June 2017

Everybody wants to change the world – but where do you start?

The answer is literally clear. It’s clean water.

For Seattleite Jeff Peterson, a conversation with his friends about all the stuff they wanted took a turn to basic needs and how to solve them.

“We started thinking - what do we really need?” he explains. “One thing everyone needs is air. Oxygen. Without it you will die in seven minutes or less. Air is free! Everyone has it. It's a basic human right.

“The next thing you need is water,” he continues. “Without it you will die in three days or less. Water is not free. But we believe it is a basic human right just like air.”

Although Seattle enjoys one of the best, cleanest and most abundant water supplies in the world, not everyone has clean water or a toilet – access to which can mean the difference between life and death, poverty and opportunity.

The Fremont Arts Council is inviting everyone to bring their wagons, bicycles, strollers or scooters to the Fremont Powerhouse to transform them into Fremont Solstice® Parade-worthy people-powered pieces of art!

You don’t have to be a professional dance troupe or marching band to hit the streets with the Fremont Solstice® Parade. It is an officially designated Seattle City-Wide Event that is an opportunity for everyone to be an artist! Every year we extend the hours of the Powerhouse Workshop and welcome everyone in our community to help create magic. Workshops like this allow people to have first-hand participation in this amazing event, and to see what resources the Fremont Arts Council makes available to everyone for creating art throughout the year.

Come to the free, guided workshop and create an ensemble of decorated people-powered vehicles to roll in the Fremont Solstice® Parade on June 17th!

The workshop is on Saturday, June 3rd, between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the Fremont Powerhouse 3940 Fremont Avenue N Seattle.

For more info visit www.fremontartscouncil.org.

A new local radio station needs your help launching and they have hopes the public will lend a hand with the upcoming Phinney Neighborhood Association Garage Sale Day on June 3.

The sale is an annual event that the PNA sponsors for the neighborhood and is a good way for people to shop, swap, and mingle with their neighbors at over 100 sales featured in the event.

Mackenzie McAninch with KBFG 107.3FM said that the public’s participation would be vital in helping the burgeoning low-power radio station get their start.

“Funds raised from this event will help to pay for the permits that we need to broadcast on the air, advertise who we are, and get us some new equipment to use,” said McAninch.

KBFG 107.3FM is one of a few fledgling low-power FM radio stations getting their start in the region, and they plan to serve and be heard by listeners in Ballard, Fremont, Greenwood, Phinney, north Queen Anne/Magnolia and as far as the University District.

Seattle Police say they think they busted a car prowler in the Fauntleroy neighborhood early Wednesday morning.

They got a report of a man trying car door handles at approximately 12:20 am Wednesday morning and Southwest Precinct officers responded to the 8800 block of 42nd Avenue SW.

Just as they were arriving in the area, the call was updated saying that a witness observed the suspect had apparently made entry into one of the parked cars and was now departing on foot.

Officers located a man matching the suspect description and detained him. A witness was contacted who positively identified the man as the person seen breaking in.

The car's owner later confirmed that items left in the console were missing.

Officers arrested 37-year-old male and later booked him into the King County Jail.

This case has been assigned to a detective for the follow up investigation.

Author Donald Miller once said, "Good stories must travel through conflict. And in epic stories, the conflict must become unbearable." This week on my travels around Burien, I stopped by two businesses that to me have epic stories. Both started from nothing, and created something amazing.

My first stop took me to Orphan Relief and Rescue where I sat down with Genae Lako, who is in charge of Donor Relations & Communications for this local non-profit. I asked her several questions about their organization to learn more about their business of helping people.

Q: Have you had any new hires recently?
A: ORR has experienced continued growth in our Anti-Trafficking program in Benin. To accommodate programmatic needs and the increasing number of kids joining our prevention program, we have hired a new anti-trafficking team member named Christiane. Locally we have been steadily growing over the past few years and will be adding to our team in 2017 as well.

Q: What special dates or events do you have coming up?