May 2017

By Ken Robinson

The Junction parking story
The story by Patrick Robinson about the free parking lots in the West Seattle Junction is long. But it is emblematic of a city-wide problem that has been looming for years: parking.

The social engineering at play with the Seattle City Council that would have us all ride the bus or bike to do our shopping means an undercurrent of interest in getting us to eschew the automobile. Like smoking cigarettes, people will quit when they really want to do so. Still, this city and others have successfully limited where you can smoke. And they are doing that with where you can park.

One of the great off-putting reasons to stay on our side of the bridge is the dearth of parking to be found in Seattle, that other big town east of ‘Wesseattle’. Ballard is bad already and getting worse for parking. Burien has lots of free or time-limited parking but Diamond lots are creeping in.

The community is invited to celebrate Highline Public Schools student artists and their hard work. Middle and high school student art work will be on display in downtown Burien during a Student Music & Art Walk, May 5 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

As part of Arts Education Month, more than 20 businesses along 152nd Street SW between 4th and 10th in Burien will host visual and performance art by students. Participating businesses include:

Discover Burien
Page 2 Books
Collins Chiropractic
Bumbershoot Books
Maven Mercantile
Phoenix Tea
Sweet Breeze Ice Cream
Glass Expressions
Merrill Gardens
Black Zia
The Oilerie
Pickled and Preserved
Aussie Pie
Burien Press
A Place for Pets
Berkshire Hathaway

The student art walk is the kick-off event to this season’s B-Town Beat Monthly Art Walk. The community, art-focused event runs the first Fridays of the month May 5 - September 1. Visit the B-Town Beat website to learn more: b-townbeat.com.

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

Teaching finances to elementary students can be a tough task -- but a group of Wells Fargo bankers signed up to lend a hand.

On Thursday, April 27, a couple hundred of the company’s employees in Washington state volunteered to join a national financial effort called “Teach Children to Save Day,” sponsored by the American Bankers Association. Together, the volunteers brought their message to 102 classrooms in 20 different schools across the state.

The outreach was also part of Junior Achievement of Washington’s “JA Day.” The non-profit youth organization offers a curriculum of civics and economics lessons.

More than 550 children enrolled in Mount View Elementary, 10811 12th Ave SW, learned how to save and manage their money wisely as part of the effort.

Tim Brown was one of the 20 Wells Fargo volunteers who took over teaching duties at Mount View.

“We talked about community and jobs, products and production,” he said. “Our mission at Wells Fargo is to help people with their financial needs – and help them succeed financially. And we can start when they’re young.”

By Pat Cashman

A friend of mine was driving past a cemetery with his four-year old daughter one day---and noticed her looking closely at it. “Do you know what that place is?” the dad asked. “Oh sure, “she answered casually. “That’s where the dead guys live.”

Kids do seem to have an uncanny awareness of things most adults figure they wouldn’t have a clue about. That’s why I recently assembled a group of neighbor kids to get their take on the greatest of modern-day mysteries---one that probably began shortly after Alexander Graham Bell came up with his big invention. This is not about the telephone specifically---but the telephone wire. Not only did its invention make long- distance phone communication possible, but it also popularized the phrase: “Wire, wire; pants on fire.”

But those wires are also repositories of sorts; repositories for a phenomenon so pervasive that I have tossed and turned over it for years. In fact, it is mostly sleeplessness that keeps me awake at night.

By Kathryn Kingen

When I was a kid we ate eggs, lots of eggs. In those days they were known as one of the best foods in the world. We were awed by the notion that one simple egg was all that was needed to produce an adorable little baby chick, it was a miracle in a shell, right? Ah but then came the age of enlightenment and scientists taught us about the dangers of cholesterol, and sadly eggs were summarily banned from breakfast. The epiphany was that eggs contained cholesterol and cholesterol created plaque in arteries and plaque in arteries gave us heart disease and heart disease was a twentieth century disaster. So all foods that contained cholesterol were placed on the no fly list and our eating habits shifted. We learned to live with cereal, egg whites, Egg Beaters and margarine for breakfast and our mornings suffered.

Shattered glass, but no entry

When police officers arrived on the 4700 block of California Avenue S.W. to investigate a commercial burglary around 3:45 a.m. on Wed., April 19, they were met by the store manager. The glass door to the pharmacy was partially shattered, but no entry was made. The suspect kicked the door repeatedly but never made the way fully through the glass. The estimated damage to the door was $500. The manager said that the store had been burglarized twice last year and several shoplifters had struck over the last few months. She plans to review the security camera footage and to share it with officers.

A fight between adults on the playground at Lincoln Park

Shoplifter makes off with merchandise after assaulting clerk

Seattle Police are investigating after a shoplifting incident occurred at a store on Northwest Market Street on April 20. A store employee told police that he observed the suspect put store merchandise in her bag and attempt to leave without paying. The employee confronted the suspect, and she gave a few items back. Then she tried to leave again and pushed the store employee out of her way and fled eastbound on Northwest Market Street. She was carrying two Bluetooth speakers worth $43 each and two flasks worth $70 each. The suspect was described as age 40 with a medium build wearing a black baseball hat with silver sticker on brim, a black jacket with white stripes and black pants.

Punks throw food at clerk, flee with goods

By Katy G. Wilkens, MS, RD

Controversy has arisen in Seattle over the idea of adding a tax on sugary drinks sold in the city. Whether you agree or disagree with the tax proposal, you are probably aware that downing a sugary drink is not a particularly healthy choice.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans eat and drink too much added sugar, and that behavior often leads to health problems such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and kidney and heart disease.

Healthy Food America, a Seattle-based nonprofit that pushes for improvements in food policy and food industry practice, gets specific about the impact of daily consumption of sugary drinks:
• The risk of heart attack increases by 19 percent
• The risk of Type 2 diabetes increases by 26 percent
• The risk of obesity for children increases by 55 percent

Next time you’re on the go and you have a craving for something sweet or need an energy boost, try a naturally tasty smoothie instead of a sweetened soda.

By Peggy Sturdivant

It seemed like a good idea back in December. That’s when I was invited by a member of Phinney Neighborhood Village Social Committee to speak at their 5th Anniversary Celebration on April 23rd. Who knew in December that I’d be flying to Boston the day after the event, or interviewing participants at Seattle’s Science March one day earlier?

Who knew that what we’d feared for the last years would come to pass, that Rain City Video would close, that the building that has housed it and other small local businesses since it was built would come up for sale? Who knew that Seattle would break a 122-year-old record for rain or that Bertha would actually emerge from the tunnel? Who knew I would be traveling east to be here for the last two weeks of my mom’s radiation treatments but on day four spend the whole day in examining rooms with my sister after her knee went “pop.”