After 15 years the West Seattle Helpline moved its office out of the Junction. It's a good move. We've moved to the new Community Resource Center at the corner of 35th and Morgan. We'll be together with other social service agencies enabling us to better serve our community in need. Like I said, it's a good move.
But it's hard moving away from the West Seattle Junction business community.
Back in 1988 I wrote a paper for an urban studies class at the University of Washington entitled, "West Seattle - Backing into the Future." It was an unflattering piece, to say the least.
At the time, I had some gripes with West Seattle that I thought were serious: no decent restaurants or movie theaters or other urban cultural attractions; no decent pizza; a decidedly unhip and old fashioned shopping junction; in general, a "being left behind" quality to life and a deadness in the overall vibe. Life seemed to just be moping along. A bit opinionated, ya think?
The West Seattle Junction Association hosted its 25th annual Junction festival, now called SummerFest, last weekend and the place was packed for three days with warm summer weather.
Thirty bands performed on two stages. Close to 90 vendors filled booths that lined three frantic blocks of California Avenue. While the festival offered a variety of musical voices, crafts and foods, the message was the same: "Summer has finally arrived, so let's celebrate!"
Vendors and musicians seemed to appreciate the spirit of the festivities as much as their customers and fans.
The city wants to take the lead this time as it decides how West Seattle should update its neighborhood plans.
Mayor Greg Nickels released a proposal earlier this month that outlines a city-staffed structure to examine all 38 of Seattle's neighborhood plans by dividing the city into six sectors.
The city plans to remove a crosswalk on Southwest Avalon Way but some West Seattleites think the pedestrian crossing should be made safer rather than rubbed out.
The crosswalk is in front of the Javabean espresso bar. Nearby are the Luna Park Caf
Voters who cast their ballots by mail will be assured their vote will be preserved, under a new policy adopted by the King County Council.
"The Washington State Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to cast a secret ballot," said Councilmember Dow Constantine, prime sponsor of the motion.
A pair of rulings by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board last week rejected complaints filed by Seattle and Burien, each against the other, over potential annexation of the North Highline unincorporated area.
"This decision leaves us in limbo," said Scott Greenberg, Burien community development director.
After months of financial studies and community meetings, the Burien City Council last November adopted an ordinance designating North Highline as a "proposed annexation area."
The Burien council took that action after it, the city of Seatt
The new Seattle School District superintendent, Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, spent her first day on the job attending classes.
On July 9, her first official day in the job, the superintendent toured West Seattle High School, where she sat in on a summer school class.
Riding a yellow school bus packed with members of the media, Goodloe-Johnson first toured Northgate Elementary School to watch teachers be trained in the "Everyday Mathematics" program, the district's new math curriculum.
West Seattle has been crowning Miss Hi-Yu's every year since 1934 but this year there is only one young woman competing for the title.
"It's been harder the last few years to get people to run," says Carol Winston, the Miss Hi-Yu candidate coordinator.
There will be no Miss Burien 2008.
A new Miss Burien was scheduled to be crowned Nov. 17 but executive director Janie Bakke resigned in June and volunteers have decided to pull the plug on the pageant.
Lack of local financial support and a new requirement by the state Miss Washington and national Miss America organizations are the reasons cited for the Highline pageant's demise.
The Miss Washington and Miss America programs have teamed up with the Children's Miracle Network and are requiring that each local contestant raise $100 for the network.
