White Center Now: The blog about White Center

In case you didn’t see it on channel 5 news tonight – they followed up on the King County budget story (reported here earlier) by coming to White Center for this report, which includes a couple soundbites from White Center Now‘s own FullTilt!

As reported on our partner site West Seattle Blog yesterday, the proposed Seattle jail site closest to White Center, on Myers Way South, is now off the list – but the Highland Park Way/Marginal Way site is still under consideration. Here’s the WSB report. Meantime, you can get the latest on the site search and next steps from the community group that’s been leading the campaign against a new city jail, the Highland Park Action Committee (whose coverage area includes what you might call the “West Seattle side of White Center”) – join them at 7 pm Monday, Highland Park Improvement Club, 11th/SW Holden (map). You can also read up on all the city documentation in what is now a regional search (Seattle has joined with north-end and eastside cities) at a new website: www.necmunicipaljail.org.

The announcement isn’t yet on the county website but we’ve posted it at partner site West Seattle Blog – County Council members are now proposing a plan they say would save ALL the storefronts and public-health centers, among other things. Read the full details here.

Apropos of nothing particularly local, Google has teamed up with Time Life to put classic Life photographs on line.    The archives are literally endless and include all the classics as well as many more obscure photos.  Here is a taste  of some of the photos that you will find in their archive.  The photos are from Google’s Time Life collection and are reprinted from the website:

Seattle

Browsing is free.

Click pic to play video

(video of potato-unloading, added 2:28 pm – more to come)
The truck was a bit late so it happened more like noon than the originally predicted 11 am. Even two and a half tons of potatoes will go fast – so your help for the White Center Food Bank is still needed – online donations are great; make ’em here. ADDED 4:50 PM: 11th District Rep. Bob Hasegawa was a big part of making this happen, and he was there for the arrival – he talked with us and the regional TV crews who were there:

This just in from Grace Church (10323 28th SW):

“A huge thank you to our neighbors in West Seattle and White Center! Last Saturday, November 15, Food Drives were held at the Jefferson Square and Roxbury Safeway stores and generous Safeway shoppers donated more than 65 boxes of food, over $1200 in cash and gift cards, and 102 turkeys for both the White Center and West Seattle Food Banks. And many thanks to Dave and Curt, the Safeway managers who welcomed us and assisted in set-up of the Food Drives.

UPDATE: We got word from Grace that the turkey total actually turned out to be 189!

Tomorrow morning, the White Center Food Bank gets a very special delivery at a time when it’s desperately needed: More than two tons of potatoes from Hirai Farms in Moses Lake will be delivered directly to WCFB, before another 15 tons are trucked over to a Kent warehouse that serves many other food banks in the area. Here are more details from a news release sent out by local legislators and shared by WCFB’s Rick Jump:

“Those in our community who are struggling to feed themselves and their families will get a break thanks to this generous donation. While these are hard times for everybody, the fact that the potatoes will be delivered just a week before Thanksgiving, makes it even more special,” said Rep. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle, 11th Legislative District), who was the liaison between the farm on the eastside and the food bank in western Washington. “It all began this summer when I was part of a business tour and Blaine Hirai and I got to talking about doing something to help folks in need on this side of the mountains.”

Blaine Hirai, a Washington State farmer who is active in several charitable causes and organizations, has done significant work to address issues involving the educational, nutritional and housing needs of minority and disadvantaged communities in Washington State. He has become a strong advocate of helping to provide the necessary elements and opportunities to those who have been deprived or have been placed in unfortunate circumstances.

“In today’s economic climate, it is getting increasingly difficult for many people to feed their families. When Rep. Bob Hasegawa told me that the White Center Food Bank needed food, I felt that as a farmer it was important I do something to help. I am happy to work with our state legislators to make this critical donation of potatoes,” said Hirai, whose strong family tradition of giving back to local communities in the Pacific Northwest is made possible through Hirai Farms and their non-profit charitable organization, Annie’s Fun.

“During these challenging economic times, more and more families in my district are turning to food banks to make ends meet. Meanwhile, it is harder for working families to make the charitable contributions to worthy organizations like the White Center Food Bank and Northwest Harvest,” said Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-West Seattle, 34th Legislative District). “I am extremely pleased that Hirai Farms has chosen to help meet this huge need in our community.”

Rick Jump, White Center Food Bank Executive Director said that in just one year there has been a 70 percent increase in the number of families they serve, “so this will make a huge impact in the community; a donation of this magnitude makes a serious difference and we’re very grateful.”

The White Center Food Bank’s mission is to minimize hunger while nourishing community, nurturing self-reliance and embracing the area’s rich cultural diversity. It has been helping out people in need for over three decades and currently serves more than 1,200 hungry families each month. In 2007, it provided enough food for more than 53,000 individuals including 21,000 children under the age of 18.

Northwest Harvest is Washington’s own statewide hunger relief agency. It secures 18 million pounds of nutritious food each year for distribution to nearly 300 food programs across the state, serving 36 of Washington State’s 39 counties.

You can help the White Center Food Bank any time with an online donation – follow the links on its website at whitecenterfoodbank.org.

With Burien’s proposal to annex part of the North Highline area back on a somewhat fast track, the city has just set dates for two more annexation open houses: One in Shorewood in January, one in Boulevard Park in February.

