June 2012

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

5:00 p.m. on June 4th. 70th block of Earl Ave NW

A burglar broke into a residence and stole shoes and left graffiti. The burglary occurred between 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on June 4th. The suspect entered through a broken basement window and stole six pairs of men’s athletic shoes from one of the residents. The suspect sprayed insulting, profane graffiti on walls in the victim’s daughter’s room. The victim’s daughter had recently been assaulted by members of a local gang, and the home had also been burglarized in a similar manner in the past.

2:42 a.m. on May 31st. 87th block of Greenwood Ave N

A burglar at a discount store was caught on video in the middle of the night on May 31st. The complainant told police that the security video showed a black male prying open the front door at about 2:42 a.m. The suspect then went behind the counter and stole 24 packs of Newport cigarettes.

12:15 p.m. on May 30th. NW 85th St and 24th Ave NW

Sound Transit held its second open house June 7 at Madrona Elementary School for the future S. 200th St. South Link Light Rail extension and station in Sea Tac. The first open house was held at Sea Tac City Hall Oct. 5. Enlarged graphics were set up to illustrate station and parking designs, and highlight bicycle and pedestrian access improvements. It was well attended, as dozens viewed the graphics, maps, and asked questions to Sound Transit engineers and other staff in the school's music room.

Plans call for an elevated train to run 1.6 miles south of the current southern point, Sea Tac Airport, roughly running along 28th Ave. S., just west of International Blvd. and Angle Lake. A multi-level park-and-ride lot will be located just northwest of the station.The project is planned for completion in 2016. Rumors are that the next planned stop will be by Highline Community College, but other routes are also on the table, according to staff there, including a downtown Kent station option.

Burien’s plan to pump up to $400,000 into some city elementary schools was strongly opposed June 5 by three influential school district leaders.

City Manager Mike Martin presented an outline of the proposed “Kids and Cops Initiative” at the school district’s board meeting.

He said the Burien City Council would be considering the initiative on Monday, June 18 with the goal of placing it on the November election ballot.

If approved by Burien voters, the initiative would target some Burien elementary schools with between $300,000-$400,000 over a four year period.

The funds would be direct grants from the city to specific schools with educators in each school determining which programs would be funded.

As a companion to the “kids” portion of the initiative, Burien cops would receive a surge in funding for two years to hire 8-10 additional police officers at a cost of $1.8- $2.3 million.

Martin said the funding for police would alter a misperception about the amount of crime in the city.

“Burien is thought to be the wild west as compared to neighboring cities,” Martin declared. “That is a myth.”

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Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir's life-size statues appeared to be a hit with Westlake Park visitors even before Icelandic Ambassador Gudmundur Árni Stefánsson had a chance to officially open the installation on Wednesday, June 6. People milling around the park posed for pictured with the aluminum and cast iron figures, hugged them, and even dressed them up with hats and sunglasses.

Titled "Borders", the Westlake Park installation of 26 life-size sculptures is one of two cross-town exhibitions showcasing Icelandic sculptor Thórarinsdóttir this summer. Smaller figurines and photographs by Murray Head of the exhibition when New York City hosted Borders last year are on display at the Nordic Heritage Museum.

"It's nice to see art in Seattle's public parks," said Eric Nelson, CEO of the Nordic Heritage Museum. "This exhibit in Westlake Park is a great tickler for the museum. The exhibition at the museum is a wonderful way to get a more intimate interaction with Thórarinsdóttir's work."

Press Release

King County joined with federal, state, and local agencies this week to test its capacity to respond to and recover from a major earthquake. The exercise, dubbed “Evergreen Quake 2012,” gave participants a chance to assess their disaster response plans and emergency communication strategies. Six counties, including King County, participated in the drill, along with the state of Washington, more than 20 cities, several tribal nations, and numerous private sector partners. The exercise also included an international component as representatives from the Canadian province of British Columbia took part in the exercise.

“Exercises like this, where we simulate pushing our emergency systems to their limits, keep us ready to respond to a real, crippling quake – the kind for which we know we’re long overdue in this region,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, who would oversee the County’s response in the event of disaster.

Press Release

King County joined with federal, state, and local agencies this week to test its capacity to respond to and recover from a major earthquake. The exercise, dubbed “Evergreen Quake 2012,” gave participants a chance to assess their disaster response plans and emergency communication strategies. Six counties, including King County, participated in the drill, along with the state of Washington, more than 20 cities, several tribal nations, and numerous private sector partners. The exercise also included an international component as representatives from the Canadian province of British Columbia took part in the exercise.

“Exercises like this, where we simulate pushing our emergency systems to their limits, keep us ready to respond to a real, crippling quake – the kind for which we know we’re long overdue in this region,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, who would oversee the County’s response in the event of disaster.

Press Release

Metro’s Summer service revisions begin Saturday, June 9 and includes the implementation of new Route 178, which will provide peak-period express service between the South Federal Way P&R and the Federal Way Transit Center and downtown Seattle, replacing discontinued Route 196.

Bus riders throughout Metro’s service area can check Metro Online, the Rider Alert brochure or new green timetables to see what’s new for the service they use, and remember to sign up for Transit Alerts for new or different service they may use.

Discontinued routes are 38, 79, 129, 162, 175, 196, 219, 912, and DART 925. Alternate service is provided in most areas by service on other routes.

Additionally, Routes 25 and 348 have routing revisions.

When using Metro’s online Trip Planner, enter a date of ‘6/9 or later.

Bus riders are encouraged to check the new service, routing and schedules. Metro updates its service three times a year to keep up with the changing needs of transit customers.

An equipment failure has knocked out power for 87 homes south of 128th s.w. and east of 14th Ave. s.w. and extending across Ambaum Way s.w. over to approximately 10th Ave. s.w.

City Light estimates restoration will happen after 4 pm today.

You can check the status of power using the City Light System Status Page here.

One Soul Revolution, a clothing company started up by West Seattle couple Fio and Ashlee three years ago is using Kickstarter, an online crowd-funding platform, to take their company to the next level, allowing them to produce clothing with a positive message right here on the peninsula.

They only have three days left to reach their Kickstarter goal, and Fio reached out the Herald with this information on their company, philosophy and plans:

Hi there!

My name is Fio Bazo. My partner (Ashlee) and I own a clothing brand called One Soul Revolution based in West Seattle. One Soul Revolution (OSR) is a movement to spread positive messages and connect people and organizations, using clothing as our canvas. The name "One Soul" is based upon the concept that we are all connected, and that powerful things can happen when people band together.