August 2016

Victoria L. Kissler (Jamie) went to be with the LORD August 16, 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born in Fresno, CA January 17, 1957, but was raised in Tacoma, WA and died at Highline Medical Center in Burien, WA. Her early career was working as a drug/alcohol counselor at The Highline Recovery Center (Care Unit). She was also a gifted speaker and worked closely with The Seattle Union Gospel Mission to help many successfully navigate onto a life of recovery and sobriety. Her last career was as an esthetician in which she owned her own shop (From My Hands) in Des Moines, WA. It brought her joy to help bring out the beauty and potential in people.

Jamie is survived by her brother Mark Owens of Tacoma, WA, nephews Joshua Peters of Yakima and Anthony Peters of Tacoma and an entourage of friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Kissler. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 2:00 pm at Hope Christian Community Church in Burien, WA.

Published in the Highline Times section of the Westside Weekly, September 2, 2016.

The National Naval Aviation Museum has granted The Museum of Flight the permanent loan of a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C retired this year from the Blue Angels flight demonstration team. Distinguished as "Number 2" in the famous group of flyers, the big blue jet will be trucked from Pensacola, Fla. to the Museum this week. The aircraft will be partially disassembled for the trip, with its arrival at the Museum estimated to be Aug. 22. The plane will immediately be reassembled on the parking lot west of the Aviation Pavilion, and rolled directly into its new Pavilion within days. The public is invited to see the plane as it is being prepared for exhibition.

Please follow the Museum's social media outlets for the latest news and photos of the plane on its journey across American and into the Museum's Aviation Pavilion.

The plane-Navy registration number 163106-joined the Blue Angels in early 2004, and served with the team until 2016. The plane will be delivered to the Museum as Blue Number 2.

Beginning last week, Highline teachers got their initial training in a new partnership that will help them use digital tools in the classroom. Highline Public Schools is kicking off a partnership with Discovery Education—a provider of award-winning digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms.
 
Thirty-five teacher-leaders and their principals, representing five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, will participate in today’s kickoff training at the Museum of Flight. As members of Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps, Highline’s teacher-leaders will receive training, mentoring and practice in the effective use of digital content, and then be able to share successful and innovative digital strategies with their peers.
 
“Highline Public Schools is committed to creating engaging, personalized learning environments that ensure district graduates are college and career ready,” said Highline Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. “The addition of Discovery Education’s dynamic digital resources and robust professional development will help our educators innovate and lead us in meeting this critical goal.”
 

On a +95° cloudless day, the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire was a bustling strip stretched across a vast, dry, grassy, farming plot. Devotion won over reasonableness. A court of Lords and Ladies in full outfit—petticoats and collars—paraded to-and-fro between the royal tent and the half-timber towers of the front gate. Knights in full leather, chain mail, and plate armor grappled in the jousting field. Even the paying visitors braved the heat in wool cloaks and furr wraps.
 
The cashier at the crepe stand must have been no older than sixteen. She wore green eye-shadow, a brown, felt, lace-up vest over a frilly peasant dress, and corn-row braids on the just the right side of her blond head. So, sort-of renaissance-y. In this way she fit in with much of the rest, where decoration depended as much upon historical accuracy as fantasy and budget. The Red Dragon Pub was really a beer garden with a fence around it. Canvas cubicle shops sold everything from steel swords to paper parasols. Costumes ranged in authenticity from hand-embroidered leather to LED fairy wings. Alongside vendors offering smoked turkey legs and meat pies were those offering ice cream and pizza.
 

Is Amazon opening a drive thru grocery store at the location where Louie’s Chinese Cuisine used to reside at 5100 15th Ave. N.W.? That was the suggestion in last week’s GeekWire article, and after investigating, the BNT still isn’t sure.

The GeekWire article reports that Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection documents reveal plans and permits for a 759-square-foot retail space described as “a new model of grocery shopping.”

Amazon is not mentioned in the plan which is named “Project X,” however the same architects, Ware Malcomb, who were used in planning the Amazon Bay area drive thru stores (also named “Project X” ) are listed in project documents.

