May 2015

The West Seattle High 40th reunion is scheduled for Saturday, June 27th, from 5p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
at the  American Legion Hall , 3618 SW Alaska St.

Tickets are $50 per person.

The theme for the reunion is  "Celebrating memories while building new ones."
Ticket purchase as follows-- Pay by check:  
Made out to:   Laurie Wilson –care of 3620 45th Avenue s.w. , Seattle, Wa., 98116.                                        

There will be a deluxe buffet dinner,
D J and dance music, Karaoke, professional dance teacher. "Live" Dating Game and no-host bar.

If West Seattle High graduates from a different year want to attend, they are also welcome to do so.  The more the merrier.

And of course, the SILENT AUCTION.  The auction is to honor the memory of the (at least) 29 West Seattle High School '75 classmates who have passed away and left us all too soon.  

by Georgie Bright Kunkel

Sitting down at my computer is no assurance that I can engage in this intellectual pursuit of writing without interruption. Computerland comes with a downside of messages which emanate from some center in India. These messages are blurred from the background noise of dozens of other callers sitting in a huge room of callers who somehow got my number for purposes of duping me in some way.

I have determined that I will not be scammed and so far I only bit once. That was the time that someone from New York called that they heard that I am a writer and they were willing to put me on a local radio station. They actually sent me a copy of what I had spoken into the telephone for them to put on the air. But then came the moment of truth. They wanted me to pay for the next airing of my writing and that is when I realized that I was being taken in.

Man taken to detox after visit to Burger King
On the morning of April 25th, emergency responders arrived at the Burger King near the intersection of 4th Avenue S.W. and S.W. 148th Street in Burien after the Burger King Staff found a man unresponsive on one of their toilets. EMTs determined that the man had passed out due to over consumption of alcohol. Upon looking into his background, police discovered that the man had been placed in detox the day before and was released that morning. Police removed the man from the Burger King Bathroom and delivered him back to detox.

Crimes reported between 4/19/15 and 5/3/15

Home and Business Larceny/Burglary:

By Kyra-lin Hom

When the economy was on the downswing, employers couldn't stop talking about how unqualified were their millennial applicants. It was all of this (arguably legitimate) hemming and hawing about a dearth in writing and practical skills, an excess of emotional sensitivity, and a distinct lack of respect for the internal structures of the workplace.

Nowadays, with the American economy bouncing back, employers are whistling a different tune, desperately trying to puzzle out the mystery of millenial employee retention. The average job stay for a millenial in the workplace is just three years. And with us millenials being the largest generation yet (yes, there are more of us than baby boomers), employers are wracking their brains for how to turn this competitive poaching and high turnover trend around.

Burien to Host Film Office Launch Party May 14Last Month, the City of Burien’s Economic Development Division announced the creation of a new Film Office to support and promote its vibrant and growing film community. On May 14, the community will join with the City in officially launching the Office at the Tin Room Bar & Theater in Olde Burien. The event will consist of networking, a ribbon cutting, and a screening of the three winners of the recent Burien Film Festival, held on April 1. “As we looked at Burien’s emerging assets, its filmmaking community stood out as a unique opportunity for growth,” said Dan Trimble, Burien’s Economic Development Manager. “By raising awareness of our growing filmography,we hope to show our appreciation for those that have already found Burien to be an attractive location and let others know that we are a welcoming location for visual arts.”

By Tim Clifford

Investigators are looking into the death of 27-year-old Brandon Burris while he was an inmate at the Kent Regional Justice Center on May 1. Staff at the RJC found Burris dead in his solitary confinement cell shortly after 7 p.m.

Little information is being offered at this time by investigators since the case is currently open. An official determination on the cause of death is pending a toxicology report with the Medical Examiner’s Office, which is expected to take up to eight weeks. One possible cause that seems to be ruled out at this point by King County officials is homicide.

