February 2017

UPDATE: Feb. 5

Now the NWS has upgraded the snow forecast to a Winter Storm Warning:

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM
PST MONDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE CENTRAL PUGET SOUND REGION FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST MONDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE CLOSE TO THE CASCADES.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS SEATTLE...EVERETT...TACOMA...BREMERTON...AND MOST LOWLAND LOCATIONS EAST OF PUGET SOUND.

* TIMING...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE OFF AND ON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON.

* MAIN IMPACT...ROADS AND SIDEWALKS WILL BE SNOW COVERED AND VERY
SLIPPERY. TRAVEL WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE. DELAYS MAY BE SIGNIFICANT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Northwest Symphony Orchestra is excited to announce their “Valentines Concert” on Friday, February 10, 2017 at 7:30pm at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. This concert is part of the NWSO’s 30th Anniversary Season and features Anniversary Overture by Northwest composer Roger Treece, Tchaikovsky’s popular Piano Concerto #1 with internationally known soloist Sown Le Choi, and Symphony #4 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Since their inception, the orchestra has received local, regional, and national acclaim, having been featured several times on National Public Radio and once on NBC’s Today Show.  Under the leadership of Music Director Dr. Anthony Spain the mission of the NWSO is to be the premier orchestra in performing and promoting the music of contemporary Northwest composers while also performing, and educating the public in the full spectrum of classical music.

“The Northwest Symphony Orchestra is proud to of their 30th Anniversary Season.  In this season we reach the unique milestone of performing 150 works by northwest composers in our history.  This year, we include a variety of exciting traditional pieces, as well as several well known soloists.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

West Seattle soars into the Metro League boys basketball tournament on the strength of a 57-45 win over Chief Sealth Friday.

The Wildcats, who finished the regular season at 16-4 overall and finished fourth in the league at 12-3, host Seattle Prep at 7 p.m. Monday.

West Seattle head coach Keffrey Fazio left impressed with the win over Sealth.
"These games are always high energy community games," he said. "They are a tough scrappy team. Whoever holds together the most is the team that wins the game."

Nate Pryor paced the Wildcats with 16 points.

Yusuf Mohamed swished in 12 and Anthony Giomi and Abdullahi Mohamed added nine each. Tyler Lenzie hit eight.

Evan Moe and Peyton Dickerson tossed in 10 points apiece for the Seahawks. Isiah Hart hit nine.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Early returns favored the Chief Sealth girls basketball team Friday, but it was West Seattle that came away with a decisive 74-68 victory.

Labrea Denson single-handedly lifted the Seahawks to a 9-2 lead, hitting all nine points on her way to a total of 28.

Chief Sealth also held a 21-10 lead after Sydney Thomas scored with 1:34 left in the first quarter.

West Seattle did not break the surface until Jenna McPhee scored on a pass underneath at the 4:45 mark of the second quarter to make it 26-25 in her team's favor.

The Seahawks took their last lead with 1:46 left in the third quarter on a Jasmine Smith three-point score.
Riley Newsome answered with a three at 58 seconds to go in the period, giving the Wildcats the lead to stay at 57-55.

Jas Gayles led West Seattle with 14 points. Grace Sarver hit 13, McPhee 12 and Iz Turk 10. Kelsey Lenzie and Newsome added nine each.

Thomas backed up Denson with 20 and Smith hit 10.

In the wake of the resignation of Ted Fick, now former CEO of the Port of Seattle, an audit found that 642 employees had received extra compensation amounting to $4.7 million. Documents related to Fick's review and suspension are at the links.

Fick was found to have given himself a $24,500 raise, to have accepted free tickets and gifts the evaluation states "New facts have come to light that Ted also took “gifts” from entities that have direct dealings with the Port with rise to the level of an appearance of conflict if not an outright conflict." He was also subject to "what appears to be" a sexual harassment complaint, states the evaluation.

The Port of Seattle on Friday Feb. 3 released the following statement:

"On Wednesday of this week the Washington State Auditor’s Office briefed the Port on the results of a regularly scheduled accountability audit.

In the wake of the resignation of Ted Fick, now former CEO of the Port of Seattle, an audit found that 642 employees had received extra compensation amounting to $4.7 million. Documents related to Fick's review and suspension are at the links.

Fick was found to have given himself a $24,500 raise, to have accepted free tickets and gifts the evaluation states "New facts have come to light that Ted also took “gifts” from entities that have direct dealings with the Port with rise to the level of an appearance of conflict if not an outright conflict." He was also subject to "what appears to be" a sexual harassment complaint, states the evaluation.

The Port of Seattle on Friday Feb. 3 released the following statement:

"On Wednesday of this week the Washington State Auditor’s Office briefed the Port on the results of a regularly scheduled accountability audit.

In the wake of the resignation of Ted Fick, now former CEO of the Port of Seattle, an audit found that 642 employees had received extra compensation amounting to $4.7 million. Documents related to Fick's review and suspension are at the links.

Fick was found to have given himself a $24,500 raise, to have accepted free tickets and gifts the evaluation states "New facts have come to light that Ted also took “gifts” from entities that have direct dealings with the Port with rise to the level of an appearance of conflict if not an outright conflict." He was also subject to "what appears to be" a sexual harassment complaint, states the evaluation.

The Port of Seattle on Friday Feb. 3 released the following statement:

"On Wednesday of this week the Washington State Auditor’s Office briefed the Port on the results of a regularly scheduled accountability audit.

Update Feb. 5
A federal judge in San Francisco has rejected an appeal by the US Dept of Justice to immediately reinstate President Trump's Executive Order banning travel for 90 days from seven primarily Muslim nations. The action sets the stage for the matter to head to the United States Supreme Court, which could be months away.

Original post Feb 3
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson called a press conference late on Friday afternoon to announce that the Trump ban on travel from 7 primarily muslim countries was rendered null and void through a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart.

The judge's ruling means people waiting in airports overseas, on their way to America can proceed with travel.

Officials from the Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport broke ground on Feb. 3 on a multi-million dollar project that will expand and update much of the facility's aging North Satellite plus double the dining and shopping areas.

More than 201,000 square feet will be added in the project. The number of gates will also increase from 12 to 20 with Alaska Airlines as the sole tenant of the North Terminal. Seismic retrofits and upgrades are also included.

The redesign was approved by port commissioners in September. Sea-Tac officials estimate the project will be completed by 2021.

The expansion is part of the Airport's Sustainable Master Plan that states growth is driving the need for more capacity.
The plan, a long term view of the facility, calls for 35 additional aircraft gates. Sea-Tac has 88 now and 16 additional international wide-body capable aircraft gates. The airport now has 11.

In her newsletter to constituents District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold offered an update on the Mandatory Housing Affordability timeline:

Herbold wrote "I wanted to make sure that you heard from me first that the office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) is amending the schedule for release of the draft EIS for the proposed citywide MHA zoning changes and now it is anticipated to come out in May. This will give the community an additional two months to provide feedback before the draft EIS is published. The Department of Neighborhoods (DON) plans to door knock all of the single family homes that are part of the potential upzones. Also, DON and OPCD will conduct another series of meetings in May and June. In addition, depending on how well the Draft EIS identifies and addresses the issues raised in public comment, which the Council has been compiling, I will consider whether there is a need for additional time for public comment on the Draft EIS. "

Upcoming meetings in District 1 neighborhoods: