March 2012

'Give This Foam a Home' gets hundreds of entries; Winner will be announced Mar. 21

The "Give This Foam A Home" beer naming contest ended at midnight and organizers took in hundreds of entries. Brewed by Big Al Brewing in White Center, this is the third in a series of "charity beers" made under the auspices of local restaurants and bars

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Mar. 21 and the beer is arriving the first week of April.

In a press release today the sponsors said:
"There are 12 judges sifting through hundreds of entries; their job is a tough one – there are a LOT of really creative and clever names suggested by the community. But in the end, only one name will stand victorious!

The judges are are community business members from THE FEEDBACK LOUNGE, WEST 5, SHADOWLAND, MISSION, THE BRIDGE, LOCÖL, BEVERIDGE PLACE PUB, COMPANY BAR, and of course, BIG AL BREWING. And we've enlisted several folks from THE WEST, the new West Seattle/White Center arts collective."

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Odyssey High School designated an “Innovative School”

Odyssey High School on the Tyee campus in SeaTac has won state designation as an Innovative School by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington State Board of Education.

The approval means Odyssey is allowed to take an innovative approach to learning and graduation.
 
Starting next year, Odyssey students will not be required to earn traditional credits and graduation requirements; instead, students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of “competencies” (core skills and concepts) in order to graduate.
 
“This has been our vision for several years, to be able to use competencies authentically, without the antiquated system of credits that limits learning time and implies that everyone learns at the same pace,” says Odyssey Principal Joan Ferrigno.
 
“We want our students to know what they’re learning and why they’re learning it at all times,” says Ferrigno.  “Anyone entering an Odyssey classroom should be able to say to any student, ‘Tell me what you are learning today’, and hear a coherent response that not only defines the competency, but also how the student is attempting to demonstrate proficiency.”
 

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UPDATE 3: SYLVESTER BRIDGE IS OPEN

So far no ribbon-cutting planned

MARCH 29, 8:20 p.m. UPDATE

Normandy Park photographer Brett Fish said the Sylvester Bridge opened some time this morning or early afternoon.

"I drove across it, both directions," said Fish, who lives right by the new structure.

The Normandy Police Department is grateful the new bridge is up.

"I think everybody's happy that it's up and looks good," Assistant Police Chief of Normandy Park Chris Gaddis told the Highline Times today. He becomes the interim Police Chief Sunday when Chief Rick Kieffer officially retires.

"The nice thing for the police department is we can respond to things a heck of a lot easier than having to go up through Burien," added Gaddis. "That main arterial Sylvester Road cut-off made an impact on us for sure.

"We're going to want to make sure people are driving across it safely, and we want to keep it clean from graffiti," he said. "The construction crew did a great job. I think they put it up pretty darn fast. They had high hopes, I think, of getting done by December but we had a horrible winter with rain and snow. With all the drawbacks I think they did a great job."

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LETTER: Legislature delegates spending

Ever wonder why we need a Legislature or, at least, a body that convenes every year when they delegate their fiscal responsibilities to the various state departments.  ESB 5967 is AN ACT Relating to fiscal matters, that was just passed by the House of Representatives that demonstrates the old adage of letting "the mouse bait the trap" concept whereby authorization for fiscal matters was given to the following agencies to raise taxes or fees:

Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Labor and Industries, Department of Health, Department of Ecology, Department of Agriculture, Department of Licensing and Office of Student Achievement Council.

Of course, none of these departments have ever experienced any problems with financial management or performance of their resources. But not to worry, as I’m sure that the state Legislature in their oversight role keeps an eagle eye on these agencies and their spending practices... Right!

If you were wondering why we occupy the sixth position among the most indebted states this type of delegation of authority could very well be the reason.

Gary Kennedy
Des Moines

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BBQ fans breathe easy: Morning Star Barbeque and Deli is still open!

Concerned readers contacted the Herald to find out if Morning Star Barbeque and Deli in Highland Park had closed their doors for good last week.

We are happy to announce the answer is no.

They just took a well deserved seven day vacation and are back to creating their highly-regarded brisket, ribs, pulled pork, Philly cheese steaks and burgers the spot is known for.

As one Yelp reviewer put it, “Don’t be fooled by its exterior: Morning Star may look like a broken down gas station mini mart, but inside … is a collection of the best burgers, artisan sandwiches and barbequed meats I’ve had in ages.”

And you can never deny the foody wisdom of a Southerner: “Having grown up in the deep South and eaten my fair share of BBQ and soul food – this place is legit.”

