White Center Now: The blog about White Center

King County’s public health director has just finished what’s becoming a daily briefing on the swine flu situation. Dr. David Fleming said one more probable case has been diagnosed, a 9-year-old student at Midway Elementary in Des Moines, which is being closed for a week as a precaution. Otherwise, he said that this flu so far is progressing somewhat like “regular” flu does every season, with differing degrees of severity.

Learned via Twitter that White Center Community Development Association (@wccda) is working on a “massive upgrade” to its website. Checked out wccda.org – found Soona Vili‘s personal section, including, most recently, a recipe for a tasty-sounding tropical drink. Check it out here.

All three are in Seattle, though so far we haven’t heard any location more specific than the fact that one of the patients attends school at Madrona. Here’s the official King County news release.

ADDED 9:48 PM: Just talked to James Apa with King County Public Health. Beyond the information about the child, which they provided because of the school aspect of the story, he says they are not going “lower than city level” in terms of descriptive information about the two patients – trying to balance privacy with public information. So for now, unless the two patients or someone close to them decides to independently inform a media outlet, there is no info publicly available on where they are from.

From the Rainbow Girls‘ local chapter:

West Seattle #18 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is holding a Car Wash fundraiser this Saturday, the 2nd of May from 8:00 – 2:00 at the Albertsons in White Center – 10616 16th Ave. S.W.. Proceeds will benefit the Worthy Advisor’s service project The Alzheimer’s Foundation and the cost of the members’ annual convention this summer in Yakima. The price of the car wash is on a donation basis. Interested in what Rainbow can do for your daughter? Check us out at www.gorainbow.org. Rainbow gets girls ready for life! Contact Jan Hunter at 206-849-7906 for more information.

If you haven’t heard of them via our partner site West Seattle Blog, or elsewhere, here are quick notes:

DINING OUT FOR LIFE ON THURSDAY: More than 100 restaurants all over Seattle are participating in this fundraiser for Lifelong AIDS Alliance this Thursday — and as of a few days ago, so is White Center’s own Full Tilt Ice Cream. Participants in West Seattle include the not-so-far-away Eats Market Cafe in Westwood Village. Full list of Seattle-area participants can be found here.

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FESTIVAL: White Center will be representing in this festival 10 am-3 pm in the West Seattle Junction (44th/Alaska, across from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market). For one, McLendon Hardware is exhibiting. Lots of other familiar people and organizations will be there too – check out the schedule and program online – start here.

WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: The West Seattle Blog table at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival is the first place you can pick up a map for this giant day of shopping all over West Seattle (including more than a few sales in places very close to White Center, such as Roxhill Elementary). The big day is Saturday, May 9th, 9 am-3 pm, with more than 180 sales that will be appearing on the map – available online at westseattlegaragesale.com right after the festival.

Individuals who have recently traveled to Mexico and are exhibiting
influenza-like symptoms should seek medical guidance. The CDC is
encouraging individuals in the impacted areas of California, Texas, and
those traveling to Mexico to take everyday preventive actions such as:

Ø       Cover your nose and moth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Throw the tissue in the trash after use;

Ø       Wash your hands with soap and water, especially after you cough
or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective;

Ø       Avoid close contact with anyone who appears sick;

Ø       If you get sick, stay home from work or school, and limit
contact with others; and

Ø       Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth

Tips avoid the flu:
First and most important:  Wash Your Hands Frequently!  Per public
health, this is the most effective prevention strategy.

Ø       Try to stay in good general health.
Ø       Get plenty of sleep
Ø       Be physically active
Ø       Manage your stress
Ø       Drink plenty of fluids
Ø       Eat nutritious foods.

Try not to touch surfaces that may be contaminated with flu virus.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

For more information, go to Public Health Seattle King County’s web
site at:   http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health.aspx

The county’s been adding to this page throughout the day and evening – find the latest links to what you need to know by going here. (Tons of links from the left-side navigation – even the county’s pandemic-response plan.) As reported earlier today on partner site West Seattle Blog, the County Council was told at their special midday briefing today that there’s no need to panic — and no cases reported in our state so far; one bit of perspective — REGULAR flu kills 35,000 Americans each year. So far, no deaths in our country are linked to this new outbreak.

May 29th, (Friday) 6pm

Devil’s Dance Parade in White Center

followed by concert at Café Rozella

7pm

9434 Delridge Way SW

Seattle, WA 98106 (206) 763-5805

Cafe Rozella brings the hottest trend in Latin Music to White Center

Afro-Peruvian Dance and Music:  El Son De Los Diablos

NPR States:   “Afro-Peruvian music has complex, sensual rhythms. Its instrumentation is spare, originally just nylon-string guitar, bass and a wooden box called cajon. When it started getting outside attention in the mid-’90s, it felt new. The music’s lean architecture and introspective mood differentiated it from the likes of salsa and merengue.”

“Enslaved Africans had to make two long passages to reach Peru, first across the Atlantic, and then over the landmass of South America. The people of the so-called Black Pacific were so far removed from their African origins that the creators of Afro-Peruvian music couldn’t rely much on cultural memory. So they created instruments, rhythms and a compelling musical aesthetic that was largely a product of their imaginations. The pride of Afro-Peruvian music is the lando, an elegant dance with intertwined rhythms and a seductive undertow.”

El Son De Los Diablos will feature the musicians behind Grammy Award Winner Susana Baca.  Truly a unique experience of a hot new trend in Latin American Music.

White Center has an amazing melange of cultures.  Every weekend, you can step back to the Rio Grande Valley and enjoy authentic Tejano music.  This weekend featured the bands La Cima and Banda Kachay.  Pictures courtesy of Greg McCorkle (local artist).

White Center-based WestSide Baby sends word of a car-seat safety day coming up this Wednesday at IKEA in Renton. Even if that’s too far for you to go – before we get to the announcement of that event — here’s something you might be able to help with, right here in White Center at WestSide Baby HQ, today or tomorrow:

Special offer from WestSide Baby: Bring us your recalled or outdated (6 years or older) carseats by Tuesday afternoon and we will take them to the recycle event so that 90% of the parts can be reused instead of going into the landfills. This recycling can only happen in partnership with a facility in Portland so this offer only happens twice a year.

Volunteers also welcome! If you are interested in helping with the event to support recycling of carseats, please contact us at sarah@westsidebaby.org by Tuesday afternoon. We’d love extra hands to dismantle the seats.

Now, the official event announcement for Wednesday.

State Farm Child Safety Day at Safe and Sound (& Green)

A partnership preventing unintentional injuries through education and access: In King County car crashes continue to be the number 1 killer of children under 18. Though many families now understand the importance of car seats they are often confused about correct installation and the best “seat choice” for their child. State Farm is committed to helping keep kids safe and are sponsoring this event. In addition to the inspections, the South King County Child Passenger Safety Coalition will be collecting used car seats for either re-distribution into the community or recycling them back into usable materials. About 97% of the car seats materials can be made into new products. It takes time and effort but the Coalition feels that keeping these seats from the landfills is an important investment. Following are the details.

Where: Ikea in Renton (601 SW 41st St., Renton, WA 98057)
When: Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 from 9 am to 1 pm

Here’s a look at what’s happening at this fantastic event!

FREE Car Seat Inspections by State Farm and Safe Kids King County – South Car seats inspected for correct installation and proper fit. Donations gladly accepted. Last car taken at 12pm.

Car Seat Donation Event by PASS-IT Program Do you have a car seat you no longer need? Bring it here so it can be assessed for redistribution to families in need. Useable car seats are inspected by a certified passenger safety technician and then re-equipped with the necessary registration material, manual and other information to maximize potential for correct use.

Car Seat RECYCLING by Safe Kids King County – South Unusable car seats will be collected and sent to a facility where 90% of the materials will be recycled. Keep these items out of our landfills!

Children’s Basics Donations Event – Your donations of diapers, child safety equipment and other basics will be collected and distributed through West Side Baby and Pregnancy Aid of King County.

Custom Fit Helmet Sale by Safe Kids King County & Bell-Anderson Insurance Wearer of helmet must be present for custom fit. Bike style helmets will be available for sale for only $7.

Join us in helping families in our community to be safe and environmentally responsible!

So says Pasado’s Safe Haven, which posted an online update the other day to say that Scatt may be able to return soon to his home at White Center’s Cross Church; the update also includes the latest on the man accused of viciously attacking him – read the latest details here.

In case you hadn’t heard, here’s the announcement:

Holy Family Parish School’s 21st REACH Auction is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2009. Our doors open at 5 p.m. for the Silent Auction; the Live Auction begins at 7 p.m.. Our physical address is 9615 20th Avenue SW, Seattle. Proceeds from the auction will allow us to continue our mission of providing an excellent, quality Catholic education to all those in the community, regardless of their ability to pay.

Dinner reservations are still being accepted. Please contact Sandy at (206) 248-2728 if you would like to purchase tickets; each ticket is $50. This year’s Auction theme is “Mexican Fiesta.”

To find Holy Family online, go here.

Reminder from the White Center Food Bank:

FIRST STUDENT “DRIVE AWAY HUNGER” FOOD DRIVE FOR WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK

First Student drivers and school buses will be collecting non-perishable foods and diapers for the White Center Food Bank on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 10:30 am to 3:30 p.m. at the following stores:

Burien Albertsons (12725 1st Avenue S)
QFC Westwood Village (2500 SW Barton Street)
White Center Albertsons (10616 16th Avenue SW)

The White Center Food Bank says the most needed foods are Hamburger Helper and Rice-a-Roni type products as well as canned meat (not tuna), canned fruit, cereal, and jelly. The White Center Food Bank serves a diverse ethnic population so ethnic foods are always welcome. The food bank also accepts $5 and $10 gift cards from Safeway, QFC or Albertsons. Cash donations can be sent to the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To donate on-line go to www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.

The White Center Food Bank has been providing emergency food relief in this community for over thirty years. In the past two years food insecurity has grown. The rising cost of housing, food, and health care, cutbacks in federal funding for housing and food assistance, and the loss of manufacturing jobs leave many working families short of food. Stories about the rising costs of food and hunger are in the press almost daily. The White Center Food Bank continues to provide much needed emergency food relief while promoting efforts to fight poverty.

Last year a record 17,000 families were served and almost 900,000 pounds of food was distributed worth about $1.5 million dollars. This was done with two paid staff and over 200 volunteers including members of Kiwanis White Center, 34th District Democrats, Fauntleroy UCC and Evergreen Key Club. 1,700 families a month are being served.

And there’s one week left to go in the Feinstein Challenge – which makes your donations worth even more than face value. If you can’t donate in person, donate online at the food bank’s website.

From King County Public Health:

Asian Bubble Tea located at 9835 16th Ave SW … was closed by a Public Health food inspector on Friday, April 24, 2009 at 11:30 am for operating without a valid food business permit.

(WCCSC’s Kathy Kaminski takes notes as King County PAO Dan Satterberg addresses the group)
By Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for White Center Now

Tuesday night, King County Prosecuting Attorney — and Highline High School graduate — Dan Satterberg visited the White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting at St. James Place to “talk about what you want to talk about,” as he put it in his opening statement to the approximately 20 attendees.

As he began his talk, which was similar to the one he presented to the Rotary Club of West Seattle in March (covered by partner site West Seattle Blog), he discussed the effectiveness of an ongoing crackdown on car thefts.

Read the rest of this entry »