If you’re interested in becoming a foster “parent” for sick or immature cats and kittens from the Seattle Animal Shelter, plan to attend a free orientation session Saturday, April 4, 2009, from noon to 1 p.m.. The session will be held in the shelter’s conference room located on the shelter’s upper level at 2061 15th Ave W. 

Those who attend an orientation session are under no obligation to foster an animal. The orientations are just the first step in the process. Each prospective foster parent is provided with a foster-care manual and a “consultant” who provides advice and answers questions.

The Seattle Animal Shelter relies on volunteers to provide temporary foster care in their homes to rehabilitate and nurture sick, injured and immature cats and kittens that would otherwise be euthanized. The shelter pays for preapproved veterinary care.

For more information or additional directions call (206)386-PETS (7387) or go to www.seattleanimalshelter.org for a link to a map and driving directions. For Metro bus routes, call (206) 553-3000 or visit this web site: http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/

 Queen Anne residents will see changes to home garbage and recycling services, including a new pick up day and increased charges, starting Monday (3/30).  Information was mailed last week and the city called most homes to let them know about their new pick up day.  If you need more information click here or call (206) 684-3000.

Households will see an increase in monthly costs for garbage pick up.  for example, a house with a 32-gallon can will now pay $22.30 per month for garbage service compared to $17.65 last year

The new recycling changes include:  
• Weekly food and yard waste collection for all single-family households.
• All food scraps can go in your food and yard waste cart, including meat, fish and dairy.
• More food and yard waste cart sizes.
• More paper, plastic and metal items can be recycled, including cups, deli trays, aluminum foil, and plastic plant pots.
• Glass bottles and jars go in your recycling cart – no more separating.
• Electronics, used motor oil, and bulky items can be collected through special services.

The goal is to divert 60 percent of all generated waste in the city to recycling or composting by 2012.

Local resident Suzi LeVine founded Kavana, an independent Jewish community in Seattle several years ago. 

A feature article in the Seattle Times today describes Ms. LeVine as a “high-tech mover and shaker” who started with Microsoft just two years out of college and began promoting Windows95.  She rose through the ranks at Microsoft and moved on to become a marketing guru at Expedia.  With a second child on the way, Suzi began to look at how she might redefine her life once again.  Quoting the Times article,

The people who led those charmed work lives will tell you that what they discovered in moving on is that if there was to be a second act, they’d need to write it themselves. Perhaps what they learned along the way could serve the rest of us as we struggle to answer a question that feels more pressing every day: “What next?”

And so Kavana was founded.  This is a small new venture in which people are not passive participants, but active partners.  This organization is dedicated to building a community centered around strong family and Jewish values.  Kavana’s emphasis is on finding ways to make Judaism meaningful in the day-to-day lives of those involved. It runs on a cooperative model, relying on volunteers and meeting in private homes or rented space at the Queen Anne Christian Church.

Kavana strives to create a supportive communal environment in which individuals and families can use “kavana” – intention – to create a Jewish life that is spiritually fulfilling, intellectually satisfying, fun, and meaningful.

Many of us have looked at ways to contribute to our communities.  Writing this blog is one way this writer hopes is building community.  Do you have ideas of your own?

The World Wildlife Fund is asking people to turn off their lights tonight forEarth Hour, a world-wide event to raise awareness about global warming. Cities around the globe will flip the switch from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  Seattle will join in with the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Municipal Tower and the “City Light” sign at Fourth Avenue and Spokane Street going dark.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour began in Syndey, Australia, in 2007.

As a result of a story created by KING5’s Consumer Advocate reporter Jesse Jones, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department showed a little “egg on its face” this week.  One of our neighbors Tammara Stroud in Queen Anne had planted trees along the sidewalk, in a strip of land on Smith Street, which were determined by Seattle Parks to be unacceptable and not in keeping with the standards of the Queen Anne historic district.

Tammara said no one from the city ever told her that the little strip of land on Smith Street is part of a nearly 4-mile-long historic Queen Anne district.

According to the city, Tammara’s thundercloud trees just aren’t good enough, thanks to the 1986 Queen Anne Boulevard tree plan. Now she has to replace her thunderclouds with a Hawthorn tree.

We have heard numerous stories of homeowners who mistakenly encroached on city land and were asked to remove their property or landscaping from the parcel, however, what makes this story unique is that Tammara was given a permit to plant the trees.  And now they want to take them out.  Tammara said she would appeal to the City Council to overturn this ruling.  We’ll keep you updated.

Anxious parents waiting to hear about the Seattle Public Schools’ student assignment plan gathered Thursday night at the Ballard High library. The plan will determine which school students will attend based on their home address.

Rumors have been flying — especially about which Ballard students may have to attend Ingraham High.  For a complete report, check out the story posted to our sister blog myBallard.com. 

One of our readers wanted to warn us that there have been multiple car break ins on/around Taylor Avenue in the last week.

I live on Ward and Taylor, and my car window was broken and a GPS stolen on Monday night. Two of my neighbors were broken into too.

Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself from car break-ins taken fro ehow.com:

The MagnoliaVoice reported on a Block Watch meeting held by SPD in Magnolia and the rise in the number of car prowls. They stressed that neighbors sharing information can be a good tool to fight car prowls. You can call Terrie Johnston at 684-4741 if you want to schedule a Block Watch meeting for your neighborhood.

MyBallard.com has been reporting that Seattle Public Schools is working on a new student assignment plan which will reconfigure the boundaries of schools in our area. The biggest change will likely impact Ballard High, which also serves the neighborhood of Magnolia and Queen Anne. “It is possible that the lines will be drawn so high school students will not be assigned to their closest high school.”

So far, no maps have been proposed, and Seattle Public Schools is actively gathering feedback from the public on the factors that should be considered in drawing the maps. This Thursday evening, Ballard High School will host a community forum on the topic, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the library. All staff, families and community members are welcome.

Seven girls from the St. Anne’s 5th grade class won the Seattle Parks & Recreation Citywide Basketball Championship last Saturday with a victory over Hiawatha.  

Taylor Doerfler, Maddy Hunter, Kendall Matt, Nicole McHenry, Kate Peaquin, Kailee Ross, and Noell Witt, will all be celebrating their Championship and are looking forward to representing St. Anne School and Queen Anne Community Center again next year!!

Along the way to the Championship the girls defeated teams from Rainier Beach, Delridge, Magnolia and Van Asselt to name a few. The Queen Anne team rolled into the playoffs undefeated, and continued their winning ways in close games to win it all. Of the 19 teams in both divisions, Queen Anne was the only remaining undefeated team!!

Coaches Kate St. Germain and Duke Vogt are most proud of how the girls represented the Queen Anne Community and St.Anne school, with their good sportsmanship throughout the season.

Both coaches,would like to thank the staff at Queen Anne Community Center for their help and support, and especially want to acknowledge all of the parents and fans for their support and understanding during this fun filled season.

Thanks to Patty for submitting this great story from St. Anne’s School! 

We often forget that we have a university right in our backyard.  The following lectures, held at Seattle Pacific University, are free and wheelchair accessible. Free parking is available in the West Dravus Street parking lot.  Enjoy!

Perkins Lecture
Reconciliation advocate and evangelical civil rights leader Dr. John Perkins will speak on Tuesday, April 7, 9:30-10:20 a.m. at First Free Methodist Church, 3200 Third Ave West, adjacent to the SPU campus.

Marston Lecture
“Toward a Theology of Mental Illness” will be the topic of the annual C. May Marston lecture given by Marcia Webb, SPU associate professor of graduate psychology. The lecture will be held Thursday, April 16, 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. For more information, call 206-281-2003.

Shiller Lecture
Robert Shiller, New York Times bestselling author and professor of economics at Yale University, is recognized worldwide for his brilliant forecasts of financial bubbles and insights into market dynamics. He will speak from 1-2:45 p.m. on Monday, April 27, in Upper Gwinn Commons.  For more information, call 206-281-2723.

