White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Check out the new logo at jubileedays.org – and they’ve even started a Twitter account.

Reporter Kathy Mulady covered the Town Hall held by State Sen. Joe McDermott (photo left), Rep. Eileen Cody and Rep. Sharon Nelson for us – you can see her story and more photos at partner site West Seattle Blog.

Thanks to James Bush from the office of King County Council Chair Dow Constantine for sharing photos from today’s big White Center Cleanup – we also have a reporter covering the cleanup and legislative Town Hall on behalf of White Center Now and West Seattle Blog and will have more later. Above, that’s Constantine welcoming the group just after 9 this morning; next two photos, 34th District Democrats reps hit the street, followed by Constantine pulling weeds:

If you have photos, we’d love to add yours too – whitecenternow@gmail.com – thanks!

Even if you didn’t make the registration deadline, you can still show up tomorrow and pitch in.

Just in from King County Council:

Proposed annexation by Burien of southern portion of
North Highline placed on August ballot

Residents of unincorporated urban community to decide if they want to join city

Residents of unincorporated King County who live in the southern portion of the North Highline community will have a chance to decide if they want to join the city of Burien, after the King County Council today placed an annexation proposal on the August 18 primary ballot.

“This is a historic day for North Highline. We have discussed and debated governance issues for this area since I joined this Council in 2002 and we will finally have the opportunity for the voters to weigh in,” said Council Chair Dow Constantine, sponsor of the legislation and representative of Council District Eight, which includes all of North Highline. “This proposal is the product of a lot of hard work by the city of Burien, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, King County, and many citizens in the annexation area.”

The Burien annexation proposal has been approved by the Washington State Boundary Review Board of King County, and negotiations have been completed regarding the continued provision of fire protection services in the area.

The proposed annexation area is bordered by the city of Seattle on the west, South and Southwest 128th streets on the south, the city of Tukwila on the east, and on the north by a boundary variously formed by South and Southwest 107th to 116th streets. It contains 1,679 acres of land with an assessed valuation of $1.16 billion and an estimated population of 14,100.

This ordinance instructs the King County Director of Elections to prepare and distribute a local voters’ pamphlet with information about the annexation proposal to registered voters in the affected portion of North Highline.

It’s just a few miles north of White Center but you might be interested: All are invited to an event today at the Vietnamese Cultural Center on SW Orchard just north of Home Depot (west of Delridge) – home to the sculpture shown above (as featured in this West Seattle Blog story last year):

We are observing Memorial Day on May 9th to honor the 50,000 American soldiers who died fighting for freedom in Vietnam. Annually, the Vietnamese American Community gather around April 30th to remember the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War. We invite you to join us in our traditional memorial ceremony this year.

So says King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson John Urquhart, who also said the woman who was brought, dead, to Roxbury Safeway yesterday was 46 years old. Here’s the update posted on our partner site West Seattle Blog.

King County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating right now; KCSO tells us the body was brought to the store by two men – no evidence so far of whether a crime was or wasn’t involved. Here’s what we have written about it on partner site West Seattle Blog.

When we published news yesterday of White Center’s state legislators holding a town hall meeting here Saturday morning, May 16, commenters asked why they had scheduled it concurrent with the big cleanup. They’ve now added participation to their plan, according to this revised news release we just received:

May 5, 2009

34th District lawmakers invite citizens to town hall meeting and White Center Clean up

McDermott, Cody and Nelson will take questions and talk about issues of the day before going to the White Center Spring Clean up

SEATTLE — All three lawmakers from the 34th Legislative District will host a
town hall meeting to talk about the 2009 session and what future steps our state should
take.

“It certainly has been a difficult session where we were forced to make some
very tough decisions. I think people have questions that they want answered, and this
will be a great opportunity for that to happen,” Sen. Joe McDermott, D-West Seattle,
said. “Knowing how our district feels will help us as we plan the future.”

The meeting is set for 10 a.m. May 16 at the Jim Wiley Community Center, 9800
Eighth Avenue SW in White Center.

“After 105 days away, it’s always good to come home and hear what our
neighbors are thinking,” Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, said. “We know our district
well, but it’s always a good thing to learn more.”

The legislators plan to volunteer at the White Center Spring Clean Up following
the town hall. The Clean Up is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16. More
information can be found by calling (206) 694-1082 or emailing info@wccda.org.

“We hope that people come to the event after they spend some time volunteering
at the Spring Clean Up, or come with us after we’ve completed the town hall,” Rep.
Sharon Nelson, D-Vashon Island, said. “This is combination of events of a terrific
example of an engaged citizenry.”

This update just in from Pasado’s Safe Haven regarding Scatt, the Cross Church cat that survived a vicious attack:

Scatt reunited with Jennifer the Pastor’s wife

We are so happy to announce that Scatt was released from vet care Thursday, April 28th and is now living with The Cross Church Pastor and his Wife at their home.

