July 2010

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. July 7, 1400 Block of N.W. 63rd St.

Shortly after a pizza was delivered to her apartment, a woman noticed her two-liter bottle of soda had not been included. Little did she know, that would not be the largest injustice she would suffer that day.

The woman called the restaurant back, and they said they would have a driver drop off the soda.

The woman waited for a while, but when the soda did not materialize, her family decided to go the park. When she returned from the park, the front door of her apartment was wide open and there was a two-liter bottle of soda in the hallway.

Though the soda was present, her laptop no longer was. Nothing else was apparently stolen, and there was no sign of forced entry into the apartment.

7 p.m. July 10 – 3:30 a.m. July 11, 12000 Block of Second Ave. N.W.

Victims left their home with the front window unlocked and slightly open. When they returned, they found the window fully open and the screen on the floor inside the house.

Three laptop computers, a non-activated credit card and an iPod were taken.

In fall 2009, Washington Federal Savings announced its proposal for a new building at its Market Street site. Now that those plans appear headed for approval, the owner of the neighboring Carnegie's Restaurant is accusing the Seattle Department of Planning and Development, as well as Carnegie Free Public Library and Washington Federal Savings, of duping the public.

Jerry Brahm, owner of Carnegie's Restaurant, is alleging the designs presented at two public Design Review meetings are not accurate reflections of what will actually be built, and the reality will harm both his business and the historic nature of the Carnegie building.

"It's a lot more than the public knows is going on," Brahm said. "They deserve to know the truth."

One year after re-starting the project due to the bad economy, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's new Rental Car Facility celebrated it's topping off Wednesday morning, July 14, with the help of one of the four tower cranes on-site to signal the halfway point of a project creating an estimated 3,000 jobs.

The Port of Seattle, the City of SeaTac, Turner Construction and representatives from the rental car industry and Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council placed their signatures on the top beam before it was lifted into place.
"The Port of Seattle's mission is to create economic vitality," said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton. "One of the ways we do that is by building transportation infrastructure in the region. This project provides family wage jobs for our community members."
Construction on the $419 million, 23-acre site will generate more than 3,000 local, family-wage jobs and nearly $2 million in tax revenue for the City of SeaTac over the life of the project, according to Port staffers.

The facility is scheduled to open in spring of 2012.

The public is invited to join the Delridge District Council's "Stratgic Delridge" conversations to help create an identity for the Delridge community. Find out who the leaders are in your neighborhood.

The meeting is Wednesday July 21 at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center 4408 Delridge Way SW from 6PM to 9 PM.

Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin will be the featured guest to share information about current city and regional issues and listen to your neighborhood concerns. City staff will give a presentation on a new City website to assist citizens and neighborhood groups with their organizing, social marketing and media needs.

The schedule for the meeting follows:

6pm to 7pm

Strategy Delridge Community Discussion – Derek Birnie, Executive Director, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (facilitator)

Focus Topic: Create and promote a Delridge neighborhood and community identity

Bring your thoughts and ideas!!

7pm

Delridge Neighborhoods District Council Monthly Meeting – Mat McBride, Chair (Camp Long Community Advisory Council)

Introductions and Announcements

As his 17-foot-tall bronze welcome figure settled onto its pedestal at the Salmon Bay Natural Area July 14, artist Marvin Oliver turned to his family and helpers and beamed.

The statue – meant to celebrate Puget Sound salmon and local indigenous cultures as well as draw attention to the natural area located near the Ballard Locks at the street end of 34th Avenue Northwest – was first announced June 2009. Since that time, the project suffered a number of fits and starts.

Groundswell NW, the nonprofit that partnered with the city to bring the welcome figure to Ballard, originally planned to have it installed in fall 2009. The installation was then postponed to early June 2010 before being moved to this week.

"I don't consider them delays," said Oliver, an artist of Quinault heritage and a curator at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. "For me, it's right on time."

