February 2017

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday, Feb. 11

Boys basketball
Kennedy 62, Puyallup 50
Kennedy Catholic stayed alive in the West Central District Class 4A tournament by posting a win over Puyallup on Saturday.
The Lancers advance to play Emerald Ridge at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Tahoma High School.
Mt. Rainier 69, Auburn-Riverside 61
Mount Rainier outgunned Auburn-Riverside Saturday to also stay alive in the West Central District Class 4A tournament and will now take on Kentridge at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Rogers High School.
Seattle Lutheran 42, LaConner 38
Seattle Lutheran got off to a quick state in the Class 2B Tri-District tournament by posting a home win over LaConner Saturday.
The Saints will play for the No. 1 state berth at 6 p.m. Thursday against Orcas Island at Sedro Woolley.

Thursday, Feb. 9
Boys basketball
Kentridge 75, Kennedy 72
The Lancers were edged by the Chargers in their district opener Thursday.
Emerald Ridge 62, Mt. Rainier 55
The Rams also lost their district opener Thursday.

Wednesday, Feb. 8
Boys basketball
Olympic 70, Highline 57

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools

Boys basketball
West Seattle opens Sea-King District tournament action in the second round Tuesday, taking on Ballard in a 5:30 p.m. game at the Chief Sealth gymnasium.
Highline is at Curtis High School at 6 p.m. that day playing River Ridge in the 2A West Central District tournament.
Kennedy plays Emerald Ridge at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Tahoma and Mount Rainier plays Kentridge at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Rogers.
Seattle Lutheran is off until Thursday, when it plays Orcas Island in a 6 p.m. game for No. 1 state 2B seeding at Sedro Woolley.

Girls basketball
West Seattle plays Garfield in 3 p.m. Sea-King District action at Bellevue College on Tuesday.

Gymnastics
The state meet at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall opens Thursday, with the Class 1A/2A/3A individual competition at 11:30 a.m. and team action at 4:15 p.m.
Individual finals start at 11 a.m. Friday.
Class 4A individuals open at 1:30 p.m. Friday, with the team competition at 5:40 p.m.

By Tim Gruver
WNPA Olympia News Bureau

In past decades a rape case could have been dismissed because it lacked DNA evidence necessary for courts to bring a perpetrator to justice.

Today, sexual-assault kits are critical in preserving the DNA evidence left behind in an assault. The kits include a process for collecting such evidence as blood, semen, urine, hairs, nails and fibers.

Yet many kits collected with samples in more recent years were examined when law enforcement lacked the technology to properly conduct tests for reliable evidence.

A bill in the House of Representatives could dramatically reduce the nearly 6,000 kits awaiting tests and potentially resolve countless cold cases that remain unsolved.

HB 1109 would fund a new investigative team of prosecutors to test evidence from untested or partially tested kits. The team would be overseen by the attorney general’s office.

According to Jean Johnston, Washington State Patrol crime laboratory manager, the average length of time for a DNA laboratory request submitted by a law enforcement agency in 2016 to be tested and the findings revealed was 78 days.

Attend a Principal Candidate Forum on Wednesday, February 15
The small schools on the Evergreen Campus are unifying as a single school under the leadership of one principal. We invite students, families, and the community to join us for a Principal Candidate Forum to meet the two finalists for the new principal at Evergreen High School. 
 
Principal Candidate Forum
Wednesday, February 15
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Evergreen Campus Cafeteria
830 SW 116th St.
Seattle, WA 98146
 
At the forum, attendees will have an opportunity to ask the finalists questions and provide the district feedback.
 
Vietnamese and Spanish interpreters will be available at the meeting. 
 
Learn more about the reunification process at highlineschools.org/highschools. 

information from the City of Burien

The City of Burien is pleased to announce its first annual public service announcement (PSA) film contest. This year, the contest theme is stormwater pollution—why it’s a problem and how to reduce it. The contest gives student filmmakers an opportunity to both practice their filmmaking skills and help protect the environment. Films should cover both problems and solutions related to stormwater pollution.

