Bring $25,000 to your community – State Farm Neighborhood Assist

Have you ever wanted to help your community with a problem but didn’t know where to start? Maybe it’s a run-down park or to help the impoverished in your community. Now, YOU have the power to fix it. State Farm Neighborhood Assist wants to help identify and address key issues faced by consumers throughout the United States and parts of Canada.

State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative, lets communities determine where grant funding is awarded, exclusively through Facebook. The application is short and simple, and I encourage you to check out the Facebook application @ . You, or someone you know, could be the catalyst for positive change to your community cause!

The submission phase is open from February 13– March 6 and each Facebook user who downloads the free application can submit up to three causes. Anyone living in Canada or the United States with a Facebook account is eligible to submit a cause. It’s better to submit early - a maximum of 3,000 submissions will be accepted. All you have to do is submit the cause; you don’t have to “run the program.” The cause must fit into the categories of safety, community development or education.

After the submission stage ends, the State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a group of college and high school students from across the country, will read and narrow down all the submissions to the top 200 finalists. What the YAB is looking for:

1. How much does your cause focus on an unmet need in your community?
2. How would you use the $25,000 to address the unmet need?
3. How much of a lasting impact on your community would the proposal have?
4. How will your project define and measure your success?

Once the top 200 causes are identified, they will appear on the Facebook application to be voted on by you and your community. The voting stage will last from April 4 – 22 and each Facebook user gets 10 votes every day. Winners will be announced on April 29.

Top 5 stories for February 2013

These were the stories getting the most attention during the month of February in the Shoreline Area News:

Residential burglaries on the rise in Lake Forest Park

Feb 9, 2013

Accident in the morning fog

Feb 3, 2013

Bartell Drugs unveils newest advance in pharmacy-based blood pressure testing..

Feb 18, 2013

Wind surfers and kite boarders revel in the wind

Feb 22, 2013

Shoreline Bus driver moonlights as acrobat

Feb 3, 2013

Josh Hawkinson of Shorewood shares WESCO 3A South "Player of the Year" honors

Josh Hawkinson named Wesco 3A South
Co-Player of the Year
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Western Conference boys' basketball coaches have named Shorewood senior Josh Hawkinson and Glacier Peak senior Zach Pederson as WESCO 3A South co-players-of-the-year.

The two were part of an eight-player all-Wesco-3A-South first team along with two other players from division runner-up Glacier Peak and four from division champion Mountlake Terrace.

Shorewood seniors Ben Andrews and Taylor Freeman, Shorecrest seniors Sam Franks and Alex Horning, and Shorecrest junior Masambba Njadoe made up the whole five-member all-division second team.

Honorable mention went to Shorecrest senior Dylan Pontrello, two players from Meadowdale and one each from Glacier Peak and Mountlake Terrace.

Shorewood placed third in the division behind Mountlake Terrace and Glacier Peak, with Shorecrest fourth.

Mountlake Terrace and Glacier Peak went on to place second and third in the Northwest District 3A tournament behind Stanwood. Mountlake Terrace won its regional game from Foss of Tacoma last weekend and was to play in a State quarterfinal game against Lincoln of Tacoma at the Tacoma Dome Thursday. Stanwood lost its regional game to Franklin of Seattle, and Glacier Peak lost its regional game to Rainier Beach of Seattle.

Masha Shtikel of Shorewood named Wesco 3A South "Girl's Basketball Player of the Year"

Masha Shtikel named 3A South
Girls' basketball player of the year
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Shorewood senior Masha Shtikel has been named Western Conference 3A South Division girls' basketball player of the year.

Shtikel was joined on the all-division first team by players from each of the other four teams in the division, including Shorecrest junior Onyie Chibuogwu, and one player each from Glacier Peak, Meadowdale and Mountlake Terrace.

Second team honors went to Shorewood freshman Lily Gustafson, Shorecrest senior Annie Schlachter and one player from each of the other schools.

Honorable mention went to Shorewood senior Gabby Hager, Shorecrest freshman Bella Kemp, Shorecrest senior Keegan Monson, Shorewood senior Kassie Rasmussen, Shorewood senior Lauren Thompson, Shorewood senior Angel Tulee, and players from other Wesco 4A and 3A teams.

Shoreline Library March activities

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Shoreline Library

345 NE 175th Street, Shoreline 98155

206-362-7550

March 2013 Events

Children / Families

Korean Story Times

Friday, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 10:30am

Ages 3 to 6 with adult.

Spanish Story Times

Friday, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 1:30pm

Ages 3 to 6 with adult.

Chinese Story Times

Friday, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2:15pm

Ages 3 to 6 with adult.

Evening Family Story Times

Monday, March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 7pm

Family program, all ages welcome with adult.

Young Toddler Story Times

Tuesday, March 5, 12, 19 and 26, 10:05am

Ages 12 to 24 months with adult.

