December 2015

By Peggy Sturdivant

There are magicians who gather at work on Monday nights in Ballard. Their magic includes focusing otherwise twitchy teenage boys on the conductor’s baton and music on stands in front of them. It has brought professional musicians to the upper floor of the Sunset Hill Community Association Clubhouse to play along with students at all levels.

The wizardry of the Halcyon School of Music in Ballard escalated on the Monday after Thanksgiving when the outer door opened and a man in dress shoes and long black coat made an entrance. The tenor had arrived, just two days after his statewide tour had culminated in a full house for his Encanto Concert at Benaroya Hall. For the next hour José Iñiguez patiently practiced four pieces, starting and stopping as the nascent Sunset Hill Chamber Orchestra tried different tempos.

United Way of King County told 30 groups that it provides funding to that they are going to lose that funding as a result of a shift in emphasis the agency is making. Out of the $1.8 million budget change, $60,000 will be lost by the Senior Center of West Seattle.

The emphasis for United Way will move to include homelessness and programs for children and families UWKC said.

Senior Center Director Lyle Evans said,
“ 2016 is a crucial year for the center and we need your assistance. For the last
twenty-five years, we have received funding from United Way. Sadly, they
have told us that our funding will be cut by $60,000 next year. Our Center is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are responsible for raising 75% of
nearly $800,000 annual budget. This loss hits hard since we have counted on
this stable income”.

We have started a fundraising campaign for $25,000 by the end of the year to help jump start us for 2016. I’ll forward you the email that will be going out this week. We have a donation link on our website www.sc-ws.org also that does give some specifics:

Gatewood resident Vanessa S. sent us a report about a burglary on Sunday Dec 6th, on 39th Ave SW and Kenyon in the Gatewood community between 3:00- 3:30pm.

"I watched a suspicious red SUV with two females parked in my neighbors driveway when I got home. As I unloaded the last of my Christmas decorations from my car, I saw a Hispanic male run from the side of the house with the TV in hand. I was able to take a few pictures of the getaway car . I called 911 and they arrived on the scene within minutes."

The West Seattle Herald will follow up with a report in our weekly Police Blotter report.

By Lisa Herbold
District 1 Councilmember Elect

A full 35 days from election night, this long campaign is finally over. But before I shift gears away from campaigning and towards representation and policy-making, I have some thoughts from the heart to share.

This campaign has been the most humbling and among the most rewarding of my life experiences. From the very first day in late January when the idea of running was pitched to me by others (you know who you are!), to building an organization of volunteers, to asking those volunteers to work an extra month to secure my lead, the spirit and number of people lending their energy to our effort has been such an incredible affirmation of our shared values and aspirations.

As for Nick Licata, my teacher for the last 18 years, he embodies all of the best qualities of a dedicated and tireless public servant, egoless leader, and a brilliant creative strategist. I do not hope to fill his shoes, but will be honored to walk in his footsteps, while also making my own path.

A design review meeting for the proposed 7 story mixed use structure at 1307 Harbor Ave SW is set for Jan, 21 at 6:30pm at the West Seattle Senior Center at 4217 SW Oregon St.

A Land Use Application has been filed with DPD to allow a 7-story structure with 15 residential units, above retail, restaurant, office and light manufacturing in an environmentally critical area. Parking for 27 vehicles to located within the structure. Existing structures would be removed.

The design proposal has not yet been submitted to DPD.

The project has been in the works for well over a year.
Here's the Herald coverage from April 2014 http://tinyurl.com/mz6tmyq
Here's the Herald coverage from August of this year: http://tinyurl.com/q3wrrbj

18 year old Vincent Hance, was hit by a commuter train in the Rainer Vally a few weeks ago. He is alive but he has a long road ahead of him. He has a broken ankle, a broken elbow, multiple fractures on his face, road rash, cuts and bruises, and some bleeding on the brain.

He is recovering but his road back is a long one. A fundraising Pancake Breakfast is being held at the Highland Park Improvement Club this Saturday the 12th from 9:00-12:00.

A $5 donation is suggested.

They are attempting to raise $10,000 and a GoFundMe page has been set up.
https://www.gofundme.com/vincenthance

His Godmother Sarah Griffiths wrote about the accident:
"He said goodbye to his friends and classmates and hurried to catch his train home. He waited at the crosswalk for a train to pass, and once it did, he continued ahead. Unfortunately, there was a train coming from the other direction that he did not see. Vincent was struck and drug down the street until the train could stop. As a result he broke his left ankle and right elbow, has a gash in his hip, is covered in cuts and bruises and has road rash.

By Steven Garmanian

Walk into any bakery and the combination of sensory excitement and nostalgia pulls you under its spell. Memories of childhood, of parenthood, of morning walks with a friend, of delicious pastries from one’s past, are all ignited upon entry. The fresh aromatic atmosphere and visually incandescent arrays startle one with longing and desire. Happiness flourishes in the heart, and the mouth waters with anticipation.

Paul Larsen, opened Larsen‘s Bakery in 1974. As a boy, in Copenhagen, he started learning traditional recipes at age 14, and has been baking Danish pastries ever since. At age 73, Larsen still arrives daily to see that all’s running smoothly. His mission to create a warm and friendly bakery where families come and enjoy authentic Nordic goodies has been a grand success. Now, 41 years after its founding, Larsen’s not only has survived; it has thrived.

Both 36th District State representatives, Gael Tarleton (D – Ballard) and Reuven Carlyle (D – Queen Anne), are moving up in the capital and the 36th District.

Tarleton (D-Ballard) was elected as Majority Floor Leader of the State House of Representatives by her colleagues last week. She steps into the role of House leadership mid-way through her second term as a state representative.

Reuven Carlyle (D – Queen Anne) was nominated and endorsed to take over the 36th District Senate Seat as Jeanne Kohl-Welles leave a vacancy to serve on the King County Council.

The City of Burien will utilize branding as a tool to support economic development in six ways:


1.       Differentiate from our competitor cities 
2.       Communicate our vision and values
3.       Retain existing and recruit new businesses
4.       Drive sales and other tax revenue
5.       Guide strategic marketing efforts
6.       Build awareness and enhance community pride

Branding is a Key Priority of the Burien City Council.

At its January 2015 Retreat, the Council identified branding as a top priority for City action this year. The need for a strong, professional brand for Burien came through rounds of input from the business community as well as residents during the Economic Development Dialogue.
 
Why does Burien need a brand or re-brand?
 

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday, Dec. 3

Girls basketball
Tyee 57, Evergreen 28
Tyee opened its Seamount League season by posting a decisive victory over the Wolverines.
Lake Washington 56, Kennedy 48
The Lancers took a close loss to Lake Washington in non-league action Thursday.

Wrestling
Roosevelt 72, West Seattle 3
The Wildcats were pinned with a loss in their Metro League opener Thursday.

Wednesday, Dec. 2

Girls basketball
Chief Sealth 52, Sultan 27
The Seahawks scored a non-league win over Sultan.
Foster 59, Chief Leschi 51
The Bulldogs outdistanced Chief Leschi in a non-league game Wednesday.
Interlake 55, Evergreen 21
Interlake dominated Wednesday's game against Evergreen.
Northwest 41, Seattle Lutheran 39
The Saints were edged by Northwest on Wednesday.
Graham-Kapowsin 47. Mt. Rainier 40
The Rams were topped by Graham-Kapowsin in Wednesday action.

Boys basketball
Chief Sealth 69. Tyee 63