May 2015

I consider myself a hardcore animal lover but had no idea what that really meant until I visited C.A.R.E.S. last week. C.A.R.E.S. (Community Animal Resource & Education Society) is in Burien, my neighborhood. I’d never been there; I didn’t want to go either. Growing up in Bellevue meant visiting the King County Animal Shelter when it was time to think about pet adoption, there were no Internet sites to look at cute puppy or kitten pictures first, you had to just go to the shelter, it was a loud, smelly, and heart-breaking experience. One that I would never willingly subject myself to again without very good reason.

An Eye-Opening Experience


By Tim Clifford

On April 21 the King County Prosecutor’s Office filed a charge of Vehicular Homicide against 22-year-old Dylan Taylor Powell Morrow following a fatal car crash from 2014.

There was just one issue with this filing: Morrow died this year on Feb. 14.

“We just got word of it yesterday, we will be gathering more information as it comes in” explained Dan Donohoe with the Prosecutor’s Office on April 28, a day before the case was officially dismissed. Prosecutors had been unaware of his passing for over 2 months while examining the case.

Coverage of the charge made it to other news outlets before the Prosecutor’s Office could update them on the status of the case.

The charge was filed following an investigation into a fatal car collision that Morrow was involved in on Feb.28 of 2014. While driving along 4 Avenue S. on his way to work, at 2:45 a.m., Morrow fell asleep at the wheel and crossed over into the oncoming lane, colliding with another car. The other driver, 23-year-old Elwin Trinh, who had just gotten off of a shift at work, was killed at the scene.

By Tim Clifford

On April 27 Burien City Hall was swarmed by demonstrators from S.A.F.E. and their allies to protest Ordinance 606/621 and Mayor Lucy Krakowiak. What made this march starkly different from actions of the past was the proverbial “deafening silence” that accompanied it.

Entering City Hall dressed in all black with dark duct tape across their mouths demonstrators silently entered the council chambers baring signs with slogans such as “shame on you Burien” and “RIP civil rights”. With sheriff’s deputies at the ready the protest remained peaceful yet tense throughout.

The city council meeting proceeded normally, uninterrupted, as protestors silently walked in circles through the chambers. At one point the train of demonstrators snaked its way through the library as well.

The week before, at the April 20 city council meeting, S.A.F.E. member Bryce Phillips was ejected from the proceedings during public comments. Mayor Krakowiak ordered King County deputies to remove Phillips as he spoke about instances of police brutality against the homeless.

Children’s Clothing Donations Needed in May
Neighborhood House High Point Family Center
6400 Sylvan Way S.W.
Donations of clean, new or used children’s clothing (sizes Preemie/NB to 7T ONLY) are needed for a Children’s Clothing Give Away to be held Sat., June 6. Drop off times are Monday’s & Wednesday’s between 11-12:30 p.m. or Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. at the Family Center. For alternate arrangements, with the potential to pick up large donations, contact Megan: 206.588.4900 or megand@nhwa.org. Children’s book donations will be accepted on the day of the event ONLY. All left over clothing will be donated to The West Seattle Clothesline (wshelpline.org/our-programs/the-clothesline/).

Mother’s Day Event “Art in the Garden”
Village Green Perennial Nursery
10223 26th Ave. SW
Sun., May 10, 12:30-3:30 p.m. Take Mom to celebrate spring and enjoy complimentary fare of home baked scones, seasonal teas and spritzers, and salads of wild edibles, and enjoy a one woman “Art in the Garden” show by local artist Sheila Lengle. Enjoy a walk through the beautiful gardens.

By Tim Clifford

Coffee with an assault charge
Putting a new twist on the “customer service survey” one irate customer is facing a potential assault charge after going off on a store manager at the Starbuck’s located at 4408 S.W. Fauntleroy WY. The incident occurred just before 6:30 p.m. on April 27.

The suspect had become agitated after his coffee order took too long to deliver and demanded that the cashier get him a manager to speak with. When the manager came out the suspect launched into an obscenity laced tirade about the service.

When the manager told the suspect he wouldn’t talk to him further if he was going to use profanity the suspect took the lid off his hot coffee and splashed it in the victim’s face. The victim described the pain as only being temporary with the coffee no longer hot enough to scold him. At that point the suspect went outside and hopped in his car.

By Pat Cashman

I’ve often wondered if Lincoln were alive today, what TV shows would he watch? After all, he’d probably prefer the relative safety of watching the tube at home---to attending the theater.

The Cartoon Channel and Nick, Jr. probably wouldn’t be his bag since Abe would be 209 years old by now. That pretty much leaves re-runs of Daniel Boone, Matlock and Larry King.

Or late-night infomercials for those walk-in bathtubs.

Perhaps Honest Abe would occasionally tune in ESPN---and if he did he might have been watching the same show I did last week. It was a film about the history of Boston Celtics basketball.

Incidentally, you might think such history programs would be found on the History Channel. In fact the History Channel these days has about as much to do with history anymore, as MTV has to do with music.

However, if you’re interested in the pawn business, cool cars or UFO’s, the History Channel is the ticket.)
In the midst of the Boston Celtics’ film, my wife looked up casually and said, “I saw that guy at Costco yesterday.”
“What guy?” I asked.

Saturday, May 2
Boys soccer
Mt. Rainier 3, Todd Beamer 1
Mount Rainier ran its South Puget Sound League Northwest Division-leading record to 8-4-1 with Saturday's win ahead of the 6-2-4 mark of Thomas Jefferson.

Baseball
Tyee 14, Evergreen 3
Tyee's Totems trounced the Wolverines in Seamount League action Saturday.

Friday, May 1
Baseball
Kentwood 5, Mt. Rainier 4
The Rams came up short in SPSL Northwest action Friday.
Kennedy 12, Tyee 2
Kennedy remains in a Tyee with Hazen for first in the Seamount after Friday's win.
Lindbergh 10, Foster 6
Foster fell short against the Eagles on Friday.
SCS 13, Bellevue Christian 7
Seattle Christian School outslugged Bellevue Christian in Nisqually League action Friday.

Fastpitch
Highline 15, Evergreen 0
Highline had a big day against the Wolverines on Friday at the plate and on the mound.
Lindbergh 17, Foster 2
The Bulldogs were buried by Lindbergh on Friday.
West Seattle 12, Blanchet 0
Blanchet became the latest victim of the Wildcats this past Friday.

Boys soccer
Highline 1, Foster 0
Highline blanked the Bulldogs on Friday.

There wasn't a whole lot to say, nice, about the final score of the game, for Evergreen, or, for its fans, after all was said and done, versus Highline, a loss, 21-0, but, play-wise, looking past that big number, the Wolverines accounted for several nice plays, defensively, on their home diamond, Friday.

"Honestly, we had high expectations at the beginning of the season," said Wolverines head coach, AJ Mathews, who coaches with assistant, Verl Jones. "But, things didn't go like we wanted. We still held the players accountable during the season for character and work ethic."

And, no where was that more apparent than the Wolverines' team playing hard all the way through this big loss, inning by inning. With the runs, hits, for the Pirates, compounding, the Wolverines kept fighting to make plays.

The Wolverines' record, 0-12, explains they won't be making the playoffs, as, their season finishes up, first, with a game against visiting Tyee at noon, on May 1, and, then, another home game, against Kennedy Catholic, at 3:30 PM, on May 4.