June 2017

By Lindsay Peyton

The crowd cheered and waved signs reading, “Tax the Rich,” during a special public hearing on a proposed income tax for high-income residents, held on Wednesday, June 14 at Seattle City Hall.

City councilmember Lisa Herbold, district one, is co-sponsoring an ordinance. She said about 8,500 individuals would pay this new income tax, if it passes.

Erik Sund, with the city council’s central staff, explained that that the progressive income tax ordinance is only in the discussion phase.

“It is not subject to voting at this point,” he said. “Review of the document is ongoing both by city staff and legal council.”

He said the ordinance, while subject to change, currently calls for a 2 percent tax on an individual tax filer’s income in excess of $250,000 or for joint filers, having an income in excess of $500,000.

Sund explained that fewer than 5 percent of Seattle households would be affected by the tax. Those who are not in that income bracket would not have to file any formal statement with their taxes.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

The Highline Bears came within one strike of victory before their game against the North Sound Emeralds got away from them Saturday, 7-6.

Highline had a 6-5 lead with runners on first and second with two outs and two strikes and one ball on the Emeralds' Danny Head.

But the next three pitches went wild to walk Head and Peter Perkins stepped up and ripped a first-pitch fastball up the middle to bring in two runs.
North Sound held on in the bottom of the ninth even though Sam Trend-Beacom of the Bears hit into an error to lead off.

Highline's semiprofessional baseball record fell to 3-5 with the loss at Mel Olson Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center.

The Emeralds jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the game before Alex Sisley of the Bears singled in two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-2 ballgame.

Highline tied it with three runs in the sixth with the help of two walks, three hit batters and two Emeralds errors.
Matt Stuart of the Bears lofted an RBI sacrifice fly for a 6-5 Bears lead in the bottom of the seventh.

by Doug Mackar

The Delridge Community in West Seattle was once homesteaded by Portugese fishermen and dock workers in the early 1900’s. Over time, as people with more money moved up to the hilltop, the area became a settlement for blue collar and marginalized members of the community. The Delridge community, located just over the West Seattle bridge off of the Delridge exit, has been historically marginalized to the point that in 2010 the USDA certified the area as a “food desert”.

According to the American Nutrition Association, the USDA defines food deserts as “parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetable and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to lack of grocery stores, farmers, markets, and healthy food providers.”

information from Councilmember Lisa Herbold

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has released a “most promising route” for the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway. The route they identify goes from 30th Ave SW and SW Roxbury Street to 42nd Ave SW and SW Edmunds Street. It was selected from options released last year. The route reflects the Bicycle Master Plan, which calls for a neighborhood greenway primarily on 34th, 36th and 37th, and public comments.

SDOT will host two drop-in meetings during the coming week:

Saturday, June 17: 10 – 11:30 AM
Uptown Espresso
4301 SW Edmunds St

Wednesday, June 21: 5:30 – 7 PM
Southwest Public Library
9010 35th Ave SW

Information from South Seattle College

South Seattle College’s Class of 2017 graduates were honored at Seattle Colleges’ “Empowered to Achieve” Commencement Ceremony on June 16 at Safeco Field. Over 900 South graduates were celebrated (with over 300 attending the ceremony), having earned a wide variety of degrees, certificates and diplomas to support their future endeavors.

South Seattle College is part of the Seattle Colleges District (which also includes Seattle Central College, North Seattle College and the Seattle Vocational Institute), and for the first time in district history 900 students from all campuses came together for a combined ceremony. They were joined by family, friends, and college faculty and staff.

“Tonight we celebrated an amazing class of South students who have opened the door to their future in pursuit of fulfilling, family-supporting careers,” said South Seattle College President Gary Oertli. “I admire our graduates for their dedication, and thank the important people in their lives - family, friends, instructors and allies - for supporting them every step of the way.”

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday's rain storm took care of two games in one for the Highline Bears semiprofessional baseball team.

Thursday's game in Lacey against the Senators was cancelled as the wet stuff fell, then Friday's home game against the North Sound Emeralds fell victim to a still soggy outfield at Mel Olson Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center.

