White Center Now: The blog about White Center

We stopped by Cultivate‘s open-mike night on Friday at Greenbridge Plaza, just long enough to see the crowd gathering on a perfect summer evening – not too hot, not too cool. Among the first performers, Celestine:

The event was a co-promotion with White Center Community Development Association and YES Foundation, and a chance for everybody to celebrate the summer. Cultivate has a photo album up on Facebook; see it here.

7 pm, the plaza will be full of sights and sounds as Cultivate, YES Foundation, White Center Community Development Association, and your artistic friends and neighbors team up for Open Mike Night. Need more info? Check out this Facebook event page.

(Photos by Patrick Sand for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now)
10:33 AM: There’s a search after a robbery was reported at Chase Bank in White Center. Seattle Police are helping search. There’s word of a possible suspect found to the south, but the search will continue until and unless that is verified. Updates to come.

10:46 AM UPDATE: A suspect was taken into custody at 19th/104th; we were there and will add photos. Right now we’re back at the bank to gather more information.

10:58 AM UPDATE: KCSO Sgt. Cindi West says deputies spotted the suspect “jogging” in the area. He was found to have a gun and a bag in his possession. The robber was reported to have shown a gun. So he remains in custody. Added a photo from the bank; arrest-scene photo shortly.

11:35 AM UPDATE: Just added the above clip, with Sgt. West explaining what happened. This is the second White Center bank holdup in less than two weeks. Just yesterday, we reported on the charge filed against the suspect arrested days after the one at KeyBank on July 13th.

Volunteers and staff are always busy at the White Center Food Bank, but Tuesday brought something extra to keep them hopping – a big delivery from the national nonprofit Feed the Children. Boxes with food and personal-care products, destined for 400 families, arrived via FTC’s “Americans Feeding Americans Caravan”:

Along for the occasion was Feed The Children media liaison Mark Opgrande:

White Center is one of three stops FTC is making this week – tomorrow they’re in Bremerton and on Thursday, in Des Moines.

The man arrested in connection with the July 13th holdup at White Center’s KeyBank is now charged with attempted first-degree robbery, and court documents say he may be a suspect in two other robberies. Now that he is charged, we will identify him by name – Justin Schupp. Court documents say he entered the bank that afternoon and gave a teller a note saying, “You have 10 seconds to calmly give me all the $100’s in your drawer. This is not a joke. I will f***ing shoot you.” The teller looked at him, the investigator’s narrative says, and “pushed the note back to him,” then “stepped backward in fear.” With that, he “grabbed the note and fled on foot … no cash was taken.”

The robbery attempt was captured on video surveillance, and, according to the court documents, a deputy who saw that video recognized Schupp in a set of photos at the Burien Police precinct, depicting “known criminals” operating in the Burien/White Center area. Turns out the same deputy actually spoke with Schupp two hours before the bank incident, because he was a witness to a car crash at Roxbury/17th – just a block from the KeyBank. And, the charging papers say, once the photo of Schupp was circulated to other officers on July 16th, within half an hour, a deputy recognized him as someone he’d dealt with a year earlier. Then last Wednesday, once the photo also was distributed to media (we published it here), a near-deluge of tips came in, identifying the robber as Justin Schupp, including some from people close to him. The court documents note that of all the tips they received, he was the only person mentioned. They arrested Schupp at 6 pm Wednesday, at which time, court documents say, “he was wearing the same gray fleece hooded jacket and the same tennis shoes as seen in the video the day of the robbery.”

The King County Jail Register says he’s being held in lieu of $35,000 bail. Just ten days before his arrest, he got out of jail after six days related to a case of trafficking in stolen property. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says he is due for arraignment on August 6th.

No shortage of summer fun – check this out for each of the next four Thursdays, 1-3 pm:

Classic Sports Games this Thursday at White Center Summer Field Days – Steve Cox Memorial Park

THURS. JULY 26TH – SPORTS CLASSICS @ STEVE COX MEMORIAL PARK (Special Guests KCLS Book Mobile & Hope Heart Institute)

THURS. AUGUST 2ND – KARATE CLASS @ STEVE COX MEMORIAL PARK

THURS. AUGUST 9TH – EAT RIGHT, MOVE MORE @ GREENBRIDGE

THURS. AUGUST 16TH – BEST OF THE BEST SPORTS/GAMES + COMMUNITY BBQ @ GREENBRIDGE PLAZA

This was sent in for the lost/found-pets section on partner site West Seattle Blog, but he turned up in WC:

Unaltered male Shiba Inu found this afternoon around 4:30 in White Center east of McLendon. No collar or identification (I added the red collar for manageability), friendly and good natured. Fetches and sits like a champ. I have no doubt someone owns and loves this guy, likely he pulled out of a collar or escaped from an open door or gate. Please contact me … if this is your dog or you know who’s it is. If I don’t hear from anyone I will take him to Animal Control (this) morning to see if he is chipped. 206.234.7445, ppeerman@gmail.com

We got some calls/messages early today about the law-enforcement helicopter Guardian One over the White Center/Highland Park area, and finally found out from King County Sheriff’s Deputy BJ Myers what happened. Talking with us at Jubilee Days, Deputy Myers said it involved a report of gunfire near 17th and 98th. No evidence of the reported gunfire, though, he said – nobody hurt, no property damage, no shell casings found. A suspect was reported to have been seen running; one person was arrested and said to have had a gun, but Deputy Myers said no one has identified him as having been involved with the alleged gunfire.