“The idea behind saying it was an isolation cell and having it out there like that was to take out any questions like “could anybody have done this?”. The reason behind that was just to reassure anybody that it wasn’t as the result of somebody or the actions of someone else,” explained Cpt. Troy Bacon with King County of the verbiage used in their press release.

By Tim Clifford

Friday, May 8, might as well have been Friday the 13th for three criminals cruising through Boulevard Park.

At 7 a.m. dispatchers received from a concerned citizen who informed them they were trailing a “suspicious” vehicle with two men and one female inside it. The caller claimed that the vehicle was stolen and decided to keep on the car’s trail from S. 96th St. all the way down to 116th until the car parked in front of a small cluster of apartments.

The caller watched as one of the men left the car and headed towards the apartments. Shortly after the car had been parked deputies managed to confirm that the license plate to the vehicle matched that of a stolen car out of Bellevue. The theft had occurred at 2 a.m. that morning.

Police moved in on the car with Guardian One above and arrested the two suspects who had remained in the car. As they headed towards the apartment complex to arrest the third suspect he came out of an apartment just they were approaching and ran away.

Seven units responded and immediately set up a small perimeter.

Six senior girls, three each from West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School were honored recently by AAUW (American Association of University Women), Seattle Branch, for their achievement in the areas of Math, Science, and Technology.  The girls were chosen by their schools and received certificates and a small monetary award at an evening reception at the Best Western Executive Inn on April 22. 

The speaker at the event was Renee Agutsama, a former high school science teacher who is currently completing her PhD in Public Health Genetics, with a focus on Genetics and Arts Education. 
 
 
West Seattle High School honorees included:
Abigayle Riggins (Math), Annalisa Ursino (Science), and Kristine Le (Technology).
 
Chief Sealth International High School honorees included:
Monica Harris(Math), Gabrielle Fillis (Science), and Thy Duong (Technology).
 
AAUW is a national organization which advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.
 
 

West Seattle Hi-Yu Events
Fri., May 15, 6 p.m. Volunteers needed to set up & decorate the VFW Hall for the Hi-Yu Breakfast & Talent presentation.

Sat., May 16, 8-11:30 a.m. Hi-Yu Breakfast & Talent presentation with the talent performance at 10:30 a.m. At the VFW Hall, 3601 SW Alaska St. A judged event.

Sun., May 31, 2-4:30 p.m. Hi-Yu Tea & Auction (many wonderful auction items), followed by the Extemporaneous Speaking and Coronation of the West Seattle Hi-Yu Queen and Princess. A judged event. Tea & Auction: $25. Tickets available from Hi-Yu members and candidates.

GriefShare Recovery Support Group
Grace Church
10323 28th Ave. S.W.
Saturdays, thru May 16, 13 weeks, 10 a.m.-noon. This international grief recovery support group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to death. You can start at anytime and it doesn’t matter how long ago the death occurred. There is a one time cost of $15 for a workbook. Contact: Barb at 206-932-7459 or Grace Church 206-937-8400.

Daystar Toastmasters Welcome Guests
Daystar Retirement Village
2615 SW Barton St.

By Tim Clifford

Jacked while waiting for a lift
May Day proved to be a tough day not only for the city but also for two people who were victims of a strong armed robbery as they waited for a ride share cab to pick them up on S.W. Genessee St. and Delridge Way S.W. The ride share company was redacted from the police report but was either an Uber or Lyft car.

According to the victims’ accounts they had just gotten off the bus around 3:13 p.m. and decided to call a ride share cab to take them home. As they were waiting two men came from behind the bus stop and demanded both victims’ wallets. Before either of the victims could respond the two suspects began punching the male victim and demanding he give them what they asked for.

The suspects kicked the male victim multiple times while he was on the ground and reached into his pockets to find his wallet. After finding his money the suspects then turned their attention to the female victim and demanded she also give them her wallet. After both wallets were handed over the suspects ran off westbound on Genessee St.