July 2014

If you could pack more events into one day it would be a challenge. July 19 had a lot going on in West Seattle and White Center with parades, festivals, and fairs all part of the day.

The day got underway with a visit by the Seafair Pirates to Emeritus Senior Living at Admiral Heights where they were joined by Hi-Yu Royalty plus a visit from the royal court of the Marysville Strawberry Festival. That stop for the Pirates was only the first of five with an appearance in the West Seattle Grand Parade and stops at four other senior homes in the area on their schedule.

Next up the Float Dodger 5K run was fast with Joel Ambo finishing first with a time of 15:52 followed by Brett Winegar coming in at 16:32 then Michael Engelbert at 17:37. Finishing fourth but first for the ladies was Kristi Houk with a time of 18:22. Oscar Oviedo finished fifth with a time of 18:34.

At 11am both the West Seattle Rotary Club kiddie parade with nearly 40 entries rolled south to the junction from just north of it full of costumes, wagons and balloons, and the West Seattle Grand Parade with 75 entries headed down California Avenue from the Admiral District.

Update 3 7/22/2014
The identities of the suspect and victims in this double homicide have been confirmed. The victims’ identities are Linda Parentau and David Elmer Wells. The suspect who has been arrested and is currently being held without bail is Parentau’s son, Richard Leo J. Parentau. Though he is being held without bail no official murder charges have been filed as of yet.

Authorities have dealt with the Parentau family in the past after having to involuntarily commit Richard to a mental health facility multiple times last year. Police were able to quickly identify Linda’s body because of these run-ins.
Police were aided in identifying Wells’s body since multiple business cards were found near his body. When police arrived at the suspect’s home they found streaks of blood on the carpet and the suspect’s business truck parked outside.

UPDATE 2; 6:45
From the Seattle Police Blotter

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."

July 19 has so much going on it's likely you won't be able to do it all yourself so you will have to choose wisely where to and when to be part of what you choose.

First up is the Float Dodger 5k gets underway at 9:30am beginning at Calfornia Ave. and Charlestown Street before the West Seattle Grand Parade.

See more about it online http://floatdodger5k.com but you can do your registration on site starting at 8am.

Next up is the West Seattle Grand Parade, sponsored for the first time by the West Seattle Rotary Club.

The motorcycle drill teams begin the show at 10:30am and will lead the full parade which starts at 11am at California and Lander.

The Kiddie Parade, also by West Seattle Rotary starts then just farther south at California and Genesee Street SW. That's a quick one, lasting less than 20 minutes but usually features lots of kids.

At Hiawatha Community Center outside is The Mediterranean Fantasy Fest at 2700 California Ave. SW.

The event will feature Belly Dancers (and classes), sword balancing, fire dancers, music and food.

School Board votes to name longtime educator to replace José Banda; will conduct full search with community engagement this fall for permanent Superintendent

Distinguished local superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland was appointed Interim Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools by the School Board during a special meeting Friday.

The highly respected Dr. Nyland retired in June 2013 after nine years as the Marysville School District Superintendent, where he transformed a challenging climate. When he began in 2004, a 49-day teachers’ strike had resulted in declining enrollment, graduation rates were low and the community hadn’t approved a school bond issue in 16 years.

Through strengthening relationships with teachers and staff, community engagement with families, building partnerships with the business community, local service organizations and the Tulalip Tribes, he was able to rebuild the Marysville district into one that saw stabilized enrollment after the strike, win voter approval for a $118 million bond issue for new schools in 2006 and work with staff to raise graduation rates by 22 percent.

Distinguished local superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland was appointed Interim Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools by the School Board during a special meeting Friday.

School Board votes to name longtime educator to replace José Banda; will conduct full search with community engagement this fall for permanent Superintendent

The highly respected Dr. Nyland retired in June 2013 after nine years as the Marysville School District Superintendent, where he transformed a challenging climate. When he began in 2004, a 49-day teachers’ strike had resulted in declining enrollment, graduation rates were low and the community hadn’t approved a school bond issue in 16 years.

Through strengthening relationships with teachers and staff, community engagement with families, building partnerships with the business community, local service organizations and the Tulalip Tribes, he was able to rebuild the Marysville district into one that saw stabilized enrollment after the strike, win voter approval for a $118 million bond issue for new schools in 2006 and work with staff to raise graduation rates by 22 percent.

In his public safety address to the Seattle City Council last month, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray detailed a series of ‘Find it, Fix it’ Community Walks, focused on several crime hotspots.

At the walks, community residents, police, and city officials have been walking together to identify physical disorder and solve it. The two walks already conducted have seen great success with a 40 percent rise in use of the Find It, Fix It application and identification, notification and action taken on graffiti removal, street lighting, litter and garbage clean-up, and trimming overgrown bushes and trees.

The next Find It, Fix It Community Walk:
Tuesday, July 22, 7 – 9 p.m., Rainier Beach Station Plaza (Martin Luther King Jr Way and S. Henderson St.)

Meet in the plaza (Map)

7 – 7:15 p.m.
· Short program featuring City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, City Attorney Pete Holmes, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole and department representatives.

7:15 – 9 p.m.
Walk commences along the following route:
· East on S. Henderson St.
· North on Renton Ave. S.
· Stop at the Somali Community Services (8810 Renton Ave South)

Hear Daniel James Brown read from "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics," the inspiring story of the 1936 University of Washington crew team. The event takes place Saturday, July 26, 2014, 2 to 3:15 p.m. at the Ballard public Library.

A New York Times bestseller, "The Boys in the Boat" is the dramatic and poignant story behind one man's quest -- and the triumph of his team, the University of Washington rowing crew -- that stunned the world in 1936.

The team, made up of sons of loggers, farmers and shipyard workers, faced elite rivals first from eastern U.S. and British universities and finally from Adolf Hitler's German crew rowing in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, "The Boys in the Boat" is a portrait of an era, a celebration of a historic achievement and the chronicle of one extraordinary young man's personal quest.

"The Boys in the Boat" won the 2014 Indies Choice Book Award for Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year and has been on bestseller lists across the country.

Picnics in the Precincts are fun activities we hold every year that provide an opportunity for the business and residential communities in each of Seattle’s five precincts to come together and enjoy a day of celebration with their local police. They are great opportunities for people to be introduced to the department in a relaxed, non-law enforcement environment, meet their local police officers, enjoy free food, entertainment and raffle prizes, and get information on how to get involved in preventing crime in their community. We also are excited for everyone to meet our new Police Chief, Kathleen O’Toole!

The Picnics include booths hosted by groups and agencies that engage in crime prevention activities, and/or provide services in the community. Please contact us at the email address or number above to reserve a booth now. On behalf of the Seattle Police Foundation and the Seattle Police Department we look forward to another fun and safe summer. Together, we can continue to promote a safe and vibrant community.

Marine artist and historian James A. Cole will discuss his book "Drawing on Our History: Fishing Vessels of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska" from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 30 at The Seattle Public Library, Ballard Branch, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Free parking is available in the underground garage beneath the building.

Cole, a Ballard resident, used his background as a naval architect to capture the characteristics of ships in pen and ink drawings and watercolors. Each chapter of "Drawing on Our History" begins with an image of a vessel, followed by the stories of regional fishermen and the boats they sailed.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Cole has been designing, building and repairing fishing vessels in the Pacific Northwest for more than 50 years. He is now semi-retired at the age of 83 and lives in Seattle.
This event is presented in partnership with Secret Garden Books. Books will be available for purchase and signing.