March 2015

I'm glad to see the uproar about measles vaccination. It's high time this issue is addressed. One of my biggest obstacles as a school nurse in the Highline School District was unimmunized students. Parents objected, fearing that the vaccine could cause autism. Or they claimed religious or personal objections. There was no way of knowing if their religion prohibited it. And parents did not have to explain their personal objections.

Confusion and misinformation about the vaccine may have resulted when a British doctor published a bogus study claiming the measles vaccine caused autism. His findings have been discredited and never replicated in succeeding studies but some parents still don't believe the scientific evidence. This doctor lost his license because he falsified study results. He can no longer practice medicine. In all states, we would be wise to mandate immunizations like they do in the state of Mississippi.

By Tim Clifford

Last Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 at 12:45 p.m. Cees Berlage was running drills and sprints for the Seattle Christian basketball team when he fell over unconscious. The 16-year-old had gone into sudden cardiac arrest.

“He was unresponsive and his eyes were really big, so I ran and got the other coaches, said “call 911” and started CPR,” described coach Braque Hildreth.
He had no pulse and was no longer breathing.

At first the coaching staff believed that Cees was having a seizure of some sort, possibly epileptic. They had no way of knowing the true cause of his collapse lay in a heart prolapse defect, a coronary anomaly, which had gone undiscovered in Cees even during physicals at doctor’s offices and with cardiologists.

For assistant coach Patrick Donovan, a marine who had returned to the area in October and begun coaching in November, his prior experience clued him in as to what was actually happening.

“I know from training and then seeing it live a few times as well,” he explained.

The Ballard Chamber of Commerce has reached a two-year agreement with the Seattle Parks Department to help activate Ballard Commons Park.

The chamber looks to deter “negative park activities” through new community events that “activate” the park and ensure the park serves as a positive community environment.

 “As part of the Ballard Partnership or Smart Growth Strategic planning process, one identified strategy is to activate Ballard Commons Park,” said Mike Stewart, Executive Director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce.

“The park is a critical element of central Ballard’s business and residential community. By planning a series of community events -- small and large -- activating the park will help to reduce the effect of negative park activities and ensure the park is truly serving the Ballard community.”

By Kseniya Sovenko

Lauren Curtis walks into a Belltown bar. She’s attending one of the many socialization events tailored for individuals involved with startups in the Seattle area. This particular one is called “Startup Drinks.”

Once inside, Curtis looks right and left. Suddenly, she realizes she’s one of only three or four women in a room full of 70 men.

Perhaps another recognizable female is lost to dim lighting or the crowd, but for a brief second, Curtis feels a little awkward. After the brief discomfort passes, however, she remembers she’s in her normal work environment.

Of every 100 established tech startups, only three are founded and led by women. The nation’s leading companies—Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon—employ a female workforce that averages at 15 percent for tech-specific jobs. Though it’s a leading tech capital, Seattle doesn’t fare any better when it comes to female participation in technology and entrepreneurship.

Mayor Murray announced his support of Senate Bill 6027 (SB 6027), introduced this February in the Washington State Senate to increase the funding for the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program.

The bill doubles the size of the Film Competitiveness Program over the next two years to $7 million, and increases the fund incrementally each year until it reaches $10 million in 2019. The sunset date for the program will also be extended to 2022.

Last year, under the program’s current annual $3.5 million cap, the annual fund was expended by May and a total of $55 million worth of film production projects were immediately turned away.

“Washington's current incentive program is the fifth smallest in the country,” said Mayor Murray. “I support this legislation because it strengthens the State’s best tool to keep our film industry competitive. This program, alongside the City’s Commercialize Seattle initiative, will help retain and increase film industry talent to fuel our creative economy.”

Mayor Murray proclaimed Tues., March 17, 2015 “Seattle Film Day” in honor of Seattle’s 80-plus years as a film making destination.

# # #

Senate Bill 6027

Rodeo Donut was created by a handful of genius bakers at Cupcake Royale who were craving a really unique and fresh from the fryer donut. Cupcake Royale has decided to support the bakers’ vision of small-batch creative, local, and delicious donuts in a big way. Nicki Kerbs, pastry chef at Rodeo Donut, heads the team. “We want to change the way Seattle looks at donuts by starting with the way WE enjoy a donut. Brioche dough that’s so light and not too sweet, glazes made daily from fresh ingredients, resulting in mouth-watering flavor concoctions that go far beyond a Maple Bar or Apple Fritter.” Kerbs added: “Of course, the donuts will be hot from the fryer and sold within a few hours!” Rodeo Donut will apply the same values that resonate so deeply with Cupcake Royale. Sourcing local ingredients from farms in the Pacific Northwest, hand making donuts from scratch-made brioche dough and delivering joy through wholesome baked goods.

Rodeo Donut was created by a handful of genius bakers at Cupcake Royale who were craving a really unique and fresh from the fryer donut. Cupcake Royale has decided to support the bakers’ vision of small-batch creative, local, and delicious donuts in a big way. Nicki Kerbs, pastry chef at Rodeo Donut, heads the team. “We want to change the way Seattle looks at donuts by starting with the way WE enjoy a donut. Brioche dough that’s so light and not too sweet, glazes made daily from fresh ingredients, resulting in mouth-watering flavor concoctions that go far beyond a Maple Bar or Apple Fritter.” Kerbs added: “Of course, the donuts will be hot from the fryer and sold within a few hours!” Rodeo Donut will apply the same values that resonate so deeply with Cupcake Royale. Sourcing local ingredients from farms in the Pacific Northwest, hand making donuts from scratch-made brioche dough and delivering joy through wholesome baked goods.

The 13th annual Northwest Hope and Healing Fashion Show Benefit, Style 15, is scheduled for April 30 at the Showbox SODO.

In keeping with the organizations mission the event will help raise money for women undergoing breast and gynecological cancer treatment at the Swedish Cancer Institute. The NW Hope & Healing Patient Assistance Fund offers financial aid to women who otherwise might have to skip treatment because of the lack of transportation, choose between paying for prescriptions and feeding their family, or face an eviction while battling cancer.

Ticket Levels:
*General Admission includes 7:00pm admission to the show.
*VIP Ticket includes 6:30pm admission, wine reception, appetizers, table seating and a thank you gift. If you are invited by a Table Captain, select VIP ticket option, then list the name of your table captain.

AAA Driver Improvement Program
West Seattle Christian Church
4400 42nd Ave. S.W.
Sat., March 21, 8:30-4 p.m. Now accepting reservations for the refresher course on defensive driving skills, which gives practical guidance for traffic accident prevention and enhances driver safety and confidence. Successful course completion qualifies drivers 55 years of age and over for automobile insurance premium discounts. $18 per person. Pre-registration is required, call 206-243-3564.

American Sewing Guild Monthly Meeting
The Kenney
7125 Fauntleroy Way S.W.
Sat., March 21, 10 a.m.—noon. Share your Sew Expo experience: what did you learn, who do you recommend, what treasures did you find? Bring it all to our meeting along with a pattern to use in the One Pattern, Many Ways Challenge. Bring your Sew & Tell along with your questions. For more info: Claudia, 937-5774.

Duwamish Native Foods ~ Now & Then ~ Traditional Medicine
Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center
4705 W. Marginal Way S.W.
206.431.1582 or www.duwamishtribe.org