May 2013

Earthrise Chamber Choir Concert: Women Poets and Composers
Westside Unitarian Universalist Chapel
7141 California Ave. S.W.
Fri., May 31, 7:30 p.m. “The Tree of Life — Women Poets and Composers” concert focuses on works by Emily Dickenson, Ysaye Barnwell, Pauline Oliveros, Catherine Dalton, and others. Tickets at www.BrownPaperTickets.com : $15 in advance or $18 at the door. Information: Bert Gulhaugen, earthrise@wsuu.org or 206-851-3518.

Arbor Heights Elementary Spring Carnival
Arbor Heights Gym, Cafeteria & Playground
3701 S.W. 104th St.
Sat., June 1, 3-6 p.m. Outdoors: bouncy houses and slides, obstacle course, mini golf and a dunk tank. Inside: games, face painting, temp tattoos, cotton candy, cupcake walk and prizes. Made to order sliders, chips and drinks at the concessions stand. Bag up gently used clothes, shoes and household items and bring for our Clothing Drive. Tickets can be purchased at the gate: $15 for a wristband for unlimited rides, or 50 cents a ticket for games and rides. Come rain or shine!

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169

By Kyra-lin Hom

By definition, mainstream culture is never going to be the avant-garde. It's never going to be cutting edge, and it is never going to lead the pack. Mainstream culture is all about what is popular, meaning what has already been witnessed, judged and found acceptable and, more importantly, cool. It follows then that we can infer something about all of us (our society as a whole) from what is mainstream.

Let's take movies for example. After all, these are multi-million dollar investments made by wealthy people who became wealthy by knowing what is popular enough to sell. What do these say? Well ignoring all the frustrating, sad and intriguing messages about gender roles, money, narcissism and the true American motto of getting your cake and eating it too, big-money movies right now are saying science fiction is back in a big way. Oblivion, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, After Earth, and so on. These are the big movies of the now.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Spring is a time of renewal—of trees leafing out in all their glory, of birds tending their little ones without any formal lessons in childcare. It is miraculous how parents continue, generation after generation, to nurture their young. Of course there is the exception of male polar bears attacking their own offspring. Nothing is perfect, right?

It amazes me how the earth has such order—action with definite consequences.
And yet the Ying and Yang of it all mystifies me. Why can’t everything be lovely and pleasurable? Why do we have to take the downside of life along with the joy? I don’t know why I am asking this because I always taught my own children that there are consequences to every action. There is no free ride, as they say. But why do some people luck out with nurturing parent figures that prepare them to live a stable life and others end up on the street or in jail?

If Highline schools administrators had recommended taking guns away from security officers, they might have packed the place.

But since the final recommendations left in place the current arming levels and, instead, emphasized security officers as “role models-mentors” for students, barely two-dozen people showed up for a May 20 public meeting on the new proposed security plan.

Yellow feedback forms placed on tables throughout the district headquarters boardroom were not used. Feedback was delivered orally. Many of the participants were security officers or district staff.

District officials said the security review’s guiding principles were the same as they had been working on long before the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

But the review was first presented on Dec. 12, two days before a gunman killed 26 students and staff in Connecticut.

The public and media’s attention shifted to the fear that the district would disarm security officers.

The vote to increase the contract and payment agreement with Burien CARES failed at the May 20 Burien City Council meeting. The vote was split 3-3, Councilmember Joan McGilton was absent.

The Burien Community Animal Resource and Education Society (CARES) is a nonprofit group that the city contracts with for animal control and services.

A motion was put forward to lengthen the city’s contract with CARES and increase payment from $120,000 to $170,000 per year.

Mayor Brian Bennett and Councilmembers Rose Clark and Gerald Robison voted in favor of it. Deputy Mayor Lucy Krakowiak and Councilmembers Bob Edgar and Jack Block, Jr. voted against it.

CARES has been a controversial issue for some time in Burien.

“We’re in a severe recession right now and I have some questions over increasing funding for animal control during this period,” said Block. “We have people that are still losing their houses, still having trouble making ends meet and I’m concerned that we’re increasing funding for pet care rather than taking care of the basic needs of our citizens.”

By Rebekah LaSala
SPECIAL TO THE HIGHLINE TIMES

In a shocking and stunning development of what has been a “wrangling for the road” with Brett Fish bringing to light the actions of the Southwest Suburban Sewer District that point to being nothing short of a flagrant abuse of the easement road, the sewer district and Ron Hall, the general manager, decided to call the police on Brett Fish on May 16th and on May 20th for defending his use of his upper gate, which was only originally supposed to be used between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., as per the notice taped to one of the upper gates.

On both days, the Normandy Park police came, with Hall being at the forefront of locking and gaining control of the upper gate. In what can now be called a “wrangling for the gate” Fish continues to equate the district’s recent actions of the gate and abuse of the easement road (and the dumping of bad clay on his property causing his house to slide) to be like an abused child who no longer makes noise, but keeps being abused.

By Shara Wallace
HIGHLINE TIMES

Beer thief
A Burien grocery store employee called police to report a shoplifting incident. The employee witnessed a male take a grocery cart to the beer cooler and load a case of beer into the cart. He pushed the cart to the front of the store near the self check-out and pretended to ring up the beer. Instead, he grabbed the beer and ran out the front door. Employees were not able to catch up with the man before he got into his car and drove off. The beer thief has not been identified yet.

Pocket dialer
Police responded to a 911 call in the 600 block of S.W. 122nd street. The caller was on a cell phone and accidentally dialed 911. When no one responded on the line, the dispatcher became concerned. They were able to trace the call and locate the cell phone in an abandoned house. Officers arrived and found three subjects had broken in to a rear door of the home and were inside illegally.

Car break-ins, vandalism, prowlers and theft

White Centers Southgate Roller Rink hosted an invitational bout against a team from rival league Jet City Rollergirls of Everett. The “Pink Pistols” of Everett took on the Derby Liberation Front from Seattle’s own Rat City Rollergirls.

A packed house greeted the skaters and the cheers from viewers pumped up the athletes. The DLF jumped out to a fast start and never looked back. By the time the Pistols scored their first point the DLF had 101 points on the board. At the half it was a 118-38 DLF advantage. Half time was used to raffle off team merchandise and fans were quick to the merch booth to pick up their winnings. In the second half DLF continued the pressure on the Pistols and as the bout ended the score was overwhelming. A 223-67 win for the vocal women of the Derby Liberation Front. Who’s motto is “Smash the State”.

By David Rosen

Hundreds of people packed the beach today as it marked the day for the lowest tide of the year. The low tide of -3.6 peaks about 12:23 pm. There will be a lot to see such as amazing viewpoints, sea creatures, and other cool stuff.

The Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists will be out as well if you have any questions on what you find and want to know what it is. They will be at Constellation Park and Lincoln Park from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm.

You can find out more dates on when they will be out here

Playing for their first ever WIAA State 3A title the West Seattle Wildcats were in uncharted waters. How does a team navigate the emotional currents that an inexperienced group like this will encounter when faced with a first time situation? West Seattle has never made it this far in the state baseball playoffs since the school was established. To say it was exciting would be an understatement. For graduating seniors a game of a lifetime, for returning players a taste of future possibilities.

Those possibilities seemed concrete after a tight 3-1 win against Mt Si. Steady play and no mistakes. Playoff experience has no substitute. They were as ready as any team could be for the final push towards the title. Sam Hellinger got them here on steady pitching but Hellinger would not be on the rubber for this game pitching a one hitter in the Mt Si win the day before. Ben Wexler would be the Wildcats mound manager this day.

Wexler’s counterpart Shawn Guinn is in the same position. Pitching in the “big game”. Nerves are a part of every game but in a game where everything is on the line and it’s a winner tales all situation the cooler heads always prevail.