White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(Photos added 5:40 pm)
FIRST REPORT, 3:19 PM: Cleanup and rescue efforts are under way after more than a dozen birds were found struggling with oiled feathers after a spill in a White Center pond. A reader texted this photo:

And King County has sent this news release:

Crews are responding Saturday afternoon to an oil spill discovered in a King County stormwater retention pond in White Center.

An estimated 20 to 50 gallons of what is believed to be cooking oil was found floating in the pond, which sits along 13th Avenue Southwest at Southwest 100th Street in unincorporated King County. Lab analysis of the oil will determine its exact composition.

Employees with the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks were at the pond this morning, along with Washington Department of Ecology spill response personnel, to assess the spill and determine its source.

An oil-spill response team from NRC Environment was also on site this morning to contain and clean up the oil from the pond. A crew trained in cleaning wildlife was on its way to the pond to capture and clean the estimated 20 waterfowl that appeared to have been in contact with the oily water.

Stormwater system experts with WLRD will look into how the oil got into the retention pond, which accepts runoff from the surrounding neighborhood and helps clean stormwater runoff before it continues downstream to Hicklin Lake.

Shorelines along the White Center pond system have been a focus of cleanup efforts, as previously reported here, but usually the problems have been on the shore, not in the water.

5:57 PM UPDATE: We’re just back from the pond, where we talked with a Department of Ecology rep; others on the scene include NRC (spill response) and Focus Wildlife, the contractor there to help with the birds. While we were there, they captured one Canada goose that had been wandering in busy SW 102nd on the south side of the scene, apparently unable to fly because of the oil.

They found out about the oil because of a nearby resident who watches the area and often photographs birds; they haven’t traced the source yet but because of its smell and consistency, they’re fairly certain it’s cooking oil. What looks like a white boom around the edges of the pond is actually absorbent material intended to soak up anything that can’t be cleaned up.

The responders were going to work until it got dark and then return at first light tomorrow. The rescued birds were going to be warmed in a truck on site, and then taken to PAWS for rehabilitation. Besides the wandering goose, we saw a group of ducks milling on the sidewalk along the pond’s western side; the Ecology rep said they’d been there all day.

Most of the oil, he added, was on the north end of the pond.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

Another high-profile guest for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – last month, the sheriff; last night, the prosecuting attorney. But first, there was big news from KCSO:

MOVING THE STOREFRONT: King County Sheriff’s Office is proposing moving the White Center storefront to the three-story “cottage” at Steve Cox Memorial Park, according to KCSO’s Precinct 4 commander, Major Jerrell Wills. He says the new location would have many advantages over the current one, including a kitchenette and a room where deputies could question suspects. The Community Service Officer would move there too. This used to be the White Center Chamber of Commerce‘s office. It also has a garage that could be used for storage (NHUAC board member Liz Giba pointed out that Jubilee Days uses that garage now, which was news to Maj. Wills). The timeline? “Being realistic … we don’t move swiftly, but this is a first step – being very very optimistic, I would hope we would start moving forward maybe in the first quarter.” Maj. Wills said the current storefront deputy, Bill Kennamer, “is supportive of this move.” It would spare deputies having to drive to the precinct for some things that just can’t be done at the current storefront in downtown White Center. There is going to be a cost savings, Maj. Wills added, though he didn’t have a specific number to share.

Later in the meeting, Deputy Kennamer was asked about the plan, confirming he supports it. The proposal is brand-new, he said, in response to one surprised remark about not having heard anything about it until the meeting. The current storefront space “is a dump … and the landlord won’t fix anything,” he said, and “King County can’t clean it because it’s not a King County building.” The storefront has been in its current space since 1994.

CRIME TRENDS: Before that discussion, Deputy Kennamer started his appearance with crime-trend updates. Violent crimes last month around North Highline included three that “made the blotter,” topped by the October 25th stabbing of Ramon Aspeitia at 15th and Roxbury. Three guys tried to sell the victim meth; he said no; words were exchanged and the three attackers “are considered Hispanic gang members,” he said. They do have “good video from the bus” but “finding out who they are.” The victim did not know them, said Dep. Kennamer. Also, there was a domestic-violence threat at the Shorewood Apartments, husband vs. wife, and the NiMBiN marijuana store armed robbery – “much more dangerous than [the previous case of] driving a car through the window, and it was an organized robbery.” The challenges of finding banks to accept marijuana businesses’ cash was discussed. In other crime stats: Aggravated assaults are up, year-to-year; domestic-violence assaults are the same; commercial burglaries are “way down” as are residential burglaries and auto theft. Residential burglaries 19 last year, 6 this year; auto theft last year 20, this year 12; vehicle recoveries – 18 stolen cars found in this area last year, 6 this year. Very little crime in the new Greenbridge and Seola Gardens developments, he noticed.

