White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Too early to disclose but we have it on good authority that something really great is happening with the former skating rink in White Center.  Details to follow, but it is great news for White Center and for the building.

King County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating right now; KCSO tells us the body was brought to the store by two men – no evidence so far of whether a crime was or wasn’t involved. Here’s what we have written about it on partner site West Seattle Blog.

When we published news yesterday of White Center’s state legislators holding a town hall meeting here Saturday morning, May 16, commenters asked why they had scheduled it concurrent with the big cleanup. They’ve now added participation to their plan, according to this revised news release we just received:

May 5, 2009

34th District lawmakers invite citizens to town hall meeting and White Center Clean up

McDermott, Cody and Nelson will take questions and talk about issues of the day before going to the White Center Spring Clean up

SEATTLE — All three lawmakers from the 34th Legislative District will host a
town hall meeting to talk about the 2009 session and what future steps our state should
take.

“It certainly has been a difficult session where we were forced to make some
very tough decisions. I think people have questions that they want answered, and this
will be a great opportunity for that to happen,” Sen. Joe McDermott, D-West Seattle,
said. “Knowing how our district feels will help us as we plan the future.”

The meeting is set for 10 a.m. May 16 at the Jim Wiley Community Center, 9800
Eighth Avenue SW in White Center.

“After 105 days away, it’s always good to come home and hear what our
neighbors are thinking,” Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, said. “We know our district
well, but it’s always a good thing to learn more.”

The legislators plan to volunteer at the White Center Spring Clean Up following
the town hall. The Clean Up is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16. More
information can be found by calling (206) 694-1082 or emailing info@wccda.org.

“We hope that people come to the event after they spend some time volunteering
at the Spring Clean Up, or come with us after we’ve completed the town hall,” Rep.
Sharon Nelson, D-Vashon Island, said. “This is combination of events of a terrific
example of an engaged citizenry.”

White Center’s neighboring neighborhood to the north, Highland Park, is offering more chances to dance – here’s the scoop:

Come join our fun-loving, warm-hearted social dance community in Highland Park, West Seattle. We offer swing and waltz classes and will be starting a new 6-week class session on Tuesdays. This time we offer the following:

6 Tuesdays: May 12th – June 16th

6:30 – 7:30 — Beginning East Coast Swing: A great place to begin. Fun and easy, and no experience or partner required! As with all our beginning classes, when you finish you will have moves and confidence to go out dancing!

7:30 – 8:30 — Waltz 2 (Romantic Waltz): Taking beginning slow waltz and turning waltz and adding moves and confidence. Prerequisite: Waltz 1 or instructor permission.

8:30 – 9:30 — East Coast Swing 2 (Footwork, Styling & Charleston): More cool moves and fancy footwork (don’t worry, we’ll take it one step at a time!) and even some Charleston. A rollicking good time! Prerequisite: Swing 1 or instructor permission.

For all the information–including information on class discounts for new students–go to http://www.danceforjoy.biz/classes.html
or call 206-264-5646 or e-mail lilli@att.net to contact the instructor, Lilli Ann.

Sen. Joe McDermott and Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson have just announced a Town Hall meeting at Wiley Center in White Center – we’ve got details at partner site West Seattle Blog.

Trio Lucero Del Norte

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Cafe Rozella

Cafe Rozella will host a very special Cinco de Mayo celebration with the music of Trio Lucero del Norte, specializing in Son Huasteca.  The celebration begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5th.  Come listen to some authentic Mexican music tinged with an indigenous feel.

Huasteca Region

The region is composed of six Mexican states: Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz.

The land known as la Huasteca derives its name from the people that inhabited the area at the time of the conquest, the Huaxtecos. La Huasteca is a multi state region focused at the mouth of the Pánuco River. The region is bounded to the north by the river Soto la Marina in Tamaulipas, to the south by the Cazones River in Veracruz, to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and to the west by the Sierra Madre Oriental crossing through the states of Hidalgo, Puebla and Querétaro in the west.

The distinctive feature of the huasteca region is the music, a style known as huapango or son Huasteco. The terms son huasteco and huapango can be used interchangeably to denote the music of the region, though huapango is the term most popularly used in Mexico.

The huapango is a style of music that is distinguished by the presence of the Trío Huasteco, and the use of the falsetto voice in singing. The Trío Huasteco is made up of three instruments (thus the term trio) – the European derived violin and two guitar variants of local origin – the large guitarra quinta or huapanguera and smaller jarana huasteca.

This update just in from Pasado’s Safe Haven regarding Scatt, the Cross Church cat that survived a vicious attack:

Scatt reunited with Jennifer the Pastor’s wife

We are so happy to announce that Scatt was released from vet care Thursday, April 28th and is now living with The Cross Church Pastor and his Wife at their home.

“Scatt is home and doing well… He is “perched” near a window, where he can see out and have the sunshine on his stitches. He has had antibiotics, pain meds and warm packs -doing great- he also is eating and drinking a lot… AMEN!”

Meantime, Scatt’s accused attacker is due in court this Wednesday. Full details, and a new photo, on the Pasado’s Safe Haven website.

Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who has generally been on the “left side” of the bench has stated that he will retire at the end of this term.  Among the names kicked around, as a possible replacement, is Seattle’s own Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Margaret McKeown.  As a lapsed lawyer with some insight into the process, and strong opinions on the matter, I will venture my thoughts on the possible nominees.  Feel free to contribute.

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.