July 2014

By Tim Clifford

A criminal who just “pops in”
On July 12 police received multiple reports of a suspect just walking into their homes and attempting to take their property. The first incident occurred on the 8400 block of 42 Ave. S.W. just after 3 p.m. when the victim of this incident was in her kitchen and had left the French doors in her basement open due to the heat. As she was working in the kitchen she saw the suspect, a white male in his late 20’s or early 30’s with scruffy facial hair, walking up the stairs with her husband’s toiletry bag. After yelling at the suspect the victim opened her front door and ordered him to leave.

The next incident with the suspect occurred just before 4 p.m. on the 8200 block of Northrop Pl. S.W. when the suspect was spotted by the victim attempting to walk out of the front door with coats and a first aid kit. The suspect dropped the items when he realized he had been spotted by the victim and ran.

Officers canvassing the neighborhood eventually spotted the suspect on the 4300 block of S.W.

By Kyra-lin Hom

There’s a new rising trend spreading outward from Chicago-land, and it’s causing quite a stir. Michelle Lytle and Robyn Graves are the Chicago-based creators of a new and controversial “TaTa Top.” This fashion/social statement is a pale skin-colored bikini top (other skin tones available soon) with cartoonish pink nipples. So that when someone wears one, from a distance they look legitimately topless. I simply can’t imagine why this would be such a volatile issue – oh wait…

Lytle and Graves aren’t just making (and selling in abundance – with $5 from every sale going to benefit the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation for breast cancer) this top for the laughs, though those are plenty.

UPDATE 9:00pm
Mayor Murray responded with a statement on the Barton family situation via the web.

“We are attempting to understand all options that may exist in this situation and I have asked Chief O’Toole and the Seattle Police Department to stand by while the latest court proceedings unwind.

An interdepartmental team has been working on the issue of foreclosure and how the City of Seattle can proactively connect residents to resources early in the process. I’ve pledged the City of Seattle’s participation in the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in 2015, and will launch a separate process to address homelessness and increase housing affordability in the months ahead, one of my visions toward making Seattle an affordable city.
In Washington State, we’ve seen recent victories such as the 2011 Washington State Foreclosure Fairness Act, which I worked on closely, designed to help homeowners and their lenders explore alternatives to foreclosure and reach a resolution when possible. I’m committed to working with all stakeholders, using this and other alternatives in the work Seattle does on housing affordability.”

By Ann Kendall

His parents told him, “You’re going to have to work hard the rest of your life, so you may as well enjoy it.” Evergreen grad Long Phan holds these words (and his family) close to this heart this summer as he interns at the White House – a dream a long-time and many miles in the making. When his parents immigrated to the United States and settled in White Center, they hoped that Long would do well in school and go to college so that he could work with his mind and not his hands – having a son graduate from Harvard and then intern at the White House is beyond what they hoped for.

By Matt Wendland

Because of vigilance of one neighbor in Burien, police apprehended a man who had previously been arrested on two occasions for residential burglary after being caught red handed.

According to the Burien Police Department, on July 7, a Burien man who lives on the 18200 block of Occidental St., heard suspicious noises coming from the home of his neighbor who he knew to be traveling. When the man went to check on the neighbor’s home, he found the back sliding door ajar and a man rummaging through the home. The neighbor confronted the intruder and the suspect fled the home on foot. Hearing the commotion, two other neighbors emerged from their homes. One neighbor joined in the chase after the suspect while the other pulled out his cellphone and began recording video. Though the neighbors were unsuccessful in apprehending the suspect before he reached a vehicle and escaped, police quickly identified the man thanks to witness testimony and the cellphone footage.

By Eric Mathison

Visitors to a new stop on the annual Highline Garden Tour earlier this summer were greatly impressed by its beauty and ecological functionality.

Those who had not been to the Normandy Park Community Club—most people simply call it “The Cove”—in many years were especially delighted.

Before a massive renovation, the sprawling area between the Cove’s Native American-style log house building and Puget Sound was mostly a boring lawn. Walker Creek, in front of the clubhouse, was a straight stream that often flooded.

Maintaining the vast lawn was costly. Also, long-time Normandy Park residents remembered a time when Walker and nearby Miller Creek were filled with salmon and trout.

The community club’s board decided something had to be done.

“It was readily apparent we should try to achieve an ecological fusion of landscape restoration and garden renovation,” declared Doug Osterman, who helped spearhead the project “We knew we would have to do it in a way the community would accept.

By Gerardo Bolong
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

West Seattle's wonderful adventures at the well-run 2014 Washington State Little League Majors ages 11-12 All-Star baseball tournament at the Bar-S Fields finally ended after a long run through the loser-out bracket in a 14-4 loss to Pacific on Thurs., July 16.

"This just wasn't our night," manager Jason Woodward told his players. "We had some good bounces to get here and fourth place is special. We played 21 games and were together for one month and four days. Some of the players from the other areas play a lot more tournaments before getting to this. I hope you enjoyed this. This is an amazing group with amazing families."

After further reminders such as competing at a higher level of play, Woodward told the press about his strategy for getting such a long run through the loser-out bracket.

"We have so many interchangeable parts," Woodward explained. "All except four players pitched. We needed to play good defense to keep the pitch counts down."

Moshier Field in Burien will be the site of this year's Pro Baseball Camp from Aug. 4-7.

The camp will be under the direction of former professional baseball player and Atlanta Braves scout Steve Goucher and staff, with instruction in throwing, hitting and fielding.

It will also include game situations and scrimmaging. It is well suited for players from aspiring to elite.

The cost of the camp for ages 8-13 is $135, with action running from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. each day.

For more information or to register, call the Burien Community Center at (206) 988-3700 or visit www.burienparks.net.

Dear Editor,
MY family and I have been going to the Admiral for the past 38 years.
It has been wonderful on so many levels, IF you live in Admiral area you can walk.
Friends that come to visit, and we go to a movie, they are Amazed and impressed, that we can walk there in less than 10 minutes.

I am a realtor (BHHSNW)- part of my spiel to new buyers To WS is the convenience, lower cost, free parking of their Own neighborhood theatre.

What I would like to see happen:

1- Paul Allen stepped up and refurbished and rekindled interest in the Cinerama
Perhaps some other, head of local corporations could ‘do the right’ thing. It would show
A strong public side. And of course, they can write it off.

2- Contact the Sundance Group in Los Angeles. They did a great job remodeling the old
Metro Theatres on 9th and 45th nw. Wouldn’t this be an ideal area for another
Neighborhood movie show remodel?

One last thought.

- This is a large theatre. Originally seating around 700. The articles’ idea of Dividing into a 4-plex is ideal. ( see Sundance example). 4 small intimate Theatres of around 70 seats apiece.

The 2014 West Seattle Garden tour features ten locations that combine beautiful garden design and outdoor living with community service. The event runs from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are $18 and the ticket book must be presented for entry to each garden.

This year the gardens are:

Curbal Tapestry
Aficionados of Craftsman architecture will appreciate the 100 year old house with the 10 year old addition keeping the old charm and style precisely intact. Slip back into the 21st Century as you step through the purple gate into the shaded, whimsical side yard.

Asian Spirits
Expansive and steep, the beauty of this inspiring hillside belies the vision, energy and tenacity of the gardener who preserved the beautiful big leaf maples and cedars, added native species, removed a hillside of blackberries and built a winding stairway from the house to the street below. It took 10 years.

Cote d’Azur