September 2015

By Pat Cashman

Every time Star Trek fans hear those famous words spoken by Captain Kirk: “…to boldly go where no man has gone before…”---they get as giddy as mosquitoes in a nudist colony.

But if my college English teacher Miss Lynn had heard them, she would have howled in genuine pain. “What kind of a captain is that?” she’d say. “Even a Klingon wouldn’t speak so poorly.” (By the way, my computer just tried to change Klingon to Clinton. More on that shortly.)

Captain Kirk’s familiar words, of course, contain a dreaded split infinitive. Thus, “…to boldly go…”---with the word ‘boldly’ stuffed in between ‘to’ and ‘go’---is a crime worthy of marching Kirk straight to Miss Lynn’s grammar guillotine.

It was as if splitting an infinitive was a bigger deal than splitting the atom---and just as explosive.
I’ve long thought about writing a sketch for TV called “The Grammarian.” It would be about a righteous super-hero---in the requisite cape and tights---running around correcting wrong utterances:

EVIL GENIUS: “I will rule the world, irregardless!”

By Tim Clifford

Stabbing on bus on Highland Park WY S.W.
Late in the night on Sept. 6 police received calls from a Metro bus stopped at 2 Ave. S.W. / Highland Park WY S.W. about two passengers that were fighting. Minutes later, around 11:50 p.m., calls from that same bus began coming in reporting that one of the brawling passengers had been stabbed.

When officers arrived they found one subject sitting in his seat with a knife and sheath clipped to his belt. He was ordered off the bus and to surrender; which he did without incident. Once the officers boarded the bus they found the other subject lying in the fetal position near the back door. A pool of blood was forming around his body. This man was taken by ambulance to Harbor View Medical Center where it was discovered that he had sustained a single stab wound to the shoulder.

Alki United Church of Christ is kicking off a concert series featuring northwest professional musicians, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit our beloved West Seattle support organization West Seattle Helpline.
The organizers at Alki UCC hope to present a concert every two months, with the next one being developed for early to mid-November. Each one will have a new mix of musicians, and all will have a portion of the proceeds going to West Seattle Helpline.

September 25th concert will feature Spencer Hoveskeland, string bass; Lia Wax, flute; and DJ Wilson, piano. The evening's repertoire features an artful blend of classical, jazz, contemporary and whimsical selections. Dessert and refreshments will be served after the concert.
West Seattle Helpline is a nonprofit social service agency offering emergency assistance for West Seattle residents. A treasured community institution since 1989, the Helpline provides information, referrals, clothing, and financial assistance to help working families in need. They strive to strengthen our community through “neighbors helping neighbors.”

According to a tweet from none other that King County Executive Dow Constantine, the crew of the West Seattle Water Taxi rescued a kayaker in Elliott Bay on Saturday.

In a Tweet from the the Executive, quoting Paul Brodeur, Director of the Marine Division of the King County DOT it read,
"We pulled a borderline hypothermic kayaker out of the water at Seacrest, brought him onboard to warm up, called 911, fire dept. came, assessed him, took him into their care. We left on the 1800 run ten minutes late but made up the time. Kudos to G.W. and Scott for quick thinking and providing good care for the young man."

The 8th annual West Seattle Car Show that normally is located in the Alaska Junction has moved to a new home this year, South Seattle College kicked off under misty conditions on Sunday, September 13, 2015. The event started at 10am and will last until 3pm.

About 75 people brought in their classic cars, hot rods, and other types of sweet looking rides. All proceeds go to the Automotive Technology Program at South Seattle College. The show was organized again by Swedish Automotive and West Seattle Autoworks.

An award ceremony will be presented at the end of the event to drivers. The awards are listed for:

• Best Alternative Fuel/Green Car
• Best Custom ( 5 or more major modifications )
• Best Motorcycle
• Best Import
• Best Muscle Car
• Best Modern/Future Classic ( 1990 and newer )
• Best Classic ( 1965-1989 )
• Best Antique ( Pre 1965 )
• Best in Show ( The Michael Hoffman Award )

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday, Sept. 10
Girls soccer
Blanchet 2, West Seattle 1
West Seattle took a close loss in its season opener.
Ballard 5, Chief Sealth 0
The Seahawks were outscored by the Beavers.
Kennedy 1, King's 1
Kennedy Catholic played to a tie Thursday.