1:57 PM: WCN is live at White Center Jubilee Days for the first time ever – and Tina Holmes, who’s managing the vendors this year, just stopped by with a vendor who just received a big acknowledgment: At left in our top photo (with Tina at right) is Jean Remington of Remi E Jewelry, who’s been coming here for 20 years, all the way from Bonney Lake. She received the certificate on stage a little while ago (and is still selling her jewelry this afternoon).

3:10 PM: The music continues for a while longer – earlier this afternoon, the popular kindie-rockers The Not-Its played on the south stage:

That was right after the Jubilee Days parade – we’ll be adding some visuals from that in a separate story. Vendors are scheduled to be here till 5 pm; it’s been a bit breezy but there are sunbreaks and blue-sky breaks, and a pleasant stroll for all the folks passing through.

4:44 PM: The sun even came out! So did this robot – operated by a team with members from Highline, Evergreen, Kennedy, and Renton, meeting in Tukwila:

The visitors keep coming – and the vendors keep smiling – Lonjina and Jenny from Center Studio are here, with Jenny doing massage to raise money for WestSide Baby:

And the SWAC Football/Cheer booth has been offering free face-painting:

There’s been good food and fun all afternoon. And plenty of bubbles. Random bubble generators have been sending streams this way off and on – and that’s added to the cheery atmosphere. The vendors are scheduled to fold up soon but the carnival over at Steve Cox Memorial Park continues till 9 tonight, so the fun’s not over yet.

White Center Jubilee Days‘ grand finale today – highlighted by the parade (11:30 am) and the second day of the street fair – and did we mention the Zippy’s Giant Burgers burger-eating contest this afternoon? The WC Library Guild sale, too! Complete rundown after some scenes from Saturday:

(Photos by Patrick Sand for WCN)
That ’57 BelAir was part of Saturday’s Jubilee Days car show – these, too:

Unfortunately the car show does not continue today. But you’ll find vendors, entertainment, and community groups, like your North Highline Unincorporated Area Council:

NHUAC’s Richard Miller, by the way, told us that their next Public Safety Forum on September 13th will include the two candidates for King County Sheriff, current sheriff Steve Strachan and recently retired longtime sergeant John Urquhart. Speaking of public safety, North Highline Fire District is at Jubilee Days too:

By next year, depending on results of this November’s vote, White Center Jubilee Days might also be technically North Burien Jubilee Days. Local supporters of Burien annexation were on hand:

(P.S. in terms of equal coverage – we didn’t see a “no” booth or we would have photographed them too – we’ll look again today.) You also have a chance to support many hard-working White Center nonprofits, like the Food Bank, which again offers the chance for you to be photographed on a classic motorcycle – suggested donation $4:

If your taste in vehicles runs toward buses – check out King County’s RapidRide bus – though the C Line is ending in nearby Westwood instead of running all the way to WC as the current 54 does – the big red-and-yellow bus is there with “RapidRide Man”:

We’ll be at Jubilee Days today on behalf of WCN, noon-5 pm in a booth, covering it live. So here’s how everything unfolds today:

*10 am-2 pm – WC Library Guild rummage sale in the Muffler Shoppe parking lot
*11:30 am – White Center Jubilee Days parade (info including the route on 16th SW, here)
*Noon – Street Fair begins (entertainment lineup here)
*Noon-9 pm – last day of the Jubilee Days carnival at Steve Cox Memorial Park
*2 pm – Zippy’s Giant Burgers burger-eating contest (signups start at 10)

Day 1 of big fun – with live music starting at 11 and continuing late into the night – the schedule’s here. See you there!

Earlier this week, we showed you a photo made public by the King County Sheriff’s Office, showing the man they say robbed the White Center KeyBank last Friday (as reported here, after a helicopter joined the search). He has been arrested and jailed, according to KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West. She says tips led to the arrest; he is not yet charged, so we aren’t identifying him, but she says he is a 21-year-old Seattle resident. According to Sgt. West, deputies “arrested the suspect late Wednesday evening near S 177 and 1st Ave S.”

