by Josh Hart

Imagine every bone in your body from the waist down aching. You’re sitting on the couch and you can hardly get up. Once you do get up, you can barely move around. Everything just feels sore.

The day before you had just competed in Seattle’s Inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon. You remember running across that finish line in pain, but triumph. You had done it. You set out to do something and you did it. You almost gave up on mile 24, you started feeling the burn on mile 17, but you had pushed through and accomplished something. You had even finished in 4 hours and 49 minutes. 11 minutes faster than your goal.

Just remember back on mile 13 when you were still fresh and you had seen your family and you were still running strong. Just remember back to when the race started and you could hardly even jog, because there were so many people. That wasn’t even the start. Remember back to when you were training and you ran from Kent to Orting. That felt like an accomplishment too, but it wasn’t like what you were feeling now. Remember that night that you had said, “I’m going to run a marathon.” We thought you were crazy, but you printed out a training schedule and you put your mind too it and look where you are right now. Crossing that finish line. You want to fall to your knees, because of the ache.

You find your family waiting at the other side of the finish line. They are so proud. This wasn’t just about the accomplishment of a marathon. It was much more than that. It was the will power that you had to put your mind to something and 16 weeks later accomplish it. You give people the awareness that they really can do whatever they put their mind too. It would have been impossible 16 weeks prior for you to run that marathon, but you trained in the beating down sun, you trained in the rain, the cold, and the heat. You also trained on the beach, in the woods, at the track, in the valley. You never gave up. You gave inspiration to many people out there. Even though you didn’t finish with the best time, you still did it. You accomplished something very few people accomplish.

This is the story of my dad, Nathan Hart, competing in the Rock and Roll Marathon, which went from Tukwila to Seattle on June 27th.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who loves to write and play soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

The Boy’s 3A Seamount baseball season is over and it turned out to be an interesting year.

Both Mt. Rainier and Highline High School did very well, along with Kennedy.

Tyee and Evergreen didn’t do so great though and so Highline School District evened out pretty well.

Mt. Rainer High School finished at the top of the standings at 10-1 in conference and a combined win loss record of 11-3.

Kennedy finished second with 13 wins and four losses in league play and a combined record of 14-6.

The Highline Pirates finished third with a 12-4 league play record and went 14-4 in combined play.

Highline School District’s baseball teams are some of the top in the state and many of the players will likely play college ball.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who loves to write and play soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

Both the State Cup and Challenge Cups finished last Sunday, and here are the champions of each age bracket:

• BU-15 State Cup Champion: Washington Premier FC- For the second year in a row WPFC won at this age level defeating ECFC 1-0.
• BU-15 Challenge Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC won in overtime defeating FWU Storm 1-0.
• BU-16 State Cup Champion: Crossfire Premier- Crossfire defeated NWN 2-0 in the final game.
• BU-16 Challenge Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC defeated ECFC 2-1 in both teams biggest game of the season.
• BU-17 State Cup Champion: Eastside FC- Once again EFC wins, this time defeating WFC Rangers 4-1.
• BU-17 Challenge Cup Champion: Greater Renton FC- GRFC defeated Snohomish United 2-0 in the grueling game.
• BU-18 State Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC managed to win one of the tourneys at each age level. The U-18’s defeated ECFC 2-1.
• BU-18 Challenge Cup Champion: SSC Firebirds- SSC defeated Sparta 1-0 in the very close game.

The fight for the top club in the state completes after the girls and the younger boys play, and here’s a preview of what the standings look like now (KEY: 2 points for a championship, 1 for runner up):

• Eastside FC- 8



• Emerald City FC- 3
• Washington Premier- 2
• Crossfire Premier- 2
• Greater Renton FC- 2
• SSC Firebirds- 2
• Northwest Nationals- 1
• Federal Way Storm- 1
• Snohomish United- 1
• Whatcom FC Rangers- 1
• Sparta- 1

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He also plays soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

All the Highline Premier Football Club (HPFC) teams BU-15 to BU-18 were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the State and Challenge cups.

Here is the quick breakdown of who eliminated them and what the score was.

• BU-15 Blue defeated by Columbia Timbers 0-1
• BU-15 Red defeated by Federal Way Storm 0-6
• BU-16 Blue didn’t make it past preliminaries
• BU-17 Blue defeated by Whatcom FC Rangers 0-1
• BU-17 Red didn’t make it past preliminaries
• BU-18 Blue defeated by Eastside FC 2-3
• BU-18 Red didn’t make it past preliminaries

So with all the boys teams out we have to wait a couple more weeks for the younger boys and the girls’ teams to stand up for our club.

Also if you want to watch some great soccer this weekend, go down to Starfire Sports Complex and watch the semis and the finals on Saturday and Sunday for the Boys U-15 to U-18’s. The level of play is outstanding and there is a lot on the line for the teams. It is going on all day down there on Saturday and Sunday so go out and see some great soccer.

The following teams are competing in the Challenge Cup:

BU-15:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- South Hill Revolution vs. Eastside FC
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Westsound FC vs. Federal Way Storm
• 3/1- 9:00 AM- Championship

BU-16:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- MRFC vs. Eastside FC
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Norpoint FC vs. Emerald City FC
• 3/1- 1:45 PM- Championship

BU-17:

• 3/1- 4:00 PM- Snohomish United vs. GRFC

BU-18:

• 2/28- 11:15 AM- SSC Firebirds vs. MRFC
• 2/28- 4:00 PM- Sparta vs. Harbor FC
• 3/1- 11:15 AM- Championship

The following teams are competing in the State Cup:

BU-15:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- Crossfire Premier vs. Washington Premier
• 2/28- 12:00 PM- Columbia Timbers vs. Emerald City FC
• 3/1- 9:00 AM- Championship

BU-16:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- Northwest Nationals vs. Crossfire Premier
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Crossfire Premier vs. Columbia Timbers
• 3/1- 1:45 PM- Championship

BU-17:

• 2/28- 3:00 PM- Northwest Nationals vs. Whatcom FC Rangers
• 2/28- 3:00 PM- Snohomish United vs. Eastside FC
• 3/1- 4:00 PM- Championship

BU-18:

• 2/28- 11:15 AM- Columbia Timbers vs. Emerald City FC
• 2/28- 4:00 PM- Eastside FC vs. Crossfire Premier
• 3/1- 11:15 AM- Championship

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He also plays soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

This month at Big Picture High School, a fellow student named Tylor Curry was chosen as “Intern of the Month.”

Tylor, a very prolific (and busy) sophomore, won for the following reasons:

1. Tylor has two internships:
   • The first is at The Nature Consortium where he is working with other students to help restore the Green Belt. They work out by the Duwamish River and they try to rid the area of invasive plants. They also try to protect from the invasive plants coming back. They want to have only native plants in that area. This is helping the community as a whole, because the work he is doing out there is making things like our air quality better and making the area a prettier place.
   • His other internship is with The Tobacco Prevention Program. He goes around and tries to buy cigarettes from stores. If they sell to him, King County Public Health comes in and talks to them about selling cigarettes to underage buyers. So he is preventing teens from getting into bad habits and also serving under law enforcement.
2. Both nature and law enforcement are Tylor’s passions and he is following his passions and working at his goals to make the world a better place.
3. Also, in January, Tylor was awarded a $500 grant from the Washington Foundation for the Environment to implement an internship project involving teaching elementary students about forest restoration.

Let’s give a big hand to Tylor and join him in making the community cleaner and safer for all of us.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

HPFC (Highline Premier Football Club) Heat, formerly known as HSA Heat, has the best soccer in Burien. The boys U-15’s-U-18’s are currently competing in the preliminaries for the State and Challenge Cups.

Both cups score points the following way:

• 1 point per goal up to 3
• 1 point for a shutout
• 0 points for a loss
• 3 points for a tie
• 6 points for a win
• A max. of 10 points

The top two teams in each division move on. The State Cup is a tournament for the top premier teams in the country to battle it out for the title of “best team in the state.” The Challenge Cup is just one step below that. It usually consists of all the premier club “B” team. For the Heat the “A” team is blue and the “B” team is red. This is the third week of both cups and many of the teams are in a must-win situation to advance past the prelims and onto the elimination round.

I am going to give you a quick breakdown of HPFC Heat and how they are faring in the cups.

(KEY: Win-Loss-Tie, pts in group)

The following teams are competing in the state cup:

U-15 Blue (1-1-0, 12 pts.)
That loss coming to Washington Premier, the reigning champion in the U-15 division, 3-5. Their next game comes at home (Highline Stadium) against 3 rivers United (1-1-0, 9 pts). Whoever wins this game will move on to the elimination round.

U-17 Blue (1-0-1, 14 pts.)
Their win was a spectacular one. With a 3-0 win against FC Mulkiteo they take home the full ten points. Their nect game is at Westsound United, and without all the scores being posted from earlier matches, This could be a must-win for the Heat.

U-18 Blue (1-0-0, 9 pts.)
They are in a two team group with the in club rival the red team. Since both teams get in no matter what they are basically playing “friendlies” (a soccer term for scrimmage or exhibition). They did win against the red team though, beating them by a score of 7-1.

U-18 Red (0-1-0,1 pt.)
The red team got a good draw in a way because despite the big loss to the in club rival, they will still get in to the quarterfinals.

It looks as though all the HPFC teams in the State Cup could be advancing into elimination rounds. Good Job!

The following teams are competing in the Challenge Cup:

U-15 Red (1-1-0, 10 pts.)
This is the team I play goalkeeper for. We lost our first game to Emerald City FC 2-0 and then took ten points in our last game against Crossfire FC, winning 3-0. For our next game we have to travel to Vancouver to play the Columbia Timbers. As long as we don’t lose this one we will be advancing on to play the Federal Way Storm in the elimination round.

U-16 Blue (1-1-0, 9 pts.)
This team has to win their next game against the Maple Valley Rapids to move on. Whoever wins this heated match will make it to the elimination round and the loser will go home.

All of the HPFC teams have a chance to move on this weekend. We will have to watch and see if they can all do it. It wont be easy but it’s possible.

Check back for more updates on the state and challenge cup.

The younger teams and the girls teams will start soon.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

It just so happens that the first inauguration I ever witnessed in my short lifetime happens to be one of the most historical inaugurations in many people’s lifetimes.

As I listened to the inauguration over the internet, I particularly focused on Barack Obama’s speech. After he was sworn in, even despite the couple mistakes by Supreme Court Justice Roberts, the crowd started chanting “OBAMA!”

After the crowd quieted down, our new President started with:

“My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”

He then continued by thanking his predecessor George W. Bush. Following that he said:

“Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”

He talked about the crisis of America being at war among topics of the economy.

Then came what I thought was the greatest part of his speech:

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.”

Those are some of the greatest couple of paragraphs I have ever heard. I think that was what made this speech great also. Those few paragraphs included every race and gender, and really tied America into one. He didn’t leave anyone out, but instead included us all.

It was FANTASTIC!!!

I am really looking forward to seeing what he brings to America and I can’t wait to hear more of his speeches.

Here’s an interesting “highlight” video of Obama’s big day, as shot by Colorado Filmmaker & Photojournalist Brian Malone:

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

With all the flooding recently I wanted to find someone to talk to about what happened to them. I realized that someone very close to me had been affected, my great grandma and grandpa (Betty and Glen).

When I talked to them about the flooding this is what I found out:

Last Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 7th), they started to get phone calls from Pierce County Emergency Management saying that they should move to a higher location for the night. When Glen went to the store he saw that the water was getting pretty high on the roads. They debated leaving; they hadn’t had any flooding in their housing area yet.

They finally decided they were in danger when two fire trucks drove through the area with sirens on and announcing to everyone to “evacuate immediately” over their loudspeakers.

Their housing area is in Orting, between the Puyallup River and the Carbon River. Both rivers were over their banks and were starting to flood the roads. Many of the stores were closing so they decided they would leave the area.

They were worried and didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t know what belongings they should take with them or how long they would have to be out of the area. They had many people offer them a place to stay but didn’t know where the best place to stay was. Many of them were too far to drive to at the time, because traffic was so bad.

That night they stayed at a motel in Sumner and listened to the flood news on TV. The next morning it seemed like it would be safe to go home. So at about 9am in the morning they headed back to their housing area in Orting. It took them longer than usual, because the traffic was bad again.

While they were driving home they saw some places that were underwater. As they crossed the Carbon River, the water was coming right up to the banks. Despite the dangerous conditions, they got home safely and found that there was no damage to their yard or their house. It seems like their housing area hadn’t been affected at all.

They were thankful everything was safe and they were happy to be home with all their belongings and things they cherish safe and unharmed. 
And I am happy that my great-grandparents were spared and harm or damage.

However beautiful Orting is, it can still be very dangerous, not because of the two rivers, but because it lies in the shadow of Mt. Rainier.

View Larger Map

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

Hello people of Burien, this is your city here – I want to talk with you a little about what I want to happen in 2009.

In 2009 there are many resolutions I want – no, need – from you, the people of Burien:

• I want to see my streets clean. If you have walked around my streets you know they are very dirty. There is litter everywhere and it makes me upset that you treat me like that. If you stop littering the return will be great for you. I, as your city, will be healthier for you.
• Another thing I want you to do for me is ride the bus. There are so many cars on my roads, if you take the bus it will pollute my air less and also be better for you. The bus is also cost efficient if you get a yearly pass, it saves you a lot on gas money.
• I also want you to strive to do good for your fellow citizen. Help someone in need. Give to a food bank. Open a door for one of my little old ladies. Smile at each other. Buy some dude a brewski at Elmer’s for cryin’ out loud…
  
• The last thing I want from you is to help fight crime. There is so much crime around on my streets. Especially around the park and ride. If everyone helps by not just ignoring crime, it will make me a better place.

So please help me become better and you will be better off for it.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

Last weekend, Des Moines’ Mt. Rainier High School Drill Team competed in and won the Liberty High School Drill and Dance Competition.

They competed against drill teams from Issaquah High, Hazen High, Redmond and Interlake High School. Decatur High School Drill Team was supposed to show, but didn’t for unknown reasons.

For Mt.Rainier Drill, this was their first competition of the season, and they ended up placing first and taking home the trophy. The team had been through the same experience last year – winning their first competition that is. They placed in almost all competitions last year, only missing the stand on three occasions.

They may have won the competition, but it was not all fun and games. The girls had to work hard to get to that place. I talked to a member of the Mt.Rainier team, Danielle Knake (who is also a fellow student at Big Picture High School), about the ups and downs when they are at the competition.

Q: What part of the competition was the most fun?
A: I always love watching the hip-hop teams, because they have some really cool outfits. I also enjoy the bus rides that we take to and from the competition. All of us just joke around and have fun.

Q: What was the most difficult part of the competition?
A: For me it’s always waiting for them to announce the winners, because you never know how the judges scored you. I always get worried that we won’t place.

It seems like the Mt.Rainier Drill Team is off to a good start this season, but please check back for more updates as the season progresses.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote about what he'd do if he were Mayor, his take on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime, another on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game and much more...]

by Josh Hart

Well 2009 is almost here and many are wondering what will be in store for the upcoming year.

• What will change from this year?
• What needs to change?
• What do we want to change?
• With everything that is going on in the area what will be the most significant?

In the following article I am going to attempt to answer all these questions for you.

The only difference – I’m doing it as if I were your Mayor.

Now, imagine me standing behind a podium, in the middle of town on a crisp winter day, giving you my annual “State of the City” address (oh, and pretend there’s reverb on my voice as you read this):

2008 was a good year for all.

First Avenue and surrounding streets had a lot of construction, but the result so far was a good one.

Southcenter was remodeled and now it is a huge mall.  With Christmas season here, that is going to help traffic in the mall. I still worry about the parking though, not to mention the recent gang-related shooting. But I have faith that mall security will keep all shoppers safe.

The Sonics are gone now and that means that Seattle Center will have 12,000 less people three nights a week.

The first phase of the Burien Town Square is nearing completion and that should be a great thing for all who live in Burien.

Also, the light rail is coming to Tukwila towards the end of 2009 and that will help commuters get from home to work and back more efficiently. The bus systems have been approved to change, terminate, and install routes. The biggest change in the buses is probably the buses that run along Pacific Highway. They are planning on taking out many of the buses that run on Pac Highway for the new RapidRide A-Line.

The RapidRide will come every 10-15 minutes and run along Pac Highway. They are planning to change this by the end of 2009.

With all these changes in 2008 what can we do in 2009 to make our community a better place for all of us?

Some of the changes I would make are to change the bus routes. I don’t think that we need to modify the Pacific Highway buses, but I think that we need to make more buses go through Des Moines as well as from Sea-Tac Airport to Highline Community College. This would affect Burien, Sea-Tac, and Des Moines. It would help people get around and would reduce traffic. I have always wanted a bus or shuttle through Des Moines to get around on. At the moment they only have a few buses that go through Des Moines and they come every hour. Even if they changed it to every half an hour that would be beneficial also. I would also lower the fares on the bus. They originally raised them to compensate for gas prices.

But now that gas prices have lowered, bus fares need to be lowered again. It now costs over two dollars to go from Seattle to Burien. This can add up to over eleven dollars a week. This can be worse than gas prices for the transit commuters.

Another thing I would change is to put something along Pac Highway, perhaps a plaza or a nice park to clean up the area. If we do this it will bring more people to the Highway, which, in turn will help clean up the area. We need to this because the area is not the safest and it is also a bad first impression for tourists from the Sea-Tac Airport. Do we really want to have tourists come and the first street they drive on is the current Pacific Highway? If we clean this up we will also get more tourists. Tourists benefit the community massively: they buy from local small businesses, which in turn benefits the entire community.

Things can change, starting with you – each and every person has an opportunity to propose ideas to their mayor. You can do this by sending a letter to their mayor.

So if you want to see change or have ideas for change just send a letter to your mayor (or wait to talk with me right after my speech…):

BURIEN:

Mayor Joan McGilton
Phone: (206) 248-5515
Email: joanm@burienwa.gov

NORMANDY PARK:

Mayor Pro Tem George Hadley
Phone: (206) 248-7603
Email: george.hadley@ci.normandy-park.wa.us

SEA-TAC:

Mayor Ralph Shape
Phone: (206) 973-4800
Email: rshape@ci.seatac.wa.us

TUKWILA:

Mayor Jim Haggerton
Phone: (206) 433-1800
Email: tukmayor@ci.tukwila.wa.us

DES MOINES:

Mayor Bob Sheckler
Phone: (206) 878-4595
Email: citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime, a story on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game and much more...]

by Josh Hart

Now that America has elected a new president the question gets posed:

What will change under President Barack Obama?

Will the fact that he is an African-American man affect anything?

From what I have heard around my school it seems like many think he will be assassinated. I don’t think this will necessarily happen. There is a chance, just as there is with every other president, but a very low one. The US government is not going to let that happen.

I think that having an African-American president will not affect the government as much as it will affect the people. I think that African-American males will now be more respected and also I believe that they will have more respect for each other.

As for the government, Barack Obama is just like any other president – he is trying to help America. No matter what you think, every president is trying to improve the country, but they all have different tactics and approaches. Personally, I am a supporter of Barack Obama, but the thing we have to keep in mind is he won’t be able to change things in one day. For the first two to four years George W. Bush’s policies will still be around. I think that once policies get changed Barack Obama will be up for election again. (Maybe against Sarah Palin, as rumor has it). This means that if America doesn’t see enough change he will probably not get re-elected.

In the coming years I will be looking forward to the change that happens. I think some of the things that will happen is a refocusing of troops in the Middle-East. Barack Obama is trying to focus more on Afghanistan than on Iraq. I think also that the economy will start to improve; stocks will go up, gas prices will go down, and small businesses will be flourishing. People will be happy, but I don’t know how long this will take. It can’t happen overnight.

Keep an eye on politics in the next couple years and see what happens with our country.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime, a story on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game and much more...]

by Josh Hart

Halloween is TONIGHT(!) and you should all know tips to make your trick or treating experience a safe one.

Here are my Top 11 Rules for having a Safe & Happy Halloween:

1. Children should go out only during daylight hours unless accompanied by an adult
2. Plan a safe route, through “good” parts of the neighborhood
3. Set a return time
4. If your kids are going out alone make sure they are responsible enough to know take care of themselves
5. Stay in populated places and not cut through back alleys.
6. Stay in well lighted areas
7. Make sure treats are examined by an adult before eating
8. Eat nothing that isn’t fully wrapped
9. Never enter the house of a stranger
10. Carry a flashlight, glow stick, or reflective costumes so that cars can see you
11. Do not go out ALONE… make sure you are with a group of at least three people

If you follow these rules you will have a fun, safe, Halloween.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime and a story on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game!]

by Josh Hart

This Sunday the Mt. Rainier High School Drill Team is going to perform live at the Seahawks game at halftime!

A fellow student at Big Picture High School, Danielle Knake, is on the drill team for Mt.Rainier (for those who don’t know how sports work for schools like Big Picture it goes something like this – any student with an ASB card can play for their home school if their present school doesn’t have sports).

The drill team will perform Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks face the Green Bay Packers (please note though that it’s highly unlikely that this halftime event will be televised, so you’ll just have to get down to Qwest Field in person!).

So go buy the cheapest tickets and show your support your local school – the Mt.Rainier Rams!

This is an amazing opportunity for each and every girl on the squad.

So go Seahawks!!!!

