July 2011

As of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, the Ballard Bell will ring once again on a daily basis. Community members came out to Marvin's Garden on Ballard Avenue on Tuesday evening to witness the inaugural tolling of the automated ringer.

"This intersection was the most important intersection in Ballard and I think it still is," said Peggy Sturdivant in the events opening remarks. "It's where its heart and soul is."

The original Ballard City Hall and the bell stood on the intersection where Marvin's Garden is today, Built in 1899, the bell tolled daily at noon, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

But the 1965 earthquake demolished City Hall, and the bell went to Firland Sanitarium for storage.

The bell was brought back to Ballard in 1976 and 11 years later, in 1987, the Bell Tower and the Ballard Centennial Bell Foundation were founded. The dedication ceremony for the Bell Tower was held in 1989 but the bell did not ring.

In December of last year, the beloved Bertha Davis decided it was time to bring the ring back to Ballard.

A man who appeared to be in his mid 30's of Asian descent, and possibly either under the influence of drugs or mentally unstable, and who was bleeding profusely, leapt on three cars on 35th s.w. between Henderson and Barton Streets around 4:40 pm on Tuesday, July 5. According to police on the scene the incident began as an argument but his wounds appeared to be self inflicted.

The incident took place in front of the Barton Court Apartments at 9021 35th Ave. s.w.

A young woman, Raissa, was driving southbound on 35th and saw the man atop one of the cars. "I stopped and that woman was here on the phone (a person who called 911) so I stopped to make sure, and I was worried he'd jump out in the street so I wanted to talk to him while I'm here, you know to get his attention, which wasn't smart because he jumped on top of the car. He seemed totally out of it. He didn't even know I was standing there. He was jumping from one car to the next. The blood was everywhere but the majority of it was on his hands." She also reported he was not wearing a shirt.

Three cars were damaged in the incident, the roofs of two of the cars were dented in.

Press release from King County:
Bridge replacement to begin on Sylvester Road SW
Preparation work including utility relocation has begun to replace the Sylvester Road Bridge. The road will be closed to through traffic this Thursday, July 7th at 9AM. The road will remain closed until the end of the year while the bridge is replaced. Motorists are advised to use a detour route to avoid delays and disturbance to local residents.

On behalf of the City of Normandy Park, the county is providing construction updates via the project website and email notifications.

Thanks for your patience and consideration as construction on this project gets underway.

Why this project is being done

At 2 and a half years old Hank is a handful. He's also a blend of breeds that may have something to do with his most prominent personality trait. He came from the dog pound in Pierce County and "They thought he was an Akita and Irish Setter mix but we had a DNA test done and he's actually Golden Retriever, Poodle, Border Collie, and Doberman," his owner Beth Vonbargen said.

That hybrid mix of bloodlines makes him unique but it is his absolute love of rocks that really sets him apart. "He loves to bat them around and on a lawn he will try to get grass at the same time." Vonbargen speculates that "he was neglected as a puppy and left in a backyard with nothing to play with and he decided rocks were going to be what he played with. Isn't that funny?"

Hank doesn't actually chew the rocks, he just isolates one and then bats it with his feet, picks it up with his mouth and plays.

Press release:
The Washington Aerospace Scholars program is pleased to announce that Drew Hidalgo from Aviation High School and Jacob Hallock from West Seattle High School will be participating in one of the four WAS Summer Residency sessions held in June and July at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) is a competitive educational program for high school juniors from across Washington State.

Parents can register their children for school and get information on a variety of Seattle-area resources for families when the Community Resources on Wheels bus visits nine neighborhood locations during the month of July.

The bus will visit from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the following dates and locations:

North
July 12: QFC, 1801 N. 45th St. 98103

Northwest
July 13: Safeway, 8340 15th Ave. N.W. 98117

Parents and caregivers who plan to enroll their student in school should bring the following:

- Birth Certificate (K-1st grade only)
- immunization information
- current proof of Seattle residence (utility bills, lease, DSHS; shelter/transitional housing letter)
- admission form (parents can fill out in advance at http://seattleschools.org or it will be available on the bus)
- photo ID of parent/guardian.

For more information, visit district.seattleschools.org/enrollment or call the SPS Service Center at 205-252-0760.

Press release:
Parents can register their children for school and get information on a variety of Seattle-area resources for families when the Community Resources on Wheels bus visits nine neighborhood locations during the month of July.

The bus will visit from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
West Seattle July 27: Target Store, 2800 S.W. Barton St. 98126 July 28: High Point Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way 98126

and elsewhere in Seattle:

North July 12: QFC, 1801 N. 45th St. 98103
Northwest July 13: Safeway, 8340 15th Ave. N.W. 98117
Northeast July 14: Fred Meyer, 13000 Lake City Way N.E. 98125
Central July 19: Bailey Gatzert Elementary, 1301 E. Yesler Way 98122 July 20: Promenade Red Apple, 2301 S. Jackson St. 98144
Southeast July 21: Safeway, 3820 Rainier Ave. S. 98188 July 26: Safeway, 3900 S. Othello St. 98118

In response to the concerns about what will happen to the homeless community who live in their cars when the scofflaw enforcements go into effect today, the mayor's office wanted to make it known that they've been working hard to find options for those living in their cars, particularly in the Ballard area, said Darryl Smith, Deputy Mayor of Community.

"We're doing our very best to mitigate against any issues that might be faced by vulnerable community members living in vehicles," Smith said.

Smith said the office has been reaching out to the vulnerable community for months informing them about the scofflaw enforcements and their options.

Beginning July 5, 2011, vehicles in scofflaw status – those with four or more overdue, unpaid parking tickets – will get booted and the owner has 48 hours (excluding weekends) to settle all unpaid scofflaw-eligible parking tickets, collection fees and a $145 boot fee or risk getting his or her car impounded.

Update 2:
Looking back at the real-time 911 log over the past two days one clearly notices the "fire" calls were coming in more frequently, in part due to Americans' tendency to drink merrily and play with explosives!

In West Seattle, from 12:01 a.m. on July 4th until 6 p.m. on July 5th there were two rubbish fire calls, two house fire calls, six brush fire calls (make that seven with the White Center brush fire photographed above) and one bark fire.

While not all of these calls were firework related, there were certainly a few "oops" moments over the holiday.

Update for 7/5 from Seattle Fire:
Investigators Determine Cause of Vacant House Fire as Accidental (32nd Ave S.W. and S.W. Roxbury)

July 5- Seattle Fire Investigators scoured the charred interior of a single story house burned by an early morning fire. After close examination, investigators determined the accidental fire started in a couch inside the vacant house.

On July 1st, shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers responded to Golden Gardens to a report of a stabbing.

According to witnesses the two teenagers were arguing, which led to a fight and the subsequent stabbing.

Officers arrived and found a 17-yr-old male with multiple stab wounds to the stomach area. Seattle Fire responded and transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) with serious injuries. Despite being stabbed as many as 12 times, the victim’s condition was updated to stable.

North Anti Crime Team also responded and quickly located the 15-yr-old suspect. The suspect was arrested without incident. The suspect was also transported to HMC for treatment of facial and head injuries he sustained during the fight with the victim. The suspect was subsequently booked into Youth Service Center for Investigation of Assault.

Officers also recovered the knife used by the suspect.