Sasha London, Paul Gibson, Page Level and Bradley Enghaus turn their lenses to the iconic Northwest arts festival.
Sasha London, Paul Gibson, Page Level and Bradley Enghaus turn their lenses to the iconic Northwest arts festival.
Since Gas Works Park opened to the public in 1973, environmental challenges have been a constant for city officials and special-interest groups as park-goers roam the grounds of the former Seattle Gas and Light Co.'s gas plant. While the site has since undergone extensive environmental cleanup, some citizens wonder whether heavy use of the park during special events poses undue risk to citizens because of Gas Works' sensitive nature. Currently, Seattle Parks and Recreation bans any disturbance of the ground at Gas Works to ensure the soil cap - a combination of fabric and 10 to 18 inches of soil covered in grass that protects citizens from benzene-contaminated soil underneath - remains intact. The restrictions include digging holes, staking tents and driving on the grass.Environmental activist Ben Schroeter contends that heavy equipment used to set up for large public and private events and concrete blocks intended to hold party tents in place (in lieu of stakes) can potentially damage the soil cap. "When you place multi-ton structures on the grass, even with plywood, it is still going to cause some pressure to be put on the cap," Schroeter said. "Is that going to cause a break that will allow for things to well up? We do not know, and nobody has done any testing."
Organizers stress that everybody is welcome, but the 38th-annual ROOTS (Relatives of Old Timers) picnic on Sunday, Aug. 31, in Gas Works Park traces its beginnings to when eight African-American couples who had been friends and lost touch 30 to 40 years before, met for a reunion dinner at the home of Arline and Letcher Yarbrough.The old-timers, who had moved to Seattle before and during World War II for work, quickly organized a picnic at Seward Park for about 300 people who showed up, according to the organization's history.The annual picnics drew as many as 1,000 people from all over the country, but a ROOTS steering committee failed to stage the event in both 1999 and 2000. "The old people were in charge of it," explained Paul Mitchell from the Breakfast Group. "We had to step in to take charge." The Breakfast Group, a group of professional black men who meet once a month and mentor young at-risk African-American youths who are "the toughest of the tough."
On a routine maintenance visit to the Burke-Gilman Trail on Aug. 19, Seattle Parks and Recreation staff discovered that seven mature trees had been intentionally and fatally damaged.The trees are three silver poplars and four Douglas firs, approximately 70 feet in height, along the trail at Northeast 77th Street. Each had quarter-inch holes drilled in it, spaced about 1 inch apart, all the way around the trunk. The three poplars are already dead, two of the Douglas firs are dead and the other two are starting to turn brown. The rapid death of the poplars indicates that herbicide was likely injected in the holes, according to a press release.
Green Lake resident Nathanael (Nate) Chappelle was recognized as one of two King County Metro Transit's Operators of the Year on Aug. 11."I am proud of it because it's from my peers, and I think that for someone to think that highly of you is great," Chappelle said. "It really felt good that my peers thought that highly of me to have this honor."
The following information was provided by the city's Department of Planning and Development. Written comments on projects should be mailed to 700 Fifth Ave., Suite 2000, P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA 98124-4019.Appeals are made to the Office of the Hearing Examiner, Seattle Municipal Tower, 40th Floor (SMT-40-00), 700 Fifth Ave., Suite 4000, Seattle, WA 98104. Appeals must be accompanied by a $50 filing fee in a check payable to the City of Seattle.The project number is in parentheses. For more information, call 684-8467.PERMIT APPLICATIONS4500 25TH AVE. N.E. (3008972) for a Land Use Application to allow three buildings of retail and restaurant in an environmentally critical area (University Village). Parking for 700 vehicles to be provided in four levels above grade. Project includes grading. Existing structure to be demolished. The following approvals are required: Design Review; SEPA environmental determination (This project is subject to the Optional DNS Process (WAC 197-11-355) and Early DNS Process (SMC 25.05.355). This comment period may be the only opportunity to comment on the environmental impacts of this proposal.) Building, demolition and grading permits may be needed but were not included in this application. Written comments accepted through Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department's North Precinct. They represent the officers' accounts of the events described.DARING BURGLARYA woman woke up in her home in the 4500 block of Linden Avenue North around 5:25 a.m. on Aug. 13 to hear papers rustling next to her head. She then saw a large woman going through her purse next to the bed.The suspect immediately ran out of the home and into a vehicle with the resident following her.The resident was able to get the suspect's license-plate number, but police determined that it was stolen in West Seattle the day before.A checkbook and another resident's purse were stolen.
