June 2015

By Regional Administrator Calvin Goings,
U.S. Small Business Administration
Executive Director Beto Yarce, Ventures

At the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) one of our major strategic goals is to strengthen entrepreneurial education, counseling, and training resources to support the needs of existing businesses and new start-ups.

The 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Program is one of SBA’s means to achieve that goal by providing specialized assistance to important underserved markets.

The program provides high-quality assistance, such as training, executive education, and one-on-one consulting to eligible small businesses, which include:
• Participants in the 8(a) Business Development Program
• Small businesses that are owned and controlled by economically and socially disadvantaged individuals;
• Small businesses located in areas of high unemployment or low-income; and,
• Small business owned by low-income individuals.

Here in Region 10, we are working hard to better serve our underserved communities with our existing partnerships and looking to create future partnerships. That’s why the 7 (j) Program is so important.

By Kathryn Kingen

Hey, Sweet Pea, is that you? Why, I hardly recognized you, you look so fresh and fabulous, even downright stylish.

Let's face it, peas have come a long way since we were kids. Their humble beginnings, from the box and can, got them off to a poor start in the fashionable vegetable world. But now, as their fresh and natural selves, they are positively on trend this season. Starting this May, and going all through the summer, the idea of peas on your plate will be absolutely modern. If you’re smart you'll get them while they are freshest and buying them locally is best.

In the Northwest, snap and snow pea season extends from May through August, and get ready for shell peas from July through October. Although considered a starchy vegetable, when they are just picked they are actually quite sweet. Slowly, after harvest, peas begin to convert their sweet sugars into more complex carbohydrate starches, and the flavor and texture change with it. So when you buy them, eat them quickly for best results.

By Chef Jeremy Maclachlan

Spring has sprung and the peas are winding their way up trellises across the Pacific Northwest. My favorite type of pea out there is the English pea. These little pearls of sweetness are great right off the vine and wonderful to eat with many different pasta dishes or in your favorite salad. This month I want to give you tips on how to cook peas properly, and also recipes to use for other parts of the pea plant, including the vines and the pods. Be sure to take a look at Kathy Kingen's blog on why peas are good for you!

Blanch Away!

Peas need to be cooked correctly, meaning not over and not under. If you overcook your peas then they turn grey and lose their flavor, but if you undercook them the sweet flavor is lost. Here is what you need to do:

• Bring a half gallon of water, one tablespoon of salt and the juice of one lemon to a boil.
• Place your peas in the boiling water and cook for one minute.
• Strain the peas and run them under cold water.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Eight area golfers journeyed to Eastern Washington for state tournaments on Wednesday and Thursday and six of them placed.

Nikki Miller of Kennedy Catholic led the area pack, taking ninth place in the girls Class 3A tournament with 18-hole rounds of 79 and 83 on the Horn Rapids course in Richland for a two-day total of 162.

Lancers teammate Makenzie Milton tied for 28th place with rounds of 94 and 89 for a total of 183.

A third Kennedy Catholic golfer -- Addie Hedge -- shot a 102 the first day to miss the cut to play the second day and place.

Seattle Christian's Luke Doss finished in a three-way tie for 11th place in the 1A boys classification.
Doss shot a 79 the first day and lowered his score to 74 the second on the Sun Willows course in Pasco for a total of 153.

Four Lancers and one West Seattle golfer went to Canyon Lakes in Kennewick to play in the 3A boys tournament.

Ryan Sheardown of JFK shot two rounds of 78 for a 156 total and a tie for 16th place, while teammate Evan Galando wound up in a five-way tie for 18th with a 78 and a 79 for a total of 157.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EdITOR

Reinstatement from the disabled list did not mean an immediate return to the Major League Baseball ranks for two area graduates this past week.

Highline High School graduate Ryan Brett was reinstated by the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday and optioned to Class AAA Durham, after Federal Way High School graduate Travis Ishikawa was reinstated by the San Francisco Giants on Monday and designated for assignment.

Brett had been out since suffering a shoulder injury diving to first base on a pickoff against the Boston Red Sox on April 21, while Ishikawa had been out all season from the Majors because of a back injury sustained in spring training.

Brett, a rookie second baseman, was batting 2-for-3 for a .667 batting average with one double when his injury occurred.

