November 2011

On Nov. 5, 2011, at 2:40 AM, Jayme Thomas was shot and killed as she sat in the backseat of a vehicle in the 800 block of Redondo Way South in Des Moines.

Surveillance footage of a suspected vehicle and person of interest of the case was released on Nov. 19 with hopes the public can help bring the suspects in her case to justice.

The 24-year-old male victim who was also shot but sustained non-life threatening injuries has been cooperating with police, but asked not to be identified, according to Des Moines Police.

PLEASE CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE EVIDENCE

Here is the latest information from Sgt. Bob Bohl with the Des Moines PD:

A tanning bed at Island Tan, 3270 California Ave. s.w. caused a small fire shortly after 9 am on Saturday
Seattle Fire Department crews rushed to the scene and quickly put out the fire, no one was hurt.
There are no damage estimates at this time.

press release:
Matching fund grants totaling $685,185 that will help build new sports complexes, playgrounds, an equestrian center and a rowing facility were announced today by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

"Through these grants we can support the kind of activities that promote good health, build self-esteem, and teach teamwork," said Executive Constantine.

King County Parks' Youth Sports Facilities Grant (YSFG) program will leverage nearly $1.5 million for local parks and recreation projects through partnerships with cities, schools and local community organizations.

The grants, as large as $75,000, are administered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. The YSFG program is funded and sustained through a one-quarter of 1 percent car rental taxes, and funds can only be used for developing and constructing facilities, and not for maintenance or operations costs.

Participating community organizations must match the grant money.

"By partnering with these worthy organizations, we are able to accomplish more than any of us could do alone," said the Executive.

Metro League

Monday, Nov. 28
Girls basketball--Chief Sealth at Tyee, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 30
Girls basketball--Todd Beamer at West Seattle, 5:45 p.m.; Chief Sealth at Garfield, 7 p.m.; TBA at West Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 1
Wrestling--Nathan Hale at Chief Sealth; West Seattle at O'Dea, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 2
Boys swimming--Chief Sealth/West Seattle at Nathan Hale, 3:30 p.m.
Girls basketball--Lindbergh at West Seattle, 5:45 p.m.; TBA at West Seattle, 7 p.m.
Boys basketball--Tyee at Chief Sealth; Ingraham at Foster, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 3
Boys swimming--Metro League Meet, 4 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 5
Boys basketball--Ingraham at Evergreen, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 6
Boys basketball--West Seattle at O'Dea; Nathan Hale at Chief Sealth, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 7
Girls basketball--Nathan Hale at Chief Sealth, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 8
Wrestling--Franklin and Rainier Beach at Chief Sealth; Lakeside at West Seattle, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9
Boys swimming--Seattle Prep at Chief Sealth/West Seattle, 3:30 p.m. at S.W. Athletic Complex.
Girls basketball--Rainier Beach at Chief Sealth, West Seattle at Bainbridge, 8 p.m.

From Madison Middle School:

Madison staff, students and parents pulled together resources to provide 45 Madison families with large Thanksgiving baskets this year. An additional 10 families received grocery gift cards. The students collected 1,100 pounds of canned goods through a science department competition. The staff and parents contributed $3,000 which was used to purchase turkey, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit, rice and other staples. Twenty-five Madison students did community service by sorting the cans and assembling the baskets. "We are happy to help our families have a nice holiday, said Ms Hoag school nurse.

Highline Big Picture High School and Aviation High School have been designated state Innovative Schools. A list of 22 Innovative Schools from across Washington was announced today by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The Innovative Schools program “celebrates the state’s most inventive and exciting school models and encourages bold, creative and innovative thinking across Washington’s public schools,” according to OSPI.

Aviation High School is the only college preparatory, aerospace/aviation-themed high school in the Northwest. AHS is recognized as a model for science, technology, engineering and math education. It is open to students across the Puget Sound region. Some students commute daily up to two hours each way to attend.
FMI: http://www.k12.wa.us/InnovativeSchools/DesignatedSchools/Aviation.aspx

Thanksgiving came early for the operators of the Evergreen Community Aquatic Pool in White Center on Friday, Nov. 18 when King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the pool will receive a $70,521 Youth Sports Facilities grant.

Butch Lovelace of the King County Parks Department said the grant money will go toward improving the pool’s heating system, the center’s largest expense.

“It will greatly reduce their cost of energy,” Lovelace declared. “It will go a long ways to making them more sustainable.”

Starfire Sports in Tukwila also received a $60,000 grant for their indoor sports fields.

Highline Public Schools received a $20,000 grant for Moshier Park Field in Burien.

Matching fund grants totaling $685,185 that will help build new sports complexes, playgrounds, an equestrian center and a rowing facility were announced today by Constantine.

“Through these grants we can support the kind of activities that promote good health, build self-esteem, and teach teamwork,” said Executive Constantine.

The Seattle Fire Department determined two vehicle fires were intentionally lit overnight from Nov. 16 - 17 on the east side of the West Seattle peninsula.

According to Kyle Moore with the SFD:

The first fire occurred on November 17 at 10:22 p.m. near 18th Avenue SW and SW Myrtle Street in West Seattle. The fire started inside a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. An investigator is estimating damage of $6,500. Seattle Police Department Arson and Bomb Squad detectives responded to the scene.

At 12:19 a.m. on Friday November 18, a 911 call came into dispatch reporting a second car fire at 28th Avenue SW and SW Brandon Street. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and discovered the interior of a 2005 BMW heavily damaged by the fire. Seattle Police Department Arson and Bomb Squad Detectives responded to the scene. The total loss of the car is estimated at $16,000.

Both cases are currently under investigation by the Seattle Police Department Detectives. If you have any information on the cases, please call 911.

If high gas prices, bad weather, and teeming masses of people are not enough reason for you avoid the big box stores in the malls (if you can) and include shopping locally on the biggest shopping day of the year, here are some bargains, buys, and the time some of the local area stores will be open on the day after Thanksgiving. Plus, next Saturday marks Small Business Saturday, a national effort to get people to support small and local businesses.

Bin 41 (wine shop) 3pm In the Junction
Please join us for a Black Friday tasting at bin 41 from 3-5 pm. We'll be featuring a medley of holiday themed wines perfect for entertaining and gift giving!

Atomic Boys
4311 s.w. Admiral Way
10% off on Black Friday sales!
New inventory of Air Swimmer Sharks and classic board games!

Capers 10am
4525 California Ave. s.w.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is closing Golden Gardens Park play area from Monday, November 28, 2011 through Friday, December 2, 2011 to replace a play feature.

The equipment manufacturer is replacing the main arches of a dome climbing play structure due to concerns about the durability of the protective galvanized coating on the existing dome.

There will be minimal impact on the surrounding area.

When the Explorer Dome was inspected there were concerns about the long term durability of the protective galvanizing on some of the arches. In order to ensure the best quality product, the manufacturer offered to replace the arches at their own expense.

Knowing it takes months to manufacture and ship this unique equipment, Parks left the original dome in place until the parts could be changed out.

The new beach adventure play area at Golden Gardens Park opened at the end of August 2011. The new play area features a large pirate ship, climbing structure, swings, and climbing nets strung from a high dome called the “Explorer Dome.”