Human rights for undocumented workers - speaker at RBCC Wednesday

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Richmond Beach Congregational Church, UCC is sponsoring a series of discussions on three different social issues – homelessness, immigration, and trafficking.

Adult Faith Formation and Peace and Justice committees are working together to present these sessions. The public is welcome.

The series is on Wednesdays evenings from 7-8:30pm. The church address is 1512 NW 195th, Shoreline 98177.

March 28th:  We will be hearing about immigration rights. Stacy Kitahata is a volunteer with the Washington New Sanctuary Movement, a local interfaith coalition advocating for the rights of all immigrants and standing with those caught in an unjust system.

Stacy is presently Program Director with the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship.  For more than  20 years Stacy served in multicultural ministry, as Dean of the Community with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and with the Division for Global Mission.





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Hopelink volunteers tell you how to get around Puget Sound

Getting Around Puget Sound, Wednesday, March 28, 11am-1pm
Third Place Commons at Lake Forest Park Towne Centre

Do you need to find ways to get around the area? Meet with Hopelink volunteers to talk about all the options: bus, taxis, volunteer drivers, ride sharing, and community transportation. 

Look for the Hopelink tablecloth.



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Films or fiddles - King county libraries cover the Civil War

Lance Rhoades, of the Seattle Film Institute, will present a multi-media program on the Civil War in Cinema on Monday, March 26, 7pm at the Shoreline Library.

From Birth of a Nation to Ken Burns: The Civil War in Cinema

The American Civil War has always been a popular subject in cinema. The results reflect not only the nation's ongoing attempt to understand that traumatic time, but also reveal changing attitudes about American identity and character. This multimedia presentation provides a comprehensive view of the American Civil War as seen through more than a century of films.

This event is free of charge

The Shoreline Library is located at 345 NE 175th st (175th and 5th NE, 206-362-7550.


Fiddle Tunes of the Civil War
Presented by Vivian and Phil Williams.

Hear Civil War tunes played, sung, and danced to, at home and around the campfire. Listen to stories about the music, accounts of from Civil War diaries, and descriptions of period dances. The program is based on historical research and the music is played on instruments from the era, including fiddle, guitar and banjo. 

Vivian and Paul Williams are well known in the U.S. and Canada for old time and bluegrass fiddling, mandolin, bass and banjo. They helped found the Seattle Folklore Society, Northwest Folklife and the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association.

Saturday, April 28, 2pm Kenmore Library



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American Red Cross to Honor Shoreline & North Bend Heroes

Ainsley Hewson meets Eric Zender
Photo courtesy Shoreline Fire
The American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties will honor Eric Zender, a resident of Shoreline and a fireman for the Shoreline Fire Department, and Jason Mark of North Bend at its 16th Annual Heroes Breakfast on Tuesday, March 27, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. 

Zender and Mark, two of a dozen heroes to be recognized, will receive the Nature Rescue Award, which is sponsored by Costco Wholesale.

Jason Mark and Eric Zender’s Story

It was a Mark family tradition to spend the Fourth of July at Denny Creek enjoying the hiking trails and water slides. Last year was no exception. There were a lot of families enjoying the sunshine; however, the water was running high and fast because of melting snow.

Jason Mark noticed one family in particular. Darryn Hewson was walking with his two daughters, one strapped to his chest while the other, four-year-old Ainsley Hewson, walked by his side holding his hand. Not long afterwards, Mark heard the sound of a screaming man. As Mark looked up he saw, Darryn Hewson, but one of the little girls was missing. 
Ainsley Hewson had fallen into the creek and had been swept away in the whitewater.

Mark’s wife called 9-1-1 while he and others frantically searched for the little girl. The water was very cold and the current strong. After about 10 minutes, several people began to give up and get out of the water. “I knew I couldn’t give up. Not with my family watching,” recalled Mark. “I got down on my knees and prayed. It was like I just knew where she was.” He then raced to a pile of fallen trees, worked his way into the water one last time and reached between a rock and the tree for what he hoped would be Ainsley Hewson. He found her.

As he pulled the little girl from the water, Mark called for help. Eric Zender jumped into action as soon as Mark handed Ainsley Hewson’s lifeless body to him. Zender began CPR. After 20 grueling minutes of chest compressions, he noticed a heartbeat. After two more minutes of rescue breaths, she began to breathe again.

