Tonight at 6 pm at Dubsea Coffee in Greenbridge (9910 8th SW), it’s your next chance to find out about annexation, with four months to go till the November vote. And the City of Burien has announced the next three dates/locations. From the city website:
August 23: White Center Food Bank, 10829 8th Ave SW, 6 pm
September 13: Beverly Park Elementary School, cafeteria, 1201 S. 104th Street, 6 pm
And as noted previously, the city also will have a booth at the Jubilee Days street festival on Saturday, July 21st:
Staff will be there 10 am – 8 pm to answer questions and pass out informational brochures including copies in Spanish, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Somali.
W.C. Chamber of Commerce proudly invites you to attend our first-ever summer luncheon on Tuesday, July 17th, noon-1:30 pm, at Mac’s Triangle Pub, 9454 Delridge Way SW, for a lively discussion of current events, announcements, and resolutions. Please join us and share this information with those who care to learn about and become involved with our vibrant community. We look forward to your presence!
P.S. A drawing of prizes will occur at the end of the meeting’s agenda. Prizes welcome — bring your coveted items and gift certificates to add a little fun and excitement!
July 8th, 2012 Tracy Posted in Utilities, White Center newsComments Off on White Center weekend scene: Accidental geyser near Zippy’s
A text alerted us to an unexpected geyser in the Zippy’s Giant Burgers parking lot along 14th SW this afternoon … the folks we talked to there said some sort of power problem was involved. But for a while, it was just the thing for a warm summer afternoon … a temporary spray park!
(Photos by WCN editor Tracy Record) FIRST REPORT, 4:50 AM: 1st Avenue South is closed at 112th in Top Hat (map) as King County Sheriff’s Office investigators work to sort out a two-car crash involving a KCSO deputy. TV crews got there before we did, so you’re likely to see live coverage during the morning newscasts; KING 5 reports that both the deputy and the other car’s driver – who they say tried to flee the scene – were taken to Harborview Medical Center. While we were at the scene, investigators from the Major Accident Response and Reconstruction unit were using this SUV for high-speed, sudden-braking investigatory runs:
We hope to get an update on the deputy’s condition a bit later this morning.
5:33 AM UPDATE: Jake Whittenberg from KING reports via Twitter that 1st S. has reopened. The damaged cars were towed around 5.
4:23 PM UPDATE: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says the injured deputy is a sergeant, and that he was southbound on 1st Avenue South when the northbound suspect “made an abrupt left turn in front of our sergeant,” who suffered a concussion and cut to the head, and was released from the hospital after treatment including stitches. She confirms the suspect was booked for investigation of vehicular assault, and adds, “Alcohol was involved.”
Village Green Perennial Nursery, sponsor of this year’s White Center Garden Tour, sends word that the map is available! The tour is part of White Center Jubilee Days; it’s free, self-guided, and coming up on July 15th – 10 am to 4 pm – just one week from this Sunday. The map includes locations in south West Seattle as well as White Center; download it here, and/or pick up a copy at locations including Village Green, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and Proletariat Pizza. P.S. The Garden Tour has a Facebook page; see it here.
Some of your downtown White Center favorites are taking a break this holiday – like Full Tilt Ice Cream and Proletariat Pizza – but Caffe Delia, which operates inside the Proletariat storefront in the pre-pizza hours, is open for coffee today: 9 am-1 pm.
July 3rd, 2012 Tracy Posted in North Highline UAC, White Center newsComments Off on Reminder: North Highline Unincorporated Area Council’s NOT meeting
A reminder from North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Barbara Dobkin – NHUAC is *not* meeting this month, so if you show up at the fire station on Thursday night, you won’t find anybody but, well, the Fire Department crew. You will, however, find NHUAC at the Jubilee Days street fair!
July 2nd, 2012 Tracy Posted in Holidays, White Center newsComments Off on White Center scene: Rainbow Girls’ fireworks stand
If this turns out to be the last 4th of July for fireworks sales in White Center – since fireworks are banned in Burien – the local International Order of the Rainbow for Girls will have to find something to replace it; the fireworks stand is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Theirs is the stand at 16th and 100th, and they’ll be open till 9 pm on the 4th of July.
Thanks to the person who texted our 24-hour number (206-293-6302) to report this – a truck that went through a fence and partway down an embankment kitty-corner from the Shorewood Market at 26th and 106th. A King County Sheriff’s Deputy at the scene told us that nobody was hurt seriously enough to have to go to the hospital; they’re investigating it as a possible hit-and-run.
No major traffic trouble – the tow truck was already there when we arrived, ready to pull out the truck.
