By passing Initiative 692 in 1998, Washington state voters approved the medical use of marijuana. The initiative allowed for patients suffering from a number of debilitating diseases such as cancer to have a 60-day supply of the drug as long as they had written approval from their physicians.However, there are a couple problems with the medical-marijuana laws in Washington and 10 other states. One is that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that federal law making the use or possession of marijuana illegal under any circumstances trumps state laws. The other problem in Washington state is what defines a 60-day supply of marijuana.
Spring is here and market season is about to begin! The Columbia City Farmers Market (CCFM) will open Wednesday, May 2, from 3-7 p.m. with plenty of fresh greens, early vegetables and a lovely selection of plant starts and other nursery items. Additionally, the market features a variety of year-round items such as organic eggs and meats, fish, preserves, baked goods, honey and cheeses. Columbia City is turning 100 this year and opening day at CCFM will kick-off the neighborhood's centennial celebration with old-time music, an antique farm equipment display and other goodies to get the heritage party started.
In many ways, bonsai trees are like children. They take years of nurturing and special care to grow into maturity forming a strong bond between the tree and its caretaker along the way. For Seward Park resident Louise Czerniski selling one of her Bonsai trees is almost impossible.You come to love them so much," she said. "You feel like you're selling your kids when you sell one." But selling one is exactly what she intends to do when the Puget Sound Bonsai Association (PSBA) holds its second annual benefit auction this Saturday, April 28, at the Jefferson Park Club House (4101 Beacon Ave. S.) from 1 to 4 p.m. The festivities get started at noon with an hour-long tree preview featuring music and refreshments.
COLUMBIA CITY - "Out with the old, in with the new," is only half right when describing Columbia City's newest store, Retroactive Kids. A great combination of new and vintage toys and clothing make up this toy store, which opened on April 12, next door to La Medusa.But the toy store is only half the story at Retroactive Kids. Along with all of the great kid gadgets, there is also a children's hair salon, Westside Family Hair Salon, and an art lab.
Capitol Hill has always been home to many visual artists. Mark Tobey started the art department at Cornish in 1924 using the basement of Kerry Hall as his working studio. Today, many young artists call the neighborhood home. One of the rising stars on the art horizon is Keith Tilford, whose work is currently up at the Eighth Northwest Biennial at the Tacoma Art Museum. The exhibition is a joint curatorial effort by David Kiehl, curator of prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and Rock Hushka, curator of contemporary and northwest art at Tacoma Art Museum.
PCNW is calling for photographers to submit their work for the 12th annual Up & Now photographic competition exhibition. Photographer Charlotte Cotton is this year's juror for the event offering cash prizes in the amounts of $1,000, $500 and $250 to winners. Cotton, the head of cultural programmes at Art + Commerce in New York, served as the curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from 1993 to 2004.
After 60 years, new material from the Kelso B-25 Bomber crash in 1947 has been discovered. Museum directors, Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson found the material in wooded area in Kelso, Washington. On Aug.1, 1947, Capt. Davidson and First Lieutenant Frank M. Brown were killed as their plane crashed due to engine malfunction. It was on that date when the Air Force officially separated from the Army, thus making this the Air Force's first documented crash. The newly-discovered materials are on display at the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries, as the museum looks to overturn some of the many remaining questions regarding the crash. The Seattle Museum of the Mysteries is located at 623 Broadway E.
Highlands resident Kellie Jordan worked at the Kirkland Downtown Association for six years, organizing events and communications related to downtown Kirkland. She'll now be putting her impressive public relations skills to work getting the word out about green cars, and helping reduce CO2 in the process. Kellie is the new community outreach director for The Green Car Company on Eighth Street, just north of the Maintenance Center. She took me out for a test drive in a zippy, fuel-efficient Smart Car. They sell several kinds of electric mobiles, including a cute little two-seater that tops out at 35 MPH.
Hello neighbors and happy days! I think April and May are my favorite months of the year. I love the changing of the seasons with the leafing and flowering of all the trees, shrubs and flowers. Even more, I love the sounds and smells and the longer and warmer days.Not only that, but April is birthday time for me and two of my three kids. When everyone was younger, we used to pick a day in April to have a party for the three of us. By having our party on the same day we saved on all the time it took to get the house and yard prepared for the party, decorating and cleanup.
"Suzie and The Side Project are playing at Calabria," said Downtowner Valerie Shafer as she takes me to the performance.. Downtowner Toni Pietromonaco is already there. "You've gotta write about these guys," he says. I met with Susie Bradshaw and The Side Project at Sasi's Café next door one afternoon. The core group made up of Susie, her husband and bass player Ben Bradford and keyboard player Parker Moosman. Listening to them at the wonderful Calabria, I understood why they can develop their own innovative music. Not to mention their regular Wednesday night appearance at Calabria, they also have had six full-house performances at the Triple Door in Seattle. Suzie began singing when she at 8 years old and started writing at 17.
We had a nice turnout for the Trillium Walk on April 7. We had people from age 3 months to 89. The weather was nice and the trilliums were absolutely beautiful - we timed the walk just right and saw them at their peak. We were lucky to have Ranger Mary with us who knows so much about the Park and forest. We learned that as the trilliums age they turn from white to a dusky pink color - very pretty. The native bleeding heart were just beginning to bloom along with a number of other flowering bushes. The blooms are beginning to fade now but we will look forward to their return next year. If you missed the Trillium Walk, you have another chance to get a guided tour of the park - this time from an expert. Join botanist and plant ecologist Clay Antieau for a nature walk in Bridle Trails State Park. Learn about the natural history of the park from a popular field trip leader and local authority. Learn how to identify plants, how forest ecosystems work, and the role of plants in overall biological diversity. Meet at the parking lot for Ben Franklin Elementary School, 12434 N.E. 60th Street. The walk is sponsored by the Bridle Trails Park Foundation and will be limited to 20 people. There is no cost for the walk. Please sign up in advance by contacting Jim Erckmann at erckmann1@comcast.net or 827-6595.
In the process of composing this column each month, I am on the lookout for interesting tidbits, news and information that will about life here in Juanita and give us a chance to speak so that we can keep the neighborhood we live in a place we all enjoy. There are many items that cross my desk. I receive biweekly updates and information from the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, for example (more on this later), from the city Planning and Community Development Department and from organizations such as the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods. All of it is intended to give me a window on what is going on in the city and its effect on our area. I, in turn, try and interpret it carefully (well, perhaps not so carefully!) and then present it to you here.The word communicate is defined as: "To make known, to impart; to have an interchange, as of thoughts or ideas; to be connected..." To truly communicate, particularly in our so called information age is a funny and amazingly challenging proposition.
Travelers of I-405 and residents of Kirkland may have noticed that Washington State Deparment of Transportation (WSDOT) and design-build contractor, Kiewit Construction, are building a new north and southbound lane on I-405 between N.E. 85th Street and N.E. 124th Street as part of the Kirkland Nickel Stage 1 widening project. In addition to adding an extra lane on I-405 through Kirkland, WSDOT has also mitigated for the roadway affects of this project and has improved the environment for fish and wildlife near I-405.In the I-405 Corridor Program Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), WSDOT commits to leaving the environment better than they found it on all I-405 projects. Carrying out this commitment, WSDOT and Kiewit have constructed environmental improvements through the Kirkland Nickel Stage 1 Widening project.
A routine application for a three-lot property subdivision has become earthbound by city policy in addition to fodder for outcry.The lot in question, on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue South in the Everest neighborhood, happens to be adjacent to an unopened right of way. At first glance, no big deal. But there's double trouble.First, the city's zoning code requires all developments to install street improvements, such as curbs, sidewalks, storm drainage and paving on property street frontage.Second, the city's comprehensive plan and subdivision ordinance promote a grid pattern of street connectivity, with the intention of creating multiple accesses for the public and emergency vehicles.
Affectionately known as Teacher Pam to many, Pam Fenton has seen a lot of change over the past 25 years. In a world forever looking to digitize all things, the Kirkland Co-op Preschool remains firm in their approach to learning and nurturing children organically.Their commitment to a developmentally-based method of learning is a rarity. It is this very commitment, however, thats kept the preschool going strong for 60 years.