Often rewarding experiences come from chance encounters. This happened to me at a labor union meeting when I learned about Linda Averill's bid for city council Position 4. After reviewing this 40-something Metro driver's political platform (included expanding health care, raising the minimum wage and establishing an elected civilian police review board), I felt inspired to become a campaign volunteer. My motivation to participate in politics has evolved from my teenage years in Syracuse, N.Y., 27 years ago. Back then, I was a John Travolta wannabe passing out buttons and putting campaign literature on doors for the Democratic mayoral candidate. There was an unwritten understanding that if my candidate won I would be rewarded with a "cushy" summer patronage job. Now as a middle-aged electorate, my self-serving incentive has been replaced by a genuine desire to help this University of Washington journalism and political science graduate become a Seattle City Council member.
It's back to school time and stores are abuzz with the latest must-haves in fashion, technology, and school supplies. Parents strive to answer the call and make sure their children have everything they need for school success. But there's another kind of preparation that goes beyond shopping, and that is getting your child organized for school.In my experience as an educator, I've seen too many kids wearing the latest in fashion and are completely disorganized in their school habits. Children that are organized come to class prepared, have solid work habits, complete school projects in a timely fashion and are focused.
Phil Levin was so overcome with emotion during his first National Multiple Sclerosis Society bike tour two years ago that he felt like crying through much of the ride. Not three months earlier, he had been bed-bound with vertigo from a severe MS episode.Yet there he was, with a team of very supportive friends and hundreds of others, cycling 160 miles through Oregon in one weekend. "It was hard, so hard, it stripped me of any pretense," Levin said.Finishing was a personal triumph.
There's a lot that goes into music. There's the sound itself, the patterns of notes and rhythms, the melodies and harmonies that make up a song. There's the artistry of musicianship, the study, discipline and the incessant practice. And then there's mechanical engineering. "When I was in high school, I thought that I was going to be a musician," says Robert Wilson, the owner of Magnolia Ace Hardware, "but at the last minute I decided that it was a hell of a way to make a living."I've always enjoyed music, but I've never found enough time to learn how to play an instrument properly. I just have too many other interests that get in the way."Ironically, one of those interests all but negates the need to become a musician in the traditional sense. Inspired by his love of music, history and mechanics, Wilson, 74, has built a collection of instruments that literally play themselves.
MADRONA■ Creek daylighting: Members of the Friends of Madrona Woods group gave Metropolitan King County Councilmem-ber Larry Gossett (at right, in suit) a tour along Madrona Creek Park in late June to show him the progress the group has made in daylighting the stream to Lake Washington and the plans they have for its future.The group has been working with neighbors and school groups since 1996 to restore the 9-acre urban forest at 38th Avenue and East Marion Street, including creating trail, removing invasive plants and replacing them with native plants.
The Seattle Police Department announced last week at a press conference that it will be using European technology first developed for the war on terrorism to nab car thieves.But the effort to combat an epidemic of car theft in the state also includes a low-tech approach: a discounted price for The Club.
The 36th District Democrats, a political coalition representing Magnolia and Queen Anne among other areas, late last week released its list of endorsements for the upcoming 2005 primary election, with a notable absence of any endorsement for the position of mayor.All three candidates running for mayor, including incumbent Greg Nickels and challengers Al Runte and Cristal Wood, showed up for interviews with the 36th District Democrats. A motion for the sole endorsement of Nickels failed; he received more votes against him than for, it notes in the press release.
Josh HuisengaNo. I've been in Europe, and they pay a lot more than we do. We still have it cheap. Mark PalmerYes, I abandoned a weekend wedding in Oregon because gas prices were too high.
The music community is flexing its political muscle at the Mirabeau Room in Lower Queen Anne.Organized as "Stop Your Sobbing" in response to a collective case of clinical depression for local Democrats following the last presidential election, the organization has been holding political fundraisers at the Mirabeau, said Dave Meinert, part owner of the bar and a founding member of the group.The latest fundraiser last week was for Dwight Pelz, a King County Council member who is running for a seat on the Seattle City Council. But the Mirabeau Room has also hosted fundraisers for city council members Nick Licata, Richard Conlin and Jan Drago, as well as one for King County Council member Dow Constantine, Meinert said. Stop Your Sobbing has two goals. One is to have the music community help elect "progressive candidates," he said of those who support social justice, education and health care, for example. The other is to help progressive candidates who are pro-music, Meinert said.
As King County District boundaries shift in the 2005 election, with the reduction of its council districts from 13 to nine, the dynamics of many races have been altered in the area's voter diversity as well as the candidates seeking office within them. However, one of the largest political changes will be the incorporation of Capitol Hill, First Hill and the downtown area north of Yesler Way into the Metropolitan King County Council's District 4. Once only serving the Greater Seattle communities of Magnolia, Queen Anne, Fremont and Ballard, District 4 now will serve more businesses, residences and a diversity of lifestyle interests.Out of the integration of District 4 comes a race that will feature one of the only independent candidates running for county office this year, Ed Pottharst, against 14-year county councilmember and chairperson Larry Phillips, a longtime Magnolia resident.
The boys of Madison Park were beginning to outgrow Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, cap guns, Red Ryder BB guns, Captain Midnight Signet rings and Hopalong Cassidy lunch pales. A new interest was piquing, but the slow aging process kept us from fulfilling it: namely, driving a car. Luckily, friends with cars shared their rides until we were able to afford them on our own.
There's a question no one in Washington state can answer: What is the total of taxpayer dollars allocated for education being used for athletic programs in public schools?There are people in high-dollar public positions who will say they have the answer, but they don't. The amount of tax dollars spent on football, basketball, baseball, track, soccer, cheerleading and other sports programs at public schools is so high - so out of proportion to the educational needs - that no one wants it to be made public.
Rain or shine, I must go out into the great outdoors. Sometimes I guess the weather wrong, or listen to a weather forecaster on the radio and actually believe it. Then I find myself dripping wet due to an unanticipated downpour or, even more unexpected, a heat wave. >But, being a masochist, I walk on.Walking through the neighborhood is always interesting as houses that were there yesterday are today a pile of rubble.
You've seen the signs on local lawns: Windermere, John L. Scott, Coldwell Banker, along with the other big names in real estate. But what about EHI or The Landmark Group?You may not recognize those names, but according to their owners and agents, it doesn't matter. These local real-estate professionals pride themselves not only on for whom they work, but the type of service they provide. "We take pride in our communication with our clients," said Pat Suarez, owner of EHI Real Estate Advisors, 2800 E. Madison St.
This year's Uptown Stroll, held on a glorious Saturday, Aug. 27, suited artists, volunteers and event organizers and spectators alike right down to the ground - the ground being the new Uptown Park site at Queen Anne Ave. N. and Roy St. An estimated crowd of 300 was drawn to the craft booths, the live music and artists creating everything from a sandy mermaid to a giant "clay man" sculpture. St. Paul's Episcopal provided a space in its new centennial garden to celebrate the spoken word, and Ann Boles and other volunteers created "art in the alley" next to Nonna Maria's restaurant. Meanwhile, other artists painted live on Queen Anne Ave. and First Ave. N.