PI

We poked into CVS a couple days ago and the main difference we saw with Bartell Drugs is that CVS sells spirits. Prices were similar across a sampling of beer, shampoo, and medicine. The store front looks to be well restored: It seems pretty clear they are in direct competition with Bartell Drugs and Walgreens, and Bartell Drugs has been stepping up their game in response (see the new refrigerators). There were only a couple people in CVS, about 10 in…

The agenda for the meeting this Wednesday, beginning at 7:15 in the Good Shepherd Center, room 202: Minutes 7:15  Kim England Treasurer's Report 7:20 Paul Willumson Planning  7:25  Greg Hill Report on Comp Plan Summary Waterways/Shoreline 7:40 Lee Raaen Shoreline/Waterways University Relations 7:45 Brian O’Sullivan and Jon Berkedal Transportation 7:55 Eric Fisk, discussion of waterway 22 transportation project status Parking RPZ 8:00 Mary Fielder and Catherine Smith  report on RPC actions Communications 8:05 Frank Fay Parks and Rec. 8:10 Angelique Hockett Parks Planning 8:20 (Urban Village…

In part 2 of looking at teacher reviews, today we focus on middle and high school. The net for high school is cast wide, since APP students from Hamilton go to Garfield or Ingraham. Here are the teacher survey results for middle and high schools your student may attend (for K-8 schools, see yesterday's post): Teacher Survey 2014 Teacher Survey 2015 Ingraham 77% 78% Roosevelt 72% 73% Whitman 78% 71% Ballard 64% 71% District Average 66% 69% Eckstein 64% 67% Hamilton…

School reports for Seattle Public Schools are released every year in December for the prior year. People focus on kids meeting standards, but that's really just a reflection of demographics plus how much the school is focused on drilling kids just below standard on their test taking skills. A good school works to meet every student where they're at and puts them on learning tracks to succeed in life, it doesn't treat every student as a widget to be stamped out as…

Thank you to everybody who has donated our Wallingford campaign for FamilyWorks, our local food bank and family resource center. When I first started working on this with FamilyWorks, I wasn't quite sure where to set the goal. Early on, I thought maybe we could set it at $5,000, but I got nervous: what if we came up disastrously short? What kind of embarrassment would that be for the kindness of the neighborhood? Even asking people to go together to pledge $3,000,…

Bette wants to thank Wallingford for helping out through the Caroling Party fundraiser: The response to the Caroling Party fundraiser for Patty and Joe of the Holiday House was an astounding success! As of Christmas Eve, we have raised $2855.26. (The 26 cents was from a toddler who asked her Mommy it she could give her own money too.) I got a cashiers check made out to Patty for the amount raised so far and wrapped it inside the beautiful book of photos…

In kid sports there's no tangible benefit to winning and no technical skills that will lead to a paycheck some day, so how much should a kid push themselves to practice and focus? Are kid sports about having fun and getting outside, or are they about teaching grit and how to win as a team? Coach Convery of the Woodland Panthers offers his thoughts and describes how their season wrapped up in the Washington State Rec Cup: As the head coach of…