West Seattle

Creating a television show is as you've likely heard, a collaborative effort. It's also time consuming, expensive, and labor intensive. In cities like Los Angeles or New York or Vancouver B.C. the talent pool and infrastructure of gear, soundstages, and official cooperation can make the process more streamlined. But in Seattle while many of the pieces are there, especially the talent, it can be harder to make it a reality.

Series like Grey's Anatomy, ostensibly set in Seattle don't film here. Other films and television productions have of course been shot in Washington State going back to Tugboat Annie in the 1930's, or the last reincarnation of The Fugitive in 2000-2001, but in almost every case they were shows brought here by production companies from elsewhere.

Recently in West Seattle a local, independent production company, Corwood Productions LLC has been creating a segment for a prospective television pilot called The Divine Marigolds.

Pepper is not really a Dalmatian, despite looking very much like one. She's a half Dalmatian and German Shorthair.

"Her mother was a pure bred Dalmatian ", said her owner Paul Davison, "and she used to belong to a man that had a 'Whirligig" that he had up at the Summer fest in the Junction. Her mother was like a mascot for him. Her name was Pebbles. She had glasses (...) and I saw that she was pregnant so I asked about her (...) He was going to give away the puppies since they weren't full Dalmatian. So I got the first one."

Pepper is now 13 years old.

She has gained a few extra pounds in the last couple of years and is now on a special diet of Iams dog food, and she goes for walks, mostly around the neighborhood but often at Westcrest Dog Park. She weighs 80 lbs but should weigh 70 lbs.

Treats for Pepper are special dog cookies.

Davison notes that Pepper has a special behavior when she wants attention or wants to go outside. "She snaps" he said quickly opening and closing his mouth in imitation." She doesn't bark, she snaps and a lot of people think that's kind of unique to her character. It's kind of like she's sassing you a little bit."

Howling winds and sideways snow flurries did not deter Seattle Public Utility, Mortenson Construction and South Park community members from gathering at the future site of the new South Transfer Station (right next door to the existing one) to officially break ground for the project on Nov. 22.

The weather did, however, make for a very short ceremony.

For more background on the station, check out this story from the Herald on Nov. 11.

The $50 million waste transfer station is expected to be finished in June of 2012. The 140,500 sq. foot two-story building is designed to speed up private, city and business dump runs, provide a much improved facility for city workers and lessen noise and odor pollution as an enclosed building, according to project manager Henry Friedman of Seattle Public Utilities.

“This is the first time that the city has built a new transfer station since 1965,” Friedman said to the bundled up crowd, clutching hot tea and coffee. “It’s been in planning for over ten years and I’m so glad we made it to this point.”

At 1:02 p.m. the National Weather Service posted this winter storm warning announcement for tonight.

Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
102 PM PST MON NOV 22 2010

EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-EVERETT AND VICINITY-
SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA-TACOMA AREA-HOOD CANAL AREA-
102 PM PST MON NOV 22 2010

...WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING
FOR THE SEATTLE...TACOMA...EVERETT METRO AREAS INCLUDING THE HOOD
CANAL AREA...THE KITSAP PENINSULA AND THE EASTERN PUGET SOUND
LOWLANDS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONTINUED THE WINTER STORM
WARNING FOR THE SEATTLE...TACOMA...EVERETT METRO AREAS INCLUDING
THE HOOD CANAL AREA...THE KITSAP PENINSULA AND THE EASTERN PUGET
SOUND LOWLANDS FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST
THIS EVENING.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...EVERETT...GOLD BAR...SEATTLE... NORTH
BEND...BREMERTON...SHELTON...TACOMA...AND ENUMCLAW.

Of the 5,000 full time students at South Seattle Community College, hundreds, maybe more, are Muslim, adhere to Islamic dietary law, and consume only halal food. "Halal" means legal, or permitted, in Arabic. The halal menu has some similarities to "kashrut" or kosher food which means "fit" for consumption in Jewish dietary law.

The campus cafeteria includes two restaurants, a food court and bakery, but does not offer halal food. Muslim students must brown-bag it, dine off-campus, or select from limited options such as fruit, tuna, and snack foods.

"Enough!" say some students, both Muslim and non-Muslim, who believe it is unjust to accept a menu of foods that are "haraam" or forbidden, to their religious beliefs and will soon circulate a petition to collect signatures to present to faculty for SSCC to offer a halal menu option. Like kosher beef, halal beef must be slaughtered and bled in a specific way, and no pork, including gelatin from pig skin is allowed. That means no Rice Krispees Cereal or smores (marshmallows.) In addition, alcohol to drink and to cook with is taboo.

