October 2011

UPDATE, SAT. 11:40 a.m.

We are following some work sites mentioned below.

DUWAMISH ALIVE!

HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS WORK TO RESTORE SEATTLE’S ONLY RIVER ON SATURDAY, OCT. 15

Press release:

Environmental forces will join together at the semi-annual Duwamish Alive! river restoration event on Saturday, October 15th. Starting at 10:00am volunteers will roll up their sleeves at multiple sites along Seattle’s industrialized watershed to perform cleanup and restoration work in the ongoing effort to keep Seattle’s only river alive.



As late as 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, the West Seattle Herald has been communicating directly with Amanda Knox's grandmother, Edda's mom Liz Huff, by phone and in person since Amanda was released from prison about 30 hours ago. She was then heading to the house of Amanda's mother and step-father, Edda and Chris Mellas.

Upon the landing of the British Airways jet containing Amanda and family, and following the brief press conference in which she spoke while overwhelmed with emotion, thanking her supporters, the family quickly departed the airport.

The motorcade brought family members to the home of Amanda's father, Curt, who lives near Edda and Liz, in Arbor Heights. While no one in the press would begrudge Amanda the desire for privacy with her family following three years and 11 months in and Italian prison, the mystery remains, "Where did she go?"

The West Seattle Herald wishes Amanda and her family well as she begins to readjust here, and perhaps considers reenrolling at the UW, which her father, when interviewed at his house tonight, speculated she would probably do.

BBC radio

It's been 25 years since the Leif Erikson Hall was built on NW 57th Street and it has since hosted many meetings and socials, dinners and bazaars, performances and classes.

Celebrated as the Leif Erikson Lodge's greatest achievement to date, the building replaced the Norway Center, which was sold in 1983, as the gathering place for anything Norwegian.

A suitable lot for a new building was found in 1984 and the building permit was obtained the following year,

Starting the very next day after the permit was obtained, members put in over 12,000 hours of volunteer work and the community donated money, materials, and services to erect the building.

Many of the grand opening committee and construction volunteers were among the 150 people that attended the 25th anniversary celebration over the weekend, where memories were revisited with a slideshow and video.

Following the presentations and a delicious dinner, guests were invited to dance to the music of Harold Nygaard, the same musician who attended the building's grand opening 25 years ago.

As the rainy season arrives (even if seems like it was only gone briefly) you can learn how to protect yourself and your property at a free landslide meeting this fall, sponsored by the City of Seattle.

It will be held at South Seattle Community College, in the Judge Warren & Nobie Chan Education Center
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 10 a.m. to noon.

Landslides are common in Seattle and West Seattle property owners, especially those along Beach Drive or Alki Avenue know all too well. Last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation addressed one of the more chronic places for this on Beach Drive near Atlas Place s.w. Trees were removed after several slides closed the road and barriers were placed at the base of the hill.Last May homeowners in the area joined together in a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and an area resident.

Are you looking for a spooky, suspense filled activity for the whole family this Halloween? Look no further than Twelfth Night Productions’ presentation of War of the Worlds, A Live Radio Play.

On a bleak autumn night in 1938, aliens from Mars invaded Earth, or rather that was the tale brought to life by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre over the airwaves. The radio broadcast was an unprecedented mix of dramatic "news reports" and science fiction inspired by the H.G. Wells novel which caused widespread panic and made Orson Welles a celebrity.

Twelfth Night Productions is resurrecting the Martian panic of 1938 in War of the Worlds, A Live Radio Play, in a shared bill with Sorry, Wrong Number. Travel back in time with this twist on modern reader's theater for Halloween week as Twelfth Night delivers a double bill of terror and suspense!

Clover Codd, Principal at Alki Elementary has been promoted to a new position, it was announced today by Interim SPS Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. Codd will become the Director of the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) for the district.

Filling in for Codd for the remainder of the school year will be Chanda Oatis, who has been the Assistant Principal at Denny International Middle School.

The change will take place Oct. 17.

The announcement was made today in a letter from Dr. Enfield

Dear Alki Elementary School families:

I am pleased to announce that Principal Clover Codd has been appointed Director of the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) for Seattle Public Schools.

I know it is always difficult to change leadership during the school year, but Alki Elementary will be in good hands. Today I am appointing Chanda Oatis, currently Assistant Principal at Denny International Middle School, to serve as Interim Principal for the 2011-12 school year. The official change of leadership takes place on Oct. 17 and Ms. Oatis will plan a meet-and-greet with families soon.

Thank you for your coverage of the Glacier High School reunion.

I appreciated the comment about the school's "new" usages, along with the reason for the "Big Picture School" moving(their sign is still up in the front parking lot.)

I am very fond of paper trails. There was a public hearing for a "conditional use permit" before the "Big Picture" opened.

I don't remember about one for the athletic group or the church that was using it. Where is the line drawn? ( I remember the "police academy" even had to get one.)

What happens to the taxing structure when a school structure turns into a rental structure-- not a school?

Also residents did not volunteer to live with the "new noise" levels. Some haved lived here for fifty years. The airport seemed further away then. The FAA once said, "no parking lots in the clear zones" and gave legitimate reasons then. How many cars park at the ends of the runways now? A newsy neighborhood!

Thanks for the local paper.

Virginia Dana
SeaTac

With the Prop #1 Strong Mayor form of government, the mayor is like in charge of everything. He's almost like a dictator as far as running the city.

Our early founders here in SeaTac wanted to protect us from that and from the outside interests a strong mayor brings.

Our founders wanted SeaTac to be good place for private citizens to live, not just only be a business park connected to the airport. That's how come we have the city council form of government we have today where every council member gets an equal vote with the mayor.

Tom Layden
SeaTac

I think that it is totally appropriate that the Burien City Council does not move forward precipitously on annexation.

As Eric Mathison reported on the front page of the Highline Times in the Sept. 23rd edition the only council member who was urging quick annexation was Gerald Robison.

I find it interesting that Mr. Robison who is the only member of the council who was not elected to the position is so gung ho for annexation and apparently driving the bus when, in all good conscience, he should be riding in the back, rather that continually seeking center stage on this.

Mr. Robison was appointed last year to replace a retiring council member, so he was not elected to the council by the residents of Burien.

I don't know what Mr. Robison's reasons for pushing annexation are, but I wonder if he is urging quick action because his term expires this year. If he is not elected in November, he will lose his current pro-annexation vote.

Its interesting to note that he very possibly will lose his seat, precisely because of his outspoken support for annexation.

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week's Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com

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Auditions
The Hi-Liners-- DownStage Center production of Oklahoma G2K (Getting to Know you edition, edited for young actors.) Sept. 28th, 29th and Oct. 1st. Auditions are open to young people ages 7 and older, no experience necessary. Come be a part of this classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Rehearsals begin Oct. 20th, shows are Jan. 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, at the Burien Annex. Visit www.hi-liners.org for details and to sign up.

Classes