March 2017

The Highline Times news partner Q13 Fox News provided content for this story

A game of Russian roulette led to the death of a Donovan Spann, 18, in White Center Friday night, March 10 and now a 17-year-old Burien boy is in jail.

Investigators say he shot and killed his best friend.

King County sheriff’s deputies said the 17-year-old was house-sitting for a man who gave him the gun to defend the property from burglars.

The homeowner, George Firis, said he thought he could trust the boy to not treat his gun like a toy.

Firis said he didn’t find out about the shooting until he got out of the hospital last weekend. Before the shooting on Friday, Firis said he admitted himself to a hospital to treat an alcohol addiction.

Deputies said they got a call to 911 Friday evening saying the 18-year-old had been shot.

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As West Seattle changes before our very eyes it's worth knowing that change is, and has been constant here. One very interesting way to look back is to take a visual tour through the Seattle Municipal Archives and see what things used to look like. The pace of development has of course been much faster in recent years with the number of apartments increasing at a rate never seen before in the community.

Visit the archives here and check out addresses near you that you know.

If you'd like to see us present before and after images in a regular feature, let us know in the comments.

The second annual Junction Day of Giving is set for Saturday, April 29. A fundraising event, it pairs local Junction businesses their favorite nonprofits to benefit a variety of important causes.

Lora Swift, Manager of the Junction Merchants Association said, "This event came about in response to the desire of our local businesses to have a day to celebrate the spirit of “neighbors helping neighbors” that is so prevalent in West Seattle. Within The Junction business community, there is a profound sense that giving back is the right thing to do. Many Junction businesses already actively contribute to local nonprofits and community initiatives throughout the year – both financially and through volunteer hours."

“We are continually surprised and humbled by the support our community extends to us, and want to give back in whatever way we can to say thanks and support others,” said owner John Smersh of Click! Design That Fits.

Roommate, armed and dangerous
A 58 year-old Burien man was arrested for shooting his roommate early in the morning on Monday, March 6 at their house, located on the 13000 block of Occidental Ave S. The victim, a 38 year-old man, was taken to Harborview with at least one gunshot wound to the head. The case is under investigation, and the suspect was booked into the King County Jail.

Kicking in the front door
Just before 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, a woman residing on the 2700 block of S 125 Place was robbed. The suspect kicked open her front door and stole a number of pieces of jewelry, as well as $3,000 cash. Armed Robbery at Shorewood Grocer
Three males robbed Shorewood Grocer, 10455 26 Ave SW, at gunpoint around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. The suspects stole money and fled in an unknown direction.

Burglary at Goodwill
A suspect broke into the window at Goodwill, 1031 SW 128 St. to steal bicycles. The commercial burglary was reported at 2 a.m. on Friday, March 3.

Shooting among the strikes and spares

Ribbon cutting celebrated the opening of the Lake to Sound TrailOn Friday March 10, King County, City of SeaTac and Burien leaders celebrated with a ribbon cutting the completion of the first segment of the Lake to Sound Trail, which will connect communities from the southern end of Lake Washington to Puget Sound in south King County:
The ceremony highlighted the completion of the first 1.5-mile-long segment of King County’s Lake to Sound Trail – a 16-mile-long non-motorized recreational corridor. The trail provides an alternative to motorized transportation for walkers, runners, commuters and others, stretching from Renton at the southern end of Lake Washington to Puget Sound in Des Moines.

The upcoming trip for 70 hard-working Ballard High musicians is a dream coming true.

The Ballard High Wind Ensemble will be appearing at the Sterrn Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on April 11th, 2017. Carnegie Hall is the World’s Most Famous Performance Venue and it is a thrill for the Ballard Wind Ensemble to have been selected to play on that stage. The group was accepted into the “New York International Music Festival” through a competitive audition process and is one of eight ensembles chosen to perform at this particular festival. They will be able to listen to and interact with students from all over the world throughout the festival. Other ensembles selected to perform include the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra from Australia, the Gwent Youth Wind Orchestra from Wales, the Los Angeles Children’s Orchestra and the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Choirs.

By Lindsay Peyton

Corporations and companies are not the only ones rebranding these days. Sometimes, a city needs to freshen up its identity, too.

The City of Burien has been at work livening up its brand for the past couple of years.

“The Burien of 1993 is not the same Burien of 2017,” communications officer Emily Inlow-Hood said. “We’ve changed as a city; so it’s time to change our look.”

City Council approved a new logo during its Feb. 27 meeting – selecting a refreshed, more contemporary version of the existing one.

Chris Craig, economic development specialist for the city, presented design options and background for the rebranding effort to the council earlier.

“A brand is not just a logo or a slogan or a color,” he said. “A brand is who you are. It’s the total sum of words, images and associations that form perceptions and can help distinguish one city from another.

”Craig added that Burien’s brand should be “true, meaningful and memorable."

“It should also be aspirational,” he said. “It’s a little about who you are -- and where you’re headed and who you want to be.

By Peggy Sturdivant

“I wish I wasn’t going away too,” Mark Vrieling, owner of Rain City Video said, hearing yet another customer lament the closing of the 32nd NW location. The Vrielings started Rain City Video 29 years ago and have outlasted most rental businesses that had aa storefront.

And what a beloved storefront…from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily the Sunset Hill location has been a neighborhood destination since 1990. Snow days, rainy nights, the all-important “Two for One” nights and the joy of having punches remaining. It is a mainstay, a crutch during flu season and break-ups, a meeting place for singles and even dogs, with a depth of selection that crosses decades, continents and all genres. “Never a rainy day,” boasts the mural on the north side.

“Go get a damn video,” Kim Paxton at Walter’s told her daughter when she was growing up in the neighborhood. It was the perfect excuse to get out of the house, (or get someone out of the house), and the envy of anyone who didn’t live within walking distance of one of the best-stocked video stores in the country (even when they were plentiful).

Family members of murder victim Timothy Hovey are offering $10,000 for information that will lead to an arrest and conviction of a suspect in the case. Hovey, 27, was shot on September 4th after he walked away from a party at a house in the area of S128th St and 22nd Ave S. (Case#C16045227)

Timothy Hovey was a JBLM soldier who was a month from deploying when he was shot and killed. Hovey had been at the party with friends when he decided to go for a walk. His friends found him a couple of blocks away lying on the side of the road with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at Harborview Hospital.

In addition to the $10,000 offered by the family, Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 for information that will help solve the case. If you have information about this case you can call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 or you can remain anonymous and call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

Sergeant Cindi West
King County Sheriff's Office
Media Relations
Cell-206-255-0778
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