October 2016

“I don't know anyone at 15-years-old picturing themselves down the road with a drug addiction.”

Those are the words of former NBA player and recovered addict, Chris Herren, who spoke to students at Ballard High School on October 13 about the dangers of addiction and the path to recovery. The event was open to the public, and hundreds of people, including students, parents and teachers, gathered in the BHS gymnasium to listen to the former Boston Celtic.

Herren, who endured a decade of addiction to opiates, founded The Herren Project, an organization that provides educational programs and resources for individuals seeking recovery. The organization also increases awareness for the signs of addiction through Herren sharing his story about substance abuse and recovery.

Herren said that he gives over 250 talks a year and has spoken to professional athletic groups like the Seahawks, and students at Harvard, West Point and high schools all over the nation.

Herren spoke candidly about what led to his addiction, his loss and eventual recovery.

Furniture for some is just a commodity, a necessary part of life but for Kate Hull and Adrian Popa of the recently opened Seattle Consignment at 2501 Harbor Ave SW it's a passion.

The pair are owners of the store located in the former Seaway Marine building and they've stocked the nearly 10,000 square feet of space with a constantly changing array of furnishings and accessories as an adjunct to their other business Seattle Staging Company which last year did the furniture staging for more than 350 homes for sale in the Seattle area.

That connection, between staging homes for sale and a retail outlet, provides the synergy for what they see as stores elsewhere, first on the eastside and later in cities like Portand and San Francisco.

By Patrick Robinson

Lodged in an unassuming gray building at 9409 Delridge Way Southwest is something you wouldn’t expect. In an era when audio recordings and even entire films can literally be shot and edited on a phone, Tommy Sound is a recording studio in a somewhat extended process of construction. Actually it’s three businesses operating out of the same space. TommySound.com, SpeedofSoundStudios.com, and Verityaudio.fr.

Run by long time musician and audio expert Tommy Martin and his partner audio engineer Curt Nelson, the three companies work in audio recording, production, video, and the third entity sells what are called “line array” audio amplification systems which you will recognize at any major music show or even in the company’s most likely client, large churches as those suspended curved stack of speakers that project sound to everyone.


Congress has dedicated the third week of October as National Save for Retirement Week. Clearly, the government feels the need to urge people to do a better job of preparing for retirement. Are you doing all you can?

Many of your peers aren’t – or at least they think they aren’t. In a recent survey conducted by Bankrate.com, respondents reported that “not saving for retirement early enough” was their biggest financial regret. Other evidence seems to show they have good cause for remorse: 52% of households 55 and older haven’t saved anything for retirement, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, although half of this group reported having a pension.

Obviously, you’ll want to avoid having either financial regrets or major shortfalls in your retirement savings. And that means you may need to consider making moves such as these: 

 

information from Seattle Parks

Southwest Pool, 2901 SW Thistle St., will be closed from Oct. 24 through Nov.13 for preventive maintenance. The pool will re-open on Monday, November 14.

The closure is needed for preventive maintenance to rebuild pumps, and to check boilers and critical systems. The closure also provides the opportunity for repairs and repainting throughout the building. This closure is a regular part of an 18-month maintenance cycle with the next closure planned in spring of 2018.

The final week of the three-week closure (Nov. 7-13) will result in full facility shut down including Southwest Pool, Neighborhood Service Center, Southwest Teen Life Center, and childcare services. During this time, wood floors will be resurfaced using products that prevent anyone from being in the building for several days. Gym floors require this treatment every two years. Other wood floors in the building have not been refinished for four years and are overdue for this essential work.

For a list of other Seattle Parks and Recreation indoor pools you can use as options for alternate swim sites, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/pools/pools-a-z.

Seattle Green Spaces Coalition filed an appeal to the Seattle Hearing Examiner’s Office today to contest the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection’s grant of a master use permit for a developer to build a two-story home on a substandard (less than 3200 square feet) lot in a Single Family 5000 zone. The lot has been used as a side yard to a house in the Admiral District of West Seattle for over 86 years. The side yard provides open space and a play area for neighborhood children. It is the home of a majestic Ponderosa Pine tree estimated to be about 100 years old. Looking back to 1930 records, SDCI granted a special exception to the developer under the “historic lot exception." Seattle Green Spaces Coalition says that SDCI made a grave error by allowing the exception because there was never a separate building site established for the lot as the code requires. Allowing an exception violates the building code. In this time of intense pressure for development, it is important to apply the building code correctly, Seattle Green Spaces Coalition says. SGSC is committed to working with the public to protect open space throughout the city of Seattle.

By Peggy Sturdivant

I warned Leslie Pierson during our phone interview that I might have to interrupt her when the ship captain blew the horn. Although I don’t know her address in East Ballard I probably had a better sense of her surroundings while we chatted than she did of mine.

I was sitting with my back to the captain’s bridge on a passenger-only ferry filled with tourists wearing identification lanyards. We were headed to the mainland from the island where the movie “Jaws” was filmed and it seemed appropriate to be interviewing someone about their successful appearance (and deal made) on “Shark Tank.”

There are a lot of shark references on Martha’s Vineyard, not because we have that many sharks, but it’s the name of our college league baseball team. My father has been known to repackage the film with the label “Home Movies.” Spielberg used many locals while filming and as teenagers we spent a whole summer trying to become extras.

While the Seattle City Council and the Mayor’s Office struggle to establish a plan to handle the homelessness crisis, one Magnolia man has formulated his own plan that sheds a little light on the problem – literally.

Mark Buick, a Ballard Rotarian, and Walt Hickey, founder of Camino Maestro, a nonprofit, have developed a program called “Lighting For Living” that aims to illuminate the dwellings and covered spaces using solar panels at city-sanctioned homeless encampments in Seattle and eventually the nation.

At the Ballard Nickelsville encampment there is a now a small solar panel perched on the roof of the small security shed that was installed last week. The panel can provide lighting for up to five hours and can also charge a cell phone. The one panel is the first of over 50 panels that are planned for installation at the Nickelsville encampment and Othello encampment in Southeast Seattle.

Saturday, Oct. 22 has been officially proclaimed ‘Rainier Beer’s R Day’ by both Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and City of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. To commemorate the occasion, Rainier Beer is hosting the 3rd Annual R Day celebration from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Old Rainier Brewery in Seattle. R Day acknowledges the two-year anniversary of the return of the giant neon Rainier “R” to the Old Rainier Brewery and it is a yearly tribute to Rainier’s local history, heritage and culture.

“Rainier Brewing Company and Rainier Beer have made a historical and cultural impact on the City of Seattle, the state of Washington, and the entire Pacific Northwest region,” said Gov. Inslee in a proclamation earlier this month. Mayor Murray echoed Gov. Inslee’s sentiment in his own proclamation saying, “We are proud to mark their annual R Day event,” and recognize the “impact that Rainier Brewing Company and Rainier Beer has on the City of Seattle.”

This fall, as Americans make their choices in a host of local, state and national elections, including 2016 presidential, gubernatorial and congressional races, seniors and those eligible for Medicare in Seattle must pay special attention to the decisions they face during another important election—the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). During this year’s Medicare AEP, which lasts from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, it’s important for people with Medicare to understand that the choice they make can affect their health throughout 2017. As with any major decision, thoughtful research will go a long way toward making the best care coverage choice that maximizes value based on individual health needs.