December 2009

A $5,000 award is being offered to anyone who has information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the death of a man killed in a Burien bar's parking lot.

Crimestoppers is offering $1,000 and the family of the slain man has added $4,000 to the reward.

Mark Ebinger and his brother, Peter Ebinger, were attacked on Nov. 12 as they were leaving Good Time Ernie's Sports Bar and Grill, 15747 Ambaum Blvd. S.W.

According to the King County Sheriff's Office, a group of males attacked and repeatedly stabbed the two brothers.

Mark Ebinger, 25, suffered fatal wounds and died at the scene.

His younger brother Peter, 24, spent several days in the hospital and is still recovering from his wounds. Peter Ebinger was stabbed over seven times in the back.

King County Sheriff's spokesperson Jim Laing described the attack as brutal, violent and unprovoked.

At a Dec. 28 press conference, Peter Ebinger said he and his brother were just out to have a few beers and play pool. He said he never imagined anything like this happening.

Rep. Reuven Carlyle will host a coffee chat Jan. 9 in Crown Hill as part of a series of four coffee hours that Saturday to hear from neighbors before the start of the legislative session.

"The legislature convenes on Jan. 11, and we're again facing a massive deficit of nearly $3 billion,” Carlyle said in a press release. “It's critical that I hear from our community directly about your views, issues, concerns and thoughts on the budget, taxes, education and other important issues."

"I'm asking people to reach out and share your views so I can better represent you in Olympia during these difficult times," he said in the press release.

The Crown Hill coffee hour takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Jan. at Caffe Fiore, located at 3125 W. 85th St.

There will also be a chat from 10:30 to 11:30 in Greenwood at Herkimer, located at 7320 Greenwood Ave. N.

The final two coffee hours take place at 1 p.m. in Magnolia and 2:30 p.m. in Queen Anne at Serendipity and Caffe Fiore respectively.

The 2010 legislative session begins Jan. 11 and is scheduled to run 60 days.

At six months of age Louie the Labradoodle has become an essential part of the household for Chris, Jodie and Christina Prescott.
"We decided to go with a labradoodle after our last dog (a yellow labrador retriever) and keep the hair down. We had a lot of shedding with our last dog," said Chris, "Louie's just a great walker, he cuddles well when he's tired and with our little girl, just under two years old... he's been very gentle with her."

Louie is very well mannered, going to Junction True Value Hardware, waiting patiently while some shopping is done, "He behaves himself"Chris explained. He does however seem to enjoy Christina's toys chewing them frequently. "It's a constant 'Drop that...no! Leave that!' then Christina gets mad at him because he's taken her toys and she'll run up and pull on his hair until he yelps, then it's like Christina no don't do that," Chris offered.

The Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership has joined an existing youth drinking prevention website www.preventionworksinseattle.org in an effort to both spread information about this issue and get people involved.
As the site states, "Car crashes, unplanned pregnancies, violence, alcohol dependency, impact on learning and brain development" are just a few of the consequences of underage drinking.

Under a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant the original website was built for Northeast Seattle. Madison Middle School applied for the grant which has been in place since 2006.
"The purpose is to increase awareness of underage drinking in our community," said Renaé T. Gaines SPF-SIG Community Coordinator, "and to provide resources for the community."

At this time the organization only addresses underage drinking. "This funding that we've had has been for underage drinking only but we're looking to expand and also look at why the kids in our community are using marijuana and other substances," Gaines said. They are gathering data to learn about other kinds of substance abuse through the Healthy Youth Survey.

