White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(Crossposted to partner site West Seattle Blog)

That’s the sign you’ll find today on the door of Dubsea Coffee in Greenbridge (9910 8th SW). A teacher at nearby White Center Heights Elementary School messaged us to say the area’s been hit with a series of burglaries, and that Dubsea has been broken into three times in the past week and a half. We reported the first one here on November 3rd but hadn’t heard of the others; we’re checking with the King County Sheriff’s Office regarding the teacher’s report of other break-ins in the area.

The teacher wrote us because this, she says, is more than a matter of crime concern – she writes, “This coffee shop is the hub of the neighborhood and it is ALWAYS busy with people having meetings, enjoying coffee and sandwiches, children having playdates while frazzled moms drink their coffee, etc.” They are working on plans to show their support and want to encourage you to patronize the shop to help it recover. We’ll be following up.

ADDED 4:26 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates confirms a series of recent break-ins in the vicinity, “with a similar MO”:

Dubsea was one victim, with the nearby library/YMCA hit next, followed by the Dollar Tree, and then an elementary school burglarized on the 7th. The MO has been to break a window and steal cash. We have no suspect info other than believing in at least one of the burglaries there were two suspects. They have all happened in the late evening/early morning hours when no persons were present. The four cases have not been conclusively linked as being committed by the same suspects.

We encourage citizens to call when they see something out of the ordinary. It’s also a good time to remember to keep areas around homes and businesses well-lit as thieves love the cover of darkness, and to keep vegetation trimmed so that neighbors and passersby can see if something is amiss at a business (or home).

That’s our video of last Thursday’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, with two major topics, plus some other updates:

KING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE UPDATE: Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (explained here) is coming to White Center, announced Major Jerrell Wills, who says this is “a perfect location for it … another tool to help us help you … to address some of the homelessness, afflicted, mentally ill in our communities.” The state Department of Corrections has arrested some felons in WC, including “registered sex offenders that were not in compliance,” he said.

But the big attraction in the KCSO appearance (the sheriff himself, by the way, couldn’t be there after all) was the introduction of new Storefront Deputy Julian Chivington. “I’ve never had a job where I’ve had to do public speaking,” he warned. He talked about his background – born and raised in Ohio, served in the Army including “a couple tours in Iraq,” member of the KCSO SWAT team, six years in the Sheriff’s Office but new to this precinct.

He’s working “2 to 10 pm on a rotating schedule,” he noted. That’s a change from the four/10s that his predecessor Deputy BJ Myers worked. It’s a flexible schedule, Maj. Wills noted, so it can be adjusted for special events. But he’ll also be away at times for training and other duties related to the SWAT (Tactical) Team (including callouts). He *will* be at NHUAC meetings, as were his predecessors, he confirmed to NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin.

The discussion with KCSO reps also included safety concerns, one of which had taken up the first part of the meeting:

WHITE CENTER BOG ENCAMPMENT PROBLEMS: Wesley Chin from King County provided the first part of the update, including details of cleanup efforts – removing 6 truckloads of brush and debris, in hopes of discouraging encampments from returning. Assistance was also offered to those who had been illegally camping. It wasn’t just a matter of public safety, he said, but also a matter of protecting water quality. Ken Gresset also spoke, with more details about how they hope to “open up” the site in the next round of work, because, he said, it’s not the homeless people there who are the major problem, but criminals including sex offenders and drug addicts. So many hypodermic needles, in fact, that some volunteers can’t work there any more, he said – piles of them. They might try to get a grant to help pay for more cleanup.

In Q/A with NHUAC members, Gresset explained the problem isn’t just going to go away entirely – the area has so much accessibility and is convenient to services, such as the two drug stores just up Roxbury. Some of what he’s seen there, he said, was downright scary – even a “one-man underground bunker.”

OTHER NOTES: North Highline Fire District‘s board has a special meeting this Thursday, November 13th, at 5 pm, to talk about the implementation of the benefit charge approved earlier this year by voters.

