White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(After and before!)

By Vera Johnson of Village Green Perennial Nursery
Special to White Center Now

New garden beds over existing lawn: Skill level…Easy.

Have you been wanting to start a garden in an area of your yard, but it feels too overwhelming and you have no idea where to begin?

Do you have too much lawn to mow? Want to get rid of some of it?

Want to grow food and flowers? Growing perennial flowers is essential to healthy vegetable gardening, as the bees rely on the food source and the wasps that are attrracted to the plants are a predator to many of the bugs that attack vegetable starts … more on that later!

It’s really quite easy, but it does take some effort. Are you in? Willing? Then let’s go!!

Gather materials…this can take time, and that’s ok.

* Look around and see what you have to work with…rocks, concrete chunks from an old sidewalk or patio, wood rounds (preferably small diameter)

*Cardboard with tape and staples removed

*Newspaper…no shiny pages; the chemicals in the inks are not what we want for the gardens.

*Fallen leaves – there should be plenty in the neighborhood; ask your neighbors. Leaves (not all leaves are equal – see below) are a treasure trove of nutrients. You can also get free wood chips from a tree service; call ahead and have a place ready where they can dump, and you will get all the free mulch you can handle.

*Fertilizers (organic) with high nitrogen. Blood meal is great; bat guano; or fresh chicken manure if you have chickens – we’re not planting right away, so there’s no risk of burning the plants’ roots. I also LOVE to use KELP in this procedure, the soil benefits are spectacular.

1. Choose your location (think big, don’t limit yourself!) I like to use a garden hose to determine the border and have a visual aid for what the garden will look like.

2. Mow or weedwhack the area you’ve chosen (very, very short…leave the clippings for extra nitrogen)

3. Lay a heavy dose of nitrogen (fertilizer and/or manures) over the entire area you are planning to use as a garden; this will heat up under the layers we are about to put on the new garden and be ready in spring … patience.

4. On the chosen area for the new gardens, lay out cardboard so that it overlaps – or newspaper in thick layers, also overlapping – to prevent weeds from pushing up through. You are laying the paper or cardboard over the existing mowed lawn, and over the fertilizers.

5. Water the paper or cardboard to keep it from flying away. This is the stage where you can start heaping on the raked leaves. Birch, maple, oak, alder are the best leaves for this project.

You can also pile on any small branches and wood chips (not bark mulch, which is not a useful garden product, as it repels water – don’t get me started). You want the top layer to be at least 6 inches deep, more if possible. This will get the underground soil food web something to work on over the winter.

Come spring, you will be amazed at how loose and workable the ground is. You can expect to be able to stick the shovel in, right into the paper/cardboard; dig a hole, add fertilizer, soil amendment, and plant whatever you were planning to put in the garden.

Vera Johnson is proprietor of Village Green Perennial Nursery, and plans to share some gardening advice/secrets/info here from time to time. She writes about a variety of subjects at her own website – check it out here.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

Nine members and about a dozen onlookers were present for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s first meeting of 2012, at North Highline Fire District headquarters. Here’s what they discussed, heard, and did:

PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER MOVING: White Center’s county public-health center is moving from 8th Avenue to Greenbridge, and David Reyes came to tell NHUAC more about that. The new location will continue to provide some but not all of the services will move with the location – such as public-health-nurse home-visiting services (the Nurse/Family Partnership), he said – there’s no room in the new facility for that team, but the team will continue to serve the area. 34 or 35 staffers will move, about two-thirds of its current staff, Reyes said. The new location is in two storefronts south of Dubsea Coffee on 8th SW; the street number likely wll be 9930, he said. The new design is being finalized, according to Reyes, and “if all goes well … we’re hoping to be able to relocate sometime in June.” He says the space will be environmentally and ergonomically appropriate, and will be able to capture “as much light as possible” – “very different from what we have now” on the current site next to the White Center Food Bank. “It’s going to be like walking into a new doctors’ facility almost anywhere.” The facility’s service area is beyond White Center, by the way – as far south as Des Moines, as well as points east to South Park. Asked by NHUAC member Ron Johnson about the financial arrangements for the new location, Reyes said he didn’t have all the information; Johnson had noted that the space in question was supposed to be for businesses and said he’s particularly concerned if tax revenues – such as those that a business would have provided – were going to be lost. Reyes said he does know that they’re going in as tenants, “not necessarily (tax) exempt.”

