October 2011

The Ballard football team visited the Bothell Cougars at Pop Keeney field last night for the Cougars' homecoming night.

Despite some chances, the Beavers were unable to score in the first two quarters, allowing Bothell to gain a 35 to 0 lead by halftime.

The Cougars opened the second half with another touchdown, expanding their lead to 43 to 0.

But then, thanks to a run drive by Junior Devaughn Dorsey and a two-point conversion, Ballard finally got on the scoreboard with 8 points.

Bothell scored again in the beginning of the fourth quarter but Ballard then scored by a 63 yard touchdown and two-pint conversion, making the score 49-16.

Making a strong fourth quarter comeback, the Beavers scored once more for a final score of 49 to 22.

Ballard highlights of the game included

- 12 rushes for 156 yards and 1 touchdown by Junior Dominic King.

- Junior Johnny Verduin was 12 of 26 for 91 yards giving him over 1,000 yards passing for the season

- Junior Devaughn Dorsey had 6 carries for 28 yards and 1 touchdown.

- Senior Jesse Scott had 3 catches for 23 yards.

- Junior Jordan McColloch had 1 rushing touchdown.

As the first part of the Alaskan Way viaduct is coming down in the following days, a group of citizens is trying once more to fight the proposed tunnel and point out its deficiencies.

Reluctantly accepting that the viaduct is coming down, the so-called Highway Safety Advocates are setting out to shift Seattle's apportioned overrun costs to those who so fervently wanted it, and to draw the public's attention to the safety concerns of the tunnel.

Spearheaded by Ed Plute, Christopher Brown, and Victor Gray, the group delivered a petition to the Mayor and Seattle City Council on Friday, asking the city to assess all City of Seattle costs on, for and behalf of the deep bore tunnel entirely to the benefitting property owners in the Central Business District.

"We're admitting that we cannot stop the tunnel. It's going to be built. It's about getting taxed for something I don't support and I'm never going to use," said Plute at an HSA meeting in Ballard earlier this week.

The State Legislature has capped the State’s share of the cost of the deep-bored tunnel to $2.4 billion with an additional sum of up to $400 million which can be raised from toll revenues.

The annual Huling Bowl held at West Seattle Stadium between the two local rivals West Seattle Wildcats and Chief Sealth Seahawks proved to be a very unbalanced match up Friday evening, Oct 21 with West Seattle overpowering Sealth 53-6.

In game of miscues and missed opportunities for Sealth the Wildcats of West Seattle who have been winning lately, took every possible advantage of the Sealth mistakes.

While Sealth's QB Maxwell Sarver completed 8 of 20 attempted passes for 117 yards, he was intercepted twice and the team fumbled three times including one that set the tone for the game in the first quarter.

At first, Sealth did manage a drive (after first giving up a touchdown) and scored but missed the PAT and after that it was all West Seattle.

By David Rosen

The Alaskan Way Viaduct closed around 7:30 pm tonight to begin the first phase of demolition of a mile stretch during the first full week closure. The demo was supposed to have started around 8:00 pm but the crew was running late and it actually started at 8:40 pm.

A group of dignitaries watched from the roof of the nearby Silver Cloud Hotel as a large articulated ram device began hammering away at the one time exit to Connecticut Street, a portion of the "southern mile" of the viaduct that was originally intended to be part of a cross city freeway network.

Crews sprayed water on the dust clouds emerging from the demolition process.

Tomorrow, Saturday Oct. 22 the public will have a chance to witness the demolition process in person. They will be allowed to walk on the now closed viaduct from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

CLICK ABOVE PHOTO TO SEE MORE

Hundreds poured into the 25,500 square foot Fremont Collective space Friday night at 3506 Stone Way N. to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of snow sports retailer Evo. All entry fees, tips from drinks, and money from an array of silent auction items including skis and apparel benefit West Seattle based Service Board, located at Youngstown Cultural Center on Delridge Way.

The Service Board's staff members, including mentors, and some kids attended, including Ashley Miller, Service Board Executive Director, and Khalil Equiano. 32, Service Board Project Director. He performed rap with mentor Antasia Parker in front of the cheering crowd, many sporting bright orange ski caps.

"I wish I would have been a Service Board kid," Equino told the West Seattle Herald before he performed. "I really needed it in high school. I went to West Seattle High School from 1995 to '97, three years. Then I got transferred, you might say. I got in a little bit of trouble." He grew up across the street from the high school, and, before that, off Roxbury.