And go Mt. Rainier Drill!!!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is a 15-year old student at Highline “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, and an opinion piece on the VP debate.]

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written by Josh Hart, a 15-year old student at Highline “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who recently wrote on the economy as well as the JFK vs Highline football game.]

by Josh Hart

Many of you watched the vice presidential debate last Thursday – this was the one and only debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin.

The two Vice President candidates debated taxes, global warming, energy independence, gay marriage, foreign policy, health care, nuclear weaponry, their running mates’ policies, education, their duties as VP, and even what they would do if something happened to their running mate.

I thought both of them did better than I thought they would coming into the debate. They both had well-presented attacks on the other party, and both discussed their own opinions and beliefs. Both candidates made mistakes and they both could have represented their running mate better.

I thought Palin got off subject a little too much, but Biden talked more about himself than he should have. Overall they both came out stronger than before and so it doesn’t affect the election as much as many of us thought it would.

It definitely helps Palin’s reputation, because many people thought she was the weak link in McCain’s campaign.

I can’t wait to see how this election comes down in the end.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Sure, this report is several days late, but we're printing it now anyway because we feel it provides some insight into last weekend's big "Showdown in B-Town" high school football game that pitted the Kennedy High School Lancers against the Highline Pirates, won by JFK 61-0. This story was written by Josh Hart, a 15-year old student at Highline “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who wrote on the economy last week. As you will soon tell by reading, Josh was rooting for Highline...]

by Josh Hart

FINAL: Kennedy 61, Highline 0

FIRST QUARTER: Kennedy 20 Highline 0
The first quarter was, well…horrible! I guess it depends on which team you were rooting for. If you wanted Kennedy I would say it went pretty well. Within the first five minutes Kennedy had scored three touchdowns and was up 20-0. Highline didn’t play well on either side of the ball. They got ran over by Kennedy, they were stunned coming out of the gates and they couldn’t regain control. As far as offense went I don’t think Highline had a first down all quarter. Kennedy’s offense wasn’t anything special; a team of 8 year olds could have scored just as many points as they did.

SECOND QUARTER: Kennedy 34 Highline 0
Highline played better in the second quarter offensively and defensively. They only let up two touchdowns, and even forced Kennedy to punt a few times. They also had a great fumble recovery that sparked a fire in their defense; they didn’t let up a touchdown after. They played better offensively, even though they didn’t get a touchdown. They moved the chains a couple times and their running game looked a lot better.

THIRD QUARTER: Kennedy 40 Highline 0
Highline has improved each quarter. They only let up one touchdown this quarter and looked a lot better. The problem was nobody had any motivation to play anymore. The fans were quiet, the players looked somber and nothing was exciting. They were all slowly winding down.

FOURTH QUARTER: Kennedy 61 Highline 0
This quarter was pointless to play – nobody competed. The fans, the cheerleaders, everybody was quiet. Highline let up a few more touchdowns and made the loss worse.

FINAL: Kennedy 61; Highline 0

EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently we were invited by the Highline School District to visit students and discuss the B-Town Blog at an innovative high school called “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

We’re happy to say that our outreach program to showcase diverse area Writers begins with today’s blog featuring a new column we call “From The Big Picture.”

Today’s Guest Columnist is 15-year old Josh Hart, a student who has been writing for five years. Josh plays soccer for Highline Premier Football Club, and is currently working on an adventure novel.

Here are his thoughts on the economy:

The economy right now is on the downhill, if you haven’t noticed.

As we come up to the presidential election I can’t help but thinking that this election will affect everything.

I see more people interested in this election than past ones. They see how the economy is and want a change.

But if more people had cared about the past couple of elections, the economy wouldn’t be where it is now.

If people voted for something other than the President, things would be different.

America is a country run by the people. The President can’t do anything without the approval of the House, Senate, and the people of America.

I am sick and tired of people complaining about ‘this is wrong with America’ and ‘that is wrong with America.’

Well do something about it!

If we cared about our country and did something for it years ago America wouldn’t be in the state it is right now.

So what are you going to do about it?

You need to start by voting for your local bills, and bills that affect your community, start with this presidential election.

This country needs a change and it needs to happen now!

Lets turn this country around!

Big Picture High School is a unique concept in education, whose mission, according to its founding institution’s website is “to catalyze vital changes in American education by generating and sustaining innovative, personalized schools that work in tandem with the real world of their greater community.”

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