WHAT ABOUT THE HEALTH CENTER’S CURRENT SITE? It will formally revert to being a King County Parks property, according to Katy Terry from that department. The WC Food Bank is five years into a 15-year lease on its part of the site, she noted. Nothing specific is finalized yet but she says they are interested in having “someone” there, not just having it be some kind of “Parks-specific” space. Maybe a combination of medical – she mentioned a tentative inquiry from Harborview, for example – and nonprofit, she said. They haven’t done outreach yet, she said, while waiting to find out about Public Health’s timetable for moving out, which just now, she said, is starting to become clearer. The Food Bank might even be interested in the added space, she said – if any group is interested in the space, it should contact KC Parks. Answering council questions, she acknowledged this is “new territory for us,” as Parks has not previously had facilities it owned but leased out. Community member Gill Loring asked Terry if they have been officially in contact with Burien, considering the site could be within that city’s boundaries; her answer basically was “no,” though Parks, she says, has been monitoring the annexation situation.

CRIME (ETC.) UPDATE: Storefront Deputy BJ Myers said there was one bit of particularly good news – a lower level of crime in the downtown area last month. He noted that Metro Transit Police have “had a good presence” in White Center, checking out bus stops and making rounds on biccyles. He also said that ex-Storefront Deputy Jeff Hancock “is now a regular presence on patrol on second shift … and has been a great resource to have back.” Myers brought up the Seattle Roll Bakery murder and said the suspect was even arrested and jailed before he came to work that day. “Talking to people around the community, I think there’s an understanding that it’s the kind of crime that could happen anywhere,” he observed. “It just happened to go down in our neighborhood.” Dobkin said she had previously not been aware that the bakery had been open all night; Myers said that wasn’t common knowledge before and that the description in some venues of a “24-hour sandwich shop” wasn’t actually the case – that the bakery had employees on hand at that hour because they were baking for clients, not doing retail business. Would the witnesses who made up the robbery story be prosecuted? he was asked. He said that’s not clear, pointing out that they were in a “difficult position,” but at least, he said, the truth became clear fairly quickly and didn’t set the investigation back too far. What’s up at the DK Café? he was asked (following last fall’s raids). It’s still open, Myers noted, while saying that there’s followup to come. The task force also is still interested in tips, he clarified, but if there’s some “new” or “persistent” crime, KCSO would like to get tips on that kind of thing. Asked about recent crimes, he said that detectives are developing leads on last month’s liquor-store robbery (WCN coverage here). As for this morning’s hit-and-run, he says they’re now confirming it was believed to be a “dark sedan,” though originally there was “no vehicle description at all.” He also fielded questions about various other concerns, including whether people are back living in the apartments over the former Club Evo; they seem to be, he said.

QUARTERLY CRIME DISCUSSION? NHUAC member Richard Miller, who also happens to chair the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, said he had been talking to the brass at KCSO about a possible quarterly meeting to discuss crime issues/concerns, separate from NHUAC meetings, which tackle a variety of topics. A date of 7 pm February 9th was tentatively set for a pilot version of this meeting.

BURIEN UPDATE – INCLUDING ANNEXATION AND LIBRARY CONSOLIDATION: Burien city manager Mike Martin said he’ll be at next Monday’s Boundary Review Board meeting on the annexation proposal (7 pm January 9th at Cascade Middle School), missing a Burien City Council meeting – the first one, he says, he’s ever missed – in order to be present. He says no surprises are expected. … He gave a shoutout to new staffer Nhan Nguyen (left), who (as mentioned at a previous meeting) is now a management analyst for Burien … Then he talked about the library controversy. “You probably don’t know we’ve put together a little ad-hoc group,” Martin said, including NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin, to focus on the issue; it met most recently, he said, last night. “We really tried to dissemble the whole thing and see ‘what makes sense’,” Martin explained. Rather than just oppose the consolidation plan, Martin said, they want to be able to tell the county library system what they think SHOULD happen. He said “a couple themes have emerged” – that the Boulevard Park Library “is a unique facility and serves a function greater than being a library – it’s a gathering spot, it’s iconic, it’s the sole representative of government there …” So, he says, there’s probably “no compromise” that the Boulevard Park Library must stay open in some form, at its location. So, he said, the group is now focusing on the White Center Library, with a lot of discussion focusing on it also having importance beyond just being a library – being “community-centric.” The location, though, may not be so important, so they’re talking about whether other sites might make sense. And, he says, they are taking into account such things as “what if Seattle annexed that area in 10 years?” even though that seems unlikely, at the very least. Factors they are evaluating include social justice and economy of scale, and whether the building of a White Center Library could serve some other function. Bottom line, though, he said, the group has reached “no conclusions,” in its “free-ranging, candid” discussions thus far. Martin reiterated that he doesn’t want to just “stop the (consolidation) project,” but rather put forward an alternative proposal. NHUAC member Ron Johnson brought up the matter of proximity to schools; Martin said there are even better places a library could be than its current site, if that is a key issue. (If you’ve missed previous coverage of the issue, the library board decided to table the consolidation discussion until after the Boundary Review Board makes its decision on furthering the annexation proposal, after next week’s hearing. The board’s next meeting is January 24th; no agenda is posted yet.) Dobkin noted that a location closer to downtown White Center might be optimal; while that has in the past stirred concern that it was too close to Seattle, Martin pointed out the possibilities of economic spinoff – he consulted Nguyen for a bit of data, that 35,000 people from Seattle use county libraries in this area, and what if they all also came to patronize the White Center business district while doing that – “seeing those business rising” during their visits?

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Barbara Dobkin reminded everyone about the Boundary Review Board meeting, noting that the board will be ready to hear public comment; on behalf of the council, Dobkin plans to speak in favor of the annexation proposal … NHUAC member Pat Price reminded everyone of the White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition’s emergency-preparedness series launching next week …

PUBLIC COMMENT: 7 pm January 24 is the next North Highline Fire District commissioners’ meeting … Aileen Sison thanked everyone who contributed to last month’s Tree LIghting Ceremony at the Delridge Triangle, noting that about 100 people were in attendance (WCN coverage, with video, is here); she mentioned the tree-topper designed by the local blacksmith who also has created the bike racks now appearing in downtown White Center.

DOWNTOWN FLOWER BEDS, AND STEVE COX MEMORIAL PARK FLAG: Dobkin says their adviser on the project, Village Green Perennial Nursery’s Vera Johnson, says they could plant now, so she’ll be organizing a work party. Council member Rebecca Lopes talked about the flagpole at Steve Cox Memorial Park, which also will need a flag. Johnson suggested obtaining a flag that has flown over the State Capitol. Other ideas for flag sources were discussed. Whatever the ultimate result, Dobkin said, she thinks it would be appropriate for NHUAC to have something to do with providing the flag, given the group’s history with renaming the park in honor of Deputy Cox and his long NHUAC involvement.

COUNCIL BYLAWS – INCLUDING, WILL THERE BE AN ELECTION? These are more important than you might think, given that the group’s no longer funded and convened by the county, but has decided to go ahead TFN. That raised the question of whether they should proceed with May elections as usual. Member Price suggested that elections be tabled while they wait to see what happens with annexation, provided the current members are amenable to continue their roles at least through 2012. Dobkin pointed out that elections require a lot of effort, and haven’t drawn major turnout. If annexation falls through, then they’ll have to decide what to do, as Johnson observed, but for now, the council voted unanimously to put elections on hold, at least until there’s word on whether Burien will take the annexation proposal to voters.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets the first Thursday of the month, 7 pm, at North Highline Fire District HQ, 1243 SW 112th SW.

3:06 AM: Got a text asking why police tape is up in the 14th/15th/Roxbury vicinity. We get the answer from our friends at KING 5, who say a 55-year-old man was seriously hurt when a vehicle hit him in the crosswalk there. Their photographer’s photo, shared on Twitter, shows the 16th/Roxbury intersection blocked off.

3:32 AM UPDATE: KING quotes investigators as saying the driver may have come off Delridge before the collision.

10:31 AM UPDATE: We have an update from Sgt. Larson at the King County Sheriff’s Office:

At approximately 01:43, the victim was crossing Roxbury at 16th Ave. SW. He was walking southbound, and he was in a crosswalk. A dark colored sedan was making a left turn from southbound 16th Ave. to eastbound Roxbury. The vehicle struck the victim and then continued driving without stopping. The fleeing vehicle will have a broken driver’s side mirror.

The victim, a 54 year old Seattle man, was transported by medics to Harborview Hospital with critical injuries.

The King County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Reconstrution Detectives are investigating. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s office at 206.296-3311.

UPDATE: The teenage boy reported earlier as missing apparently had been safely found even before authorities put out the call for help – King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart says someone found him by a road late this morning and took him to Harborview Medical Center, and due to the communications challenges of his autism, it took a while before everyone realized who he was. Bottom line, he’s OK and safe. Our original story is after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

Announced today by the King County Sheriff’s Office:

In partnership with King County Emergency Medical Services, a division of Public Health – Seattle & King County, 53 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being distributed to 53 King County Sheriff’s Deputies. The deputies can be dispatched to a cardiac arrest call along with emergency medical responders.

Equipped deputies who arrive first to the scene of a cardiac arrest will start resuscitation and deliver the first defibrillator shocks. Once emergency medical responders arrive on the scene, they will take over resuscitation duties.

“Training and equipping Sheriff Deputies with external defibrillators is a great service for all residents in King County and will definitely save lives. Rapid defibrillation can literally snatch the life from the jaws of death,” said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, the Medical Director for King County Emergency Medical Services.

15 deputies have already been trained and are equipped with AEDs. The remainder of the AEDs will be assigned over the next few months as deputies receive the training. “This is a voluntary initiative and all deputies receiving an AED have expressed their interest in participating in this life-saving program,” said King County Sheriff’s Captain Bryan Howard, who is the Emergency Services Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office.

Public Health provided the funding for approximately 49 of the AEDs. The EMS levy funding is available for special projects related to training for King County and region-wide municipal workforce and providing AEDs for King County facilities and vehicles.