June 30th, 2012 Tracy Posted in Arts, White Center newsComments Off on New art installation at Luso Food and Wine in White Center
Local artist RobRoy Chalmers sent word he has just installed a new “Swarm” at Luso Food and Wine in White Center. He explains his work here. But as is the case with many artworks, the photos only hint at what it’s like – nothing compares to a firsthand viewing.
To see his work in person, stop by Luso at 9988 15th SW.
Still a story in progress, but within the past hour, a TV helicopter was over White Center/Highland Park, and answered a question via Twitter that it was checking out an “unconfirmed marijuana bust.” King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West confirms that a search-warrant operation is in progress but was still gathering information, so we hope to have details a bit later.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: Sgt. West says a search warrant was served in the 9600 block of 16 SW: “Once we got into the place, we found that it was a Medical Marijuana grow. Deputies said that the place was ‘semi-compliant.’ The issue was they had more plants than permissible. Deputies said they are working with the owner to bring them up to compliance. No arrests were made.”
Though the date hasn’t been widely publicized yet, we’ve confirmed that a fireworks show will again be part of Jubilee Days this year – we were wondering, while writing our previous report about personal-fireworks laws, and Justin from Full Tilt Ice Cream confirms the show will be at dusk July 18th, opening night of the carnival. (Here’s our coverage from last year.)
Whether you love them, hate them, or don’t care about them, it’s notable that this might be the last 4th of July with legal personal fireworks in White Center and the rest of unincorporated North Highline, since they are illegal in Burien (as they are in Seattle), and if annexation is approved in November, it may be in effect by this time next year. We are reminded of this because the annual week of pre-4th sales is days away; by county law (as outlined here), stands can open at noon June 28th – this coming Thursday – and can be open 9 am-11 pm daily thereafter, through July 4th. However, fireworks can only be used on the 4th itself.
If you couldn’t make it to tonight’s first White Center informational session about November’s North Highline vote on Burien annexation – you can watch our video of the entire hour-long meeting, starting with the introduction by Burien city staffer Nhan Nguyen, describing it as a homecoming of sorts, since he worked previously for the WC Community Development Association.
Some toplines:
Most of the basic information was presented by Burien’s city manager Mike Martin, who said that if annexation is approved by a majority of North Highline voters in November, the area could be part of his city by this time next year. What would that mean? He addressed a variety of points – as well as what it would NOT mean. Referring to the sudden appearance of a raised divider down 16th SW in the heart of downtown WC, and a short-lived county proposal to sell Puget Sound Park, he declared, “We don’t do things that way.” He also touted Burien’s permit process as much better than what unincorporated-area residents and businesses have had to deal with through King County.
The first audience question answered by Martin was a pointed one: What would happen to the marijuana dispensaries in the North Highline area if it’s annexed? Burien doesn’t allow them, replied Martin (as he has said at previous community meetings); joining the meeting later, Police Chief Scott Kimerer addressed the topic again, saying that state and federal laws would be enforced – and acknowledging they may change. He also said that White Center would retain its law-enforcement storefront.
Martin sought to reassure White Center/North Highline residents and businesspeople on hand that they respect and appreciate WC’s unique character and don’t want to change it, but instead, just to support it. He also had harsh words for Burien residents who oppose annexing White Center and vicinity, calling them “small-minded and mean-spirited.” One concern that was raised about the annexation plan: Burien resident Chestine Edgar sought to challenge the issue of how much money Burien would get from the state sales-tax credit made available for annexation situations like this.
As first reported here earlier this week, the second informational meeting in White Center is scheduled for July 12th at Dubsea Coffee in Greenbridge … and Nguyen told tonight’s audience that Burien will have a presence at Jubilee Days (July 21-22) to answer questions and provide information.
Meantime, Burien’s info page – including the official FAQ in five languages, among other resources – can be found here. Our archive of WCN annexation coverage, newest to oldest, is here.
June 21st, 2012 Tracy Posted in Transportation, White Center newsComments Off on South Delridge parking change proposed in Seattle ‘rechannelization’ plan
On partner site West Seattle Blog, we just published a story that includes information of interest for the Delridge Triangle just across the line from White Center: The Seattle Department of Transportation is planning to “rechannelize” Delridge from SW Orchard southward, when it’s repaved/resurfaced next year. That would include a parking change in the last block – SDOT proposes changing the head-in angle parking to back-in angle parking. (Asked if that would include a road divider like the controversial one a block south in WC, SDOT reps only said they didn’t have anything like that anywhere in the city right now.) You can read the full story here.
