October 2011

It was heartbreaking for animal lovers everywhere when news broke that a Burien house was raided Oct. 6 in a case of animal hoarding. Officials found 38 dogs in varying stages of distress, 9 of which had to be euthanized straightaway.

“We saw it in the paper and they (the animal shelter) said that they really needed donations to help the dogs,” says Madeline. “We knew that we definitely wanted to donate.”

Madeline and her friend, Annie, are both 10-year-old fifth-graders at Marvista Elementary School in Normandy Park and together raised $155, which they donated to Burien’s Community Animal Resources Education Society (CARES). CARES is overseeing the care, housing and ultimate adoption of the dogs.

Both girls were inspired to help based on their own devotion to dogs. Madeline counts her corgi, Twinky, as a best friend as does Annie of her Chihuahua, Captain Widgetmeyer.

“I love dogs,” says Annie. “They’re fun to cuddle with and it feels like they really understand us.”

A few years ago, they began walking neighborhood dogs after school and on weekends to earn money. It was their personal savings along with contributions from neighbors that they donated to CARES.

Saturday October 29, 2011 - Noon to 4 pm SW 152nd Street in Downtown Burien

Youthful ghouls can scare up goodies by trick-or-treating at businesses marked with an orange Boo in Burien sign. Shops will also offer some otherworldly in-store specials.

Young trick-or-treaters can also strut their ghostly stuff in the Children’s Costume Parade at 3 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for most original, scariest and cutest costume. The parade starts on Southwest 152nd Street where it intersects with Ninth Avenue Southwest in Olde Burien. Goodie Gumdrops is sponsoring the contest.

The event also goes to the dogs in two different activities in Olde Burien. First, is a costume competition in the Costumed Dog Parade, which starts at 3:15 p.m. Immediately afterward, at about 3:30 p.m., watch dachshunds wiggle their way across the finish line in the B-Town Blog Wiener Dog Races. Prizes will be awarded to costume and race winners. Participants in the canine events will receive a doggie bag of goodies courtesy of A Place for Pets.

Eagle Landing Park in Burien has been the home to many eagles over the years. Now a new eagle has taken permanent residence in the park. This eagle however is a carving and the city’s latest addition to an extensive collection of public art.

Galen Willis, a Burien resident and artist, recently donated a hand-carved wooden sculpture of an eagle he carved from Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) an evergreen coniferous tree in the Cypress family and is native to western North America. It is the Provincial tree of British Columbia, and has extensive applications for the indigenous First Nations of the Pacific Northwest.

Willis created the sculpture for the purpose of placing it in the park. The carving style of the eagle is referred to as Native American or Northwest Indian, and is partially painted red and black.

The eagle carving is itself over 44 inches tall and is mounted on a pedestal.

As part of this project another volunteer, Sean Kent, constructed a shelter to house and display the carving. It is only fitting that Sean is an Eagle Scout candidate. He is a member of Troop 392, a senior at Mt. Rainier High School and he resides in Tukwila.

Two arrested in the death of missing SeaTac woman
Authorities arrested two Port Angeles residents for investigation of second-degree murder in the death of Jennifer Pimentel, a 27-year-old developmentally disabled SeaTac woman missing since Oct. 10. Kevin A. Bradfield, 22, and Kendell K. Huether, 25, are being held without bond in the Clallam County jail. Bradfield and Huether told police that Pimentel's remains were located near the Hood Canal Bridge and voluntarily took officers to a location. Unburied remains were found in a brushy area off Paradise Bay Road northeast of the Hood Canal Bridge.

SeaTac man hosting a party shot in the hip by a guest
A 35-year-old SeaTac man was sent to Harborview Hospital with a single gunshot wound to his hip, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. The man is listed in serious condition. The shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. at the Puerta Villa Apartments at 3051 S. 188th St.

In a follow-up to the multi-agency arrest of over 50 people involved in drug and gun dealing in White Center, a meeting was held on Monday night, Oct. 24, to discuss how the community can work with law enforcement and county government to ensure crime of that scale never finds home on their streets again.

Those gathered also sought to address issues beyond large scale crime, looking into everyday issues such as public intoxication and open drinking that steer potential visitors away and make many residents weary of enjoying their own community.

The goal is clear, however the path is not. Monday’s meeting was an exercise in defining the steps that need to be taken, and coming to grips with realities that will cause trouble along the way.

The meeting was held at the Greenbridge Community Center and, as a testament to White Center residents and business owners hopes for safer community, the room was packed beyond seating.

