May 2011

Bailey is an odd combination of dog breeds born of three varieties King Cavalier, poodle and Bichon Frisee which makes him according to owner Judy Popky, "A Cavapoochon."

He's just over a year old and came from a breeder in Austin Texas. "I was living in Atlanta and he came by airplane to me," Popky said, "I was looking for Golden Doodles and they were too big but the same breeder had this little cute guy for me." He's hypo-allergenic like those other breeds which works for Popky.

That may have been the only time however that Bailey flew in the cargo area. Ever since he joined Popky he flies in the main cabin with her. "It costs money but he gets in his little crate, and sometimes I have to give him doggy tranquilizers to help him go night-night but otherwise he goes in there and goes to sleep. He's a very good traveller. He goes to visit his Daddy in California and his cousin. He's got more frequent flier miles than I do!"

He's not high maintenance. "A bath and a haircut once a month and he's good to go." She takes him to the WashDog for that service.

When it comes to privacy at the home, many Americans aim for seclusion in their landscaping. Tall solid fences and walls of fauna create that sense of privacy so many hold dear.

One of the biggest lessons Crime Prevention Team Officer Jon Kiehn with the SPD Southwest Precinct drives home time and time again is while privacy keeps others from keeping an eye on you, it also creates a safe haven for burglars once they enter your property.

“Most people set up their backyard because they want to feel secluded but the bad guy wants that feeling as well, so once he gets through he can pretty much do what he wants and not feel uncomfortable doing so,” Officer Kiehn said while giving blockwatch captains and interested West Seattleites a home tour on May 24. Kiehn is trained in CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) and shared his knowledge on the tour set up by the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network.

The newest marijuana based business in West Seattle, Northwest Patient Resource Center, now under construction at 9456 35th s.w. is being built as a friendly fortress.

It will feature 2 inch thick, bulletproof plexiglass "teller" like windows with interlocking pass throughs, smash proof glass, glass break alarms, "Threat-proof" Kevlar reinforced walls, separate internal security zones, a 16 camera hi-def surveillance system both inside and out (and they record for up to 30 days), a "man trap" interlocking door system (with a bullet proof internal window for visual bag inspection), blast rated steel internal doors, solid wall reinforcements, architectural elements added to prevent break-ins or smash and grab style burglaries and massive high tech safes for storing medicine. Very little cash will be stored on site.

The city of Des Moines and the King County Library System (KCLS) are at odds over surveillance camera’s and library patron’s privacy.

On March 14 an elderly man was robbed and assaulted in the parking lot of the Woodmont Library in Des Moines. Shaken up by the crime, he was not able to give police a description of his assailant.

The strong-arm robbery, a felony crime, was caught on the Library’s surveillance cameras on the parking lot. KCLS denied both the initial request and a public records request by Des Moines Police to view the footage, telling them they would need a warrant.

“We are not in the business of the video surveillance of the community,” Director of KCLS Bill Ptacek said.

Des Moines Prosecuting Attorney Tim George said it can take 4-6 hours to get a warrant on a high priority case. He said after KCLS refused to release the video the urgency was no longer there.

George described KCLS’s stance as “troubling.” He said police have never had this problem getting surveillance video footage of a crime from any of the local bars and businesses in Des Moines.

Although I pass their playground almost daily until last week I had only been on the grounds of St. Alphonsus Parish School twice in the last quarter century – if buying a Boy Scout Christmas tree even counts. I see the students in their uniforms shopping after school with their parents, but the school itself seems to be hiding in plain sight between its church on 15th NW and residences to the east.

Then something changed, that I hope will change for everyone in Ballard. Poles of colorful fish appeared in the planters planted as part of the East Ballard Community Association’s “Planting Partnerships on 14th Avenue NW” project. Like exotic escapees the fish, three per pole, three poles per planter, seemed to deliver a message from St. Alphonsus School, saying, “We are here.”

Theft ring busted
In a theft ring operated out of the Burien area, local thieves were paid to steal mundane items, such as razor blades, laundry detergent and bath products. Those items were resold to other stores and in some cases shipped to Cambodia inside automobiles. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says many of the thieves were drug addicts who were paid pennies on the dollar for the goods they stole. The prosecutor estimates the loss to retailers in the Burien and Normandy Park areas at $4.8 million over ten months. Sarah Kong, 40, and Chanthou Rim, 38 are each charged with almost a dozen felony counts.

Eggs and cement used to vandalize neighborhood

John Pilbeck, left, of the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association presents Highline High baseball coach Dave Larson, center, with an plaque naming Larson the 2011 High School Varsity Coach of the Year. Umpire Fritz Timm looks on. Larson has coached at Highline for more than 20 years.

The girls ultimate frisbee team played in the State Championship finals last night against the Northwest School. 

Northwest came out strong and it wasn't long before the Lady Beavers were trailing behind 7 to 3. Northwest continued to extend their lead and even after a Ballard time out, the Bevaers couldn't stop Northwest from scoring.

With ten minutes left in the game, Ballard was behind 12 against 4 but gained control of the disc and started to score. At five minutes left, Ballard had started closing the gap to 12-7.

"The Ballard girls had a slow start, but really picked it up the second half," said Coach Carmella Vizza. "Senior captains Sarah Edwards, Savanna Ryan, and Jessica Spaulding all made big contributions in turning the game around with multiple assists and scores."

But just before the end of the game Northwest answered back, defeating the Beavers 13 against 7.

This game ended the regular ultimate season and Ballard finished second in the State.

Press release from King County Sheriff's Office:
Birthday Bash Leads to Stabbing, then Shooting in Burien

A man celebrating his 21st birthday was critically stabbed last night during a bar fight in Burien. Then another person fighting was shot. Both victims ended up at Harborview Medical Center. The shooter is still at large.

The incident began about 12:20 AM at the Wah Long Sports Bar, 15220 Ambaum Blvd SW. Several patrons got into an argument inside the business which escalated into a fistfight involved four people outside in the parking lot. At some point during the fight one participant was stabbed several times with a knife.

Next one of the persons involved in the fight ran over to a parked car, pulled out a handgun, and fired several shots. One of the people in the original fight was hit and he collapsed. The shooter, stabbing victim, and others piled into the car and the vehicle sped off.

KidSounds, YouthSounds and TeenSounds members brought along their yellow submarine when they performed "Beatlemania: A Musical Revue" at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. Paula Hawkins directed the combined choirs.