"Extremely frustrating," said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash at the time. "Felt terrible for him. I think we all do. He had four at-bats. He was 2-for-3, showed really good at-bats. We'll get him healthy and get him right back out there playing again."

Courtesy article by Gerardo Bolong

With a return journey to the state 1A softball tournament berth hanging in the balance, Seattle Christian came out solidly swinging on Sat., May 23, on field No. 8 at the Sprinker Recreation Center in a 12-2 six-inning victory against No. 1 Olympic 1A Chimacum to secure the West Central District III championship and its third consecutive trip to the state tournament at the Columbia Playfields in Richland. The Warriors (16-4) will open state action on Fri., May 29, in a 10 a.m. encounter with bi-district I/II South Whidbey of the Cascade Conference. Chimacum earned the second and last WCD spot to state by defeating Bellevue Christian 14-8 later in the day.

"It's satisfying to go back," said Warrior head coach Rick Ronish. "This is three times in a row. It's always tougher when the expectations to go back are higher. the girls battled and didn't make a lot of mistakes. They also took advantage of the other team's mistakes."

Scoring in bunches early and late, the Warriors scored a trio of first inning runs and never trailed.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Semipro

Highline Bears
The new semiprofessional baseball team will be at home at White Center's Steve Cox Memorial Park stadium playing the Snoqualmie Hurricanes in a 7 p.m. game Friday.
Tickets are $3.00 each and free for children age 12 and under.

Pros

Mariners
Seattle hosts the New York Yankees for a 12:40 p.m. game Wednesday before the Tampa Bay Rays come to town for four games.
The Mariners take on the Rays at 7:10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 1:10 p.m. Sunday.
Seattle then goes on the road to Cleveland for 4:10 p.m. action on Tuesday.
Highline graduate Ryan Brett was with Tampa Bay earlier this year but was recently sent down to Class AAA Durham after coming off the disabled list.
Mariners games can be seen on the ROOT Sports Northwest cable television network and heard on 710 AM radio.

Sounders

7:00 PM, Thursday, June 11, The 5th Avenue Theatre

(SEATTLE, WA) Tim Minchin, the internationally celebrated composer and comedian behind the music and lyrics of the sensational Broadway hit Matilda The Musical, will join 5th Avenue audiences for the next Spotlight Night, The 5th Avenue’s behind-the-curtains look at upcoming productions. Hosted by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, this Spotlight Night will preview the theater’s upcoming summer shows: the ever popular Grease, the final show of the 2014/15, season and Matilda The Musical, the smash hit that opens the 2015/16 season.

WHAT: Having shattered box office records around the world, THE ILLUSIONISTS - WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE™ is now coming to The 5th Avenue Theatre as part of a 20-city tour following a highly successful Broadway run. This mind-blowing spectacular showcases the jaw-dropping talents of some of the most incredible illusionists on earth. Full of hilarious magic tricks, death-defying stunts and acts of breathtaking wonder, THE ILLUSIONISTS features a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen onstage. THE ILLUSIONISTS has dazzled audiences of all ages and offers a memorable evening of family entertainment that you won’t want to miss.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 16 – Sunday, June 21, 2015

SHOW Tuesday – Thursday, June 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 PM
TIMES: Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20 at 8:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21 at 2 PM
Sunday, June 21 at 7 PM

WHERE: The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle)

[Highline, WA, 6/1/2015] – Teeth gritted with determination, Logan Gust tries to pull the wooden sled weighed down by 450 pounds of hardened steel. Try as he might the 13-year-old from Troop 455, which meets in Renton, can’t make it budge even an inch. But with the teamwork of his fellow Scout Patrol (and a simple machine the boys create using pulleys, ropes, and the knots they learned in a recent Boy Scout meeting), he and his friends are able to easily move the sled a few hundred feet to cross the finish line. “That was cool!” a beaming Logan exclaimed, sharing high-fives with is patrol. “Without the pulleys it was impossible to move. But all of us with some mechanical advantage did it.”

The event is part of the 2015 Aquila – Green River District Camporee, an annual event held at the Pacific Raceways that brings Scouts together from Renton, Kent, and West Seattle for competition and camaraderie.