Ainsley toured Shoreline Fire station
and tried on Eric Zender's helmet

Ainsley Hewson was transported to Harborview and then Seattle Children’s Hospital. The doctors anticipated weeks of recovery, but she was released one week later fully recovered.

“A lot of people didn’t respond that day, said Darryn Hewson. “They [Mark and Zender] are the example of what all of us should be. They are a gift to my family. Their presence is what saved my little girl.”

About the Heroes Breakfast
The annual breakfast raises critical funds that help support local Red Cross programs and services. Puget Sound Energy and Costco are this year’s major sponsors. Guests must RSVP ahead of time to 206.709.4536.

The American Red Cross is a non-profit, humanitarian agency dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world.


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Children's Center registration for summer starts April 2

They may look like professional models, but they are local kids
at the Children's Center
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

The Shoreline Children’s Center and Extended Day Program offers a high quality and cost-effective summer recreational program that begins right after the end of the school year and continues until several days before the start of the new school year. 

This program is available for children 2-1/2 years old through 6th grade, and runs from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Students are placed in age-appropriate classrooms and participate in an array of theme-based learning and recreational activities. 

Also included are field trips, water days, BBQs, outdoor playtime, literature, bike days, water days, movies and many other activities. Additionally, students may choose to participate in a variety of specialized enrichment classes including art, science, cooking, and more. Gymnastics and swimming lessons are also offered for an additional fee. Many students return summer after summer.

Registration for the summer program begins April 2, 2012, and registration packets can be picked up at the Children’s Center, 1900 N 170th St. Payment (for the first month attended) and required fees are due in full before beginning the summer program. For further information contact the Shoreline Children’s Center at 206-393-4256.



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CleanScapes to announce $10,000 neighborhood award on Earth Day April 21



The winning neighborhood collection area will win $10,000 toward a community project. Last year, the Friday collection area chose to fund two projects that are nearly complete: artist-designed quarter-mile markers on the Interurban Trail, and a public amenity at the new Twin Ponds community garden.



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Retiring legislator from LFP’s new district points to problems with Senate budget proposal

Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney
State Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, who represents the 46th district that soon will include Lake Forest Park, says that a new budget proposal from the State Senate appears to be moving to what the House budget proposes for public schools and higher education, but contains major differences in other important areas.

Kenney, who has said she won’t seek another term in the 46th Legislative District, said in a report to constituents early this week, “Those differences represent very divergent values. If the newest proposal is passed as written, some of the most vulnerable people in our state will be devastated."

Kenney said that the proposal from a group of Senate Republicans and conservative Democrats would have these consequences:
  • 14,500 disabled people lose their medical coverage
  • 10,000 disabled people lose their homes
  • 3,350 low-income families lose their only source of income during this recession
  • 12,300 low-income families lose their food assistance
  • Public money would go to charter schools.



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Lost and Found: bikes can be registered with the Shoreline police

Found - contact Patty Hale 206-365-8596

This bike was found in the Ridgecrest Neighborhood on Saturday, March 24th.
You can claim it by contacting Patty Hale at 206-365-8596.

Patty would like to remind you that you can registar your bike free of charge at any of the three police stations in Shoreline. You will need photo ID.

If your bike is registered, you will be contacted by the Shoreline Police if your stolen bike is turned in or located by police.

Westside Neighborhood Center
624 NW Richmond Beach Rd.
Shoreline, WA 98177
Deputy Leona Obstler
(206) 546-3636
Monday-Friday
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

Eastside Neighborhood Center
521 NE 165 St.
Shoreline, WA 98177
Deputy Greg McKinney
(206) 363-8424
Monday-Friday
10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shoreline Police Station
1206 N. 185th St.
Shoreline, WA 98133
(206) 801-2710
After Hours: Call 911 or non-emergency (206) 296-3311
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.



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Former Shoreline School Board member to run for Congress in 2nd District

Dan Matthews, former LFP resident
is running for congress
By Evan Smith

Former Shoreline School Board member Dan Matthews has declared his candidacy against 2nd District Congressman Rick Larsen.

The 2nd Congressional District will now include the urban areas of Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties and all of Island and San Juan counties,

Republican Matthews, a former military man who now lives in Mukilteo, is a self-described social and fiscal conservative.

Matthews is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who served in the Vietnam War and Desert Storm conflict, according to information provided by his campaign. Today he is an instructor pilot for the Boeing Co. and teaches people how to fly the 747 aircraft.

