November 2011

UPDATE 5:45 pm Tuesday
Geo Tracker Electric Vehicle recovered! I was down in SODO area on a Photo Booth event (with AllStar Entertainment) and just happened to drive past it parked about a mile from where it was stolen. Loser that took it found out he was in over his head and parked it. Appears to be no visible damage..... will be driving it home tonight and confirm. Thanks to all that posted.
Yay!!

--
Craig Vinton
AllStar Entertainment

UPDATE: Saturday, 2:10 p.m. Still no sign of battery vehicle

"Nobody steals an electric car," said a baffled Craig Vinton, who converted the Tracker four years ago. "I don't think it's ever done before. It will only go about another 15 miles. I was a quarter down (in battery power.) It doesn't have a starter. It doesn't make any noise when you start it. If they thought it was a gas car, I think they'd be out of it in a heart-beat. They'd think the starter was broken. The officer said he'd never heard of an electric car stolen. It's just silly.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW

Billboard

The loud jingling of gold coins and jewelry, the ticking of antique gold pocket watches, and even chatter over the occasional loose gold tooth continues to be heard at West Seattle Coins as crowds visit the storefront at 4500 Southwest California Ave. at Oregon St . The allure of the current market rate of $1,700 per-ounce gold, about four times the 2005 price, has attracted many to the shop, sometimes with a long line snaking around past the Senior Center entrance, with booty in hand they hope may pay the rent, and then some.

Now a large ad will catch the eye of potential commuters. Today at about 11:00 a.m., a 48-foot by 14-foot billboard West Seattle Coins sign was hung just southwest of the West Seattle Bridge and 1st Ave. on the roof of Buffalo Industries, Inc., replacing a Jiffy Lube banner. It was built and installed by ClearChannel Outdoor located six blocks due east of the new sign.

Metro Transit Chief of Police Lisa Mulligan stopped by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting on Nov. 15 to explain how her division of the King County Sheriff’s Office operates.

A small crew with a large beat
Starting out with the scope of Metro’s beat, Mulligan said there are over 9,000 bus stops in King County and a total of 68 Metro police for coverage. With such a large area and relatively small crew, Mulligan said her division prioritizes their presence based upon the number of complaints. As many would expect, most of her officers spend their time in the downtown business district. Downtown has the highest ridership and, therefore, the most problems, she said.

As for how Metro police work with King County Sheriffs and Seattle Police, Mulligan said it is a fluid system. If a bus driver calls for help in South King County or West Seattle for example, Mulligan said Metro dispatch will often ask local law enforcement to respond to the call. She said if her officers are more than five minutes away in response time, they will call for assistance.

By David Rosen

If you have been to Salty’s at Alki since November 2007, then you likely noticed the 30 huge, decorated nutcrackers that during the holiday season stand like guards of the Christmas spirit.

Gerry Kingen, owner of Salty’s, purchased the nutcrackers in that year and then a few more in 2008 through a fundraiser for the NW Center. The money raised, $40,000, went in support of educational programs for people with disabilities.

Every year now, the nutcrackers are put into place in early November and are taken down after the first week in January. When they are not being showcased, they are stored in a warehouse in South Seattle. There were many different artists from around the city who did the work to bring the figures to life. West Seattle's Kelly Lyles is one of them.

This is the first year that 10 of the nutcrackers will be showcased in the My Macy’s Holiday Parade in downtown Seattle on Friday, November 25, 2011. The parade starts at 9:00 am and will last approximately an hour.

A 21-year-old Burien man suffered multiple facial fractures, knocked out teeth and internal bleeding in a brutal beating as he walked home from downtown Burien around 9 p.m. on Nov. 17, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim, Joshua Sheen, had to crawl to his sister’s house and, according to a family member in a mass email sent to media, doctors had to remove his spleen and he is currently on life support at Harborview Medical Center.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, “Sheen was missing his cell phone, shoes and possibly his wallet. (He) had no recollection of how he was injured.”

Police searched a several block radius but were unable to locate where the beating occurred.

The victim is 5’7”, weighs 140 pounds and was wearing a black jacket and dark jeans when he was attacked.

“We are hoping that someone saw something and will come forward,” Sheen’s sister Brianna Davy told police.

Here is the email sent from his family asking for help:

A public hearing on Burien’s plan to annex White Center and the remaining North Highline unincorporated area will be held Sunday, Jan. 9 at Cascade Middle School, 11212 10th Ave. S.W., at 7 p.m.