Preschool Story Times

Tuesday, March 5, 12, 19 and 26, 11am

Ages 3 to 6 with adult.

A Latin American Musical Tour

Sunday, March 10, 3:30pm

Presented by Coco Loco.

Family program, all ages welcome with adult. Discover the rhythms and instruments that are the heart of Latin American popular music, including cumbia, samba, salsa and cha cha cha. Concert presented in both English and Spanish.

Read to Me!

Through May 2013.

Newborn to age 5 with caregiver.

Read together for 20 minutes for 20 days in a month, and bring a completed Read to Me form to the library to select a free prize book! Ask at the Information Desk for more details. 

Teens

Game On!

Wednesday, March 6 and 20, 4-6pm

Play video games at the library.

Study Zone

Sundays-Thursdays, 5-7pm

When school is in session.

Grades K-12.

Drop-in during scheduled Study Zone hours for free homework help from volunteer tutors.

Shoreline Teen Advisory Board

Join the Teen Advisory Board and make decisions about what happens in your library. Ask at the Information Desk for dates and times.

Adults

Tax Help

Saturday, March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, Noon-4pm

Thursday, March 7, 14, 21 and 28, 4:30-8pm

Free tax assistance is provided by AARP/IRS. Bring your last year’s tax return. Electronic filing will be available.

Great Operatic Duets, Part II

Monday, March 4, 7pm

Many opera lovers have shared that their favorite part of operas are the duets, two voices blending. Norm Hollingshead will illustrate his commentary with recorded musical excerpts.

eReader and Digital Downloads Demo

Thursday, March 7, 4pm

Tuesday, March 12, 5pm

Learn how to download KCLS eBooks to your eReader device or computer during this digital downloads demonstration.

Shoreline Library Book Discussion Group

Moral Disorder: Stories by Margaret Atwood

Monday, March 11, 7pm

Citizenship Workshop

Tuesdays, 7pm

Get free individualized help with all stages of the process for becoming a United States citizen, from completing the application forms to preparing for a successful interview.

Talk Time

Wednesdays, 10am-Noon

Improve your speaking and listening skills in this English conversation group.

SCORE Counseling

Volunteers from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) are available by appointment to advise current and future small business owners. Please call 206.362.7550 or stop by the Information Desk to make an appointment.

SHIBA Counseling

Volunteers from SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) will offer free individual counseling in English and Chinese. Please call 206.362.7550 or stop by the Information Desk to make an appointment.

Computer Classes

Inquire at the Information Desk for dates and times.

A Place at the Table

KCLS invites everyone to find A Place at the Table! We’ll toss around fresh ideas about food, cooking, nutrition and growing and using locally produced food. In addition to offering new food ideas, preparation and planning skills, and handy online classes, videos and resources, the series will help everyone create a nourishing table by accepting non-perishable food donations, to be distributed to local King County food banks. More information.

Shoreline Library book group: Moral Disorder

Shoreline Library Book Discussion Group will discuss Moral Disorder: Stories by Margaret Atwood, on Monday, March 11, 7pm, at the Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th Street, Shoreline 98155, 206-362-7550.

CORRECTION: Farrell bill would allow 1 percent motor-vehicle excise tax in counties other than King

By Evan Smith

The bill that Democratic 46th District State Rep. Jessyn Farrell introduced to allow large counties to impose a motor-vehicle excise tax to pay for transportation would allow a smaller tax than our recent report said it would allow.

The bill calls for a vehicle excise tax of 1 percent, not the 1.5 percent reported in a press release from Farrell’s office and apply to counties with populations of more than 700,000 rather than the 1 million reported in the press release. That means that the bill would apply to Pierce and Snohomish counties as well as King County.

Farrell's 46th Legislative District includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and northeast Seattle.

Eyman blasts Farrell bill to allow vehicle tax for transportation

Democratic 46th District State Rep. Jessyn Farrell’s bill to allow large counties to impose a motor-vehicle excise tax for transportation drew a stinging rebuke from Tim Eyman at a legislative hearing Monday.

Eyman was the sponsor of the bill that eliminated the state motor-vehicle excise tax in favor of $30 car tabs.

He called the bill an insult to voters who have repeatedly voted to replace the motor-vehicle excise tax with $30 car tabs.

Farrell has proposed a bill that would allow a 1 percent motor-vehicle excise tax in large counties, with 60 percent of revenue going to transit and 40 percent going to road maintenance.

Frank Workman on Sports: the player with ten hands

Frank Workman
Photo by W. Pridemore

By Frank Workman

High School State Basketball tournaments tip-off around the state shortly, the eight best boys and girls teams vying for the chance to cut down the nets on Saturday night and be called ‘State Champs’ for the rest of their lives.

Boys are to be admired for their superior size, speed, and strength. Most of them have springs for legs. Rosters are chock-full of players who can rise up and drill a jump shot with a hand in their face, and every team has at least one guy who can emphatically slam dunk and bring the crowd to its feet.

Girls, on the other hand, need a teammate to throw them a pass or set a screen to get an open look. It’s a rare sight to see a girl launch a true jump shot, unless it’s very close to the basket. Sometimes one girl’s foot-speed is superior to everyone else’s, and her path to the hoop is unimpeded – but her resulting lay-up is far more uncertain than the boy’s dunk.

Perhaps the most dramatic play in the girls game, the moment that brings the crowd to its feet (and their hearts to their throats), comes when teammates have beautifully passed the ball in such a way as to get it into the hands of their long-range specialist.

From the defense’s bench comes the cry of “shooter”!

The shot is released – it hangs in the air for what can seem an eternity – before it swishes through the net.

Three points.

While the boys can play at dazzling speeds, above the rim, too much of the time their game deteriorates into individual play, while the girls tend to display more teamwork and cohesion.

In fact, Coach Wooden may have been describing girls basketball perfectly when he said “the player who puts the ball in the basket has ten hands”.

Free shredding event April 27

Windermere Real Estate / Northlake is sponsoring a FREE document Shredding Event on Saturday, April 27th, 9 am – Noon at their office 17711 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park.

Bring your sensitive old documents and records to be professionally destroyed and recycled. Paper clips, staples and rubber bands are okay.

No CD’s, DVD’s or binders.

Questions, call 206-364-8100.

Evan Smith on Politics: Eyman looking to Senate to pass "Initiative on Initiatives"

By Evan Smith

When Tim Eyman presented sufficient signatures to qualify I-517 as an initiative to the legislature, he assumed that the legislature would do what it usually does with such initiatives: Ignore them and pass them on to a statewide vote in November.

Now, however, a State Senate committee has held hearings on the "Protect the Initiative Process" initiative and sent it on with a "Do pass" recommendation.

The measure would outlaw harassment of signature gatherers, extend the time for gathering signatures on initiatives, and prevent city and county governments from keeping initiatives and referenda off the ballot if they have gained enough signatures.

 The initiative passed the Senate committee on government operations and elections by a 4-3 party-line vote, but bills that included components of the initiative passed with bi-partisan 7-0 votes.

This gives Eyman hope that enough Democrats will join Republicans to pass the initiative in the Senate, which is controled by a coalition of Republicans and two conservative Democrats.

Eyman expressed hope Sunday that Senate passage with Democratic support would bring along enough members of the solidly Democratic State House of Representatives to pass the initiative in both chambers of the Legislature.

By Monday, he was looking toward a November vote after a State court of appeals ruled that the Monroe City Council could act to keep a qualified local citizen initiative off the ballot. Eyman said that voters could stop this by approving I-517 in November.

Contact Evan Smith

New exhibits at Gallery at Town Center

Susan Dawson

The Gallery at Town Center presents:

Susan Dawson – Pastel and Oil Paintings

Nancy Gorseth – Photography

February 26 – April 6, 2013

Open House – Meet the Artists Thursday, March 7, 5-7 pm

The Gallery at Town Center features pastel and oil paintings by Susan Dawson and photography by Nancy Gorseth this month. Celebrate the coming of spring by stepping in to see the work by these talented artists.

The Gallery is located on the inside lower level of the Lake Forest Park Town Center, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. Hours are 12-5pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Susan Dawson:

Susan loves color, composition and value. She is a plein air painter which means that she paints what she sees outdoors but does like to take a certain artistic license with her work by omitting or adding things as she sees fit. Her hope is to portray the awe and beauty she has seen and capture its essence in her work.

Nancy Gorseth

Nancy Gorseth:

Nancy examines the intricate details in life, the small, wondrous depictions of beauty that sometimes go unnoticed. Her photography gives her the chance to share the splendors of the world -- a butterfly so quickly come and gone or a lone October leaf on a wet sidewalk.

The Gallery also features an array of handmade work by over 90 local artists.The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations. Proceeds from the Gallery at Lake Forest Park Town Center help fund these programs and events.

State Supreme Court to rule Thursday on 2/3 requirement for tax increases

(From our news partner, The Seattle Times)

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Supreme Court is expected to rule Thursday whether requiring a two-thirds majority for lawmakers to raise taxes is constitutional.

One way or another, the ruling could affect lawmakers who are now trying to close a roughly $1 billion budget shortfall and deal with the court’s last major decision — last year’s order to significantly increase funding for public schools.

In general, Democrats are looking toward new taxes while Republicans do not favor tax increases. A ruling that the two-thirds requirement is constitutional, then, would boost the GOP. A ruling the other way would allow taxes to be increased with a simple majority vote.