“Seattle and King County already have the best survival chances for cardiac arrest in the country, thanks to Medic One and CPR/AED training for our residents,” said King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who chairs the Security Oversight Committee and advocates for AEDs. “Our Sheriff’s deputies often arrive first at the scene of an emergency, and they are already trained to save lives. These AEDs are important tools to have available in the field so we can get help quickly to where it is needed. Recent placement of AEDs in the King County Courthouse already has saved at least one life, and now we can expand this capability throughout the community.”

Before we get too far into 2012 – thank heavens for the “bonus holiday”! – we wanted to thank you for your support and collaboration in 2011 here on White Center Now. Over the course of the year, this site alone served 162,327 pageviews (per Google Analytics) – an admirable increase of 40 percent from 2010, and yet still fairly modest, but understandable given that there’s not much on this site besides news on the home page, and we seldom use the “jump” feature in stories, so most of the time, 1 visit to WCN equals 1 page viewed. There’s still lots of room to serve you better, so we have just kicked off the New Year with two features that WCN readers have been requesting:

One is a mobile-friendly design that should kick in any time you want to use your smartphone to check WCN – it’s the same one we’ve been using for the past few years on partner site West Seattle Blog. (If you want to keep using the regular desktop look on your smartphone, next time you read WCN on it, just scroll down the page till you see the button that will allow you to turn the mobile design off.)

The other is an events calendar. We had one in the earlier going, but dropped it for, well, lack of events. White Center has a LOT more going on these days – live music, multiple business-networking organizations with monthly events, a monthly Art Walk, we could go on and on. So we’ve installed a new calendar with some cool features – find it at whitecenternow.com/calendar, and check the link anytime from the “Pages” list on the left sidebar. We have several events there now and are adding more. You can click on any event to “expand” it for more information – and if you then follow the “read more” link on the right, you will go to a full page for that event including a Google Map. Other features too; it defaults to the “Agenda” list format, which doesn’t really involve “agendas,” but if you prefer a more classic monthly calendar look, you can choose that instead.

Now, here’s where YOU come in – PLEASE SEND EVENT INFO as soon as you know you’re having an event; whitecenternow@gmail.com is the best address to use. Thanks, and we wish you a healthy/happy 2012.

If you had a one-use tree this holiday season – here’s how to recycle it.

If you have Waste Management pickup service, you can put it out with your yard waste this week, as long as you follow these rules:

Waste Management collects Christmas trees from its residential customers. Be sure the tree is cut into three-foot sections and remove any tree stands, nails, tinsel and decorations.

If you are within Seattle city limits, you can take your tree to the South Transfer Station in South Park, as long as it’s not taller than eight feet (rules here).

Wherever you live, you are welcome to help out local nonprofits with these two tree-cycling events coming up next weekend:

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Boy Scout Troop 375 Christmas Tree Recycle
January 7 – 8, 2012 (9 to 4)
Five Corners (160th and 1st Avenue in Burien)
$5 per tree
“Good Karma” Christmas Tree Mulch available for $25 donation per yard

SATURDAY, TWO LOCATIONS: The West Seattle Rainbow Girls will hold their fifth annual Christmas tree recycle fundraiser January 7 at the Alki Masonic Hall 4736 40th Ave. SW. and also at the Southgate Masonic Hall located at 1004 SW 152nd in Burien from 10:00 – 2:00. Suggested donation $5.00. No flocked trees please. For more information please contact Jan Hunter at 206-849-7906. Check out the Rainbow Girls by going to www.gorainbow.org.

Next Thursday at 7 pm, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets for the first time this year. Here are agenda toplines from NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin, followed by the full agenda:

Public Health is moving from their present location at 10821 8th Avenue SW. David Reyes, Area Manager for Public Health Center, will provide information about why and where they are re-locating and answer any questions or concerns from the community. Additionally, Katy Terry, Assistant Director for the Department of Parks and Natural Resources, will be available to discuss future uses for the building on 8th Avenue, after the move by Public Health. All are welcome.

7:00 pm Call to Order – Flag Salute – Roll Call –
Approval of Agenda – Approval of Minutes
7:05 pm Public Announcements
7:10 pm Public Comment
3minutes for Individuals
5 minutes for Groups

7:15 pm Mike Martin, Burien City Manager
7:20 pm Deputy BJ Myers

7:30 pm David Reyes, Area Manager for Public Health Center
7:40 pm Katy Terry, Assistant Division Director for Dept of Parks and Natural Resources (Owners of building where public health
currently located)

8:00pm Treasurer’s Report
8:10 pm Corresponding Secretary Report
8:15 pm Committee Reports
1. Governance
2. Arts and Parks
3. Public Safety
4. Housing and Human Services
5. Public Outreach
6. Transportation

8:20 pm Unfinished Business/Old Business
• Flower Bed Planting (100 ST & 16th Ave, SW)
• Flag Pole and Flag at SCMP
• NHUAC Brochures
• Bylaws
• Elections

8:30 pm New Business
• Crime Prevention/ Public Safety Group for North Highline (Richard Miller)
• February/March Agenda

Like most year, this one has had its challenges and disappointments – and its triumphs. We’ve heard of two New Year’s Eve events in White Center – if you know of others, please add a comment or e-mail us at whitecenternow@gmail.com:

WHITE CENTER EAGLES: 7:30 pm-12:30 am, big party with The Real Deal playing live. Full details on their website.