White Center Kiwanis Holiday Nut Sale
On Sale while nut supplies last - sometimes that’s Valentine Day. $20 for 3 lbs. of Gourmet Mixed Nuts or 2.25 lbs. of Chocolate Covered Nuts & Raisins. Proceeds support the White Center Food Bank, SW Boys & Girls Club, and other local groups. To place an order, please call Bill Tracy at 248-2441.

West Seattle Senior Center Needs Volunteers
4217 S.W. Oregon St.
Make a difference by getting involved! Rewarding volunteer opportunities available: kitchen assistant, cafe assistant, and Stop ‘N Shop assistant. Call Margie, Volunteer Coordinator - 206-932-4044 or email at margiew@seniorservices.org.

Arts and Crafts Fair
John F. Kennedy Catholic H.S.
140 S. 140th St.
Saturday, Dec. 4th, 9-4 p.m. Holiday gifts, bake sale, espresso, cafe, student art demo. Free admission.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly
Guadaloupe Church-Pastoral Care Center
7000 35th Ave. S.W.
Every Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. TOPS is an encouraging weight loss support group with weigh-ins every Tuesday. For information contact Peg at 206-932-2621.

GriefShare Class

Sub 40 degree weather was no hindrance to competitors in the third race of Fitness for Vitality race series, put on by personal trainer Annette Herrick on Nov. 21.

The race took place along the Alki Beach waterfront and marked the final race in Herrick’s annual series.

:”What happens is that people really do get faster and fitter, so if you do all three it really works and it’s fantastic,” Herrick said.

She said many of the runners had been competed in all three races (the other two took place mid-month in September and October).

Herrick described the Alki course as “flat and fun” on her website.

5k winners Seth O’Brien and Carrie Keith crossed the finish line with times of 20:25 and 21:48, respectively.

“It’s by far one of the easiest courses that I’ve run because I run for the University of Puget Sound, so I’m used to the 6k,” Keith said.

Keith was also impressed with the support of Herrick and the Fitness for Vitality crew.

“It’s really nice to run in one of these environments that is so supportive,” she said. “You know, to have the race director talk to you beforehand and be like, ‘OK guys, let’s just get faster!’ This is so uplifting, excellent.”

Communal bowling shoes were laced up and pint glasses were filled to the brim with Beer Church Pale Ale as 250 bowlers hit the lanes at West Seattle Bowl on Nov. 20 to raise funds and food for the West Seattle Food Bank.

Bowlers filtered into the alley one after another, carrying bags full of food and wallets full of cash to purchase raffle tickets and beer, all for the sake of the food bank.

“Over the 12 years it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and now we sell out the entire bowling alley pretty much the moment we announce it,” Kendall Jones, a founding member of Beer Church said at the event.

The competition was comprised of 26 teams, a mixture of private groups, various businesses and a large showing of area breweries including Pike Brewing, Elliot Bay Brewing, Emerald City Beer Co., Georgetown Brewing, Naked City Brewing, Two Beers Brewing and Big Al Brewing out of White Center.

“It’s a good charity event and it’s fun to bowl,” Pike brewer Adam Palmer said as he mentally prepared to roll. “All the breweries come out and have fun doing it.”

Schmitz Park Elementary held their annual Holiday Craft Fair and had a decent turnout of neighbors and holiday craft shoppers.

Selling at the Fair was Team Go For it, part of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life who crafted gift items out of pine cones including reindeer and a turkey. At the table were Elise Mackley, Shanilla Morgan, and Natalie Bumgardner. This was their first time at the fair.

Fiona Preedy, President of the Schmitz Park PTSA was on hand selling school logo mugs raising money for Island Web, an environmental education program on Whidbey Island, where the Schmitz Park fourth grade class will visit in February for full week.

Crafty Clementine was at the fair selling dessert pedestals by Brittany VonSpreecken and pen and pencil pots by Joyce Shoemaker.

Long lines and happy faces filled the sidewalk on 39th Ave s.w. leading up to Eastridge Christian Assembly church on the morning of Nov. 20.

Several hundred people were waiting in line for a free turkey and bag full of Thanksgiving essentials including stuffing, cranberry, gravy and potato mix, courtesy of the church and funded by donations from their members.

“For our family, we understand right now with the way the economy is, families have had to make huge sacrifices and have suffered losses and this is just our way to be able to support those families and take care of them and spread the love of Jesus,” said church member John Coovert.

Lead pastor Steve Jamison said the lines this year were longer than they have seen in the eight years the church has given away turkeys, both at their West Seattle location and their church in Issaquah (they plan to give away 1000 turkeys and 1000 bags of groceries at each church).