November 2009

Seattle Police detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Shane L. Carlson, 26, in connection with the recent pattern of dental/medical office burglaries in recent months. Carlson in the prime suspect in these burglaries, most of which have occurred in North and West Seattle, but also in Bothell, Shoreline and Bellevue since May of this year.

Carlson has multiple warrants for his arrest, including a $100,000 Burglary 2nd Degree warrant and a $150,000 Possession of Stolen Property and Violation of Uniformed Controlled Substances Act (drugs) warrant. He is described as a white male, 26 years old, 5′6″, 155 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin build. He has a scar on his face and tattoos on his left shoulder, upper left arm and back. He may be driving a green 1998 Range Rover or a champagne-colored 2001 Cadillac DeVille. He may frequent North King County or South Snohomish County.

Thursday through Sunday, November 26 – 29, the first wave of annual holiday celebrations and events take place – the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Macy’s Holiday Parade, several marathons and the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars compete for the Apple Cup. The Seattle Department of Transportation encourages motorists heading for the events to try alternate modes of travel such as taking the bus, bicycling, carpooling or walking, if feasible.

Thursday, November 26
Seattle Turkey Trot (Ballard Food Bank) 9 a.m. – Noon
630 expected
Starts at 32nd Avenue NW just south of NW 85th Street and moves south to NW 80th Street where the route heads west, then south on 33rd Avenue NW, west on NW 77th Street, south on 34th Avenue NW, west at NW 57th Street and crosses the tracks to Seaview and then north on Seaview/Burke Gilman Trail to Golden Gardens Park. Monitors will assist with short street closures as the runners move through upper Ballard.

Friday, November 27
Macy’s Holiday Parade 8:45 – 10:30 a.m.
35,600 expected

This past week I attended the Washington School Director’s Annual Meeting in Seattle. It was the 9th annual meeting I have attended and I learned something that shocked me and should alarm all of us. Every school board member is required to join, and pay dues, to this organization. Forget “Free Choice.”

At the “New Board Members” meeting WSSDA tried to explain the “Role of a School Director.” The analogy was that School Directors, “Should look at schools from 50,000 feet, ask questions to administrators, who are at 10,000 feet, who will get answers from teachers who are at ground level!” In addition their highest “Priority” is “Improved Student Achievement!”

My immediate reaction was that you probably wouldn’t have noticed most of World War II if you were at 50,000 feet! Perhaps this is why our schools are the way they are. I certainly have met School Directors that have about as much knowledge about their schools as one could get at 50,000 feet. By the way you need an Oxygen mask at this to remain conscious at this altitude.

As you and yours are in the midst of preparations for your Thanksgiving meal, I’ve assembled a few little-known Thanksgiving facts to entertain and delight you with.

Beginning from the beginning, you might be surprised to learn that the first celebrators of this holiday were not Pilgrims, and not persecuted Englishmen and women at all.

1492 – Columbus discovers America ( unless you count the Native peoples already living there) Columbus and crew celebrate by having dinner. No turkey, but a pasta primavera with some oregano and a nice chianti.

1620 – Plymouth, England - Persecuted english people jump on a ship called the Mayflower. Their destination is Palm Springs and a cut-rate hotel room, but the Mayflower is thrown off course by a storm and they end up in a place called Plymouth Rock. Odds of such an occurrence are astronomical, but still better than getting a cheap room in Palm Springs.

Mayor-elect McGinn will be hosting three town halls during the transition The town halls will continue the mayor-elect's work to hear from community members and will be an opportunity for members of the public to share ideas
with the mayor-elect.
NORTHGATE COMMUNITY CENTER
WHEN: 7pm, Monday, November 30th
WHERE: 10510 5th AVE. NE
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, December 1st
WHERE: 104 17th AVE S
PAUL ROBESON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT RAINIER BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN: 7pm, Wednesday, December 2nd
WHERE: : 8815 Seward Park Ave. S.

For more information, contact Tania Maria at tmr@tmrsolutions.com.

Mayor Greg Nickels today announced that city employees have raised more than $1.1 million for local charities as part of the annual Combined Charities Campaign. The effort also drew pledges for 17,500 volunteer hours.

