October 2006

School closing process 'hurtful'

About 200 impassioned parents, teachers and students gathered at Pathfinder K-8 School last week to criticize Seattle Public Schools' plan to move Pathfinder's alternative approach to education to more-traditional Cooper Elementary School.

The driving force for the proposed merger is to save taxpayers' money. District officials want to cut costs by closing some public schools so the current plan is to move Pathfinder students and teachers out of the rundown former Genesee Hill School to newer Cooper School on Pigeon Point.

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Parking for 200 cars planned

While developers usually minimize the number of parking spaces they provide in new projects to keep costs down, a West Seattle-based group is planning a condominium building near the Junction with plenty of extra parking for commuters.

Planned for the 4500 block of 41st Avenue Southwest, the new development would stand about seven stories tall and have 50 to 60 condo units. Normally the city requires 1.25 parking spaces per unit but BCK Investments, the developers, want a building with parking for more than 200 cars.

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80-year-old threatened by Admiral Way motorists

Carol Longfellow's closet contains a variety of red coats, not because she's crazy for crimson, but to make her more visible to drivers when she attempts to cross busy Admiral Way.

Longfellow lives near Admiral Way and 48th Avenue Southwest. Been there 52 years. She volunteers regularly at nearby Life Care Center - West Seattle, where she leads crafts classes for the residents and pays for all of the class materials herself. Longfellow got involved at Life Care Center when her late husband was a patient there.

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High-tech cons use voice mail 'vishing'

Today's high-tech cons have become efficient at using the Internet to trick unsuspecting consumers into divulging personal information that can be used to steal your money or your identity. "Vishing" (abbreviated from voice-mail phishing) uses Internet-based phone systems to convince people to share credit card numbers and is the latest identity theft ploy.

Scammers use Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows people to make calls using an Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.

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Locals built hospital

In a neighborhood that prides itself on its history, Ballard Hospital stands out. Built during the no-nonsense Eisenhower era, the building looks something like a five story concrete block; the kind of thing that might withstand an atomic blast.

If you think that sounds far fetched, consider that a pamphlet circulated in 1952 to raise funds for what would become this hospital, pointed out that the Russians had recently detonated their own atomic bomb and that if the commies destroyed bridges across the Lake Washington Ship Canal, how could Ballard residents get to hospitals?

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Ballard girls the KingCo team to beat

The word is out in KingCo girl's soccer: expect a difficult time with plenty of bumps and bruises when playing against the Ballard Beavers.

"These girls are tough. They are now being known as a very physical team. It's not an easy game when they play Ballard," said first-year Head Coach Val Seid.

The Beavers had beaten Bothell (4-0), Franklin (9-0), Garfield (2-1) and Redmond (2-1) on their way to a 4-6-1 overall record and 2-3 record in the league as of Oct. 9.

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