January 2017

In the fifth grade, our school’s head basketball coach brought in a motivational speaker. I don’t remember hearing the term ‘motivational speaker’ in those days---but that’s what he was. His job was to inspire my teammates and me to be winners.
He pulled out the very best quotes:
“The ones who say ‘you can’t’ and ‘you won’t’ are probably the ones scared that ‘you will.’
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
“Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.”
By the time he was finished inspiring us, we were either ready to win a basketball game---or be Amway representatives.
The next day our guys were slated to play a team from a school across town. We were generally believed to have no chance against them. Their starting center was a giant---perhaps 5 foot 8. But the motivational speaker had said, “You can still prevail. After all, what chance does one think a head louse has against an entire head? “ It was a brilliant and relatable analogy---far better than the clichéd David and Goliath comparison---because, let’s face it, David had a weapon in that fight.

By Amanda Knox
 
I grew up within walking distance of almost my entire extended family. Oma and Opa, aunts and uncles, Mom and Dad—all were within reach, settled between SW 106th St and the Alaska Junction. This arrangement left a lasting impression on me: my notion of family is not limited to the nuclear unit; interaction is abundant and interdependence is instinctual. I suppose this is equivalent to small town mentality: it may not be much, but here are my people, here is my place.
 
As such, I’d always imagined I’d stay in West Seattle. I’d travel for sure, live in other cities, other countries even, but I was sure I’d eventually settle close to home, and raise my own kids within walking distance of my mom, sisters, and cousins. Why would I deny my children the great gift I received from my parents and adult relatives: shared time and resources, a formidable network of support to fall back on, unconditional love from so many directions in close proximity? Of course, it never occurred to me that when the time came, I might not be able to afford to do this.
 

Van of thieves rams into convenience store

Around 4:45 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 31, a van forcibly backed into the front entrance of a convenience store located on the 2800 block of N.W. Market Street. Witnesses described the vehicle as similar to a Ford Econoline, white on top and green on the bottom, with decals on the side. A couple of men got out of the van, entered the business, returned with stuff and fled. Officers arrived minutes later to find the front doors rammed open. The force of colliding with the vehicle damaged both the doors and their frames, as well as the surrounding structure. An ATM machine was knocked over and it appeared suspects had attempted to break into it. The suspects also knocked over a drawer of scratch lottery tickets. Officers searched the area for the van and found it heading north on Golden Garden Drive N.W. —but they could not catch up with it in time. The owner of the store arrived around 5:25 a.m. and checked for stolen property. He said $9,000 worth of cigarettes and two drawers of lottery tickets were missing. Officers were unable to locate any fingerprints.

Join us on the mezzanine level of the Nordic Heritage Museum to review the 2016 SBSCA program highlights and help shape the program for the 2017 Fifty-Year Jubilee, followed by the nomination and election of officers. Enjoy a slideshow presentation from Bergen and light refreshments in the tradition of Norwegian hospitality.

Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association 2017 Annual Meeting
Nordic Heritage Museum
3014 Northwest 67th Street
Sunday, January 22, 2:00 PM
RSVP online: Eventbrite

Following the meeting, experience the gallery exhibit “People, Places, Changing Lands: The Photography of Anders Beer Wilse,” turn-of-the-century scenes from Norway and the Pacific Northwest. Free admission for SBSCA meeting participants.

Extend your stay at the museum for the season opening of the Mostly Nordic concert series with “From Surf to Turf,” featuring the music of Iceland, followed by a smorgasbord buffet. For more information, ticket prices and group reservations, please email the SBSCA (seattlebergensistercities@gmail.com) or call the museum directly at (206) 789-5707.

Sports Roundup

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Friday, Dec. 6
Boys basketball
Garfield 55, West Seattle 50
Nate Pryor poured in 23 points for West Seattle on Friday, but the Wildcats still came up short against the perennially powerful Bulldogs in a Metro League game.
Chief Sealth 79, Blanchet 63
The Seahawks also scored a Metro League victory Friday.
Evergreen 64, White River 52
The Wolverines of White Center emerged victorious Friday.
Fife 61, Foster 13
Fife got the best of the Bulldogs on Friday.
Kennedy 52, Kentwood 49
Kennedy Catholic slipped past the Conquerors.
River Ridge 62, Tyee 48
River Ridge topped the Totems on Friday.

