Beloved KOMO TV anchor Kathi Goertzen dies

So well put by my wonderful Mom, Patti Payne, on Kathi's passing. I was so lucky to know Kathi and be touched - like so many others - by her grace and charm and amazing warmth. Whether she was calling me about her daughter wanting to be on American Idol or telling me she still wanted to go on a medical mission for Medical Teams Int'l even though she was not on the news desk anymore. She even wrote me back a few weeks ago saying that she would love to visit even though she wasn't eating or walking or talking very well. I didn't know what to do or say when I learned of her passing this afternoon from my Mom, because I was so sure she would pull through this. But my way of keeping her with me is to rememer that infectious smile and her incredibly positive attitude about EVERYTHING and her fierce love of family and friends. It reminds me to spend as much time as possible with my family and my dear friends and to remind them how much I love them. Going to get my son now and spend a good evening at home with him and with my husband and family. Cliche as it is, each day is so very precious. You will be missed by so many, Kathi.  And yes, as you asked, we will always remember you for who you are and were.

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2012/08/beloved-tv-anchor-kathi-goertzen-dies.html

             
 

 

 

 

Seattle's Museum of Flight Welcomes Final Portion of Space Shuttle Trainer on What Could Be Super Guppy's Final Trip to Region

Photo courtesty of Joshua Trujillo of the Seattle PI. More photos can be seen here

For the third time in just over a month and potentially the last time ever, NASA’s Super Guppy could be spotted high above the Seattle skyline as it delivered the final portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer to Seattle’s Museum of Flight on Thursday morning.

Following a low fly-over that buzzed the heads of hundreds of spectators, NASA’s Super Guppy landed at Boeing Field at 10 a.m. with the forward portion of the payload bay on board. It taxied past The Museum of Flight to Boeing’s Military Flight Center, where the payload bay was moved from the Super Guppy onto an Air Force “Tunner 60K” loader and slowly transported across East Marginal Way to the Museum’s Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. This could be the Super Guppy’s final flight to the region as many experts believe the plane will be retired within the next several years.     

“The third and final Super Guppy delivery marks the end of a complex and hectic process that would not have been possible without the tremendous support from NASA, our members and the people of this great region,” said Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King. “As one chapter comes to end, another begins, which will see the completion of the Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit and the grand re-opening of the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.”

Built in the 1970s, the Shuttle Trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which each of the 335 space shuttle astronauts trained. It will be on display in the 15,500-square foot Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, where it joins a collection of other rare space artifacts including Simonyi’s Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft and interactive exhibits showcasing space travel from the earliest days of the space shuttle program to the future of commercial space flight. The payload bay portion of the shuttle trainer is 61 feet long, 19 feet wide and 23.5 feet high.    


There has been a lot of great coverage on the third portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer delivery aboard the Super Guppy to the Museum of Flight. Here are a few of the stories posted today:

Last big space shuttle trainer section arrives in Seattle on the Seattle PI

Super Guppy makes final delivery to Seattle Today on KING5.com

3rd and final Shuttle delivery to Seattle museum on The Seattle Times

The Super Guppy arrives at the Museum of Flight today--we're on board!

Oliver aboard the Super Guppy, which made its third and final delivery to the Museum of Flight this morning

On the runway as the Shuttle Trainer is unloaded from the Super Guppy

More photos and news to come!



Marvin Hamlisch dead at 68

Marvin Hamlisch dead at 68

My heart was so heavy when I heard that Marvin Hamlisch had passed away at only 68 years old.  What an incredible talent and amazing man that I was lucky enough to have met this past year because of my equally amazing mother, Patti Payne. Interviewing him for her column in the PSBJ, she invited my son (her grandson), Jacob and I to join her backstage as he rested during a break.  He was gentle, inspiring, loving, softspoken and very Jewish, which we all appreciated.  The world was a more magical place because of your presence!

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/07/composer-marvin-hamlisch-dead-at-68/

Erin McCallum of Enterprise Washington, Business Institute of Washington, featured in Seattle Times, Snoqualmie Valley Record and Bothell-Kenmore Reporter

Erin McCallum, president of both Enterprise Washington and the Business Institute of Washington, was featured in several newspapers over the last week including the Seattle Times. Below is an exerpt from the Seattle Times article and links to columns in the Snoqualmie Valley Record and the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter. 

From the Seattle Times: Washington's all-important primary election is here. With ballots in Washington state homes, voters are deciding on races for Congress, governor and other statewide offices. With a 46 percent projected voter turnout, this primary election is important for our state's future.

While the presidential and gubernatorial elections capture headlines, the critical races that really impact our lives are those for Washington state Legislature. It is a crowded field of candidates and challenging to navigate.

The top-two primary is Tuesday. Now is the time to become informed.

Based on the responses we heard in three recent, in-depth focus-group discussions we held with independent voters, Washingtonians are fed up with the status quo. The first focus group comprised women in North King and South Snohomish counties. The second focused on communities of color in south King and north Pierce counties and the third focus group consisted of men and women, ages 25-45 in East King County... To read more from the Seattle Times head here. 

To read the OpEd from the Snoqualmie Valley Record go here.

And finally, to read the piece in the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter visit here.