September 2013

White Center Promise, "aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting comprehensive, two-generational social change through educational improvement and opportunity," is teaming up with Highline Community College, and the crowd-funding website Indiegogo to raise funds for their program.

Here are the details from White Center Promise Director Laurie Bohm:

In partnership with Highline Community College (HCC), the crowd-funding website Indiegogo, and with support from PolicyLink, White Center Promise Neighborhood (WCP) is seeking funding to promote its new satellite higher education center effort. HCC will offer increased staffing and classes within White Center. WCP is using Indiegogo to raise funds from around the country to provide outreach coordinators and scholarships for its residents in order to promote the opportunity and enhance access to the courses.

Maybe bad news for summer-spoiled kids, but school started on time this morning as the result of a contract agreement last night.

The Seattle Education Association, the teacher's union representing over 5,000 members, had initially rejected the contract offered them by Seattle Public Schools. Teacher evaluations, teacher salary, large caseloads for education staff associates and elementary teachers being required to work an extra half-hour were all sticking points.

Last night, in a closed meeting at Benaroya Hall, teachers agreed to a revised contract, allowing school to start on time.

By Peggy Sturdivant

It was the first summer that he wasn’t playing league baseball since starting grade school. It being the summer between his freshman and sophomore year in college, his parents were adamant: time to get a summer job.

We’ll call him Max.

Since this is the summer of 2013 and not 1973, his approach to looking for work started online through Craigslist. The bicycle delivery job didn’t pan out so he applied “pretty much everywhere.” Then he saw a posting for an open interview call at a car wash that we’ll call the Hippo.

Max made sure he was early and was pretty much hired on the spot. So began the summer job at the car wash: the job that will always be his first.

Forum announcement:

On Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 S.W. Oregon St.), all are invited to meet mayoral candidates Mike McGinn and Sen. Ed Murray.

Candidates will give a brief introduction and answer questions from the audience.

Special thanks to Victor Okinczyc's granddaughter, Sabina Diniakos, and her family still living in Poland, for piecing together the information that made this portrait of history possible.

WEST SEATTLE, WA – Victor Okinczyc swung his leg over the top of the horse. He studied the road with quick, brown eyes. Victor and his brother Henryk often rode their horses into the town of Stolpce to run errands for the family. They lived with their parents Anthony and Sabina on a landed estate in Eastern Poland. Sabina was an entertainer. She wore jewelry and had swards of relatives and friends over.

Victor and Henryk were close as boys. “Damn my brother,” Victor grumbled later in life. “He did well in school without even trying.” Henryk came home from parties and shed his suits, leaving them strewn in patches across the hardwood floor. Victor was his shadow, stooping to bunch the fabric in his arms. He hung and swept the suits flat with his hands.

By Tim Burak

“We just called it the South End. Burien, Highline, White Center, we didn’t know about any boundary lines. We roamed all over the place.” That’s Cecile (Oliver) Hansen, Burien resident, recalling her teen-aged neighborhood adventures. Now well-known as the great-great grand-niece of Chief Sealth, and for her work over several decades as chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribe, she reminisced about her youth.

So how did she become a South Ender? “My dad bought some property on 4th Avenue South near 128th. I was in the first eighth-grade class at Puget Sound Junior High when that school opened in 1950. My home-room teacher was Robert Sealey. That’s where I met one of my oldest friends, Lois Olson Wickstrom. She and I still get together for lunch and talk about the old days.”

“We’d spend our Saturday’s at Coy’s Highline Theater on First Avenue. My mom would give me a quarter. That was ten cents for the movie and fifteen cents for goodies. We’d stay there all day. There was a lot of hollering and carrying on.” In those days ten cents bought you a double feature, cartoon, and a newsreel.

Burien is one of the first cities to proactively adopt zoning regulations for the operation and licensing of marijuana producers. The zoning regulations deal mostly with land-use where marijuana is concerned.

“I think the reaction to this might be a little overblown, we’re not going to end up with unregulated marijuana businesses in the city whether we do anything or not,” said Councilmember Gerald Robison.

”I think this is the best way to deal with the zoning so we can have this discussion in public and carefully consider what we are going to do.”
 “I feel that’s its totally appropriate, the voters have spoken,” said Councilmember Jack Block.

Thirteen apartment units were damaged and 50 people were displaced from their apartments as a result of the heavy rain storm which struck late in the afternoon on Thursday. The apartment building located in the 16000 block of Military Road in the City of SeaTac was undergoing a roof replacement when the storm began. Though the roof was covered in plastic sheeting, the heavy rains managed to get under the sheeting allowing water into the attic as well as the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. A City of SeaTac fire engine responded to the flooding call and found significant damage to 13 apartment units making those apartment units unsafe displacing theS families.
The displaced families are being assisted with housing by the apartment management and American Red Cross. There were no reports of injuries to any of the residents.

Information was supplied by the Kent Fire Department.

By Holly Brown
Publisher, WebTV/Radio Host of TheBrownLounge.com

I’m a huge fan of Spanish cuisine as a result of a trip to Spain with my husband, Kevin. We wound our way from Madrid, to the Rioja wine region, up to Basque country, and then to bustling Barcelona. I fell in love with Tempranillo wine, tapas, and paella. Of course, the afternoon siesta was pretty good too!!

When we returned from our trip, we wanted to share our gastronomical experiences with our friends. So, we threw a Paella Party. Kevin makes the best paella I’ve ever tasted. You can find his recipe and a video of our Paella Party at TheBrownLounge.com, along with a complete Paella Party menu including sangria, tapas, and dessert recipes. Kevin is now an award-winning wine maker for Siren Song Wines, and he turned his paella passion into a catering business called WineandPaella.com.

West Seattle See Dogs Events

Arrival of Puppy Truck
Sunday, September 8th, 12:30 pm
610 SW 152nd St, Burien

The nine puppies (ages 8 to 11 weeks) bred at the California campus
of Guide Dogs For The Blind will be delivered to
raiser families from around the region. Come meet our bundles of joy
and learn how you can become involved.

Raise a Puppy-Change a Life
Tuesday, September 10th
6:30 pm to 7:45pm
The Kenney
7125 Fauntleroy Way SW

West Seattle See Dogs, a local puppy raising club for Guide Dogs for the Blind

Is looking for volunteers to spend a year or so teaching puppies good house manners and introducing them to the world.

As a puppy raiser, not only will you discover the delight of a four-footed,wet-nosed companion, you will join a community of like-minded people all working toward improving the quality of life for people who are blind.

Call Ruth Oldham at 206-953-0268 or email seedogs@comcast.net