May 2016

A Ballard woman has a role in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s new production “Paint Your Wagon."

The 5th will be offering a new rendition of Lerner and Loewe's 1951 “Paint Your Wagon, ” a story about love during the California Gold Rush.

Taryn Darr of North Ballard has a role as the Mormon wife, Sara, in the first act and a saloon girl in the second.

The musical tells the story of people migrating to a small mining town during the climax of the California Gold Rush. Directed by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, the modern version retains the same score, which includes American Songbook standards such as "The Call The Wind Maria” and "I Talk To The Trees.” However there are some changes in the music that audience will find intriguing. The 5th Avenue Theatre commissioned celebrated writer Jon Marans to create a new book for the show, and Seattle audiences will be the first ever see this new version of a classic musical adventure. There are 25 cast members, including Robert Cuccioli, Kendra Kassebaum and Justin Gregory Lopez. Josh Rhodes is chorographer.

Suspect assaults store attendant over candy bars

Seattle Police responded to a strong-arm robbery at a store located on the 8700 block of 15th Avenue NW on May 6. When they arrived they made contact with the retail attendant. He told police that he saw the suspect placing candy bars into his pockets. The victim asked the man to empty the contents of his pockets, and the suspect emptied his pockets onto the floor. The victim asked the suspect to leave the store, and he followed the man out. In the parking lot the suspect threw plastic store baskets at the window of the store. Then he pushed shopping carts around, crashing them into things in the lot. The retail attendant asked him to leave. The suspect punched the victim in the face three times then fled. The victim sustained bruising to the side of his face but denied medical attention. Police describe the suspect as a white male in his early 20s with a slim build. He wore black and yellow athletic shorts, a grey sweatshirt and a backpack. Jeans were hanging out of the backpack. Police searched the area but did not find the suspect.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Since I was a young girl I have pondered the meaning of the universe and the wonder of it all. To ordinary humans who live in a world where people are born and die
it is all a mystery. That is why sages over the centuries have sat on mountain tops pondering it all. Religious were begun to help us humans deal with life and death issues.
The older members of each family help younger people face the unknown.

Since I am now the oldest member of my “tribe,” so to speak, I have begun to feel a responsibility to support the needs of younger members who turn to their elders for solace and understanding. I feel very fortunate that I do not live in a war torn city or a world in which people fear for their lives every day. How lucky to be born in the Pacific Northwest where life is peaceful and the environment without extremes. We, here in this area of the world, seem to attract entrepreneurs of every kind. It is a place of exciting enterprises and opportunities.

Information provided by Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association

For anyone in Seattle looking for a way to experience a little bit of Norway here at home, they needn’t look beyond Ballard these days and the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association. Sponsored by the city government both here and abroad, the 49-year-old organization is quickly emerging again as the “go-to” group for forging contacts between the two cities, be it within the realm of cultural programming, business or education. Last month local residents were delighted by the musical offerings at Ballard’s Bergen Place to mark Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17th, including a special “Tribute to Edvard Grieg” performed by the Northwest Accordionaires. With the 2017 golden jubilee of the group rapidly approaching, a flurry of summer activities is planned in prelude of what’s to come, including the traditional “Seven Hills Walk” on Saturday, June 4, and the annual “Grieg Gala” on Sunday, June 12, marking the culmination of a very active year.

By Gwen Davis

The Myers Way Parcels — 30+ acres of city-owned land on the Southeast edge of West Seattle — was acquired by the city, partly for the construction of the Joint Training Facility (JTF), according to the city. However, what exactly the city would do with all the parcels remained unknown. The latest the public heard about the parcels was in November 2015 when Mayor Ed Murray said that a portion of the proceeds from the purchase not identified for future city prospects nor for environmental protection would be directed toward emergency responsiveness to people experiencing homelessness.

On May 25 however, the city finally unveiled a long-waited draft of recommendations for what the city would do with the land. The draft was announced at the Highland Park Action Committee meeting by two city finance and administrative services managers. Two weeks prior, a tour had been facilitated for community members, organized by City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

The draft recommendation includes plans for future city needs, financial consideration to loans and preservation of natural spaces.

The Ballard Natural Drainage Systems project is underway and is on track to be completed in fall 2016. The timeline for the project is on the project website and was shared in the original construction notice. Please note that the schedule has not changed.

Many of you may have “No Parking” signs on or near your street. The “No Parking” signs will likely remain on your block as long as the contractor is working in the area. Our contractors are permitted to post parking restrictions in 30-day increments. Once that increment has passed, the contractor is required to update the information with parking enforcement and post the new dates. These dates do not reflect the overall project timeline, but rather the current “No Parking” restriction. Signs will be placed on your block while it is in active construction, and they may also be used to help provide safe routes for large concrete deliveries, excavation trucks and other equipment while work is occurring on nearby blocks. The construction crews need clear sightlines and roadways in order to safely move their equipment in and out of the neighborhood and to help protect pedestrians and private property.

Ballard Reuse will be celebrating its 2nd Anniversary this Saturday, June 4th.

To show their appreciation for the tremendous support they've received from the community they will have a sale (20% off everything in the store).

Secret Sausage will be serving delicious free sausages and veggie sausages, and Balleywood Creamery will be serving super yummy ice cream and sorbet.

They will also have coll games made from salvaged materials and other fun stuff.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Semipro
Bears

The Highline Bears have a busy week of baseball ahead, starting with a visit to the Northwest Honkers at a time to be announced Wednesday.
Highline comes home to Mel Olson Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center on Friday, taking on Laces Baseball Club at 7:05 p.m.
The Bears then go to Edmonds Community College to play the NWCL Emeralds on Saturday and go to Everett Memorial Stadium to take on the Everett Merchants in a 1:05 p.m. twin bill Sunday. They drop in on the Snoqualmie Hurricanes at 6:15 p.m. Monday.

Pros
Sounders
Seattle visits D.C. United at 5 p.m. Wednesday in a game that will be televised on Channel 13.

Mariners
Seattle is in San Diego playing the Padres in a 7:10 p.m. game Wednesday and they will stay for 6:10 p.m. action Thursday.

Then it's off to Texas for a big three-game American League West series over the weekend.
The M's play the Rangers at 5:05 p.m. Friday, 6:05 p.m. Saturday and 12:35 p.m. Sunday.
Seattle comes home to Safeco Field to play the Cleveland Indians at 7:10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will install new “zone” marker signs on the West Seattle Bridge and the Spokane Street Viaduct corridor (Figure 1) to help drivers identify their location in the event of an emergency where assistance is required on the bridge.

· Work will begin at 12 a.m. this Saturday night, June 4, until 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 5.
· No portion of the bridge will be closed, but SDOT crews will conduct a rolling slowdown in one lane at a time as the sign installation progresses.
· Crews will install signs in both the eastbound and westbound directions, one direction at a time.

When people involved in a collision on the bridge call for help, it can be challenging to quickly and accurately describe their location. Now they will be able to refer to “zone” signs to tell emergency responders - such as SDOT or WSDOT Incident Response Teams, towing companies, Seattle Fire or Seattle Police - where they are.

The King County Department of Assessments began sending out annual property valuation notices to property owners last week, via email and the U.S. Postal Service. Notices will continue arriving through early September.

In many areas of the county, property values are up again this year. Higher valuations, however, do not necessarily translate into higher property taxes. Increasing prices for properties when sold, voter approved tax measures, and improvements to properties all may contribute to increased taxes. These will vary by neighborhood and by any given property.

This year, Assessor John Wilson is encouraging property owners to sign up for a new program to receive their annual property valuation notice via email instead of through the USPS. This new electronic valuation notice program will save money for the Department of Assessments, and is environmentally friendly. Check this out at www.kingcounty.gov/assessor and click on the “Go Paperless” window for details. Paperless notifications saves taxpayer dollars in staff time, materials and postage.