The following is the menu for Seattle Public Schools' elementary students. All breakfasts include toast, fruit, juice and milk. Lunches include vegetables, fruit and milk. The menu is subject to change.WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 3 Breakfast: Hot or cold cereal.Lunch: Chicken drummies or Mozzarella cheese breadsticks.THURSDAY, SEPT. 4Breakfast: Hot or cold cereal.Lunch: Hamburger or Breaded fish nuggets.FRIDAY, SEPT. 5Breakfast: Pancake on a stick.Lunch: Deli wrap with turkey-ham, cheese and shredded lettuce or Veggie burger with our without American cheese on multigrain bun.
In last week's issue, it was stated that View Ridge Elementary School's special-education teacher Lynn Ronald will receive the 2008 Antioch Distinguished Alumna award. Ronald actually received the award in June.It is posted correctly on-line.
B.F. DAYPARTNER SCHOOL: The Office Max on Leary Way chose B.F. Day as its partner school for its "A Day Made Better Day" on Oct. 1.On that day, a B.F. Day teacher will receive a package containing more than $1,000 worth of classroom supplies.
Sixty students from Seattle high schools finished up a tough, three-week summer-school language program last Friday, Aug. 22, at Seattle University. The program was tough because students in the daylong classes were only allowed to speak either Mandarin Chinese or Arabic. And the total-immersion approach was part of a broader effort by OneWorld Now! to introduce students of color and low-income students to the rarely taught but widely spoken languages, according to Kristin Hayden, the founder and executive director of the program.
You know you're at a real hot spot when you kick back in the swimming pool to chat with a retired Roman Catholic priest. Of course, our conversation came to the subject of being single, as it usually does around me.The priest presented a philosophy I instantly embraced. He talked of being single as a calling, not as a bad joke or a lack on my part. Being single can provide opportunities and freedom of choices and time that enriches life.
Two weeks ago, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that a recall effort against Port of Seattle Commissioner Pat Davis could proceed as planned. The unanimous ruling - which found that there was evidence of official malfeasance in Davis's secret 2006 guarantee of a lucrative golden parachute to retiring Port CEO Mic Dinsmore - was pretty unequivocal:"We can infer from the record that Commmissioner Davis understood her duties as Port commissioner and the legal necessity of voting in public session before potentially obligating the Port in any monetary agreement and, for purposes of recall, intentionally acted outside the scope of these duties by signing an agreement with Dinsmore."But the issue here isn't just Dinsmore's contract. For decades, the Port of Seattle - secure in its separate taxing authority for King County- has been the most corrupt and arrogant public agency in the state, which is saying something. The cronyism, back-scratching, sweetheart deals and corporate welfare know almost no bounds. And during each of her 22 years on the Port Commission, Davis has championed that cronyism and staunchly resisted any efforts at accountability and reform. (It was also her initiative that brought the World Trade Organization ministerial to Seattle in 1999.) For years, Pat Davis has exemplified everything wrong at the Port.
So now we know. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware will be Barack Obama's running mate in the coming presidential election.Choosing Biden represents a practical, pragmatic and even logical choice for the Democratic ticket. He's a six-term senator, a former presidential candidate and an acknowledged foreign policy expert whose presence should add some heft to the Democratic ticket. Also, Biden is expected to be something of an attack dog in the coming months, someone who won't hesitate to lob verbal attacks against John McCain and whomever McCain chooses for his vice president.The Democrats also expect that Biden will provide a dose of name recognition. Anyone following this year's contest closely will recall he declared for the nomination this year, fresh off a verbal gaffe that doomed his slim chances before he was out of the gate. Biden's blue-collar roots and pro-union stance should be appealing to some voters. And his lengthy Senate career and foreign-policy credentials are presumed to offset what are considered Obama's biggest deficiencies. There is supportable thinking behind choosing Biden; he's not a bad choice.But he's hardly an inspired one.