October 2010

There were 181 reported car prowls in the City of Seattle over the last seven days of September; a number that beats out any other reported crime in the city over that period.

According to the Seattle Police Department website, “You are more likely to be a victim of a vehicle crime than any other crime reported to the Seattle Police Department. An experienced Car Prowler or Thief can gain access to your car in virtually seconds. In less than 30 seconds, someone could break into a parked car. Most car prowls themselves take less than two minutes. The damage done to locks and windows can be very expensive to repair and cause great inconvenience.”

Car prowls in West Seattle hold to this pattern and in any given week can dominate the police reports. According to Capt. Steve Paulsen, commander for the SPD Southwest Precinct, car prowls, car theft and home burglary are the main focus of police in West Seattle because it is primarily a residential area.

Car prowls top that list in occurrence because they are so easy to pull off, according to Capt. Paulsen.

The game had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock mystery film.
Kent-Meridian held on for dear life in a dramatic 38-34 win over Thomas Jefferson in South Puget Sound League North Division play Friday at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

With the Raiders down by four and driving deep into KM territory with three minutes left in a seesaw game, Royals safety Brandon Harris recovered a game-deciding fumble at the KM 12.

Raiders workhorse running-back Keegan Giles, who gained 257 yards on 39 carries and scored two touchdowns, was practically unstoppable in that last TJ drive, reeling off runs of 14, 10 and 13 yards before fumbling the ball.

"I feel for him that he had to be the one to fumble because he played his butt off," said first-year KM coach Brett Allen, whose Royals improved to 3-2 in league and 3-2 overall. "He's one of the toughest runners in our league."

Royals quarterback David Jones, a NCAA Division 1 prospect, racked up 256 yards on 19 carries and scored four touchdown runs himself, coming out of the KM spread offense.

"We needed a solution for No. 3 (Jones)," said TJ coach Dean Peck. "He's a special athlete."

New singers are welcome to join. Rehearsals take place at St. John’s Church in West Seattle. For information visit www.endolynechoir.org or email info@endolynechoir.org.
Debut Choir rehearsal grades K-2 is Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Encore Choir rehearsal grades 3-5 is Thursdays, 6:30-7:30. Advanced Ensemble rehearsal grades 6-8 (gr. 5 by invitation) is Thursdays, 7:30-9 p.m.

Music Northwest Presents Chopin Nocturnes
So. Seattle Community College
Olympic Recital Hall
6000 16th Ave. S.W.
Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m. Intimate and passionate night music to celebrate the composer’s 200th birthday with pianists Ivona Kaminska, Robert Krupnick, and Jane Harty. $18 Gen; $16 Sr; Free for students under 25, but must be reserved in advance. Tickets & Directions: 206-937-2899 or www.musicnorthwest.org. Free Parking.

Fall Puppet Shows at Alki Bathhouse
2701 Alki Ave. SW
Bring your kids to fun and exciting fall puppet shows on the beach in West Seattle. All shows start at 1 p.m. Pre-register on line at www.seatle.gov/parks or call 206-684-7430. $5 with pre-registration or $8 at the door.

GriefShare Class
Grace Church
10323 28th Ave. S.W.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon. This international grief recovery support group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to death. You can start at anytime. For information: Barb at 206-932-7459.

Call for Vendors for Arts & Crafts Fair
Burien’s J.F. Kennedy Catholic High School’s Arts & Crafts Fair is set for December 4, 9-4 p.m. The Fair features hand crafted items and unique gifts. Vendors contact Julie Chaplin 206-431-6662.

Irish Dance Lessons
West Seattle VFW Hall
3601 S.W. Alaska St.
Mondays & Tuesdays in the late afternoon & early evenings. Join the Comerford School of Irish Dance and be ready to show off a few jig steps for the holidays. Open to children and adults. Information at 206-935-3225.

Guided Tours of Seattle Chinese Garden
South Seattle Community College
6000 16th Ave. S.W. (at north end of College)
206-764-5219
www.seattlechinesegarden.org

The Ballard High School cross teams both finished in the top of their races Oct. 2 at the 15th Annual Curtis Invitational at Titlow Beach Park in Tacoma.

The boys team came in fifth out of 19 teams. Junior Alex Bowns was the top finisher for the Beavers, placing fifth out of 142 runners with a time of 16:44.

