March 2009

Grants totaling roughly $9 million from local and national foundations were announced for Seattle Public Schools today.

The grants will go toward college readiness, staff development, and data and performance management in support of the district's five-year strategic plan.

The plan, Excellence for All, aims to raise achievement of all students by providing students and teachers with the resources they need to succeed, such as college ready work and stronger professional development opportunities.

The grants come from:

$7.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

$1.2 million from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

$308,000 from the Boeing Company

$254,000 from the Stuart Foundation

The goal is to set measurable targets for improving academic performance and closing the education gap, including increasing the college-ready graduation rate, according to the district. Today, fewer than one in five graduates of Seattle Public Schools meet the requirements to enroll in a four-year college.

City council members Bruce Harrell and Nick Licata are looking to place environmentally safe drop boxes at all 27 Seattle Public Libraries to reduce the amount of uncontained Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs in landfills.

The boxes would have a special liner that would prevent mercury leakage.

Currently CFL's can be disposed at certain retailers, City Light service locations and city or county transfer stations that accept hazardous waste.

“My goal is to take advantage of the fact that most citizens know the location of their neighborhood public library, which would not only make the disposal of CFL's easier for our citizens but also help the city forego the expense of purchasing new disposal sites,” council member Harrell said.

Since 2006, more than 300 million CFL's have been purchased in the country.

In Seattle, City Light recently announced that its “Twist and Save” program has produced sales of more than one million locally.

It was God's day.

I had just had coffee and counsel with an illustrious and inspiring woman of boundless beauty and chattering charm when I looked up at the clock and said, "I'm late for a fashion show."  Words I had never before uttered but were the truth.  Our goodbyes said and embrace peeled apart, I headed for a drink and an address for the cabbie. 

A quick sip and I was conveyed downtown.  The driver said that he admired my facial hair, which happens sometimes, but I've never had anyone ask me if it grew that way naturally.  Really should have gotten the number of that taxi.  The show was great.  Trinky M, you were gorgeous.  Lots of hot, HIGH maintenance girls. 

One asked me to take a picture of her on her phone; she then proceeded to show me ALL the pictures she had taken of herself.  Yipes!  Thing is she wasn't a salon artist or a model.  The whole thing was weird. 

Burritos and tequila after, I nab a cab and make it back to the place of my employ where a good friend is having a holiday party.  Always down for a bit of the ole free sauce I pony up and begin The Imbibe. 

The man who crashed into 13 vehicles near the California Junction Monday evening has been identified as 35-year-old Tabor Moi, according to the man's brother-in-law, Adrian Mouser.

The accident sent Moi and another man to the hospital.

Moi, in a green Dodge Dakota pickup, collided into a parked vehicle near the Junction at approximately 6:22 p.m. March 9 and then lost control further, hitting 12 other cars, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Both Moi and the other injured party, who suffered neck and back injuries, were taken to Harborview Medical Center.

At the hospital, physicians confirmed that Moi had no alcohol in his blood and that he did in fact suffer from a seizure, which could have caused the accident, according to Mouser.

Mouser said his brother-in-law does not have a history of seizures and that neurological tests are being performed. Moi is not seriously injured but is suffering from back pain and has some minor injuries, said Mouser.

"He's a very responsible guy," Mouser said.

"We lucked out more people weren't injured," said an officer who was on the scene Monday.

According to the police report:

The small lock at Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or the Ballard Locks, will be closed from Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 20 for annual maintenance, according to its Web site.

The Large Lock will continue to operate 24/7 and we’ll get the commercial traffic through as quickly as possible," according to Dave Carpenter, the project’s Operations Manager. "All pleasure boats will be using the large lock during this time."

The small lock is capable of handling vessels up to 25 feet wide and 100 feet long while the large lock can be configured to be handle vessels as large as 760 feet by 80 feet.

More than 60,000 vessels pass through the locks each year between Lake Washington and Salmon Bay in Ballard.

For any questions, call (206) 783-7000

Spring Clean, dubbed Seattle's community clean-up event, starts April 4 and runs through May 30 this year.