COMPANY BAR: Party tonight – full details on the Company Facebook page.

25-year-old Cu Van Truong will be in court on January 12th to answer a charge of first-degree murder. That charge was announced this afternoon by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which says Truong shot and killed 24-year-old Jason Saechao at Seattle Roll Bakery in the 9800 block of 16th SW early Wednesday. Truong remains in jail, with bail set at $1 million. We’re reviewing court documents now for additional details beyond what was contained in the “probable cause” documents, summarized in our report yesterday following the bail-setting hearing, and will add whatever we find.

ADDED 2:29 PM: New details – Investigators say three people were there, besides the suspect and victim. The charging documents detail the story that investigators were originally told about the shooting happening in the course of a robbery. One of the witnesses said that Saechao “had been badmouthing Cu around town and that Saechao said he wanted to apologize to him for doing that. (She) said she went to the bakery with Saechao and that (another witness) was already there working. She said Cu called her and she put Saechao on the phone so he could apologize. She said Cu arrived at the bakery and that Saechao and Cu went outside and argued. She said they came in and that Cu shot Saechao. She said she initially lied about the shooting because before Cu left the bakery after the shooting, he threatened to harm anyone who said anything.”

The documents go on to say that the other witness “was called back to the scene” and re-interviewed after being told the new story about what happened. At that time, he changed his story and said it had to do with a relationship between him and the aforementioned female witness, who he had been dating while Saechao was in jail. The argument, this witness said, started with a necklace that his mother was paying for but that he said Saechao took from “as payback for being with (the female witness),” according to the court documents. When Truong showed up the morning of the shooting, documents say, he “told Saechao to ‘Give his little homie back his necklace’,” at which time the male witness reportedly told Truong to stay out of his business.

As Truong and Saechao continued to argue, prosecutors say, “Truong turned and pulled a handgun from his waistband and began shooting at Saechao. (The male witness) said it looked like Truong shot Saechao first in the leg and that he walked to the side of Saechao and shot him several more times and finally in the head.” (Court documents say the autopsy showed Saechao was shot four times.)

After detailing how the witnesses decided to make up the robbery story because Truong threatened them, the male and female witnesses told investigators that Truong had left the bakery in a ’90s 500-series white BMW.

Detectives found that car at Truong’s sister’s house, which was put under surveillance, and when three people got into it and left, it was stopped, and Truong was arrested.

Subsequently interviewed by detectives, he denied being at the bakery that morning, denied shooting Saechao, and said he doesn’t carry guns. His sister, though, said she had seen him with one about a month ago. She also said she got a phone call from one of the witnesses at 7 am that morning saying that Truong had killed Saechao. At that point, the sister said, she called her brother, who said he was in the High Point area (where he lives) and asked her to pick him up, but she said she never asked him about what the female witness had told her in the earlier call.

Truong’s record is described in court documents as three robbery convictions in 2006, a conviction for false reporting in 2006, one for residential burglary in 2003, and one for taking a motor vehicle in 2003.

Since the court documents mentioned the victim having been in jail, ostensibly recently, we checked on that: King County Jail online records show he was there for about a month, released on December 22nd, and had three other month-long stays in KCJ earlier in the year, mostly on drug charges.

4:17 PM: Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – after a hearing this afternoon in Kent, bail is set at $1 million for the 25-year-old West Seattle man who is jailed in connection with yesterday morning’s deadly shooting of 24-year-old Jason Saechao at Seattle Roll Bakery in White Center. We aren’t identifying the suspect until and unless charges are filed; tomorrow is the deadline for the KCPAO to either file charges or let him go. We’ll be adding more information shortly from the court documents that we’ve also received in connection with the case.

ADDED 4:36 PM: The summary from those documents – which, we’ll warn you, gets somewhat graphic: Read the rest of this entry »

1:10 PM: Just in from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

The homicide that occurred at a Seattle bakery in the 9800 block of 16 Ave SW just after midnight was the result of a dispute that had occurred earlier in the week and was not a robbery as initially reported.

An employee of the bakery had a dispute with the victim earlier in the week. Last night the employee, the victim and several other people were at the bakery. The suspect, who is known to both the victim and the employee, went to the bakery and confronted the victim about the earlier dispute. During the argument, the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the victim multiple times. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses initially told the police it was a robbery because they feared the suspect would come back and retaliate.

The suspect was arrested at approximately 0930 this morning in the area of SW 116 and 1 Ave SW.

King County Jail online records show a man booked less than an hour ago for investigation of homicide. We’re checking into his background. Sgt. West says the man arrested in this case is 25 years old.

ADDED 3:02 PM: According to a note shared with WCN, White Center merchants have banded together to buy flowers and make a sign of support for the Seattle Roll Bakery family, who had to get right back to work because wholesale customers are counting on their bread.

ADDED 4:13 PM: The homicide suspect booked earlier was from a different case; the suspect in this one was booked into jail about an hour ago. Online records indicate he has some criminal background, including juvenile cases; so far we’ve found auto-theft- and burglary-related charges. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says he will have a bail hearing on Thursday.

ADDED 6:11 PM: The King County Medical Examiner identifies the victim as 24-year-old Jason Saechao, and says he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Outside Jimenez Signs in White Center, a new sign this afternoon – asking for help in protecting WC, following this morning’s deadly shooting across the street at Seattle Roll Bakery. Carlos Jimenez, a longtime community leader and entrepreneur, has campaigned against violence before, and says it is time to make a stand again.

12:21 AM: According to scanner information, there’s been a shooting in the 9800 block of 16th SW in White Center, one person described as having been shot in the head. The King County Sheriff’s Office is asking for Seattle Police help in the search for a man in a black mask armed with a 9 millimeter gun, last seen headed north on 16th SW (toward West Seattle). That’s all we know so far.

12:40 AM: We have a crew headed to the scene, and Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West has announced via Twitter that she is going there too.

1:49 AM: KCSO Sgt. West confirms that the victim, a man in his 20s, was killed. The shooting apparently happened during the robbery of an open-all-night business she described as a sandwich shop (listings for the address, 9828 16th SW, are for Seattle Roll Bakery, known for its banh mi sandwiches), and she says the victim was one of at least three employees in the shop at the time.

5:05 AM: TV stations are live in downtown WC for their morning newscasts. So far, no new information beyond what we had reported as of three hours ago. Sgt. West promised an update later this morning when she gets new information from detectives, who are still on the scene right now.

NOON: No new official information from KCSO; Sgt. West sent an update basically saying she’s still working with detectives to see what can be made public.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier this month, a special event at The Barrel in Top Hat brought a holiday-season boost to the White Center Food Bank. We didn’t know about it ahead of time, or would have covered it – but out of nowhere, we received this story telling the heartwarming tale. Thanks, Joe – and everybody who made the event happen.)

Story and visuals by Joe Heisler
Special to White Center Now

There was no mention of the White Center Food Bank in The Seattle Times‘ recent report on hardships and headwinds facing small nonprofits though they lost $50K in government funding this year, a perfect case-in-point for the newly released Nonprofit Research Collaborative findings.

The cuts come as community needs increase, but the volunteer-driven organization is responding to challenges with extended hours and expanded services. The Baby Pantry is just one example and one recent day, a dozen children were among those lined up outside, braving the cold and waiting for doors to open at 1 p.m. Volunteers readied provisions and took stations inside. With only two paid staffers, the WCFB coordinates 20,000 volunteer-hours to serve more than 60,000 people a year.

“You have to understand,” said Executive Director Rick Jump, “Our average donation is $25, maybe $50, and we do have generous donors who give $50 every month. So when Irish came in (one recent) morning with $4,100, we were just blown away.”

That’s Irish McKinney, a charismatic barrel-chested mountain of a man, full white beard prominent, with a commanding voice and easy smile –– his better-half’s patch says “my old man is one bad apple.”

Marjorie and Irish keep four motorcycles, including the vintage ‘59 Panhead Harley he bought fresh out of the Army in Minneapolis (1974), and “rode back to Seattle by way of Dallas.” He knew the biker clubs of the time, but took a detour for school and a year as a VISTA volunteer. Irish earned his degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1980 as a business major.

As a pro sound tech, Irish found a path that led to work with Arlo Guthrie, Leo Kottke, David Crosby, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, and The Presidents of the United States of America, among others.

Of his time at the bygone Backstage in Ballard, Irish recalled, “It was a third-line venue that booked a lot of acts either on their way up or on their way down.”

There were many great encounters, but after ten years the crowd seemed to be getting younger, so Irish shifted gears again, and as a top-producing Enrolled Agent for a regional H&R Block office, stayed for thirteen years before opening his own successful practice, Top Hat Taxes. “They took a chance on me,” he said, reflecting with a smile, “I’ve looked like this for a long time.”

Along the way, the Apple Dumpling Gang (ADG), a regional motorcycle club, proved to be a great fit for Irish. Predominantly veterans with a strong sense of community and belonging like a lot of other clubs, but “they put work and family first,” he said. “And that made the difference.”

Meeting friends at The Barrel Tavern on Friday evenings (fried chicken special) became a tradition for Irish and Marjorie through the years, and one that continues today –– pulling tables together to accommodate all, and making a night of it. In 2008 they made a wonderful Christmas party of it for legions of friends.

Sensing an opportunity to leverage the good feeling, they decided to underwrite a holiday party to help feed people in need. So with Top Hat Taxes as sponsor, and partners in The Barrel Tavern and Rat City ABATE (national motorcycle legislative awareness/activist organization A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments) to host and post the event respectively, Chicken Friday Christmas was born.

Marjorie reports that the first ‘official’ Chicken Friday Christmas in 2009 brought in $1,300 for charity. The net reached $2,000 in 2010. But this year was extraordinary.

On party night The Barrel sparkled. Vincente’s team tended the gorgeous buffet throughout the night and the food was incredible. Diners filled long, elegant banquet tables and volunteers sold raffle tickets in the aisles. It was standing-room-only before long. From a festooned head table facing the room, Irish gestured or said something that hushed the boisterous crowd at once.

He introduced a ‘brother,’ as bikers tend to regard and call each other, who delivered a heartfelt benediction to bowed heads nodding in agreement, followed by polite applause.

Taking the microphone, Irish continued with recognition for troops returning from Iraq and gratitude for their service punctuated by long moments of silence and reflection for the fallen. This was the weekend troops were coming home en masse –– and the gravity of sentiment of Vietnam-era veterans who faced a much different homecoming was lost on no one.

“Let’s feed some people!,” Irish’s booming baritone filled the room, without the mic this time, and to greater effect. “What are we doing?,” he bellowed, and the crowd responded in unison, “Feeding People!”

Next up was the amazing Orville Johnson to play a few sets of acoustic blues freeing Irish to work the room –– he was on all night and the crowd was with him all the way, even when he doubled-down and took to reciting holiday poems. It was an amazing production, lots going on and no lulls in the action.

And as the Third Annual Chicken Friday Christmas gave way to Saturday morning, all left happy and entertained, feeling good for doing good.

“Please just say how grateful we are, how truly grateful.” The food bank director’s refrain hung in the air as he searched for words –– he was speaking for a lot of great volunteers who work very hard every day. And for those in need, on their urgent behalf, he was speaking for them.

But Irish never was in it for recognition. He agreed to talk, but largely to thank a lot of people for the hard work and support that made it successful. “Dana and Deanna (sisters, proprietors of The Barrel) are incredible. They sold ribbons all month and exceeded all expectations. They were not passive, they made it happen.”

When he stopped by The Barrel early Saturday morning it wasn’t for congratulations, just some help to deliver two truck loads of brand-new toys to Childhaven in Burien. “And it took everything I had to get there.” But that’s another story.

He’s not a proud man, but a lot of people are very proud of him. And so it goes –– sometimes the good guys wear black…

Joe first sent this to us in a creatively laid-out PDF. We couldn’t reproduce that on a web page, but you can click here to download and see his original creation.

Since Endolyne Joe’s is one of the southernmost restaurants in West Seattle, it’s not far from White Center if you’d like to venture that way for this event supporting the WC Food Bank (which serves not only WC and environs but also part of WS. Just announced this morning:

Endolyne Joe’s in West Seattle along with Sozo Wines announce their first Winemaker’s Dinner on January 14, 2012 at 7 pm. Space limited to first 20 reservations; $60 per person. This five course meal will feature Endolyne Joe’s New England-themed winter menu paired with wines from Sozo Wines‘ collection. In addition to a fabulous meal, paired wines will be available for purchase to benefit the White Center Food Bank. Representatives from Sozo will be at the dinner to introduce each wine; current varieties include Compassion Cabernet, Bountiful Bordeaux and Humanity Riesling.

From the Sozo Wines website, “The goal of Sozo is to produce and deliver artisan crafted wine and gourmet food for our friends to enjoy and at the same time feed a substantial number of people who live in poverty.” Each bottle of Sozo Wine (now available at Endoyne Joe’s as part of their regular wine list) has a medallion which indicates how many meals are provided with the purchase of the bottle. Bottles sold at Endolyne Joe’s benefit White Center Food Bank on an ongoing basis as well as those sold the evening of the Winemaker’s Dinner.

Part of Sozo’s goal is to build community around pressing issues such as hunger; Endolyne Joe’s is a hub of the Fauntleroy community while White Center Food Bank serves the hungry in our community. The Winemaker’s Dinner brings together these elements of community – working together on one of our community’s ongoing needs.

For reservations, contact Endolyne Joe’s at 206–937-5637.

