October 2009

The historic Admiral Theater is hosting a few spooky events this Halloween.

Boo-Yah! Live Halloween Comedy starts Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m.

According to the theater, "watch a group of campers spin terrifying true stories into horrifically funny campfire tales, which are played out live before your eyes."

This is a kid-friendly show.

On Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, enjoy Shambala, a Three Dog Night Tribute Band. There will also be a costume contest.

At 10 p.m. there will be a showing of "REPO-The Genetic Opera." Then later, at midnight, the traditional showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. After midnight on Oct. 30, tickets can be purchased at the door for $15 for adults and $8 for children under 12.

For anyone who has ever wondered why unused railroad tracks crisscross Ballard, Jana Wright might have an answer for you.

Wright, a King County Metro trip planner, has compiled “The History of Transportation in Ballard,” which she presented Oct. 29 as "Where's my Trolley? – 155 Years of Transportation in Ballard" to a crowd of about 70 at the Ballard Public Library.

Wright wrote about Seattle’s streetcars; not the one on South Lake Union, but the system of streetcars that used to rumble throughout the city more than 60 years ago.

She explained how some of today’s bus routes serving Ballard—routes 15, 17, 18 and 28—run along routes that roughly parallel the city’s streetcar tracks.

The Ballard Historical Society hosted Wright’s talk after catching word of her historical research with Metro.

“We decided to do our calendar on transportation because we were so inspired by her report,” said Georgia Selfridge, the historical society’s president.

The regular season is over for the seniors of the Todd Beamer Titans, but not before a victory over the visiting Decatur Gators with a three game match sweep, 25-12, 25-18, 25-20.

"I wanted to make a point to play my seniors," said Titans head coach Bliss Carlson of the Monday, Oct. 26 win over their South Puget Sound League South Division rivals. "They did a great job. We had consistent serving and were ready to attack the ball."

Game one played out with the Titans leading, 1-0, and, never giving up the lead. The closest the score got was 19-8, and, the farthest apart number difference was 15 points, or, 23-8.

In that first game there was a good balance of kill tallies by the Titans, with 6-1 sophomore Megan Stumpf netting three, 5-6 junior Summer Jex two, sophomore Lexie Jones one and senior McKenna Grotefend one. Senior Olivia Jones nailed in one ace (no return), too.

In game one, the Titans not only never trailed and not only never were close in score but also a senior got the final kill of the game in Grotefend's blast to the tune of 10-12 rallies before the kill point came. And to the tune of the student fans cheering for her, “McKenna, McKenna.”

The Federal Way Eagles girls soccer team is the most happening story in the South Puget Sound League right now.

That’s quite a change of course from “before,” that is, the beginning of the year. Included on this happening road was a 1-0 loss dropped on South Puget Sound League North rival Thomas Jefferson last Saturday.

The Eagles, feathered with only three wins in their cap the first half of the season and were mired in sixth place in the SPSL North Division, have made an improbably second-half run to be in the playoff hunt now.

"I told you we had to win," said Adam Ladage, Eagles first-year head coach. "So far, of our last five, we've won four and tied one, and, we've won four in a row."

The Eagles, after tying Auburn-Riverside on Oct. 8, have beaten Kentridge, Kentlake, Kent-Meridian, and now Jefferson.

What's doing it? This change in path so suddenly, so much?

"We are playing hard and hard work is paying off in front of the goal," said Ladage.

Hard work sure paid off in front of the goal in this game for the blue and white clad young ladies.

In just one hour an Arbor Heights couple changed their lives, and the lives of 12 year-old twin sisters, forever. Eight months ago Bruce and Summer Boyd-Jones flew to Kiev in the Ukraine with the intention to adopt. They landed in that city’s department of adoption, and were given many files and exactly one hour to sort through them for a possible match.

The Jones’, Realtors with Prudential Northwest in Jefferson Square, found Natalie and Nicole, twins from an orphanage, or “children’s home” as they say in the Ukraine. They lived nine hours by train from Kiev, plus another 45 minutes by taxi from the city of Zaporozhye, to a town called V'llansk. It would take an investment of six weeks and $25,000 to adopt the girls.

“The home had 145 children,” said Summer. “This would only be the orphanage’s second adoption in 25 years (under its current director.) This particular orphanage is not on the radar screen. It is out in a small village and so we want to get the word out.”

The Highline School District has made progress in its measures of success but the trajectory needs to increase faster to meet the 2013 targets, board members were told Oct. 28.

However, the data highlights significant achievement gaps between white students and students of color, Alan Spicciati, chief accountability officer, noted.

The district is above the 2008 baseline in 19 areas and below in three others.

The areas below baseline are number of seniors taking SAT and ACT tests, writing WASL scores and the math achievement gap.

The district is on pace to meet six targets, but off the pace in 11 other areas.

However, progress in the percentage of students passing algebra by eighth grade is cause for celebration, according to Spicciati.

In 2008, 18 percent of students passed algebra by eighth grade. The district set a goal of 50 percent by 2013.

Spicciati reported that 30 percent of students passed algebra by eighth grade, led by Pacific Middle in Des Moines with over 35 percent of its students achieving the goal.

Spicciati noted that Superintendent John Welch's senior leadership team is particularly focusing on five of the areas.

The brakes have been applied to a proposed major zoning update in SeaTac that was scheduled to be approved by the city council next month.

The city's planning department began the process of getting the update approved in May. On Nov. 13, lawmakers split consideration of the update into two phases. Staffers expected council members to vote on the first phase on Dec. 8.

However, at the council's Oct. 24 meeting, representatives for two city businesses asked lawmakers to delay action.

Wes Wood, from James and Doris Cassan's Dollar Rent a Car, urged council members and planning commission members to take more time to study the 800-page update.

"What may seem like a minor change to staff may be a major change to land owners that could cause them to move or shut down," Wood said.

Cathy Boysen Heiberg, representing business clients in the Bow Lake area, also asked for more time to study the changes.

"The stakeholders need to be brought in," she added.

While SeaTac has been trying to transition away from surface airport parking lots, the city may approve a new 1,000-stall lot on unused cemetery land.

A request from Master Park to rezone six acres on the north end of Washington Memorial Park Bonney Watson from cemetery park use to business commercial use is on the final docket of SeaTac's Comprehensive Plan Amendments. The SeaTac City Council is scheduled to vote on the amendments on Nov. 24.

The land would revert back to Washington Memorial in 25 years, developer Roger McCracken told lawmakers Oct. 27.
Cemetery officials are not planning to use the land in the near future and have agreed to a long-term lease, according to McCracken.

"It is a good use of fallow land," McCracken said. "It will open up other parcels for other uses."

McCracken said demand for long-term parking near Sea-Tac International Airport will grow.

He estimated the lot would generate $650,000 a year in property tax revenues.

However, competitor Doris Cassan of Dollar Development said approval of the request would be favoritism.

In December, the public will be able to wander forest trails in Burien's largest city-owned park.

Mathison Park, at 533 S. 146th Street, offered 5.3 acres of forested open space in the center of urban development, but the public could only experience the one acre initially developed and accessible.

Completion of the current project will allow the public to walk along meandering trails and learn about the park's flora and fauna through a series of interpretive panels.

Along the trail the visitor can rest on a trailside bench or take in a view of Mt. Rainier, Sea-Tac International Airport and Puget Sound from several overlooks or picnic sites.

A second playground for ages Kindergarten through 5 years old will also be available.

An additional element of the project is the removal of substantial amounts of invasive plant species and the re-establishment of native plants, especially along the trail corridors.

The construction began in August of 2009 and has included the earthwork and grading to establish the trail systems and playground.

The three alarm fire that destroyed four Greenwood businesses and damaged two others was set by an unknown suspect in the Green Bean Coffee House, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Seattle Fire Investigators completed the investigation Oct. 29 into the Oct. 23 fire and have ruled it arson, according to the Fire Department.

According to the department, damage is estimated at $2 million, which includes damage to the building and the contents of the four businesses - Pho Tic Tac, the Green Bean Coffee House, C.C.Teriyaki Wok and Szechuan Bistro - housed within it.

The neighboring Taproot Theatre and Greenwood Academy of Hair received mostly smoke and water damage.

About 100 firefighters battled the blaze for nearly 2.5 hours, said Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen. The blaze was so intense that the firefighters had to fight it "defensively" outside of the buildings, she said.

Donations to the Greenwood businesses may be made through the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund at Chase Bank at North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue.