Barers of Maple Valley

Constantine Speaks In Issaquah On Coal Trains

2013-05-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

King County Executive Dow Constantine was the headline speaker Wednesday night as the 5th District Democrats held a discussion on why a proposal to have coal trains passing through the area would be harmful to both the economic climate and the environment. Constantine, known a strong environmentalist, said that there are three proposed routes to transport coal from mines in Wyoming and Montana to be loaded at ports in Longview and/or Bellingham and shipped to China. Constantine said that 18 trains a day, approximately a mile and a half long could be running through downtown Seattle, causing serious traffic snarls. That could seriously damage the economic health of the region. The trains could also tie up the rails and ward off needed cargo for Seattle's major industries.
Constantine has said that King County government has made a commitment to clean energy sources and that Coal is one of the dirtiest sources of energy. Dust from the coal passing through could severely lower the air quality of the region, raising the human health issue.
Also, speaking was Tiffany McGuyer, from the group Power Past Coal, a group that opposes the trains on the grounds that cleaner and healthier energy sources are available.
5th District Chair Jim Baum addressed the group to say that more discussions on timely regional issues are now in the works. The discussion took place at the City Hall in Issaquah, the largest city in Washington's 5th legislative district.

It's Final--No NBA In Seattle For 2013-14

2013-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Seattle's hopes of gaining an NBA franchise became dim as the NBA voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento. The Kings have been on the verge of moving for the last few seasons, but a joint effort by NBA commissioner David Stern and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a three time NBA all star has rescued the team each time. By contrast, when a move by the Seattle Super Sonics took place, Commissioner David Stern rebuked Seattle's efforts to keep the team.

Maple Valley Entertains 4 Legged Guests

2013-05-12T13:52:00.001-07:00

Goats have been hired to clean out brush and trim the grass at the Patrick's Faire Subdivision across from Belmont Woods in Maple Valley. The curious heard of young and old goats have attracted quite a gallery of spectators from homes nearby.

Former Sonics Coach George Karl Wins NBA Coach Of The Year

2013-05-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

George Karl, who like Mariner manager Lou Piniella was controversial during his time with the Sonics, has won his first Coach Of The Year award. Karl has coached the Denver Nuggets since 2005 and this year coached the team to 57 wins. The most in it's history. The team, however, had an early exit in the play-off against Golden States. One of the knocks on Karl when he was with the Sonics is that he could rack up wins during the season, but only once could it go deep in the play-offs.
Karl is 6th in all-times wins amongst past and present NBA coaches. He does not have a championship ring. Karl's honor is the longest time a coach (25 years) has gone before winning that award. He is a two time cancer survivor.

They're Coming! 5th LD Democrats To Host Discussion On Coal Trains

2013-05-08T08:10:00.001-07:00

The 5th District Democrats will devote it's May Meeting to present a forum on plans to ship coal by rail through the Northwest. King County Executive Dow Constantine will headline the discussion, along with representatives from 2 groups opposing the plan--Washington Conservation Voters and Power Past Coal.
The plan is to ship coal mined in Montana and Wyoming to Northwest ports for shipment to Asia. The ports will be rebuilt to handle the exports. Environmental impact statements for the proposal are currently being prepared.
The meeting will convene at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 15th at Issaquah City Hall's Eagle Room, 130
Sunset Way.

Ken Levine's Observations On Walla Walla

2013-05-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

The world may finally be taking Walla Walla, Washington seriously, but that didn't stop TV writer/baseball announcer Ken Levine from writing a charmingly funny blog post his visit there to promote the Walla Walla Sweets Baseball team. Check it out here.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2013-05-05T10:36:00.002-07:00

Erin Murphy Selling TV History

2013-05-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Having used her blog for a few years to connect with fans, Erin Murphy, who played daughter Tabitha on the 60s-70s TV classic Bewitched, is selling pictures from the show that she has autographed. Click here

Rachel Rings Seattle's Bell!

2013-05-02T06:25:00.002-07:00

She's sassy, zany, and seemingly always enthusiastic, she's the only local radio personality, as far as I know, that has her own jingle (the old Disco standby Ring My Bell), Rachel Belle is KIRO FM's feature reporter. Rachel reports the news that didn't make the news and has an uncanny knack for humanizing every story no matter what the impact. Her delivery is mile a minute, yet clear and she is more than able to stand up to wisecracking afternoon hosts Ron And Don. Rachel can be heard daily at 4:40 and 6:40 on 97.3 KIRO FM. She does radio commercials for a variety of products. Rachel also has done stand up in local comedy clubs as you can see here.

Washington State Democrats Meet In Lake Chelan

2013-04-29T20:47:00.001-07:00

Deb and I went to Lake Chelan this weekend so I could attend the Washington State Democratic Central Committee meeting. While many may associate politics with "hot air", it could not compete with the 50 mile per hour wind gusts that blew through on Saturday. On a serious note, State Democratic Chair led the delegation in a moment of silence to honor late state committewoman Barb Gellar, Seattle political consultant Blair Butterworth, and former Governor Booth Gardiner. Pictured above, Todd Nichols leads the Rules Committee meeting.
Although the meetings were held at the Campbell Resort, we stayed at the nearby Lakeside Lodge. The Lakeside is by a beautiful park (pictured below). We also visited the Mill Bay Casino, the Tsillan Wine Cellars and finished by driving up to Wenatchee for the Apple Blossom Festival. After leaving the festival, we went to Walla Walla Point Park by the Wenatchee River to let Dasher take a swim. I did not know there were any other landmarks named Walla Walla that were not in the actual city.

Hansen Bid Shot Down--Kings To Stay In Sacramento

2013-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Seattle chance to regain an NBA team took a severe blow when the NBA Relocation voted unanamously to keep the Kings franchise in Sacramento. It is unknown at this time what the next step will be, but it is clear at this time that the Chris Hansen group will have to entertain other options if it hopes to bring an NBA team here. Hansen had put 30 million dollars down on a binding offer to buy the Kings from the previous owners, the Maloof Brothers.

Burl Barer Salutes Seattle's Heart

2013-04-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

In his blog, Burl Barer remembers his Seattle radio days along seeing the now Hall Of Fame rock group Heart in the group's early years. Click here

Dasher Meets Another Pup

2013-04-21T13:23:00.001-07:00

Dasher playing with Charlie at The UPS Store

A Great Monent In Baseball

2013-04-21T10:10:00.002-07:00

Boston Red Sox Fans traditionally sing "Sweet Caroline" at the 7th Inning stretch at Fenway Park. After a harrowing day in which the city was in lockdown, a special guest leads them in song.

42 Brings Jackie Robinson To Life

2013-04-20T23:46:00.001-07:00

(warning--some spoilers)

This movie is about much more that baseball and even much more that Jackie Robinson. 42 gets it's name from the number that Jackie Robinson wore when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Up to 1947, Baseball player were all Caucasian. The players thought that it was because they were superior, but really it was because of deep prejudices of owners, players and America in general. Although at the time, there were no teams in the Deep South, Spring training was held there and many of the players were from that region. Branch Rickey is the owner of the Dodgers and it is his belief that it is time to sign a black baseball player.He scout out Jackie Robinson, a star in the "Negro Leagues" His manager, Leo Dourocher loves the idea and agrees with Rickey to make it happen. Trouble is, Dourocher is suspended for the year and the Dodgers have to find a new manager. They wind up with a retiree who has nowhere near the fire of Duroucher. The movie is simplified to a battle between the good guys vs the bad guys. The vitriol aimed at Robinson is quite disturbing, but because of that, you root a lot harder for him.
My guess is that this movie and many of the actors will get Oscar consideration.

Turtle Pokes Head Out Of Shell--Pens Book

2013-04-20T11:06:00.002-07:00

When I was little, I used to love the teen dancing shows The Beatles were emerging and bands had cool names like The Animals, The Grass Roots, The Byrds, and The Turtles. I remember exactly were I was when I first heard the monster hit "Happy Together", a song that brighten your day just by hearing it, I loved the phrase "no matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be", it conjures images of walking through the park in the sunshine. The Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan lives in the Seattle area and I was fortunate to meet him and his wife.
Howard's new book Shell Shocked chronicles his years as a giant in a very important era in the growth of Rock as an entertainment force.
Howard was also a member of "The Mothers Of Invention" and was performing when the Swiss casino burned down, an event that was referenced in the Deep Purple classic "Smoke On The Water".
He also returned to perform with fellow Turtle Mark Volman as Flo and Eddie as by contractual agreement at the time, they could not perform as "The Turtles" or even use their actual names.
From what I can see, Howard lives a pretty modest life in the area, you may have seen him in a store and not noticed, but his contributions to Rock And Roll are extraordinary. You can order his book on Amazon by clicking here. By the way, I would be remiss not to mention Howard has a cool golden doodle named Pouchifer who loves to come to our UPS Store in Crossroads.
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Pat Summerall Dies

2013-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

It's probably not a stretch to say that Pat Summerall was to sportscasting, what Walter Cronkite was to news. Summerall had been associated with sports broadcasting since 1962 when he was a color commentator along with Chris Schenkel broadcasting Giants games on CBS. His rich voice and dedication to his craft lead him to become lead announcer on NFL broadcasts, not that common for ex-players. Summerall had been doing the games when I first started watching the NFL in the late 60s. He remained active until only a few years ago. He would work for CBS, Fox and ESPN.His partnership with John Madden made both men bigger stars. A few years ago, Summerall, a recovering alcoholic, could be heard on a Shick Shadel commercial with Pat O'Day on the radio. Although Summerall played in the NFL, there is no doubt he was much more famous as an announcer. He broadcast 16 Super Bowls, more than any other announcer.

WHY?

2013-04-15T21:41:00.001-07:00

Baseball News From Walla Walla

2013-04-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping to get back to Walla Walla for a weekend this summer to watch the Walla Walla Sweets play baseball. Now, I realize I can watch Major League baseball here in the Seattle area, however cool things are happening for this organization is that is not even a minor league baseball team.
The team has a new announcer, Howard Hoffman. Hoffman is a nationally known radio voice talent. He is also now a resident of Walla Walla. On May 2nd, the team will host it's season party with special guest Ken Levine. Levine is a network sit-com writer with such shows as Mash, Cheers, Frasier, and Everybody Love Raymond. He is also a former announcer for the Seattle Mariners. His blog has been heralded as one of the best. Undoubtedly, he will do a humorous and light hearted story on his blog about his visit to the "valley of the double Wallas".
The Walla Walla Sweets are a member of the West Coast League, a summer collegiate league. Another former Mariner announcer, Ken Wilson, is the league president.

Seahawks Land All Pro Cornerback

2013-04-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Sports reports that the Seatttle Seahawks are about to sign veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield. The 36 year old veteran is a three time Pro Bowl player and was selected all pro in 2008.
His contract with the Minnesota Vikings was terminated, reportedly to clear salary space.

Annette Funicello Tributes

2013-04-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Seattle Radio Icon Pat O'Day is shown hear with Disney Star and Teen movie icon Annette Funicello who passed away a couple of days ago. While I was a little young to get the full impact of her life and the mark that she made on her generation, Ken Levine wrote a heartfelt blog post that captures it.
Click here.

Blossoms Cover The Driveway

2013-04-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's pretty when the tree in the front yard blossoms, but quite a chore to clean up when they come down onto the yard, the driveway and the street.

Barers Of Maple Valley On National TV

2013-04-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well, if you blinked you missed it, unless you have DVR, but our episode of The Price Is Right ran today. You can see us in the left hand corner (me in green, Debra in a Price Is Right tee shirt) as I am dressed even sillier than these silly dressed people. I was not trying to look like a lepricaun I had on a Sounders jersey and a Sounders hat. Hoping to sway Drew Carey, who owns the Seattle Soccer team. It didn't work.

Artisan Tails Shows Dasher In Water Color

2013-04-07T16:14:00.001-07:00

Dasher is top dog on the home page of Artisan Tails, a site where Jeanne Romano can make a water cooler picture of your pet and ship it anywhere in the country. Romano is also a network sitcom writer, but her true passion seems to be painting pets. You can check out her site by clicking here. If you live in the Bellevue area, you can see Dasher's portrait, done by Jeanne at The UPS Store in Crossroads where it hangs proudly.

Sportsradio Morning Broadcaster Tapped By Seattle Met

2013-04-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sportsradio KJR 950 morning man Mitch Levy was named one of Seattle's 50 most influential people in a list compiled by Seattle Met, a community magazine. Along with Levy, the list includes state senators Ed Murray and Steve Litzow, newly elected Congresswoman Suzan Del Bene, and San Francisco Financier and potential NBA team owner Chris Hansen.
The magazine credited Levy to stirring up the issue of bringing the fences of Safeco Field closer to the plate, making easier for batter to hit home runs and allowing the team more pull with free agent signings.
Levy, who is originally from Florida, has been with the station for nearly 20 years.