“In this time of global economic turmoil, when our city employees are being asked to sacrifice, they came through with remarkable acts of kindness,” said Nickels. “The money raised and volunteer honors donated reflect that we are a compassionate and caring city, now more than ever.”

City Light employees contributed nearly $173,000, the most ever by a single city department. Other leading departments were Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Transportation and the Seattle Police Department.

“I am grateful for the generosity of city employees and the care they have for the most vulnerable in our community,” said Superintendent Jorge Carrasco, who chaired this year’s drive. “Their contributions will make a noticeable difference in the lives of thousands of people.”

One out of every four city employees made a contribution.

Crown Hill resident Drexie Malone spent five months, from June to October, picking weeds, trimming plants and removing cigarette butts in the gardens around the Ballard Public Library. She was a volunteer, but she was also an outlaw.

The library has a strict union contract that includes gardeners, so volunteers are not allowed to participate in upkeep around the grounds, branch manager Cass Mabbott said.

Malone said she was told when she started that her gardening was not allowed, but she proceeded under a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with the library, working early on Sunday mornings while the library was closed.

In late summer, a library employee told Malone to stop her gardening and leave the work to the union gardeners.

"I amiably indicated that those hard-working gardeners could use a little help since the gardens were obviously in need of maintenance," Malone said. "I did not stop, I just worked faster each week."

Malone said the same employee asked her to stop again and brought a union gardner to talk to her. She said the gardner agreed that she could keep gardening when the library was closed.

The City of Federal Way Police Department is announcing the installation of new School Zone Speed Cameras and additional Red Light Safety Cameras.

The speed cameras are located near the Twin Lakes Elementary School and the Saghalie Middle School. A new Red-Light safety camera is also now installed at a new intersection at S 312th Street and Pacific Highway S.

All of these cameras will capture still images and video of traffic violators beginning December 1, 2009.

During an initial 30-day warning period, Federal Way police will issue warning notices to the registered owners of vehicles that exceed the 20 mph speed limit at these school zone locations or to the owners of vehicles who do not fully stop for red lights at the new intersection approaches.

There is no fine for this warning notice. Citations will be issued for violations starting on December 31st.

It was a busy morning in West Seattle and White Center for Attorney Tricia Lapitan Tuesday, Nov. 24. She woke Rafael at 7:15 am. Ten minutes later she got Rich out of his deep slumber. Another 15 minutes passed, and she woke up 13 young people and their two dogs. But nobody was complaining.

That’s because Lapitan was not serving warrants or subpoenas, but rather peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hot chocolate, and warm, dry winter clothes to these homeless individuals. Lapitan is the founder of "Heroes for the Homeless," a Seattle area non-profit that, as her website states, is “quietly helping the most vulnerable of the homeless.”

Lapitan leads organized, outreach blitzes of several people with vehicles, armed with food, clothes, and emergency supplies, twice a month from Seattle to Bellingham, seeking homeless huddled in sleeping bags, sprawled along urban sidewalks, nestled under trees in soaked lean-tos, or crowded in funky old out-of-the-way motor homes that may no longer operate.

On this day, however, she worked alone.

Tuesday’s swearing-in of County Executive Dow Constantine means there is now a vacancy in Council District 8. The Metropolitan King County Council received 11 applications from individuals who are seeking to replace Constantine on the County Council. Council Chair Bob Ferguson and Councilmember Reagan Dunn, chair of the Committee of the Whole, said the Council is ready to act quickly on filling the vacancy

“The Council is acting quickly to ensure representation for the nearly 200,000 residents of District 8,” said Ferguson. “Timely appointment will also allow the new councilmember to transition into the position, hire staff and hit the ground running in the new year.

“The process is in place to quickly review the applications we’ve received,” said Dunn. “With input from the advisory committee, I expect the Council to make the appointment before the end of the year.”

The selection process for making the appointment will begin on Monday, December 3, when the 12-member advisory committee created by the Council will conduct interviews with the 11 people who submitted their applications by the November 23 deadline: