May 2014

World class mountaineer Lou Whittaker came to his alma mater West Seattle High School on May 19 to make a special film presentation, A Life in the Mountains recounting his life as a climber on peaks all over the world.

He and his twin brother Jim Whittaker, joined West Seattle Boy Scout Troop 272 when they were just 12 years old. Later they moved on to the Junior Seattle Mountaneers. The brothers were also active basketball stars at the West Seattle YMCA. Upon being offered a basketball scholarship to Seattle University under the understanding they were not allowed to ski, the Whittaker boys declined the offer in favor of skiing.

“The mountains became our love and our way to adventure, to express ourselves. It has been one heck of a ride.” At 85 years old Lou still skis. “I love to see the people here tonight. Lots of faces I haven’t seen in sixty years!”

“I am so proud to be a West Seattlelite and that I got my start here,” stated Lou Whittaker at tonight’s screening of “A Life In The Mountains.” Before the film began, Lou captivated his large audience in the auditorium of West Seattle High School with his sense of humor and fond memories of his West Seattle roots.

By Kyra-lin Hom

Sixty years after its original Japanese incarnation, America and Hollywood are finally paying a real tribute to the monster to end all monsters, Godzilla. After Roland Emmerich’s 1998 AmericanGodzilla travesty, geeks like myself were understandably cautious, but, while this 2014 film has some glaring flaws, it stayed surprisingly true to the Japanese concept. Let me explain.

Anyone who has ever vaguely studied film and the monster movie genre knows that Godzilla goes hand in hand with WWII’s nuclear devastation of Japan. Godzilla and the other monstrous creatures in his world are larger than life, dino-based chimeras that either feed on or are mutated by nuclear waste.

Planning/Design of Steps at Stevens
West Seattle High School Commons
3000 California Ave. S.W.
This is a neighborhood connectivity project and all are invited:
Community Design Workshop #3 - Mon., June 9, 7-9 p.m. Review and Critique Final Preferred Design!
Please join us to create a safe and useful pedestrian route and public place of interest and comfort. Help us to incorporate art and historic architecture and reflect the character of the neighborhood. Refreshments will be provided! Contact: Janet Jones (ws_janet@msn.com)

West Seattle Timebank Meeting
West Seattle Senior Center
4217 SW Oregon St.
Wed., May 28, 6:30 - 7:00 potluck, 7:00 - 8:00 orientation for prospective members,7:00 - 8:30 meeting for existing members. For more information, see website: www.wstb.tbanks.org

Daystar Toastmasters Meeting
Daystar Retirement Village
2615 SW Barton St.

By Tim Clifford

Suspect found in yearbook
A street robbery occurred at a Rapid Line stop on the 2600 block of S.W. Barton St. just before 3 p.m. on May 7. The victim was standing and waiting for the bus with his laptop in a carrying case leaned against his leg. The suspect, a black male around 14 years old and standing about between 5’2 and 5’4 and wearing a red and white striped Chicago Bulls beanie, came running up and swooped down to grab the laptop. Before he could make off with the computer the victim grabbed the bag’s strap and began violently wrestling with the suspect eventually being elbowed and swung away by the suspect. The suspect ran off into a nearby park and got away.

When officers contacted the victim he informed them that he knew who the suspect was and explained that he could identify the suspect in his yearbook as they both attended the same school. Officers quickly found out that the suspect and his brother have been identified in past shoplifting incidents and a metro bus incident.

By Steve Shay

Following Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's extensive search for a new police chief beginning Jan. 8, it was announced at 10:00 a.m. today, May 19, that former Boston police chief, Kathleen O'Toole will get the post. The first female police commissioner in Boston, she served there from Feb. 2004 to mid-2006.

Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1954, O'Toole lived in Boston since age 18. She graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in 1976 and from New England School of Law with a JD in 1982.

Seattle's new chief was appointed to the Boston Police in 1979 and served in investigative and administrative roles, then as Chief of the Metropolitan District Commission Police, Lieutenant Colonel in the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Boston Police Commissioner, or Chief of Police.

She managed 3,000 sworn and civilian personnel and a budget of $235 million annually. She once served in Gov. William Weld’s Cabinet as Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety, overseeing 20 agencies, over 10,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $1 billion.

Erik Ronning, riding his tractor ‘Bjorn Deere," geared up for the 17th of May Parade at the Nordic Heritage Museum with his family.

He said, "Every year my family provides the mini train to the museum so we can give kids rides and have fun."

Honorary Norway Consul Emeritus Thomas Stang and Gordon Strand riding in a fjord horse-drawn carriage. Photo by MJ Isaksen.

The Trident Truck. Photo by Karen Choyce

Photo by Karen Choyce

Fjord Horse. Photo by Karen Choyce

If other readers want to share their fun photos, please send them to shaneh@robinsonnews.com.

By Shakira Ericksen

A public hearing to determine whether or not Normandy Park City Council would rent new chambers took a dramatic turn when the owner withdrew the lease offer after barely two hours of the public hearing.

Over 70 people packed into Normandy Park City Hall, the majority of them to voice displeasure over a lease agreement between City Hall and The Normandy Park Towne Center.

Tom O’Keefe, owner of Normandy Park Towne Center, took the lease offer off the table after strenuous objections from the public were voiced. The withdrawal was greeted with loud applause, whistling and clapping.
The only advocates for the move were the owners of businesses already located in Towne Center.

“I find it a little ironic that the city hall does not meet code compliance and has code issues but every other property owner in the city must meet code compliance, “O’Keefe said during the public hearing before he withdrew his offer.

O’Keefe also said that the city had a number of employees that deserved to know where they would be working if indeed the chambers were to be moved.

by Steve Shay

Following Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's extensive search for a new police chief beginning Jan. 8, it was announced at 10:00 a.m. today, May 19, that former Boston police chief, Kathleen O'Toole will get the post. The first female police commissioner in Boston, she served there from Feb. 2004 to mid-2006.

Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1954, O'Toole lived in Boston since age 18. She graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in 1976 and from New England School of Law with a JD in 1982.

Seattle's new chief was appointed to the Boston Police in 1979 and served in investigative and administrative roles, then as Chief of the Metropolitan District Commission Police, Lieutenant Colonel in the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Boston Police Commissioner, or Chief of Police.

She managed 3,000 sworn and civilian personnel and a budget of $235 million annually. She once served in Gov. William Weld’s Cabinet as Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety, overseeing 20 agencies, over 10,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $1 billion.

U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifying is set to commence at Rainier Golf & Country Club in West Seattle on Tuesday, May 20, as 55 players will look to earn one of the two available spots at this qualifier to advance to the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, which is being held June 19-22 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 course in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducts this qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship.