April 2010

Tiffany Diaz attended more West Seattle schools than most other kids, and while the 21 year-old said she got good grades and a good education, her sampling of different area schools was not by choice. She hopped from school to school both because her mother moved from address to address, and because she was also in foster homes.

“I never stayed in the same elementary or middle school for over a year or two,” said Diaz, whose father is Cuban and mother, Caucasian. “My mom didn’t like staying in the same place and we’d move whenever her lease was up. Sometimes she messed up so I would go to foster homes, then come back to her house. My dad has always been in prison. He’s 60, and is finally out now. I have some contact with him. I feel like it is in a way nurturing because I never really had a relationship with him. But for me it’s kind of too late. I’m not very forgiving about it.”

Diaz attended kindergarten in White Center Heights in Highline, then attended Roxhill, Gatewood, Sanislo, “and a bunch more,” she recalled.

“Surprisingly, I stayed in the same high school (Franklin) all four years.”

While driving, a citizen calls 911 after spotting a family member (who is wanted on a $10,000 warrant) loitering around the South Park library. The suspect starts to run when he sees officers, but a second relative steps in, grabs the suspect, and holds him until officers can take him into custody.

Four teens were seen milling around a home on Marine View Drive Monday. The home was later reported as the site of a broken window/possible break-in attempt. The suspects were three teen boys and one teen girl. All wore red, and the girl had purple tint in her hair. And Tuesday, four Hispanic males—traveling in a burgundy Mazda—are suspected of having kicked in the front door of a home in the 4100 block of 45th SW.

Lowman Beach Park resident and community activist Dr. Ron Sterling is also a psychiatrist, and may be just what the doctor ordered as he organizes against the installation of a million-gallon sewer tank in the quaint neighborhood park. There are so many players with conflicting interests in this construction site ordeal that even Carl Jung may have had difficulties identifying all the archetypes in the mix.

An aging sewer generator system, the Murray Pump Station, is currently under a small section of the park. Two miles south, the Barton Pump Station, by the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock, also has plans to expand.

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images of the Todd Beamer - Thomas Jefferson track meet April 8. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.

In a very informal ceremony the new Junction Plaza Park was officially begun with a simple groundbreaking on Monday April 12.

The park designed by landscape architect Karen Kiest, will feature a plaza, complete with brick and concrete seating; a lawn with decorative benches; and a central performance area. All planting will be Northwest natives, including Vine maple, Northwest Flowering dogwood, Oregon grape and Sword fern.

After a large fundraising effort in 2005, with the help of citizens, neighborhood matching funds and the Seattle Pro Parks levy, the site is now owned by the Seattle Parks Department.

The Highline Pirates robbed their visitors from Sequim blind Friday, with Ryan Brett stealing five bases in a 7-4 victory over the Wolves.

Brett ran his season stolen base total to 20 and continues to draw a crowd of college and pro scouts to see his overall talents wherever he plays.

Highline started off by scoring one run in the top of the first, with Ryan Lingle crossing the plate on a ground out to third base.

The Pirates put three more numbers on the Moshier Field scoreboard in the second.

Jeremy Rowden drew a one out walk, advanced to second on a Logan Brittel grounder and scored on a base hit to right by Joe Young. Brett reached base on a walk and Luke Werle hit into an error at second base to bring in two more runs.

Highline tacked on solo insurance runs on Sequim errors in the fourth and fifth inning and Brett singled in Brittel with one more run in the sixth.

The game came on the last day of spring break for the Pirates, who hosted Hazen this past Monday and will host Evergreen at 7 p.m. Friday under the Moshier lights.

The Green Party of Washington State will hold its Campaign Skills School and spring convention Apr 17 and 18 in Ballard at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 6512 23rd Ave. N.W. Registration will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

The Campaign Skills School is not just for candidates and will be presented by former Ballard resident Brent McMillan, now executive director of the Green Party of the United States, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuition is $25 to $50 on a sliding scale with no member turned away for lack of funds.

The second part of the school will be held Sunday morning near downtown Ballard.

The convention will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Attendance is free with donations accepted.

The convention is a chance to hear about local success stories and from Green Party candidates, nominate candidates for the state coordinating council and delegates to the national party, and consider Green Party of Washington State bylaw amendments.

Information on local offices up for election will be available.

For additional information call 360.683.0867 or email jody@gp.org. Mail may be addressed to GPoWS, PO Box 95575, Seattle, WA 98145.

It was John Mayenburg’s birthday on April 5, so he treated himself to lunch at The Lockspot. Then he went to pay his respects at the place in the road where the young men had lost their lives one day earlier.

In front of the growing memorial of flowers and notes, John spent “a sacred moment.” He has always had a love of cars, as did those young men.

Mayenburg also knows about danger. He fished long-line for halibut out of Alaska for 20 years and survived a sinking in 1989.

He knows the make and model of virtually every car ever manufactured, but in his case, the cars are not on the streets. His 43,000 cars are die-cast miniatures and models, filling every inch of his storefront on 28th Avenue Northwest.

On the deck of an Alaskan ferry where’s he worked for the last 10 years, John wouldn’t look big. Inside his month-old "golden garden miniature cars and models shop," he looks like a giant.

In two years and another surgery, John plans to return to his job as able seaman on the Alaska Marine Highway. But right now, it’s time to let go of his miniatures and Hot Wheels in their original packaging.

Muttley Crew Cuts at 4200 S.W. Admiral Way, in West Seattle was raising money for breast cancer research on Sunday April 11, donating all of the proceeds from dog grooming to support the Susan G Komen Foundation to participate in the "Tripping for Ta-Ta’s" walk in September.

In addition to the dog grooming, Muttley Crew Cuts held a bake sale, which held something for the humans and canines alike.
Each participant in the Trippin for Ta-Ta’s walk must raise $2,300.

The event raised $1600, "It was a huge success," said Muttley Crew Cuts owner Kelly Rothenbuhler.

Great sunny weather worked out just right for Honk Fest West in the West Seattle Junction on Sunday April 11. The music event featuring 26 different bands, got underway just after noon as California Avenue was closed between Alaska Street and Oregon Street.
This is the third year for the event.
It took place in various places around Seattle over the past three days beginning Friday in Fremont, Saturday in the Central Area then moving on to Georgetown for Saturday evening and finally ending their mini-tour in West Seattle.

CLICK THE PHOTO TO SEE A SLIDESHOW OF IMAGES FROM THE EVENT

"It's a group of street bands, marching bands, radical bands from across the nation," said Jeff Parkhurst a drummer with the Artesian Rumble Arkestra, "from Chicago, New York, Canada and all over...some bands from Seattle, Portland, and Olympia."

Bands from across the nation and such notable local bands as the Seahawks Drumline and the Garfield High School Bulldog Drumline offered up music from "New Orleans Jazz, to Drumline and more. We're so thankful for such amazing weather. Thank you West Seattle. You're awesome," said Summer David.