May 2015

By Jeremy McLachlan

A line from one of my favorite movies inspired my headline for this blueberry blog, but I just wish lickable wallpaper was available to buy. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping which means berry season is right around the corner. In May we feature the amazing blueberry with brainy nutritious attributes that inspired food-blogger Kathy Kingen to write about Blueberries on the Brain.

Blueberries are little jewels of sweetness packed with amazing flavor under their thick skin. I love blueberries because they hold up really well in many recipes and the season lasts longer than raspberries, blackberries or huckleberries.

This month I am going to share with you an amazing Blueberry Salsa that will ignite your summer grilling with flavor. This simple salsa recipe balances sweetness with a touch of tart and an aftershock of heat. This blueberry salsa tastes like blueberry salsa! Ha!

Blueberry Salsa Recipe

Makes 2 Cups

Ingredients

1 pint blueberries
1 teaspoon sugar

By Kathryn Kingen

Popping a few handfuls of blueberries in your mouth every day is a brilliant idea. Blueberries are brain food, they're E=mc2 personified. Consumption of these prodigious prognosticators may even cause you to factor algorithms or start calculating the sum of the sides of an isosceles triangle. Okay maybe that's a bit of a stretch. Although they won't make an Einstein out of you, they surely will you help retain what's already in your brain. As it turns out, blueberries are phytonutrient "smart pills." They do an excellent job of maintaining your nervous system by protecting you from the effects of aging, called oxidation. Oxidative free radicals are attacking our cells every day, breaking down what we have worked so hard to build. Blueberries contain lots of powerful antioxidants including anthocyanins, which give them their dark color and even polyphenols including resveratrol, like in red wine, that play a healthy role in disease prevention.

Burien, WA– Sylvester Middle School students who may go hungry over the weekend will now go home from school each Friday with a backpack full of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, canned soup, and easy to make snacks and meals.

The middle school is teaming up with the Highline Area Food Bank, Will Leather Goods, and the Highline Schools Foundation to offer a supply of nutritious meals and snacks for students over their weekends and extended breaks, free of charge, through a new program called Project N.O.W. (Nutrition on Weekends).

Nearly 70% of students at Sylvester qualify for free or reduced priced meals, including breakfast and lunch.

“For many of our students, the only food they eat all day comes from breakfast and lunch at school,” said Sylvester Principal Kyle Linman. “Project N.O.W. allows us to support our students throughout the whole year, not just in the classroom but in all areas of their lives.”

To officially launch the program, Sylvester leadership students and teachers will fill 50 Give WILL backpacks donated from Will Leather Goods with food donated by the Highline Area Food Bank on May 7.

Dear Editor,

There will be a Public Hearing at Des Moines City Hall on Thursday, May 14 starting at 7 PM regarding the vacation and sale of a section of well used publicly owned sidewalk on 7th Ave. S. in downtown Des Moines to a private developer. This sidewalk is a necessary part of the system-wide right of way (road and sidewalk) all along that crucial downtown corridor. Public ownership is essential for pedestrian safety and successful commercial development downtown. If a portion of the public right of way is vacated, limited public usage may continue if the private property owner grants an easement of passage. However, other public uses appear to be vacated along with the vacation of public ownership including placement of signs (political/commercial/real estate) and freedoms of speech, assembly, and petition.

This vacation of public right of way of a critical component for downtown access would set a precedent for future vacations/sales of public right of way to private parties under the principle that private property owners are treated equally.

Radio station KEXP 90.3 FM has finally revealed the plans for its big party in West Seattle May 29.

They will close down the street from Oregon to Alaska Streets SW from 10am to 6pm to reward West Seattle for winning the "Hood to Hood Challenge" last year. The fundraising event asked people to donate to the non-profit station "by neighborhood" and West Seattle came out on top. This is the second time West Seattle has won the challenge, previously winning in 2010.