From Hope Lutheran & Seattle Lutheran High School:

Please join us for an inspiring and fun filled evening, supporting Hope Lutheran and Seattle Lutheran High schools. A delectable array of hors d'oeuvres await you at Hope Lutheran as well as a wide assortment of silent auction items. An elegant dinner and live auction is to follow at Seattle Lutheran.

Graham Crow - Auctioneer
Alex Meyer, Hope Lutheran and Seattle Lutheran Alumnus - Emcee

Date: November 11, 2011
Time: Doors open at 4:30 pm
Location: Silent Auction at Hope Lutheran
Live Auction at Seattle Lutheran
Cost: $60 per Individual
$65 After October 15th

Featured Auction Items

• Week Stay at Lake Wenatchee Cabin
• Signed Sounder Jersey
• Seahawk Tickets
• Mama Mia Tickets at the Parmount
• iPad
• Kindle
• 2 Nights in Hawaii
• Rosario Resort Weekend
• Wine Tasting
• Ski Lessons
• West 5 Mac-N-Cheese Club
• Week in the Caribbean
• Seattle Police Department Ride Along
• Coach Handbag

On Monday, Oct 24, two years after the Greenwood arson, Seattlite Carol Iverson was presented with a $18,500 check for giving authorities information that lead to the arrest and conviction of the Greenwood Arsonist.

Between June 19 and November 12, 2009, Kevin Todd Swalwell set 10 fires in the Greenwood area causing more than 2.2 million dollars in damage. One person suffered non-life threatening burns during one of the fires.
 
But it wasn't until the authorities received Iverson's tip that an Arson Task Force formed between the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Police Department, had a viable suspect.

John Lewitt, lead investigator for the Seattle Police Department Arson and Bomb Squad said the tip was instrumental in tracking the arsonist down.

"It gave us something to go on," Lewitt said.

The Arson Task Force discovered that Swalwell had been on scene at multiple fire locations.
In May 2010, Swalwell pled guilty to setting 11 fires and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Iverson knew it was Swalwell the moment she heard about the arsons.

"I knew it was him right away," she said.

From the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network:

The Block Watch Captain Finder Tool will rollout, ready or not! The tool is still not completely finalized (is any tool, EVER?). Nevertheless, we’re rolling it out at our October meeting. Come see a demo of this open source project developed by Code For America (CFA). And, put your group on the map right at the meeting!

Code for America will be done with their development work on this project by mid-November. Do you have feedback about ways to make this tool better?

Bring your ideas to this meeting, so we can discuss next steps! Going forward, we’ll need your help to monitor the tool and help get it through the first year. There are other cities interested in the software already; and as the pilot project, we want to look for ways to establish best practices and cooperation with other cities across the USA. It should be fun!

Meeting details & agenda
Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 6:30-8 PM

SW Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster Street (at Delridge, next to Home Depot)

Woodland Park Zoo has received a $1 million gift from The Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences toward the creation of an all new, naturalistic tiger and Asian bear exhibit complex at the zoo.

The $1 million was issued as a challenge to the community to rally behind bringing this new and exciting exhibit to our region, according to Lisa Simonyi.

“We look for programs that advance science education for the community,” said Simonyi. “We’re honored to be a part of the zoo’s commitment to create a better, more naturalistic home for tigers and Asian bears, and we’re inspired by the dynamic science education hub that the exhibit complex will become for the zoo’s 1 million annual visitors, motivating the next generation of conservation scientists and stewards.”

Part of the zoo’s $21 million Asian Tropical Forest fundraising initiative, the new tiger and Asian bear exhibit complex will replace the 60-year-old, outdated infrastructure that critically endangered tigers and Asian bears currently inhabit at the zoo.

Introducing my parents to my boyfriends has never been an easy thing to do. Something about being forty-one years old makes it even more awkward. Add in that even after three years, my divorce is still a relatively taboo subject, my father still takes my ex-husband to Seahawks games, my mother knows more about my ex’s personal life than she knows about mine, and when I finally braved mentioning a man I was not only dating, but in love with, my father refused to remember his name and instead referred to him as “dude.” Needless to say, I put off the meeting of the dude for as long as possible.
Although the dude, I mean Nik, was receptive to the idea of having dinner with my parents, I viewed it as a lose lose situation. If things didn’t go well, Nik would learn how insane my family was allowing him a glimpse of his future if he stayed with me. In between our entrees and dessert, I imagined him excusing himself for the bathroom, but I’d know better and wouldn’t be surprised when I’d hear the squeal of his tires a few moments later. That is, if he even made it through his entre.