He was a member of the School Board in the 1980s at the same time as now Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.



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Donna Eggen: A beautiful patchwork of service

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Donna Eggen in India with donated glasses
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen


By Mark D. Goodwin

Mark D. Goodwin was a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory when he wrote this story as an intern for the ShorelineAreaNews.


Donna Eggen always wanted to see faraway places and be of service to other people. “Missions have been a wonderful way to combine these,” she said.

But piecing it all together takes time. No one knows this better than Eggen, 61: she’s an award-winning quilter, rotary member, and international volunteering optician. Born in Tacoma, she relocated to Shoreline to attend the University of Washington. Which is, incidentally, where she met her husband: (now Shoreline Councilman) Chris Eggen.

They’ve raised two children, now grown, and have lived in Shoreline for 37 years. It was in the late 90s when Donna was first bitten by the international volunteering bug. She had worked at the local level several times, but never on the scale of what she was about to make regular practice.

Volunteering is part of Donna's nature.
Here she stacks rocks in a community building project.
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen


According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 26 percent of Americans volunteered (at least once) between September of 2009 and 2010. The United Kingdom’s government website reports 41 percent of its citizens volunteered in the year prior. 

Eggen says “It’s just a part of my nature.”

Cecily Kalman is Eggen’s best friend of 27 years. “We adore each other. She is an incredibly positive thinker, [and has] amazing devotion to the betterment of the world,” Kalman said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her and I can’t get enough of it. She’s just a great person - very generous and very caring.”

Donna in Honduras with a local at an optical clinic
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen

She applied for her first mission while working as an optician for Lens Crafters in 1997. She was selected for a team travelling to the Philippines to implement the charitable program: “Gift of Sight.” Old and used glasses from the several regional Lens Crafters locations are collected and donated to impoverished peoples around the world. According to Eggen, they helped 16,000 people in eight clinic days on this particular tour.

Similar Lens Crafters sponsored trips to Chile and Guatemala followed, and she was hooked. In 2003, a special kind of agenda was pieced together to help the children of San Felipe, Mexico (about 100 miles north of Mexico City). 

“Instead of bringing used glasses, we brought everything necessary to make glasses [there],” Eggen said. They brought frames, lenses, machines, and set up doctor lanes to serve an average of 500 kids per day.

Donna in Honduras
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen


An entire month was spent in the town - the longest Eggen had ever been away from home. “On day 19, I hit the wall and cried from homesickness,” Eggen said. “I called home 2-3 times a week.”

The “Gift of Sight” program soon grew so vast, so quickly, that Eggen no longer worked with the charity. She would not be deterred from helping the disadvantaged, however.

“Another avenue opened up through my church. I go to North Seattle Friends Church - a Quaker Church,” explained Eggen. A husband and wife “doctor team” gave a presentation about their charitable medical work in Honduras. It inspired Eggen to ask if she could help within her capacity as an optician. They were thrilled and asked her to go with them on their next trip to San Marcos, Honduras.

On this trip, Eggen worked under her own authority to help people get the right glasses they needed. “I felt quite a sense of accomplishment to be doing this on my own,” she said. “People were so happy to see for reading, sewing and near-work.”

On their next trip to Honduras, Eggen thought to bring sunglasses for donation, and they too were widely appreciated. This had never occurred to her before, and became standard practice. She also managed to fit in a small vacation at the end of her work, travelling to the Ruins of Copán and a nearby bird sanctuary.

Donna went on a church mission to Burundi, Africa
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen


A mere nine days after returning from Honduras for the second time, Eggen traveled with other members of her church to build a women’s shelter in Gitega, Burundi (a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Africa near Congo). While there, they also carved a terraced outdoor amphitheater into an ideal hillside next to the rising shelter.

“I had seen poverty before, but nothing like this,” she said. “They were dressed in rags. For the first time on any mission, it moved me to tears.”

On her next trip into town she personally bought twenty outfits to give away at their farewell ceremonies.
There's a tailor in India who can now see to thread his needle
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen

Her next mission with fellow church members was again aimed to help with medical and vision needs. Not in Honduras this time, but Bangalore, India. After a week and a half of clinics in three different villages, Eggen recalled a particularly special case in which she and her companions intervened on an even deeper level.

“A woman with a handicapped son of six years could no longer carry him,” she remembers. They gave the woman funds to purchase a wheelchair and helmet for her boy.

