White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Remember the windstorm that cut power to thousands in our area last Friday? Tomorrow we might see even-stronger winds. The National Weather Service has a High Wind Warning in effect for 7 am to 7 pm Thursday. Charge everything!

That’s the tribute to poet Richard Hugo, installed last year at Mac’s Triangle Pub (Delridge/Roxbury) during the first annual official celebration of his birthday. The second one is set for the same spot, this Friday at 7 pm, and you’re invited to come honor him by reading one of his poems .. or maybe one of your own. The announcement:

Poet Richard Hugo (1923-1982), has another birthday coming up. It’s December 21st. Born in White Center, Hugo was a poet and teacher whose books included White Center, The Triggering Town, Death of the Kapowsin Tavern, amongst other works. Seattle’s Hugo House is named for him. Celebrate his life and work and lift a pint on his birthday at Mac’s Triangle Pub in White Center.

Here’s our coverage of last year’s celebration.

That phone video captures King County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Shute calling in to dispatch one last time before his recent retirement. We happened to hear the call as it happened – including the dispatcher revealing that she’s the deputy’s daughter. We asked KCSO public-information officer Sgt. Ryan Abbott about it; today, KCSO posted the video, on the same day as a party celebrating Deputy Shute’s retirement. He served for more than 36 years, including the White Center ara.

New information about the shooting death in east White Center three weeks ago – and a suspect that KCSO is seeking. Here’s the announcement we received:

KCSO Major Crimes Unit has identified the suspect in the homicide from 11/19/2018 at the 10000 BLK 1 AVE SW as 24-year-old Mical D. Roberts; he is described as 6’5, 250 pounds, and is considered *Armed and Dangerous*. Detectives have probable cause to arrest Roberts for Murder. If you know the whereabouts of Roberts, call 911, do not attempt to contact him. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through the free P3 tips app. Crimestoppers offers a $1000 reward for the tip that leads to the arrest of Roberts. See attached photos of Roberts.

(Backstory) On 11/19/2018 at 7:39 PM a female called 911 from a bedroom closet stating that a shooting was occurring at the residence located at the 10000 BLK 1 AVE SW. Deputies arrived on-scene a short time later and located the 26-year-old victim in the house with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim died at the scene from his injuries. The suspect fled in an unknown vehicle prior to the Police arriving.

Detectives continue to interview witnesses and follow up on leads. They ask that if anyone has any information regarding this shooting to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206/296-3311 or 911.

We still don’t know the victim’s name.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

Issues old and new were in the spotlight as December’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting put a trio of longtime local elected officials in the hot seat(s).

But first – NHUAC got a primer on a vote coming up in February.

WATER DISTRICT MERGER VOTE: Loretta Brittingham was here to talk about the merger that will go up for voter approval February 12th. Though she is a commissioner for Water District 45, which is proposed – in a February 12th vote – to merge with Water District 20, she made it clear she was there with an FYI, not an official presentation. We recorded what she had to say:

As you’ll hear in the discussion, this has been primarily publicized via water-bill inserts and public notices. There’s a bit more information on the District 45 website; here’s a map of the district’s coverage area.

ELECTED OFFICIALS: 34th District State Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon opened this segment of the meeting. President Liz Giba asked them first to share a bit of personal background. Fitzgibbon is a West Seattle resident and former Burien resident, and he spoke first. Cody, also a West Seattle resident, followed. We recorded it all:

Cody announced she’s retiring from her work as a nurse on January 9th. The reps answered questions starting with reports that the Legislature might revisit the Growth Management Act. Fitzgibbon said a “very conservative Eastern Washington” legislator is behind one idea to roll back certain parts of it, while another is from an Eastside Democrat who wants to “require minimum density.” Giba also brought up the recently opened development in Top Hat (1st/112th) and conflicting numbers regarding its potential maximum occupancy. Discussion ensued regarding notification requirements and potential ramifications of a higher resident count, such as an increased number of students at nearby schools.