Stormwater runoff is rain that falls on streets, rooftops or other developed land, picking up and mixing with what's on the ground. The polluted runoff then rushes into nearby gutters and storm drains and flows directly into Puget Sound's streams, lakes, rivers and bays. In most areas, stormwater runoff enters these waters without being cleaned of pollutants. This is causing serious damage to our watershed. Most of the four million people who live in the Puget Sound region contribute to stormwater pollution every day.

By Amanda Knox
 
February 14th is creeping up, which reminds me that some of us don’t have partners with which to celebrate, and are perhaps feeling particularly alone. Not bad alone, necessarily, but notably alone, more so than on any other day. I’ve been there far more often than not, and have occasionally overcompensated in response. One year, while still living at the UW, I handmade dozens of chocolate-covered strawberries and gave them out to all my single dorm friends. They responded with perplexed expressions, and I explained, “I love Love!”
 

There sure has been a lot said and written about the topic of money. You know, money---
that green stuff that has pictures of the presidents on it like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin?

Warren Buffet---inventor of meals in which guests serve themselves---has been quoted on the subject of money. “Rule number one: Never lose money. Rule number two: Never forget rule number one.” That’s billionaire humor.

The famed painter, Pablo Picasso (who had a Blue Period, a Rose Period, a Crystal Period---but never a semi-colon) once said, “I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.”

And W.C. Fields said, “A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.” So true, my little chickadee.
Ever since the idea of money was first invented, mankind has shown repeatedly that it will do almost anything to obtain it. Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and other robbers helped themselves to plenty of bank loot---never even having the courtesy to fill out a single withdrawal slip.

Hewitt architecture, the firm that is overseeing the proposed redevelopment project at 2749 California Avenue (the current home of PCC Natural Market) has requested a final opportunity to present their plans to Interested Admiral residents prior to their final submittal to the City.

According to the Admiral Neighborhood Association, "Hewitt's final Recommendation Meeting in front of the Southwest Design Review Board is scheduled for March 2 (as reported here) and they anticipate submitting their final plans at the end of this week. In the words of Hewitt, "We feel that we have a wonderfully designed project that will contribute positively to the Admiral Neighborhood, and want to give our neighbors ample chance to come and speak with the team about the project."

The meeting will be held at Saint John the Baptist Episcopal Church at 3050 California Ave. SW at 7:00pm, Thursday Feb. 16.

UPDATE 6:25PM
SDOT says Highland Park Way SW has reopened between W Marginal Way SW and SW Holden St.

UPDATE Friday 12:45pm
SDOT says Highland Park Way SW is closed and is expected to reopen today by late afternoon for the PM commute.

UPDATE Thursday 5:25pm
Highland Park Way SW will remain closed today according to SDOT and is expected to reopen by late afternoon Friday for the PM commute.

SDOT crews have removed 90% of the material that came down from the hillside on to the roadway, about 2400 tons.

Crews will remove the remaining material tomorrow and will place approximately 50 concrete Ecology blocks (6’ long x 2’ wide x 2’ high) along the western edge of Highland Park Way SW to buttress the hillside.

UPDATE 2:00pm Wednesday
The mudslide that blocked three lanes on the hill on Highland Park Way SW remained a problem and will not be solved until possibly Friday. SDOT said via Twitter "Highland Park Way SW will remain closed through Thursday btw SW Holden St & W Marginal Way SW due to a landslide. Plz use alternate routes.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

West Seattle blasted Ballard by a 62-44 score to open the Sea-King District boys basketball tournament Tuesday.
The game at Chief Sealth was the first of the tournament for the Wildcats, who had received a first round bye.

It was the second game for the Beavers.

West Seattle travels to Bellevue College for its next game Thursday, playing an opponent to be determined starting at 8:15 p.m.