“Scatt is home and doing well… He is “perched” near a window, where he can see out and have the sunshine on his stitches. He has had antibiotics, pain meds and warm packs -doing great- he also is eating and drinking a lot… AMEN!”

Meantime, Scatt’s accused attacker is due in court this Wednesday. Full details, and a new photo, on the Pasado’s Safe Haven website.

If you haven’t heard of them via our partner site West Seattle Blog, or elsewhere, here are quick notes:

DINING OUT FOR LIFE ON THURSDAY: More than 100 restaurants all over Seattle are participating in this fundraiser for Lifelong AIDS Alliance this Thursday — and as of a few days ago, so is White Center’s own Full Tilt Ice Cream. Participants in West Seattle include the not-so-far-away Eats Market Cafe in Westwood Village. Full list of Seattle-area participants can be found here.

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FESTIVAL: White Center will be representing in this festival 10 am-3 pm in the West Seattle Junction (44th/Alaska, across from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market). For one, McLendon Hardware is exhibiting. Lots of other familiar people and organizations will be there too – check out the schedule and program online – start here.

WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: The West Seattle Blog table at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival is the first place you can pick up a map for this giant day of shopping all over West Seattle (including more than a few sales in places very close to White Center, such as Roxhill Elementary). The big day is Saturday, May 9th, 9 am-3 pm, with more than 180 sales that will be appearing on the map – available online at westseattlegaragesale.com right after the festival.

The county’s been adding to this page throughout the day and evening – find the latest links to what you need to know by going here. (Tons of links from the left-side navigation – even the county’s pandemic-response plan.) As reported earlier today on partner site West Seattle Blog, the County Council was told at their special midday briefing today that there’s no need to panic — and no cases reported in our state so far; one bit of perspective — REGULAR flu kills 35,000 Americans each year. So far, no deaths in our country are linked to this new outbreak.

So says Pasado’s Safe Haven, which posted an online update the other day to say that Scatt may be able to return soon to his home at White Center’s Cross Church; the update also includes the latest on the man accused of viciously attacking him – read the latest details here.

From King County Public Health:

Asian Bubble Tea located at 9835 16th Ave SW … was closed by a Public Health food inspector on Friday, April 24, 2009 at 11:30 am for operating without a valid food business permit.

(WCCSC’s Kathy Kaminski takes notes as King County PAO Dan Satterberg addresses the group)
By Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for White Center Now

Tuesday night, King County Prosecuting Attorney — and Highline High School graduate — Dan Satterberg visited the White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting at St. James Place to “talk about what you want to talk about,” as he put it in his opening statement to the approximately 20 attendees.

As he began his talk, which was similar to the one he presented to the Rotary Club of West Seattle in March (covered by partner site West Seattle Blog), he discussed the effectiveness of an ongoing crackdown on car thefts.

Read the rest of this entry »

Help Highline School District decide budget cuts!

The district is asking for community help to prioritize funding. Highline Public Schools and our school board will be holding a series of meetings this week for the expressed purpose of gathering community input and your voices about the cuts we will surely endure next year. I strongly encourage you to come to one of these events to have your priorities heard and thoughts expressed to the school board and the district. This is the best venue to do that. The dates are:

· Thursday, 6 – 8 pm, 4/23 at Pacific Middle School

· Saturday, 9 – 11 am, 4/25 at Hazel Valley Elementary

· Monday, 6 – 8  pm, 4/27 at Evergreen Campus

More information is on the district website at http://www.hsd401.org/ .Furthermore, there is a direct link to an electronic “drop box” you can send messages to as well.

White Center schools struggle to meet student needs under the current budget. Further cuts will have significant effects on our community. Please remember our local schools:

New Start Alternative High School @ Salmon Creek

Evergreen High School

Cascade Middle School

White Center Heights Elementary

Mount View Elementary

The vote is on, as noted in this item from this morning’s city of Burien newsletter – the final action by the Boundary Review Board was a followup to the public hearing in Tukwila that we covered March 30th:

North Highline Annexation Headed for Ballot

The City of Burien’s proposed annexation of a southern portion of North Highline is headed toward a vote of residents who live in the proposed annexation area. The proposed annexation cleared a major hurdle April 16 when it was approved by the Boundary Review Board of King County. Next, the City of Burien will work with King County to place it on the August 18 ballot. The measure requires a simple majority for passage. If approved, the annexation will take effect in early 2010. To see a map or to determine if you live in the proposed annexation area, visit the City of Burien website at www.burienwa.gov/annexation, or call 206-241-4647.

It’s become a monthly tradition – and tonight’s your chance to check it out again: The White Center for the Arts open studio tour, 5-10 pm.

Come and meet PI Journalist and social media maven, Monica Guzman and other members of the BigBlog to discuss the state of journalism at Cafe Rozella this Wednesday (April 22nd) at 5:30 p.m.  Event is free.  We are located at 9434 Delridge Way S.W.  (just north of Roxbury – next to Center Tool Rental).  Meet some great people and journalists.