August 2013

By Cassie Campbell

It was a busy morning along the north shore of Seahurst Beach park where naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium and other volunteers combed the beach trying to find various sea creatures that need to be relocated.

Next month, the north wall will be torn down. Without help, the creatures that live here could be killed during the construction process.

According to the Seattle Aquarium "Beach Naturalists are local citizens who care about Puget Sound beaches and want to help protect them." These individuals, which number more than 100, go out to 11 different parks in the Puget Sound to not only educate but to help people have fun exploring the beach without hurting it.

By Peggy Sturdivant

This is the first summer since when I was pregnant in 1990 that I have been in Seattle for the entire months of July, August and (soon) September. Is it a coincidence this was the firstly completely rain-less July on record since the year of my birth in 1960?

I started to realize how many firsts there have been for me this summer, which in light of a recent mid-century birthday bodes well for what I hope will be my next 40-some years. This is the summer that I spent two weeks in the family cottage with my daughter, pumping along behind her on my east coast $5 garage sale bicycle. We had never been there by ourselves before. I had my first tuna melt sandwich. It was tasty.

This is the first summer that I haven’t just watched my neighbor Mary Lou’s transparent apples fall from her tree with enough force to reach the high part of the alley and then gather the momentum to flash in front of oncoming traffic like bright green meteors. This year I gathered them and made a vat of applesauce and my first applesauce cake.

For many families of sufficient means, the back-to-school task of taking the kids to the mall for fancy new clothes and backpacks is standard ritual, and an exciting time for kids to select and show off their fashion sense. Many low-income students, on the other hand, never have that opportunity.

And that is where Mrs. Jean Renny steps in to save the day for many White Center children through her donations to the White Center Salvation Army.

On Tuesday morning, Aug. 20, 90 low-income White Center students were given $200 each to spend as they pleased at JC Penney in the Southcenter Mall with the aid of Salvation Army staff and volunteers.

In total, $20,000 was spent, and it all came from the personal coffers of Renny, a Seattleite in her 90s.

Renny “says she believes giving children a fresh start to the school year enables them to focus more on their education, rather than their ability to fit in,” according to the Salvation Army.

Due to health problems she was not able to attend the event, but a video and thank you cards signed by all 90 children were sent to her Seattle nursing home so she could share in the experience.

From Seattle Animal Shelter

The Seattle Animal Shelter will host a cat adoptathon on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, at the Interbay Petco, 2001 15th Ave. W., Seattle. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. and features numerous kittens and cats of different breeds. Cats available at this event have been living with foster parents, who are available at the event to share information about the personality and habits of the cats with potential adopters, helping to make a perfect match!

“With our monthly neighborhood adoptathons, we hope to continue to spread the word about the joys and value of adopting shelter pets and saving lives. If you have room in your home and your heart for an orphaned animal, this is a great opportunity to come and see some of the wonderful pets available from our foster-care parents,” says Don Jordan, Seattle Animal Shelter director.

Adoption prices range from $45 to $135 (plus applicable license fees) and include:

• Initial vaccinations
• Deworming
• Feline Leukemia testing
• Certificate for free health exam at local veterinarians
• Spay or neuter
• Microchip

Reporter’s note: I met up with White Center Storefront Deputy BJ Myers in late July for a “ride-along,” wherein, after getting the OK from the King County Sheriff’s Office, I was allowed to tag along for a few hours to gain a better understanding of what a typical day in his world consists of and share it with our readers. What follows is my account of that two-hour adventure.

In August of 2011, the King County Council pulled $1.4 million from their Criminal Justice Reserve to combat gang activity in South King County, and part of that was used fund a storefront deputy position in White Center after it had been cut in 2010. When Deputy BJ Myers took the job in late 2011, he knew he was filling important shoes from those who had come before him, including Deputy Jeff Hancock and fallen Deputy Steve Cox, was fatally shot while on duty in 2006.

The position held by Cox, Hancock and now Myers is a delicate balance, alternating between tough and tender in dealing with public safety problems and promoting positive directions for the community.

Myers describes the position as, "Employing community oriented policing strategies to fight crime and the fear of crime."

The Highland Park Sparypark which has faced issues since it first opened on June 28 will be closed on Wednesday Aug. 21 according to Seattle Parks "for the contractor (Vortex) to replace faulty filter valves and install a new control electrical board."

The park will reopen on Thursday Aug. 22 at 11:00am.

The burger above may look intimidating and that it might eat you rather than the other way around, but buying it is for a good cause.

Li'l Woody's limited time School Lunch Woody Burger is available from Tuesday, Aug. 20 to Sunday, Aug. 25. The ingredients, when separated, might look like your everyday school lunch: tater tots, green pea puree, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, tomato and ranch. But combined together, well, they make this behemoth seen up above. And yes, it works surprisingly well, and it is pretty delicious. If intimidating.

Li'l Woody's will donate $1 of every $9 School Lunch Woody burger to the nonprofit Denise Louie Education Center (DLEC), which provides early education and family support services to more than 400 low-income and immigrant Seattle children ages birth to five and their families.

“We think everyone should be excited to go back to school, not just those that can afford it,” says Marcus Lalario, owner of Li’l Woody’s.

By Ty Swenson

The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) decided it needs a bit more time to fine tune their rules for the implementation of I-502 (creating a legal way for adults to obtain and smoke marijuana) on Aug. 14, and the Seattle Police department gave out bags of Doritos snack chips coupled with information on pot laws during Seattle’s Hempfest over the weekend of Aug. 17 and 18.

WSLCB was supposed to adopt their final rules on the implementation of I-502 on Aug. 14, but decided to push the schedule back to Sept. 4 so they could refine rules pertaining to “limiting the amount of total marijuana production, identifying the number of retail locations per county and their locations, identifying the total amount of product that a licensee may have on hand, as well as further clarifying certain definitions and other revisions.”

Are you guilty of supporting Special Olympics? Grab a “partner in crime” and support 10,000 Special Olympics Athletes across the state in this unique nighttime 5K, August 24, 10 p.m. at The Landing, Renton. Walkers, runners, kids and costumes are welcome.

Special Olympics Slammer
Literally a “Run from the Cops”—law enforcement will be staged throughout the course “encouraging” participants to finish in under 30-minutes to avoid being corralled and placed in the Special Olympics Slammer! Those not finishing in under 30-minutes will be photographed and booked for not outrunning the cops!

Special Olympics Washington Run from the Cops Series
The Special Olympics Washington Renton event is Run from the Cops number two in the series of four across the state. On July 13, Kennewick PD hosted the kickoff to the series and will be followed by Renton (August 24), Mukilteo (September 13) and Puyallup (September 28). Registration available via SpecialOlympicsWashington.org

A Law Enforcement Torch Run Supported Event

The King County Department of Transportation, citing “plummeting tax revenue and tight budgets,” recently announced only seven miles of roads in all of unincorporated King County will get repaved this summer, and none in North Highline made the list.

A few stretches of road near Redmond, Federal Way, Auburn and Issaquah did make the list “thanks to federal grants; otherwise, the county would not be able to repave any roads this summer,” according to a press release.

In comparison, KCDOT said they repaved 43 miles of road during the summer paving program of 2010.

“We are doing the paving we can, thanks to a pilot federal grant program for preservation of roads,” Road Services Director Brenda Bauer said in a press release. “We hope that this kind of grant funding might continue, but that is uncertain. Without repaving of the surface, county roads will continue to weaken and deteriorate to the point of needing costly and serious reconstruction.”