June 2014

By Scott Anthony

While public fireworks displays are the safest way to celebrate the holiday, not everyone can attend one, and because more and more municipalities are rejecting the use of personal fireworks due to fires and injuries, (ask a local firefighter about it) maybe it’s time to consider some safer celebratory options this year.

For the record, over all the years I’ve had access to matches, I have burned enough sparklers, blown up enough firecrackers and shot enough bottle rockets to have my own booth on the rez. But that was the old me, the guy who really liked the sound of an M-80 at 3:00 am weeks before the fourth, or the smell of smoke and burning rubber as I stomped out large, low grass fires in my tennis shoes at the local park.

And who doesn’t like the sight of a roman candle as it sends volley after volley of roaring fire onto the neighbor’s roof.

By Tim Clifford

Assault at a bonfire
An assault and attempted robbery occurred at a bonfire in a wooded area on the 4500 block of Beach Dr. S.W. shortly before 11 p.m. on June 19. Police made contact with the victim, a juvenile, and his mother at their residence shortly after the incident.

According to the victim he was at a bonfire with several other people his age and had brought his camera, a Canon DSLR, to take pictures of the fire. While snapping pictures of the gathering the suspect, also a juvenile and unknown to the victim, came up and said to the victim “you shouldn’t have brought a camera to the party” and began trying to grab the camera away. The victim yanked it back and began moving to keep the camera away from the suspect.

Becoming frustrated with the victim’s reluctance to give up the camera the suspect pushed the victim to the ground and began wailing punches to the victim’s face. The victim managed to curl up around his camera to keep it and protect from the suspect. Other party goers began to intervene and stopped the suspect.

By Kyra-lin Hom

About a month and a half ago, I wrote a column on the legalities of warrantless cell phone searches. Specifically, I mentioned the case of Riley v. California that was waiting on a Supreme Court decision at that time. To quote myself, here's a brief reminder of the case:

“...the defendant was pulled over for driving with expired license registration tags. Prior to impounding a vehicle, police are required to inventory its contents to avoid a future lawsuit. While performing this search, police found two guns and subsequently arrested Riley for illegal possession of firearms. This then allowed the police [to] search Riley's person incident to arrest whereupon they found a cell phone in his pocket. Later [while at the police station], police went through the contents of the phone (without a warrant) and discovered evidence linking Riley to a gang...shooting. Ballistic tests matched Riley's guns to the shooting and he was arrested and convicted of 'shooting at an occupied vehicle, attempted murder, and assault with a semi-automatic firearm.' Riley is appealing on 4th Amendment grounds.”

Is it fate? Death? Desire?…or just a sheer movement in the brain that leads people back again and again to the pink peddler of pork perfection, Paseo Caribbean Restaurant (6226 Seaview Ave N.W. and 4225 Fremont Ave N.).

Among a fuselage of flavorful delights that the Paseo menu offers, there is one item that stands out to this lowly reporter. It’s called the Caribbean Roast (#2 for short).

To most patrons this is the alpha and the omega of Cuban sandwiches: food of the gods materialized, passed down from a cosmic reverberating Big Bang flux for Seattle mortals to bow down before and offer sacrament to.

To sit down with feet firmly planted under a stable ritualized eating shrine (table) holding the succulent sandwich is finally, truly, to live in the moment: when it’s time to eat, you eat (all that yoga and meditation but all that was needed to obtain enlighten was this mere sandwich).

By Erin Bosetti

This year, local favorite coffee haunt Java Bean turns 25. It started out as a coffee cart in Eastlake in 1989 and two more carts were opened in the city including one in West Seattle. Our well loved Ballard branch was opened in 2001.

What makes Java Bean so great? “We don't change too much. That's our secret. Great service. Great people. Great cup of coffee. Oh, and our egg breakfast sandwiches are to die for!” said owner Anthony Hoyt.

“We have such a great variety of folks who support the Java Bean from all age groups. Young and old we attract them all by facilitating a very familial service experience and a great product and upbeat feeling in the shop.”

Delirious solstice suspect attempts robbery during parade

On June 21 during the Solstice Parade at the 4300 block of Leary Avenue Northwest officers responded to an attempted robbery. When officers made contact with the victim, she pointed out the assailant in the crowd among thousands of people. Officers tried to apprehend the suspect but she was soon lost among bikers and body paint. The victim told officers that the suspect seemed intoxicated or was having mental delusions. The incident started after the suspect told the victim that she was going to get shot and that the mob was surrounding her. Then the suspect said to the victim, "Show me the gun. You have my gun in your purse!” The victim reported that the suspect lunged at her and tried to take her purse and then her cell phone. An unknown male intervened and pulled the suspect off the victim. The victim said that the suspect was following her after the incident. The victim suffered deep bruises on her bicep and a scratched finger. She said she would be able to recognize the suspect if she saw her again.

85-15 gang sucker punches man in throat to steal wallet

By Patrick Robinson

The South Park Bridge was dedicated in an official ceremony on June 29 with dignitaries and fireworks, plus thousands of neighbors on hand for a Grand Opening Party. Traffic will take to the new span at 6 am Monday June 30 some four years, to the day that the former bridge closed and was later demolished.

The new bridge will carry 20,000 vehicles and nearly 3000 heavy duty trucks each day, transporting 10 million tons of freight each year, including aerospace parts for Boeing facilities located nearby.

The celebration included live music, local vendors, a beer garden a community parade and fireworks off the top of the opened bridge before the two halves were joined and people could cross.

They were led by King County Executive Dow Constantine his wife and child in a stroller.

By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

A lot of hits, some home runs and scoreless pitching are a big three of do's in baseball for success.
West Seattle did all three against Seattle Central en route to a 21-0, 10-run-rule shortened four inning Little League All Stars Tournament game for the Majors division of District 7 at Valley Ridge Sunday.
Still, despite winning by a huge score, not to mention a 10-0 win over Pac West to open districts before that, West Seattle's manager, Jason Woodward, spoke about things that still need to be done.
"The kids hit the ball good today," said Woodward. "We still have a lot to improve upon."
Surely, there's something to point out, however, the way West Seattle played this game "nothing" is the only thing that points in that direction. West Seattle just didn't do much wrong.
Flawless pitching from Jack Summers, Ulee Hammer, Walker Nelson and Max Debiec, throwing 15, 16, 13, 8, pitches, respectively, for West Seattle made for a tough night hitting the ball at all for Seattle Central. And, Seattle Central hit the ball a few times, but never hit the ball for an official hit in the game.

After a tough 6-5 loss to South Highline National in the game played a day earlier, West Seattle bounced back with a mighty big bounce, beating Southwest, 47-4, at the Pac West Fields Sunday.

"We play Highline again," said Mark Douglas, West Seattle's manager. "We got our work cut out for us."
The game against Southwest was just a lot of scoring throughout for West Seattle, including three inside-the-park home runs. Two of those round-trippers were made by Nathan Pelley.
"I went 6-for-8 today with two home runs," he said, noting they were balls that got to the fence and that he circled the bases around before the opposing team's outfielder could track it down and get it to the cut-off man in shallow center field and to home plate.

What was the difference in this game and the one against National with not a lot of hitting? Only four hits in that one, actually.

"We lost by one run and just couldn't get our bats to go," said Pelley. "Today we got our bats going and our defense did a really good job."