Released from jail four months ago, 28-year-old Jason Clark started his long return to the real world by working to change himself and his community in Seattle's Central District. But let's start at the beginning, in Detroit.Sent by his mom to live with his grandparents as a child at age 4, dropped out of school in the eighth-grade. Despite this, he says his grandparents endowed him with a good work ethic.
GEORGETOWN - There were only 40 minutes left before the close of business on Monday, March 10 in Georgetown's popular All City Coffee when a man walked into the store and waited at the counter flapping his shirt to get the barista's attention, according to an e-mail posted on March 16 to Georgetown-Seattle@yahoogroups.com by Georgetown businessman Rex Ray.
RAINIER BEACH - Many children in America lack access to dental care, especially children of immigrants and low-income families. The most recent Washington State Department of Health Survey showed that 47 percent of the elementary school children in King County have cavities. Unlike a cold, tooth decay doesn't go away; it only gets worse. Pain from untreated dental disease makes it hard for children to pay attention in school, and it affects their self esteem.
During the caucuses on Feb. 9, Washington Democrats signaled their choice loud and clear: Barack Obama received more than twice as much support as Hillary Clinton, garnering 28 more pledged delegates than Clinton and winning the majority in every one of the state's 39 counties. Yet many of Washington's super delegates refuse to represent the interests of their constituency. Four remain in support of Clinton with only two for Obama, while the other 11 remain conspicuously silent.
As a writer on the Hill who is all but worn out by the near-daily experience of seeing yet another Land Use Notice on the side of a beloved landmark, I made the assumption that my column this week on the Twilight Exit would yield yet another funeral dirge.It's become all too common: a signature Capitol Hill establishment with unique character, a devoted clientele and a brisk business nonetheless yields to the wrecking ball of gentrification.
On view at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is an encyclopedic exhibition of Chinese Art from the Neolithic to the Contemporary eras. Begun by Dr. Richard E. Fuller (the founding director of the Seattle Art Museum) and his family from the early decades of the last century, the collection contains representative works from each dynastic period. It's particularly strong in jades, ceramics and sculpture. Subsequent directors and curators of Chinese art have strengthened different areas of the collection, notably painting, calligraphy, bronzes, and, most recently, contemporary Chinese art.
After a cool, wet winter, spring finally arrived. Crocuses are now popping up. Flowering cherry and plum trees are now bursting into bloom. Avid gardeners are loading up on composts and mulches to prepare their gardens for the upcoming growing season. Landscapers are buzzing around Magnolia and Queen Anne like busy bees readying the garden beds in their charge. Among all this swarming activity, a new breed of gardener is emerging.
A large statue of Devil Girl, sitting on her head and joyfully spreading her legs, calls for your attention in the center gallery of the "R. Crumb's Underground" exhibit at the Frye Museum these days. It's Robert Crumb's favorite piece in an exhibit that consists mostly of original drawings, starting with his early comic strips and following his career through the decades. Crumb is the guy who created many of the most subversive images of the '60s and '70s. He's the one who began the underground comix movement. His characters like Mr. Natural, Fritz the Cat and Angelfood McSpade became icons of the period. Crumb grew up in a middle-class, somewhat-dysfunctional family. His older brother, a comic fanatic, encouraged young Robert's comic obsession. In interviews, Crumb talks about his lonely and unhappy high school years, when his drawings were his escape from rejection.
The Queen Anne Helpline is holding a collection for hygiene and food supplies from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 28, in front of the upper Queen Anne Safeway. Hygiene items include toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioners and soap. Items can be dropped off year-round at the Queen Anne Helpline at 311 W. McGraw St. Play ball! The Magnolia Baseball Club is hosting the 2008 U15 State tournament in Magnolia July 12 through 17. Club co-founder Karen Moyer said this is the first time Magnolia has hosted a baseball tournament at this level.
Haley Budigan of Magnolia, has completed her week-long term as Senate page for Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th Legislative District, and of 66 pages, was selected as an Honor Guard to carry the American flag into each session.
The Elliott Bay Marina and Palisade Restaurant are hosting the kickoff party for the 14th-annual Leukemia Cup Regatta & Poker Run from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, at Palisade. The host of the event will be Emmy award-winning sailing commentator and lymphoma survivor Gary Jobson. He will make a 75-minute presentation and will autograph copies of his latest book, "Championship Sailing."
Multi-media CD plays on PCs and, with a little extra effort, on Macs The Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce is trying a new way to promote its members and the community where they do business. It's a cutting-edge CD that includes classical-guitar music played by Queen Anne resident Andre Feriante, along with printable content that covers the chamber's mission statement and the history of Queen Anne, as well as a bio on Feriante. The brainchild of Queen Anne resident and former Microsoft employee Tolga Ural, Imagine CDs.com more importantly includes sponsored ads and advertisers' Web pages that can be found by clicking on individual ads or on business categories. The categories also include schools and other information such as the latest on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Ural said.
Sharyn, 56, passed away Feb. 28, 2008, at her home in Mechanicsville, Va., surrounded by her family. She was a 1970 graduate of Queen Anne High School and attended the University of Washington. She married Hunter F. Jones in 1971 and moved to Richmond, Va. They had two daughters, Ann Marie (b. 1974) and Allison (b. 1977). She graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in occupational therapy.
Helen Sommers, one of the most powerful women in the state House, retired at the end of the session March 13 after spending 36 years in the Legislature.The decision to retire was based on her age - Sommers turns 76 this week - and her memory isn't what it used to be, she said. "I think it's better to retire too soon rather than too late."
New to neighborhood, Queen Anne transplant starts social network She launched the social/networking Web site for Magnolia parents just a couple of months ago and has already gathered 86 members. Kate Dandel, a Magnolia mother of two, expects to bring in several hundred more members by the end of the year. The site is one of a growing number of like-minded sites available through major search engines and other social network hubs where various social communities - anything from Vespa owners to parents of neighborhood preschoolers - can check in, learn the latest pertinent news and even contribute to the site. These user-specific networking sites have grown substantially in the last few years and major media outlets such as The Seattle Times and Seattle P-I have created their own social networks with blogs and "mom" social pages. That our culture is trending in this direction can be further qualified and quantified in dollars based on the recent billion-dollar buyouts by Google, AOL and Microsoft for YouTube, Bebo and the bidding war for Facebook, respectively.