November 2011

Kennedy Catholic's journey to Doc Harris Stadium in Camas proved to be its final football destination of the season.

After shelling the Lincoln Abes of Tacoma 52-14 in its last outing, Kennedy found Camas to be more than capable of keeping the hard-fighting Lancers honest.

Showcasing dazzling speed and extreme concentration, the state sixth-ranked Camas Papermakers charged to a 35-0 first half lead on the way to the Class 3A state quarterfinals with a resounding 48-14 victory against Seamount League champion Kennedy Catholic of Burien, on Friday, Nov. 11.

Camas (10-1) will entertain a quarterfinal opponent while Kennedy (8-2) finishes the season with its only other loss to Archbishop Murphy.

Against the Lancers' blitzing defense, Papermaker senior quarterback Tony Gennaro passed for 301 yards and five touchdowns on a 17-of-25 tries while Zack Marshall rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns. Marshall was the recipient of screen pass touchdown receptions of 22 yards and 43 yards as Camas controlled the charging Lancer rush with a screen pass-oriented attack.

Press release from the White Center Food Bank:

On November 19 from 9 am until 7 pm, White Center Food Bank will be holding a Turkey Drive to collect donated frozen turkeys and chickens for their upcoming Thanksgiving holiday distribution.

White Center Food bank expects to serve over 1,000 families for the holiday. This year’s turkey shortage combined with high wholesale prices (currently $1.25 a pound) make it difficult for the food bank to purchase turkeys at normally deep discounts.

Starting November 13, local sales and deals on turkeys will be posted on the White Center Food Bank’s facebook page. Other meal items that are needed include: olives, cranberry sauce, pickles, cookie or cake mixes, cool whip or whipping cream, pumpkin, any type of canned milk, muffin mixes and pie crust mixes.

To donate, any turkey or chicken should be frozen and the White Center Food Bank located at 10829 8th Avenue SW will be open November 19 until 7pm to accept any donation.

Other times to drop-off are available; please call 206-762-2848.

Forty five years ago, at the height of the race to the Moon, a young White Center dentist filled a void, helping to develop a special kids play area called Astro City Children's Park.

 The White Center Chamber needed someone to spearhead a fund raising effort to clean up a brushy area south of the old Library building near the Field House that had been the scene of a sexual assault some months before. The park was also missing its beloved WW II  Navy Wildcat, removed previously, never to return. Kids had nothing but a merry-go-round and some swing sets. With community pride at stake, that dentist, Roy Velling spent many hours building interest and collecting cash. 

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The county owns the park. Dr. Velling owned the hearts of the community. Steadfastly he met the challenge. The Chamber generously put up $250. Kiwanis added $700 and the Lions Club provided $630. A few business people tossed in $50 each. Roy gave $100 himself. The goal was the princely sum of $12,000. In today's dollars, probably close to $90,000 to turn some brush and dirt into a space age play park with flying saucers and rocket ship slides. 

A wheelchair front for assault
While walking northbound on 1st Ave S.W. near S.W. Elmgrove St earlier this month, a man was approached by two unknown men – one pushing the other in a wheelchair. The wheelchair-bound man started yelling at victim, telling him he “better go left.” The suspect suddenly leaped out of his wheelchair and attacked the victim, leaving him with a bloody nose and “multiple golf-ball sized contusions” and lacerations to the back of his head. The victim fled, but told police the suspect got back into the wheelchair and had his accomplice push him in pursuit for two blocks. The victim reached the safety of a 7-11 and the suspects left. They left the wheelchair behind and police took it as evidence.

Landlord trouble
A man called police on Nov. 11th to report the ransacking of a storage shed alongside the 7th Ave S.W. home he rents a room in. He believed his landlord burgled his belongings from the shed in retribution for an assault report he recently filed against her. Police said the victim didn’t have any evidence directly linking his lessor to the crime.

No longer friends

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Bike racers, young and old, came out to Woodland Park on Sunday to compete in the last MFG Cyclocross race of the 2011 season.

One of the biggest races in Washington State, around 800 people competed in the Woodland Park Gran Prix, some as young as two years old.

Originated in Belgium, cyclocross is a form of bicycle racing that takes place on wooded trails and muddy single tracks with short and steep hills, sharp corners and obstacles. Often the racer is required to dismount from their bike and run across obstacles while carrying the bike. The races are between 30 to 60 minutes in length and take place in fall and early winter.

Cyclocross is "everything your mom told you you couldn't do on a bike," said MFG Cyclocross promoter Terry Buchanan in a previous interview.

By Kyle Howard

Seattle Lutheran went up against Bear Creek on Saturday night at Sammamish High School for a playoff game. These two teams met earlier in the season with Bear Creek beating Seattle Lutheran 5-2.

Fifteen minutes into the game Bear Creek scored their first goal by Olivia Tillinghast, with the assist from Darryln Mcdonough giving them a 1-0 lead. Bear Creek put a lot of pressure on Seattle Lutherans defense, as they kept the ball in their territory most of the first half. They did a good job handling the pressure but Bear Creek proved to be too much. They scored again with a goal from freshman Whitney Isbell on a rebounded block from Seattle Lutheran Goal Keeper Jillian Smith.

Bear Creek dominated the first half with ball control and they were able to outshoot Seattle Lutheran 6-2 in the first half.

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West Seattle Junction business owner Geoff Abdian of Suite Arrangements Furniture Consignment reports a significant sighting he made of a "menacing" pack of coyotes he saw in the Admiral District.

"Driving home Friday evening around 10:30 p.m., at 45th and Hill, I came across a full pack of coyotes (four or five in all) running those residential side streets of North Admiral.

Most know there are coyotes in West Seattle, but I've yet to hear report of a whole pack. It was a little disconcerting, as I'm not sure how pack behavior of such predators differs from individual behavior. If, for example, they'd take down a deer together -- and I believe they would -- then why wouldn't they also try to take down, say, a young teen -- or anyone else, for that matter, but especially someone young enough to lack the physical ability or mental acuity to try to defend themselves?

By Christy Wolyniak, intern

Not every high school student can say she is a princess but for Ballard High School junior Stefania Ghilarducci, being a princess runs in the family.

The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle chooses a princess or ‘Fjallkona’ every year to represent the club and attend Icelandic traditional events. An active member, Stefania waited two years going to events as an alternate before she could take up her honors.

This title of Fjallkona and rich Icelandic heritage has tied the Ghilarducci women together. Stefania’s mother, Sonna Somerville-Ghilarducci was also a princess as was her mother, Stefania Bjorg Gestsdottir-Somerville, who first came to the U.S. from Reykjavik in 1946.

“I like [being a princess]. It makes me feel closer to [my grandma] and to my culture,” said Stefania.

Named after her grandmother, Stefania remembers going over to her Amma’s house (Icelandic for grandmother,) every day after school. Her heritage was not something merely taught to her; it was what she lived and grew up hearing stories about.

Rotarians, and volunteers will gather at the Starbucks Center in SODO early on Saturday morning, Dec. 3 to come to the aid of economically disadvantaged children from area elementary schools in the 38th Annual West Seattle Rotary Club Children's Shopping Spree.

The program pairs a child with an adult and everyone gets breakfast at the Mezza cafe in Starbucks Center, whose workers volunteer their time.

100 children are fitted for shoes, coats and clothing during the event.

Every year The Rotary Club of West Seattle alternates between all of the elementary schools in West Seattle.

The children are chosen by family support workers who look for children who are in need. Each child is given a warm winter jacket and socks (prior to the shopping spree) and a gift certificate for Sears and coupled with a 10% discount the store provides they make the dollars stretch as far as possible to purchase clothing. The purchases made are clothing and shoes only.

To promote bicycling in White Center, Alki Bike & Board owner Stu Hennessey tunes up bicycles with other mechanics at Full Tilt Ice Cream, 9629 16th Ave S., in White Center the second Sunday of every month from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Leland Gipson helped out today. He is the Youth Programs Coordinator at Bike Works, a bike cooperative in Columbia City.

The effort is dubbed "DubSea Bikes". The West Seattle Herald reported on them recently here.

"The idea of getting the bicycle community on wheels and continuing to use their bikes regardless of the economy, of their situation, is something I always want to support," said Hennessey. "Besides, I know something. I might as well offer it. DubSea is kind of a pseudo bike shop. Very important. We've seen many communities like Fremont and Georgetown transformed because of bike culture and this is something that may happen in White Center, too."