner in a promotion offered by the Westside Weekly during Super Bowl week. Mary picked up her prize Friday Jan. 30 at The Westside Weekly Office in Burien.

The Arm Sox were purchased long before the Seahawks were assured of a return trip to the Super Bowl. Westside Weekly employee Tamara Chakos, donated the prize when they were no longer available in stores or on line. The response was overwhelming, demonstrating support for the 12’s around the world.

Thanks to all our Facebook friends for your entries, our giveaway reached more than 7,000 people in just 10 days. We had friends from many countries and all age groups hoping to be the winner of the Seahawks arm sox.

Congratulations to Mary for her winning entry.

The Westside Weekly is a division of Robinson Newspapers which includes the Federal Way News, Des Moines News, SeaTac News, Highline Times, White Center News, West Seattle Herald and the Ballard News-Tribune.

By Kyra-lin Hom

Last week I shared my experiences as a brand new video game player – or 'gamer,' as the lingo goes. I find the games fun but not exactly the addictive thrill of which I've heard so much. That doesn't mean I'll stop playing, far from it. But this week video games aren't the kind of games I want to talk about. This kind is a bit more...theoretical. Hold on tight. Things could get technical.

Game theory, more descriptively called interactive decision theory, is the science of strategic decision-making. Game theorists use mathematical models to anticipate what decisions intelligent and rational entities will make. Beyond advanced mathematics, it has applications in politics, economics biology, philosophy and computer science. And while the applications in those first four are running into some roadblocks, computer science is racing along. It's final destination: artificial intelligence, affectionately called A.I.