A question from the gallery: What about health insurance? Cody chairs the House Health Care Committee, and noted that affordability “continues to be a big issue” so they’re trying to develop “a public option,” especially to help people with non-poverty “but not Bill Gates” income levels who don’t get tax credits. She also mentioned behavioral-health-care access and Western State’s difficulties. They’re working to find facilities around the state that can help handle some of the patient load. Cody mentioned substance abuse, too – “the opioid crisis is where we’re losing the most lives,” prescription recipients as well as heroin users, but, she said, meth is on the rise again, too.

That segued into a discussion of what your tax dollars are going for. Fitzgibbon noted that property tax bills will go down next year.

County Council Chair Joe McDermott arrived a little over an hour into the meeting. He’s finishing his third year as chair, eight years on the council, after 10 years in the Legislature. He too is a West Seattle resident.

NHUAC board member Barbara Dobkin asked about development regulation, or more like, the lack of it, especially multiple adjacent “small” redevelopments that together would have faced more scrutiny. McDermott, in his reply, noted that neighborhood planning will be happening in North Highline next year. Specifically – the county permitting department will be accountable for a Sub-Area Plan. And he reminded everyone that the new Department of Local Services is about to get going, as a “one-stop resource” to help people “better interact with the county.” That department will include “an economic development staffer that we have not had before” and McDermott says he will encourage that person to make White Center their first stop. McDermott also noted that the Local Services director nominee is up for confirmation shortly. “There are challenges in bringing urban-level services (here) but if we are your local government, we need to do a better job” in meeting those challenges, he said. Will the area’s unincorporated status change? McDermott said he’s not aware of any active conversations. That topic came up a second time, with an attendee asking if the county can get the conversation going (again). McDermott promised to at least ask; he also noted that he’ll be seeing Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan for a breakfast discussion about the county’s legislative agenda next week.

Other topics included marijuana and the North Highline concentration of stores. McDermott urged attendees to make this concern “very clear in the Sub-Area planning process” that’s coming up. Later, he was asked whether the North Highline planning process will dovetail with the city’s Highland Park-area process; McDermott said he’ll make sure they do, though he hadn’t previously heard of the latter. Tax reform came up too, with Fitzgibbon mentioning that passing a capital-gains tax is a priority for the coming session. “Do you really think (that) has a chance?” asked Giba. Fitzgibbon and Cody said yes.

Before their appearance wrapped up, they were asked what else will be going on. Fitzgibbon mentioned the Metro Route 120-to-RapidRide conversion planning; Cody mentioned several other health-care-related topics. McDermott mentioned that five gun-safety proposals he first brought up last summer have now all been passed: “That has been significant for me and included some significant accomplishments in the budget” to make them reality. He also brought up Evergreen Pool and some new county funding for it to help cover its ongoing operation-funding deficit, plus he had kudos for the nonprofit that’s managed to keep it open for almost a decade, after the county gave up operating it.

State Sen.-elect Joe Nguyen had also RSVP’d for the meeting, Giba said, but did not show up.

Also speaking at Thursday night’s meeting:

WHITE CENTER KIWANIS: Scott Davis began with a primer on Kiwanis – more than a century old – and what it does, including raising money for children’s health. In White Center, the club started as a spinoff from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle in 2001. The club meets twice a month, first and third Wednesdays. “We’d love to have more members so we can do more things.” They sponsor Key Clubs to help local high school students (at Evergreen and New Start) develop their leadership skills – Key stands for “Kiwanis Educating Youth.” The Baked Potato and Taco Dinner is coming up on January 24th, 6:30 pm at New Start HS (ticket prices TBA); their fundraisers also include a midsummer Pancake Breakfast that coincides with Jubilee Days, and an annual nut sale that’s under way now. They support local charities including the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby. They also support local youth cleaning up local parks, and advocacy for drug- and alcohol-free youth campaigns.

REMEMBERING DEPUTY STEVE COX: President Giba took a moment at the start of the meeting to remember Deputy Steve Cox, who was a NHUAC president as well as law enforcer. As noted in our coverage of the tribute at last weekend’s Christmas tree lighting, he was killed in the line of duty 12 years ago.