Walls Lecture
Robert Wall, the Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies at SPU, will speak on “John’s John: The Tenor of Scripture in a Wesleyan Key, Part Two.” His talk will be held 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 30, in the Queen Anne Room of Upper Gwinn Commons. For more information, call 206-281-2003.

A good crowd attended the tunnel town hall at Ballard High School tonight. Thanks to myballard.com for covering this meeting as this issue most definitely affects those of us in Queen Anne.

Representatives from WSDOT, SDOT and other agencies took questions from the crowd about plans to replace the Viaduct with a deep-bored tunnel.

Some in the audience, as you might imagine, were not in favor of the tunnel. Hot topics included access to Ballard, freight transportation routes and how we’re going to pay for it all. Organizers provided a number of maps, including how Northwest neighborhoods will access the tunnel (map), how we’ll drive to downtown (map) and how truckers will drive to and from Ballard (map). Travel times will only increase by a few minutes, SDOT’s Bob Powers said.

To give you an idea of the complexity of the project, one person in the audience questioned the panel on whether her trucks would be able to make the 90-degree turns to access the tunnel. Another asked about the signal timing and pedestrian walkways along Alaskan Way, because “trucks are different than cars” in their ability to start and stop quickly. Officials insisted many of the details are not yet set in stone, and more community meetings will be held in the weeks to come.

Plus: See more on the meeting from SeattlePI.com

For children and young adults, age 7-18, get ready to register for the Queen Anne Summer Swim League.  This program provides a positive team experience for the novice swimmer, as well as teach swimming skills needed to become a competitive swimmer.  This is a low-pressure, fun way to get involved with a swim team.  Some of Seattle’s finest swimmers started at a young age with the Queen Anne Summer League.  (Lauren Hall, 20, who swims for UCLA and competed in the NCAA Championships last week, started her career at the age of 7 with the QA Summer League!)

Registration begins April 7 at 12:00 noon and can only be done in person at the Queen Anne Pool, 1920 1st Ave W., Seattle.  The activities fee is $100.

Outdoor swim classes are also offered at the Pop Mounger Pool in Magnolia.  See the MagnoliaVoice for more information. 

You can also check out other class schedules now on SPARC.  Its important to know that you must set up your SPARC account at least one week before registration on April 7th.

 We speak your language! The Washington Academy of Languages, located at 2 Nickerson Street, Suite 201, Seattle, next to Seattle Pacific University, is the oldest non-profit organization concerned with the promotion of foreign language learning in the Seattle area. Their faculty and staff are the best ambassadors of a comprehensive process of learning that goes beyond language and includes understanding and appreciating different cultures and societies.

WAL offers courses in three main areas:

Teach English at home or abroad: For individuals and school districts, our program fits your needs! Our internationally recognized program offers two possibilities: 
1. ESL Endorsement for certified k-12 teachers 
2. TESL Certificate to teach here or abroad

Learn English in Seattle: WAL makes learning English fun. Find out more about ESL classes:www.wal.org/esl/index.html

Explore the world with a foreign language: We offer group and private classes in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian/Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Inquire about University Credit!

Green Festival, the fastest growing green consumer event in the country, returns to Seattle for the second year on March 28 & 29, 2009. The Washington State Convention and Trade Center provides the space for the festival to take its platform and bring the most cutting-edge people, ideas, and organizations on the green scene to Seattle residents and the surrounding community.

Co-hosted by the city of Seattle, the 2009 Green Festival will introduce sustainable options for a transitioning economy, growing consumer consciousness, and evolving environmental policy. This year, the Green Festival will have specialized programming to address the current state of the economy with extensive discussions and information on the growing sector of green jobs.