HALLOWEEN HAUNTED TOXIC BOAT TOUR
Sunday, October 30, 2011
1-3:00 PM

Several spooky guides will lead you on a two-hour boat tour of the Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Site. You'll hear stories of local Native American supernatural legends, early settler stories from Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods, and learn about the terrifying realities of toxic chemicals in the Duwamish! Also learn about the natural and human history of the Duwamish Valley, environmental health and (in)justice, and the future of Seattle's very own Superfund cleanup site on this guided boat tour.

Tour happens rain or shine.

Participants must RSVP through Brown Paper Tickets (http://bit.ly/rhNVZQ). Space is limited and we cannot over-book the tour. The tour is appropriate for people of all ages and it is ADA accessible. You may bring a snack to eat on the tour.

This year we are requesting a $25 fee ($15 for kids). 100% of your proceeds will go to our ongoing Education and Outreach Programs.

Please email contact@duwamishcleanup.org or call (206) 453-9803 if you have any questions.

Tuesday, Oct. 18
Girls swimming
Mt. Rainier 114, Hazen 72
The Mount Rainier girls swimming team raised its overall record to 8-1 with last Tuesday's win over the Highlanders.

The foursome of Kawaguchi, Webster, Larson and Dorhofer combined to win the opening 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1 minute, 55.88 seconds and Kawaguchi came back to take the 200 individual medley in a state-qualifying time of 2:12.51.

Larson tied for first in the 50 free in 25.52 and Beal won the 100 butterfly in 1:04.03 and Lemley took the 500 free in 5:53.11. Larson, Webster, Ward and Kawaguchi took the 200 free relay in a state-qualifying time of 1:43.71 and Webster took the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.73. Larson, Lemley, Beal and Kawaguchi won the final 400 free relay in a state-qualifying time of 3:45.65.

Kennedy 116, Highline 41

Highline 102, Foster 13

Highline took a 116-41 loss to Kennedy on Tuesday, Oct. 18 but won compared to Foster, 102-13.

CLICK ABOVE PHOTO FOR MORE

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott issued a commuting challenge and County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen accepted. All three West Seattle residents will raced from the southwest corner of the Alaska Junction to City Hall downtown this morning to highlight the alternate forms of transportation available during the 9-day closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which begins Friday at 7:30 p.m.

McDermott took the water taxi shuttle shuttle down to the Seacrest Dock and boarded the Water Taxi for the 8:15 a.m. sailing to Pier 50. He then walked uphill swiftly to City Hall.

Constantine boarded Metro Transit’s Route 54 to downtown and walked a few blocks to City Hall.

Rasmussen rode his bicycle to City Hall, and he won!

Approximate times: Rasmussen 28 minutes, Constantine, 35 minutes, McDermott 36.5 minutes

On Oct. 21, the field house at Steve Cox Memorial Park was packed full of federal, state and local law enforcement officers responsible for a major bust of drug and gun traffickers operating out of the business corridor on 16th Ave S.W. in White Center.

Please click the photo above for more.

Two 15-foot long tables were set up to display the bounty of the 90-day operation culminating in the Oct. 20 raid of four White Center businesses operating as fronts for illegal trafficking. The ATF operation was dubbed “Center of Attention” and it yielded 53 arrests (26 face federal charges and 27 face King County charges) along with the seizure of 68 guns, 51 pounds of methamphetamine, two pounds of crack cocaine and over ten pounds of powder cocaine.

Many said Deputy Steve Cox, who was White Center’s storefront deputy when he was killed in the line of duty in 2006, would have been proud.

The actual boundaries of investigation for Operation Center of Attention stretched well north into West Seattle and down into Burien, and it became clear over those three months that the epicenter of distribution was 16th Ave in White Center.

The Washington State Department of Transportation received nearly 600 entries in a special contest to do what ever someone could dream up to spend 30 minutes on the vacant Alaskan Way Viaduct during the 9 day closure which starts tonight, Friday Oct. 21 at 7:30 pm

Dave Ross of KIRO-FM radio talk show host, and Ken Schram, KOMO Newsradio host, were joined by Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Administrator Linea Laird to decide the winner

The judges were seeking the ultimate idea that was creative and unique, fun and family-friendly, and significant for the entrant and Seattle.

In the fun spirit of the contest many ideas were submitted but were not very realistic. Such as – rolling down the viaduct in the P.I. Globe, making the world’s longest slip-and-slide, setting up a drive-in movie for the waterfront, hosting an Oktoberfest party, competing in an ultimate dodgeball contest, and having a campout to roast marshmallows.