Senior Blair Scott and junior Jason Mills rounded out the top three for Ballard, finishing 22nd and 31st respectively.

The girls finished fourth out of 16 teams. Senior Natalie White led the Beavers with her 22nd-place finish with a time of 21:29.

Sophomores Rachel Livengood and Julia Boone finished 27th and 36th respectively for Ballard.

Click here for complete results from the meet.

The cross country teams compete against Bothell and Newport at 3:45 p.m. Oct. 6 at Wilburton Hills Park.

Inspired by the tale of Goldilocks, a young woman was arrested last week after a family found her sleeping in their daughter’s bed. Mama and Papa Bear returned from doing laundry and Papa Bear headed back to one of his daughter’s rooms to drop off her clothes. He opened the door and noticed that someone other than his daughter was lying in the bed. When he asked her what she was doing, she “exhibited confusion.” Police came and transported the intruder to King County Jail. The boyfriend of an older daughter (it was the younger daughter’s room) mentioned that he had seen the suspect at the house earlier, but assumed she was a friend of the family.

Off the main Ballard Avenue thoroughfare and dog parade of the Sunday Ballard Farmers Market, there’s an extension into the vacant lot between two buildings. Every week that’s where Veraci cooks pizzas in its mobile wood oven and psychic Marjorie Young gives readings; each doing what they do.

Marjorie Young has been doing readings at the Farmers Market even before its move to Ballard Avenue. Some weeks are busier than others, but there is always demand for the 10-minute for $10 readings, versus longer readings at her home.

Marjorie also does readings for pets, though not at the market. She can discern an unresolved conflict with a parent or an adopted dog’s life before the shelter.

Now, I’ve never consulted a psychic myself, but it turns out that neither has Marjorie. She doesn’t even know any. But, she hears stories about people who call themselves psychics and often claim that for additional fees they can make some karmic adjustment.

“If someone wants to sell you something like that, just get up and leave," she said.

In the face of five high-profile stories of American students committing suicide last month after enduring harassment from their peers for their perceived sexual identify, members of the Ballard High School SLAM club spent the early morning hours Oct. 4 writing messages of acceptance and love in chalk outside the high school.

SLAM, which stands for Student Lives Always Matter, is Ballard's suicide prevention club. It spends its time doing educational outreach to help students who need it and to let students know how to help their friends.

The chalk messages, such as "Just be yourself" and "You are loved," are part of the second-annual national You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project. The project was started in 2005 by a student at Drew University in New Jersey to highlight the extra risk of suicide faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer students.

A tow truck procession in William "Tony" Padilla's honor led by the Towing and Recovery Association of Washington (TRAW) will take place Oct. 9 starting at 2:00 p.m.

Padilla was killed in a hit and run accident on I-5, Sept. 24 while working as a tow truck driver. Shavelle Lewis, 20, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in the case.

Padilla's family will be in attendance. including his brother David and David's wife Lyn, his sisters Carol and Catherine, his mother Ann and brother Peter and nephews Michael (Tawnya) Padilla, Matthew and Jeremiah Lopez all from the Seattle area will be in attendance as well. David will transport his ashes to Arizona and lay him to rest next to dad on his birth date in February.

The event is expected to see more than 75 tow trucks from across the region proceed from Bellevue, westbound across I-90 to a site in Seattle. The Washington State Dept. of Transportation will also have representative vehicles join the procession.

Two fundraisers for the Amanda Knox Defense Fund are coming up, one in West Seattle, the other in Columbus, Ohio. They happen to take place a day apart, so theoretically you could attend both, though no news yet if anyone will do so.

Shadowland Bar & Restaurant, here in West Seattle north of the Junction, at 4458 California Ave SW will host a fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 16, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The Rumba Café in Columbus will hold their fundraiser the prior evening, Oct. 15 at 9:00 p.m.

The Shadowland event is sponsored by friends Al Semple who was born and raised in West Seattle, and Julie Rogers, of Sammamish. The Knox family is not involved in the organizing. Shadowland agreed to provide the venue and food, and live bands will perform pro bono, including jazz musician Jay Cates, and Katie Voss. Raffle prizes have been donated by Salty’s, Forsythe Studio, El Gaucho, Envy on Alki, and others. They are also working on a paypal site.

“We got the idea while we were working as extras on the movie, “Late Autumn,” which was filmed in Seattle,” said Semple. “That was last February or March.”