See the full Seattle Times story here

Taking out the trash: solid waste explained

As a Shoreline City Council Member, Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen serves on regional committees, including the Municipal Solid Waste committee. He shares his personal perspective from his committee experience to explain how solid waste is handled in King County.

Description of the Municipal Solid Waste Advisory Committee (MSWAC)

By Chris Eggen

King County is responsible for disposal of garbage and recycling for cities in King County except Seattle and Milton. The cities are responsible for pickup of garbage and recycling and drop-off at the county’s transfer stations. Yard waste is done privately by the city’s hauler – most have contracts with Cedar Grove composting. Of course the King County government is also responsible for pickup and disposal of waste for all unincorporated areas of the county. Most cities contract with a commercial hauler, such as CleanScapes, for pickup and drop-off, but several cities operate their own fleets.

Both solid waste disposal (by King County) and solid waste pickup (by the cities) are operated as utilities. Being a utility means that the means of support is fee for service, not taxes, and that by state law the fees collected for the utility can only be used for the service provided by the utility, and cannot be diverted to general government use. In fact, in Shoreline and in most cities the contract hauler (in Shoreline it is CleanScapes) bills customers for services and pays the county directly for disposal, so the city never has possession of waste disposal fees.

Because the cities and the county work closely on waste disposal, they must have a way to resolve differences and address unanticipated problems. In 1988 when the current Interlocal agreement (ILA) was approved, which governs city and county responsibilities in waste disposal, there were a lot of complaints because the ILA was drafted without much input from the cities and the cities felt that their concerns and those of their citizens had not been adequately considered.  In 2004, the county changed their policies and started including rent for space in the landfill in the disposal fees they charged the cities, which resulted in more complaints.

In response, in 2004 the county and cities jointly established the MSWAC, which advises the King County Executive and Council on solid waste issues and on decisions affecting city residents and services. Each city that participates in the county’s regional solid waste system can appoint a representative to this committee, who can be either an elected official or a staff member. I (Chris Eggen) have been the Shoreline representative for 5 years and am currently the Vice Chair of MSWMAC. Some issues MSWMAC has addressed in the last 10 years are waste disposal fees, expansion of the Cedar Hills Landfill, planning for waste disposal after Cedar Hills is full, renovation of the solid waste transfer stations, updating of the Solid Waste Comprehensive Plan (and including more incentives and goals for recycling and yard waste), and updating the Inter-Local Agreement (ILA) that governs how cities and county work together in waste disposal. The advice of MSWMAC has resulted in significant changes in the county proposals in several of these issues.

Meetings of the MSWAC are open to the public. The MSWAC generally meets in the King Street Center in Seattle just West of the King Street Train Station and north of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, on the second Friday of the month, from 11:15 to 1:15.  If you want to attend, please check the website before showing up. You are welcome to contact me with any questions.

I will spend a little time discussing two of the issues the MSWAC has addressed to give some perspective on the issues handling solid waste and how they have been handled in King County.

Cedar Hills landfill
Photo courtesy King County

In its early years MSWAC spent a lot of time on planning for the future of King County Solid Waste Disposal. They knew that there were several reasons for this emphasis. First, the county’s only landfill (at Cedar Hills) would will be full at some time in the fairly near future, and that getting approval of a new landfill in King County siting and opening a new landfill would be very difficult and expensive. Second, they also knew that the current system of transfer stations was 40 years old and had some structural problems. Furthermore, they knew that the current transfer stations had deficiencies in some capabilities that they thought they would be necessary in the future, such as supporting an increase in storage of waste, recycling, or compostable materials or and allowing for larger trucks and/or on-site waste compacting (which results in fewer trucks, but heavier loads on the roads transporting waste to disposal sites). So MSWMAC contracted out several studies, one looking at options for disposal after the closure of the Cedar Hills Landfill and then a set of studies addressing the needs and requirements for transfer stations.

The first study looked at one option for future disposal, conversion of waste to energy, which is common in Europe.  The report is on the King County Website and has the basic conclusion that no current technology for waste to energy offered compelling environmental benefits given the conditions in the state of Washington. Additionally, the King County Solid Waste Division developed an analysis of costs for three options for future disposal, (1) a new landfill, (2) waste to energy conversion, and (3) waste export to out-of-county landfills (as Seattle does). This information led MSWAC to recommend that the waste-export option be pursued. However, the decision was also made to continue to monitor factors bearing on costs and benefits of conversion of waste to energy to see if improved technology changed these conclusions.

Shoreline Transfer Station
Photo by Diane Hettrick

The second set of studies resulted in a plan to upgrade the King County Solid Waste Transfer Stations, beginning with the Shoreline Transfer Station, which was completed in 2007.