Play It Again, Sam

Before the old year gets tossed out

Along with that last brussel sprout

Like Auld Lang Syne for some dear friend

Let’s sing its song from start to end

When Sully’s plane refused to fly

He’d float to safety on first try

But Roberts being less precise

Would swear the President in twice

The Octomom could hardly wait

To show off babies one through eight

And Punxsutawney Phil would cast

A shadow to make winter last

The markets once again would rise

Obama’d win the Nobel Prize

And wisely would, when called a liar

By Wilson take the road much higher

Congress showed their usual poise

And fought like Hatfields and McCoys

Affairs of state and those of bed

Some leaders still combined instead

Now Vick would get a second chance

But Michael would no longer dance

Amanda had to stay in jail

And Teddy took his final sail

Jess and Tony called it quits

Then Kate and Jon would do the splits

And after that Thanksgiving night

The Tiger would not burn as bright

No news of violence did we lack

From Afghan borders to Iraq

We viewed it all on HD screens

At approximately 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 29, North Precinct officers responded to an armed robbery of a business in the 5400 block of 15th Avenue Northwest.

Employees of the business stated that a male, about 5 feet and 10 inches, wearing a grey scarf over his face, a black hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants and carrying a black backpack entered the business armed with a silver handgun.

The suspect took an unknown amount of prescription drugs and then fled out of the store on foot.

Officers set up containment while a K-9 conducted a search of the neighborhood. Robbery detectives also responded to the scene.

The suspect is still outstanding.

The Robbery Unit will conduct the follow up investigation.

With a new decade comes a new decade of live music to dance to, to drink to and to tell friends about. The new year brings with it some can't-miss shows right here in Ballard and Fremont. Here are the top five.

Jan. 2: No-Fi Soul Rebellion at Nectar Lounge

No-Fi Soul Rebellion, a husband and wife duo from Bellingham, put on a must-see show whenever they make it down from the great white north. No-Fi’s catchy, spastic pop would be reason enough, but the band’s real draw is vocalist Mark Heimer’s nonstop kinetic energy – gyrating, jumping and getting uncomfortably close to audience members while asking for their clothes. With Boy Eats Drum Machine, Fun Fun Fun, Lisa Dank & The White Widows, File Jerks. $6.

Jan. 2: Thee Satisfaction at High Dive

Work begins next week on a new dock near Seacrest Park to serve the King County Water Taxi, which will begin year-round operations in April between West Seattle and downtown Seattle.

In preparation for the 2010 water taxi service on Elliott Bay, upgrades are being made to the 20-year-old floating dock at Seacrest Park on Harbor Avenue Southwest in West Seattle. The project begins the week of Jan. 4, when Manson Construction Company will move barges and containment booms into the area between the fixed fishing pier and the shoreline. In the first stage of the project, the aging gangway, floating dock and pilings will be removed.

By mid-January, installation of new pilings will begin, which requires using a large vibratory hammer to rattle the pilings into the ground. The pile installation has the potential for increased noise especially underwater. Residents around Seacrest Park may also notice increased noise levels during working hours Monday through Friday.

The Ballard High School girls basketball team did not lose a step during its winter break, returning Dec. 28 with a 46-41 win over Auburn in the team's best offensive game of the season.

The Beavers went into break Dec. 21 with their first win of the season, and coach C.J. Sealey said she hoped the girls could carry that over to this week. They did, and then some.

Ballard's 46 points are the most for the team this season, with seven players contributing to that total. Auburn's 41 points represent Ballard's second-best defensive effort of the year.

Junior Elena DeWeese and senior Alexandria Lawrence led the Beavers with 12 points each.

Junior Tai Tautolo has become an important offensive weapon for Ballard in just two games. She scored 10 points against Auburn after dropping in eight in her debut last week.

The Beavers, who opened the season with five straight losses, are now 2-5 overall but 0-4 in the conference.

Ballard plays again at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Lakeside High School.

Thanks to everyone who called to report sightings, we were able to determine where he felt safe and was "hiding". Rupert, I am VERY happy to report is now safely home getting warmed up and getting a well deserved warm meal. THANK YOU EVERYONE for helping THIS one have a happy ending. Keep your puppy eyes open for our lost souls. Happy Holidays!!!!!

The Herald received this plea to help find a lost dog on Tuesday Dec. 29th from Jodi A. Williams