January 2012

In a community report presented at a Tuesday, Jan, 10 meeting White Center Chamber of Commerce President Mark Ufkes looked back at 2011 (and included 2010) citing the issues and successes the organization saw.

by Mark Ufkes
For over 60 years, the White Center Chamber of Commerce has been serving the business interests of the White Center business district. During the past several years, the Chamber struggled with a reputation for not accomplishing anything that would have a positive impact on our business climate. In 2010, a mixture of old and new Chamber board members joined together to prioritize and focus the Chamber on providing specific services that would benefit our community and our business district. As this report will show, our all-volunteer Chamber board has accomplished a lot in the past two years, and we plan to accomplish more in 2012.

Once known as a trouble-attracting bar in Burien with a track record of shootings on the premises and liquor board violations, the former Wah Long Sports Bar at the corner of Ambaum and 153rd St has become Pho Lui Restaurant – specializing in pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), teriyaki and banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches).

The business is still owned by the Tham family who ran Wah Long, but they have started 2012 anew. A bar once stocked with booze has been replaced with bubble tea flavors, pool sticks have become chop sticks, and the dark interior has been converted into a well-lit dining area.

Pho Lui is run by Jimmy Tham’s niece, Mui Tham, and nephew, Lung Tham and they opened just after the New Year.

“I heard that everybody kept complaining about the noise here and now that there is no bar … the noise is gone,” Lung said. “It’s just the pho, it’s a quiet place that anybody can come and enjoy.”

Ada McAllister and her husband Bill Scheffler lost their dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel after 13 years last year and were not going to get another dog but "We've gone to the dog show for the past two years and I had picked up two breeders cards," said Ada," and Bill, right before Christmas called one of them." "It was Emerald Isles Cavalier on Bainbridge Island," Bill explained, "and they both work in West Seattle at Navos. Marilyn and Jim Lovell."

That led to getting Rojo Riley, who is now 14 weeks old. He is a "blenheim" indicating his coloring, that being chestnut red and white fur.

"He's got a lot of curiosity about my cat," said Ada, "Fiona Lucia (she's a domestic cat), and when she came into our home five years ago we had two dogs. So she's not used to being 'top cat' but now she is." "She had a four month reign by herself," Bill added laughing.

So now Fiona and Riley are slowly becoming friends. "He's eager to please," said Bill,"very smart and loves to play and loves children. Cavaliers in general are just a very social dog."

The Normandy Park City Council has elected William ‘Clarke’ Brant to serve as mayor for 2012 – 2013.

Brant was first elected to the City Council in 2006 and, in November 2009, re-elected for a second term. He has served as mayor pro tem the past two years. Mr. Brant is a Navy veteran, a former patrol plane commander, aviation safety inspector-Air Carrier Operations-FAA, and is now retired from Delta Air Lines.

Brant earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington and a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound, School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law.) He is a former member of the A.L.P.A. Board of Directors and a past member of the Washington State Bar Association.

Brant and wife, Nancy, have lived in the community since 1979 and raised their two sons in Normandy Park.

The City Council also elected Doug Osterman to serve as mayor pro tem for 2012 – 2013.

Press release:

To protect residents from worsening air quality, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing a Stage 1 burn ban for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties, effective at 4:00 p.m. January 11, 2012, until further notice.

High pressure over the Puget Sound region will bring cold temperatures and calm winds, according to Clean Air Agency forecasters. Air quality is expected to deteriorate at least through Friday, especially in communities where residential wood burning is common.

Clean Air Agency staff follow a protocol set by state law to determine when and where to issue a burn ban, and when to lift a burn ban.

During a Stage 1 burn ban:

No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.

Following a long-standing tradition, Highline Community College will host a series of events to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Tuesday, Jan. 10 to Friday, Jan. 20.
Here’s a list of vents from Highline College. For more information, visit http://studentprograms.highline.edu/mlkweek.php

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week
"50 years of Resistance: Racism, Materialism, and Militarism Then and Now"

Tuesday, January 17
Aaron Dixon
9-9:50am Lecture and Q&A
Highline Student Union, Bldg. 8-Mt. Constance Room
As an adolescent, Aaron Dixon marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to end housing discrimination in Seattle, was one of the first volunteers to participate in the busing program to integrate schools and was Captain of the Seattle Chapter Black Panther Party. Dixon also ran for Senate in the November 2006 Washington State elections and has been an activist in the Seattle Area for many years.
http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/aaron_dixon.htm

Got My Mind Made Up: Women of the Black Freedom Movement, 1940-1975
Lecture by Dr. Derrick Brooms, Prairie State College
10-10:50am
Building 7

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) has issued a burn ban for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.

For Seattle Parks and Recreation, this means that beach fires at Alki Beach Park and Golden Gardens Park are prohibited until the PSCAA lifts the ban.

Violation of the ban can result in a $1,000 fine from the PSCAA.

Seattle residents frequently ask the City who owns the trees along the street where they live, what kind of trees they are and whose responsibility it is to maintain them. Tree disputes are common in West Seattle since there are so many existing or potential disruptions to views from the many hillside homes in the community.

There are heritage trees in West Seattle that are on public streets.
Did you know for example about the Giant Sequoia tree on the 6500 block of 40th s.w. or the 57 inch Tulip tree just off Palm Avenue in the Admiral District?

You can now obtain that information using a new web-based map showing most of Seattle’s street trees. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is currently drafting an ordinance that will aid in regulating and managing street trees so the information has enhanced value now.

Some of the information is twenty years old since the data shown on the new map comes from an inventory first compiled in 1992. The information has been updated several times as more trees were planted, and SDOT’s work continues.

From the King County Sheriff's Office:

New information has been developed regarding the identity of the suspect in the murder of Sarah Yarborough. Sarah Yarborough was a 16 year old who attended Federal Way High School. She was last seen alive on the morning of Saturday, December 14th 1991, leaving her residence on her way to the school to participate in a Dance Team competition

Yarborough was found dead on the school campus later that morning. Witnesses saw a suspect and two versions of a suspect composite sketch have been distributed over the years (see above). DNA evidence was recovered from the scene.

Recently the suspect DNA profile was sent to Colleen Fitzpatrick PhD, president of Identifinders International, for examination.

Identifinders International specializes in Forensic Genealogy in which an unidentified suspect DNA profile can be examined with the use of genealogy databases in an effort to identify the family name of the suspect.

The Ballard Windermere Real Estate office is holding a free electronics recycling event this Saturday, January 14.

Windermere is working with SBK Recycle to collect and recycle old electronics that are just cluttering your house or office.

Bring your unwanted electronics to the Ballard Windermere office on 2636 N.W. Market Street from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 24.

All computer and electronic items will be accepted.