In 2009, the King County Solid Waste Division and MSWAC started the process of updating the ILA. The primary reason for update was the need to bond for transfer station upgrades beyond the term of the current ILA, through 2028. County financial policies are fairly conservative in that they would only allow bonding to that date. (I believe this is a wise policy because of cases in the past where utilities without guarantees of long-term use have run into significant financial difficulties when use declined and revenues to support bonds decreased.) However, if King County bonded only to 2028, the bond payments would have been high, and would have resulted in significant increase of disposal rates. Therefore the King County Solid Waste Division and MSWAC decided to try to come up with an extended ILA that binds the cities to send their solid waste to the King County Transfer Stations for a longer time and allows bonding beyond 2028.

First, there was an extended discussion between the cities and the county as to how long the extension should be. The advantage of a long extension is that the payments (and disposal rates) would be lower. The advantage of a shorter extension is a lower total cost, flexibility for the cities, and also that it was likely that it would clear the way for future investments that might be necessary, for instance, for waste to energy. In the end MSWAC recommended a relatively short extension of the ILA of 12 years (to 2040), which allowed twenty-year bonds to be issued.

Another early discussion was whether to simply extend the current ILA or revise and extend it. For two reasons, MSWAC decided on a revised ILA. The first reason was that an extended approval process would be necessary whether the ILA was revised or simply extended. The second was that a number of concerns with the current ILA had been identified that the cities thought were sufficiently important that revisions were necessary.

So MSWAC bravely moved ahead with what they thought would be a 6-12 month process of revision and approval. The process they used was first to establish a group of volunteers to identify issues with the current ILA and solutions and and bring this back to MSWAC for consideration.  Then a smaller team was assembled to actually to negotiate language in a new ILA.  However, these teams ran into a couple of new issues that took a lot of time and ultimately resulted in suspension of the initial negotiations. The biggest issue was liability. Because the “Superfund” Act could result in a huge award if there were a large release of contaminated water or air at Solid Waste Sites, and because the liability would extend to the cities even though they had no role in managing the sites, the cities insisted on insurance or a savings account funded out of Disposal Rates that would cover cities' shared liability. The county did not agree with including this in the ILA and the county and the ILA negotiating team were unable to come to terms.

At this point (Fall 2012) the Sound Cities Association became involved and brokered an agreement with King County Executive Dow Constantine to put together new negotiating teams and negotiate a solution that did include liability protection for the cities. With the Executive’s commitment, this process was successful and there is now a draft ILA that will be going to the cities for votes on agreement. 

Shoreline city staff have been very active in this process. Shoreline had a staff representative on the original MSWAC negotiating team, and the Shoreline City Manager was on the negotiating team that successfully finished the negotiations. Two notable improvements in the new ILA are (1) the liability protection and (2) a commitment to continue the MSWAC and to consider its recommendations on financial policies.

However, this process took much more time than originally estimated.  It turns out that King County must finalize a bond to pay for the replacement of the second transfer station (at Bow Lake) in late February, 2013. So the cities are rushing to examine the new ILA, and get votes on approval by that time.

In conclusion, the MSWAC committee represents cities advising the Solid Waste King County Solid Waste Division. As a member, Shoreline has worked hard to promote policies that support two goals, keeping disposal rates under control and promoting environmentally responsible policies. 

As the Shoreline representative, I will continue to support these two goals. One important issue that is coming up is how to continue to operate the utility in a financially responsible manner while further increasing recycling and composting. The challenge is that the system is mainly supported using a fee for disposal of garbage, which is reduced by recycling and composting.

Another issue to be addressed is a reexamination of waste export vs. conversion of waste to energy after the Cedar Hills Landfill is full. The environmental community is split on this issue. And if the county were to decide to build a waste to energy facility, the process of choosing a site and getting it approved would be very difficult.

North King County represented on key King County panels

Appointments to key new panels were recently announced by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The Health and Human Services Transformational Panel was created by the King County Council to act in an advisory capacity to the King County Executive’s Office and the departments of Public Health-Seattle and King County and the Department of Community and Human Services. 

Representing North King County is Kelly Rider, a Board Member of the North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUHSA) and Policy Director for the Housing Development Consortium. The Panel’s charge is to develop a plan for an accountable and integrated system of health, human services, and community-based prevention and wellness. The plan is due to the Council by June 1, 2013.

The second Panel, the Low –Income Fare Options Advisory Committee, was formed as a result of King County Council action, to advise the Council on the feasibility of establishing a bus fare for people with low incomes. The North King County member of the Advisory Committee is Rob Beem, Board Member of the North Urban Human Services Alliance and Community Services Manager for the City of Shoreline. 

The Committee is expected to complete the majority of its work by June 2013. North Urban Human Services Alliance  (NUSHA) Board President Judy Parsons noted that  “transportation has been a focus of our work for some time and we are pleased to have a board member appointed to the Advisory Committee”.

The North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUSHA) is a membership organization composed of human services agencies, local government, faith communities, United Way and interested citizens that works to ensure that the needs and perspectives of North King County are included in regional planning and policy making around health and human services.