King County Elections announced another round of results this evening, but it didn’t change the fact that the Highline Public Schools bond hasn’t hit the 60 percent approval needed, and isn’t at this point expected to. Here’s where it stands after the Saturday night results release:

On Friday, the district sent this news release:

It appears that the Highline capital improvement bond — now at 58.03 percent approval — will not reach the 60 percent needed for passage. Though yes votes have been trending upward, it is unlikely the ballots yet to be counted will push the final count above the 60 percent threshold.

School Board President Michael Spear acknowledged that a majority of voters did vote to approve the measure. “We are grateful for the support of the many, many citizens in our community who expressed their support for our schools by voting yes,” said Spear.

With failure of the bond, the district has limited options for meeting the challenges of overcrowding and aging, deteriorating schools.

This fall enrollment is up 400 students over last year, causing crowding in elementary schools. Enrollment is expected to grow by over 2,000 in the next eight to ten years.

Bond failure also means replacement and major repairs to the district’s aging and outdated schools will have to wait.

“We will do our best to serve our students, knowing there are physical and financial limitations to what we can do to improve the learning environment in our oldest buildings,” said Superintendent Susan Enfield. “We will work with our community to determine a plan for moving forward.”

No, it is NOT too soon to think “holidays.” White Center Library Guild is having its popular annual bazaar and book sale the next two days – Friday and Saturday – and hopes you will come celebrate – all the details are above.

The first round of results from the election are in – the only round we will see tonight; next count will be out Wednesday afternoon.

HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOND MEASURE
60 percent approval is required for passage; so far, it’s falling short of that:

57 percent approve (9502 votes)
43 percent reject (7263 votes)

Did you notice the boarded-up window at Dubsea Coffee today? Somebody smashed a window to break into the Greenbridge coffee shop, staff confirmed. We heard about it via Twitter:

@westseattleblog did you hear about what happened at Dubsea? Ugh! pic.twitter.com/ImK7FXX5x5

— Marcia Ventura (@marciaventura) November 3, 2014

Marcia, who tweeted the photo, said the broken window was right over the kids’ area. Some items were stolen, according to staff. (added) WCN reader Carrie says the burglar(s) even turned on the grill and cooked/ate some food, besides breaking into the office. She adds, “Dubsea is a small, local business that promotes a strong sense of community and it’s sad that some jerks would do this to them.”

P.S. If you have concerns/questions about North Highline crime, be at the NH Unincorporated Area Council meeting Thursday night, 7 pm at NH Fire District HQ, with guests from the King County Sheriff’s Office including new White Center Storefront Deputy Julian Chivington.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is promising a major presence at Thursday night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, including newly announced Storefront Deputy Julian Chivington. From NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin, the official meeting announcement:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting
When: Thursday – November 6 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station, 1243 SW 112th Street

Mark your calendars and plan on joining NHUAC for an important community discussion with our special guests from the King County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff John Urquhart, Major Jerrell Wills, and our new White Center Storefront Deputy, Julian Chivington. This is a great opportunity to meet our new storefront deputy and discuss community concerns with KCSO.

We are also pleased to be hosting John Taylor, King County Assistant Director, Water and Land Resources Division, who will provide updates and information on plans for the White Center Bog.

When: Thursday – Nov 6 7pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station 1243 SW 112th Street

All are welcome!!!!
see our website: northhighlineuac.org

We might have arrived in downtown White Center too early or too late for peak trick-or-treating – but we did find the party at Zippy’s Giant Burgers on 14th SW. Familiar faces above and below…

And in the parking lot, the couple behind the vegan ice-cream-sandwich truck Seattle Cookie Counter:

A spooky time was had by all…

Tuesday is Election Day. If you haven’t sent in your ballot yet, three of the next four days bring visits by the King County Elections ballot-dropoff vans. Same White Center spot as recent elections – on the street outside Greenbridge Library (9720 8th SW). The van will be there 10 am-5 pm Saturday and Monday, 10 am-8 pm Tuesday. No postage needed if you’re taking your ballot to a van or to the 24-hour dropboxes elsewhere in the county, but you DO need correct postage if you’re mailing yours. If you’ve already sent in/dropped off your ballot, track it online. Two other links of potential interest: Sample ballot here; pamphlet info here.