Girls basketball
West Seattle 62, Garfield 58
The Wildcats were winners against the Bulldogs on Friday.
Bellevue Christian 43, Seattle Christian 18
Bellevue Christian proved to be too much to handle for the Warriors.
Blanchet 60, Chief Sealth 38
Bishop Blanchet buried the Seahawks.
Kentwood 57, Kennedy 56
Kentwood edged out the Lancers in Friday action.
Mt. Rainier 39, Kent-Meridian 24
The Lady Rams won a low-scoring affair against the Royals.
River Ridge 63, Tyee 16

The restoration of the Admiral Theater, years in the making, is nearing completion as the landmark building opens "Pier 4", the final part of the conversion from two theaters to four on Friday, Jan. 13. The process of restoration is not quite complete and more changes are coming according to owner of Faraway Entertainment Jeff Brein. "We are working on a few things including a faster online ticketing system, a new popcorn machine and other improvements in the concessions area," he said.

The theater, as promised has four auditoriums, all with new seats, Pier 3 and 4 each have 240 seats and Pier 1 and 2 each seat 106. In getting ready, with three rooms functioning they noticed that seating more people requires better crowd control, so they are working on a more refined and perfected "crowd flow" in the lobby so people don't have to wait outside.

Imagine dining in an intimate Italian villa. The atmosphere established by history, art, the lighting, the aromas of authentic pizza, and the taste of wine. That's goal of the new Soprano's Antico hoping for an opening in mid to late February at 2348 California Ave. SW in the space formerly occupied by Zatz a Better Bagel.

One of the partners in the new restaurant is Plamen Stoyanov, who previously owned Amante Pizza across the street. "I want people to feel like they are in Italy," he said.
To make that happen Stoyanov gave Artist/Designer/Builder Mike Larson a free hand to create a unique and appealing space with unique artwork (look for the faces hiding in the wall murals).

Stoyanov, incidentally has a fascinating history, having competed in the Tour De France bike race against Lance Armstrong and he remains an avid bike rider today.

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Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169

We're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with a flag discount on January 16. Pick a flag at check out to determine your discount on any one item of your choice, store wide. Also, all items with blue tags are $1.00 starting January 18. Thanks to you, our holiday sales helped us in our commitment to fund a cure for cancer. If your New Year's resolutions include valuable and important service, please consider volunteering with us. Call or the shop or inquire when you're shopping. The all volunteer run, non profit American Cancer Society shop is open Sundays 11 am to 3 pm and all other days 10 am to 4:30 pm. Follow our blog at www.discoveryshopwestseattle.org and LIKE us on Facebook.

West Seattle Timebank Gathering

Thursday, January 19, 2017
6:30pm – 8:00pm

Sisson Bldg. (Senior Center of West Seattle)
4217 SW Oregon Street, Seattle, WA 98116

If you would like to obtain some well considered financial advice, contact Sarah Cecil 206-938-6017.

Brought to you by Sarah Cecil Financial Advisor with Edwards Jones Investments.

Sponsored post.

By Lindsay Peyton

If you’re resolving to make your home or business safer this year, Mark Solomon has some advice.

Solomon, who serves as crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle’s South and Southwest Precinct, starts each day reading officers’ incident reports and gathering information about burglaries, robberies and assault in the area.

With his finger on the pulse of crime in West Seattle, he knows what residents should be most concerned about and what cautionary steps they can take.

“We see the same crime types happening over and over again,” Solomon said. “It’s a lot of property crimes and a lot of car prowls.”

To deter the theft of items left in automobiles, he suggests removing anything of value from the car’s interior and keeping the doors locked.

“Car prowls are prevalent, but they’re totally preventable,” he said. “Park in a well-lit place. If you have a garage, make room for your car in the garage. If you can’t park in a garage, can you at least move your car off the street?”

He also thinks adding a motion-sensor light near the car can prevent theft.