April 2014

GriefShare Support Group
Grace Church
10323 28th Ave. S.W.
Saturdays, started Feb. 22 through May 17, 13 weeks, 10 a.m.—noon. This international grief recovery support group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to death. You can start at anytime and it doesn’t matter how long ago the death occurred. There is a one time cost of $15 for a journal. Contact: Barb at 206-932-7459 or Grace Church 206-937-8400.

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

By Tim Clifford

Caught by Facebook
On April 1 officers were called to the 3200 block of S.W. Avalon WY just after midnight on a report of a large fight in the middle of the street. When the officers arrived they contacted the victims, a male and a female, who were waiting for them on the curb.

The victims told officers that they were walking home from 7-11 after buying a six pack of beer and were almost hit by a car when they tried to cross the street midblock. One of the victims yelled at the vehicle, a red sedan, at which point the vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. The two suspects, a white male and female both in their mid 20’s, got out of the vehicle and began yelling at the victims. The male victim picked out a beer bottle and held it over his head to ward off the suspects.

By Sarah Wyatt

Catsino, the annual benefit event hosted by Furry Faces Foundation, was back on Sunday. The event featured 13 table games, all to benefit local animal charities including Community Cat Coalition, Regional Animal Services of King County, and Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation (AARF). The event was held at Beveridge Place Pub located at 6413 California Avenue Southwest.

Organizer Teri Ensley introduced whimsical table games including Studless Draw, Texas Snip ‘em, Pig Craps and Cold Paw Poker, which were played at tables sponsored by local businesses, including Robinson Newspapers and the West Seattle Herald.

“I have been a volunteer for all six years it’s been taking place,” explained Bruce Menzies, who deals cards annually at the K9 Blackjack table. “There are new people, old returners and great associations. The event becomes smoother and gains more contributors each year!”
All proceeds will benefit Furry Faces Foundation, Community Cat Coalition, AARF and Regional Animal Services of King County. Attendee Brenda Donner said she appreciates the cohesion between the animal rescue groups.

By Kyra-lin Hom

I'm sure you've heard the term 'night owl' before. What about its counterparts 'morning lark' and 'hummingbird?' All three are common references for human sleep patterns: night owl and morning lark are self explanatory extremes with the flexible hummingbird landing right in between. But did you know that these aren't just casual social categories? They are in fact lay terms for different chronotypes. New research is proving that these aren't just habits. They're in our genetics.

 I found this old picture of me. I was with a fishing buddy named Dave Stamborsky. Dave passed away about a year ago. I miss him. 

  He was a demon fisherman and we were fishing for steelhead one winter day on the Stillaguamish River. I take heart in the tragedy of the recent landslide there. I fished not far from that very area and remember the sheer cliff faces cut through by the river. I am not surprised there are landslides. It is a dangerous area.
This day was icy cold and the crust on the  snowy river bank was pretty firm so we headed upstream. We had gotten about a quarter mile and Dave, who was 30 pounds heavier than I, kept  breaking through the crust and pulling his entrapped leg out of the crust. He was fast running out of breath and suggested we forget it and go back down to the car. I said okay even though I was lighter, there was no way I could carry him. I suggested he just sit down and I would just push him back down to the car on his bottom. 

UPDATE 8:30am April 8

An early morning fire in White Center on April 7 was a "set fire" according to King County Sheriff's PIO Cindi West and resulted in a total loss to the building of approximately $175,000.00. The fire is under investigation and if you or someone you know has any information about the fire to call 206-263-2070.

Original Post April 7
A fire in the early morning hours of April 7 in White Center destroyed a home in the 9600 block of 13th S.W.

The call went out at 4:22am and firefighters from the North Highline Fire District responded. The fire appeared to have completely gutted the interior of the home. Firefighters after entering the home found no one.

Craig Muller with the King County Sheriff's office said the cause of the fire and the damage estimate would not be known for several hours.

Coming up for soccer playing kids in West Seattle is the West Seattle Cup whose timing is intended to mirror that of the FIFA World Cup June 14-15. The event will be staged at Walt Hundley Playfield near Highpoint.

All elementary-age children and their parents are invited to sign up for this World Cup-style tournament representing a country they choose to identify with. Participation is completely free thanks to a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods and donations from local businesses.

Free T-Shirt and other prizes for all 448 players

There are some great incentives for team captains to sign up in the next week, including Sounders tickets and a meet and greet with the Sounders players after their game.

You can find them on Facebook here.

information from Seal Sitters

On Saturday morning, April 26th, Seal Sitters will be holding a special training for those wanting to protect marine mammals along the shoreline of West Seattle and the Duwamish River. Unlike most marine mammal stranding networks, we encourage children to participate in Seal Sitters - supervised at all times, of course, by a parent or guardian. We are so proud of our amazing and dedicated volunteers who are on duty rain or shine - we hope you will join us!

A multi-media presentation will illustrate our educational work in the community and the unique challenges of protecting seals and other marine mammals in an urban environment. Included in the training is an overview of NOAA's Western Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network and biology and behavior of seals and other pinnipeds (due to time frame, supplementary sessions will include more marine mammals of Puget Sound).

NEW VOLUNTEER TRAINING APRIL 26, 2014 SESSION
When: Saturday, April 26, 2014
Time: 10am - 12pm Training starts promptly at 10.
(weather permitting, a short on-the beach session will follow)

April 6 -- At approximately 9:30 a.m., over 12 units and at least 40 Seattle Fire Department personnel responded to a fire at the Telemark Apartment complex (2850 N.W. 56th St.) in Ballard.

By the time SFD arrived the inferno was blasting out from a second story window. According to Battalion Chief, Paul Atwater, firefighters had trouble finding the unit that was burning when they first entered the building. He said that the heat and smoke were "intense." Once they found the unit, they were able to knock the fire back before the flames spread to other apartment units.

As a precaution, firefighters removed all material that caught fire to prevent smoldering and restarting the flame. Charred boots, books, clothing and a master's thesis smoldered in the pile.

Photo by Shane Harms

In a fire such as this, SFD personnel remain at the scene for another 10 hours after the flame is extinguished to ensure it does not restart.

information from the West Seattle Rotary Club

As National Volunteer Week, April 6-12, approaches, Reis Pearson, a member of the Rotary Club of West Seattle of Rotary District 5030, has been recognized by President Obama and humanitarian organization, ShelterBox USA with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her efforts in 2013 to assist disaster survivors.
When disasters like Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the Syrian refugee crisis strike, many want to help. Pearson took action for ShelterBox, an international disaster relief organization that delivers emergency tented shelter and other lifesaving supplies to survivors of disasters and other humanitarian crises.