NEXT NHUAC MEETING: They’re skipping January since it’s so close to New Year’s Day – next meeting February 7, 2019, 7 pm at NH Fire District HQ (1243 SW 112th)

A shooting at 15th and Roxbury sent a male victim to the hospital with a hand injury, and deputies have been searching for suspect(s) north of the city/county line, with K9 on the ground and Guardian One in the air.

We’re updating on partner site West Seattle Blog.

On Sunday, 34th District State Senator-elect Joe Nguyen was at White Center’s Diamond Hall for a post-election (full story here). Thursday night, he’ll be back in WC as one of four local elected officials invited to the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council’s December meeting. Here’s the announcement:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting

When: Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and entrance are in the back of the station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

Please join NHUAC at our last meeting of 2018. We’ll be welcoming State Representatives Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott and State Senator-elect Joe Nguyen. This is a rare opportunity to engage with those who make many of our laws and regulations. What is going on in our county and state governments? What is going right? What needs to change? What do our elected representatives plan to work on in 2019 and why? What do they need to know about us?

Another elected official, member of the White Center community, and a regular at NHUAC meetings, Commissioner Loretta Brittingham, will educate us about an upcoming February vote on the future of Water District #45.

Scott Davis, another NHUAC regular and strong community supporter, will share information about the White Center Kiwanis, its upcoming Baked Potato Dinner, and give us the opportunity to purchase their eagerly anticipated holiday nuts for $20 a tin.

Deputy Bill Kennamer will be on vacation, but KCSO hasn’t forgotten us! Major Bryan Howard will be there to answer our questions.

Do you have something on your mind? Join us and share at NHUAC’s last meeting until February 2019!

See you Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 7 pm

Because Knowledge and Community Are Power!

A weekend of tree lightings wrapped up with the White Center Christmas Tree Lighting tonight:

This was more than a tree lighting – it was also a tribute to the memory of King County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Cox, a White Center community leader killed in the line of duty exactly 12 years ago.

Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht was there to join in the tribute.

She spoke briefly:

The tree itself honors law enforcers with its blue lights and firefighters with its red lights:

Members of both groups were among those in attendance:

Among the tree sponsors, neighboring Mac’s Triangle Pub, whose namesake was of course there:

Dancers Nina and Sureya from Miss Sheryl’s Ballet – whose proprietor Sheryl Clinton leads the WC Chamber of Commerce – performed:

You can see the tree throughout the season on the north side of the Delridge/Roxbury/16th intersection.

Happening today (Sunday) in White Center:

Friends of Joe Nguyễn and Mỹ Linh Thái would like to invite our fellow community members to join us in celebrating the historic wins of Mỹ Linh Thái, 41st LD State Representative and Joe Nguyễn, 34th LD State Senator, as the first Vietnamese-American Legislators elected in Washington State history!

Please join us for live entertainment, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a no-host cash bar.

Sunday, 12/2/2018
2:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Diamond Hall & Events
9835 16th Avenue SW

RSVP via Eventbrite

Program:
•Vietnamese Cultural Dance
•Guest speakers on issues impacting Vietnamese-Americans in Washington State
•Guests of Honors: Joe Nguyễn and Mỹ Linh Thái
•Live Band Entertainment

From the White Center Community Development Association:

The White Center CDA Invites You!
White Center Community HUB
Community Design Workshop

Saturday December 8, 2018, 9 am-12 pm
Evergreen High School Cafeteria

The Public is Invited!
Food and interpretation services will be provided

White Center Community Development Association, Southwest Youth & Family Services, Capitol Hill Housing, and King County are coming together to build a community-driven and designed campus with community services and affordable housing at the former Public Health Center at 8th Avenue SW & SW 108th Street. The HUB will provide welcoming and much-needed spaces for community to connect, celebrating the value of White Center’s diversity through cultural art, music, traditions, ceremonies, events, and community-wide activities.

family resource center
alternative education classrooms
workforce training
small business incubation
youth development
early learning opportunities
integrated behavioral and physical health services
community garden
affordable housing

Come learn about this project and share your ideas to ensure the HUB reflects the diverse community in White Center!