Once settled back at home, Eggen joined the Rain City Rotary of Shoreline. Every Christmas they cook and serve dinner at Mary’s Place, a shelter for women downtown; they start community gardens; the local rotary district recently gathered over 20,000 books locally and shipped them to needy children in Africa.

Donna administering polio vaccine to an African child
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen

Eggen soon learned of the “Polio Plus Challenge” (currently called “End Polio Now”), a partnership with the Gates Foundation to eradicate polio worldwide. She began asking around as to who she should talk to about getting involved.

Every October, local activist and South Seattle insurance salesman Ezra Teshome organized a trip to Ethiopia for his mission to end polio in his home country. Last year, he was awarded the World Citizen award by the World Affairs Council of Seattle, and was even recognized as one of Time’s “10 Global Health Heroes.” In 2009, Eggen joined with his group via the Rotary chapter.

This was the first time she raised funds by simply asking other people for money. “I was astounded how eager people were to help and donate,” she said.

Once there, the Rotary Club volunteers walked the countryside neighborhoods of Harrar, Ethiopia. They knocked on doors, asking people to bring their kids into the city for free vaccinations. “Only one father was doubtful about the safety of the vaccine, but we convinced him it was safe,” she said. She did have the opportunity to vaccinate some of the children herself, as well.


Donna uses the pattern on the hem of her dress to 

help gauge the glasses for a seamstress in India
Photo courtesy Donna Eggen
In 2011, Eggen was back in India. On this trip, she made a point to tour four different slums. “That was a very sobering experience. The most unusual was ‘Pipe City,’” she said. “They live in huge six-foot diameter, ten-foot long, concrete pipes.” The inhabitants seal each end with crude brick and mortar, and the concrete company, which placed the pipes, provides power and water.

“After returning home from seeing all this poverty, I looked around at all I have,” she recalls, “It made me both happy and sad at the same time.”


Donna finished her quilt!


Eggen is currently working on a quilt to commemorate her last six missions. She had photos from her travels transferred to fabric, and has a design in mind. She said, “I’ve gathered fabrics from all the areas that I’ve visited and plan on including them in my quilt.”

She has been quilting for over three decades, belongs to two quilting guilds, and won prizes for her art quilt, “Fantastic Garden,” at the Evergreen State Fair. Eggen has made quilts for friends and family, but only ever sold them in charity auctions.

“I’m a very traditional quilter, I prefer regular piecing… I will be quilting until my life is done,” she vowed. When asked about her plans for future volunteering around the world, Eggen said, “No plans right now, but who knows?”

Over her ten missions, Donna Eggen has directly helped tens of thousands of people around the world, and it’s possible for you to do the same. Information about volunteer opportunities at the web pages for: Rotary, Rain City Rotary or volunteering in Shoreline.

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Orchid Society show - copy this ticket for a free raffle entry




THE NORTHWEST ORCHID SOCIETY



The 2012 Northwest Orchid Society Judged Orchid Show and Sale will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2012 (10 am to 6 pm) and Sunday, April 15 (10 am to 5 pm) at Sky Nursery, 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline; directions.



This is a free family-friendly event with orchid displays created by hobbyists from the Puget Sound area, Skagit Valley, eastern Washington, and Oregon with a special display by the Volunteer Park Conservatory. Individual blooming orchid plants and displays will be judged by American Orchid Society teams as well as by local hobbyists. Vendors will also offer specialty orchids for sale. This is a great place to ask questions related to orchid growing in the home, yard, and greenhouse.



The NWOS is a regional organization with members throughout the Puget Sound area. It meets the second Monday of every month at 7 pm from September through June at the Center for Urban Horticulture (near University Village: 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle). Meetings are open to the public.



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Backyard Birds: Chickadee coming in for a landing

Coming in for a landing
Black-capped Chickadee
Photo by Wayne Pridemore


Wayne says: "One of our favorite visitors to the backyard bird feeder is the Black-capped Chickadee. The distinctive black cap and bib; white cheeks; and gray back, wings, and tail make it easy to identify. The Chickadee will always have flock companions when they arrive and they seldom remain on the feeder perch long. They will grab a morsel and fly to a nearby perch to eat. Chickadees are found in Shoreline because they prefer an area with an abundance of trees and woody shrubs. The little birds are almost always universally considered cute. Their quickness to discover feeders add to the Chickadees' appeal."



