One of the area's most popular Christmas traditions is the Phinney Neighborhood Association's Winter Festival, coming up on Dec. 1 and 2 with 115 craft booths and live entertainment.
The event is one of the main fundraisers of the year for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, which runs the Phinney Neighborhood Center.
Winter Festival was started in 1981, when the association was first started.
The first phase of construction on the Salmon Bay Natural Area public plaza and other improvements are now underway and are expected to be completed in December.
The area is on five shoreline parcels at the end of 34th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 54th St.
The King County Council has approved a contract to retain the consultant assisting the Council to establish the independent office overseeing King County's major capital construction projects
"I am pleased to implement a program I championed as chair of last year's Annual Budget Committee to improve the council's oversight of major capital projects," said Councilman Dow Constantine, chair of the Council's Capital Budget Committee.
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson said recent announcements of further downgrades within the $4 billion King County Investment Pool makes the Council's creation of an Investment Pool Advisory Panel all the more important.
"Over the past two months, we have seen three downgrades that exposed vulnerabilities with our investment pool," said Ferguson, chair of the Council's Operating Budget and Fiscal Management Committee and the council's representative on the Executive Finance Committee.
The city is seeking candidates for a vacant position on the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board. Members of the board are appointed by both the mayor and the City Council to serve renewable, two-year terms. Board members must reside in Seattle and serve without compensation. Applicants of color are encouraged to apply. The board was established in 1993. Board members advise city staff and departments on issues related to pedestrian safety and accessibility.
The city is seeking candidates for a vacant position on the Seattle Women's Commission which advises the mayor, City Council and city departments on issues that impact women in Seattle.
As advisors to the mayor, City Council and city departments, commissioners have the opportunity to address issues of concern for Seattle women and to work for positive change.
Peggy Bailey, operations manager, Ballard Food Bank, sifts through a mountain of donated food items two days before Thanksgiving.
Looking for breakout year
By Dean Wong
In boy's basketball, the Ballard Beavers will rely on a strong inside game combined with tough defense as they open the new KingCo season.
"We are ready to get rolling. We had a good week of practice. The kids are excited. We are moving in the right direction," said third year head coach Billy Rodgers.
Last year the team was 5-10 in KingCo and 8-10 overall with wins over Woodinville (twice), Juanita, Rogers, Cascade, Ingraham, Roosevelt and Redmond.
Ballard was second in the league in defense.
By Rebekah Schilperoort
Parents at Salmon Bay convened for the fourth "Wisdom Council" earlier this month to renew the school's commitment to alternative education and focus on challenges that threaten its independence.
Eleven parents, most practically strangers who have children at the alternative kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school, holed up in a room for 10 hours over a recent weekend to explore what it means to be an alternative school in a public school system.
John Shaw, who helped organize prior Salmon Bay Wisdom Councils, said getting people in groups allows for an opportunity to delve into issues and learn how to share information, something particularly important for school systems.
"It's to give people an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns and hopes with enough time to really explore them," said Shaw. "Issues get raised and really explored."
We will never know a fraction as much about wine as Jens Strecker and Julie Howe, owners of Portalis. But with them around, we don't have to! Without a hint of the pretentiousness sometimes associated with fine wine, they guide customers to the right choice with the value of wine an important concept. Portalis offers a wide range of prices and styles and more than 400 wines from around the world in the retail shop, and 30 rotating wines available by the glass in the wine bar.
Last year, Portalis moved down Ballard Avenue a few blocks east of its original location.
