September 2014

A Waste Management truck snagged a power line and took down a pole near the intersection of 40th SW and SW 104th on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident knocked out power to an area stretching down to the intersection of 35th and Roxbury where the traffic light was out. The City Light outage map is down for service but City Light people on the scene said the power outage itself was primarily in the local area.

They estimated since it would require putting in a new pole that it would be 2am before the work was completed but that power would be restored in the next two hours, or by approximately 7:30 pm.

Update: September 30, 5:31 p.m.

Seattle Fire Department spokesperson, Kyle Moore, said that the flames were pouring out of the sides of the building by the time firefighters arrived at approximately 12:05 p.m.

“It was a defensive fire – we ended up fighting the fire from the outside and…because we realized it was extending flames in every direction we realized we needed more resources, so we called for a 2-11, which means a two alarm fire… We basically doubled our resources. “

Firefighters take a breather from fighting hot pockets in the charred remains of the building. Shane Harms

Approximately a dozen people were working on machinery when they notices flames. They tried to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers, but were unsuccessful and evacuated.

The building was confirmed a complete loss. The official cause of the fire is undetermined, but Moore reported the damage is substantial.

Information from the City of Seattle

The Seattle Fire Department is partnering with the Seattle Public Library for a reading program aimed at increasing literacy, and raising awareness of home fire safety. The Firefighter Story Times at the Seattle Public Library is part of October’s Fire Prevention Month. Seattle Firefighters will read No Dragons for Tea to dozens of preschool children at the Seattle Public Library branches across the city.. Important safety messages include “Firefighters are your friend”, “Crawl low under smoke” and “Get out and stay out”.

For more than a decade, Seattle Firefighters have volunteered for literacy events at various Seattle Public Library’s and Seattle Public Schools. The Firefighter Story Times are part of a month long push to educate the young people of the city and their families on fire safety tips. Preschool children are especially vulnerable to fire and burn injuries. During the month of October, Seattle Firefighters are reading to preschoolers at 10 different libraries throughout the city.

Ballard Branch
5614 22nd Ave N.W.
Wednesday, October 8
10:30 AM

Rainier Beach Branch
with Fire Chief Dean

The 26th Annual Fishermen's Fall Festival will be welcoming the North Pacific fishing fleet home Saturday, October 4. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. the public is invited to Fishermen’s Terminal to taste this year’s harvest, welcome home the fishers and honor the men and women who have lost their lives at sea.

This is a special year for Fishermen’s Terminal as they celebrate their centennial after being dedicated on January 10, 1914.

Fishermen’s Terminal is the location for the Fishermen’s Memorial: a sculpture and bronze plaque dedicated in 1988 that stands as a place where families can honor loved ones lost at sea. More than 675 local men and women are honored under the towering statue. Funds raised by the festival go to maintaining the memorial and to the Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit formed to support families of the fishing industry with counseling, maritime training services and scholarships.

Fishermen’s Terminal General Manager, Kenny Lyles, said the memorial is a premiere monument for fishermen on the west coast.

by Pat Cashman

Baseball fans have been getting plenty of exercise this summer---jumping up and down from the Mariners’ bandwagon. The team swings between looking playoffs-bound---to just plain bound---as if the players’ need more fiber in their diet.

But back in the seasons of the early 1980’s, the M’s were a team with a solid lock on last place, mathematically eliminated sometime in spring training.
They were a franchise that measured its crowds in the hundreds, not the thousands---playing in a cavernous sarcophagus called the Kingdome.

It was during those days that I had an exciting job as a fledgling TV writer and producer---and it was my assignment to dream up broadcast commercials. Because the Mariners were still a new expansion team, the roster was often comprised of castoffs, rookies and fading stars on their last, cleat-scarred legs. My job? Don’t sell the game of baseball. Sell the athletes that played it, and show them as loveable and funny personalities.

By Erin Bosetti

The second annual Macefield Music Festival will hit Ballard this weekend, stuffing almost every music venue in Old Ballard to the brim with local Seattle bands over two days.

The Macefield Music Festival is named in honor of the famous Edith Macefield, an octogenarian Ballardite that notoriously stood her ground against the development of the gargantuan concrete block that is now LA Fitness and Trader Joe's in southern Ballard. Despite being offered a million dollars and the chance to have all of her health care costs paid for the rest of her life, she refused to leave her home until her death. The developers were forced to build around her home, leaving the house as a symbol of old Ballard and a reminder of the rich blue collar past of the neighborhood in the face of shiny condos and fancy restaurants. The house has become a symbol of the importance of tradition and to remember where one comes from in Ballard and beyond.

by Kathryn Kingen

There are certain vegetables I depend on to save me in a pinch. Because my favorite way to cook is to combine whatever I have in my refrigerator and pantry, I am vulnerable to what remains fresh. But when my cauliflower has the measles and my arugula has gone funky, who is always there to save me? Fennel. You might even hear my audible "YAY" and clapping hands as I gratefully seize that proud perennial. It's ability to withstand patient periods in my crisper, awaiting its heroic role, makes me so grateful. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the Greek name for fennel is marathon — thus how long it remains fresh.

Of the flora in my refrigerator, exotic fennel is a welcome invitee. It's like having a vegetable with an entrancing Mediterranean accent and avant-garde mohawk hairdo lending intrigue to my mundane menu. Fennel's flavors of celery, anise and licorice are a delicious addition to any recipe. Shave it, saute it, roast it or grill it. No matter what you do, it makes everything you create taste like some extravagant dish discovered abroad.

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

Variety makes life so interesting. I like it in my garden - and in my food. Take my Asian pear tree, for example. It’s just one tree, but four kinds of Asian pears are grafted onto it – the early ripening Shinsui, the bold yellow Hamese, the apple-shaped Yongi and the brown russet Ichiban (my favorite). I get the best of all four worlds!

Dietitians always tell people to eat a wide variety of foods because this way you get different nutrients from different foods. Think of variety as a cheap insurance policy. If you eat a wide variety of foods, you won’t get too much of one nutrient and too little of another.

Asian pears have the mellow, almost smooth, taste of a pear, but with the crunchiness of an apple. Their texture is more grainy than the buttery texture of European pears. Many varieties of Asian pears have russetted skin, and range in color from pale yellow to dark gold. Try them in these healthy, salt-free recipes. For variety, buy several kinds, or even add some European pears to use interchangeably or in combination.

Fall Asian Pear Salad
1/4 cup sugar
2-3 cups dark red leaf lettuce

The Admiral District Merchants are celebrating Halloween again and Trick/Treating in the Admiral District is sheduled for Halloween, October 31st from 3:00-6:00pm

Participating merchants will have a table out in front of each storefront and candy and goodies will be handed to costumed kids.

This event is always well attended so arriving early for the best parking (and candy) is advised.

UPDATE: September 30, 8:10 a.m.

Seattle Fire Department confirmed that the male was unresponsive and undergoing CPR en route to Harborview Hospital. Details of his conditions have not been released.

Bystanders found the man in the water next to a dock in Shilshole Marina.

The Port of Seattle Police are investigating the incident and have not released details.

Look to the Ballard News-Tribune for an update to this story.

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A man was reported in the water off Shllshole Marina around 6:50pm on Monday Sept. 29 and Seattle Fire and Police responded to the scene. He was taken from the water an resuscitation efforts were made in an ambulance in the parking lot before he was rushed to Harborview Hospital in unknown condition.

This story will be updated.