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District program builds self-sufficiency in special needs students

Preparing a bulk mailing
Photo byRenee Leveque Wass

Local businesses benefit from low-cost services
By Pam Stucky

Students with special needs can attend classes in Shoreline until age 21 – but what happens after that? How does our school district help develop these students into good citizens and workers, help them become as self-sufficient as possible, and create an independent life style for their futures?

The Shoreline Training and Production Center (STPC) addresses those very questions. STPC is a school district program, led by Renee Leveque Wass, that offers a unique educational program for students with special needs in the district, as well as providing a cost-effective way for businesses to have their products assembled and distributed.

“The emphasis of the training and production center is to develop vocational and behavioral skills suitable for preparing the student for a successful experience in either community employment or, more specifically, a supported employment,” said Wass. “The program is used as an evaluation tool to determine when our students are ready for work experience in the community.”

Students at the STPC have been working with community businesses for nearly three decades now, since the program was formed in the mid-eighties. The program offers a variety of low-cost services, including bulk mailing (stuffing envelopes, sorting by zip codes, stapling, folding, and so on), assembling (packaging washers, screws, etc.), engraving pencils and napkins, making buttons, shredding documents, and more.

Student workers assemble and package items
Photo by Renee Leveque Wass
The STPC provides training to mostly high-school-age (15-21) students with special needs. All Shoreline high school students with special needs have the opportunity to access the program. Students receive incentives when they meet specific goals and objectives while in the program.

“Our students have benefited greatly through their participation in the program,” said Wass. “The students have developed positive work attitudes and behaviors, as well as learned important skills that will broaden their employment opportunities in the future.”

Austin's work is careful and precise
Photo by Renee Leveque Wass
Businesses that work with the STPC sing its praises. “Thank you very much for the amazingly fast and careful job you did with our bulk mail,” said Maygan Wurzer from All That Dance Studio. “We are so appreciative and will definitely use you in the future again.”

The program has been housed at Shorecrest High School for decades, but will move to the Shoreline Center from fall 2012 through spring 2014 while schools are being remodeled. 

Eddy is learning production skills
Photo by Renee Leveque Wass
The staffing and facilities for the STPC are funded by state and local dollars. Funds generated from the work students perform go back into supporting the program. Wass encourages area businesses to utilize the STPC services; anyone interested in finding out more can contact the program at 206-393-4315 or email.


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Lake Forest Park City Council makes changes to its meeting schedule

At its March 22, 2012 Council meeting, the Lake Forest Park City Council adopted Ordinance 1039, making changes to its meeting schedule.

According to Susan Stine, City Clerk, the City Council regular business meetings will remain on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, except for the second half of November and December. The meeting time has been changed to 7 pm.

An additional regular council meeting each month serving as a work session will be held on the Monday preceding the fourth Thursday, except for the months of November and December. The Council work session meetings will begin at 6:30 pm.

Meetings will be held at City Hall.




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Shoreline Community College Softball, the “Spirit” of SCC

Photo by Wilson Tsoi

From the SCC Athletics Department  GO DOLPHINS!!!!

On November 8th, 2011, the Shoreline Community College Volleyball Team was playing at Bellevue College, the SCC Lady Dolphins needed a win to claim the NWAACC Northern Region Championship over the Bulldogs and in what you would think would be a hostile crowd at BC and make the game even a bigger challenge…..but not so fast, the Shoreline Community College Softball Team was in attendance, mostly wearing their “Neon” green practice shirts and taking over the middle of the bleachers in the BC Gym. This was no normal crowd for a home game at Bellevue College.

The SCC volleyball team fell behind early, dropping the first game but the Lady Dolphin Softball Team starting making some noise, the SCC Volleyball Team rallied behind the “Home” crowd at BC and won the match 3-1 and to claim the regional title.

Coach Swehla
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
Flash forward to the SCC Homecoming Basketball Games on Wednesday, February 8th, another sea of “Neon” green can be seen in the in the middle of SCC bleachers. The Lady Dolphin Softball Team are there in force again, helping the women’s basketball team take North Seattle CC into overtime before losing the game and shaking the SCC Gym with a roar as the SCC Men’s Basketball Team routs the Storm in convincing fashion.

Flashback again, and the SCC Softball Team is on a bus heading to Olympia, WA with many other SCC students; the group is heading to the state’s capital to protest the budget cuts to higher education in the State of Washington. And flash forward once more; the SCC Softball Team is helping collect food for the SCC’s Martin Luther King food drive. They are at an off-campus supermarket, on the holiday, working for a good cause on their own time.

