June 2012

Make some time on Saturday June 2 to stop by for lunch at the West Seattle Thriftway store at the corner of California Ave. s.w. and s.w. Morgan Street. It's a benefit barbecue being put on by the West Seattle Rotary Club and hosted by West Seattle Thriftway in support of Pencil Me in for Kids, a program that helps young students succeed by purchasing much needed school supplies.

If you have never had the BBQ at Thriftway this is your chance to have some excellent food and help students in a meaningful way.

http://www.westseattlethriftway.com/index.html

The event will run between 11 and 2 pm.

Here's some background on the program from their website.

Many "basic" school supplies are required for each child, at each grade level, and are either supplied by the school or purchased by each family for their children.

Did you know that there are many kids in our Public Schools that can't afford those supplies?

Did you know that for some grades levels, those basic supplies can *cost upwards of $94 per child? (2007 estimate from national news data.)

Update 2:25pm
Power has been restored. The problem was caused by a tree.

Update 11:50am
City Light reports that only 500 customers remain without power. They now expect to have the problem resolved by shortly after noon.

Original Post
Power is out for 1081 customers in Highland Park and Southwest Seattle as of 10:30 am. The outage starts at 17th Ave. s.w in South Delridge and goes east to 7th Ave. s.w. Pockets of outages are also east of SR 509.

It is near the Riverview Playfield and down to Westcrest Park.

No known time of restoration is available.

You can check the City Light System Status Page here.

http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/

SLIDESHOW. CLICK ON PHOTO FOR MORE

King County Council member and West Seattle resident Joe McDermott hosted his annual bowling party at Roxbury Lanes in White Center last night, May 31. He serves District 8 which includes West Seattle and Burien. He was introduced by West Seattle resident Pete Spalding who serves on the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council. Also attending were King County Executive Dow Constantine, Burien Mayor Brian Bennett, other area dignitaries (see slideshow), McDermott's parents, Jim and Terri, and his domestic partner, Michael Culpepper, who he referred to in his speech as "My fiancé."

McDermott explained that while last year's bowling party focused on his reelection bid, he would now focus on marriage equality and the challenges ahead for same-sex marriage in the state of Washington. Last Feb. 8, the Washington State House passed Bill 6239 paving the way for gay marriage here. Governor Gregiore then signed the bill.

Referendum 74

Interim Seattle Schools Superintendent Susan Enfield released the following letter on the afternoon of May 31, one day after Ian Stawicki killed five people before shooting himself in a West Seattle neighborhood. Several schools across the city were placed on lockdown or shelter in place as the situation developed:

Dear Seattle Public Schools staff, families and community,

During the past few weeks we have heard reports of an unsettling number of violent crimes in our region. These senseless acts leave us stunned and heartbroken.

While these incidents did not occur in our school buildings, I want you to know that we closely monitor the neighborhoods around our schools for safety. While our mission is to make sure our students graduate prepared for college, career and life, safety comes first. When you entrust us with your child’s education, we know you are also trusting that they will be safe at school.

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

2:21 p.m. on May 28th. 85th block of 3rd Ave NW

Police received reports of a potential burglary at the old Greenwood Market on the afternoon of May 28th. The responding officers found that a north door had been pried open, and a large block of concrete had been moved away from the door. The officers announced themselves inside the building, and a suspect exited with his hands up. A second suspect attempted to hide, but police were able to take him into custody as well.

Both suspects were covered with dirt, and when officers searched their clothing, they found burglary tools including wire strippers, screw drivers, and tape. One suspect had a pocket knife. He told police that he and the other suspect were in the building because a friend had left the knife there and they were looking for it. One suspect complained of leg and abdominal pain and was taken to Harborview Medical Center.