February 2009

I have been a subscriber to the West Seattle Herald for the last year. I also read The West Seattle Blog.

Your points offered me food for thought - what is the difference between a local paper and a local blog? The answer is clear: a blog
posts news in real time, whereas a paper posts (less) news a week later.

Unfortunately, your paper is at a huge disadvantage. Certainly, some blogs (my personal blog included) are primarily nonsense and
ramblings, but this is not the case of the West Seattle Blog. On the WSB I find real time news on relevant topics. I was grateful for the
school reporting that you disdain, and read it with interest.

I appreciate the opportunity to learn more, to research the links given...or to ingnore and keep reading another topic when I am no
longer interested.

I also appreciate the fact that I don't throw anything away (or recycle it) when I'm done reading the blog, unlike your paper.

The only thing missing from the West Seattle Blog is columns written on topics like bicycling. Still, a small column is not worth paying
for.

Walking through the main hallway of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center will give observers a unique glimpse into the lives of some West Seattle youth. Through the end of February the walls will be lined with photos taken by students who studied photography this fall at the Southwest Interagency Academy.

The Southwest Interagency Academy is home to about 35 students, grades six through twelve, who have not been successful at other schools. Some may have been expelled, had difficulties with attendance while or entered the district late in the year.

Susan Baalim, a teacher at the school, explains that many of these students are more successful at the Interagency Academy’s less traditional structure.

This fall Dawn Samuelson, a photography teacher from the non-profit organization Right Brain Center for the Arts, lead a class at the academy. She saw many students thrive when given the opportunity to express themselves creatively.

“They’re kids that society has maybe deemed troubled, but they’re really great kids,” says Samuelson. “It was very rewarding.”

Historically, Asian-Americans have been underrepresented in television, theatre and film and are rarely seen in leading roles. In response, some of West Seattle’s own residents have been working with SiS Productions to produce several successful productions with Asian casts.

Currently SiS is working on “The Theory of Everything,” a play by Prince Gomolvilas. The show is produced by Miko Premo who grew up in West Seattle, and co-produced by current residents Lorna Chin and Lisa Marie Nakamura.

“There are not a lot of roles out there for Asian-Americans, especially Asian-American women,” said Nakamura. “In order for us to be seen in those roles we have to create them. We need to show that not only can Asian-Americans do these leading roles but they can do them well.”

Premo has been acting since she was in second grade and was also involved in performing arts at Holy Names Academy. She later went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in directing and acting at New York University.

West Seattle and Chief Sealth high schools represented West Seattle Feb. 6 night in the Metro League Championships, placing in the medals three times and sending two gymnasts on to the District competition held at Sammamish High School on Valentine's Day.

West Seattle and Sealth, along with Center School, combined to form one team representing all three schools under the coaching of Echo Balliett-Legge and Cheryl Lee.

While each school was scored separately the gymnasts supported and encouraged each other within the team as if there was no inter-competition. Following a similar mind- set, West Seattle Captain Lisa Broadstone said "I thought our team did very well in the meet today..." The show of camaraderie and team effort in the representation of the West Seattle area was exhilarating- two schools that are for all intents and purposes set rivals came together to represent the community they share.

The Seattle Department of Transportation announced today that progress has been made toward completing goals in the city's Bicycle Master Plan.

Mayor Greg Nickels has said he wants Seattle to become the "most bike-friendly city in the nation."

The Bicycle Master Plan Progress Report is posted on the transportation department Web site.

During the past two years, the city has extended the network of bicycle routes, lanes and trails, and improved bicycle safety.

Nearly two miles of new multi-purpose trail have been completed, including adding a section to the Burke-Gilman Trail along Shilshole Bay to Golden Gardens Park. The trail's designed the “missing link” section of the trail in Ballard has also been designed and is going through a public comment phase now.

Two sections were added to the Duwamish Trail (one built by the Port of Seattle), and the Interurban Bikeway was completed.

New features added to Seattle streets include green bike lanes at locations where bikes and cars are most likely to be in conflict, and sharrows, pavement markings that remind motorists to look for bicyclists.

Have you ever loved a tree? A huge, stately tree that has always been there. You admire it every time you see it, and secretly resist the urge to stop and climb it. Or, maybe to just sit on it’s branch-like-arms, even if just for a little while, and let its majesty soak in.

And then, one day, it’s gone.

Most times, you never had a clue it was close to the end of its life span – it was just always there. You can see the stump and the fresh sawdust still on the ground, and all that’s left above is big sky. You may go by in a few days to see the stump has been ground down even further, preparations made for something new.

We have a similar thing happening in our garden community here in Seattle. The Northwest Flower and Garden Shows have always been there – or it seemed so. After 21 years of bringing the big show to our fair city, the owner is taking his ball and going home, even if he can’t find any buyers.

But, unlike that big tree that was gone all of a sudden, we now have a chance to pay homage, to visit with, to spend some time reveling in the magic created by many. We have time to still be a part of it, and to say, “I was there, and I saw it.”

Who says a dog can’t carry his own weight? Meet Logan, who stands outside of a local Ballard grocery store, waiting to walk home with his pack full of groceries. A friendly dog with unique brindle markings, this 3-and-a-half year old is often seen around Ballard’s dog parks with his human, Jim Doulong.

But what’s so great about Logan is that he is contributing to the reduction of his own carbon "pawprint" by helping in one of the many ways that animals have helped humans for eons, as a pack animal. After all, there aren’t so many jobs for city dogs outside of protection of home and family (if you don’t count the unconditional love thing).

I began to think about the many ways that a simple dog job of carrying home some groceries benefits everyone involved as well as the environment. This is the list I came up with:

Less car exhaust from walking instead of driving.

Dog gets exercise and feels useful (big woof here).

Aha, owner gets exercise and is healthier.

Grocery bags not used because they are not necessary.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development has approved a land use application from Swedish Medical Center to allow a 109,000 square foot addition to its existing Ballard campus, at 5350 Tallman Ave. N.W.

An environmental impact review is not required.

The expansion of the campus is to add a new outpatient center and medical office.

The project includes 35,060 square feet of hospital and 74,263 square feet of office space. Parking for vehicles will be provided within the existing 510 stalls on campus. Also included in the project, a 62 by 12 foot skybridge.

The new facility will be five stories high with 109,000 square feet. The site is adjacent to the current Medical Plaza Building.

The the campus was originally the Ballard Community Hospital and was built in 1928.

O’Shan Sushi will be opening in the former Austin Cantina location on 24th Avenue Northwest in the near future.

O’Shan will be the third new sushi restaurant to open in Ballard in recent months. Shiku Sushi opened Sept. 29 on Ballard Avenue, and Moshi Moshi Sushi opened Feb. 3 a few doors down.

Austin Cantina closed its doors in January.

Students at Loyal Heights Elementary in Ballard are performing the opera "Siegfried and the Ring of Fire" Feb. 13 in collaboration with staff, singers and musicians from the Seattle Opera.

The fourth and fifth-grade performers worked with the Seattle Opera as part of an Artist in Residence program for the week leading up to the performance but had been practicing their parts for nearly a month.

"Siegfried and the Ring of Fire" was written by Jon Dean, Seattle Opera's education artistic administrator.