Syrina Bailey
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
SCC Softball Coach, Lance Swehla says: “I think that all of the athletic community at SCC should support each other and the college. Student-athletes put in a lot of time and energy into their academic and athletic success, so I think that the athletes enjoy seeing the other teams at their games, supporting them” and Coach Swehla talks about the trip to Olympia: “I think taking the team to Olympia was important because the cuts in higher education is a real issue and we are attempting to be a part of the process that will provide a solution for a quality education for local students to Shoreline.

Sophomore Syrina Bailly, who plays outfield for the Dolphins, thinks: “We all love supporting the teams, because we know it picks them up and keeps that fire going”.

Chelsea Lindroth, second baseball on the team, thinks it’s all about “Unity”. “The feeling of unity that comes with everyone working towards a common goal is something our school needs more of, such as when the softball team and other students came together and went to protest the projected budget cuts for next year to higher education. There were a lot of students on that bus, international and domestic, athlete and non-athlete; all were united for the common cause”.

Sophie Overlock-Pauley
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
Athletic Director Doug Palmer wishes more of his teams were like softball, “Softball is a model program for us, they do well on the field, they do well in the classroom, they raise lots of funds for themselves and they support all of the teams at games. If we could get all of our teams and coaches to buy into this kind of support, then no team would ever play just in front of parents and friends”. But he thinks, when the coaches are all part-time, it is hard for the buy-in sometimes. 

“It is difficult at this level at times for coaches to get players at other team’s games as our coaches work other jobs, our student-athletes work jobs and maintain lives outside of the college, as this is not NCAA I, where you have full-time coaches and students who are on full-scholarships. At community college, most coaches work a full-time job elsewhere and then coach on the side; our student-athletes have some partial scholarship money, but not much and most of them work a job, and go to school and try to have some sort of social life as well. But all of the sports here appreciate our softball team and try to model their programs after softball in certain ways, almost all of our teams model their fund-raising efforts after the softball program, I just hope they begin to model their support of other teams and the college as a whole too”.

Chelsea Lindroth
Photo by Wilson Tsoi

Sophie Overlock-Pauley may have put it best, when she said: “Not only does this team work hard during practice and games, we work hard to cheer and support other teams, even if we lose our voices from cheering so loud, it gives me great sense of pride that we have people coming up to us after games and saying how the really appreciated what we’re doing”.

So if you see a crowd of “Neon” green women heading toward your gym, you may need to get out of the way, as the Shoreline CC Softball Team may have arrived and the Spirit of Shoreline Community College as arrived with them and usually that means, the opponent is going to lose that night to SCC and “Neon” green is taking over your gym or field.



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Home Girls: Foreclosure Alternative - The Short Sale, part 3 "The Disadvantages"

Provided by Home Girl Nan Skinner,
Keller Williams Real Estate


Foreclosure Alternative: The Short Sale (part 3)

Disadvantages of a short sale process


Your credit score will take a severe hit. But that would happen anyway with a foreclosure. Fair Isaac, creator of the FICO score, says foreclosure and short sales have virtually identical impacts on your credit score. VantageScore—a company that has created a credit score model for consumers—says a short sale will lead to only a marginally lighter hit when compared with foreclosure.

You may owe additional taxes. In the past, if your outstanding mortgage was $100,000 and your lender accepted a short-sale purchase offer of $90,000, you were liable for income tax on the forgiven $10,000, says Harlan D. Platt, economist and professor of finance at Northeastern University in Boston. However, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, which runs through 2012, generally allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence in some circumstances. Full relief is available only if the amount of forgiven debt doesn’t exceed the debt that was used to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate a principal residence. Consult a tax professional and an attorney to minimize or avoid this liability.

In some states, your lender may still be able to come after you for the difference between the short sale price and the amount needed to pay off the mortgage. Your actual agreement with your lender and state and local laws and regulations spell out the details. Consult a tax professional and an attorney to minimize or avoid this liability.


Previous articles:

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TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy advances to next level in March Can Drive

Toni & Guy at Gateway Plaza
Photo by Steven H. Robinson
Drop off food and / or cash at Toni / Guy at Gateway Plaza, 185th and Midvale / Aurora.

TONI and GUY Hairdressing Academy will represent Shoreline in Round 3 of Hopelink’s March Can Drive competition to help stock the agency’s food banks. The single-elimination competition continues through March 30.

