January 2008

After establishing a new Office of Social Responsibility at the Port of Seattle, chief executive Tay Yoshitani has announced the appointment of Elaine Ko as its director, effective Jan. 22.__

Since 2006, Ko has served as executive director of InterIm Community Development Association, Seattle, which facilitates community development in Seattle's International District. She also has extensive experience as a small business owner and an advocate for women and minorities.

A new portable restroom has been installed on Market Street by the city of Seattle to serve customers of the business district and the homeless.

The restroom is on the west side of the 2300 block of Market Street.

"The city got a lot of inquiries about a public restroom," said Rob Mattson, director of the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center.

Mattson said people ask businesses to use their bathroom but are refused access.

Sandra Kraus, senior planning and development specialist for Seattle Public Utilities said the restroom is the result of a series o

The rates of reported major domestic violence crimes in Seattle have fallen about 36 percent over the past decade, according to a new report.

The first biennial report on domestic violence aims to raise public awareness of all aspects of domestic violence - what it is, who it affects, and how the community responds to domestic violence. The report is the first to include national and local criminal justice and service data that helps explain the scope of the problem in our region.

The Metropolitan King County Council has unanimously adopted a $4.9 billion budget.

The budget is characterized as staying within the property tax limits of Initiative 747, despite the recent invalidation of the measure by the state Supreme Court.

The budget reduces the executive's overall budget, proposed at just over $5 billion, by $40 million, and reduces the executive's proposed general fund expenditures by $1.8 million.

"To the executive's credit, he sent us a fiscally responsible budget," said Councilman Bob Ferguson, chair of the Oper

In 2007 HB 1102 passed with full support of the House of Representatives, but did not make it out of the Senate. At the start of the 2008 session the House quickly passed HB 1102, again, to amend tax exemptions for military veterans. A veteran with a combined disposable income of $70,000 per year or less would be exempt from some regular property taxes and all excess property taxes. This bill is now back before the Senate.

Voting Yes were Ballard Reps.

Mary Hurley spent four hours poring over the manual given to each member on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee. She printed out the 68 pages of minutes from the first meeting Dec. 13 and the comments submitted with them.

"That's not a half-hour of light reading with a glass of chardonnay," she says.

Hurley owns Best Regards, a stationery and gift store she opened on Northwest Market Street 14 years ago.

Students at Adams Elementary School collected 30 bags of coins weighing 850 pounds during the recently concluded Penny Harvest fundraiser.

They exceeded their goal of 25 coin bags. In addition to the coins, $117 in bills were brought in by the students.

Each student went to family, friends and neighbors to ask for donations. Some wrote letters to people and others solicited coins from their parent's work places.

"It went great. We are really excited," said parent Bobbi Windus, Adam's Penny Harvest coordinator.

The Seattle Housing Authority is proposing to relax its criminal background criteria for certain felony convictions to shorten the waiting time for people in need of housing.

The waiting periods for crimes like burglary and homicide, which currently carries a 20-year lapse between release from jail and eligibility, would move to a 12-month system under the proposal.

His two-year term began immediately with the adoption of new committees and their chairs.

"We have an obligation and opportunity to create a sustainable and just city, and to contribute our energy, experience, and talent to America's future," said Conlin.

The council president is the leader of the city's lawmakers and directs the 80-member Legislative Department. If the mayor is absent from the city or is incapacitated, the council president acts as the mayor.

It was a historic moment at Ballard High School last Friday when the school honored their legendary basketball player, Michael Johnson by retiring his jersey.

A capacity crowd filled the bleachers to see the Johnson's number 23 jersey framed in red and black and presented to him. He is the first basketball who played at Ballard to receive this honor.

The school also unveiled a new banner with Johnson's name on it to recognize outstanding boy's basketball players throughout the years.

"It brings back a lot of memories.