(Photos by Nick Adams for WCN)
If you didn’t know the White Center Jubilee Days festival was in full swing, last night’s fireworks show announced it loud and clear.It was visible beyond Steve Cox Memorial Park as well as a thrill for those who watched from closer-up, including Arnie Lopez and 3-year-old son Simon:

The bright lights weren’t all in the sky; the first night of the Jubilee Days Carnival filled the park with colorful sights closer to the ground – here’s a view of the StarTrooper ride:

Classic carnival games abound:

They can take some concentration! Leon Falco gave the Clown Water Gun Balloon Game his best shot:

Jordan Brown and his 2-year-old son Zander were spotted duck-watching:

Along with traditional fair-style food, the Taco Time Traveler truck fed Jubilee Days-goers – offering free tacos:

(Its crew was tweeting from the carnival and fireworks show – see their tweets/photos here.) But the main dish is excitement.

That’s Johnny Huyan and Laura Rubles on the StarTrooper. The Dragon Wagon was a huge hit with younger festivalgoers:

Some braved the StarTrooper too – like 8-year-old Jordain Webber:

The carnival continues through Sunday – today, it begins with armband sales at 1 pm; on Friday, at noon; Saturday, 11 am; Sunday, noon (when closing time will be 9 pm – it’s flexible the other nights, depending on how late carnivalgoers keep showing up!).

Last Friday afternoon, we brought you first word of a robbery at KeyBank in White Center. Today, the King County Sheriff’s Office has released a photo of the robber – and word of a reward:

The King County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying a man who robbed a bank last Friday afternoon in the White Center area.

The incident occurred at the Key Bank in the 9600 block of SW 17th around 4pm on July 13th. The (robber) entered the bank and produced a note demanding money. The (robber) fled on foot northbound towards Roxbury.

The (robber) is described as a white man, 24-27, 5’ 6”- 5’8” with a skinny build. He was last seen wearing glasses, a dark zippered hoodie, a dark t-shirt, and gray knit cap.

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

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and charges in this case. You can remain anonymous. Call 1-800-222-TIPS.

**You must call Crime Stoppers with the tip in order to be eligible for the reward!**

Just dropped by Steve Cox Memorial Park to check on carnival setup – the rides are in place and everyone’s getting ready to go. Armbands for the rides go on sale at 3 pm today. And at dusk, it’s another big Jubilee Days fireworks show, also from Steve Cox Park (though you will see and hear it from the streets around the park, too). The carnival continues through Sunday; the street fair is Saturday and Sunday, and the parade is Sunday – lots of info on the official website.

While you’re in downtown White Center – and environs – for the Jubilee Days Street Fair, parade, etc., on Sunday, here’s something more to check out:

White Center Library Guild’s HUGE Yard Sale is being held this Sunday, July 22nd. Opens 10 AM at The Muffler Shoppe (10011 16th Ave. SW) parking lot on the SW corner of 16th Ave. SW/SW 100th. There will be plants, furniture, clothes, books, giftware, dishes and more. All proceeds benefit White Center Library programs including books and supplies for the employee-award-winning Children’s Librarian.

Like most years, mid-July means a fire-safety burn ban is going into effect, by order of the King County Fire Marshal. The announcement explains what that means:

A county-wide burn ban was declared today by the King County Fire Marshal in conjunction with Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston counties. This ban is prompted by forecasts calling for continued dry weather and will last until September 1, 2012.

This Phase 1 burn ban applies to all outdoor burning except for small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved camp grounds or private property with the owner’s permission. These fires must:

· Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds; and not be used as debris disposal;

· Grow no larger than three feet in diameter;

· Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches; and

· Be attended at all times by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire shall be in constant attendance at the site while burning.

Fun event ahead – for participants as well as spectators! Here’s the official announcement:

On July 27, we will be hosting the 2nd annual Cultivate’s White Center Outdoor Open Mic.

The open mic will be a joint effort by Cultivate, The White Center CDA, The YES Foundation and Dubsea Coffee. It’s an open mic but more of a concert feel with established local artists showcasing their talents for the White Center Community.

It’s a fun free event for families to enjoy in our wonderful community of White Center. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase local talent and celebrate the community of White Center. The event will be on July 27th at 7 pm, Greenbridge Plaza – 9010 8th Ave SW.

(Photos by Nick Adams for WCN)
This year’s White Center Garden Tour is a wrap! Coordinator Vera Johnson of Village Green Perennial Nursery (one of the tour stops) says today’s tour participants voted on their favorites, which won prizes as a result, and the one garden photographed for WCN came in first – #7, Russell Hodgkinson and Shelley Poncy‘s garden in White Center near 17th and 106th.

They get a $15 Village Green gift certificate and a 4-pound bag of fertilizer. Here’s one more view:

(The vintage trailer, we’re told, is a recent addition.) In third place, receiving a $10 gift certificate, was the Barton Street P-Patch; and in second place, with a $15 gift certificate, was garden #6 on the tour map.

The Village Green Perennial Nursery-organized White Center Garden Tour is today – 10 am-4 pm, free! The map, first linked here July 5th, includes locations in south West Seattle as well as White Center; download it here, and/or get a printed copy at locations including Village Green, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and Proletariat Pizza.