Other SDCI documents reveal that there are plans for six drive-up parking spaces and nine other parking spaces for walk-in service. The spaces are said to be able to handle 99.7 percent of traffic anticipated at the store.

All SDCI documents confirmed GeekWire’s assertions, but the BNT looked further to the King County Tax Assessor’s office which lists Real Property Associates Inc. as the tax paying entity on the $2,248,600 lot.

By Katy Wilkens

My love affair with Greek food started years ago on a trip to Greece with my husband. Salads brimming with tomatoes and cucumbers, lemons in everything, thick yogurt with dark Greek honey drizzled over the top or a spoonful of preserved fruit; all of these foods I brought home and made my own.

Spoon sweets are unique. Typically fruit, vegetable or herb is simmered slowly into a syrup that is condensed. Then one spoonful is served, usually on a crystal dish with a glass of dark Turkish coffee and a glass of cold water. I serve my spoon sweets drizzled over yogurt for breakfast, over ice cream or over cheese or baked chicken, or baked into cookies or cakes.

People tend to make spoon sweets out of produce they have lots of. When cherries are in season, they make cherry spoon sweets. There are spoon sweets made out of plum tomatoes, orange or tangerine rinds, quince and even lemon blossoms.

If you have an abundant ingredient, try making a spoon sweet. Whatever you choose, the technique for each is similar.

Cherry Spoon Sweets
3 pounds of fresh dark cherries
7 cups of granulated sugar

By Sarah Wyatt

Make plans this Labor Day weekend to watch a group of zombie impersonators, nationally-recognized comedians, a country rock band, and a Shakespeare improvisational troupe.

What is this creative assortment that has landed upon Jet City, you ask? It’s Bumbershoot, the Pacific Northwest diverse annual arts event that takes over Seattle Center on Labor Day weekend. With artists emanating from a diverse range of performing, visual and literary genres, the festival demonstrates the varied nature of the arts and culture scene in the Pacific Northwest and internationally.
Total Bumbershoot

Dan Niven performs as a Dickens Caroler, and as a musician. Niven’s busiest performing role at the moment, however, is singing with longtime festival standout, the Total Experience Gospel Choir (TEGC), led by Pastor Pat Wright. The group performs in West Seattle regularly, including a date a few weeks ago at Hiawatha Park, attended by more than 600 people.

To the Editor:

Thanks so much for the reporting on the unofficial Locks encampment (http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2016/08/23/news/trash-pile-‘ballard-jungle’-spurs-neighbor). I’ve been surprised at how little media coverage there has been about ongoing neighborhood issues like this. I think you mentioned in the past that you only work part-time for the BNT. I wish it was full-time so you could do more stories like this! Really glad to see some good local reporting.

By Amanda Knox

On a +95° cloudless day, the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire was a bustling strip stretched across a vast, dry, grassy, farming plot. Devotion won over reasonableness. A court of Lords and Ladies in full outfit—petticoats and collars—paraded to-and-fro between the royal tent and the half-timber towers of the front gate. Knights in full leather, chain mail, and plate armor grappled in the jousting field. Even the paying visitors braved the heat in wool cloaks and furr wraps.

After 12 years of working for Safeway, Samira Othman, 48, never thought she would be fired for trying to prevent a shoplifter and vandal from taking liberties while on her watch, but that’s just what happened last May.

Othman told the Ballard News-Tribune that she has been a merchandise stocker at the store for years. She moved here from Jerusalem back in 2001 and got a job at a Capital Hill Safeway, but after a year she moved back to Jerusalem to care for her mother. She later returned in 2004 and asked her previous manager for a reference in order to get hired at the Ballard Safeway (1423 NW Market St.). She said she was hired immediately and stocked the shelves for over a decade.

“I’m very hard working, and I worked like a dog for them for years,” said Othman.

But she was known for doing much more than stocking the shelves; she also busted shoplifters. For years Othman said she saved the store thousands of dollars by catching thieves and retrieving store products. She said she was rewarded for her efforts with gift cards from the corporate office.