March 2012

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Many years ago I wrote a letter to my adult children. I wanted to convey my thinking about letting go of the role of managing parent while accepting the role of friend, mentor and advisor. Here is what I wrote with a slight revision as I have grown in wisdom since I wrote the first draft:

Dear Grown Children:
I have been doing some soul searching about my relationship with you as mother and have begun to get some insights into what relationship I would like to maintain and ways to maintain it. So here goes.
You are unique so not one of you is like the other. Yes, you are separate from me and yet connected through all the experiences and memories that we have accumulated over the years.

Of course, you do not have to be what I wish you to be. I can enjoy you as you are and trust that you can make your own decisions. You need not reflect my way of life but hopefully you will take what I have offered you in the way of guidance and make of it a foundation for living your own life. No longer is my hand on the helm, so to speak. It is time for you to set your own course.

Stop ‘N Shop
4504 California Ave. SW
Remember to donate reusable items ie kitchenware, tools, knickknacks, jewelry, linens, furniture, home decorations, clothing & accessories to the Senior Centers Stop‘n Shop. Our thrift shop runs on the generous donations of folks like you!!! All donations tax deductible! Hours are 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

American Sewing Guild Monthly Meeting
The Kenney
7125 Fauntleroy Ave. S.W.
Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m.-Noon. SEW EXPO is the topic of discussion. Bring items you purchased along with likes and dislikes on seminars attended. Don’t forget your Sew & Tell along with your questions. Info: Claudia at 937-5774.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169

Recognizing the link between a healthy breakfast and academic performance the Seattle Public Schools kicked off their ‘Go for Gold’ breakfast campaign at West Seattle Elementary School Mar. 5 with the appearance of the “Bee Healthy” Bee. The effort extends from elementary through high school.

The SPS Nutrition Services Department has partnered with Public Health – Seattle & King County and the Children’s Alliance to promote the consumption of school breakfast. Children who eat breakfast daily do better on standardized tests, get better grades, are able to concentrate in school, can more easily complete complex tasks and are more able to maintain a healthy weight.

All participating schools will have a tracking poster showing their daily participation. Student participating in breakfast will be entered into a weekly drawing with prizes ranging from backpacks, sports equipment and bicycles. Elsewhere in the district surprise guests will serve breakfast at schools all over the city ranging from a local sports hero, a firefighter, to a sports mascot.

Press release from Det. Mark Jamieson:

On March 4th, just before 8:00 pm, numerous callers reported hearing shots fired in the area of 34th Avenue Southwest and SW Willow Street. The reports also indicated that several cars were heard leaving the area quickly following the shots.

Responding Southwest Precinct officers located evidence of a shooting in the north lot of the High Point Community Center. A van that was parked in the lot (unoccupied) had been struck, as well as the exterior wall of a house across the street in the 3400 Block of SW Willow Street.

The residents of the house heard the shots and the bullet hit the house, but it did not penetrate to the interior of the house, and there were no reported injuries.

Officers were able to recover shell casings from the parking lot, and the rounds that struck the van and the house. This remains an active investigation.

The Seattle Police Department announced that it is seeking to hire 30 to 40 entry-level police officers in 2012.

Policing is a challenging and rewarding job, with the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives and the community every day, according to the SPD.

“I encourage Seattle residents who can exemplify the ideals to work in the community daily with respect and professionalism, courage to protect and serve, and a passion to creatively and effectively resolve and de-escalate problems to apply to Seattle’s Police Department,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell in a statement.

The Seattle Police Department’s core mission is to, “Work with the people of Seattle to secure a safe and just future for all by fighting crime, reducing fear, and building community – one person, one community, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Important application information to become a police officer:

Online Application Filing Period: April 2–27, 2012 at http://www.seattlepolicejobs.com

Entry Level Police Officer Exam: June 23–24, 2012.

WORKSHOPS:

Seattle Police reports that around 11:30 p.m. on March 3, 2012, a 32-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a car while crossing eastbound in the 8500th block of Greenwood Avenue North, approximately 50 feet north of the nearest crosswalk.

As the pedestrian walked between parked cars, he was struck by a Silver Volvo Sedan that was traveling Southbound on Greenwood Ave N.

The pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported by Seattle Fire Department Medics to Harborview Medical Center where he is listed in critical condition.

The driver was evaluated at the scene by a Drug Recognition Expert, who did not find any signs of alcohol or drug use. The driver was identified and released at the scene pending further investigation.

Traffic Collision Investigators responded and gathered evidence and processed the scene. The investigation continues

A fiercely courageous, loyal and passionate woman, Patricia Ann Rhay, left our world February 13, 2012.

Patricia Ann Smith was born December 19, 1924, in Minneapolis, MN to Thomas Edwin Smith and Lillian Adele Olsen-Smith. Her family moved to Seattle in 1928, where she graduated from Ballard High School and remained a very proud Ballard Beaver Graduate of 1943.

She lived through the Great Depression, and the death of her first husband, Richard Irwin Tracy (O'Dea HS/1943), who died while serving on the USS Indianapolis in WWII.

Pat moved to Walla Walla, WA in 1943 to care for her brother and sister after the death of her mother, while her father was Warden of the Washington State Penitentiary. There she met and married her second husband, Bobby J Rhay in March 1949. After two years in New York, the couple returned to Walla Walla and, in 1957, Bob became Warden of the Washington State Penitentiary.

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a law to revive a tax incentive program that expired last July to attract movie production to Washington state yesterday.

“We have tourists from all over the world going to the town of Forks because it was the setting of the hit vampire movie series, Twilight,” said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D—Seattle, sponsor of Senate Bill 5539. “That's great, but imagine the economic impact the region would have seen if the movies had actually been filmed in Forks, with locally-hired crew members and all food and lodging expenses going straight into the local economy. Renewing the competiveness program will continue to spur job creation and have a multiplier effect for every dollar invested throughout the economy.”

In another example, AMC’s series The Killing, broadcast last fall about a female detective working on a murder case in Ballard, was filmed in British Columbia even though the producers wanted to film in Seattle.

There had been uncertainty about whether the tax incentive program would be renewed, so they took production to B.C. instead, resulting in Washington losing the revenue and jobs here.

This is a follow-up story to Mayor tours Ballard Avenue; business owners complain about lack of parking.

Also read: Ballard to benefit from Mayor's $1.1 million investment in neighborhood business districts.

Mayor Mike McGinn stopped by the Ballard Landmark last week hear from the Ballard community and address some of their concerns.

McGinn opened the Town Hall meeting by reiterating some of the main points addressed in his state of the city address last week, focussing on economic recovery, transit, and public safety.

UPDATE at 10:30 pm

The National Weather Service has changed their forecast and now snow no longer looks likely in the lowland areas of Seattle in the next 24 hours. Here's
their updated forecast:

"Overnight: Rain, mainly after 4am. Low around 38. South southwest wind between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday: Showers. High near 47. Southwest wind 9 to 16 mph becoming north. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday Night: Rain showers likely before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 1200 feet lowering to 500 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10am. Snow level 500 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. North northwest wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

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