In the second week of the contest, TONI and GUY Hairdressing Academy collected 489 pounds of food for a score of 48.9 – eliminating Sterling Savings Bank, which collected 131 pounds for a score of 32.75. Chuck Olson Chevrolet Kia brought in 8 pounds of food and $250 cash for a score of 4.96 and were knocked out of the competition by Jake's Kirkland/Life is Good, which collected 98 pounds of food for a score of 49.

To ensure that businesses of all sizes are able to compete on a level playing field, the competition uses a unique scoring system: the total pounds of food donated by a business are divided by the total number of employees, resulting in a competitive “score.”

In Round 3, TONI and GUY Hairdressing Academy will face off against Jake's Kirkland/Life is Good.

The 16 businesses competing in week 2 collected a total of 4,520 pounds of food and $788 in cash, bringing the total for the campaign so far to 9,455 pounds and $1,878.

Hopelink’s third annual competition is patterned after the national spring college basketball tournament, matching businesses in weekly contests to see which one can bring in the most food. Teams are bracketed together in pairs and one winner from each 2-member bracket advances to the following week.

Businesses set to face off in Round 3 of the competition:
  • 180 Degrees Chiropractic, Redmond
  • Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce
  • Guild Mortgage, Kirkland
  • Hallmark Realty, Kirkland
  • Hancock's Bakery, Redmond
  • Jake's Kirkland/Life is Good
  • Redmond Athletic Club
  • TONI and GUY Hairdressing Academy, Shoreline





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Shoreline Eats4Health Awareness Month: March 28 Kick-Off Event

Friday, March 23, 2012

Are you ready for a change to a healthier way of eating? Looking for inspiration or new ideas as you plan your meals? Need help with healthy meal preparation techniques? During the entire month of April the City and many community partners will celebrate Eats4Health month by highlighting learning opportunities, specials on nutritious foods at local stores, and lifestyle changes that can help residents lead a healthy life.

In Shoreline's Vision 2029 Statement, a 20-year community vision, Shoreline is described as a "healthy community." To further this vision, Council adopted a Healthy City Strategy that supports and encourages community members to make healthy lifestyle choices.

A primary component in healthy lifestyles is nutritious food. Access to sources of healthy food and knowing how to prepare healthy meals provides the foundation for nutritious diets and lowers the risk of obesity and diabetes. During the entire month of April the City and many community partners will celebrate Eats4Health month by highlighting learning opportunities, specials on nutritious foods at local stores, and lifestyle changes that can help residents lead a healthy life.

To kick off Eats4Health month, please join the City and partner organizations at a Healthy Eating Event on Wednesday, March 28, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall. Tricia Clement, dietician and certified diabetes educator at Northwest Hospital, will present Keen Cuisine: Cents and Sensibility in the Kitchen, which will focus on low cost ways to make your meals healthful while tantalizing your taste buds. Clement has more than 20 years of experience working with both inpatients and outpatients, co-teaches the "Living Well Diabetes" classes at the hospital, and frequently participates in community events to promote wellness.

After Clement’s presentation, residents can sample food, pick up new recipes and get information on making healthy food and lifestyle choices at a vendor fair of local companies and organizations. Partner organizations include: UW Medicine/Northwest Hospital, Dale Turner YMCA, Shoreline Lake-Forest Park Senior Center, Shoreline School District Food Services, Central Market, Tiny Organics, Shoreline Farmer’s Market and Diggin' Shoreline.

Visit here to learn more. For questions about the City of Shoreline’s Healthy City Strategy contact Community Services Manager Rob Beem or 206-801-2251.



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Regional history day at Shoreline Center for student history projects

History Day exhibits 2012
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Students from 23 public and private schools in north and east King County and Bainbridge Island presented their original research on Wednesday, March 21, during the North Puget Sound Regional History Day contest at the Shoreline Center.

Vicki Stiles, Shoreline Historical Museum Director, talks to exhibitors
Photo by Steven H. Robinson
The culmination of a year-long program in which students choose and research a topic, learning historical research principles and strategies, North Puget Sound Regional History Day is part of a national effort to enhance history education and prepare students to become informed and involved citizens.

Prepping for presentation to judges
Photo by Don Wilson
At the Shoreline regional event, 490 students in grades 6 to 12 conducted research and presented their results in one of five categories: exhibits, papers, multi-media documentaries, original performances and websites.

