April 2017

Lori Ann Reinhall, Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association

The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has announced that the recipients of the 2017 Westside Awards are:

• Business of the Year: Eldercare Consulting, LLC
• Emerging Business of the Year: Peel & Press
• Not-for-Profit of the Year: Southwest Youth & Family Services
• Westsider of the Year: Maria Groen

The awards will be presented May 4, at the annual awards breakfast at Salty's on Alki.

A baby seal was spotted resting on Alki Beach today near where the sand ends and the rocky beach begins.

Molly Boose one of about 170 volunteers for Seal Sitters was on duty this afternoon at Alki Beach keeping an eye on "Taffy" who had been resting for a few hours. There were signs of injury to the seal but they appeared to be superficial.

If you plan to visit the area to see Taffy, you must stay back and observe only. NOAA recommends 100 yards. You must also keep your dog on a leash and away from the area where Taffy is resting. It is illegal for unauthorized persons to touch, feed or move or in any other way prompt the animal to alter its natural behavior.

If you spot a resting baby seal or have questions or to report violations you are urged to call the SealSitters hotline at 206-905-7325.

You can learn more at www.sealsitters.org or www.blubberblog.org

information from PCC Natural Markets

PCC Natural Markets (PCC), the largest community-owned food market in the U.S. and one of Seattle’s original grocers, today announced plans to open a new location in Burien, Wash. Located in Five Corners Shopping Center at 15840 1st Ave. S., the approximately 20,000 square foot store will open in early 2018 and bring around 100 jobs to the surrounding communities.

"My inbox is filled with requests for more PCC locations, and our members in Burien, Normandy Park and Des Moines are among the most vocal,” said Cate Hardy, PCC Natural Markets CEO. “This is such a vibrant region of diverse tastes and food traditions along with thriving farmers markets. We’re delighted to bring PCC to this growing community."

A farm from the Olympic Peninsula is piloting a farmshare program and beer imbibers will be happy with one of their pickup sites.

Starting in June, River Run Farmers will be dropping off packed boxes off fresh produce for over 150 farmshare members in Ballard, University District, Phinney, Madrona and Queen Anne. But Ballard farmshare members might also be filling their beer growlers because the farmshare pickup is at Stoup Brewing (1108 NW 52nd St.).

Co-owner, Lara Zahaba, pitched the idea of the brewery being a pickup spot to River Run Farms after participating in the farmshare program last year. So members and non-members alike will have the opportunity to talk with farmers at least one night a week when they drop by for a pint or to pick up their produce. There is even talk of Stoup making a special brew with something from the farm and food truck vendors using the produce in their cuisine.

Improvements are coming to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Fish Ladder thanks to a $400,000 grant awarded to Discover Your Northwest and The Corps Foundation.

The grant was presented to Corps and Discover Your Northwest representatives April 4 at the Ballard Locks.

The funds are to be used to renovate and update exhibits for the Fish Ladder exhibit and viewing area.

Both the Locks and the Fish Ladder are leading tourist attractions in Seattle, however due to lack of funding, both the attractions are in need of some repairs and updates.

For over 100 years the locks have moved recreational and commercial boats from Puget Sound to the Lake Washington Canal. Close to 1.5 million people pass through or visit the Ballard Locks every year, however, only a fraction of the boats pay for the service. Also, viewing the Locks and the Fish Ladder exhibit are free to the public.

Amazon announced last week the opening of their new AmazonFresh Pickup grocery location at 5100 15th Ave. N.W. in Ballard, and with the opening some Ballardites are showing support while others are showing bewilderment.

The store allows for Amazon members to order their groceries lists online or via app, and Amazon employees will pack them up at pickup locations.

The Ballard site is one of two AmazonFresh Pickup locations in Seattle – the second in SODO – and both are in a beta testing phase.

Amazon has not announced when the store will be fully operational, in fact Amazon has been quiet about the whole endeavor and did not respond to Ballard News-Tribune (or other publications’) inquiries in August as the site in Ballard was being constructed. The site is where Louie’s Chinese Cuisine used to reside.

The Amazon stores are something the Seattle Time’s called a “multipronged approach to unraveling the mystery of profitably selling groceries in the digital age,” as the e-commerce giant found it difficult to tap into the grocery lists of more choosy buyers looking or produce and meat.

By Peggy Sturdivant

Last week Pacific Northwest author Jim Lynch did a trial run of his presentation and talk at Ballard Library for an upcoming bi-coastal book tour. His novel “Before the Wind” has just been released in paperback. In preparation his 24 year-old daughter Grace created a Powerpoint for him. Lynch just needed to make it work.

Olympia-based Jim Lynch is what’s known as a Friend of the Garden (Secret Garden Books that is) and professed his Ballard wannabe status at the March 23rd reading, asking about a potential summer rental. An audience member raised his hand. “You have a sailboat,” he said, “Why don’t you live-a-board at Shilshole?”

Lynch looked a bit stricken at the obvious solution, given that his novel “Before The Wind” references Shilshole Marina and features a family whose life centers around the love of sailboat racing. “We all have blind spots,” he said.

Burglary arrested, suspected of dealing heroin and meth

Police arrested a young woman after she attempted to break into a home in North Crown Hill on March 26. A neighbor called police after he saw a white female wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans leave his neighbor’s house. He followed her for a while and led police to her location. Police took the woman into custody and brought her back to the complainant for a show-up identification. The complainant positively identified her. The suspect was carrying a backpack and a lock box. The lockbox contained small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Her backpack contained at least 98 little red and black baggies and a small scale. Police believe the packaging materials and scale showed intent to distribute the suspected drugs in her backpack. At the North Precinct the suspect complained of stomach issues and told police that she ingested large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine before the arrest. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center and later booked at King County Jail for warrants, burglary and drug charges.

By Pat Cashman

A couple of weeks ago you might have seen a story about how President Trump had ordered that all phones in the White House be covered in tin foil. The news got picked up on social media and a fair number of readers passed it along.

But a few discerning people noticed some problems with the story right away:
The president was not even at the White House at the time of the supposed order. He was attempting a short putt on the 11th hole.

Tin foil is actually aluminum foil these days---as the president undoubtedly knows already because he ordered the change in his first executive order.

The story was completely made up by Andy Borowitz in a spoof column he writes that is consistently labeled: Not the news.

No matter. Some people still believed it---as they also believed some of Borowitz’s other recent “stories’:

WHITE HOUSE DENIES ANY TIES TO THE U.S….
….and
….ABLE BODIED SENIOR WHO WATCHES TV ALL DAY RECEIVES FREE GOVERNMENT MEALS.
With April Fools Day, 2017 now in the rear view mirror (where objects of