December 2015

By Pat Cashman

I was watching an old movie on TV a couple of nights ago. A gangster was being pursued by the cops---aren’t they always? So he went to a plastic surgeon and got his face changed. They do it all the time in the movies.
And it wasn’t a mere face-lift. After all, one false surgical move---or twelve--- and the gangster could have gone from looking like a burly guy to Melanie Griffith.

So the doctor did a complete face alteration on the thug. When finished, the gangster didn’t just have a different face---but a different posture, gait, voice and religious affiliation. He was also about six inches taller. I guess the movie director hoped the audience wouldn’t notice---or would assume the guy had just been slouching previously.

Up until recent years, that face-changing stuff has been just movie fantasy. In fact, one of the dumbest films in the last several years was called Face/Off.” In that one, federal agent John Travolta lets his bosses’ graft a criminal’s face onto his own, so that he can trick the bad guy’s brother into giving him key information. Logical, right?

By Amanda Knox

I realize that in many of my most recent columns—engaging with subjects like grief, political frustration, introspection, stillness—I may be coming across as a bit of a Debbie Downer. No, I don’t suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder). I’m not overwhelmed or irritated by the holidays. Quite the contrary, I luxuriate in any excuse to gather together with my big, loud family and celebrate the idea of life and light emerging from death and darkness. It’s just, even by the weekend before Christmas, the festivity of the season hadn’t yet caught up with me. Or, despite my best efforts in having done (most of) my Christmas shopping and painting my nails Santa Claus red, I hadn’t caught up with it. I’ve been distracted.

Enter the Democratic debates of Saturday, December 19th. I hastily wolfed down some salad greens in front of my computer screen for the opening thirty minutes, almost regretting that I had a fun evening planned. I was missing it! Oh, well. There’s always Youtube.

West Seattle resident and former major league outfielder Dave Henderson has died after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 57.

Henderson died early Sunday morning at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to a statement from the Mariners, one of five teams Henderson played for in his career.

Known as "Hendu" to his friends Henderson could often be seen on Alki Beach, often at Christo's restaurant. He had a kidney transplant one month ago and was recovering.

Henderson was best known for his home run in the 1986 AL Championship Series for Boston. With the Red Sox one strike from elimination in Game 5, Henderson hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth against the California Angels to send the series back to Boston. The Red Sox won Games 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.

Henderson began his career with the Seattle Mariners and later played for Oakland, San Francisco, Boston and Kansas City. He was an All-Star in 1991 while with the Oakland Athletics.

At 10 am Jan. 1, 2016 in front of Duke's on Alki. hundreds will again line up along the beach, hold hands, and after a short count down, will all run into the water. Shouts, shrieks, and assorted whoops are expected.

Last year, over 500 participated. If you plan on participating you are urged to bring water shoes, towel, change of clothes and your hopes and dreams for 2016.

Duke's clam chowder is generously provided by Duke and his crew. Organizer Mark Ufkes said, "This is a great way to wash away the complexities of 2015 and welcome the unlimited possibilities of 2016. "

As a community on a peninsula, West Seattle is often seen as parochial and insulated. A place meant for only locals, not on the way to anywhere.

The outward looking efforts to bring visitors here from a distance have been limited to events such as Summerfest, the Farmers Market, our Log House history museum and our local theater, ArtsWest.

A few years ago the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce reserved the domain name VisitWestSeattle.com and had a developer build the core graphics and themes for a website, but that effort has gone unfunded. A tourist, defined as someone who travels more than 40 miles for a visit, needs a reason to show up.

That means lodging here locally is a limiting factor with only one hotel. The Grove, and a smattering of bed and breakfasts. Right now AirBnB.com has 315 potential places to stay in West Seattle ranging from full homes to apartments and shared rooms ranging from $136 to $43 per night.

Late Tuesday night a car lost control at Fremont Place North and 35th Street North and crashed into the north side of 9 Million Unmarked Bills, a cocktail bar in Fremont.

The crash occurred at approximately 10 p.m. Bystanders reported on reddit that a White Toyota Camry lost control, hit a tree and swiped the side of the building before coming to a stop. Seattle Police Department confirmed the reports from reddit.

“It wasn't until a tree stopped him that the car stopped moving. There were no additional injuries aside from the man who was then pulled out on a stretcher,” reported a bystander.

Photo by Amara Rodriguez.

An employee reported on Reddit that she was exiting the bar through the front door as the accident occurred.

By Peggy Sturdivant

I’m still confused about the pony. That sentence sums up what was either an extraordinary day in Ballard or the new normal. In which the senior center is packed for lunch because of the visiting Seahawks contingent, men and women are kissing the cheek of someone in a bird costume and Engine 20 arrives for medical response during Q & A.

The pinnacle of my Seahawks knowledge is knowing when they are playing because it means my husband will be at The Lockspot for the televised game, and therefore out of the house. But I knew this was a big deal for the Ballard Senior Center, and therefore of interest to me. A day not to obsess over this year’s loss of United Way funds.

Fall 2015 in Ballard has overwhelmed me: the elections, the pace of building and dissent, the lack of compassion regarding homelessness, and so far in December ten inches of rain, averaging nearly an inch a day for the first ten days. I find myself asking the question, when will there be good news?

information from King County

The Murray Basin CSO Control Facility on Beach Drive SW is expected to be complete by next fall. When complete, the Murray CSO Control Facility will collect up to 1 million gallons of sewage and polluted stormwater that would otherwise overflow into Puget Sound. Major street work on Beach Dr. S.W. and facility building are underway and are expected to be complete by late spring 2016.

Storage tank and facility building

Earlier this year, we finished constructing the million-gallon underground storage tank. This was a major milestone for the project.

The construction team is now working to build the facility on top of the underground storage tank. The facility will contain operations equipment and will provide access to the tank for maintenance personnel.

The facility building will have a green roof and rain garden that will capture stormwater and filter the water before directing it into the sewer system. For more information about managing stormwater at home, check out the RainWise program sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities, King County, and Green Stormwater Infrastructure at: www.700milliongallons.org/

By Chris Swanson

At approximately 12:14 p.m. the fire alarms went off at the Cottage Grove Apartments in the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW.

A neighbor noticed smoke coming from another apartment and opened the door, entered and found a man on fire.

A fire extinguisher was used to put out the flames, but he has burns over 90% of his body and has been transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. One other person was treated for minor injuries.

In the process of going through the building firefighters found a body, but the person’s death was unrelated to the fire.

The fire department is in clean up stage. There is water damage to 3 Apts and at this time it is unlikely that those residents will be able to return to their homes.

No cause for the fire or total amount of damage has yet been announced.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday, Dec. 17

Wrestling
Chief Sealth 48, Garfield 24
The Seahawks scored a win over Garfield in Thursday action.
Chief Sealth 45, Franklin 15
Chief Sealth also dealt the Quakers a defeat Thursday night.
Lakeside 36, West Seattle 12
The Wildcats were pinned with a loss Thursday.
Highline 54, Tyee 13
The Pirates cruised past the Totems.
Kennedy 48, Lindbergh 30
Kennedy Catholic outscored the Eagles in Thursday's match.
Renton 60, Foster 22
Foster fell at the hands of the Indians on Thursday.

Boys swimming
Hazen 96, Kennedy 88
Hazen outdistanced the Lancers in a close Thursday afternoon meet.

Wednesday, Dec. 16

Girls basketball
West Seattle 53, Lakeside 37
West Seattle won big against an old nemesis to remain undefeated.
Rainier Beach 63, Chief Sealth 25
Rainier Beach routed Chief Sealth in Wednesday action.
Shorewood Christian 44, Northwest Yeshiva 37
Shorewood Christian of West Seattle posted a victory Wednesday.
Kennedy 61, Lindbergh 36