April 2012

While the wind tried its best to blow out some flames Monday night, the 37th Candle Light Vigil at the Vietnamese Cultural Center seemed to offer plenty of warmth, and take the edge off the chilly wind as people remembered the over one million South Vietnamese and the 58,000 American soldiers who gave up their lives during the Vietnam War.

Cultural Center founder, Lee Ducly Bui spoke, lit incense and snapped a few shots of attendees to honor fallen soldiers, and surviving vets.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW

Dennis Case of Redmond spoke. He said he chose to join the U.S. Coast Guard in 1969 rather than be drafted in Vietnam. He said he was here unofficially, that he did serve in the Coast Guard and Navy for 31 years in the Reserves, and two years ago began working with the VA serving veterans who suffer from the affects of Agent Orange. He helps facilitate claims.

"On a daily basis I am reading the letters from the widows, parents, brothers and sisters and children from those who served in Vietnam," Case said. "Those who did survive may have been taken sick very soon after their service because of their exposure to the Agent Orange chemicals.

By Elizabeth Wang, Intern

For years, long-time Ballard local, Frank Shields, has volunteered his construction expertise and his Saturdays to create public parks, expand P-Patches, and even build a skate park in his neighborhood.

During the week Shields owns and operates his company, Excavator’s Northwest, but he spends most of his weekends doing other work to better his community.

“He’s just an incredible treasure in the neighborhood,” said Laurie Ames, project manager of Neighborhood Matching Funds at the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. “He has a can-do attitude. He makes his projects happen.”

Ames has helped Shields with many of his projects, finding the means for funding and volunteer groups necessary to get them started. Ames said one of the most memorable projects was the Ballard Bowl, Seattle’s first skate park.

Here's the latest update regarding the big Alaskan Way Viaduct/SR 99 project from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

It’s not yet time for the downtown waterfront’s big makeover, but it is make-room time for the State Route 99 Tunnel project. Crews clearing space for tunnel construction are preparing to reroute six blocks of waterfront traffic from Alaskan Way to a newly improved road beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

The traffic switch – which will happen during the second week of May and last through at least early 2014 – will change ferry access as well as parking and traffic patterns along the waterfront south of Spring Street. A detailed map of the changes, along with a drive-through simulation that shows new routes to the ferry terminal, is available on the project's website. To maintain public transit access along the waterfront, the bus stop that serves Metro routes 16 and 66 will be relocated to a new bus island in front of the ferry terminal.

All traffic, including transit, in downtown Seattle will likely be delayed during the Tuesday afternoon commute and into the evening due to a May Day march and other activities.

Bus riders should be prepared for transit service delays – and possible reroutes. This could affect bus service both on surface streets and possibly the transit tunnel.

One march is planned to leave the Central District at 5 p.m. and travel along South Jackson Street to Fourth Avenue to the Wells Fargo Building on Third Avenue between Madison and Marion streets. There could be additional May Day activities in other locations that could also delay or disrupt traffic and transit.

If possible, people may want to leave work early Tuesday. They should also give themselves extra time to travel through the downtown area. Metro may have to temporarily reroute buses if streets are closed or become blocked.

You don’t become a writer if stability is something you need. Fame, fortune, or even money for your work are all elusive notions you can dream about, but you can’t bank on them. I know this, accept this, and therefore think I am someone who is good at letting go and trusting that the universe will provide what I need.
I’m not trying to portray myself as a yogi sitting on a mountaintop, serene and calm about all that comes her way. Please, I have far too much fun spilling my worries on the page. I’m just saying as far as my career goes, I survive the ambiguity, rejections, and dubious salary by combining letting go, with blind faith, with a dash of resignation.
Letting go means being grateful that I rarely if ever suffer from writer’s block. It means taking pride in finishing an essay or book, without being attached to whether that piece is published or not. It means remembering that I write because I love and need to write, not because I’m hoping to buy a house in Maui with my royalties. Blind faith that my persistence will eventually pay off and my love of the work gets me through the rejections, unsteady salary, and fear that I’ll never “make it.”

May is National Bike Month and there will be numerous events throughout the month to celebrate pedal-powered transportation.

What better than to celebrate this month by getting on a bike: ride to work, ride to the grocery store, ride with your family, or just ride to feel like a kid again!

Seattle has some of the nation's most bike-friendly roads and wonderful trails and you will definitely not be alone. Last year thousands of people started biking for the first time during Bike Month.

To help you get going, Group Health is inviting Seattle area commuters to participate in the 2012 Group Health Commute Challenge throughout National Bike Month in May. The challenge is to form a (workplace)team, commute to work by bike, and track your trips online for a chance to win prizes. For new riders, it's a great motivational tool to get you started. For seasoned bike commuters, it's a challenge to ride more, recruit new riders, and challenge your business to be a part of a better future.

Thang Nguyen graduated from Highline High School in 2009 as a member of the school's first AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class. AVID is a college preparatory class for those who will be the first in their family to attend college.

Thang is completing his junior year at the University of Puget Sound where he has a double major in Math and Business.

On April 20th he was awarded two scholarships at UPS for his achievements in Business and Leadership.

In March AVID students served as interpreters for Spanish-speaking families who were hosted by the ESC and the Seattle Aquarium for a free family night.

During the month of April students helped collate guidebooks for elementary school students who will begin making visits to Seahurst Beach.

Then in celebration of Earth Day, twelve HHS AVID students set-up and served at the annual ESC auction.

This partnership with the ESC has given the Highline students an opportunity to support a local non-profit agency as well as working to understand our local beach environment.

Sports Roundup

Friday, April 27
Baseball
Highline 18, Evergreen 7
The Pirates powered their way past Evergreen in a Seamount League game Friday.
Kennedy 12, Tyee 1
Kennedy Catholic took it to Tyee in Friday action.
Chimacum 17, SCS 1
Seattle Christian came out on the short end of a Chinook League score Friday.
Lindbergh 23, Foster 4
Foster absorbed a lopsided loss to the high scoring Eagles this past Friday.
Fastpitch
Highline 16, Hazen 3
Highline hammered Hazen in a Friday game.
Kennedy 29, Renton 0
The Lancers routed Renton Friday.
Lindbergh 14, Tyee 2
The Totems took a loss to Lindbergh Friday.
Boys soccer
Kennedy 4, Hazen 1
Kennedy scored a win over the Highlanders in a Friday Seamount League clash.
Foster 2, Tyee 1
Foster edged the Totems with a 2-1 final score Friday.
SCS 6, Chimacum 2
Seattle Christian connected for a win over Chimacum.
Girls lacrosse
Ballard 12, Kennedy 11
Monica Moffat and Angela Penelle scored five goals each for the Lancers in Friday's loss.

Saturday, April 28
Baseball
Lindbergh 28. Tyee 0
Tyee was trounced by Lindbergh Saturday.
Renton 6, Evergreen 3

UPDATE, WED. 6:00 p.m.

You can still donate until midnight tonight, Wednesday, online, for the GiveBIG 2012 event. Check out their webpage of participating organizations here.

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This one is a unique opportunity to help local Burien nonprofits through the GiveBIG 2012 event.

For this event you can participate from anywhere in the world online on one day only, Wednesday May 2nd or right here in your community.

From 3:00 - 5:00 PM we will have a laptop live at the Tin Room, where you can come and make your $20 (or more) donation to support a local Burien Charity in a BIG way. As a thank you, anyone who donates between 3:00 - 5:00 PM at the Tin Room location get's 2 for 1 appetizers. Come out for a good cause and stay for great food!

The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable giving event inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a healthier and more vital place to live.