March 2015

Washington state continued to be a pioneer in the fight to combat human trafficking today by passing legislation that creates a human trafficking information clearing house and activates the former Washington State Task Force on the Trafficking of Persons.

Under Senate Bill 5884, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, a single point of contact is created within the State Office of Crime Victims Advocacy in the Department of Commerce for advocacy groups and service providers. The clearing house serves as a pool of information so trafficking survivors and citizens have access to the most comprehensive and current information regarding statewide efforts to curb trafficking.

“Creating a clearinghouse of information will result in a more comprehensive approach to fighting this awful and despicable trade,” said Kohl-Welles. “There are many groups working hard to combat human trafficking. With this legislation, it is my hope that they can all put their heads together, share resources and work together as a team to end human trafficking.”

By Anastasia Stepankowsky

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said Wednesday her department is taking steps to avoid excessive force and said she supports an expanded role for civilians in the Office of Professional Accountability that investigates allegations of police misconduct.

The chief spoke to about 70 people during a “community conversation” at the West Seattle Senior Center, her first public foray into the area since protests about strong-arm police behavior forced the shut down of a public meeting on February 3rd.

“Nobody dislikes bad cops more than good cops, because good cops are out there and they understand their role to provide service to the community,” O’Toole told the audience, which remained attentive and calm throughout the evening. “Every time a bad cop does something stupid or, not only makes a mistake, but does something intentionally wrong it makes the good people look bad. It makes their jobs a lot more difficult.”

The Southwest Precinct Council and the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network hosted the chief’s appearance.

A fire at 8626 35th Ave SW on Wednesday March 11 did damage to the attic and roof but no one was hurt.

Seattle Fire spokesperson Sue Stengl said, "When our firefighters arrived they described smoke coming out of the eaves. They were able to speak with somebody who was from the neighborhood or house and they were able to let them know that everybody was out of the house. When they arrived inside there was not all that much fire that they could find. so they focused their efforts on the attic and roof so that's where most of the effort was placed. That takes a lot of work getting into the roof and into all the access points to make sure that the fire was out. Our fire investigators are on scene right now and will try to determine the cause of the fire.

We will update with the cause if determined and dollar amount of the damages.

By Gwen Davis

A full agenda was at-play for the 34th District Democrats' monthly meeting Wed. night.

Highlights of the meeting:

—> Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rassmussen informed participants about malicious activity in the state legislature: “I wanted to alert you to legislation that reverses lending reforms,” he said. Existing laws that were put into place to protect vulnerable consumers against PayDay and Money Tree scams are being threatened. The bill already passed the Senate. “If approved in the House, it would reverse our consumer protection laws. It is really outrageous. It’s sponsored by some Democrats,” he said. "Please urge people in your community to vote against HB 1922.”

Please join us for a discussion with author and urban geologist David Williams about Finding Nature in Our Urban Landscape. The program is at 2 PM this upcoming Sunday (March 15th) at SeaTac City Hall, which is at 4800 S 188th Street. Admission is free with Society membership, otherwise a donation of $8 is appreciated. Parking is free.

Williams weaves together stories of crows, bogs, madronas, and geology. He suggests new ways to think about nature in our urbanizing landscape. He is the author of Stories in Stone, and The Seattle Street Smart Naturalist.

OLYMPIA — Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Tina Orwall and Rep. Mia Gregerson will host a telephone town hall for 33rd Legislative District residents from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25.

At that time, constituents in the areas of Kent, SeaTac, Normandy Park, Des Moines, Burien and Renton will receive a phone call inviting them to stay on the line to participate in the town hall.

In addition, residents who do not automatically receive a call may dial a toll-free participant number to listen in on the event and ask questions of their elected state officials. That number is (877) 229-8493, ID code 18646#.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools

Girls lacrosse
Southwest Seattle opens its season Wednesday when it hosts Holy Names for a 7:30 p.m. match at Moshier Field in Burien.

Baseball
The spring baseball season is scheduled to swing into action Saturday, when Kennedy Catholic visits Archbishop Murphy at 10 a.m. and Foster hosts Evergreen Lutheran at 3 p.m.
Foster is at home again playing Bellevue Christian at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday as Tyee entertains Cleveland.

Boys soccer
Highline Memorial will be the site of the Highline School District Jamboree starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Highline, Tyee, Evergreen and Mount Rainier are scheduled to take part.
Kennedy opens with a 5 p.m. match at Shorecrest that day before hosting Shorewood at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Starfire.
Chief Sealth and West Seattle collide at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Walt Hundley and Evergreen visits Sammamish at 7:30 p.m.

Fastpitch
West Seattle is scheduled to host a jamboree at the SWAC on Saturday.

by Rob Clay

The sign says Vita D’ Italia but the location is in Manhattan…View, just off 176th and 1st Avenue S. in that small shopping district on the east side of the street.

        For starters, it is definitely Italian. There is an old adage that the Italians taught the French how to cook. We’re not sure about that but if you go you will learn a lot about customer service. 

We were greeted at the door and politely escorted to a waiting table in mere minutes. The black table cloths give the interior an elegant feel. 

Irma or the bar manager, Brie, go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Juve and Vego do much of the work behind the bar in the kitchen. 

With many years of experience working at Grazie’s in Southcenter, this group of restaurateurs is very anxious to please. 

The menu does not disappoint. More than 40 items are on the dinner menu alone but Juve says he can “make anything you want,” if he has the ingredients. 

Join us as we partner with the Ballard Rotary for a combined luncheon event on Tuesday, March 24. We'll hear from Calvin Goings, Regional Administrator from the US Small Business Administration.

Please RSVP to sue@ballardchamber.com by Thursday, March 19! For this event, cost is $20, payable at the door. Please make your checks out to Ballard Rotary.

Note: RSVPs are mandatory for this lunch, and no-shows will be billed.