The team is intent, making a last minute review of web sites
Photo by Don Wilson

They worked as individuals or in groups of up to five members. Students were present from the Bainbridge Island, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline school districts and the Washington Virtual Academy. Private schools participating included Lakeside Upper School, Lake Washington Girls Middle School, and Seattle Prep.

2000 students at the Shoreline Center
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

More than 2,000 students took part in seven regional contests held around the state, competing in the junior (grades 6-8) or senior divisions (grades 9-12). They hoped to qualify for the state competition at Bellevue College on Saturday, May 5. The top two finishers in each category at state will compete in the national contest June 10 to 14 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

"The regional contest gives students a chance to get some good feedback on their projects," said North Puget Sound History Day Regional Coordinator Randy Schnabel, a retired Shorewood High School history teacher. "It's not unusual to see projects that are college-level or better. Students put their heart, soul and brain into their research, and it shows."

Vicki Stiles with Stephen Li, who won a specific category
and received a certificate and $100
Photo by Don Wilson 
This year's contest theme is "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History." Students have applied the theme creatively, according to Schnabel. "History Day students have done extensive research on a wide variety of topics, and the results are impressive."

As part of the judging, students were interviewed about their project, provided a complete bibliography and a paper describing their research process.





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Man with a gun menacing children? There's no story here

At 8:40 AM on Thursday, March 22, 2012, Shoreline Officers responded to a report that children at a bus stop in the Briarcrest area had been threatened by a man in a car with a gun.

Somehow this got to the media and on radio.

The children, 3rd graders, were interviewed by officers and they said that a man in a car looked at them in a mean way.

That's it. Somehow when they told older siblings it went from a mean look, to a mean man pointing at them, to a man pointing a gun at them.

Sgt. Steve R. Sowers says, "So if anyone asks, now you can tell them there were no threats, and certainly no firearm."



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Cowboy Buck and Elizabeth at Fircrest March 29, all welcome

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We’ll know by March 30 whether there’ll be an election to fill Inslee’s seat

By Evan Smith

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire will decide by March 30 whether we’ll vote in November on filling the last few weeks of Jay Inslee’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The governor has authority to call for a special election within 10 days of a seat’s becoming vacant. Inslee's position became vacant March 20.

Gregoire could have called a spring election if the seat had been vacant by March 6 – eight months before the November election, but now she only can call a November election, an election that would fill the position for the time between the Dec. 4 election certification and the beginning of the new Congressional term in early January, a period that may or may not include part of a post-election “lame-duck” session.

A November special election would mean that voters in Shoreline, Edmonds, Woodway and nearby areas would vote for a full term in the new 7th District and a four-week term in the old 1st Congressional District.

It also would mean that voters in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Brier would vote for a full term in the new 2nd District and a short term in the old 1st District, that voters on Bainbridge Island would vote for a full term in the new 6th District and a short term in the old 1st District, and that voters in Bothell, Redmond and Kirkland would vote for a full term in the new 1st District and a short term in the old 1st District.

State co-director of elections Katie Blinn said Monday morning that it would mean lots of different ballots in King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties and that there would be many precincts where some voters would get one ballot and others would get another.

Blinn also said that she is concerned about confusing voters with two U.S. representative contests on the same ballot.

Later in the day, the secretary of state's spokesman, Dave Ammons, said after a meeting with Secretary of State Sam Reed that the secretary’s representatives would meet with the governor’s lawyer to discuss what the governor might do.

Why can’t we have a general election for the short term at the time of the August primary, an election that would fill the vacancy for four months? Because of a state law that requires that an election called within eight months of a general election must be “in concert with the primary and general election, a law that the Legislature could change in the special session.
The U.S. Constitution gives governors the power to make interim appointments for the Senate but not for the House of Representatives.

For all state and local offices, there is someone with the power to make interim appointments.
In most years, the candidate elected for the full term would serve the last few weeks of the old term, but that’s not true in a redistricting year.

In other years, candidates for the position would run for a “short and full term.” The full term is the two-year term that starts in January. The short term is the last few weeks of the old term.

However, this year, the full term that begins in January is for the new 1st District, while the unexpired short term is for the old district. That means that the only way to fill both is to hold two elections, one for a full term in the new district, one for the short term in the old district.

Many of the candidates running in the new district don’t live in the old district, but they still could run for both because the only residency requirement is to live in the state.

Inslee resigned from Congress to pursue his bid for governor.




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