11:47 AM: We’ve been tracking the suddenly gusty wind for about an hour – and according to the Seattle City Light map, more than 6,000 homes/businesses are now without power in a stretch from south/east White Center into parts of Shorewood and Burien. The National Weather Service has not issued an advisory, though winds in some areas have gusted past 40 mph.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

The week before Christmas is usually low on public meetings, but the North Highline Fire District Board of Commissioners had some hot topics to discuss tonight, in a meeting that lasted just under an hour:

BURIEN ANNEXATION: The board voted to authorize a letter supporting the “Area Y” annexation that Burien is pursuing. The main impacts, if annexation is approved, the board was told, involves the areas that it covers now but are not included in the annexation, such as the “sliver by the river.” So as a result, they would ask for agreements ensuring that those areas would still have fire protection after the annexation, regardless of their governance status. The letter of support “has to be filed tomorrow,” they were told. Commissioner Liz Giba, elected to the board last month, said she’d like to see it more focused on support for the annexation than on concerns – and offered a cover letter she drafted, “which talks about why this is a good thing,” before it’s sent to the Boundary Review Board, which considers the annexation proposal on January 9th. The letter was the result of a decision to write a letter showing support, while also noting concerns. Discussion between Giba and Commissioner Ray Austin focused on whether it was OK as written by the board’s lawyer – six pages. “I just want it to be clear that this is a letter of support,” Giba said. In the vote, most of her “cover letter” was approved for incorporating into the documentation they would turn in. They also decided that Giba will speak briefly on the commission’s behalf at the January 9th hearing.

SEATTLE ANNEXATION: Commissioner Wayne Alishokis says he met with reps from the Seattle Mayor and Council to talk about the “sliver on the river” annexation. He says they told him the council is fully in favor of it while the mayor is neutral, so they are hoping to move it ahead next year, and to have that annexation completed by January 2013 via the “interlocal agreement” process that wouldn’t require going before the Boundary Review Board. The only complication – not expected to cause a problem, though – is the maintenance agreement involving the now-under-construction South Park Bridge. (He also made it clear he met with them as “an individual,” not as an official representative of the NHFD board.) “Sounds like tremendous progress,” remarked Commissioner Giba.

CONTRACT RATIFIED: The board voted to ratify a new contract with IAFF Local 1810.

CHIEF’S REPORT: 2 firefighters are off on injury, Chief Marrs commented. He also talked about participating in recent multiple-department training/testing exercises, one at the Burien Park & Ride simulating a multiple-casualty incident (shooting), as well as a recent haz-mat training exercise (simulating a tanker truck hitting a jersey barrier and splitting open). He briefed the board on an ongoing situation over sprinkler/fire-lane access concerns at Seola Gardens, which he says is trying to “get some variances or do something different,” with a County Appeals Board meeting being the latest development. The disagreement with the King County Housing Authority apparently includes their contention that someone was allegedly given a verbal agreement in the past saying the development didn’t need sprinklers, with which NHFD disagrees.

PUBLIC COMMENT: In this period at the start of the meeting, Pat Price asked if there were any updates from the committee to spend the inheritance. Chief Marrs says it’s “on (his) list of things to do” after the first of the year and they’ll figure out where things stand. Gill Loring expressed appreciation for the meeting being held at night – previously many meetings were on weekday mornings – and wished everyone “Happy Holidays.”

BOARD COMMENT: Giba thanked everyone in attendance and expressed hopes they will come to more meetings, with the scheduling change.

SPEAKING OF SCHEDULING: The board decided to meet on the third Monday of the month – most months – but has to choose an alternate date for next month’s meeting, since that will be a holiday (King Day).

King County Sheriff’s Deputies are seeking three male suspects in what spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West describes as “a shoplift that turned into a robbery” last night. She says the three went into the state Liquor Store in the 9800 block of 15th SW, and then: “The clerk saw one of the suspects grab two bottles of liquor and exit the store. The clerk gave chase and caught up to the suspects on 14 Ave SW. A fight ensued and one of the suspects struck the clerk in the head with one of the bottles, knocking him down. One of the suspects implied a firearm but it was never seen. … Only descriptions right now are 2 white males and a black male. The black male had a black puffy coat, and black football jersey with #82.”

A request we were asked to share with you, from Andrew McCarty:

I am wanting to find out if anyone locally has any information regarding what happened to the old skate boot sign that was on the top of the Southgate Roller Rink. (originally called the Southgate Rollerdrome back in the day)

Obviously the sign disappeared at some point, and the current owners do not know where. I’d love to get any information regarding its whereabouts or even some better pictures of the sign as I am trying to organize a group to either find the original and restore it, or craft a new one. It looks like from pictures that I’ve seen, that it had neon lighting, but because the photos are so grainy and in black and white, it would help to have better quality photos if we decide to craft ourselves a new one.

Any help would be great! Please e-mail dr.andros@comcast.net with any information.

Thank you very much!