January 2010

“Have you actually been to the North Meadow at Golden Gardens on a summer weekend?” Seattle Parks event scheduler Callie Berry asks prospective brides when they contact her in January to reserve a wedding site for July.

The first week of January usually means packing up the holiday or watching for the school bus, but for staff in charge of scheduling at Seattle Parks it is the beginning of wedding and special event madness.

Anyone planning a ceremony or special event in a Seattle park, with two exceptions, cannot make a reservation until 8:30 a.m. on the first business day of the new year.

My call was logged in at 8:36 a.m.

On Monday, Jan. 4, there had been a half an inch of rain since midnight when the starting bell rang at 8:30 a.m. on the Seattle Parks' wedding planning season.

Four days later, the rainfall had reached 1.5 inches and there weren’t any unbooked weekends left in July at Golden Gardens Bathhouse.

The North Meadow is currently a swamp that belongs to waterfowl – by late-June, wedding parties will be competing with kite flyers and soccer players, fitness classes and lots of Frisbees.

Natalie Holler, 14, daughter of Denny and Noel Holler of Federal Way is home after her parents reported her missing on Saturday January 9th.

According to the Federal Way Police Department she called 911 from the Daffodil Motel 7909 Pacific Highway East in Milton. Police found a 47 year old white male not far from the motel and he was arrested on multiple charges including kidnapping and drug charges.

He is currently at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. Christopher Noel Thomson of Kent was arrested Tuesday and booked into King County jail, where he now is being held on $1 million bail.

Holler was taken to St. Francis Hospital and treated for minor injuries and released.

Holler said an older man had forced her into his van in Federal Way threatening her with a gun, saying he would kill her if she did not have sex with him, based on court documents.

Thomson's arrest came after she said the man had left the motel in his van and would soon be returning. She took the opportunity to call her father and 911. Holler described the van and it was located nearby soon after. The vehicle was pulled over by police and Thomson was driving.

At noon today travelers riding the light rail train from Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle to the SeaTac station dropped their pants in the first annual no-pants ride.
The no-pants ride was organized by Emerald City Improv, a comedy improv group in Seattle, borrowing an idea started in the New York City subways. Participants met at the Westlake Sound Transit Station at noon, riding all the way to Seatac Station and back to Westlake.
The tradition started in New York, put on by Improveverywhere.
In Cities around the world today people rode the subway, or in Seattle’s case the Light Rail in their underwear.
Startled riders who were unaware of the event either laughed at the spectacle or sat stoically and kept their eyes pointed straight ahead.

Click the photo above for more images.

A woman driving southbound on 35th Ave. S.W. shortly before 2 pm on Sunday, Jan 10th was part of a serious traffic accident, Rachel (no last name given) told the West Seattle Herald reporters on the scene that she had slowed down near Cloverdale Street for a car that was slowing in front of her when a NIssan SUV collided with her car, forcing her car into the car in front of her. At that point two other vehicles, likely headed northbound on 35th encountered the accident in process, possibly coming into the northbound lanes, causing one of them to flip over. Both directions of 35th Ave. S.W. were closed and traffic was being rerouted by Seattle Police officers on the scene.

Just one person was injured in the car pictured upside down but is expected to make a full recovery.

Click the image above to see more photos.

Gymnastics

Kennedy 140.2, Highline 132.35
Charlotte Ditmar of Kennedy won the all-around competition with a score of 33.95 this past Tuesday,

Mt. Rainier 143.4, Hazen 122.35
The Rams also emerged victorious last Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Tyee 97.4, Evergreen 85.3
Tyee topped Evergreen in Seamount League action Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Boys basketball

Mt. Rainier 72, Tyee 48
Mount Rainier played in its main gymnasium while the gymnastics team occupied the auxiliary gym last Tuesday, Jan. 5.

SCS 37, Ch. Wright 34
Seattle Christian edged past Charles Wright in Tuesday, Jan. 5 action.

Girls basketball

Mt. Rainier 55, Tyee 32
Mount Rainier cruised to victory over the Totems Tuesday, Jan. 5.

