November 2012

By Christopher Duclos

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into their bye week looking forward to some much needed rest. The team is enjoying one of their best seasons in recent memory under head coach Pete Carroll, going 6-4 in the past 10 games and sporting a defense that remains one of the best in the NFL.

Seahawks Wide Receiver Golden Tate decided that he would spend a couple hours of his week off at Ballard’s Top Pot Doughnuts to sign autographs for the fans. Tate has been experiencing the best season yet in his career.

So far this season Tate has made 26 receptions for 334 yards and 6 Touchdowns. He has 9 total touchdowns in his career in the three years since being drafted as a Seattle Seahawk. This past Sunday Seattle witnessed Tate perform magic against the New York Jets, where he caught a 38-yard touchdown pass, hurdled over a defender for a 13-yard first down and threw what was probably the most awkward left-handed 23-yard touchdown pass.

Ballard sports reporter Christopher Duclos stopped into Top Pot to ask Tate some questions on the season so far.

The public is invited to hear Seattle’s renowned Garfield Jazz Band I as it launches its 2012-2013 performance season with a free concert on Thursday, November 29. The show starts at 7:30pm.

Quincy Jones Performance Center, Garfield High School, 400 23rd Avenue, Seattle

The band performs under the direction of Clarence Acox, Jr., recently honored by Earshot Jazz for his 40-plus years leading one of the nation’s most esteemed high school jazz programs.

Featured in Band I are several West Seattle residents: Derek Billey (alto saxophone), Kellen Bryan (drums), Calvin Foucault (guitar), Charlie Sawyer (tenor saxophone), and Nikhil Wadhwa (guitar).

Seattle Schools Superintendent Jose Banda will be on hand to help inaugurate the new season, which includes a full schedule of regional and national competitions, festivals, and concerts.

Admission to this highly-anticipated annual concert is free (donations accepted).

Upcoming Garfield Jazz Band winter concerts include:

Saturday, Dec. 1 Seattle Center Winterfest with Garfield Jazz Bands II and III

12:15-1:15pm Free at the Armory/Center House

The next round of transit related construction in West Seattle including bus zone and sidewalk improvements starts Nov. 26 with work focusing on the south side of Southwest Barton Street, which, since the transition to RapidRide, has become essentially the new West Seattle transit hub.

King County Metro said this work will help pedestrians and bus riders for Route 120 – one of Metro’s top 10 busiest routes. Three to four weeks of construction are expected on the south side of the intersection of Southwest Barton Street and 26th Avenue Southwest just south of Westwood Village. Work on pedestrian improvements on the north side of the intersection is scheduled to begin after Jan. 1.

Metro offered more details in a press release:

The updated construction timeline works around the contractor’s schedule, as well as traffic expected during the upcoming holiday season. Once work begins, a flagger and uniformed police officer will ensure traffic flows reliably around the work zone.

Update 4 for Nov. 16
Brodie Lamb was charged with first degree murder on Nov. 16 for allegedly stabbing his mother, Margaret Ryan, to death in her White Center apartment on Nov. 13, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

More details from the charging documents are available here.

Update 3 for Nov. 14
The victim who lost her life in White Center on Nov. 13 has been identified by her employer, White Center Blog, as Margaret Ryan.

Ryan worked as a freelance reporter for the neighborhood blog.

Her friend Aileen Sison said Ryan was an activist, “always looking to help out in the neighborhood.

“She was always looking to get the truth out, which is what I liked about her,” Sison said. “She always pushed the envelope to get the facts and that was her experience and that is what I most admired about her.”

Update for 8:17 p.m., Nov. 13
Seattle Police Det. Jeff Kappel sent out an update the traffic stop that led to two injured officers and an injured citizen who subdued the suspect:

An adult male suspect assaulted an officer and a sergeant this afternoon while they attempted to prevent the suspect from fleeing the scene of a traffic stop. At approximately 4:45 p.m. a uniformed female officer on patrol observed a male suspect who was driving a black Kia run a red light on California Avenue SW at SW Charlestown Street. After running the red light the suspect almost struck the officer’s patrol car. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the suspect at 42nd Avenue SW and SW Charlestown Street. A patrol sergeant responded to the scene to back up the officer.

Ballard High School basketball player Seth Berger will be signing his national letter of intent to University of Massachusetts tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7:30 a.m., at the Ballard High cafeteria.

Berger has a three-star scout rating according to ESPN.com and is the fifth-best prospect in the state for the class of 2013. He is the 47th-best player at his position, small forward.

Berger committed Sep. 14, 2012. The signing will be the official stamp of approval.

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."

Rory Graf-Brennen, baseball, is also signing his national letter of intent to Santa Clara, but has elected to do this at home, according to Ballard High School.

The Ballard News-Tribune will have an update with more information tomorrow.

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And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Art Exhibits

Burien Arts Vision 20/20 Fundraiser Sale. Nov. 17. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., sales start at 7:30 p.m. Keller Real Estate, 455 S.W. 152nd St. Over 350 pieces of art priced at $40 each.
Burien Community Center--Artist Teresa Burrelsman will be displaying her paintings in the lobby until the end of November. Teresa is a Seattle artist working in oil paints, pastels and mixed media. The community center, 14700 6th Ave. S.W. is open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Burien Press--Artist Scott Grigg, presents American Spring Art show a visual critique of modern American politics. 423 S.W. 152nd St.

Noting the election season just ended, Highline Public Schools Chief Accountability Officer Alan Spicciati presented the district’s latest analysis of its goals by using a common campaign line—Are Highline schools better off than four years ago?

Spicciati told board members the district had met its 2013 targets in five out of 27 areas of the district’s “Systemwide Measures of Success.” According to Spicciati, the district is on track in 4 areas, above baseline in 11 areas, at baseline in 2 areas and below baseline in 5 areas.

Using 2007-2008 school-year data, the district set a base line for progress in 27 areas with goals set to be reached by the 2013-2014 school year.
Using the data, Spicciati noted Highline is better off than four years ago in 20 of 27 criteria.

However, all five of the measurements below baseline relate to academic achievement. Spicciati said the poor economy may have affected academic progress.

The academic areas are enrollment in post-secondary programs, gap in college readiness, gap in secondary programs, reading scores and on-time graduation rate.

From hamburger service to hospitality queen, young Penny Jumonville had a whirlwind adventure in the summer of 1962. Penny was too young for Seafair but just right for the White Center Chamber of Commerce. They selected this counter clerk at Lou's Drive-In as their queen that year.

At Evergreen High, Penny did not stand out. She was not part of the IN crowd. Her near straight-A average and excellent work at the hamburger drive-in impressed only her boss Lou Dapas and her parents. Penny's charm and beauty did not go unnoticed, however.

Jim Palmateer, Chamber prexy, was so impressed with her he promoted the idea that she could ride the White Center float and enter the Seafair royalty contest. Since Penny was not yet 18 it wasn't to be.

Palmateer knew Lou Dapas. He knew that Penny had marched around White Center three years earlier, at age 14, with little pieces of paper fashioned as business cards to leave behind for prospective employers.

Dapas hired her that same year. Penny worked a 40-hour week through her high school years. She needed to help her family get by as her mom and dad had split up the previous year. She gave her paycheck to her mom each week.

I don’t know if there is a way to go back –- a way to return to the simpler life. A time removed from the anger and strife of today’s world.

A day when being together with other folks, family and friends over a steaming cup of coffee and slice of pumpkin pie could warm the soul and blend our hearts as one. If there is a way to go back in time, Thanksgiving Day is that day.

One of the happiest days for my twin brother, Earl and I when we were little kids was Thanksgiving Day. With a family of five children, Mom and Dad, lovely Grandma, and guests, seldom were there such things as “dibs” for certain foods, although there was one exception.

Dad stood at the head of the table carving what looked like the biggest, juiciest, brown-skinned turkey-bird I’d ever seen.

When Dad announced, “The drumsticks belong to the twins,” Earl nudged me and whispered, “We get the best part.”

Boy, did we ever feel special!

And so it was that through my eyes, as a small child, Thanksgiving Day was the day to thank God for a turkey leg and all of those yummy, fluffy mashed potatoes.