Questions? Aaron@wccda.org or 206-694-1028

(WCN file photo)

You’re invited to the White Center Christmas Tree Lighting this Sunday (December 2nd), as announced by the White Center Chamber of Commerce:

Please join us as we celebrate the holiday season and pay our respects to Deputy Steve Cox on the anniversary of his passing. Chili, Donuts, Apple Cider & Cocoa will be on sale to benefit the White Center Food Bank. Food donations greatly appreciated.

This community event is sponsored by Meat the Live Butcher, Center Tool Rental, Mac’s Triangle Pub, Miss Sheryl’s Ballet, Tommy Sound Studios, Good Day Donuts, and the White Center Chamber of Commerce.

The event is set for 5 pm in the mini-park by Mac’s (Delridge/Roxbury). And if you’d like to help hang lights on the tree, they’re welcoming volunteers at 11:30 am Saturday.

8:40 PM: Avoid downtown White Center for a while – a six-car crash is reported at 16th/98th and KCSO is blocking traffic at 16th/Roxbury, 16th/100th, and 15th/98th per scanner. No info yet on injuries; we’re off to find out more.

8:59 PM: First photo added. At least two people will be taken to the hospital.

9:09 PM: May be “only” 4 cars. One driver is being investigated for possible DUI.

9:26 PM: Another photo added. Roads might be closed for a while – we’ve left the scene but via scanner are hearing deputies being advised to “bring road closure signs.” Fixing the light pole will take some time too.

Thanks to the reader who sent that photo and tipped us to the fire at 13th/100th. We went over to check it out and found this:

An investigator is on scene trying to find out why the vehicle caught fire. We are told it was unoccupied at the time; no one was hurt.

(Added: WCN photo)

10:16 PM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a shooting in the 10000 block of 1st SW (map), and they say it’s turned deadly – the 26-year-old man who was shot has died. KCSO says via Twitter that they don’t know yet what led up to the shooting; their detectives are on scene.

1:30 AM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott told us detectives would likely be there for hours, so we stopped while out on something else. Photo added above. The street is blocked off in a residential neighborhood we’d describe as east White Center.

We’ve received a couple questions about an incident tonight right on the White Center/Burien line, at Ambaum/116th (map). King County Sheriff’s Office detectives have the area closed off for an investigation. According to KCSO via Twitter, a 38-year-old man is in critical condition at Harborview – he was on foot when a driver hit him.

1:37 PM: Out and about on this sunny pre-Thanksgiving Saturday? Stop by the White Center Library before 3 pm for the Library Guild’s annual bazaar and bake sale. Some handcrafted items, and some rummage sale-y items too:

Proceeds benefit library programs. Haven’t been to the library? It’s at 1409 SW 107th.

ADDED 9:40 PM: Thanks to Gill Loring for sharing these photos:

This bazaar had raffles – above, the afghan winner; below, the Mariners Gift Pack winner:

And … it’s not a bazaar without warm fuzzies:

By the way … the library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

The new county budget has been approved. Our area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott sent this announcement about its highlights from his priorities for the region and his district:

Working to ensure a safe, welcoming and equitable county was a top priority for Metropolitan King County Council Chair Joe McDermott, which included investing to further the King County Gun Safety Action Plan, supporting and protecting our Immigrant and Refugee neighbors and friends, and promoting affordable housing in the County’s work to tackle the region’s homelessness crisis.

Gun Safety Action Plan

As a Council, we’ve taken steps to ensure we’re doing our part to protect residents from gun violence within the confines of the state’s preemption law. This work must approach the epidemic of gun violence as a public health crisis, and this budget does just that.

– King County Public Health will receive $180,000 to engage youth and young people affected by gun violence to learn from them how we might help make their lives, communities and schools safer from violence. This money funds the project authorized by the Gun Safety Action Plan in September.

– An innovative partnership between the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Public Health and local law enforcement agencies around the County to track and prevent gun violence using a public health approach will receive $500,000 to continue its work for the next two years.

Immigrants and Refugees

This budget builds upon the work we started in 2017 that ensures Martin Luther King Jr. County remains dedicated to being a safe, welcoming community for all who live, work and visit here:

– $500,000 will be invested in outreach around the 2020 Census to ensure our immigrant and refugee friends, family and neighbors are appropriately counted without being intimidated by the Trump Administration’s discriminatory immigration questions designed to suppress responses. This work will be incredibly important so that all residents are counted. An accurate census count affects everything from Congressional representation to federal funding for housing, transportation and human services.

– The Immigrant and Refugee Fund investment for legal defense and community organizations, first passed by Chair McDermott and developed in partnership with the City of Seattle last year, will continue and grow for the next 6 years, through the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy funds passed by King County voters.

Housing and Homelessness

Thanks to legislation and policy Chair McDermott sponsored earlier this year, the Council was able to distribute an additional $100 million in bonded money to invest in affordable housing throughout the County in the coming months. This includes over $70 million in affordable housing investments, as well as over $15 million for shelters for people experiencing homelessness in five different locations around the County.

District 8 Investments

In addition to Chair McDermott’s regional priorities, this budget supports programs and services throughout Council District 8.

– The King County Water Taxi will continue its high level of service, including over $3.5 million in investments for studying updates to the West Seattle Terminal, developing a Transit Hub and preserving Seacrest Dock.

o All of this while not raising fares that were previously planned to go increase in 2020 – the first biennium no fare increase has occurred since King County took over operations in 2012.

– The Creekside Village Apartments, a new project on Vashon Island integrating affordable rental housing, wetland preservation, and open space, will receive $4 million to work towards filling an incredibly important need for islanders.

– The Broadway Youth Opportunity Center, through Youth Care and Capitol Hill Housing, will receive $6.5 million to deliver housing and services for homeless youth.

– The Seattle Chinatown-International District PDA will receive $2.5 million to work on redeveloping the Pacific Tower North Lot for affordable housing.

– The Evergreen Pool in White Center will receive $106,000 to upgrade and maintain the vital service it provides families throughout the North Highline area.

– The Hope Academy in southern West Seattle, serving Somali students from around the region, will be upgrading their facilities with an investment of $25,000.

– The South Park Information and Resource Center will receive $36,000 to support their community sports program in the coming two years.

– The West Seattle Veterans Service Center will receive $5,000 to support their work supporting Veterans throughout the region.

(WCN photo from 2017 bazaar)

Saturday’s the day you can do holiday shopping at the library! It’s the Holiday Bazaar and Book Sale put on by the White Center Library Guild:

Books, white elephant, holiday, and gently used household treasures galore. All proceeds benefit the programs for the White Center Library.

Saturday, November 17th 10 am to 3 pm, WC Library, 1409 SW 107th

11:28 PM: Big power outage – stretching from east White Center and Top Hat into Burien; about 5,800 homes/businesses, according to Seattle City Light, which says it started around 10:20 pm. No word yet what caused it. Thanks to Alisha, Barb, and others for the tips!

11:54 PM: According to the SCL map, affected areas north of Burien are back on – power has been restored to more than 1,800 affected customers.

Another Lunch and Learn event in White Center this week. Here’s the announcement:

On Wednesday, November 14th at 12 PM at the Bethaday Community Learning Space, the Equity in Education Coalition, CIRCC, and the Racial Equity Team will be hosting a Lunch and Learn event: The Intersection of Mental Health and Racism.

We think it’s time to discuss the intersection of mental health and racism – about stigma in our communities, about how racism influences our mental health. Join us in a conversation with Katie Mahoney, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Cherryl Jackson Williams, Mental Health Professional at Renton Schools; and Tracy Stewart, clinical psychologist.

You can RSVP here. Bethaday Community Learning Space is at 605 SW 108th.