October 2011

Carlee Partridge was one of the sausage-encased runners racing through Burien streets last year during the Burien Brat Trot. This year's version happens Sunday,
Oct. 9 with 5K and 1K runs plus plenty of German-style Oktoberfest fun in Olde Burien throughout the day.

Registrations taken online through October 7th at midnight

Pub Crawl Friday, October 7, 6:30pm the Tin Room

Late Registration and Packet Pick Up Party Saturday
October 8th from 3-5 pm at the Tin Room

Day-of Race Registration & Packet Pick Up 11:00am - 12:50pm (Southgate Masonic Lodge - 1004 SW 152nd Street)

5 K Racers start at 1:00 pm sharp (Corner of 10th and 152nd)

Short Course racers start at 1:40 pm sharp (Lake Burien Park - 14640 18th Ave. SW)

Special rates are available for families or groups of 4 or more people, plus there is a team rate for 10 or more people. Please visit our Online Registration to get all the details.

10:30 – 4:00 Brat Trot Festivities: Oompah Band, Main Stage Band with Awards Ceremony, Sponsor Booths including food and drink, Kids Play area, Adult Beer Garden, Brats and more!

Press release
Arts Alive!, a family performance series presented by Des Moines Parks and Recreation and the Des Moines Arts Commission kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 15th at 10:30 a.m. at the Field House, 1000 S. 220th St. The series features a line-up of music, slithery reptiles, zany performances and more.

Each family performance is held on the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. and is $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets online or in person or by phone from the Parks & Recreation Department at 206-870-6527.

The Not-Its! may be the nation's best-dressed kids' band, sporting skinny pink ties and fluffy pink tutus that appeal to kids' discerning fashion sense. The Not-Its! combine crunchy guitars with smooth, four-part harmonies, all nestled within "fantastic danceable pop gems about gettin' fancy, birthday parties, bath time and intergalactic play dates."

Future Arts Alive! performances are as follows:
Nov. 19 Alex Zerbe, professional zaniac
Dec. 17 No performance - join us for Breakfast with Santa
Jan. 21 Reptile Man
Feb. 18 Goofy Gideon Magic Show

By Gwen Davis

The new Tukwila Value Village thrift store celebrated its official grand opening and VIP shopping event on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Hundreds of early-bird shoppers waited for hours in long lines that stretched throughout the large Southcenter parking lot. Doors opened at 6 p.m. The thrift store is located at the old Toys R Us building, 16700 Southcenter Pkwy. Value Village also has a store in Burien at 131 S.W. 157th St.

The special shopping event allowed Halloween costumers to get a sneak peak of the store and the chance to shop its varied merchandise before it opened to the public on Thursday, Sept. 29.

"There's a lot of selection always getting to the sales floor day in and day out," said Jeremy Lamb, store manager. "It's one of those stores you have to check back regularly to make sure you're seeing the freshest stuff."

The new Value Village facility is the fourth largest store in the company, with 30,000 square feet. The store will put out 10,000 to 12,000 items a day.

Value Village partners with other nonprofit organizations that supply the merchandise for the store, including the primary supplier, Northwest Center.

SPD recently honored King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ben Carr for his bravery and fortitude in stopping a suspect in an ATM robbery that happened in Ballard this past summer.

In June, a man in a ski mask took money from a woman at an ATM near 21 Avenue NW and NW 56 Street and took off running. Carr chased the suspect, caught him and held him down until police arrived.

Carr was presented with a certificate of appreciation by Chief John Diaz.

By Gwen Davis

Inge Martin dedicated the past six years of her life to helping her grandson fight addiction. And Sept. 28, Martin facilitated recovery for other Burien teens as well, though a new teen recovery support group.

"We have been going to a recovery group in downtown Seattle, but realized there was nothing in the south end," Martin said. "So we decided it was time for Burien to have something."

The recovery group met at Bison Creek Pizza on S.W. 153rd Street. Approximately two-dozen teens showed up. Martin dubbed the evening's success as "awesome, especially for our first time."

Martin spearheaded the group by collaborating with the Science and Management of Addictions (SAMA). A privately funded nonprofit based in Seattle, SAMA aims to improve management of substance abuse for 13 to 25-year-olds.

SAMA's goals include improving early detection of substance addictions, offering individualized treatment and providing resources to parents that provide for parenting empowerment. The organization offers drug and alcohol assessment and treatment planning, treatment services and family counseling.

I coulda been a contender.

If not for Bobby Pendergrass and Donny Kirsch.

The three of us were kids crazy about baseball when we were growing up in Portland and though they never heard of me our lives intertwined.

Please click the image above for more.

Bobby and I were on the same baseball team at Woodlawn Grade School. He was the best hitter on our team. I sometimes got to sit next to him on the bench.

I never had a mitt but I did have a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and always brought it with me at practice. I got it from one of my customers when I delivered her Oregon Journal paper one day.

One day she asked me if I played baseball and I said I planned to be big leaguer someday. So she was impressed and went to a hall closet and got a shiny baseball bat and gave it to me and said it used to be her son's and said I could have it because her son left when he grew up and never came back from going to war.

It looked like new so I always kept it in my locker and took it to the baseball games and practice.

Many years ago, my restless teenage kids said Des Moines should be named, "Dead Moines."

While it was true there were very few young folk's activities, (population was 2,000 people) local reputations do take on a life of their own.

Des Moines is a nice quiet peaceful place to live that was kind of hidden from the masses by virtue of Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway, given both skirted around this city. Soon though the popular commute route was to drive through Des Moines and seldom stop.

Heavy traffic wore on roads and paid little to no revenue to replace it.

Time does change things, and today Des Moines not only has a wide pleasant 7th Avenue going in the same direction as Marine View Drive heading north and south, in and out of town, developers also see a commercial future there - and are planning building in that direction.

By David Rosen

Around 8:45 am, the Seattle Fire Department was dispatched to 45th Ave SW for a motor vehicle accident. Upon arriving they found a mini van on its roof.

Officer Jeff Barns of the Seattle Police Department spoke to the West Seattle Herald. He said, " This was a two car collision, a large truck was heading Southbound on 45th Ave SW and the mini van was heading Westbound on SW Spokane St. The truck couldn't yield in time and ended up clipping the rear bumper of the van which made it flip onto its roof. There were no reported injuries, only minor cuts, and no one was transported to the hospital."

On Thursday, Oct. 6, a locations of the Seattle Public Library will be closed in the morning.

Due to an all-staff meeting, the Library won't open until 1 p.m.

For more information about library hours. visit http://www.spl.org/locations/ballard-branch.

On September 30th officers of the Seattle Police Traffic Section conducted pedestrian crosswalk enforcement patrols at two North Seattle locations generating 56 violations. A number of citizens stopped to thank our officers for their efforts.

At North 41st Street and Stone Way North:

34 Right of Way pedestrian citations issued

5 citations were issued for the following violations:

Cell Phone, No Valid Driver’s License and Expired Vehicle Tabs.

At Dravus Street and Nickerson Street:

15 Right of Way Pedestrian citations issued

2 citations for No Proof of Insurance and Expired Vehicle Tabs.

The Seattle Police Department encourages all motor vehicle operators and bicyclists to be familiar with and obey all local and state traffic laws and to always drive with due regard for all others on the roadway.