November 2012

Press release:

The Environmental Science Center (ESC) would like to invite the public to join us for this free ONCE A YEAR event at the Environmental Science Center at Seahurst Park. An After-Hours Beach Walk will take place Friday, December 14th, 2012 from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM.

An especially low tide combined with the protective darkness of night will give you the opportunity to see marine animals in a new light- your FLASHLIGHT! Naturalists will be taking groups from the Environmental Science Center down to the beach to guide the experience and identify discoveries. Inside the center, you can learn more about marine life at the microscope station or join a game of marine bingo. Warm up with cider and cookies while socializing with fellow Puget Sound enthusiasts.

A few friendly pointers and reminders:
- Dress warmly
- Wear rubber boots
- Bring a flashlight
- Do No Harm
-Touch animals gently with a wet finger
- Watch where you step
- Leave rocks bigger than your fist where they are (don’t flip over)
- Save the Children
- Leave ALL animals and shells where you find them (don’t take them home)
- Pass It On

Press release:

As part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, extra officers will be canvassing roadways between November 21 and January 1, 2013 throughout King County searching for impaired drivers.



Burien, Des Moines, Port of Seattle, SeaTac and Tukwila police departments and the Washington State Patrol will participate in Washington State’s first-ever Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.



The King County Target Zero Task Force organizes and supports this enforcement effort.

 For additional information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.

Lynn Ross spent more than $1,200 paying for the ignition interlock that he had to have installed on his Dodge truck as a result of a DUI conviction.



The device is about the size of a cell phone with a tube for breath samples. Like many in King County, Mr. Ross, a Spokane Valley resident, had to blow into it every time he started his truck every day for 14 months.

Press release:

The fall holiday travel season gets underway with one of the busiest days of the period this Friday, Nov. 16 and an estimated half of a million travelers during the busiest week at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Even though this is not the busiest travel season of the year at Sea-Tac, we do see many infrequent travelers during the holidays that can benefit from our annual holiday travel tips. 


The busiest day for the upcoming holiday period will be the day before Thanksgiving with almost 91,000 passengers projected to go through the airport. The next busiest day will be the Sunday after Thanksgiving (86,856 passengers) when travelers begin to return home from the holiday.


What are the slowest travel days? Thanksgiving day and the following Friday, when only a bit more than 65,000 travelers will be on hand.
 
Those numbers are still much lower than an average summer travel day, when Sea-Tac sees about 100,000 passengers per day.

WestSide School at 7740 34th Ave. SW is doing something a little different to attract new students. Prospective students for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 will have an opportunity to "test drive" the Middle School at Westside Thursday evening Nov. 15.

They are invited to come and learn about Westside's Middle School program, through a variety of fun, hands-on activities, talk with Middle School teachers, and meet administrators.

It's a "glimpse into Westside’s dynamic Middle School experience," said David Bergler, Director of Admissions.

6:00 PM Hands-on Learning Self-guided Tour
6:20 & 6:50 PM Q&A with Kate Mulligan, Head of School & Don Cunningham, Assistant Head

Two teenagers lost their lives and another is fighting life-threatening injuries after a Sunday evening crash in South Park. Police said 16-year-old Mario Luis Martinez Herrera (a former Denny student) was killed instantly. Luciana “Lucie” Hernandez, a Denny eighth-grader, died from injuries sustained in the crash at Harborview.

Police said Herrera lost control of his 1990 black Acura on a curve and struck a telephone pole on 8th Ave S. shortly after 8 p.m on Nov. 11.

Here is the letter from Denny Principal Jeff Clark, including information on support for grieving students:

Dear Denny International Middle School families:

On Sunday evening there was a car crash in South Park. Tragically, the driver, Mario Luis Martinez Herrera, a former Denny student, was killed; four other teens were transported to Harborview Medical Center. One additional person died from injuries sustained in the accident at Harborview shortly after arriving.

Political junkies, unite.

Tonight State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles will be hosting her 19th Annual Post-Election Analysis and 36th LD Dems Silent Auction at Hale's Ales (4301 Leary Way NW), from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. See below for full release:

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Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) holds her 19th annual post-election analysis fundraiser Wednesday, Nov. 14th at the Hale’s Ales Brewery & Pub, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Speaking on the election results will be Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, state Senator Ed Murray, state Representative Reuven Carlyle, The Stranger News Editor Dominic Holden, Travel Writer Rick Steves and State Representative-Elect Gael Tarleton. The moderator will be Nate Miles.

The 124-unit Burien Town Square condo development has been burdened with the reputation of being a quiet complex for the wrong reasons, lagging sales. That burden seems to have lifted as a record number of customers have recently made offers while many units have had closings.

According to Tracy O'Brien, Burien Town Square Sales Director, things are picking up steam in her "sales gallery" as fast as those locomotives at the Electric Train Shop across the street.

"Of the 124 units, 38 (total) will be closed and occupied within about one month," O'Brien said. "We had four closings in October, five this month, and we'll have four more in December. In addition to those closings, we've also had six new offers so far this month. And we're just two weeks into November."

By Christopher Duclos

It’s official. Seth Berger will be wearing the colors of the University of Massachusetts Minutemen basketball squad next season.

It was an exciting morning for Ballard High as basketball player Seth Berger signed his national letter of intent to University of Massachusetts. The event of his signing took place at the Ballard High School cafeteria, where his peers, family and team mates came out to support his decision.

Berger committed to UMass on Sep. 14, 2012. The signing was the official stamp of approval.

Standing at 6-7, 210 pounds, many colleges were interested in Berger. He ranks at 5th best in the state of Washington for the class of 2013. Berger is rated at three stars according to ESPN and is the 47th best player at his position in the nation. Scout.com said of Berger, “A slasher and hustler who could become a true force as he grows and spends time in the weight room.”

ESPN.com writes: "Berger is a rangy 4/3 with very good length and solid athleticism. He has a very nice 1st step off the dribble and he has a knack of getting in the lane for the score. His pull-up game is solid and he is an astute passer."

Tonight's the night for the monthly civic Ballardite get together.

The Ballard District Council will be meeting tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 14) at 7:00 p.m. in the Ballard Branch Library conference room. City Councilman Bruce Harrell will be the star of the show. Harrell chairs the City Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee.

But that's not all. Executive Director Katie Tiehn from Seattle Works' HandsOn Network and Eugene Wasserman from Seattle Districts Now will also be there. According to the website, "Seattle Works connects volunteers, develops emerging leaders and inspires dialogue." Seattle Districts Now is a campaign which proposes to elect City Councilmembers by district instead of at large, in order to better represent the different and diverse neighborhoods of Seattle.

See below for full agenda:

7:00 - Introductions & Short Announcements: please hold announcements to not more than one min.

7:15 - A Conversation with City Councilman Bruce Harrell

Writer Fred Moody had been trying to track down Lynette Johnson for months. When he finally found her, he asked exactly one question and then listened to her talk for three hours. Eight years later, he said, “My life has pretty much never been the same.” Having walked into the same place eight years later I feel destined to the same fate.

I wonder if we know when our lives are on the verge of tremendous change, or if it seems obvious in hindsight. I think that sometimes we know. Those stories of love at first sight -- a certainty that grips you with the knowledge that you have just found something that you didn’t even know you were seeking.

Moody had seen Johnson’s photographs at a memorial service he’d attended with a colleague. Photos that documented family love during a child’s life, ended too soon due to fatal disease. He learned the photographer had offered her services to Seattle Children’s Hospital’s palliative care team to help create a legacy for families whose children were facing life-threatening diseases. Although the photographer had covered some of the most exclusive local weddings, she had never advertised, and her number was unlisted.