Here are the details:

ANNEXATION OPEN HOUSE IN SHOREWOOD
6:30-8 pm January 6, 2009
Shorewood Elementary School (map)
More info

ANNEXATION OPEN HOUSE IN BOULEVARD PARK
6:30-8 pm February 12, 2009
Boulevard Park Library (map)

Burien’s annexation-info page is back online too after a recent city website redesign, though some of its information does not appear quite up to date yet.

What you see above is just part of the haul that the West Seattle chapter of CoolMom.org has collected for its first-ever Toy Swap and Sale, happening Saturday at the Camp Long Lodge in WS (map) — proceeds benefit White Center-based WestSide Baby as well as the West Seattle Food Bank and CoolMom (whose organizers say, “We have gotten some great items – bikes, trikes, and push toys; puzzles & games; barbies; baby gear, music, art, and other developmental activities; lots of brand names and much much more!”). The “swap” aspect of this involves donations of toys made over the past few weeks (each donor got a $5 sale credit for each bag of toys); tomorrow, it’s all about the sale, 9 am-1 pm. (By the way, you can help WestSide Baby any time with an online $ donation — right from this page.) Here’s where you’re going, courtesy of Google Street View:

Reminder that Thursday night’s when Detective Joe Gagliardi is giving another one of his popular and thorough gang-awareness presentations – and you can get the full benefit by driving a few miles south — read on for details provided by the city of Burien: Read the rest of this entry »

We’re watching the approaching storm for White Center as well as West Seattle – one of the newest developments is a wind advisory that’ll take effect in the metro area at 10 pm tonight; read about it here.

Want to know what’s new with Park Lake II? The King County Housing Authority has a meeting planned at 6 pm Thursday, community room of the Nia Apartments (that’s the building that filled within days of its recent opening; 9935 8th SW in Greenbridge). Topics: Update on the “revitalization plan” for Park Lake II, and a discussion of its environmental review. Here’s the Google Street View of where you’ll be going for the meeting:

(You can click inside the Google Street View image and drag the cursor around to pan the image, without leaving this page!)

For the first time in a few months, we were unable to send a White Center Now rep to cover North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s regular meeting last night. We asked council member Heidi Johnson if she could share highlights, and we are grateful to her for agreeing to share a few notes: Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight we are proud to host Bill Horist and special guests The Marmits.

Bill is an improv artist that has played with diverse artists such as the Nortek Collective, Maktub, and  Acid Mothers Temple. Borrowing from jazz, rock, noise and classical.

Show starts at 8 pm and is of course free.

http://www.myspace.com/marmits

http://www.myspace.com/billhorist

Salmon Creek Park Will Be Beautiful Once Again

Salmon Creek Park SW 118^th and 8^th Ave SW, Burien WA 98146

Saturday November 8^th from 10am-2pm

Come one come all, help out a good cause and have some fun! On November 8^th we will be planting native plants in Salmon Creek Park to help restore its natural beauty. We are also planting some smaller plants at the school itself to help them along until they are ready to be moved to the park. So grab your gloves and rain gear and come have a great time with us!

This event is part of the New Start High School Native Plant Nursery project, along with King County and the Seattle Conservation Association.

New Start School at Salmon Creek

Phone: 206-433-8760

Contact Ann Magyar magyarac@hsd401.org with any questions.

From Evergreen High School‘s football director Alfred Johnson (thanks so much to Alfred for keeping us updated on the team and the schedule, once we made contact around midseason):

This Friday, 11/07/08, The Wolverines will play their last Home game of the season.
They will be facing Bremerton High School, 7:30 pm @ Highline Stadium. This is called a “Pigtail Game.” Why? I dunno, but it gives the boys one more shot at a victory.

Get out and cheer them on tomorrow night.

Click pic to play video

That’s County Executive Ron Sims, with brief informal comments about President-Elect Obama‘s victory, during this morning’s dedication of the YWCA Learning Center and new King County Library branch at Greenbridge. Here are the kids to whom he referred — White Center Heights Elementary School students who sang “Library Boogie” at the event:

Click pic to play video

As for the actual ribboncutting, we’ll add that visual in a bit. Meantime, you are welcome at an open house at the new facility, happening all day long, with special events including Story Time for kids 2-6, 1:45-2:45 pm. It’s in the 9700 block of 8th SW, just south of Roxbury (map).

King County says this is it, the last in-person election. So for the 1 in 3 who still votes that way, here’s all the info you need. We will post pictures and info throughout the day and night, but you can help by sharing White Center scenes: whitecenternow@gmail.com … the King County Votes website is promising to chronicle the grand finale of in-person voting, too. ADDED 12:06 PM: Voting photos from White Center Heights Elementary, still crowded five hours after voting began:

We even spotted a couple of apparent Republicans who didn’t appear eligible to vote:

Will check to find out more – two tips about a robbery/police activity at the Shorewood Grocery on 26th SW (map). We’re on the way there to see what we can find out. More when we get it. 8:42 PM UPDATE: White Center Now’s FullTilt was there immediately afterward and reports, “Two guys with guns left on foot. I got there right after it happened. … I overheard it was two black males in their 20’s, both with automatic handguns.” He counted 8 King County Sheriff’s Office cars. 8:55 PM UPDATE: Our reporter says officers were gone when he arrived; the person on duty at the store did not want to say anything more than “a little bit” when asked if the robbers got away with anything.