The event, in its 23rd year, is part of Mayor Greg Nickels' Clean and Green Seattle Initiative. Spring Clean provides opportunities for citizens to clean up Seattle's public open spaces of their choice with city support.

Typical projects include litter pick-ups, storm drain stenciling, graffiti paint-outs and invasive plant removal. City support involves planning assistance, tools, gloves, safety vests, disposal bags, transfer station passes and waste pick ups.

Sign Up
If you are interested in participating in Spring Clean, please complete and mail in the registration form (see link above) to be eligible for resource support. Applications can be mailed to Seattle Public Utilities, 700 5th Ave. Suite 4900, P.O. Box 34018 Seattle, WA, 98124-4018.

The King County Council today voted to approve a new ordinance that would allow Metro to extend the length of time transfers are valid during adverse weather conditions when buses are often late or service is disrupted.

“When routes are cancelled and bus service is sporadic, Metro riders deserve the peace of mind of knowing that delays won’t make their transfers worthless,” said Council member Bob Ferguson, who sponsored the legislation and regularly commutes by bus. “Although many Metro operators no doubt recognize the reality of conditions and act accordingly, there should be a systemwide policy that can be communicated clearly and confidently to customers.”

Transfers are normally valid for two hours. With the adopted ordinance, the transfer time limit can now be extended to reflect weather and service conditions.

“I am pleased that with the passage of this legislation we are ensuring our riders will be taken care of,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague. “Riders should expect that they can still transfer even if they miss a bus because of bad weather. This legislation especially makes sense for riders with a long commute.”

This year the Queen award has been increased to $800 and the Princess awards have been opened up to girls ages 10-15.
The applications and details for submission of applications are due by March 31, and can be picked up in the Leif Erikson Hall office, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and also in the Web site.

The Queen and Princess Scholarship Program awards two young women who represent the lodge as its Queen and Princess $800 or $200 respectively. The winners will represent Leif Erikson Lodge 2-001, Sons of Norway, in at least five events of their choosing during the year.

To be eligible for the Queen or Princess award, the applicant must be a member in good standing of Leif Erikson Lodge 2-001, Sons of Norway; or a relative of a member in good standing and shall not be a former Border Festival Queen. The queen applicant must not be younger than 16 and not older than 22 on the date the award application is submitted; the princess applicant must not be younger than 10 and not older than 15 on the date the award application is submitted.

Just after 8 a.m. Saturday, an officer pulled over a man who was driving near 14th and Market at a high rate of speed. The car had no front license plate, the rear plate was perched on the bumper, and a records check showed that the driver had a suspended license. In searching the vehicle, the officer found a loaded syringe, assorted drug paraphernalia, and some heroin. The driver, a 43-year-old Lake Stevens resident, was booked into King County Jail for investigation of drug charges. He was cited for driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance, improper display of plates, and faces other assorted misdemeanor charges.

Early Saturday, an Everett man was arrested after he shattered the glass door of a business at 28th and Market and hit a parked car with a sandwich board. Witnesses stated that earlier the man had been standing in the middle of the street and had nearly been hit by a Metro bus and he had angrily thrown his cell phone at a passing car. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of two counts of malicious mischief and one of criminal trespass.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with illustrator Kathleen Kemly and "Shannon and the World’s Tallest Leprechaun" Tuesday, 17 March at 7 p.m.

This event will be held at Secret Garden Books located on Northwest Market Street.

Shannon is a stepdancer with a broken shoe. How can she ever win the Saint Patrick's Day stepdancing contest? Enter Liam, the world's tallest leprechaun. A leprechaun grants wishes, right? But Liam not only doesn't look like a leprechaun, he grants wishes in his own unusual way.

Secret Garden is offering treats, clovers to search for, gold coins to find at the end of a rainbow, and Irish Line Dancers from Tara Academy to entertain.

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Author of "Cape Disappointment" Earl Emerson will read from his book Wednesday, March 18 at the Ballard Library.

"In this extraordinary and long-awaited new thriller, Seattle private eye Thomas Black returns after more than a decade, and he must put together the shattered fragments of his life. His country depends on it."

Earl Emerson is a lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department.

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