November 2015

Details about the woman found deceased under the Ballard Bridge have come to light, although the cause of her death is still under investigation.

Seattle Police Department and King County Medical Examiner are still investigating the death of Ann Zachariasen, 45, who was found under the Ballard Bridge on Nov. 19.

SPD received the report around 6 a.m. that day. They reported that there was no obvious sign of trauma to the woman. By trauma SPD means no abrasions, cuts, stabbings, bruises or gunshot wounds. SPD could not report if there were any weapons, drug paraphernalia or witnesses at the scene.

KCME released Zachariasen’s name on Nov. 20, but the manner and cause of death are still pending. KCME is waiting on studies and test results that could take up to eight weeks. They could not release the specifics of tests being conducted; however tissue testing, toxicology and neurological testing are the kinds of tests KCME reported could take that amount of time.

Business burglary suspected as inside job

Police are searching for a burglar after a business located on the 600 block of Seaview Avenue N.W. was broken into on Nov. 8. The business owner called police after he arrived to work and found the front window smashed through and the cash register disturbed. $200 was taken from the register and a small safe containing another $350 was taken. Police believe that the burglar threw a large chunk of concrete through the window to gain entry. Police found a piece of paper taped to the alarm system motion sensor, which disengaged the alarm. The security cameras were also disabled. Police believe the suspect was either an employee or a regular customer who was familiar with the alarm system and cameras. Two muddy handprints were found at the scene, and police submitted the piece of paper for fingerprints.

Piggy bank stolen from office

By Amanda Knox

I was fourteen when I first learned the word, “Casualty.” It was September 11th, 2001, I was a freshman in highschool, and that word, louder than “Tragedy” and “Terror,” rang out to me. I didn’t quite understand it at first. I gleaned that it must mean a person killed in an act of war, but didn’t that mean a soldier? Weren’t the people who worked in the World Trade Center civilians?

My confusion was rooted in my naivety. Sheltered my entire life in safe Seattle suburbs, 9/11/01 was the first time I realized that war wasn’t just historical. It wasn’t far away. It didn’t just mean fighters, fighting. It meant everyone, dying. “Casualty” meant you, me.

This past week I’ve felt jolted back into that hollowed-out feeling of fragility. I would love to write about other things on my mind—chess, travel, Charlie Brown—but even though I’ve thought about these things too, I’m distracted. My heart hurts.

By Pat Cashman

I remember it to this day---the most disturbing film I’d ever seen as a kid.

It’s a science fiction movie that was playing at the local flick house---a movie so terrifying that I couldn’t sleep for three nights. And that was before I’d even seen the film.

It’s called Spacemaster X-7---a C movie that gives B movies a bad name. It’s about as awful a movie as kale is as a candy.

The magnificently incoherent plot has to do with a weird creeping fungus from outer space that looks like a combination of Silly Putty and tapioca. It slinks around eating people like they were moon pies.

When you’re a little kid---already creating funguses of your own under your bed---that prospect is both terrifying and plausible.

I recently discovered the movie again---this time on You Tube. And this time the film caused me to sleep for three nights.

The very same movie that once caused such fear now seems dull and ineptly produced. Perhaps that’s because the movie is dull and ineptly produced.

Seattle, Washington: Ballard is a destination neighborhood all year round, and the holiday season is no exception.

· On Friday November 27, many merchants will be promoting Ballard Gives Black Friday, an opportunity to shop and support local charities at the same time.

· On Saturday, November 28, it’s Shop Local Saturday, a day to shop in the neighborhood, and support local merchants.

· On Sunday, December 6, Ballard officially welcomes the arrival of the 2015 holiday season with the Ballard Holiday Festival, an afternoon of activities for the entire family.

“Our merchant and business community has put together a fantastic celebration,” remarks Mike Stewart, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. “From the philanthropy happening on Ballard Gives Black Friday, to Shop Local Saturday, and the free festival planned for Sunday, December 6, these are great opportunities to get into the holiday spirit, and enjoy all that Ballard has to offer.”

Schedule of Activities

Friday, November 27

Seattle, Washington: Ballard is a destination neighborhood all year round, and the holiday season is no exception.

· On Friday November 27, many merchants will be promoting Ballard Gives Black Friday, an opportunity to shop and support local charities at the same time.

· On Saturday, November 28, it’s Shop Local Saturday, a day to shop in the neighborhood, and support local merchants.

· On Sunday, December 6, Ballard officially welcomes the arrival of the 2015 holiday season with the Ballard Holiday Festival, an afternoon of activities for the entire family.

“Our merchant and business community has put together a fantastic celebration,” remarks Mike Stewart, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. “From the philanthropy happening on Ballard Gives Black Friday, to Shop Local Saturday, and the free festival planned for Sunday, December 6, these are great opportunities to get into the holiday spirit, and enjoy all that Ballard has to offer.”

Schedule of Activities

Friday, November 27

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

One of the best things about fall is being able to enjoy foods in the season, like nuts. Nuts are not only delicious, they’re healthy, full of good fats and omega-3 fatty acids. They can be high in calories though, because of their high fat content, but if you cut back on other unhealthy fats like those found in red meats, you’ll have room for the healthy fats in nuts. Think of nuts like a storage box for nutrients – chock-full of protein, potassium, and vitamin E. All these nutrients are needed to keep your heart, kidneys and the rest of your body running at its best.

Look for nuts in your local markets, and don’t be afraid to ask if they are this year’s crop. Nuts store well; they keep for months, if not longer. Slip a zip-close bag of them into your lunchbox, office drawer or glove box. In the future, when you are working late, caught in traffic or wishing you had dessert, they’ll be waiting to help satisfy your hunger in a nutrient-dense way.

Born at home in Grandview, WA, August 16, 1938, to Cordelia Marie (Reinhardt) and Herbert “Whitey” Nelson Conner, Dodie was sung home to Jesus by her granddaughter, Vanessa Johnson, November 5, 2015.
Musically inclined, Dodie began piano lessons at age 7. At Kings Garden High School, a private Christian school, she played piano and guitar in an all girl band. Dodie graduated from Grandview High School in 1956.

She met Lawrence “Larry” Frank Leach in high school. They married in Grandview, Wash., then moved to Seattle, Wash., where Dodie made her home in Ballard for the rest of her life.

A job Dodie really enjoyed was feeding the tired night-shift newspaper route drivers at the Seattle P-I. With her great sense of humor, she always brightened their mornings.

She joined a community cooking class, as she loved the concept of people bringing something from home, cooking and then eating together. Dodie enjoyed her quilting club, gardening, making and sharing jam, classic movies, anything from Larsen Brothers Danish Bakery, and her beloved Mariners!

When I was thirty-five years old, the mother of a beautiful and beloved two year old daughter, I found a lump in my breast. When I got a breast cancer diagnosis, it was hard to breathe, and harder still to imagine that this could be happening to me. To stay alive I needed multiple surgeries, months of chemotherapy, and months of radiation, all with excruciating side effects. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I am one of the lucky ones.

Not all women are as fortunate as I was, with financial resources and a community of friends and family on call to help with childcare, meals, and rides to the hospital, and that is why Northwest Hope and Healing’s mission is so important to me. In addition to providing healing baskets to help women get through treatment, NWH&H provides financial assistance to women undergoing breast and gynecological cancer treatment at Swedish Hospital, offering financial grants to women who need help with basic needs such as groceries, childcare, rent, utilities, transportation, and more.

On December 1st 2015, local nonprofit WestSide Baby will be celebrating its annual JOY Drive with a fundraising event at Patxi’s Pizza in Ballard. From 11am until 10pm on Tuesday December 1st, Patxi’s Pizza will be donating 10% of their takings from the restaurant, including takeout service, deliveries and happy hour, to WestSide Baby’s JOY campaign.

The seasonal JOY campaign encourages the public to organize drives or to donate money or goods in order to supply families in need with much needed items during the winter months, such as diapers, warm clothing and essential equipment. In December alone WestSide Baby expects to serve 2300 children with items to keep them safe, warm and dry including providing more than 70 car seats, 500 bags of clothing and 80,000 diapers.