May 2016

By a vote of 5-4 the Seattle City Council voted down the potential street vacation, which would have meant selling land on Occidental Ave. South to permit investor Chris Hansen to build his proposed $490 million arena.

Council member Lisa Herbold of District 1, representing West Seattle and South Park had earlier spoken about her proposed amendment tying the vacation to the presence of an NBA or NHL team but that amendment was voted down. She spoke about the potential effects on West Seattle and South Park businesses and people who depend on access to downtown through that corridor.

In the end it didn't matter since the vacation did not pass. it means that bringing back the Seattle Supersonics will have to take a different path than the one proposed by Hansen.

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer released this statement on the matter:

“The 5-4 vote of the Council to break up the Hansen monopoly opens up other opportunities for potential NBA and NHL owners to come to the Seattle area.

News from Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, District 7

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer released this statement after the Seattle City Council voted against the street vacation needed for the potential SODO sports arena:

“The 5-4 vote of the Council to break up the Hansen monopoly opens up other opportunities for potential NBA and NHL owners to come to the Seattle area.

“I commend the majority of the Seattle City Council for stepping back from the precipice of a potentially bad decision. Public policy should be based on fact, not fiction.

“For all of the fans who want the Supersonics back, there are options other than Chris Hansen. This decision creates opportunities to look at the other potential locations for an arena.

“If the city had committed to the Hansen vacation, it would have limited the potential sites.

“This is a vote that means there are now more opportunities—not just one.”

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By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday, April 30
Boys soccer
Mt. Rainier 3, Todd Beamer 1
The Rams topped Todd Beamer in Saturday's South Puget Sound League action at Highline Memorial.

Friday, April 29
Baseball
Kennedy 10, Tyee 0
Kennedy Catholic crushed the Totems in a Seamount League baseball battle Friday.
Lindbergh 15, Foster 5
Foster fell to the Eagles on Friday.
Shoreline Christian 11, Seattle Lutheran 1
Seattle Lutheran took a SeaTac B League loss to Shoreline Christian on Friday.

Fastpitch softball
West Seattle 11, Garfield 0
West Seattle wound up as a winner against the Bulldogs by shutout Friday.
Holy Names 11, Chief Sealth 5
Holy Names hammered the Seahawks Friday.
Highline 12, Tyee 2
The Pirates posted a win over Tyee in Friday action.
Evergreen 11, Lindbergh 1
Evergreen stood tall over the Eagles on Friday.
Kennedy 17, Renton 0
Kennedy cruised to a lopsided win Friday.
Hazen 1, Foster 0
The Highlanders barely slipped by the Bulldogs.

Boys soccer
Lakeside 5, West Seattle 1

King County reports that 1,189 riders rode the water taxi during the peak commute (6-9:15am) between West Seattle to downtown Seattle. Last Monday by comparison they had 330.

Peak trips: They had 221 riders at 7:15 am, 243 riders at 7:45 am and 255 riders at 815am. The 81:5am boat left late at 8:28am. The Spirit of Kingston boat was done with the extra 99Closure trips to Vashon, and they used it to make sure the scheduled 8:45am departure from West Seattle left on time, and it left carrying 131 riders (capacity is 147).

It operated kind of like a standby bus does for Metro, maintaining the schedule. It was not providing an added trip, just a reliable one. It is a back-up plan the County can use when they need to help service stay on schedule, but only works when the boat is available.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools
Baseball
Seattle Christian will pay a 4 p.m. visit to Foster on Wednesday, then the Metro League tournament opens Thursday with Chief Sealth playing a 4 p.m. game at Ingraham.
West Seattle waits until the second round to play a 7 p.m. game at the Southwest Athletic Complex on Friday and the survivors in the single-elimination go on to a day full of action at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center on Saturday.

The West Central District tournaments for the Seamount League and South Puget Sound League will also take place Saturday with opponents, times and locations to be announced.
Meanwhile, Seattle Lutheran will pay a 3:15 p.m. visit to Crosspoint on Friday.

Fastpitch softball
Chief Sealth wraps up its regular season with a 4 p.m. home game against Franklin on Wednesday as West Seattle travels to Ballard, with the Wildcats facing their finale at 4 p.m. Thursday at Seattle Prep.
The Metro League tournament then opens Saturday.

By Pat Cashman

Unless you are a recent arrival from Mars, you have no doubt heard the expression, “What the dickens?”

It is used in common sentences such as:
“What the dickens are you kids doing with that aardvark?”

Or, “Coach Carroll, what the dickens were you thinking trying to pass instead of run in the closing moments of Super Bowl XLVIII?”

And, “Former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels! What the dickens are you doing at this Trump rally?”

Dickens means pretty much the same thing as “devil.” As in, “What the dickens (devil) are you thinking by eating so many deviled (dickensed) eggs?”

It’s reasonable to suppose that “what the dickens” refers to the great English writer,
Charles Dickens. But in fact, it has nothing to do with him. Nor does the popular male clothing accessory, the dickey.

The phrase actually comes from another English writer named Shakespeare in a play called The Merry Wives of Windsor. It is just one of many household words that come from his plays and sonnets. In fact, ‘household words’ comes from Shakespeare.

True, that.

By Calvin Goings, Regional Administrator

Every year since 1963, the President has officially designated a National Small Business Week. This is a perfect time for us to renew our commitment to small businesses in Ballard, a vital part of the backbone and foundation of the strongest, most resilient economy the world has ever known.

This year, National Small Business Week will occur from May 1 – 7, 2016. The theme this year is “Dream Big, Start Small.” Across the Puget Sound, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will recognize the role small businesses play in building thriving communities like Ballard.

Small businesses today create two out of every three new private-sector jobs and employ half of the private workforce. Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to help entrepreneurs in Ballard as they continue to drive the Puget Sound’s economy forward.

By Amanda Knox

In my columns I walk a fine line between the public and the personal. I seek to strike the right balance between exploring universal thoughts and grounding those thoughts in the real circumstances of my life that inspire them. That’s how my brain works. Context is the diving board from which I launch into analytical thought.

At least, that’s the goal. Sometimes I struggle to fully develop the thought. Writing is hard! Sometimes I struggle to convey the necessary circumstances of the context. For instance, it can be intimidating to address wrongful convictions issues because so much of the fundamental material of that experience, legal and personal, needs explicit explaining. Other times, like with an inside joke, the backstory leading up to a thought is convoluted with layers of history that my audience would have to be “in on” to appreciate. Usually, though, the problem of context is measuring the appropriate weight of personal exposure for public consumption.

Chief Sealth Multi Class Reunion
Lincoln Park, Shelters #3 and #4
Fri., July 22, 3 – 10 P.m.. Chief Sealth High School classes of 1969 – 1975 are sponsoring the 1st Annual “Chief Sealth High Day” at Lincoln Park! Our goal is to plan for an annual event involving all 5 shelters next year, complimentary food and fun for all Seahawks! For more information, please contact David Katt at djkatt@comcast.net or craigrobberts@bhhsnwre.com.

WSHS Class of 1966 Reunion Weekend
Various locations
June 2–4. The West Seattle High School Class of 1966 50th Reunion weekend will include informal gatherings, golf and a party at Normandy Park Cove and all School Reunion. For more information contact Kathy Braymer Shepard, kathy@westseattle66.com.

Daystar Toastmasters
Daystar Retirement Village
2615 SW Barton