If necessary, the hearing will be continued at Cascade the next day, Jan. 10, again beginning at 7 p.m.

The King County Boundary Review Board will conduct the hearing. The board, made up of 11 voting members, will hold the hearing and then issue a decision, possibly by February.

It can accept Burien’s proposal, reduce it by no more than 10 percent or deny the request. After the board rules, a 30-day appeal process goes into effect. Appeals would need to work their way through the King County Superior Court system, which could be a lengthy process.

If the board approves annexation, the Burien City Council would indicate to the county auditor a preferred date for the election. The King County Council sets the date.

Only voters in the proposed annexation area—in this case White Center and the rest of North Highline-- can vote on annexation. Burien voters would not have a vote. If approved by White Center/North Highline voters the new area could become part of Burien in 2013.

With the help of a contingent of volunteers from King County Housing Authority's AmeriCorps team, WestSide Baby in White Center took delivery of 100,000 Huggies disposal diapers on Friday Nov. 18.

The donation is through Kimberly-Clark's “Every Little Bottom” campaign. Nancy Woodland, Executive Director of WestSide Baby said, "This gift of diapers helps us to provide 600,000 this year and allows us to give a bit more to families during this holiday season.”

Sara Schilz, Director of Programs for WestSide Baby said, "We rely on the community so much. Whether it's an individual donation of a blanket to a truckload of diapers it all counts. We stretch every dollar that we have, and rely on a huge volunteer force and we connect people in the community."

Huggies made a large donation to WestSide Baby last year as well.

Press release:

Next week kicks off the winter holiday travel season in what is now expected to be the busiest year ever at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The following includes the latest passenger traffic information for Sea-Tac, special offers, tips for travelers and links for additional information.

Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Numbers at Sea-Tac Airport
The passenger forecast for the Thanksgiving period at Sea-Tac is expected to be about even with 2010 levels.
The busiest travel days for the Thanksgiving period are projected to be Sunday, November 27 (89,250 passengers), Wednesday, November 23 (88,767), and Monday, November 28 (85,050).
This period is NOT the busiest time of the year for Sea-Tac. The high days for the period are in the top third busiest days for the year, but they are well below summer averages.
An average summer day (June-August) will see about 100,000 passengers (inbound and outbound) through the airport and is the peak air travel time for Sea-Tac.
In terms of travelers, August is traditionally the busiest month of the year followed by July, June and May [by contrast December is 7th and November 10th].

Grimson and grey or purple and gold? For the second year in a row, Woodland Park Zoo’s female Asian elephant Chai will predict the winner of the Apple Cup on Nov 22.

Elephant-sized papier mache apples and football-shaped ice treats representing crimson and grey and purple and gold will be placed in the elephant exhibit for the 32-year-old elephant to make her pick. Fans are invited to cheer Chai on for their favorite team.
 
Last year Chai accurately predicted the Huskies to take the game, making her forecasting record for the Apple Cup 1-0.

The pachyderm prediction is a part of the zoo’s Apple Cup celebration and admission discount. From Nov. 21 through Nov. 27, Husky and Cougar fans can receive half off zoo admission by sporting any garb from University of Washington or Washington State University, such as a jersey, sweatshirt, hat or gloves, or showing a valid student ID from either university.

Chai will make her prediction on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 11:00 a.m.

A while ago, I gave a friend a beautiful handmade casserole dish for her wedding. The new bride asked me what to cook in it. When I said casseroles, her blank face told me she had never made one. I couldn’t believe it!

Casseroles are easy meals for busy folks, perfect for making ahead of time or eating as leftovers. The problem is that lots of recipes call for high-salt canned soups to use as a thickener. High sodium (salt) in your diet can raise your blood pressure and put a lot of strain on your kidneys and many other organs.

Do yourself a favor and cut the salt. Use fresh ingredients or low-sodium canned ingredients in your casseroles. Give these low-salt recipes a try. All are fast, easy and comforting, especially on a cold winter night.

Easy Baked Cheese Soufflé
You can make this ahead of time and bake just before serving. It’s a great way to use up dry bread and cheese.

12 slices bread (try sour dough or whole grain)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ pound grated cheese (any combination of cheese works: cheddar, Gouda, mozzarella)
6 eggs
3 cups nonfat milk
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6-8 tomato slices