March 2011

The Burien pub crawl was in full swing on 152nd street Friday night, March 11.

West Seattle icon and longtime radio host Marty Riemer invited Seattle area resident and author, Mark C. Waterbury, Ph.D. onto his morning podcast Wednesday.

They discussed Waterbury's new book, The Monster of Perugia, the Framing of Amanda Knox, and his theory of why, in his view, the West Seattle-raised 23 year old convicted of murdering her college roommate, Meredith Kercher, was framed for a crime she did not commit.

Riemer, who recently returned to his post at The Mountain, KMTT, 103.7, after being fired there Sept., 2009 without warning, continues his daily 9:30 a.m. podcasts from his basement studio, southeast of the Admiral Junction, which we reported here:

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2011/01/17/news/marty-riemer-returns-m…

Earlier this week the Seattle Police Department released crime statistics for Seattle in 2010.

In general, the numbers revealed a citywide drop (from 2009) in major crime of six percent. Burglaries dropped four percent, robberies dropped 20 percent, property crimes dropped five percent and there was a five percent increase in vehicle thefts. There were 19 homicides in 2010, the lowest since 1956, according to Seattle police.

The report (which you can find here also broke down the numbers for specific precincts, including West Seattle’s Southwest region. You can see a map of how police break the city into precincts here.

Southwest Precinct police often mention car prowls and home burglaries as the most common crimes in West Seattle. Although burglaries have their own category, car prowls are clumped together with all thefts so specific numbers were not available.

Robbery
Robberies in West Seattle were down 11.5 percent from 2009. January and June 2010 shared the highest monthly robbery totals at 13 each.

Ballard is about to have a brand new American citizen as Mariam Mussa, known to locals simply as "mama", receives her citizenship at the end of the month. Mussa, 69, is the mother of Steven Saleh, the proprietor of Saleh's Delicatessen on 2401 N.W. 80th Street.

"I came here to be close to my son," Mussa said in here native Arabic while her son translated.

Mussa is from Yemen and has been in the United States since 1997. She will be exempt from the English and history knowledge requirements of the citizenship test due to disability.

"She tries and she understands some English but she has dementia. She can't even remember what day it is," Saleh said. "She usually fasts on Thursday but she has to ask me everyday what day it is."

Despite her lack of English, Mussa has become a fan of American sitcoms naming Everyone loves Raymond and Cramer and George from Seinfeld among her favorites.

Saleh sponsored his mother to join him in 1997. He had been in the U.S. since the early 1980s with his father in Buffalo, New York.

A letter has been sent to the Seattle City Council urging the council to place the annexation issue on the ballot for next November's election.

March 11, 2011

Council President Richard Conlin

Seattle City Council

600- Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104

The Honorable Richard Conlin:

Thank you for your careful consideration of the potential annexation of White Center/North Highline.

Press Release:
Work from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. March 14, 18 & 25; April 1, 2, 8, 15, 22, 23, 29 & 30

In order to build the new First Avenue S on- and off-ramp for the Spokane Street Viaduct, the contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close First Avenue S overnight for several nights this month and next. Northbound First Avenue S will be closed from S Spokane to S Hinds streets beginning at 9 p.m. March 14, 18 and 25; as well as April 1, 2, 8, 15, 22, 23, 29 and 30. Following each overnight closure, the roadway will reopen by 5 a.m. the next morning. Detours will be provided for north and southbound traffic.

King County Department of Transporation has announced that the following sailings for the West Seattle Water Taxi have been canceled due to a mechanical issue.

500pm - 515pm - 530pm

The West Seattle Water Taxi will resume regularly schedule departures beginning with the 5:45pm departure from Pier 50 to Seacrest Dock in West Seattle.

Marilyn Schoeman a West Seattle-based international speaker, author and business consultant is the driving force behind what she says is a new global movement called Global Green Light Day, on March 21.

Her press release states "The Green Light Goal is: Create the greatest good, in the best way, for the most people, for the longest time. The standard first rule for some groups is “First, do no harm.” With Green Light, it is, “First, do some good - then do some more.”

Schoeman, is the author of, “GO! How to Think, Speak and ACT to Make Good Things Happen”.

She urges people to use the week from March 14 -21 to "Plan a series of Green Light actions, ending with a celebration of your achievements on the 21st. Honor the friendships expanded in the process. Make plans to continue the efforts throughout the year. Start your day with a Green Light greeting. Before you leave the house sound a “Good morning, world! Good morning, family! Happy Global Green Light Day!”

The Seattle Police Department is maintaining its effort to stop and ticket aggressive drivers, focusing their efforts yesterday on the West Seattle Bridge and Highway 99.

Speeders of the day

On March 10th, Aggressive Driving Response Team officers stopped and ticketed a drivers on the West Seattle Bridge and Hwy 99.

69 mph in a 45 mph zone -West Seattle Bridge

75 mph in a 45 mph zone-West Seattle Bridge

3 drivers were ticketed for driving 65 mph in a 45 mph zone -West Seattle Bridge

Last week on March 4th, a Ballard transient believed to be Charles Tompkins passed away beside the Ballard Locks.

Tompkins, 49, was found in the morning of March 5th by a friend. He had been lying in the same position for over 24 hours and police conclude he died from pneumonia.

The police said he appeared to have had problems with alcoholism and was found with an empty wine bottle beside him. Detectives ruled out homicide and no physical abuse was apparent on the body.

He died a few feet away from the parking lot to Ballard Locks on 32th block of 54th Street.

Tompkins was a regular at the Ballard Food Bank but kept to himself, a community member said. He had been a brilliant man with a graduate degree before his mental health deteriorated and he stopped talking to people.

The Women in Black will hold a silent witnessing vigil on Wednesday, March 16, from noon until 1 p.m. outside the Seattle Justice Center at 5th and Cherry Street. These vigils are held whenever a homeless person dies outside in King County.  Tompkins is the fourth person this year. In 2010, at least 36 homeless people died in the cold or due to violence, 11 of which were women.