Tomorrow’s the night to bring trick-or-treaters out to participating White Center businesses – the list of which continues to grow. This is the list, according to what Zippy’s Giant Burgers has posted on Facebook over the past week-plus:

Triangle Pub
Meat the live Butcher
Big Al’s
Proletariat
Rat City Records
Zippy’s Giant Burgers
Fantastic Sams
International Halal
Decoraciones Ely
Uncle Mike’s BBQ
Better Life
Herban Legends
Fashion Corner Store
Smoke Town
Samway Market
White Center Pho
L&L Jewelry
Luso Food & Wine
3.14 Bakery
Salon Y Peluqueria
Fashion Corner Store
Center Tools
Platinum Cutz
Delridge Bakery
Lee’s Produce
West Seattle Halal
Crawfish House
Golden House Doughnuts & Deli
Tienda Super
Young’s Restaurant
Samway Market

OCTOBER 28: In case you don’t use Twitter – downtown White Center’s espresso shop, Caffé Delia, announced there that they’ll be closed today (October 28th) because of illness.

OCTOBER 30: After two days of closure, Caffé Delia was scheduled to reopen today.

Thanks to Gill for the colorful view! (Read all about the park here.)

From Audrey @ White Center Food Bank:

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO HUNGRY FAMILIES AT THE WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of hungry families in the community? White Center Food Bank needs volunteers every weekday and food for the holidays.

You can be on the front lines of hunger by coming to the food bank to pass out food. In an average distribution, we see 40 to 70 families who receive meat, food staples, milk, egg and produce. Including set up and clean up this shift takes about 4 hours. We need help Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 9:00 am.

Like to lift boxes? You can help in the warehouse on Tuesdays when we load and unload trucks and organize the warehouse. The work starts around 10:00 am and can last until 2:00 pm or longer depending on the amount of donations.

If you have a clean driving record and can lift 40 pounds, we would love to have you drive the food bank van to local businesses to pick up donations. We regularly pick up from Safeway, QFC, Starbucks, Super Saver, Essential Bakery and other generous businesses. Thursday morning is the shift you can help the most but other days especially around the holidays are busy too. If you’re not sure if this is right for you, I can arrange a ride along as helper so you can get an idea of the experience.

The holidays are coming up and the White Center Food Bank would like to provide the fixings for holiday meals for about 600 families each of the next two months. You can help by providing turkeys, boxed stuffing, canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, whole olives, canned yams or sweet potatoes, and pudding or jello mixes or by donating online at www.whitecenterfoodbank.org and designating your donation for holiday food.

Your help is important to be able to provide clients with good customer service and holiday food. Email or call me to get involved.

Audrey Zemke
Operations Manager
White Center Food Bank
(206) 762-2848

Just discovered this on one of our routine weekly-or-so check of files in certain court cases; it happened last week but has gone unreported and unannounced until now (also just published on our partner site West Seattle Blog):

The man charged in last March’s rape and beating of a 58-year-old woman near 22nd/Roxbury has pleaded guilty. The attack drew coverage in media all around the region, as deputies went door to door searching for clues to solve the exceptionally violent attack; investigators even circulated a sketch and a photo of the victim’s distinctive purse, hoping to jog someone’s memory.

Eventually, a DNA match led investigators to 25-year-old Christopher Anthony Brown, who then was arrested in Oklahoma in June, charged with rape and assault, and extradited. Investigators said Brown had been visiting the White Center area when he attacked the victim as she waited for a bus after leaving Roxbury Lanes. First, investigators said, he asked her for a cigarette, which she gave him; then he offered her money for sex, which she declined, so he attacked her – dragging her into nearby shrubbery, choking her until she was nearly unconscious, beating her, raping her, robbing her, threatening to kill her and her family if she reported it.

Court documents say prosecutors will recommend a sentence that would put Brown in prison for 171 months – 14 years plus 3 months – and then he would be on probation (community custody) for the rest of his life. Brown pleaded guilty last week to one count each of rape, assault, and robbery. King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector is scheduled to sentence him on November 14th.