King's High School boys and girls both reach quarterfinals of State 1A basketball

The King's High School girls' and boys' basketball teams both play in the quarterfinals of the State 1A tournament Thursday in Yakima after victories in regional games Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22-23.

The King's girls take a 17-8 record into a quarterfinal game against Okanogan from north central Washington at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at the Yakima Sun Dome after a 47-30 victory over Montesano from Southwest Washington in a Friday regional game in Chahalis. Savanna Hanson leads the King’s girls with 178 points in 19 games for an average of 9.4 points per game.

The King's boys take a 19-5 record into a 5:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal game in Yakima after defeating Kalama, another school from Southwest Washington, 57-48, in Chahalis Saturday. Caleb Taylor leads the boys in scoring with 381 points in 24 games for an average of 15.9 points per game.

King’s Season Scoring

Girls			Games		Points		P/G
Savanna Hanson			19		178		9.4
Daylee Hanson			20		151		7.6
Karly Hibbard			25		164		6.6
Ashley Adams			24		140		5.8
Anna Parker			20		105		5.3
Mia Hayek			22		115		5.2
Julia Berenson			24		116		4.8
Kendall Adams			14		55		3.9
Ellie Rasmussen			24		83		3.5
Daphne Kieling			23		68		3.0
Madison Shinn			19		42		2.2
Marilyn Jones			21		46		2.2
Boys				Games		Points		P/G
Caleb Taylor				24		381		15.9
Calvin Kispert				24		224		9.3
Andrew Ayers				24		184		7.7
David Barhanovich				24		123		5.1
Reid Jones				20		64		3.2
Daniel Fouty				21		67		3.2
Josh Alexander				22		70		3.2
Joe Stack				8		25		3.1
Mason Friedline				22		67		3.0
Jacob Storkson				22		64		2.9
Brian Hughes				24		64		2.7
Brett Jones				7		16		2.3
Karl Sather				2		4		2.0
Noah Bundrant				5		8		1.6
Israel Zezenbergen				1		0		0.0

Still time to get help with taxes

Households making less than $51,000 a year can get free tax help at the Shoreline HopeLink, Shoreline Library, and Richmond Beach Library at the times and days listed in the flyer.

For a list of more sites, call 2-1-1 or go to the website.

Life after cancer: Shoreline resident adventures in Patagonia

Andrea Macpherson at Rattlesnake Ridge

Andrea Macpherson of Shoreline is headed to Patagonia in South America next month for her third adventure therapy with First Descents. First Descents is a free outdoor program for young adults (18-39) with cancer. First Descents helps empower cancer fighters to achieve greatness beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same. 

In Andrea's words:

I work as a Community Relations Specialist for PCC Natural Markets. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 20. I was in my junior year of college at the University of Washington. I left school and moved home to my parents' house in order to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

I am now almost seven years out of treatment and cancer-free. FD gave me the groundwork to take care of myself physically. It was daunting at first to even get off the couch, let alone whitewater kayak. I've attended kayaking camps in Montana and Wisconsin, and rock climbing camps in Estes Park. I'm now representing FD as an AmBADASSador in the Seattle area.

I have learned more about myself – my physical and mental strengths, my ability to conquer and control fear, and my will to overcome any obstacle put in front of me – in those weeks that I have spent at First Descents camps.

In Patagonia, she will fly into Bariloche and start her adventures with a float on the Futaleufu River into Chile. She will be rafting, sea kayaking, inflatable kayaking, mountain biking and horseback riding in some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Arts Council wants to hear from you

What events would you like to see in Shoreline – Lake Forest Park?

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is seeking your advice. How do you engage with the arts? What type of events would you like to see in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park? How can the Arts Council best serve you and your community?

This is an opportunity to take a short (around 3 min) survey and give much needed feedback about the state of the arts in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.  This survey will be an important tool as the Arts Council moves forward and plans events for our upcoming years. All responses are anonymous; so let your voice be heard. Take pART in your community!

Survey link

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations. 

New coffee shop in North City

We are pleased to report that there is a new tenant for the old Laughing Ladies coffee shop, which closed right after Jazz Walk last year.

The Bounty Coffee Shop is open now, at the location on 15th NE between 175 and 177th in the heart of North City.

It's the only coffee shop there, as Brown's Coffee also closed right after Jazz Walk (both served as venues for that event) and the space is now the home of Golden Bow Florists.

Last call for History Day judges

History Day judges are adults with an interest in history and a desire to help students in grades 6 -12 improve their ability to do historical research and present their results in public. We expect to see contest entries from over 400 students at the Shoreline Center on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Judges will work in teams of three. 

We need judges to evaluate exhibits, documentaries and performances. Most judges will serve only in the morning. Some experienced judges will be asked to serve also in the afternoon. (If you are a returnee judge and would like to stay for the afternoon, let us know that, too!)  Please mark your calendars as follows:

   7:30 a.m. Meet in the Shoreline Room for orientation.

   9:00 - 11:30 a.m. Evaluate entries in preliminary round

   12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Final round judges evaluate entries.

We hope you can join us for a very heartening exposure to young people doing good things.  To sign up to judge, follow the link right here.  If you need further information, just email or check out the web page here.

Shoreline City Council Meeting Monday February 25, 2013

Donna Eggen and Larin Amos accept the
Turner Syndrome Awareness Month Proclamation

Notes from Shoreline City Council Meeting Monday February 25, 2013

By Devon Vose Rickabaugh

Deputy Mayor Eggen presided over the Council meeting since Mayor McGlashan and Councilmember Salomon were ill.

Shoreline Police Chief Shawn Ledford presented a Crime Prevention Workplan aimed at improving the feeling of safety for Shoreline residents and finding a mechanism to deliver police information in a timely manner. The 2012 Citizen Survey reflected a downward trend in satisfaction with police services and the City’s crime prevention efforts.

As a result of a citizens' focus group and the Citizen Survey Chief Ledford recommended an E-Alert system to send information to citizens via e-mail, Facebook, twitter and other social media outlets regarding crime activity or special public safety alerts; updating the Police webpage to improve resident’s ability to sign up for block watch, contact a police officer, or receive timely crime data and other information specific to their neighborhood or the City; 

He would establish a core team of police officers that can be available for public outreach efforts and neighborhood meetings and train this team to be able to respond to a wide variety of issues and questions from the community. Other recommendations included establishing a cross-department emphasis on neighborhood traffic safety, school safety, and park safety.

The Council ratified amendments to the King County Countywide Planning Policies which included the Shoreline Comprehensive Plan update.

The Deputy Mayor read a proclamation declaring this “Turner Syndrome Awareness Month”. Turner syndrome (TS) is a non-inherited chromosomal condition that describes girls and women with common features and physical traits that are caused by a complete or partial absence of the second sex chromosome. Primary characteristics include short stature, ovarian failure, heart defects and normal intelligence with possible learning disorders.

The main goal of TSSUS is to bring awareness in order to reduce the age of a girl being diagnosed with TS from middle school age (11-14) to early elementary school age. Most medical practitioners are still under the assumption that they’ll recognize a girl that has TS because she’ll have many of the characteristics described above.

Rep. Farrell introduces bill to support transportation with vehicle excise tax

Rep. Jessyn Farrell D-46

Democratic 46th District State Rep. Jessyn Farrell wants to avoid cuts to local transportation and has proposed an optional motor-vehicle excise tax to support transit agencies and local road maintenance.

Farrell said Monday that her proposal would allow transit agencies to avoid service cuts.

“With more commuters than ever choosing public transit to get to work every day, we need both state and local funding options for our transit agencies,” Farrell said. “We have to give our communities the tools they need to protect their core programs and services.”

Farrell’s legislation would permit counties with a population of 1 million or more to levy a motor vehicle excise tax of up to 1.5 percent. It would dedicate 60 percent of the revenue from the tax to public transportation systems, while reserving the remaining 40 percent for cities and counties to perform key road maintenance. King County currently is the only county in Washington with more than a million people.

Farrell said that transit agencies across the state have faced recent budget problems due to declining or expiring revenue sources. King County Metro will cut one-sixth of its passenger hours without new revenue. Pierce Transit is set for a massive 34 percent service reduction after a measure to replace lost revenue was defeated at the ballot box in 2012.

Rob Johnson, executive director of Transportation Choices Coalition, a pro-transit advocacy organization, said, “Transit is a vital part of our transportation system and we need to find a way to keep buses on the streets,” adding, “Local options have been widely supported by voters across Washington and are desperately needed in order to adequately fund the transit we have and the transit that we’ll need in the near future.”

While Farrell focuses on the need for local transportation funding options, she also recognizes the role that transit plays in serving underprivileged groups.

“These transit services that are used disproportionately by low-income families, seniors, and people living with disabilities,” she said. “This is about protecting everyone’s ability to get where they need to go by preserving transportation choices in our communities.”

The House transportation committee held a hearing on the bill, HB 1959, Monday afternoon.

Farrell’s fellow 46th District Democratic representative, Gerry Pollet, is a co-sponsor as are Democratic 32nd District State Reps. Ruth Kagi and Cindy Ryu.

The 46th District includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and northeast Seattle. The 32nd District includes Shoreline; part of northwest Seattle, south Edmonds, and Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County, Lynnwood and part of Mountlake Terrace.

Mayor McGlashan, Deputy Mayor Eggen and Councilmembers McConnell and Winstead Appointed to National League of Cities Committees

Shoreline Mayor Keith McGlashan, Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen and Councilmembers Doris McConnell and Shari Winstead were all appointed to National League of Cities (NLC) committees for 2013.

Mayor McGlashan was appointed to the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Local Officials (GLBTLO) constituency group’s Board of Directors. GLBTLO’s goal is to encourage the active involvement and full participation of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender municipal officials, and their supporters, to ensure that NLC policies reflect the diversity of its membership. 

“I’ve been a member of GLBTO for the past several years and I am very proud of the work it has done to create a more inclusive organization that now considers many issues important to the GLBT community,” stated Mayor McGlashan.

Deputy Mayor Eggen and Councilmember McConnell were both appointed to the First Tier Suburbs Council (FTS) Steering Committee. The FTS represents cities and towns outside of central cities and inside the ring of developing suburbs and rural areas. 

“Because so many policy decisions that impact Shoreline residents are made at the regional, state and federal level, it is critical that Shoreline representatives have a seat at the table,” stated Deputy Mayor Eggen.

Councilmembers McConnell and Winstead have been appointed to the Human Development Steering and Policy Committees, respectively. These Committees develop NLC federal policy positions on issues involving social services, children and learning, poverty and income support, employment and workforce development, equal opportunity, Social Security and seniors, individuals with disabilities, public health care, mental health parity and immigration reform. 

“The Great Recession highlighted just how important many of these human development programs are to helping many people in our community during difficult times,” said Councilmember McConnell.

“It is an honor representing Shoreline residents, and residents of the Puget Sound region, on a national committee that is helping shape human services policy at the federal level to help many in our community who need assistance during tough times,” stated Councilmember Winstead.

Councilmember McConnell is also treasurer of NLC’s Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials constituency group.

As members of these committees, Councilmembers will play key roles in shaping NLC’s policy positions, while advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns on Capitol Hill, with the Administration, and at home.

More information on NLC’s committees and councils

The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

For a complete listing of the many different committees Shoreline Councilmembers have been appointed to for 2013 visit the City Council page.

Sky Nursery - Prune-a-thon Plant Amnesty benefit and Composting with Worms

Saturday, March 2nd  9am – 4 pm
PRUNE-A-THON A PLANT AMNESTY BENEFIT

Join Plant Amnesty and Sky Nursery for a full day of free pruning demonstrations, slideshows, seminars, and fun. Confess your gardening sins to Father Weedo Sarducci! Get a free 15-minute gardening consultation…. Come to learn and stay to buy—a portion of the Sky’s sales that day will be donated to Plant Amnesty to support their educational programs. Midwinter is the best time to prune many ornamental and edible trees and shrubs, and Charlie will go over the basics; when to prune; tool selection and care; proper pruning of various kinds of trees, shrubs, and vines. He’ll demonstrate tools and techniques from Sky’s stock.

Sunday, March 3rd            1pm – 2:30 pm
Vermiculture: Composting with Worms    Emily Wilkins

Remember your mom telling you to clean your plate and not waste food?  Well, you shouldn’t waste your food scraps either!  If you have banana peels and coffee grounds, you can set up a worm bin to turn food waste into rich worm castings, a.k.a. vermicompost.  Known as one of the richest types of compost, worm castings help plants grow bigger, healthier, and sweeter.   Treat your plants while reducing your waste stream!  Emily Wilkins will tell you everything you need to know to get started.

Check the events calendar as the event approaches for a detailed schedule for the day.
Sky Nursery 18528 Aurora Ave N Shoreline 206-546-4851

Free adult ESL classes begin on March 7 in Shoreline

The spring session of Hopelink’s Free adult ESL classes in Shoreline will begin on Thursday, March 7. These classes focus on helping adults develop English communication skills to use in daily life in our community, to prepare for work, and to get ready for community college or training programs.

New student registration will be held at 6:20pm on Thursday, March 7 at Briarcrest Elementary School, 2715 NE 158th St, Shoreline 98155.

Questions? 425-250-3007 (English)

How to share an article with a friend

Many times you would like to share a particular article with friends or family. I know this because you either tell me or you accidently send the entire email digest back to me when you are trying to forward it to friends!

Here's a relatively easy way to isolate one article and send it to someone.

Whether you are reading the email digest, or the web version - click the title of the story.

This should take you to the web version of the story.

Go to the "title" window at the top of the web page - the long, skinny window - and the URL for the story should appear.

If you started with the email version and the URL includes the words "Feed Burner" then click or double click the story title again.

The URL will be long, with most of the story title, and will end in .html

For example:

http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2013/02/artists-open-house-scheduled-for-march.html

Copy the URL, paste it into an email, and send it to your friends and family. It will appear as a live link they can click which will take them directly to the story.

Facebook has made it very easy to share stories. Click the title of the story, then the email icon and all you have to do is put in your friend's address and a note from you. Facebook puts the link in for you.