June 2014

On June 17, Boeing hosted a celebration for nearly 100 people to mark the completion of the largest habitat restoration in the Lower Duwamish Waterway. Spanning nearly one mile, this new resource for fish and wildlife was created in the footprint of the former Plant 2 facility, the home of the B-17 during World War II.
 
The event featured remarks by Vice President of Boeing Environment, Health & Safety Ursula English and representatives from Boeing’s project and community partners, including NOAA and ECOSS. Attendees were able to view the northern portion of the 5-acre habitat, which features intertidal wetlands, woody debris and more than 170,000 native plants. Habitat is crucial – especially along this section of the Duwamish – to improve Puget Sound salmon runs. NOAA created a video highlighting the transformation and how habitat like this benefits fish, wildlife and the surrounding communities.
 

Around 2:30 am on June 22, a car left the road on Beach Drive SW but apparently without a driver.

The Beach Drive Blog reported that they called 9-1-1 and that SPD and Harbor Patrol responded to the scene.

They said in their report "It appears that the vehicle left Beach Drive without a driver.

A concrete block landed on the passenger side of the vehicle that may have been placed on the gas pedal."

The car was upside down on the beach as the tide was headed out.

We will update this if we get more information.

At around 7:20pm June 20 according to Seattle Police a male committed an armed robbery of the 7-11 store at 1600 SW Holden Street.

No gun was seen but was implied.

The suspect demanded cash and got it, then fled. By chance officers from the Southwest Anti-Crime Team were in the area in plain clothes and located the suspect.

He was followed to another mini-market which he entered and remained for several minutes. Officers waited outside and when the suspect left he was apprehended and arrested.

The suspect had a large amount of cash on his person and had bought at least $100 in scratch lotto tickets. The first store clerk positively identified the robber.

The suspect was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

District 7 will be launching its 2014 Little League All-Star tournaments this coming week, with some of the fields including teams from the West Seattle charter as well as the Southwest charter from White Center.
The Intermediate baseball tournament for players between Majors and Juniors gets underway first, with Southwest taking on South Highline National at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at the PacWest complex in Burien. The winner meets West Seattle at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 28 in the three-team, double-elimination tournament's winner's bracket final.

The first championship is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, June 30 with the if-necessary championship scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 1.

West Seattle will be hosting the state Majors tournament beginning Saturday, July 12 and hopes to be there as the District 7 champion.

West Seattle opens the District 7 tournament against PacWest at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 28 at the Valley Ridge fields in SeaTac.

The winner goes on to play Seattle Central at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 29.

Seattle University men’s swimming head coach Craig Nisgor has announced that Chief Sealth senior Morgan Montemayor has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and join the Redhawk swim program starting in the 2014-15 academic year.

Montemayor finished in second place in the 100 backstroke during the recent Washington 3A state championships as he represented Chief Sealth High School, earning a senior national cut in the event.
A two-time qualifier for the state championship meet, Montemayor was a captain of the Seahawk varsity swim team. He also competed for the King Aquatic Club for the past four years, qualifying for the Junior Nationals in the 100 backstroke.

“Morgan has already made his senior national qualifying time and is coming in with times that are scoring in the conference. We know he will just continue to keep on improving,” said Nisgor.

The Port of Seattle Commission today gave final approval to a lease for developing the 87-acre Des Moines Creek Business Park, which is projected to create over 1,600 new jobs. The approved ground lease is with Panattoni Development to construct up to two million square feet of development south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a combination of airport-related commercial and light industrial uses.



“Creating new jobs in Des Moines and South King County is both vital and a great thing. This is a good example of the Port partnering with our neighboring cities to stimulate economic growth and job creation,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Tom Albro.



The estimated $100 to 125 million project will be built in several phases over seven years, to include flexible-use, manufacturing, office, distribution and industrial business park buildings to accommodate tenants that benefit from immediate proximity to Sea-Tac Airport including freight, avionics manufacturers and air cargo company offices.


By Matt Wendland

Burien child struck by moving truck
A four-year-old Burien boy remains in stable but critical condition in the hospital after being struck by a moving truck on the afternoon of June 12th. The collision occurred on the west side of Highline High School at the 15500 block of 2nd Avenue South. According to Sgt. D.B. Gates, the child's received serious, but non-life threatening, injuries primarily to his head. Though an official statement has yet to be released, witnesses reported that the child was riding his bike behind a dumpster and turned out into the street leaving the driver of the truck little time to stop the vehicle before hitting him. The incident caused major traffic revisions to the S. 156th St. corridor and was the basis for multiple helicopters over the city for the evening. No updated information has been released as to the condition of the child.

Arson and vandalism reported at Mt. View Elementary

By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

And what does one say after your team wins a doozy of a ballgame in Little League's District 7 Minors Tournament Of Champions championship game action?

South Highline Nationals' Reds did, 12-11, over the West Seattle Nationals at the Normandy Park City Hall fields Monday.

"Been a long time" is what Reds manager Chad Parker said.

Cammie Pekonen, SHN president, said it's fair to say it's been, at least, five years since that charter's won TOC.

Parker liked the fact that his team won the league last year in AA before now going up to AAA Minors and winning it.

"I had nine returning players," said Parker. "Pretty remarkable we won last year with no TOC and then this year won with TOC."

Parker said, too, that his coaches help the whole thing go, with Bjorn Jackson and Gildo De Simone piecing this whole thing together as a fine-tuned work of art.

"I am the strictest of the three," said Parker. "And Bjorn is a step down from me, aggressive but speaks well to the kids, and Gildo is the most positive, saying 'You can do this' to the kids."

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Jose Banda, on the job here for just two years has been tapped as a finalist for the same role in Sacramento, California. Banda, whose history as an administrator includes time with the Anaheim School District and two other California school systems announced his status in a letter to the Seattle Public Schools community on June 20. At the same time, a letter from Sharon Peaslee,President of the Seattle Public School Board was sent to families, staff and the community assuring them that a replacement for Banda would be sought soon.

Here are the letters from Peaslee and Banda:

Dear Seattle Public Schools staff, families and community,
We just learned that Superintendent José Banda is a finalist for Superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District. We certainly understand why they would seek him out to lead their district.

By Tim Clifford

On June 19 a press conference was held by the King County Sheriff’s Office concerning the arrest of one of their deputies, Darrion Keith Holiwell. Holiwell, 49, is being charged with second degree promoting prostitution, first degree theft and a count of violation of the uniformed controlled substances act. Holiwell has been with the force for 19 years.

An investigation is being conducted to determine how many officers either were aware of Holiwell’s activities or should have been as well as whether any other officers were involved with these illegal acts. It is already known that Holiwell was using and selling steroids both after work and at work to other King County Sheriff’s officers.
Holiwell was arrested at his West Seattle home this morning after an investigation that was begun in April.

Aside from selling steroids to other officers Holiwell was also earning extra income from the prostitution he was aiding his estranged wife into doing.