One attendee said the person who was responsible for last year’s break-ins, with targets/victims including Dubsea Coffee, is out of jail after a year. “We all know who he is,” Deputy Kennamer said.

He was also asked about what happens if drugs are seen in a car to which a deputy’s attention is called. They should be able to do something about it, he said, adding that they’re not having trouble in The Bog any more “because we’ve trespassed everyone” (ordered them to stay out). The attendee who asked talked about people in cars doing drugs and being told just to leave the area – which results in them driving their cars “while high as a kite, and that’s scary.”

Later, NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin brought up the Seattle proposal to sell off some of the Myers Way parcels to raise money to help homeless people. Deputy Kennamer said there’s a big homeless encampment at Myers and Olson, and it’s city land, and the city doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it. A recent walkabout with County Councilmember Joe McDermott apparently included businesspeople complaining that loitering was harming their business. “It’s not a problem we can arrest ourselves out of,” said Kennamer. He also said there’s one tent left in The Bog and he’s working to find the person who’s responsible for it, so that people can continue to use the park again for its intended purpose.

KING COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY’S OFFICE: Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, who talked about his roots in this area, acknowledged the county hasn’t always been the best governing authority for this area, but he wants to make sure it does better, so he brought along some top deputies. He said there are some things the county can do, and first recapped the enforcement action against the 17 unlicensed marijuana sellers, as he described them, who were operating in the unincorporated area as of xx months ago. “We’re in this grand experiment in Washington state” regarding marijuana, Satterberg noted. “We’ve had medical marijuana as a law since 1998, so we’ve had to deal with the fact that that law when passed by the people did not provide for access … it had to fall from the sky for you to actually

“Our goal is to make sure that these stores are out of business by the end of this year, and I think we’re going to make that goal,” Satterberg said regarding unlicensed stores.

Then, it was time to talk about their main subject, the Community Justice Project, a new program to address primarily problem properties. Chief of Staff Carla Lee talked about its genesis in “open-to-entry projects that are attracting the criminal element.”

Deputy prosecutor Cristy Craig talked about moving over to the civil (code enforcement) side of the office. “Sometimes they work together really well, sometimes they get in each other’s way.” So far, she said, they’ve been “going out into the community and reaching out to our Sheriff’s Office so we can hear firsthand where the priority problem code violations are.” Relatively quickly, she said, they were able to correolate these types of structures as “crime magnets,” in other unincorporated areas such as Skyway too, so it’s “become a one-on-one kind of program.” She talked about being in contact with community members including NHUAC president Dobkin regarding the status of particular properties, and getting word of locations where, for example, squatters have turned up. “It’s making efficient and effective use of our resources, including our number one resource, which is (the community).”

NHUAC board member Elizabeth Gordon asked, “What specific action can your office take?” First, a situation has to go through code enforcement, Craig explained, via the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review and its complaint system, “and that gets the process started .. they go through an agency process where they document a violation, and generate (a notification for a property owner) that they have to clean it up.” The Community Justice Project brings the prosecutor’s office in earlier, she explained, and that helps with bank-owned properties, for example – the prosecuting attorney’s involvement gets more attention than the DPER notice, she said. And if necessary, they can go to King County Superior Court to get an order. “People tend to respond more quickly when they’re going to be sued.”

“If they fail to comply, what happens?” Giba asked. The case is referred to the CJP; there might be financial penalties, and emergency abatement. “Often we go through a civil court procedure” first, but “if it’s an emergency situation, the county can work more quickly to get an abatement” – while it’s not a penalty to the violator, it at least takes care of the situation.

Asked community member Gill Loring: What qualifies for the CJP? “High-impact violations,” replied Craig, “if those violations are creating a magnet for crime … that’s the #1 issue, though not the only issue.” Chronically piling-up trash could be one; squatters could be another, if it’s having “unusually high impact on the community.”

Satterberg said the KCPAO is working to be sure DEPR gets the priority nature of this project.

“So when they’re boarded up and stay like this for years,” asked Dobkin, “that’s just allowed, so they can stay like that?”

Craig: “There are some limitations to the code itself – once it’s been closed up, even though that property may not be an attractive property in your neighborhood, it’s technically not a code violation any more.” She said there’s one where she lives, with wildlife living inside, so she gets what that’s like – “but if it looks like a roof is starting to collapse, or (something else) where the structure is not quite complete …”

Board member Elizabeth Devine asked if eminent domain could be used to take over a nuisance property. Not really, said Craig, unless “the county needed that property for a specific project,” but demolition is different.

Deputy prosecutor Darren Carnell: “Government has limited ability to force people to sell (properties) … eminent domain laws are pretty limited in Washington.” They couldn’t “buy it and flip it” even if that made sense, for example.

Craig noted that “This is a pilot project and we have had a fair amount of success … if we continue to have success, which we’ve had without additional (funding), and if it continues to be effective and cost-effective, it’s possible that it could be expanded to include more violations.”

Gordon wondered if there could be a workshop for community members to learn about other mechanisms to deal with this. Craig said that for one, this is about empowering the community to solve problems and find creative solutions, so a workshop might be in order. Or, a home falls into disrepair not because a person doesn’t care but “because they don’t have the means to keep it up,” so finding them help – reaching out “maybe to faith-based communities or neighborhood organizations … to assist people who can’t do it themselves.”

For the people who are squatting, this could synergize with the county’s priority on finding solutions to homelessness and connecting people with services, Craig said. But they’re not usually talking about people who are squatting because they need shelter, but “taking (the house) over for other purposes.” She said that when they started the CJP, they asked various agencies and groups for their “top 10” worst locations, where law enforcement is being called time and time again, for various reasons, and with that, so far they’ve had “some pretty fast turnarounds.”

Satterberg clarified that the team has taken this on in addition to their other duties “and this neighborhood is a real priority for us, so we want to know what your Top 10 neighborhood blights are … it’s not going to happen overnight but if it’s on their radar … we’ll keep at it until we turn it around.”

Community member Bob Price observed that it seems different counties are operating under different rules. Carnell said, “That’s right – rules are largely local and different counties, different parts of the state, have different views of how much government should be in the business of private property owners – King County’s rules are stricter.” Part of that has to do with density, he said, “In urban King County … if people don’t tend to their property, that really affects people around them.”

Satterberg promised to return with “some success stories.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS: NHUAC board secretary Pat Price announced that 1-4 pm this Saturday will bring the celebration of renaming Lakewood Park as Dick Thurnau Memorial Park, as recently approved by the King County Council. The celebration is planned indoors, at TAF’s Bethaday Community Learning Space, with participants including musicians from nearby Cascade Middle School and County Councilmember Joe McDermott; a barbecue is planned, too. … Also mentioned: The White Center Library Guild bazaar is coming up Friday and Saturday, November 13-14 … the county’s draft Comprehensive Plan is about to be aired at meetings, with North Highline residents invited to attend the one at Skyway, date and other details here … Gordon said the King County PAL boxers have a tournament coming up at the Evergreen campus.

CSA GRANT: NHUAC is applying for the county’s Community Service Area grant again in hopes of sponsoring forums.

DECEMBER MEETING: A King County Library System rep will be in attendance with updates on the new library, and what will happen to it if the unincorporated area is annexed. The meeting will be at 7 pm December 3rd at the North Highline Fire District HQ, 1243 SW 112th; watch northhighlineuac.org for updates until then.

Voted yet? Until 5 pm today, and again 10 am-8 pm tomorrow (Tuesday), you can drop your ballot off, NO POSTAGE REQUIRED, via the King County Elections ballot-dropoff van outside Greenbridge Library, on 8th SW, south of SW Roxbury. We photographed Mark and Marvin there with the van on Saturday.

Most of the affected area is in West Seattle so we’re covering it for now on our partner site West Seattle Blog.

