February 2012

Most of us have received their Valentine card from The King County Assessment Office for 2012 Real Estate Tax and were pleasantly surprised to find that the Property Tax Assessment charge was again less than the prior year!

But then you discovered that the base for this assessment, your land and building (home) had diminished in value by 8.5 percent while the assessment had gone down a whooping 1.5 percent. That did not seem right because it appeared that all Base Categories; State, School, County, City, Port, Fire, Library, EMS all vital services had been reduced by 2.1 percent but Surface Water Management had increased by 9 percent but that was lower than the average for this activity since its inception in 1998 its cost has increased by 10 percent annually.

Another little oddity was noted in last year’s assessment when an "OTHER " category was added with no indication of what it covered or whom to contact in the Assessor Office for any information but it must be really vital because it increased by 37.2 percent in 2012.

With the calendar marching toward March, Highline residents may be coaxed out of their winter burrows by several exciting events coming up.

We present a preview pictorial tease of some of those happenings.

Proletariat Pizza in White Center at 9622 16th Ave s.w. has developed a reputation over the last couple of years as the place to get big pizzas that have great toppings, some out of the ordinary to be sure but it's been either dine-in or carry-out.

The owners Mike and Stefanie Albacek announced today that they will be offering limited delivery (sadly not to the entire West Seattle peninsula just yet) and work out the bugs as they go along.

In a post on their Facebook page today they said:
"We're taking a leap of faith and will be trying out delivery tonight. Monday through Wednesday only, rough boundaries are 35th to the west, 4th to the east, Thistle to the north and 112th to the south (Arbor Heights, Highland Park, just call first, we'll likely make an exception if you're just outside the boundaries.) $2 delivery fee.

Whole pizzas only (no halves), drinks, salad and dessert, but sadly, no beer and wine delivery.
And all this is subject to change as we get it all figured out, which will likely take some time."

Please email: wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com if you are able to volunteer to help plan and/or prepare for the Blockwatch Captain Appreciation Event for this Spring!

Updated Agenda: What should you always be doing to reduce the chances of being an auto theft victim? What new technologies are available to reduce auto theft?

Meeting details & agenda http://wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/new-agenda-for-tuesdays…

Tuesday, February 28, 2011, 6:30-8 PM
SW Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster Street (at Delridge, next to Home Depot)

6:00-6:30
Arrive early for light snacks, socializing and networking with other Captains while we get the room set up!

6:30-7:00
Introductions, updates, announcements, neighborhood concerns, issues.

7:00-8:00
Presentation/discussion: Grants available and grant deadlines. Strategies to prevent auto theft.

8:00-8:30
Feel free to stay after the meeting to continue your discussions.

Everyone is welcome (even if you aren’t a Blockwatch Captain)! RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary to attend.

Win Tickets to the Highline Classic Jazz Festival and Copperleaf Restaurant on Facebook
 
Press release:

Highline Classic Jazz Festival have announced that two lucky winners will receive a pair of tickets for a full day of classic jazz at the Highline Classic Jazz Festival www.highlineclassicjazz.com and a $75 gift certificate to Cedarbrook Lodge's  Copperleaf Restaurant www.cedarbrooklodge.com/copperleaf_restaurant.php featuring  5-star dining in SeaTac.
 
The Highline Classic Jazz Festival is brought to you by Burien Arts www.burienarts.org and the Landmark Event Center www.landmarkeventcenter.com will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012, 3–10 p.m. at The Landmark Event Center, 23660 Marine View Drive, Des Moines.
 
To enter click here
 
The contest ends on March 5th.  Winners will be notified by email, but they also know that we have the right to publish (and air) the names of the winners.  The tickets will be available at Will Call at the festival.  All the rules are on the sweepstakes link from our Burien Arts facebook page.

Today Mayor Mike McGinn and Councilmember Bruce Harrell were joined by community leaders and the Seattle Police Department to respond to recent incidents of violent crime in Seattle. The mayor detailed the recent launch of new violence prevention emphasis patrols in each of the city's five precincts. Precincts are deploying extra officers on the street to address street disorder, assaults, and shootings, focusing on the specific problems in each neighborhood.

