March 2017

Somewhere in the long list of false utterances is this one---mostly said by men: “I only buy Playboy magazine for the articles.” This one is somewhat like saying “I only go to McDonald’s for the salads.”

In the early 50’s my dad became a first subscriber to an all-new weekly magazine called Sports Illustrated. It was a spanking new publication all about baseball, football and boxing. Each week the magazine was laden---front to back---with photos of sweaty men, sweaty fans and sweaty racehorses.

But in 1964 the magazine came out with a special edition: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. At first, it contained the usual pages of sports---with one or two photos of women in swimwear sandwiched in between. But in time, the sandwich got bigger---eventually becoming an entire issue focused solely on swimsuits---even though there were never issues solely dedicated to football helmets, baseball caps and tennis shorts.

By Amanda Knox
 
Just under a year ago, my sister Delaney asked me to read and help edit her senior thesis project—an essay about her year volunteering at a local youth tutoring center. “You gotta help me, Amanda,” she pleaded. “I can’t use the verb to be.”
 
“That’s weird,” I said. English uses to be not only to define states of being, but also as an auxiliary verb, a necessary component of many verb conjugations. Without to be, light is neither a particle, nor a wave. Without to be, I will not be! I scowled. “That can’t literally be what your teacher wants. She probably just doesn’t want you to use passive voice, like, the milk was spilled, as opposed to, I spilled the milk.”
 
“No!” Delaney huffed. “I can’t use to be at all! I’ll get marked down! Help!”
 

If you've taken the C Line in West Seattle or the D Line in Ballard to and from Downtown you've likely seen the Fare Enforcement officers from Metro moving through the coaches, usually in teams checking transfers and Orca cards to confirm payment. The program which costs $1.8 million per year, employs around 40 officers who must go through 160-200 hours of training including 80 hours of basic security training and 80-120 hours of on-the-job fare enforcement training. Their work is constantly under scrutiny.

As part of a regular process for the agency, Metro will give the program a top to bottom review in the next few weeks.

In 2016 they gave out 3,911 tickets, at $124 each which produced $484,964. To get a ticket, a civil infraction, you must fail to pay on your second failure to provide proof (a valid transfer or Orca card). You get a verbal warning the first time.

Editor’s note: She’s back in print! Jean Godden is a new columnist for the West Seattle Herald and Westside Weekly. Godden is a veteran newspaperwoman (Seattle P.I. and Seattle Times) and public servant (Seattle City Council). Her column will give us an insider’s view of city politics. Let us know what you think about her new column. Send your thoughts to KenR@robinsonnews.com

By Jean Godden

First I wrote 5,000 columns -- give or take 40 million words -- for Seattle's daily newspapers. Then, on the final day of filing in 2003 -- I quit my job, best in the city, and paid a $850 filing fee to run for a Seattle City Council seat with no guarantee of winning.

Why would any sane person do that?

The short answer is: I was deeply offended by the behavior of an incumbent councilmember. Judy Nicastro, someone I had initially admired, sent me an email boasting about the scads of money she had raised for her re-election. Curious about her fat campaign chest, I looked up the donor records. What I found left me slack jawed.

If you would like to obtain some well considered financial advice, contact Sarah Cecil 206-938-6017.

Brought to you by Sarah Cecil Financial Advisor with Edwards Jones Investments.

Sponsored post.

A 58 year old Burien man has been arrested for shooting his roommate early this morning at a house in the 13000 block of Occidental Ave S. The victim, a 38 year old man, was taken to Harborview with at least one gunshot wound to the head.

The incident happened just before 9:30 this morning. Police received a 911 call saying a man had been shot at a house in the 13000 block of Occidental Ave S. When police arrived they found the victim near the 130000 block of 1 Ave S. He had run from the house after he was shot.

Police located and arrested the suspect a short time later. The case is still active and ongoing and the suspect will be booked into the King County Jail later in the day.

By Amanda Knox

Just under a year ago, my sister Delaney asked me to read and help edit her senior thesis project—an essay about her year volunteering at a local youth tutoring center. “You gotta help me, Amanda,” she pleaded. “I can’t use the verb to be.”

“That’s weird,” I said. English uses to be not only to define states of being, but also as an auxiliary verb, a necessary component of many verb conjugations. Without to be, light is neither a particle, nor a wave. Without to be, I will not be! I scowled. “That can’t literally be what your teacher wants. She probably just doesn’t want you to use passive voice, like, the milk was spilled, as opposed to, I spilled the milk.”

“No!” Delaney huffed. “I can’t use to be at all! I’ll get marked down! Help!”

By Dr. Christine L. Kirchner

They may carry cheery names like Gentle Dental and Bright Now, but what actually happens in these corporate dental chains can lead to some very unhappy outcomes for their patients.

Former patients talk of painful care, high staff turnover, inferior treatment that needs to be repaired later, unnecessary procedures, and actual expenses well in excess of the promised fee.

I’m proud of the dental practice I’ve built here in West Seattle over the past 17 years. I recognize that visiting my office is not my patients’ favorite activity, but I also know that when I provide high quality care, I am rewarded with their loyalty. Most importantly, I understand that the best results always come when my patients and I work closely together and communicate honestly in developing a treatment plan that meets their needs.

But corporate chains frequently don’t let that sort of direct doctor-patient collaboration take place. Instead, they inject non-dentist corporate managers into the relationship.

Lindsay Peyton Featured at West Seattle Art Walk
Viscon Cellars
5910 California Ave. S.W.
Thurs., March 9, 6–9 p.m. Fellow Texans, Winemaker Ben Viscon and painter Lindsay Peyton are now making a name for themselves as creative forces in Seattle. Both of their creations will be featured side-by-side at Viscon Cellars.

West Seattle Helpline
Benefit Concert
Alki United Church of Christ 6115 SW Hinds, Seattle
Fri., March 10, 7:30 p.m. Alki UCC’s “Music with a Heart” presents The Seattle Marimba Quartet, From Bach to Billy Joel … An Evening of Classical and Pop Standards. Net proceeds benefit the West Seattle Helpline. Suggested donation $20; Refreshments and treats at intermission. Info: office@alkiucc.org

WSCO Spring
Celebration
Chief Sealth Auditorium
2600 S.W. Thistle

Break-in at storage unit on SW Avalon Way

A manager of a storage unit facility located on the 2900 block of SW Avalon Way called officers around noon on Friday, Feb. 24 to report a burglary. He explained that between 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 and 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, someone opened the swinging door to a unit, bending the storage bolt and allowing entry to the space. The victim visited the facility and said nothing was missing from the storage unit. Officers were not able to find fingerprints or other evidence.

Burglary at pharmacy

At 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, officers were dispatched to a pharmacy located on the 5200 block of California Ave SW to investigate a burglary. The store manager said that two male teens entered the store and took two bottles of an unknown substance from behind the counter before running away on foot westbound on Dawson St. The suspects did not hurt anyone, have a weapon or say anything to witnesses. A K9 unit searched the area for suspects but was unable to locate them.

Attempted burglary in garage on 9 Ave SW