December 2013

By Jeremy Martin

Despite breezy and cold temperatures that brought a bit of snow to the city, the atmosphere inside West Seattle high school was downright tropical as the Wildcats brought the heat during a season opening girl’s basketball tilt against Highline High winning the lopsided affair 63-8.

The young but talented West Seattle (1-0) squad led by 6’5’’ powerhouse Lydia Giomi was hot from the get-go racking up 24 first quarter points while holding the Pirates without a field goal until the 6:40 mark of the second quarter; an impressive feat for a team that suits only three upperclassmen and no seniors.

“All these starters started last year, we’ve worked really hard on team building and getting them to know one another. Their pretty good at staying focused,” West Seattle head coach Sonya Elliott said.

Giomi proved to be a handful right from the opening tip as the sophomore scored the first 8 points of the game in helping the Wildcats to run out to its impressive first quarter lead. She would finish with game highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds despite playing sparingly in the second half.

The Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights Community Council meeting was held Dec. 3 and they have posted their meeting notes on their website:

Here are the notes:

Intro & Community news:

Pablo Lambinicio reported that on some blocks around the Westwood & Trenton area, stolen cars had been found parked on their block recently, and that “alley poachers” had been seen cruising and searching for metal and construction materials that could be taken—even off of private property, and not the public right-of-way. If you see anything like, please call the Seattle Police Department ASAP to report it. The police have told us repeatedly—call 911 for everything! They will route the call as needed.

The group was reminded that the West Seattle Transportation Coalition (which initially formed here out of WWRHAH, and that we officially endorsed ourselves in our November 2013 meeting) needs more volunteers. Go here for volunteer info on the WSTC site.

Aligning with the District Councils:

Saul Delfin-Rodriguez the brother of White Center murder victim, 22 year old Michael Delfin-Rodriguez spoke at a press conference on Dec. 4 seeking the community's help in finding the suspects in Michael's murder.

According to Saul, he and Michael were riding their bike and skateboard around 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27th near SW 108th St. and 2nd Ave. SW when they were approached by two black male juveniles.
Saul said, "they were just young kids."

They were confronted by the suspects and accused of being in a gang, which they denied. It's likely the suspects thought they were gang members and were simply mistaken, according to police. The Sheriff's office said that the the two brothers are not involved in a gang. "We truly believe that this was just a case of mistaken identity."

The would be robbers of the Morning Star Market in Highland Park that were scared off by the clerk's "bigger gun" were charged today in King County Superior Court with robbery and attempted robbery. The suspects in that Nov. 23 crime were later arrested on Nov. 25 following an armed robbery in Auburn.

One suspect, Fernando Quebrado, 27, was charged with attempted robbery and is being held on $100,000 bail on suspicion of pointing a gun at the West Seattle clerk and demanding money. Quebrado has prior misdemeanor convictions for possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana, furnishing liquor to minors and DUI.

The two other suspects, Jose Luis Vargus, 28, and Francisco Dominguez-Ramirez, 21, are charged with robbery and attempted robbery and are being held on $250,000 bail on suspicion of robbing the woman in Auburn and participating in the West Seattle attempted robbery. Both Vargus and Dominguez-Ramirez have prior felony convictions for theft of a motor vehicle, residential burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Remember trading your candy for a toy with your friends or siblings? Trading was so easy. Luckily, exchanges like that still happen, only with much bigger things.

In support of the holidays and the Think Green Reuse and Recycling Challenge, Sustainable Ballard is hosting their 8th annual non-profit community holiday barter and celebration at Ballard Odd Fellows Hall on Sunday, December 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

President of Sustainable Ballard and festival coordinator, Jenny Heins, said the event brings together the community, encourages creativity and sharing, and creates a social and enjoyable alternative to the more commercial holiday gift buying experience.

In past years, barter items have included hand-knitted products, jewelry, candles, homegrown or wild crafted produce, homemade jams, beer, truffles, dried fruit, granola, beer and other delectable goodies. Apart from actual tangible goods, participants have also offered services, such as dog walking, music lessons, tax assistance, yoga session, housesitting or even refrigerator cleaning.

The Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle City Light were out working on the high-level, West Seattle Bridge on Wednesday, with work continuing Thursday, and Friday 5 and 6,

SDOT crews performed maintenance work, and SCL crews installed LED lights.

The closure will extend for approximately 400 to 500 feet, and is being repositioned as the work progresses along the length of the bridge. On Thursday, the westbound, right lane will be closed starting at 8:30 am until no later than 2:30 pm.

On Friday, Dec. 6, the westbound, left-hand lane will be closed, again from 8:30 am until no later than 2:30 pm.

A this same time 38 years ago, Jeff Larsen, the once editor of the Ballard News Tribune, griped in an opinion editorial about an impending decision to add parking meters to Market Street.

Can you imagine a time when parking created such frenzy? How about last week?

The French idiom, “the more it changes, the more it is the same,” seems appropriate to write. But how can this be? Here in a progressive, keenly equivocal and sagacious city-village (I mean we have barter events), how can we still be hung up on such a trifling matter as to where to put the autos?

In the same issue of the Ballard News Tribune where Larsen’s column appeared there was another article called, “Citizen group want’s multi-level parking,” where Rosalyn Strand reported that the Ballard Citizens Parking Committee, a group that represented Ballard business and land owners, formally requested from the City of Seattle financial aid to conduct a “feasible study” in order to find out who was parking in the core business area of Ballard.

The annual White Center Tree lighting will happen at 5p.m. Saturday Dec. 7 with music, photobooth with Santa, and more at Triangle Park at the intersection of Delridge Way, 16th Ave. S.W. and Roxbury Street S.W.

The event is sponsored by the White Center Chamber of Commerce.

Shopping:
Seattle Sample Sale at Village Green Perennial Nursery (10a.m.-5 p.m.)
Blythe Bazaar at Center Studio (4-8p.m.)
Christmas Bazaar at Cafe Rozella (11a.m.-close)
White Center Community Development Association moving sale (starts at 10 a.m.)

Following the tree lighting is a dance party at Company Bar White Center, on 16th S.W. DJ McLovin will be playing the best of the 70s and 80s.

Working Washington, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 775 on Thursday, December 5 will March through SeaTac and then continue into Tukwila and Seattle from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 along International Blvd. from South 176th Street to South 152nd Street

City of SeaTac Police and the Department of Public Works will be escorting the moving march. They are expecting 100 to participate and will be supported by a sound truck in a bus. They will not be stopping along this route. The City will manage the rolling lane closure. Drivers and businesses should be aware of the potential impact on vehicular traffic as they proceed north.

by Betty Rose Cortes

Like many comedians, Mona Concepcion is hilarious, but what sets her apart is that she is the very first female Chamorro stand-up comedienne in the world. And she lives in West Seattle.

“I talk a lot about observation, what it’s like to be from a place so far away, and moving to Seattle as an island girl living in the city,” she says.

Mona is from the West Pacific, from Saipan, an island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). As a native of the island, she is ‘Chamorro’ by blood, and though she does not speak Chamorro as much as she’d like, she understands the language very well.
“I moved here when I was 18 to go to school,” she said, “I had family, but they were distant relatives, like aunts and cousins, no immediate family. "