"Everyone who lives here, who works here, who shops here, and who comes here to enjoy what Seattle has to offer deserves to feel safe and secure. That goes for every neighborhood in our city," said Mayor McGinn. "Public safety requires a strong partnership with the community, and we are committed to working with community leaders on public safety."

SeaTac homeowner shoots intruder in the head
A SeaTac homeowner shot an intruder in self-defense on the evening of Feb. 21, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.  Around 6:30 p.m. a man living on the 3700 block of S. 191st St. heard a knock at his door followed by ringing of the doorbell. The man decided not to answer the door and shortly after heard the slider breaking on his back door. The man was in his upstairs bedroom and armed himself with a handgun while calling 911. One intruder came into the home and headed upstairs. The homeowner fired his weapon once and struck the suspect in the head. The male suspect was transported to Harborview Hospital in stable condition.  One additional suspect fled the scene. A suspect description was not available.

Stolen vehicle suspect shot by Tukwila police officer

TACOMA - Kristen Rodal of Highline (Burien) captured the gold on the beam by motoring through a nearly flawless series of routines on the way to a stunningly super 9.7 and added a solid silver medal effort on the vault (9.675) in the top showing of area performers in the Saturday, Feb. 18, individual events competition of the 2012 Class 3A/2A WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/ Les Schwab State Gymnastics Meet.

"Kristen is another refugee from the Level 10 gymnastics that suffered a fractured back and decided to try school gymnastics," said a pleased Highline Pirate head coach Dawn Tessandore. "She's a little spitfire that knows what she wants and goes out to do it. She's just a consistent and solid performer. Her personality goes well with her teammates. On Facebook, she thanked her teammates for their support. I'm just really pleased to have her."

As a junior, Rodal has been very happy about her experiences in trying something new.

"It's been a really good experience," she recalled. "I've really liked it. I just wanted to have fun here, and I had an awesome time being part of a team. On the beam, today, I stayed tight and focused. That was pretty much it."

TACOMA - Mark down another monumental milestone for Mount Rainier.

Mixing power packed and finely finessed skills, the Mount Rainier gymnastics team set its third school record of the season on the way to the 2012 Class 4A team state gymnastics third place in the program's second season at this classification.

It was close encounters of the most suspenseful kind in which the Rams' depth of talent roster posted 177.675 points to trail only champion Mead (179.25) and runner up Woodinville (178.375) in the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall Friday, Feb. 17.

"We're really excited," said Mount Rainier head coach Ali Kestle. "This was our highest for the year and another school record. We're a little disappointed, but we'll be back. It's only our second year at 4A and were only two points away from first place."

Improving nearly four points from their last school record as the 2012 West Central District III champions, the surging Rams capitalized on great improvement on the uneven parallel bars.

AUBURN - Bring on the state basketball competition.

Class 4A West Central/Southwest bi-district girls basketball champion Mount Rainier (25-1) staged a second quarter scoring salvo as the springboard to a Saturday, Feb. 25, regional game 58-35 blasting of Bethel to gain a quarterfinal berth in the 2012 state championship Hardwood Classic held at the Tacoma Dome March 1-3.

Bethel (14-10) turned in its jerseys after the loser-out, winner-to-state encounter.

"We knew they would be double-teaming Brittany (McPhee)," said Ram head coach Bob Bolam. "It was up to the others to step up and hit a few shots. In the second half, Kiana (Gandy) played tougher and we just had to exercise more patience."

After an awkwardly played first quarter, the No. 2 state rated Rams emerged with a 12-7 lead going into the second quarter following Ajah Piper's three-point goal with 37.5 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Although forcing few turnovers, Mount Rainier's defense produced off-balance shooting by the Braves in limiting them to a woefully weak 3-of-25 (12 percent) field goal shooting in the first half and 12-of-44 (27.3 per cent) accuracy for the game.