March 2013

The Nisqually Valley News is reporting human remains found in Olympia in late February are those of Dana Kirkland of White Center.

Kirkland was reported missing by the King County Sheriff's Office on Feb. 18, 2013 and was found in the woods west of State Highway 101 on Feb. 28, near a vehicle reported stolen from White Center around the time Kirkland disappeared, according to the News report.

She was identified by the Thurston County coroner's office.

For more information, please visit Nisqually Valley News.

The former husband and daughter of murder victim Gregette Guy came to West Seattle Monday to celebrate her life at a Girl Scout Campt near River Ridge. Guy was killed last March after parking her car and taking a walk along Beach Drive in West Seattle.

The West Seattle Herald's news partner Q13 Fox in a follow up story about the aftermath of the murder reports that "as a troop leader, Guy used to bring her daughter to the camp. The troops honored her memory by raising a totem pole with Guy’s named carved into the side"

Q13's David Rose writes, "But even as the pole went up, it was hard for Guy’s daughter and husband to come to grips with the loss.

“I think about her everyday,” Dwight Guy said. “But there’s just something about, my God, it’s been a year and it’s kind of hitting us.”

Police believe Guy was murdered by a stranger. Wendy Colton, a neighborhood resident who works with the Girl Scouts, said she never before thought something like a murder could happen in her neighborhood.

I was fishing with my brother Russell in the Columbia River Slough one summer day in 1928. I was eight, he was ten.

The murky, slow moving river had lots of crappies, perch, catfish, carp and chubs and hundreds of logs next to a shingle mill. There were some abandoned houseboats scattered along the shoreline or half submerged in the slough.

Russell could swim and was fishing off the logs. I was inside one of the half-sunk houseboats and fishing out of a glassless window because I could not swim.

Inside there was a three-foot square hole in the floor where a coal chute might have been. It was full of water.

I knew the river was dangerous because one of my chums had fallen off the logs and drowned the year before.

I was lucky and hooked a small fish right away but my willow branch fishing pole had no reel so I just backed up and kerplunk! I fell into the water-filled hole in the floor. My bare feet just hit mud and by holding my chin high I could holler like mad for help.

Russell heard me and dove into the river to swim to my aid. He climbed through the open window and grabbed me by the hair. With one hand he pulled me to safety. I was lucky.

Right on the heels of Hollywood’s Golden Globes and Oscars came Burien’s awards season.

Discover Burien and the city of Burien used to jointly give out annual awards but now they present dueling honors.

The Highline Times presents its own “Robby Award.” The 7th annual award this year went to Sterling Bank Burien branch manager Lynda Isernio for her outstanding professionalism and community service.

That’s OK. You can never have too many citizens of the year. Volunteers are the lifeblood of a community.

My mom did lots of community service in her time. She often volunteered to find volunteers.

Listening in on her phone conversations as a kid, I learned the fine art of volunteer procurement.

I discovered that in fishing for volunteers, the most important thing is “the ask.” But it can’t come right away:
‘How’s Bob?
“Oh, I’m sorry.
“And how’s little Bobby?
“I wouldn’t worry about that, Eric finally outgrew it.”

After about 15 minutes of this softening up, Mom moved in for the kill.

By Steve Shay and Shara Wallace
HIGHLINE TIMES

$2 million bail posted
The parents of 19 year-old Yichun Xu, an international Chinese student who faces a vehicular-homicide charge, have posted $2 million bail to free him from custody. Bail was first set at $500,000, but was raised because the King County prosecutor chief of staff felt he was a flight risk and could leave the country after posting bail.
Xu is accused of speeding through residential Des Moines with a Mercedes-Benz C-350 Sport he had recently purchased, running through a stop sign, and crashing. Witnesses said he was going 70 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Brenda Gomez-Zapata, 25, was killed in another car as a result of the crash. She had been on life support, and then died of a severe brain injury.
Police said Gomez was driving passengers in a red BMW to a Quinceanera 15th birthday party on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, when Xu ran a stop sign and slammed her car against a rock wall.

Not in Ballard, but if you saw or heard some sirens while you were out and about today, it might've been for a fire at a vacant house in Wallingford. Seattle Fire Department's Fire Line Blog has the story:

"A fire at an abandoned home located in the Wallingford area was most likely caused by a transient cooking fire or from discarded smoking materials says a Seattle Fire Investigator. There is no dollar loss because the single-story house was slated to be torn down next week.

Fire and police units responded to a heavy rescue call at the intersection of 12th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Cambridge St. around 4:40 p.m. on March 11 after a truck flipped in the aftermath of a collision with another vehicle.

No significant injuries were reported.

Neighbors said that speed and accidents have been a problem along 12th SW for some time, noting that other streets have traffic circles to slow cars.

As of 5:13 p.m. traffic was blocked at the intersection, but was cleared quickly.

Last night (Mar. 9,) I had the honor of attending the production of Jesus Christ, Superstar and want to say that it is truly one great show.
The greatest story ever told comes to life on the small stage with a large cast. The casting is good and the all-woman production did a superior job.
And it is during the time of year when the events actually happened. GO TO SEE IT! You won't be sorry.

Elizabeth M. Williams
Seahurst

With Ballardite Gael Tarleton having left her position as Port Commission President to become a 36th District Representative in the Washington State Legislature, Ballard officially has no one on the commission representing the neighborhood, despite it being home to two Port-controlled marinas and the Maritime Industrial Center.

Instead, taking Tarleton's place is Microsoft attorney Courtney Gregoire, the daughter of now-former Governor Christine Gregoire. The younger Gregoire was appointed to the position last week.

However, another position will be open: Commissioner Rob Holland's resignation takes effect on March 15. Port of Seattle will be accepting applications for his vacated seat and will automatically consider everyone who has already applied. Application packets are available at http://www.portseattle.org/About/Commission/Pages/default.aspx. For more info on applying for the opening, see the bottom of this article.

While certainly not the behemoth that the Port of Seattle is, there is still work to be tended to in the Ballard area. Here's a brief overview of the three Port-controlled entities in the Ballard area.

Carolyn Piksa was charged Wednesday afternoon, March 13 with Assault in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree in connection with the shooting of a co-worker on March 8.

The first degree charge was for the wounding of the Seattle Parks employee. The second degree charge is for allegedly driving to another North Seattle community center and pointing a gun at an employee there.

Piksa's arraignment is set for Wednesday, March 27. She is in custody at the King County jail on $1 million bail.

Here's our previous coverage:

Press release:

Carolyn Piksa who is suspected of shooting a city of Seattle employee last Friday and was taken into custody at her Boulevard Park home had filed a residential burglary report with the Burien Police last year and reported having firearms stolen.

On July 10, 2012 Piksa called Burien Police and reported her house in the 1000 block of S. 115th St. had been burglarized while she was at work.