Blue Snuggie blankets were the fashion statement in Old Ballard on Friday night for Seattle’s first-ever Snuggie pub crawl. While most wore their sleeved blanket with a rope or belt […]
Category: Ballard
Car chase suspect sentenced
The man who led King County Sheriff deputies on a high-speed chase through Ballard last month — then admitted to deputies, “I was stupid” — was sentenced today. King Count […]
Jazzy weekend events for Ballard
Looks like another nice weekend — not quite as warm, but Meteorologist Rich Marriott says the sun will be out on Sunday after some clouds on Saturday. The Ballard Jazz […]
Father who suffered attack on life support
We have an update on Todd Boettger, the man who was robbed and left for dead in Greenwood early Tuesday morning. “He has been heavily sedated, basically a drug induced […]
Cupcake queen to talk healthcare at White House
The owner of Cupcake Royale is headed to Washington D.C. to talk healthcare. As the representative of the Washington Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition, Jody Hall is one […]
Construction messes up traffic along Leary
Seattle Department of Transportation crews are busy digging up Leary Ave NW in front of Canal Station and the Ballard Landmark exposing the old brick road. Marybeth Turner from SDOT […]
Jeep tips over in morning accident
Several people are shaken up this morning after an accident at 8th and Market. Just before 7 a.m., a witness tells us that the red Oldsmobile and Jeep Wrangler collided, […]
Rep. Carlyle’s update from Olympia
Representative Reuven Carlyle has emailed us a new blog post covering the flurry of activity in Olympia, especially surrounding the state budget. As is customary now, Carlyle is asking for your feedback on a wide range of issues — and he reads the comments. His post follows below:
In the waning days of the 2009 session in Olympia, legislators are debating, advocating, prodding, pushing and voting on major issues ranging from greenhouse gas emissions to education reform, domestic partnerships and job initiatives in cooperation with the Obama Administration.
Serving as a member of the state House has been a tremendous experience on a personal and professional level. The best part has been making a difference on profoundly important public policy issues that impact real people living real lives. The worse part has obviously been spending so much time away from my wife Wendy and our four children. I’m chomping at the bit to come home!
On the budget front: House and Senate budget negotiators are holed up in conference rooms in the Capitol forging a deal on how to address a $9 billion projected deficit in the $33 billion biennial operating budget. The central theme of the session has been jobs, jobs, jobs….
‘Mystery cat’ is home safe tonight
This afternoon we received an email from Jennifer at the Phinney Ridge Animal Hospital. She says a “mystery cat” was found near 57th and 11th with bite wounds on his […]
As expected, RapidRide to run on 15th Ave.
We posted back in March that it looked like RapidRide, the new express bus service coming to Ballard in 2012, will run along 15th Ave. instead of the other option, […]
SHARE: Sex offender screening ‘un-American’
Members of the homeless group that were planning to move into an overnight shelter at Calvary Lutheran Church have written a letter responding to the controversy over sex offender screening. The letter, faxed to My Ballard, explains that the SHARE group was “disinvited” from staying at Calvary after “some neighbors became hysterical and threatened the church if they let us come.” The SHARE members said the church asked them to changing their screening process to begin checking for sex offenders, a requirement they called “un-American” and a result of “homelessphobia” discrimination.
(File photo of SHARE members with Our Redeemer’s Pastor Steve Grumm). “How many times have we had a problem with a sex offender at a SHARE shelter? NEVER. NOT ONCE,” the letter reads. “Sex offenders are not welcome in SHARE church shelters. We just don’t need a sex offender check during screening to move them on. The proof is in our well-run shelters and the complete lack of neighborhood problems where we stay.” The letter explains they believe they can find another church, temple or mosque that won’t require the checks. “We’ll be all right,” they write.
The controversy began when Our Redeemer’s Church, which oversees the now-vacant Calvary Lutheran Church, invited 20 members of SHARE to form an overnight shelter. Many neighbors in a community meeting demanded that SHARE submit to sex offender checks, a request that the church passed to SHARE, which as you can see, has refused to submit to them. Our Redeemer’s says it’s still working with SHARE in an attempt to come to a resolution.
Meanwhile, a My Ballard reader pointed out in comments on an earlier story that the city of Redmond has included a sex offender screening requirement in the temporary use permit for Tent City 4 (.pdf), which is made up of SHARE members. “Tent City 4 shall report any positive results of sex offenders or warrant checks to the Redmond Police Department,” the requirement reads.
The full letter from SHARE members follows below…
Ballard Jazz Festival starts tonight
Ballard’s biggest music event of the season gets underway this evening. The four-day Ballard Jazz Festival kicks off with the Brotherhood of the Drum where five Northwest drummers take the […]
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