The Bears were coming off a 13-7 victory over the Senators at Mel Olson on Tuesday night.

They found themselves in a 3-0 hole in the third inning before Sam Trend-Beacom from Australia put them on the scoreboard with an RBI double into the gap in left center field.

The Senators came back with two in the fourth and one in the fifth for a 6-1 advantage, but the Bears came back with five in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score at 6-6. Dillon O'Grady, whose father Pat is a former football coach at Tyee High School, capped off the rally with a home run.

Ten Bears then came to the plate in a five-run sixth that made it 11-6 in their favor, then Trend-Beacom launched a solo home run in the seventh inning for a 12-6 advantage.

information from JuNO

On June 8, the City released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed citywide HALA upzones. It is 800 pages long, includes brand new maps that do not yet reflect community input, and negatively impacts our neighborhood in several significant ways. Most important, we only have until July 23 to comment despite it being the summer season.

There is more information about the DEIS below. But there are three things you can do today to make your voice heard:

1. Demand an Extension of the Comment Period. Email MHA.EIS.@seattle.gov and tell the City that, given the size of the document and the fact that it is summer and many people have prior commitments, there isn’t enough time to review review and comment on the DEIS.

information from Providence Mt. St. Vincent

The Memory & Brain Wellness Center is also sponsoring a free program for the public on Wednesday, June 28th, from 4 to 5:30 pm, in the Pigott Chapel at Providence Mount St. Vincent, 4831 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126. The program is titled “Alzheimer’s Disease:  A Research Update” and will be presented by Kristoffer Rhoads, Ph.D., of the UW Memory & Brain Wellness Center. Dr. Rhoads, primary neuropsychologist for the Wellness Center, will discuss current research into prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. To RSVP, please call 206-744-2017 or mbecker1@uw.edu.

The program will include a film was produced by a group of individuals with memory loss. They are/were participants in an 8-week advocacy workshop called “Our Time Has Come” sponsored by the UW Medicine Memory & Brain Wellness Center. The workshop’s goal was to raise awareness and challenge stigma about memory loss. These individuals point out that dementia can happen to anyone.

For many Seattle locals what comes to mind when they think of the Fremont Solstice Parade is a procession of naked bodies painted in a mosaic of colors leading the parade on bicycles.

Yes, that is a central thrust of the spectacle making up the celebration on the first day of summer, but the rest of parade is made up of floats and performers that have made the parade a parade for the last 29 years.

But now parade organizers have announced that because they’ve lost a place to store those parades floats, the iconic Fremont event could be facing its last year.

“We have 15 floats, and after the parade we will need a storage space,” said Susan Harper, President, Fremont Arts Council.

No motorized vehicles are allowed in the Solstice Parade, so the floats the council keeps are “people-powered.” The Council was renting a space from an auto-body shop near Hales Ales, but the shop recently told them they are going to use the space for parking.

“We can flat pack them on top of each other, abut if we don't have a place to store them we are going to have to get rid of them, and it’s going to be a real problem, but it’s kind of silly with the 30th anniversary coming up.”

Even as Seattle pushes at seemingly incredible speed into the future, with technology firms based here leading the world and development in West Seattle changing the complexion of the community every day, we cling to and even celebrate our past. Part of that is found in Seattle's oldest house that went on the market Thursday. The open houses are at 3-6 June 16 and 2-5 June 17, and​​ bids are due June 19: https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/3045-64th-Ave-SW-98116/home/150344.

The West Seattle Herald provided coverage about the house back on April 27, 1988 (see attached photos of the story, courtesy of SWSHS Executive Director Clay Eals).

Our reporter Brad Chrisman wrote about the house that it was, "built sometime in the late 1850's or early 1860's when Alki was owned by a fellow named Doc." That's a reference for one of Seattle's original pioneer residents Dr. David Swinson "Doc" Maynard.

Though records are unclear from that time we do know that a "mansion" was built on Alki for Maynard but it burned down. Subsequently, it is surmised by writer Chrisman that Maynard built the current home after February 1858 to replace the former home.