SCS 64, Charles Wright 26
Seattle Christian posted a convincing victory Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Supremacy on defense defused the opposing attackers in a 33-19 Class 3A Foster nonleague girls basketball triumph against visiting Class 1A Cascade Christian of Puyallup on Wednesday.

“Both teams turned the ball over often,” described Bulldog head coach Richard Lewis. “We were able to turn them over more.”

With  a multitude of fouls added to the mix, Foster (3-4) and Cascade Christian (5-4) earned good looks at the basket when able to clear halfcourt. Finishing the offensive plays with scoring proved to be particularly elusive.

Amidst these elements, the Lady Bulldogs still managed to score the first six points of this sometimes strange game before the Lady Cougars rallied to trail only 7-5 after the first quarter.

Poor free throw shooting (3-for-8) kept Foster from extending its lead further. This theme would surface frequently in the fracas.

Burien was the scene of an intense and emotional battle Friday night.

Fighting mightily for four quarters, Kennedy Catholic finally emerged with a 69-65 Seamount League victory against Mount Rainier.

The Lancers improved to a 5-2 second place tie behind 4-1 Foster and moved their overall record to 7-4. Dropping to a third place tie at 4-2, the Rams stand at 6-4 overall.

Kennedy shot to a 20-17 first quarter lead behind the tandem of Mitch Penner and DeShea Bell. Kicking back, Mount Rainier scaled the heights to trail only 37-36 at the half.

With teammates assisting, Penner and DeShea marshalled the forces for a 55-49  Lancer margin going into the fourth quarter.

Once again, the Rams engaged the Lancers in back and fourth action in winning the fourth quarter, but falling four points short of the cherished victory.

Mitch Penner with 27 and DeShea Bell with 24 were clutch scorers for Kennedy Catholic.

The trio of Art Cage (15), Bryce McPhee (13) and Cameron Harris (11) led a determined Mount Rainier challenge. 

Defending Class 3A state girls basketball champion Kennedy Catholic showed the intensity of a champion to push up the pressure and pull away from persistent Mount Rainier 73-55 Friday night in Burien to remain atop the Seamount League standings as the only unbeaten team.

With the win the Lancers improved to 8-3 overall and 7-0 in Seamount play. Moving to 8-2 overall, the fighting Rams now stand at 5-1 and solo second place in the league.

“In the first half, we didn’t defend very well, didn’t finish very well,” observed Kennedy head coach Tom Mummert. “In the second half, we picked up the intensity and put the pressure on. That’s what we like to do...We’d rather pressure, cause turnovers and get out and run. If we play defense and rebound, we are able to run.

“This brusing, physical battle began with Mount Rainier showing the ability to break the Kennedy Catholic press and use defenders swarming like bees to force a half court battle. The Rams capitalized on periods of errant Lancer shooting and lapses of concentration to take an 8-7 lead midway through the first quarter on Sydney Codd’s attacking lay up.

Seattle's popular Memphis Radio Kings, Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers, and Gunn & Damage Dunn rocked the Skylark Cafe Saturday night, Jan. 9. You may know Radio King member Charlie Beck, pictured left, as the caller during Feedback Lounge's Tuesday night Rock Trivia competitions, and his MC work with Animals First Foundation fundraisers. Bass and keyboard player Jon Goff pictured right.

A 16-year-old boy accused of shooting his girlfriend to death also shot himself in an attempt to make it look like someone else was responsible, prosecutors said. Matthew D. DuBois has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mikarah Sanders.

Prosecutors have charged DuBois as an adult.

According to court documents, DuBois was angry at Sanders because of a comment that an ex-boyfriend had left on her MySpace page.

The two were arguing at an apartment complex at 12445 Ambaum Boulevard SW on New Year's Eve, and Mikarah was shot once in the face.

Another girl who was in the apartment initially told police that DuBois was not the gunman, but she later recanted her story and said she lied at DuBois' request because she was scared of him.

She eventually told investigators that she was in another room when she heard a single gun shot. She looked into the other room and saw DuBois on top of Mikarah, and he told her to call 911, the documents said. The girl said DuBois then shot himself in the shoulder, told her to lie to police, and went to a different apartment.