Just announced by North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Barbara Dobkin:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC) Meeting
Thursday, November 5 at 7 pm, North Highline Fire Station (1243 SW 112th Street)

Mark your calendars and plan on joining the discussion at the next North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting when we welcome King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Senior Prosecutors Cristy Craig and Darren Carnell, and Deputy Prosecutor Carla Lee. Information and updates will be provided regarding the “Community Justice Project” – a joint effort between the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office – relating to action to clean up abandoned/vacant properties – many of which have been taken over by squatters. Updates on the status of the medical marijuana dispensaries will also be provided.

Also on hand will be White Center Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer, who will provide updates on crime stats and general safety concerns.

Hope to see you there.

For more information, please see www.northhighlineuac.org or email: bdobkin@northhighlineuac.org

Rain or shine, storm or calm, it’s Halloween, and more than 20 White Center businesses promise to have candy for trick-or-treaters starting at noon. See the list here. And at 1 pm, Kimya Dawson performs at Full Tilt Ice Cream!

One month ago, we reported on a “crash-and-grab” vehicle-involved break-in at Top Hat’s NiMBiN state-licensed marijuana store. Now it’s been hit by crime again:

That video shows armed robbers holding up store employees last Sunday night; this one shows the robbers approaching the store:

The clips were provided by the King County Sheriff’s Office, along with this explanation from spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:

King County Sheriff’s Detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying three men that robbed the NiMBiN Pot Shop at gun point last Sunday around 10:20pm. Detectives have released a video that shows the robbery in progress. The store is located in the 10800 block of 1 Ave S.

The (robbers) are shown walking up to the store; two of the men go inside, while the third man stands guard at the front door. Once inside, one displays a gun and demands money. He is seen in the video pointing the gun at employees and taking money from the cash drawer as the other suspect takes marijuana packets off the wall display.

All three fled on foot. One was wearing a dark colored jacket with a hood over his head. The jacket had red patches on both shoulder with the numbers “1972” on the front. The suspect with the gun was wearing a red sweatshirt and dark colored pants. The third, who guarded the door, was wearing all-dark clothing.

If you have information about this crime, please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

FRIDAY UPDATE: This has been canceled because of the storm, we’re told.

EARLIER: Here’s a unique way to spend part of your Halloween this Saturday:

Here’s where to go – the entrance off 7th SW at the corner of SW 102nd st. and 7th Ave SW.

Thanks to the reader who shared this note received by families of Mount View Elementary students:

Dear Mount View Families:

We have learned about an incident in our neighborhood (of which) we want to make you aware.

(Monday) morning while walking to school, one of our students was grabbed by a stranger. Thankfully, the student was able to get free of the person and run to school. He reported the incident to an adult at school. Police responded and searched for the suspect but did not locate him.

We are sharing this information with you so that you may take appropriate precautions. Here at school, our staff will remain vigilant and our district security officers will have a heightened presence at times when students are outdoors.

This is an opportunity to have a discussion with your children reminding them of these precautions when walking to and from school.

Be aware of your surroundings.
Walk with a friend whenever possible.
If anyone approaches you or you feel threatened, report it immediately to a trusted adult.
We know this kind of situation can be alarming. Our students’ safety is of the utmost importance and we encourage you to talk with your children.

The suspect is described as a white male, 5’8” with mid-length brown hair, wearing a black coat, blue sweats, and white Adidas shoes.

If you have information about this incident, you are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

Sincerely,

Lisa Escobar
Principal

(Added: WCN photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT, SUNDAY: We’ve been checking out reports of a sizable law-enforcement presence near 15th and Roxbury, and this update just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West has the details:

A 26 year old man was stabbed in White Center tonight after an altercation with three men.

Around 6:45 pm a King County Sheriff’s Deputy was flagged down near 15th Ave and Roxbury St. by the man, who said he had just been stabbed. The man said he had been on a Metro bus with the three suspects and when he got off the bus at 15th Ave and Roxbury the suspects also exited the bus. A physical altercation ensued between the suspects and victim. During the altercation one of the suspects stabbed the victim in the back. All three suspects then fled on foot in an unknown direction.

When aid arrived they discovered the blade of the knife was still in the victim’s back. The man was taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. At this time the only description of the suspects is they were Hispanic men, late teens to early 20’s and at least one of them was wearing a blue bandana.

The King County Major Crimes Unit is handling the investigation.

If you have any information to help solve this case – call 911.

UPDATED TUESDAY: We’ve just learned that the victim is an employee of two West Seattle restaurants, and a crowdfunding drive is under way to help – more info here.

Earlier this week, we featured the documentary that was shown during last Sunday night’s Richard Hugo tribute at the White Center Fieldhouse. Tonight, courtesy of executive director Clay Eals from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – which presented the tribute – we have the performance itself, music composed by Wayne Horvitz as well as Hugo’s poetry. The backstory’s on this page of the SWSHS website.

EARLIER: Anybody recognize these dogs?

FRIDAY UPDATE: We’ve removed the finder info, because she reports the dogs are back with their people!

As mentioned here over the summer, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott has been championing the request to rename Lakewood Park in honor of the man who fought so hard for it and its little lake, Dick Thurnau. Today, he and his colleagues made it official:

Dick Thurnau was an activist, amateur historian and a recognizable face in the White Center community. He used his love of history to help in the restoration of the name of the lake near his home. Today, the Metropolitan King County Council gave its unanimous support to rename King County’s Lakewood Park to Dick Thurnau Memorial Park in recognition of his life of service to the White Center Community and this park in particular.

“The legacy that Dick left for White Center is in the vibrancy of this park, a welcoming and invaluable neighborhood resource,” said Council Vice Chair Joe McDermott, the sponsor of the legislation. “I am glad to work with the community to honor Dick’s dedication to the community.”

In 1948, newlywed Dick Thurnau and wife Helen purchased their home in the White Center community, next to Lakewood Park. Even though Thurnau moved from the neighborhood to work for Mack Trucks, he kept his home near the Park.

When he retired from Mack Trucks, Thurnau returned to his home and became a strong advocate for the neighborhoods that make up White Center. He led efforts to reduce storm water runoff into Lake Hicks, the lake within Lakewood Park, and the restoration of the park, which had become the home of a disc golf course.

In his efforts to help keep Lake Hicks clean, Thurnau discovered that the lake was originally named after Leonard Hicklin, one of the early settlers of the area that is today White Center. Thurnau worked to have the Hicklin name restored and was rewarded for his effort in 2011 when he received a letter from the United States Board on Geographic Names stating that they had approved his proposal in renaming Lake Hicks to Lake Hicklin.

In recognition to his devotion to the White Center Community, a number of neighborhood groups recommended the renaming of the Lakewood Park in memory of Thurnau.

Mr. Thurnau died in May 2014 at age 89.

If you didn’t get to the tribute to poet Richard Hugo last night at the White Center Fieldhouse and haven’t otherwise had the chance to see the biographical documentary shown during it, “Kicking the Loose Gravel Home,” you might want to watch at least part of it online. The folks at Caffé Delia shared the link this morning and pointed out that starting around 12 minutes in – and continuing off and on for at least 10 minutes after that – you’ll see ample footage of White Center in the mid-’70s (and South Delridge, too). The film is from 1976. Just grab and pull the “play” bar in the window above. The film, by the way, is by author/filmmaker Annick Smith, from Montana, where Hugo wound up, miles and years from his beginnings here.

Happening tonight – and it’s free! The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is presenting a concert and film, “Some Places Are Forever Afternoon: A Tribute in Music, Words, and Film to White Center’s Richard Hugo,” starting at 6 pm inside the historic White Center Fieldhouse at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd). Everyone gets in at no charge thanks to funding by 4Culture; the concert features pianist/composer Wayne Horvitz (who’s in the video invitation above), who released a Hugo-tribute CD in July. The event also will show “Kicking the Loose Gravel Home,” an hour-long 1976 film about Hugo, who was just 58 when he died in 1982. Everyone’s welcome!

(WCN photo from April 2015)
Six months after 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado died from injuries suffered when she was hit while crossing 16th SW at SW 104th, the driver who hit her is charged. 50-year-old Jamie Starr Larson of Burien got out of jail after a few days, while Ms. Delgado was still fighting for life in the hospital, a fight she lost eight days after she was hit. We’ve been checking on the case periodically for months, and this week, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Larson with vehicular homicide.

The charging documents begin starkly: “On March 31, 2015, the defendant, Jamie S. Larson, turned 50 years old. She celebrated by drinking alcohol for the next two days.” On April 2nd, she thought she was sober enough to drive – though she was unlicensed and uninsured. That’s the day she hit Rebecca Delgado in a marked crosswalk, with flashing beacons activated by Ms. Delgado’s husband, and with another driver stopped for her; the documents say Larson whipped around that driver, and that’s when she hit Ms. Delgado.

Larson is said to have told investigators at the scene that she had only had three beers, but she didn’t do well on the field-sobriety tests, and a blood test administered later led to an estimate that her blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash would have been .32, four times the legal drunkenness level. The charging papers say she also had taken an anti-depressant, that she admitted having a substance-abuse problem, and that she has one drunk-driving conviction on her record from 21 years ago.

We’ve reported before on efforts to clean up “The Bog” – and to make it less conducive to illegal camping, drug use, and crime. Aside from other concerns raised by those activities, the fact is that the area needs to stay clean because of its role in the area’s drainage system (as today’s rain reminds us).

The latest cleanup was a big one, and community member Gill Loring shares photos as well as post-cleanup info from King County senior engineer Ken Gresset, who, as we’ve reported here previously, has been leading cleanup efforts:

This past weekend, Ken and a group “Friends of the Trail” (their second time helping out) as well as a NH resident and her daughter got to it.

Excerpted from Ken’s e-mail: “Many thanks to all involved for a great cleanup last weekend. The group “Friends of the Trail” led by Wade Holden pulled out all the stops over two days and took 8 large truckloads of debris to the dump along with around 40 syringes.

Many thanks to Deputies Kennamer, Paul and Syson for their onsite security work and for Captain Boe for arranging their presence. Thanks also to North Highline residents Christine and her daughter who braved the onsite conditions to help out. The Sheriff’s department gave the campers three weeks of almost constant notice that the cleanup was coming and to take any possessions they wanted to keep with them.

On another bright note we did encounter one of the campers who seemed sincerely interested in getting help and we are working with a neighbor who knows her to get her connected to social services.”

Excerpted from another e-mail: “I walked all of the trails today. I didn’t find any camps and only encountered one person in the area. I explained the trespass laws to him and he moved along.

The key is going to be continued police presence to make the place unattractive to the illegal users. As soon as the place is posted, we will start enforcing the trespass laws. The place looks great!”

And from the North Highline resident who helped: “My daughter & I were able to help for about an hour or so…It was disgusting, smelled really bad back there & yet people were willing to live in that! Ken, the “trails crew” was great! They pulled out several mattresses, sofa, tv, clothes & crap – yes, really! Hopefully in the future there can be a work party to start clearing out some of that brush to open things up a bit more! I’d be there, just let me know when!”

From the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s newsletter, word of something new on the way to Lakewood Park:

The Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation is honored to be the recipient of a 2016 Youth Sports Facilities grant from King County Parks. This grant will provide $75,000 for the creation of a new traffic garden in White Center in Lakewood Park.

The White Center traffic garden will be a bicycle skills park where learners of all ages and abilities can practice bicycling in a safe, car-free environment. With on-site bicycle storage, traffic signs and real-world infrastructure elements, the Traffic Garden will be the perfect place to come and learn about bicycle safety.

The newsletter says groundbreaking is expected early next year, “with programming beginning in the spring.” We’ll be checking with Cascade later today to find out more.

8:16 AM: An injury suffered during Friday night’s Evergreen-Highline football game in Burien has an Evergreen player in critical condition. That’s according to our regional news partner The Seattle Times, identifying the player as Kenney Bui and reporting that he is at Harborview Medical Center after emergency surgery. Bui is a senior at Evergreen; KING 5 quotes Highline Public Schools as saying counselors will be available on campus today for anyone who wants to talk about what happened.

2:58 AM: As also noted in comments, Highline superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield has announced Mr. Bui’s death:

It is with great sadness that School Board President Bernie Dorsey and I share with you that TEC High School senior Kenney Bui, who was critically injured in Friday night’s Evergreen v. Highline football game, died this morning at the hospital.

This is a devastating loss for all of us — Evergreen students, families, and staff, and our entire Highline community.

Our deepest condolences go out to Kenney’s family and all who knew him. Please join us in keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.

You want to be there – just a little time can make a big difference:

It’s happening 10 am-2 pm next Saturday (October 10th) – lots more information, including what to bring (and a map, if you’re not already familiar with North Shorewood Park), on this flyer.