August 2016

Dear Editor,

Regarding the recent article by Amanda Knox. We get it. I get it. Lived it. But
in making a point one must be sure the point is made by pointing out correct…points.

She need not be ‘devastated’ by Barbara Streisand’s song “My Man.” Actually? It was sung my Streisand but she is singing it in the film “Funny Girl.” She is Fanny Brice. And? Truth be told? Fanny did a damn better than her love Nicky Arnstein. He was a cad. A crook. And she loved him still. That? Is what the song is about but she finally divorced him and became an iconic performer.

When one reads Ray Charles and “misogynist America” it seems a contradiction in terms.
Actually, a great deal of the lyrics in his tunes finds him suffering at love. Not the other way around. Thing is, there is much to be said about this topic but look no further than the current hip-hop which has had to take a hard look at itself and leave Dean Martin alone.
He was far more fun. And seriously? Don’t take the songs of the past seriously.

Andy Helman
West Seattle

The West Seattle Food Bank’s “A Grand Affair”, a Roaring 20’s themed cocktail fundraising event is set for Friday evening, September 16 beginning at 6:00pm at Westland Distillery at 2931 First Ave. So., in Seattle’s Sodo District.

The event will celebrate the Food Bank’s achievements in helping neighbors who are in need of a little help with food and other services. The evening will be filled with casino style gaming with celebrity dealers and West Seattleites Marty Riemer & Jodi Brothers, morning show hosts on JET95.7 and a chance to win prizes; hosted wine, beer & hors d’oeuvres; whiskey tasting by Westland Distillery, themed cocktails, a photo booth, a unique live auction and Funds for Food. Dress is cocktail attire but era costumes are encouraged.

Tickets are $65/guest in advance and $600 for a group of 10 (paid at one time). Each guest will receive $30,000 worth of play chips with the purchase of ticket. To purchase tickets please go to https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/WSFBAGrandAffair

information from City of Seattle

Councilmembers Rob Johnson and Lisa Herbold called for creation of a special Council committee to oversee City-funded capital projects following recent capital expenditures that exceeded initial budgets, including the North Precinct Police Station, the downtown waterfront Seawall, and the New Customer Information System which handles billing issues at the City’s utility departments.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold (District 1, West Seattle & South Park) said, “It’s been frustrating when large projects go millions over budget, or are years behind schedule - such as Fire Station #32 in the West Seattle Junction. In creating this committee, Councilmembers can more closely monitor large projects, so we’re not faced with no-win options when presented with updates late in the process.”

The recent armed robbery of the Greenwood recreational cannabis store, Have A Heart at 300 N.W. 85th St. was actually the second issue they’ve had in the last month.

Police arrested two suspects who attempted an armed robbery at the store on August 7. A store employee who called police as he watched the robbery from a security camera monitor at his home tipped them off. The two male suspects, ages 36 and 47, attempted the robbery at around 10:20 p.m. They broke into the store armed with a handgun. The men were wearing masks. They tied up employees, and as they tried to flee with duffle bags filled with cannabis product, police arrived on the scene. The suspects were arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery.

Meanwhile, the store employees managed to free themselves and fled out a back door. They were contacted by police and gave statements. None of the store employees were injured.

I recently had a conversation with a banker about my financial plan for retirement, and what came up has changed the way I view my generation, retirement, death, tacos and sex.

I go to the bank to order a new credit card. Mine recently broke while ordering True Detective season I on Amazon. I give the banker my account number and she looks me up on the machine. She peruses my accounts.

“So I see last time you were here you inquired about a savings account for retirement. I’d suggest a Roth IRA to add you your retirement plan. Do you have plans for retirement? The sooner you start saving the better. How old are you?” she said.

As the Seattle City Council gets ready to meet this afternoon to decide whether to approve zoning changes recommended by the Mayor’s HALA Committee; a survey fielded by Crown Hill Urban Village Committee for Smart Growth shows overwhelming community interest in planning before rezoning a large swath of single-family homes in one of the largest expansion areas in the City.

The survey, which was taken by nearly 600 people in and around the Crown Hill expansion zone, shows a community committed to supporting smart growth by:

● Meaningful neighborhood planning before Re-zoning or UPZoning—87 percent strongly agree

● Concurrent infrastructure investments to manage the impact of growth—84 percent strongly agree

● Building on arterials and areas already zoned but underutilized first—78 percent strongly agree

Renters and homeowners alike shared these values, with little difference in responses on these three recommendations to the City on growth in Crown Hill.

By Lindsay Peyton

Pramila Jayapal is not the type to rest on her laurels – even though she certainly could.

“I am someone who has to be constantly challenged,” she admitted. “I’m absolutely not daunted when someone says something is not possible.”

Looking back on her career, she can rattle off a long list of accomplishments – from stopping the Bush administration’s illegal deportations with a lawsuit to founding Washington’s largest immigration advocacy group.

As state senator, a Democrat representing the 37th legislative district, she has made progress on a number of fronts, expanding access to contraceptives for women on Medicaid, passing laws to enforce rape kit testing and introducing bills for free community college.

And before any of that, she made her way as a young immigrant, alone in the U.S., to attend college. She rose through the ranks in various positions, working in finances in Wall Street and sales in middle America, before pursuing her passion for broader, national and international issues.

Seattle Police arrested a woman who stole a Ballard woman’s purse outside her home on the 2400 block of N.W. Market Street on July 28. The complainant called police from her cell phone after she realized her purse had been taken from the front seat of her car. She was unloading her car and noticed the suspect was digging through a bag in a parking garage near her. She didn't think anything of it. Then she noticed her purse was gone and the suspect walking away quickly. The complainant and her friend followed the suspect to a nearby business. The suspect had locked herself in the bathroom. They told the suspect they were going to call the police, and then she opened the door carrying a different purse. The complainant’s purse was seen on the bathroom floor, emptied. The complainant wrestled the purse from the suspect and managed to empty most of it. She retrieved most of her belongings. The suspect fled and police were able to detain her. Police booked the suspect at King County Jail for robbery. The estimated loss was $20.

By Lindsay Peyton

Guardian Roofing has become a guardian angel for West Seattle resident Carol Williams.

Employees from the company spent the weekend ripping out her old roof, replacing rotten boards and adding new shingles and gutters – all without charging Williams a penny.

She explained that her roof had been falling apart for the past five years. “Black mold was growing in the bathroom,” she said. “There were leaks all over the kitchen, leaks by the fireplace. Every year, it got worse and worse.”

The 76-year old disabled widow has been raising her 16-year-old grandson for the last six years on only her social security and small pension.

A new roof was something she desperately needed -- but was simply not in her budget.

Williams said estimates for a new roof ran about $18,000.

“I tried to get help from every single resource you can imagine,” she said.

But nothing worked. Then, she heard about the annual contest at Guardian Roofing, which awards an individual in need with a free roof.