Few details yet but according to King County Sheriff’s Twitter account, a “probable homicide” is being investigated right now in Top Hat. KCSO says “Major Crimes detectives” are on scene, as is the Medical Examiner, in the 10700 block of 6th Avenue S. (map).

It will be up to the KC Medical Examiner to identify the victim. pic.twitter.com/cXCYxrugIy

— KingcosoPIO (@kingcosoPIO) October 23, 2014

We didn’t get a chance to stop by Cascade Middle School this afternoon during this big event because of a breaking story in West Seattle, but we’re glad to share photos posted on Twitter by the Seahawks (above) and Highline Public Schools (below):

Here’s what this was all about, from the advance advisory sent to media:

Seahawks players will pay a visit to Cascade Middle School, making classroom visits, helping students get active with NFL Play 60 activity stations, and providing a lesson on eating healthy while serving a nutritious snack. United Way volunteers from Costco and architectural design firm the DLR Group will be remodeling and renovating the school’s shared youth center earlier in the day as part of United Way’s Hometown Huddle program

The NFL-United Way Hometown Huddle is a league-wide day of service focused on helping kids lead healthy and successful lives.

HPS promises more photos to come on its Facebook page.

ORIGINAL REPORT: From the inbox:

My name is Rachael and on 10/18/2014 my Siberian Husky, Luna, got out of our yard. We live at the North end of Burien. I am begging everyone to please keep their eye out for her. She has distinctive “snake bite” marks on her muzzle and a dark mask with blue eyes. She is very friendly and was last seen at 10019 Des Moines Memorial Drive, Burien WA 98168. She is federally registered with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities) as a service companion and she is needed and missed. There is a reward for her safe return. Please call Rachael at 775-770-4569 or Cory at 206-683-2112 if she is found or sighted.

THURSDAY UPDATE: King County Sheriff’s Office has this short and sweet update via Twitter:

#Sheriff dets return stolen #Husky service #dog Luna to her owner. Taken from #whitecenter Lead det is a #cougar pic.twitter.com/rHLA7gGs2j

— KingCoSheriff (@KingCoSheriff) October 23, 2014

Three months after Deputy BJ Myers moved to a new role with the King County Sheriff’s Office, his successor as White Center Storefront Deputy has been announced. Just in from KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates:

Deputy Julian Chivington has been selected as the new storefront deputy for the White Center community. Deputy Chivington has been with the King County Sheriff’s Office since 2008, and his most recent assignment was with the bicycle unit of our Metro Transit Police unit.

Earlier in his career he worked as a patrol deputy at our north precinct, primarily in the North Bend area. Prior to that, he worked as a patrol deputy assigned to our city of Shoreline contract.

In addition to his duties as the White Center storefront deputy, he is a member of our department’s TAC 30 team.

Deputy Chivington is looking forward to getting to know both the citizens and businesses of the White Center community.

A bit of his background is as follows:

He is originally from a small town in Ohio, leaving there when he joined the military. Deputy Chivington spent six and a half years serving in the U.S. Army, stationed initially at Fort Benning, and later at Fort Lewis. He was deployed to Iraq twice. On one of those deployments he was injured as a result of an IED which resulted in his military career being cut short.

Just two months ago, local leaders voiced concerns that the storefront deputy position might not be filled, and started a petition drive. If you don’t meet Deputy Chivington sooner, we’re told the Sheriff’s Office will be featured prominently at the next North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (7 pm Thursday, November 6th), so make plans to be there.

North Highline Fire District invites you to its commissioners’ meeting next Monday (October 20th), 7 pm at NHFD headquarters, because it’s a double-duty meeting – it’s also a public hearing related to the “benefit charge” approved by voters earlier this year, along with a chance to find out more about the district’s revenue expectation for next year. You can see the full agenda here.

King County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a stabbing in a home near 1st SW and 108th early today. The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries described as life-threatening; they don’t believe the attack was random. The suspect left in a 1996 Ford Probe, blue with a red bumper, WA license APA0835 – call 911 if you see it.

CORRECTION 10/20: The victim was male, not female as our original headline had said.