December 2016

By Teanna Gentry

There is a big change happening in Olde Burien. If you haven't been living under a rock the past couple months, you may have noticed the subtle changes at Mark Restaurant & Bar. Debra George, co-owner and all around community maven has sold her business to the local restaurateur Ramos family. I had time to sit down and enjoy a conversation over tasty food, drinks, and a packed house with Debra Wednesday night for her going away party. Living in Burien for the past 16 months I knew that my knowledge of Debra and her impact in the community was limited, so I was happy to have time to hear her story.  

Q: What made Mark Restaurant & Bar unique and a community staple?
It was important for me to have the restaurant to be part of the community, to reach out and help where we could by either donating our product or our time. We programmed the restaurant with many activities and a regular newsletter to let our supporters know what was going on.

Q: What isn't changing from what the restaurant was to what it will be now under the new ownership?

By some accounts the verified world record holder for old age was a French woman who lived to be 122 years, 164 days (Jeanne Calmut, 1875-1997). Not verified were her last words: “Je suis si fatigue’”---French for “Man, am I pooped.”

122 years (and 164 days) is a long run. That’ s older than some Hostess Twinkies. But just like every other “oldest living person in the world” before her, Jeanne’ s reign finally ended. There is no precedent for anyone regaining the title.

Of all the records achieved by humans, ‘ oldest person’ might be the hardest to train for. And even then, once you finally made it, anyone you might really want to impress wouldn’ t be around.

You’ d show up for your 100th high school reunion---and be the only one there. That means you’ d be stuck paying for the entire keg. Plus, you’ d have to dance with yourself. Several years ago, a man in Tampa, Florida insisted that he was the world’ s oldest human at 120 years of age---although it was hard to tell. Maybe the Grecian Formula on his beard made him look younger. Or maybe it was because he wore his baseball cap backwards.

By Amanda Knox

I suppose it’s a privilege that I’ve never had to rely on Black Friday to do my Christmas shopping. I know some people get a thrill out of competing to collect big on the best deals, but I don’t like to feel rushed, herded through a crowd, or pressured to make a purchase. The only thrill I get out of Black Friday is the thrill of knowing a bunch of black cats are going to get homes that day, because the Humane Society waives their adoption fees. Nope, Black Friday comes and goes for me without much notice. I tend to stay home, digesting leftovers.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t get into the gift-giving spirit. Post-Thanksgiving, I feel silly with glee at the prospect of stumbling across perfect gifts for people I love over the next month—unexpected, clever, fun, thoughtful, useful gifts. Gifts that will be just what the recipient wanted, without realizing they wanted it. Gifts that are as satisfying as the end of a Sherlock Holmes novel, or a cup of hot chocolate spiced with chili. Gifts that say, “ I love you AND I know you,” but which also give the recipient something new to sink their teeth into.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Geving leading Portland State

Highline High School graduate Tyler Geving is entering his eighth season as the head coach of the Portland State University men's basketball team, leading the Vikings to a 3-3 record so far.
Geving, a 1991 Pirates graduate, is in his 12th season as a coach overall after starting off as an assistant.

McPhee off to a strong start

Mount Rainier graduate Brittany McPhee has gotten off to a good start in her junior season with the Stanford University women's basketball team.
McPhee, a 6-foot guard, is averaging 15.9 points for the Cardinal, including a season high 28 against Texas on Nov. 14. She is also averaging 3.9 rebounds in her seven games.

Jordan McPhee averaging 9.0

Mount Rainier graduate Jordan McPhee has hit an average of 9.0 points to go with 4.0 rebounds as a 5-10 junior guard for the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team.
McPhee -- Brittany's twin sister -- has a total of nine assists and 11 steals and has scored a season-high 10 points three times.

Collier a senior for Huskies

Saturday, Dec. 3

Boys basketball
Seattle Christian 67, Tyee 52
Seattle Christian scored a non-league victory over its near neighbors Saturday in the Auburn-Riverside gymnasium.

Girls basketball

Olympic 41, Kennedy 30
Olympic outlasted the Lancers in a non-league game Saturday.

Friday, Dec. 2

Girls basketball
West Seattle 79, Nathan Hale 34
The Wildcats routed the Rams to commence their Metro League season Friday.
Rainier Beach 65, Chief Sealth 48
Chief Sealth suffered a loss to the Vikings on Friday to open Metro League play.
Mt. Rainier 43, Kent-Meridian 28
Mount Rainier got its North Puget Sound League season off on the right foot by routing Kent-Meridian.
Seattle Christian 52, Forest Ridge 25
Seattle Christian topped Forest Ridge in Friday action.

Boys basketball
Nathan Hale 82, West Seattle 59
The Wildcats took a loss as the Metro League season opened Friday.
Rainier Beach 104, Chief Sealth 65

Information provided by Ballard High School

Three short films by students from the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program were winners at Fresh Film Northwest.

This competitive regional festival is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland, Oregon. It accepts entries from filmmakers ages 13 to 19 in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. This is the twelfth year in a row that students from Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking Program have been among the winners.

The winning films included two short dramatic narratives and a documentary. The visual story Comeback, by Avery Davis, Skala Leake, Aaron Miller and Cameron Miller, is about a high school soccer player who suffers a life-altering setback. The film recently premiered at the national All American High School Film Festival in New York City.

Fresh Film Northwest was the premiere of Living Honestly, a documentary about teens coming out by PJ Hase and Skala Leake.

The third film, Eileen, was produced independently by Brendan Hickey with Sam Cleary and received the Creative Expression Award.

Electronic swap goes bad at Wendy’s, man beaten

Seattle Police responded to an assault that occurred outside a Wendy’s at the 5300 block of 15th Avenue N.W. on Nov. 23. Police made contact with the victim after he was transported to a Ballard hospital where he was treated for his injuries. The man suffered abrasions to the head. He told police that he met a man to exchange a cell phone for a Kindle at the restaurant. While the deal was gong down the suspect tried to take both items. They wrestled on the ground. A second suspect struck the victim in the head, and the two suspects made off with the victim’s Samsung Core Prime cell phone, a green/gray Marin bicycle, a black Swiss backpack that contained toiletries, pants, a battery charger and two flashlights. The man described the first suspect as a white male with short brown hair, age 35 to 45 and around 6’ 1”. The second suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 5’ 6” with a rotten front tooth. Police scoured the area but were unable to find the men.

Thief attacks security guard, flees with bottle of booze

By Marjorie Young

information from Seattle Public Library

The Seattle Public Library will co-host two workshops in December about how to do business with the city of Seattle and the city of Seattle's Department of Transportation (SDOT). Both workshops will be offered in Spanish and will take place at the South Park Neighborhood Center, 8201 10th Ave. S.

Library events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited and registration is suggested. To register, email or call Edson Zavala at edson.zavala@seattle.gov or 206-684-7949. Spanish text for these events is available in theLibrary's calendar. Times and dates for the workshops are listed below.

· 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6
· 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8
"Introduction to Working with SDOT/City of Seattle" workshops will cover the different products and services purchased by the city of Seattle and SDOT, as well as how to get started doing business with both organizations.

These events are cosponsored with the city of Seattle's Department of Transportation and Department of Finance & Administration's central contract purchasing services.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday, Dec. 3
Boys basketball
Seattle Christian 67, Tyee 52
Seattle Christian scored a non-league victory over its near neighbors Saturday in the Auburn-Riverside gymnasium.

Girls basketball
Olympic 41, Kennedy 30
Olympic outlasted the Lancers in a non-league game Saturday.

Friday, Dec. 2
Girls basketball
West Seattle 79, Nathan Hale 34
The Wildcats routed the Rams to commence their Metro League season Friday.
Rainier Beach 65, Chief Sealth 48
Chief Sealth suffered a loss to the Vikings on Friday to open Metro League play.
Mt. Rainier 43, Kent-Meridian 28
Mount Rainier got its North Puget Sound League season off on the right foot by routing Kent-Meridian.
Seattle Christian 52, Forest Ridge 25
Seattle Christian topped Forest Ridge in Friday action.

Boys basketball
Nathan Hale 82, West Seattle 59
The Wildcats took a loss as the Metro League season opened Friday.
Rainier Beach 104, Chief Sealth 65
The Seahawks were outgunned by perennial power Rainier Beach in Friday's Metro League opener.
Mt. Rainier 74, Kent-Meridian 68