Three bands, including Miami Horror will take the stage during the event starting shortly after 10am and from 3pm to 6pm DJ's Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole will be doing live broadcasts from West Seattle.
From 6 to 9 pm DJ's will fan out to various bars around West Seattle (full list not yet released) to spin discs and entertain.

Employee volunteers from Lowe’s Hardware joined forces with Habitat for Humanity on May 7 (though prep work took place before) to repair a home in White Center. 16 people from the company joined three Habitat for Humanity people to carry out an $8000 repair job at the home of Rithy and Bun Thong on 5th Ave. SW.

The work was part of National Women Build Week a weeklong event created by Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program that challenges women to devote at least one day to help build affordable housing in their local communities. The week also spotlights the homeownership challenges faced by women. Lowe’s donated nearly $2 million to this year’s National Women Build Week and each year provides the support of Lowe’s Heroes and conducts how-to clinics at stores to teach volunteers construction skills.

If you have a non profit group and need some more community exposure the West Seattle Junction Association is again offering the FREE Community Tent at West Seattle Summer Fest – July 10, 11, and 12. They are now accepting requests for space from West Seattle non-profits and community groups. They will select groups who strive to benefit, strengthen, and educate our community.

When: Event Hours-
Friday & Saturday, July 10 & 11
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 12
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Community Tent Shifts-
Friday/Saturday: 4-hour slots
10 am – 2 pm
2 pm – 6 pm

Sunday: 3-hour slots
11 am – 2 pm
2 pm – 5 pm

The purpose of the Community Tent at Summer Fest is to allow our small neighborhood non-profits and community groups easy access to the event and their community – free of charge!

On Wednesday, May 6, 2015, Mayor Ed Murray joined about 150 kids who rode their bikes to Alki Elementary School as part of Alki bike to school day. There were two bike groups, one starting at anchor park and the other at Me-Kwa_Mooks where they met up together at Alki Beach and then headed to the school.

Upon arriving at Alki Elementary, the bicyclists posed for a group picture and then enjoyed a healthy breakfast and awards ceremony. All bikers received prizes and special awards were given to the Safest Riders and the Most Visible Rider.

The sale of Edith Macefield’s world famous house is now pending.

“Interest in this property has been off the charts” said listing broker Paul Thomas. “Nearly 750,000 people viewed the virtual tour and stories about the sale have appeared in numerous local, national and global media outlets. People around the world really identify with Edith Macefield and what she stood for.”

Many people have also visited the property in person and left messages on the balloon wall. “I put over 800 balloons in the balloon dispenser in a three week period and I know others have been refilling it as well,” said Thomas.

Thomas received 38 “solid” offers for the house during the three week listing period. Each offer was scored for its proposed memorial to Edith Macefield, terms and dollar amount. The party who submitted the best overall offer has signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement and has until late May to complete their due diligence.

Once the sale closes, a much more substantive press release will be issued which will detail the buyer’s plans for the property. “If the current buyer closes,” said Thomas, “it will be an incredible next chapter in this David vs. Goliath story.”

By Peggy Sturdivant

With her roof in danger of collapse from the fourth New England blizzard in a row my mom called because she was worried about me in Ballard. A family friend in Boise who works for the State of Idaho told her they were working on an emergency plan for when the Seattle area has its megathrust earthquake. My mom wanted to make sure I knew about the threat.

That phone call took place before the earthquake in Nepal, and some relatively small seismic events in Idaho and California over the last two weeks. As someone who was cut off by blizzards should certainly realize, earthquakes aren’t the only emergency we could face. The goal, wherever we live, should be our preparedness. Which is why we are fortunate to have the volunteer group Ballard Prepares.

We can thank the Girl Scout motto instilled in community members like Cheryl Dyers. She happens to be the Loyal Heights Hub Captain for Ballard Prepares, but describes herself as just one of the many, many volunteers who are part of Seattle’s 50 Emergency Community Hubs.