West Seattle Herald Facebook fan (please join us!) Daniel Webster said, “Those BBQ sandwiches are something else (and) during the snowstorm they were open.” Now that’s being there for your neighborhood.

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LETTER: 34th legislators among biggest spenders

For three years our legislators have avoided the state’s mandate to balance the budget. Not only have they failed in their legislative responsibility, they have managed to escalate spending each year since our economy tanked in 2008.

For the last several years we have watched out state Legislature avoid cutting spending to match reduced revenues as if the problem would go away on its own.

The problem is now roughly a $1.1 billion deficit, and, at this rate, the state Budget Office is predicting it will amass to $1.9 billion by 2016 and $2.9 billion by 2017, as reported by the Freedom Foundation.
And neither, a regular legislative session, nor a special session has been able to thwart this ever-expanding trend.

According to the latest Living Liberty newsletter, published by the Freedom Foundation in Olympia, the biggest spenders contributing to our runaway deficit are right here in our own District 34. As reported in the March 2012 issue, the top ranking big spenders of proposed legislation in both the Washington Senate and House are Democrats.

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LETTER: Arsenic and common sense

(Editor’s Note: This letter was sent to the SeaTac City Council with a copy to the Highline Times.)

Dear SeaTac City Council,

Lets talk about arsenic and lead in soils given the wonderful presentation by the Department of Ecology (DOE) at the SeaTac Council meeting 02/28/12 and how this most likely will go to far.

Step 1. Department of Ecology scares crap out of parents over trace amounts of lead and arsenic in park and school soils from legacy Asarco smelter or whomever/whatever.

Step 2. Taxpayers pay through the nose for testing everything and its brother on public lands and parks.

Step 3. DOE finds small patches (very small) that have higher concentrations of arsenic and lead and the grand solution is to plant grass (duh) and/or replace soil with "fresh" soil that is untested (per their own answers).

Step 4. Place signs in areas and print more expensive brochures to make sure everyone is adequately outraged/scared as to keep funding for arsenic/lead testing program and DOE can expand hiring/regulations.

Step 5. *OPTIONAL. Blame low test scores and school district failure/s on soil contamination.

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June’s a big thing in a small package

Five-foot, two; eyes of blue. Well, the “eyes of blue” is correct, anyway. June Schumacher is actually only about 4’7” tall. However, this little wisp of a lady has been more places and done more things than most anyone else that I know – and she remembers every bit of it with keen clarity.

June Wilson was born in 1920 and grew up on a farm in Minnesota that belonged to her grandfather.
“I’ll never forget. I was nine, when the Depression hit. The government shut down the banks, so we couldn’t pay the rent. The whole family was banging out wheat, barley, oats and selling chickens and eggs to sell them for rent money.”

She skipped through the years. “When I was in college, tuition was only $15.50, but it was still more than we had, so my dad said that I’d have to skip a quarter. Momma said, ‘You’ll go’ and she went out and killed some chickens. We plucked them all night and she sold them the next day to a restaurant, so that I could go to school,” she recited.

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Teen stabbing victim tops police blotter

SeaTac stabbing victim
A 17-year-old SeaTac teen died March17 from stab wounds, apparently inflicted in a Tukwila apartment. A 17-year-old male was arrested in connection with the incident. Police were called to the suspect’s apartment where they found the female unconscious with stab wounds. She was helicoptered to Harborview Medical Center where she was declared deceased.

Man dies after fall at hotel
A 51 year-old man fell from the eighth floor of the interior atrium at the Doubletree
Suites, 16500 Southcenter Pkwy, March 13. He died instantly. No one else was hurt. There is no evidence of foul play but officers were on the scene investigating. The man’s body will be taken to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Dual fires

On the Go - Week of 3-19-12

West Seattle Events and Announcements

Introductory Aerobic Class for Ages 50+
Alki Community Center
5817 S.W. Stevens St.
Friday, March 23, 10-11 a.m. Two free introductory high impact aerobic classes for ages 50+ are offered, and participant feedback will be appreciated. Info & to register: Mary at 206-935-2162.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169
All items marked with pink tags are $1 through month.  Men's wear is 50% off this Sunday, March 26th.  Come by and shop our upscale resale items.  Early birds get double stamps on their customer cards every Monday from 10 to noon and seniors receive a 20% discount on their entire purchase all day Tuesday.  When you shop and volunteer at the Discovery Shop you become an integral part of finding a cure for cancer.  The non-profit, all volunteer run American Cancer Society shop is open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all other days from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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