Volleyball
Federal Way 3, Chief Sealth 0
Federal Way flew past the Seahawks in a non-league match.
TJ 3, Evergreen 2
Evergreen was edged by the Raiders of Thomas Jefferson.
Mt. Rainier 3, Bethel 1
The Rams rallied for a non-league victory over the Braves.

Boys tennis
Mt. Rainier 5, K-M 0
The Rams aced out the Royals in South Puget Sound League North action.

Boys golf
West Seattle 147, Franklin 6
The Wildcats roared to a lopsided win Thursday.
Kentlake 85, Mt. Rainier 36
Mount Rainier fell to the Falcons.

Girls golf
West Seattle 50, Franklin 6
West Seattle waltzed past the Quakers in Metro League action.

Wednesday, Sept. 9
Volleyball
West Seattle 3, Franklin 0
West Seattle won three in a row against Franklin.

information from King County

A ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 20 at 1:30 pm at the corner of 32nd Ave SW and SW Kenyon (near the former Westside School) will celebrate the completion of two years of construction for the Barton Street Combined Sewer Overflow project.

After the ribbon cutting tours of three locations in the Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighborhoods will be offered.

King County’s contractor, Goodfellow Brothers Inc., constructed 29 roadside rain gardens on five blocks in
the Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighborhoods this year (orange blocks on map). That brings the total over the past two construction seasons to 91 roadside rain gardens on 15 blocks.

King County installed these roadside rain gardens to divert stormwater runoff away from the combined sewer system. When it rains, stormwater will filter through bioretention soil to a drain pipe, which will take water to a deep well to get absorbed underground. Keeping stormwater out of the sewer system will reduce overflows of combined sewage and stormwater into Puget Sound near the Fauntleroy ferry dock during large storms.

Living Care Lifestyles will break ground next spring on Quail Park of West Seattle at 4515 41st Ave SW, a 20,000 square foot free standing memory care facilitiy. When the community officially opens, it will be the only dedicated memory care community in the surrounding seven zip codes.

When it opens in 2017 it will have 45 rooms for dementia and Alzheimer’s residents with a capacity to hold 66 residents.

With three self-sustaining floors on almost a half-acre site, Quail Park of Seattle will have centrally-located common areas on each floor. Some of the amenities will include a dining area, sitting lounge, theatre, activity space, outdoor patio, water fixtures, putting green, distinct and exclusive “neighborhoods” reflecting the West Seattle heritage with specific historic markers and items.

information from Mayor Ed Murray

Today Mayor Ed Murray announced that Seattle Parks and Recreation will offer drop-in activities for up to 3,000 kids at the City’s community centers in the event that the teachers’ strike continues during the week of Sept. 14.

“This week, we have reached capacity at several centers and recognize the demand is likely to grow should the strike continue,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “Thousands of families are seeking options for their school-age kids. We’ve brought on additional staff and AmeriCorps volunteers to ease the burden for parents who need to go back to work.”

The drop-in activities will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 21 community centers around the city (listed below). Parks and Recreation will accommodate youth in kindergarten through 6th grade. There is no cost and the activities are open to all families. The recreation activities will operate only if school is not in session.

information from South Seattle College

South Seattle College announced today that they have been awarded a $4.8 million grant through the American Apprenticeship Initiative Grant Program.

The American Apprenticeship Initiative Grant (AAIG) is funded through the Department of Labor with the aim of developing and implementing innovative, high-quality registered apprenticeship programs through public-private partnerships. The AAIG seeks to identify key innovations to train significant numbers of new apprentices and scale apprenticeship programs at a statewide, regional, or national level.

This grant was awarded to South to fund the Partnership for Advanced Technology Apprenticeships in Manufacturing and Marine Engineering project (PATAM). In support of South’s mission, this grant will serve 300 workers from underrepresented populations and at least 1,000 workers in the state. In collaboration with labor, employers, the workforce development community and several colleges, the grant will expand 12 existing programs in Advanced Manufacturing and create 3 new apprenticeships including the first in the nation Marine Engineering.