June 2013

Seattle Police said a 31-year-old West Seattle man was arrested on June 18 for attempting to lure a 13-year-old child into his car in South Seattle.

According to SPD Detective Renee Witt, the victim was walking home from a community center near her apartment on the 3700 block of S. Angeline St. when she noticed a man leering at her from his silver BMW. She was becoming increasingly worried, “and was afraid the man was going to get out of his car and come after her,” as he slowly followed, honking his horn and flashing his brights at her.

The girl said she attempted to take an alternate route to her home (hoping to lose the man), but when she emerged from the back route she saw his vehicle parked directly across the street from the apartment. The suspect then yelled at the girl to get inside his car. Instead, she ran screaming and crying to a family acquaintances door.

The acquaintance took her inside, called 911 and armed herself with a kitchen knife. Not content with simply hunkering in, she ensured the girl’s safety and went outside to get a look at the suspect and his vehicle. She told police she yelled at the man for attempting to pick up a 13-year-old girl.

It’s official.

Burien City Manager Mike Martin submitted his resignation on Thursday, June 20. His last day on the job will be July 24.

He will become the city administrator in Lynden, reporting to an elected mayor. It is the same type of position he held in Kent before coming to Burien.

In Burien, Martin is chief executive of the city. He is overseen by an elected city council, which selects one of its members to serve as mayor. Burien Mayor Brian Bennett presides at council meetings and represents the city at ceremonial occasions.

While Burien’s population of 45,000 is considerably larger than Lynden’s 12,000 residents, Martin will supervise about the same number of employees.

Also, Lynden’s annual budget is larger than Burien’s. Lynden’s yearly budget is $55 million while Burien’s two-year budget is $72 million.

Martin says he has some suggestions to Burien lawmakers on the transition process, which he will present at the July 1 council meeting. The council is expected to appoint an interim city manager and wait until a new council is sworn in this January before making a permanent choice.

Reporting from the battlefield, 34th District State Representative Eileen Cody shared the latest in budget negotiations and bills that have passed in Olympia with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on June 20.

State lawmakers are threatening a government shutdown if a budget is not passed by July 1.

“We’ll have a budget by June 30,” Cody reassured the crowd of business owners gathered at the Kenney. “It’s been a question and it’s not done yet … but it’s going in the right direction and everyone believes we’ll get it accomplished at this point.”

Here are some of the highlights she shared with the group:

Affordable care act
Regarding healthcare (Cody’s specialty as chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee), she said the state is moving forward with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which will include the need for the uninsured individuals to pick a plan. A website will open in October to help people find out if they are eligible for subsidies, and they will need to make a choice that will kick in Jan. 1.

Two bank robbers in their 60's were sentenced to 70 years in prison for a string of three Seattle-area heists, including the Washington Federal Bank at Morgan Junction in West Seattle on Oct. 20, 2011.

The men, who both have extensive criminal histories, used a handgun and pistol-grip shotgun in that robbery. One wore a Hillary Clinton mask while the other wore an "old man" mask.

Here are the details from the U.S. Attorney's Office:

Two men with a quarter century history of robbing banks, were sentenced today to 70 years in prison for a string of bank robberies in the Seattle area, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.

The two men, 66-year-old JACK P. SEXTON and 65-year-old RONALD C. KETTELLS were convicted in March 2013 of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, three armed bank robberies and using a firearm during a crime of violence. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said these were some of the longest sentences he has handed down, noting the men’s criminal history is “remarkable in its length and depth.”

As medical marijuana dispensaries continue to pop up in West Seattle and White Center, the Coalition for Drug Free Youth (focused on reducing teen drug, alcohol and tobacco use in Highline Schools) spent a good portion of their June meeting discussing the phenomenon and what it means for their challenge in reducing teen pot use.

The conversation, held at Navos in Burien, centered on concern from a Seattle Public Schools survey taken in October of 2012 that found around 40 percent of students who use marijuana said they got it from a medical marijuana dispensary. The survey did not detail whether the students got it through someone else who had a medical card, or whether they possessed a card themselves (there are no laws on the books stating a minimum age to get a medical marijuana authorization, so a teenager can get one if they find a doctor willing to sign off).

Friday, June 21

Family Happy Hour On The Solstice

What: Populuxe Brewing will host Family Happy Hour. The Tumblebus, a fun and interactive mobile gymnastic adventure for kids, will be onsite and free to all kids 3 - 7. Allow Tumble Tom to entertain your child as you sip a beer in peace. Pizza will be available for purchase from Streetzeria as well as ice cream from Bluebird MicroCreamery. Then from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., local musical duo Train Wreck will perform your favorite 80's covers.

Where: Populuxe Brewing (826B NW 49th St)

When: 4:30-6:30 p.m.

More info: www.populuxebrewing.com

Noise for the Needy

What: Noise for the Needy, the music festival for a cause, is coming to Ballard to benefit the Ballard Food Bank. This year will be a special Ballard-only event with acts playing at Hattie's Hat, Conor Byrne, Sunset Tavern and the Tractor Tavern.

Where: Conor Byrne, Sunset Tavern and the Tractor Tavern.

When: 9 p.m.

More info: See our guide! http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2013/06/19/features/guide-noise-needy…

SketchFest at Ballard Underground

Truck broken into, mess made, but nothing stolen

June 14, 7:30 a.m., 8700 Block of Greenwood Ave -- A victim woke up in the morning to find out his truck inside a parking garage was broken into. The passenger side wing window was shattered and the contents of the glove compartment were emptied onto the floorboard.

While the complex has a video camera, the manager was not in yet to view it by the time the responding police officer left. The victim said nothing seemed to be missing and the police officer could not find any latent fingerprints. An area check for the suspect turned up negative.

Between a rock and an apathetic employee, a shattered window

June 15, 5:15 a.m., 1400 Block of NW 56th St -- A business on the 1400 block of NW 56th St had its full-length glass door shattered. An employee told the responding police officer that an unidentified customer mentioned the broken glass around 2 a.m. but the employee did not think to call police to report it since no alarms sounded.

A local film maker Gavin Keefe is hoping to get support for a film with a budget that in normal film making circles would be considered just enough to cover coffee and transportation. "Bedtime Stories, A Horror Short" is, as he describes the project, a "true to the genre horror short" that "focuses more on the plot and character development rather than cheap scares and cheesy sfx."

Keefe and crew have put in their own money of course but they are short about $3500. That should tell you first that it's a short film, but that it's also obviously a labor of love. Filmmakers have to start somewhere. So they've launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money to get it done.

The story centers around a woman named Mia as she adjusts to her mother's remarriage and an evil presence that's brought into the house. "This is more than just a haunting movie," said Keefe, "its about the relationship struggles of a new family, with an evil entity that won't stop until it gets what it wants."

Keefe and his sister Dallas are West Seattle natives and wanted to reach out to a local audience for support.

Theresa Amos got her dog Missy, a Jack Russell Terrier 8 years ago from the Kent Animal Shelter. Missy at the time was already 6 years old.

At the age of fourteen, Missy is slowing down a little but is still a very cute. "She's good at stealing my pillow," Theresa said. "I'll be laying on the pillow and my husband, Richard is there and she will get in between us and lay her head on the pillow."

Missy is the jealous type Theresa said. There's another dog in the house, a "Chiuweenie" named Sissy and Missy likes her "Me" time with Theresa. When the grand kids come over she jumps in her lap before the kids do. "Or if the little pup tries to get up there she will first she will be like, 'Mine!' She's my baby and she knows it."

Missy eats dry kibble dog food and enjoys Beggin Strips for snacks.

She sleeps in her own kennel, bedding down at 8pm every night. Missy is very quiet normally, withholding her bark unless there is another dog around.

Theresa takes her to a free vet downtown to keep her health up.

(The following letter from King Councilmember Julia Patterson is in response to a letter to her from Clyde Hill that was reprinted in the Highline Times.)

Thank you for reaching out to my office regarding this matter. You raise an important issue regarding transit-efficiently and effectively using public dollars, and I welcome the opportunity to address your concerns.

Let me assure you that King County Metro and Sound Transit are continually in communication regarding current transit services, as well as plans for future transit options. This ongoing communication is essential to providing quality transit service with as little redundancy as possible. In the case of Metro’s RapidRide A Line and Sound Transit’s plans to study extending Link light rail to the Federal Way Transit Center, both agencies provide unique services to riders and will operate during different periods of time.