April 2012

Incognito fail
It was 9 p.m. on April 17 when a man described as white, likely in his forties, brown hair with weathered skin and a denim jacket walked into a store on the 6300 block of 35th Ave S.W. He walked up to the counter, said he had a gun, and asked the teller to open the cash register. The teller later told police he didn’t believe the man had a gun, but followed directions and gave the man $255.73. The suspect fled on foot. Police watched the surveillance footage and noted when the suspect initially walked in and approached the counter he tried to pull his jacket over his head, but likely after realizing he had no hood, gave up on being incognito. A K-9 unit was brought in to follow his track, but heavy foot traffic in the area cut the leads short. Police are still investigating.

Man severely beaten at homeless encampment

Times are tough, no doubt about it. Jobs are scarce. That's why you have to scare them up. I've done that in spades--and with spades--for as long as I can remember. My first job was selling apples from our backyard tree. That worked out fine until my brother Russell and I started eating the apples--the good ones, anyway. 

I piled wood around the neighborhood and tossed sticks down to basements so folks could keep their furnaces stoked. I picked brock (today known as "weeds") for our family salads, lots of berries and did plenty of chores.

Later I sold magazine subscriptions door to door. Housewives often fell for my well manicured sales pitches and gooey eye-rolling routine, but their husbands were often wary, slipping me a nickel to take my act on down the road. But when I did make a sale, I was rolling in the dough. Enough to buy my first Daisy air rifle, anyway. 

When brother Albert brought home can after can of pork and beans from his CCC job, I flirted with the idea of selling any surplus--but they tasted so good that I had to keep them as samples.

A sign reading, "This is a Tobacco-free, Drug-free, Weapons-free campus" welcomes anyone who enters Ballard High School via the main entrance. Yet the biggest problem the school is currently facing is drug and alcohol use among its student population.

Just a few weeks ago, a group of students was busted for possession of marijuana at "the smoking corner" just off campus. And last spring, a school dance was cancelled due to a bad experience at the previous Winter Ball where many students were caught under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

"I have felt for many years now that drug and alcohol use and abuse is the biggest problem facing American High Schools and that Ballard is no different," said BHS Principal Keven Wynkoop. "It is perfectly natural for teenagers to want to test the limits on their freedom and drug and alcohol use is just one of the most obvious examples of this... I have viewed the results of the Healthy Youth Survey and often felt powerless to have a major impact as a school on what is truly a societal issue."

By Eric Mathison

As proponents of Burien adding White Center and North Highline to the city look forward to the Nov. 6 annexation vote, opponents are talking up a potential conflict of interest by annexation’s most vocal advocate on the Burien City Council.

Annexation foes are charging that Burien City Councilman Jerry Robison has been the attorney for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, (NHUAC) which has endorsed Burien annexation. Therefore, Robison has a conflict of interest and should recuse himself from discussions and votes on annexation.

Robison and NHUAC’s president say he has advised NHUAC on issues but has not served as their attorney.
Robison told the Herald he will not recuse himself on annexation matters and has not been asked by City Manager Mike Martin to take that action.

Asked by the Herald, Martin responded, “The bottom line is there is no conflict of interest in this case.”

This latest dispute is important for the future of annexation for two reasons.

As proponents of Burien adding White Center and North Highline look forward to the Nov. 6 annexation vote, opponents are talking up a potential conflict of interest by annexation’s most vocal advocate on the Burien City Council.

Annexation foes are charging that Burien City Councilman Jerry Robison has been the attorney for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, (NHUAC) which has endorsed Burien annexation. Therefore, Robison has a conflict of interest and should recuse himself from discussions and votes on annexation.

Robison and NHUAC’s president say he has advised NHUAC on issues but has not served as their attorney.

Robison told the Times/News he will not recuse himself on annexation matters and has not been asked by City Manager Mike Martin to take that action.

Asked by the Times/News, Martin responded, “The bottom line is there is no conflict of interest in this case.”

This latest dispute is important for the future of annexation for two reasons.

press release
Monday, April 16th through Thursday, April 17th Denny International Middle School held its annual Spring Break Academy. Teachers, students, staff, and volunteers spent the week engaged in enriching work in math, science, and literacy over the course of the week. The academic portion of the camp had 82 students (scholars as Denny refers to their students) and the music academy had over 100 participants from Denny, Sealth, and our feeder elementary schools (Arbor Heights, Concord, Roxhill, Sanislo, Highland Park, and West Seattle).

Denny teachers and staff showed great teamwork, flexibility, and hard work as they worked with our students to practice skills in math, literacy, science, and music. Students practiced math problems, assessed their reading skills, analyzed nonfiction magazine articles, built structures with toothpicks, and practiced their instruments.

Julie Schickling and over 25 other area volunteers were honored at the Delridge Neighborhood District Council Gathering of Heroes celebration on April 20.

The evening was made possible by Michael Shilley and Holli Margell, who brought passionate neighborhood volunteers and reformers, along with their families and friends, together at the High Point Community Center to share a meal, celebrate achievements, and spark a conversation between heroes.

Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark and Christa Mazzone-Palmberg from Sound Alliance attended the event as speakers.

“Most neighborhoods don’t do what you are doing right now,” Clark said. “Most neighborhoods don’t take a moment during the course of the year to simply say thank you to one another and recognize good deeds. Most neighborhoods don’t have the number of people who step forward to get involved, they struggle with, ‘How are we going to get people to get out there and get involved?’”

by Greg McCorkle

Easy Street Records celebrated Record Store Day with live performances by bands The Young Evils and ReignWolf (AKA Jordan Cook) Saturday April 21.

The Young Evils' Troy Nelson isn't shy about acknowledging his musical crush on the legendary Scottish pop-rock band The Vaseline’s. But his own group's bouncy boy-girl pop bears witness to that affection while staking out a sound of its own.

Sounding for all the world like jaded juvenile delinquents on a sugar-fueled joyride, Nelson and fellow singer Mackenzie Mercer cruised through their set with a mix of snotty indie-rock and vulnerable '50s doo-wop, with head-turning results.

Reignwolf showed a maturity beyond his years with an amazing solo performance playing guitar, singing, and working a kick bass (while standing). A virtuoso on guitar he cranked out riffs that blistered the paint right off the walls and blew the hair back of everyone at the front of the stage.

by Greg McCorkle

UPDATE 10:10 pm
King County Sheriff Public Information Officer Cindi West provided this update:

"Vehicle was southbound on 15 Ave SW impacted a wheel chair attempting to cross 15 Ave SW (eastbound) in the marked crosswalk on the south side of SW 98. Case is under investigation. Man in wheelchair, a 27 year old, was in critical condition and transported to Harborview.

The driver of the vehicle was a 20-year-old woman from Seattle who does not have a drivers license."

Original Post
A man in a wheelchair was struck by a car while crossing 15th Ave SW at SW 98th in White Center early Sunday morning, April 22.

The driver of the car apparently did not see the man, who worked at the Halal Market on 98th, as he crossed 15th Ave.

The man who was struck was concious and was taken to Harborview Hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.

Earth Day at the Duwamish Longhouse Cultural Center Saturday, April 21, featured a presentation by two teens, including the granddaughter of Cecile Hansen, Chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribe.

Alyssa Williams, 14, lives with her mother Cindy in Tukwila, and Cindy's mother, Cecile, Alyssa's grandmother, lives in Burien. In a digital story project, with the aid of stock photos of Duwamish River filth and their narration, Alyssa and Jack Trotman, 15, both Duwamish members, offer a plea to clean the polluted Duwamish River.

The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, or DRCC, offered them technical assistance to help understand the polluted river's plight. The presentation will be shown again, in front of EPA representatives for the DRCC.