October 2011

10 yards of gravel has been donated and delivered to the homeless encampment called Nickelsville near the intersection of West Marginal Way and Highland Park Way.

It was donated by two anonymous West Seattle citizens who each bought five yards.
The idea is to spread it over areas that are muddy, or wet and prevent slips and falls, also keeping the tents and common areas cleaner.

The gravel came from Glacier Northwest who cooperated by not charging for the delivery.

A fund has been started to supply more gravel to the site and donations can be made at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse at 4410 California Ave.s.w.

By Sustainable Ballard

Hello Neighbors,

By now, you've surely heard about the Occupy Wall Street movement and accompanying protests, including Occupy Seattle which continues this week at Westlake Center.

"Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future."

As part of the 99% you may want to join the protest downtown, but there are many other ways to show your support for the movement as well.

The second phase of the public review process for the upgrades coming to Roxhill Park saw a smaller group come to the meeting Monday, Oct. 17 at the Southwest branch of the Seattle Public Library but they were more involved in the dialog than those talking about the skatespot on Oct. 12.

This meeting was a presentation of the playground equipment choices, representing the smaller part of the project's budget or some $450,000. Project Manager Kelly Davidson explained that the budget for this, and the skatespot ($600,000) both include all the public process and and other elements of making them a reality.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Landscape Architect Shwu-Jen Hwang led the meeting by reviewing the various playground equipment choices and describing some of the issues regarding lines of sight (an issue that several people attending mentioned), and the location of pathways, and proximity to the parking lot, comfort station and the athletic field on the site.

The Burning Man festival held annually in an ancient lake bed in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada is one of those things people try to explain … and then eventually give up and suggest you go there yourself to find out.

Please click the photo above for more.

Those who participate are known as Burners, and when forced into a definition they describe the event as the creation of a city “dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance” where “almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the event.”

Non-profit Ignition Northwest brought a shrunken version of the non-traditional festival (Nevada had over 50,000 participants in 2010) to Burien’s Town Square on Oct. 15, complete with fire, dance and art representative of the Burner community.

Photographer Kurt Howard stepped into Mocktoberfest and came back unscathed with these images.

For more information on the event, check out Gwen Davis’ Herald article, “Two acres of fire, art set for Saturday in Burien.”

Matthew Dubois, 18, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for shooting his girlfriend, Mikarah Sanders, on Dec. 31, 2009 in Burien, according to King County Prosecutors.

Dubois pleaded guilty to second degree murder and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm in August, leading to his Oct. 17 sentencing at the hand of Judge Cheryl Carey at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

It was New Year’s Eve when Dubois shot his girlfriend in the face at his apartment on Ambaum Blvd S.W. He was 16 and Sanders was 15.

The following information is a summary of the probable cause documents leading to Dubois’ arrest:

Police received the 911 call of a shooting at 9:30 p.m. that New Year’s Eve and responded to an apartment complex on the 12400 block of Ambaum Blvd. They were initially told two people had been shot and the shooter had fled on foot.

Upon entering the apartment, police found Sanders face down on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. Deputies identified a bullet wound to her cheek and no pulse, so they began CPR. Medics arrived shortly and continued CPR to no avail. The gunshot wound was fatal.

press release:
The following routes will be affected by the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct:

Routes 21 Express, 37 southbound, 54, 54 Express, 55, 56 Express, 113, 120, 121, 122 and 125

From Friday evening, October 21 at 7:00 PM through the end of service on October 30, Metro bus routes 21 Express, 37 southbound, 54, 54 Express, 55, 56 Express, 113, 120, 121, 122, and 125 will be rerouted off of the Alaskan Way Viaduct due to construction.

During the closure, the buses will travel via Fourth Avenue South in the SODO area and Third Avenue in downtown Seattle.

Bus stops on Columbia and Seneca streets at Second Avenue will be temporarily closed during this time.

Both northbound and southbound buses will stop on Fourth Avenue South at South Lander Street in SODO for convenient transfers to Link light rail and other bus routes.

Northbound buses will also stop on Fourth Avenue South at the South Jackson Street island stop; and southbound buses will not make any stops between Third Avenue at Columbia Street and Fourth Avenue South at South Lander Street.

Gregory Seth, 65, a 25-year Seattle Police Department veteran who spent the last 15 years working as a security guard was given a suspended sentence of 364 days in King County Jail for fourth degree assault on Oct. 14 in Kent.

The suspended sentence, handed down by King County Judge Regina Cahan, gives Seth a chance to avoid serving jail time as long as he fulfills the other requirements set out by the court. Those requirements include 160 hours of community service within a year, a mandatory Victim Penalty Assessment (restitution yet to be determined), successful completion of anger management treatment and no further contact with the victim or a school administrator who alleged Seth coached her to cover up the incident and threatened he would “get her” if she lied. He was not charged with witness tampering.

The assault charge stemmed from a Feb. 1, 2011 incident at Chinook Junior High in SeaTac. Charging documents state Seth put a 14-year-old male student into a headlock and choked him until the victim’s face turned blue and he started drooling uncontrollably, at which time Seth let go.

Led by Chamber President Mark Ufkes, the White Center Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (www.ugm.org) and WestSide Baby (www.westsidebaby.org), is planning a working summit of White Center service providers on Friday, Oct 21 from 9am to 12pm at Mt. View Presbyterian Church - 10806 12th Ave. SW.

The summit will bring together front line service providers who are currently serving the estimated 45 people struggling with homelessness and chronic alcoholism who currently live on White Center streets. The goal of this summit is to find ways to help our homeless neighbors and to establish a 10-point plan that addresses their service needs, plan a budget estimating the costs to provide these services, and discuss possible policies needed to address the challenges they create for our community.

Press release
The White Center Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (www.ugm.org) and WestSide Baby (www.westsidebaby.org), is planning a working summit of White Center service providers on Friday, Oct 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Mt. View Presbyterian Church, 10806 12th Ave. SW.

The summit will bring together front line service providers who are currently serving the estimated 45 people struggling with homelessness and chronic alcoholism, who currently live on White Center streets.

The goal of this summit is to find ways to help our homeless neighbors and to establish a 10-point plan that addresses their service needs, plan a budget estimating the costs to provide these services, and discuss possible policies needed to address the challenges they create for our community.

press release:
With the nine-day closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct only four days away, the City of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), King County Metro Transit and the Port of Seattle are urging drivers and transit users to plan ahead to avoid significant traffic disruptions. Highlighting the technology being used to monitor and aggressively manage traffic during the work, the partner agencies encourage travelers to take advantage of new systems that can help make trips easier.

SR 99 will be closed for nine full days from 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 21, through 5 a.m. Monday, October 31, for demolition and construction work, leaving drivers without one of the city’s two north-south freeways.