This year, Green Festival welcomes one of America’s most influential chefs, Alice Waters, to discuss the local organic food revolution she begin in 1971. In “An Edible Education,” Waters will be joined by film director Chris Taylor to share her vision of potentially greening the White House to create a national model and expand the sustainable narrative school systems. Seattle-specific programming ranges from interactive panels on “Undriving Stories: Getting Creative About Getting Around” and “What Does Green Art Look Like” to Alisa Gravitz’s nationally relevant “Green Fixes for the Economic Mess” presentation.

Details:

Washington State Convention and Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA.
Saturday, March 28: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 29: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
$15 for two days/$10 for union members, seniors, students, and all who arrive by bicycle
FREE: Children 18 and under, Green America or Global Exchange members

You will be amazed at the size and scope of this event which is “not to be missed”.  Check their website at http://www.greenfestivals.org/.

A quick reminder that the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed this weekend for its semi-annual inspection. Both decks of the roadway will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Battery Street Tunnel will also be closed from 11 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. During the closure, crews will repair potholes, replace sprinklers and drains and inspect lighting and ventilation. According to the Seattlepi.com, the city of Seattle will also conduct an emergency drill on Saturday to test how the city would respond to an explosion near the viaduct.

The Seattle Animal Shelter continues showcasing “cool city pets” for adoption every third Saturday of the month – this month on March 21. Between the hours of noon and 3 p.m., potential adopters can get acquainted with the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, located at 2061 15^th Ave. W., about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. Available small animals include hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice.

How can you resist those beautiful eyes?

If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-PETS(7387) or visit the shelter’s website.

Back in February we reported that 12 condos are available for sale by auction this coming Sunday, March 22.  If you are interested in this form of buying, check out the article and the comments that have been posted.  John has given us a lengthy explanation and a recommendation:

For those searching for a home for themselves, go to and bid on an auction if it’s the home you really want, not because you just want a deal. Buying a home for a good deal doesn’t make it any better to come home to if you don’t like the home in the first place. If you do go, bring a realtor. It won’t cost you anything because you only pay what your bid price is regardless of whether you use one or not. They can help you stay within reality and make sure you don’t over bid and they can help do the homework before the auction. Lastly, don’t bid over 75% of the list price. If that much. There are other homes to be had at good values. Lastly, why not go put an offer in on that home or homes you really wanted for what you expect to pay at an auction and see what happens. You might be surprised. If it doesn’t work out… you have an auction to attend.

The new restaurant Signature, located at 530 Queen Anne Ave. N, Seattle, has opened for business.  It was a quick re-do of the restaurant Moxie, so signage is still in the works.  But, like the old Moxie, the decor is modern and spacious with a fully stocked bar.  (I’m not a big drinker so I have to rely on readers to let us know how the beverages stack up.)

Meet the family that owns and operates The Signature: (from left to right) Tony, Lynn, Jennifer, and Andy. There are more family members involved- just not tonight.

The menu features a solid appetizer list of Vietnamese-style eggrolls, garlic chicken wings, seared clams with Thai basil, and grilled stuffed squid. Move to tasty main dishes such as the lemon grass chicken, Vietnamese crepe, or green bean satay or stay with the traditional beef noodle soup called Pho. The meal is topped off with deep-fried bananas with vanilla ice cream.

It’s great to have new neighbors, so let’s welcome The SIgnature to Lower Queen Anne!

When the deep-bore tunnel option was selected to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct, the key issue for many residents in Northwest Seattle is access to and from our neighborhoods. At an open house last month, WSDOT provided this map outlining alternate routes.

On Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Ballard High School Auditorium, there will be a community forum to answer questions about how the deep-bore tunnel will affect Ballard. Among the questions to be addressed:

• How will residents in Queen Anne/Magnolia, Ballard, Wallingford and Fremont access points to the south and downtown?
• What kind of access will we have to the North end of the tunnel?
• Will trucks be able to use the tunnel or will they use surface streets?
• How will travel times through the corridor be affected?
• Why is an economic impact study so important to our decisions affecting the Alaskan Way Viaduct?

The audience will be able to ask questions of the panelists, which include representatives from WSDOT, City of Seattle, King County, and noted experts in the field of tunnel construction, economics, and traffic engineering.