White Center Jubilee Days 2010 officially takes place on July17 and 18., on 17th Ave. S. W., just South of Roxbury. But events surrounding the community celebration have already begun and they took off like a rocket with the Jubilee Days fireworks show held in Steve Cox Memorial Park Wednesday night. The 20 minute show was outstanding and the close proximity of the crowd made everything louder, brighter and more colorful.

True to the tradition started in 1923, the Jubilee Days festival is “the” White Center community event. Jubilee Days 2010 will continue to offer something for everyone.

Jubilee Days is an opportunity to eat, drink, smile, dance, shop, golf, parade, enjoy a car show, and explore the diversity of the up-and-coming White Center neighborhood.

The Davis Shows NW Carnival will open its gates at approximately 5pm and run through Sunday July 18th. $24 all day passes may be purchased at the gate or at various White Center businesses.

Mayor Mike McGinn has announced a plan called a Nightlife Initiative aimed at increasing public safety, helping the economy and to improve what he calls "urban vibrancy."

Excerpts from a press release sent by the Mayor's office follow:
“The eight components that make up the Seattle Nightlife Initiative are designed to take advantage of the economic and social rewards nighttime businesses bring to our city, while making public safety the highest priority,” said McGinn. “I thank City Attorney Holmes, Councilmember Licata, business leaders, city staff, the City Council and many others for supporting our effort to bring these proposals to the public for their consideration.”

The priorities of the Seattle Nightlife Initiative include:

1. Code compliance enforcement
2. Flexible liquor service hours
3. Noise ordinance enforcement
4. Security training requirements
5. Precinct community outreach
6. Professional development
7. Late-night transportation alternatives
8. Targeting public nuisances

Sala is a miniature Australian Shepherd and her owner Rebecca Robbins named her for a special reason. "I went to the library and I got an ethnic baby name book because I knew what I wanted her name to mean but I didn't want to call her 'Angel' so it's actually Hindu for a tree that has branches from Heaven that bring you blessings and peace. And that's what she does," said Robbins.

"I wanted a dog for years and years," explained Robbins," and one of the things I wanted was a dog that made other people smile, that she didn't just love me, but she made other people happy too. Most of the people who walk down Beach Drive, they all know Sala."

Sala is so well known in the neighborhood in fact that, "I go to the grocery store," said Robbins" and nobody recognizes me but if I'm with Sala they all know who I am."

Sala is 16 1/2 years old, weighs 17 pounds and often goes for a walk with Robbins or her fiance Jim Kaiser in Constellation Park, just south of the Alki Lighthouse.

The recently formed West Seattle Snowsports Council will hold their monthly meeting at Mountain to Sound Outfitters, 3602 SW Alaska Street on Wednesday July 14th @ 7:00 pm.

They are seeking ways to determine a feasible fiscal sponsor. According to Greg Whittaker, founder, "A couple of opportunities to work with existing non-profits have made themselves possible. "

On the agenda for the meeting are finding a final location for the group to depart from, determining who will lead internal and external communication roles. Starting the search for a web support person or organization for web presence and online registration requirements.
Seeking a graphics and poster design lead. Finding a community outreach lead who can begin building the relationships with the school groups they will be serving.

Alki Kayak Tours will provide a complimentary 1 hour kayak rental to all meeting participants.

The American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties elected ten new members to its Board of Directors at the organization's 112th Annual Meeting on June 3, 2010.

New board members include: Jim Bowman, Kevin Daniel, Carrie Francey, David Lee, Paulina Lopez Bermundez, Colleen Murphy, Denton Phillips, Amy Romer, Andrea Schneider and Angelynn Talcott. The new members will serve three-year terms. Deborah Haug was elected to serve as Chairman of the Board.

Chairman of the Board Deborah Haug is Chief Executive Officer of Perkins Coie Capital Management, LLC. She joined Perkins Coie LLP in 2001, after serving as the President and CEO of The Trust Company of Washington, providing trust and investment advisory services to high net worth individuals, foundations and endowments. She also has held senior management positions with The Bank of Hawaii and Wells Fargo Bank. Deborah holds an undergraduate from the College of William and Mary and an MBA in Finance from New York University.