White Center Now: The blog about White Center

From the Rat City Rollergirls‘ “Deadly Aim,” who we profiled recently at partner site West Seattle Blog (see the story here):

Just wanted to give you a heads up … RCRG will be in White Center Saturday from 11-2 for some street cleaning. The 2 mile stretch of SW 16th was adopted 5 years ago, and twice a year ever since we’ve headed down to give it some sprucing and have some fun.

After the cleanup, she adds, there’s an afterparty at Big Al’s.

Just received this from Ian at WCCDA:

There will be two sessions at Mt. View Elementary tomorrow for parents and community members to be informed about HSD budget cuts. HSD Board Member Sili Savusa will facilitate both meetings. We hope these meetings will prepare folks for the April 27 meeting at Evergreen HS. Please see attached flyer or keep reading for more info…and again, keep spreading the word!

DISCUSS THE CUTS!
Friday, April 24
Mt. View Elementary – 10811 12th Ave SW
9:00am – 11:00am & 5:30pm – 7:00pm

(photo from Pasado’s Safe Haven website)
As just published at our partner site West Seattle Blog – the animal-advocacy group Pasado’s Safe Haven has updated Scatt‘s condition; here’s the latest.

Help Highline School District decide budget cuts!

The district is asking for community help to prioritize funding. Highline Public Schools and our school board will be holding a series of meetings this week for the expressed purpose of gathering community input and your voices about the cuts we will surely endure next year. I strongly encourage you to come to one of these events to have your priorities heard and thoughts expressed to the school board and the district. This is the best venue to do that. The dates are:

· Thursday, 6 – 8 pm, 4/23 at Pacific Middle School

· Saturday, 9 – 11 am, 4/25 at Hazel Valley Elementary

· Monday, 6 – 8  pm, 4/27 at Evergreen Campus

More information is on the district website at http://www.hsd401.org/ .Furthermore, there is a direct link to an electronic “drop box” you can send messages to as well.

White Center schools struggle to meet student needs under the current budget. Further cuts will have significant effects on our community. Please remember our local schools:

New Start Alternative High School @ Salmon Creek

Evergreen High School

Cascade Middle School

White Center Heights Elementary

Mount View Elementary

He has longtime ties to the area – and tomorrow night, he’s scheduled to be back in White Center for a guest appearance at the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Partnership meeting, 6 pm, St. James Place – here’s the formal announcement of the meeting featuring Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg:

The White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Meeting
Thursday, April 23rd, 6-8 pm,
St. James Place, 9421 18th Avenue SW

Guest:
Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney

Topics:
* Elections & Vote on By-laws
* Summer Activities!
And if you are interested in helping pursue AIA (Alcohol Impact Area), please contact me and we’ll see how to best link you up with the effort. Thanks so much.

And: If you have a specific concern, you may email or call me and let me know before the meeting and I will pass on the information to SPD or KCSO or the appropriate city/county department. With advanced notice, law enforcement officers are able to find out more information about specific incidents and concerns and share that information at the meeting. Everyone is welcome to bring up concerns at the meeting, but if we know the concerns a head of time, we may be able to find out more information for the community. Thanks!

… Please spread the word to your neighbors!

Dinner will be provided. Please call Karen at 767-0760 if childcare or interpretation is needed.

Satterberg had been scheduled to appear earlier this year but had to cancel at the last minute because of a family emergency, nonetheless promising to reschedule, so this is the fulfillment of that promise.

This info was left as a comment on an old story about trying to keep Evergreen Pool open – so we wanted to republish it here:

April Pool’s Day
Saturday, April 25th from noon to 2:30 pm

This free, annual, family-friendly event promotes water safety & includes fun activities, demonstrations, & even canoe rides in the pool.

Stop by to find out more about saving this great asset of our community from the County’s Chopping Block.

King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart just sent this news release about a cat that may not survive having been viciously attacked; as noted in the report, the alleged attacker was arrested:

A 47 year-old man was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies Monday (April 20th) on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly severely injured a cat with a box cutter knife.

The incident occurred at the Cross Church, 1320 SW 102nd in the White Center neighborhood of unincorporated King County. The church operates a live-in recovery program, and the suspect was one of its residents.

Another resident was awakened by the suspect about 1:00 AM Sunday morning, April 19th. The suspect said he had “gutted the cat”. The resident thought the suspect was intoxicated, and both men ended up going to bed.

The next morning the suspect moved out.

That afternoon the church pastor found the church’s cat, “Scat” in the parking lot. He had serious cuts and puncture wounds, including a 7” cut, and possibly three broken ribs as well.

Sheriff’s deputies tracked down the suspect Sunday afternoon. He was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Animal Cruelty. He told the arresting deputy the cat “attacked” him.

Scat is at a local veterinary hospital and it is unknown if he will survive his injuries. He is around 10 years old.

The vote is on, as noted in this item from this morning’s city of Burien newsletter – the final action by the Boundary Review Board was a followup to the public hearing in Tukwila that we covered March 30th:

North Highline Annexation Headed for Ballot

The City of Burien’s proposed annexation of a southern portion of North Highline is headed toward a vote of residents who live in the proposed annexation area. The proposed annexation cleared a major hurdle April 16 when it was approved by the Boundary Review Board of King County. Next, the City of Burien will work with King County to place it on the August 18 ballot. The measure requires a simple majority for passage. If approved, the annexation will take effect in early 2010. To see a map or to determine if you live in the proposed annexation area, visit the City of Burien website at www.burienwa.gov/annexation, or call 206-241-4647.

So says this news release just in from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Sheriff Rahr Applauds Seattle Mayor

Sheriff Sue Rahr has applauded Seattle’s mayor Greg Nickels pledge that there will be no cuts to police or social services as he trims $13 million from the city’s budget for 2010.

In an e-mail to Nickels from Rahr on Friday, the Sheriff wrote, “I applaud you for making public safety a top priority in the face of difficult budget decisions. It’s refreshing to see an elected public official take action that demonstrates a real commitment to the safety and well-being of the people we serve.”

The Seattle Police Department plans on adding 154 officers between mid-2005 and 2012, a 25% increase in their patrol force. Those additions are on track as planned, despite the budget cut for next year.

The Sheriff’s Office has faced stiff reductions in their budget in 2009, and was forced to cut about $7.5 million for 2009, resulting in the loss of 47 deputies and 18 civilians assigned to unincorporated King County.

The Executive’s Office notified Sheriff Rahr to plan for another budget reduction in excess of $7 million for 2010. That could mean an additional 70 job cuts for next year.

Of course, as you know, somebody different will be in the executive’s office next year — since current Exec Ron Sims finally gets the confirmation hearing for his federal job this Thursday; an interim exec has not yet been chosen, but the list of candidates does not include those who are in the running for the “permanent” post this fall.

Got this note from Julie – we’re thinking WCNers will be interested as well as some West Seattleites:

As you may know, many of the communities in “southern” West Seattle look out over 3 Tree Point and the communities of Arroyo, Seola Beach and Arbor Heights enjoy our fireworks show. Last year, quite a few families from these neighborhoods contributed funds toward our entirely not-for-profit and volunteer effort (although the barge based fireworks are presented by professionals, thank goodness!). We are enormously grateful for that support. This year we have new chairs and have launched a new website www.3TreePoint.org

Their fundraising drive runs throughout May – check out the website for more details.

Arlingto Northwest Memorial at Greenlake

Arlington Northwest Memorial was set up Sunday, April 19 to honor Spc. Chris Dickison of White Center and 4,273 other American men and women who have given their lives in Iraq.

The memorial was set up along the lakeside at Green Lake in Seattle.  About 50 volunteers arrived at 7 am to set up the display which will stand for one day only. The sponsors of the event are Veterans For Peace, Chapter 92 and the Evergreen Peace and Justice Community. Many of these volunteers were veterans who served in Vietnam. From time to time they have set up the memorial of small crosses and headstones arrayed as they would be at Arlington National Cemetery in our nation’s capital. These volunteers have set up the Arlington Northwest Memorial at various places around the State of Washington over recent years.

A handout prepared by one of the volunteers answers the question: Why do we continue to erect this Arlington Northwest display?

Memorial to Chris Dickinson of White Center

“Friends,
We must strengthen our resolve to maintain Arlington Northwest as a loving, though painful, memorial. It honors those who died.  It acknowledges the shattered lives and dreams of their friends and loved ones.  It reminds us all of the immesuarable losses and suffering associated with war.  It allows those of us who erect it to hope that if we continue to confront our fellow citizens with this accounting, the reality of this war’s horrendous costs will change their hearts and minds…….. Karen”

The walkers, joggers, and bicyclists who work their way around Green Lake on Sunday were given something to contemplate as they moved on their way through a sunny day. It gives all of us something to think about.

Chris Dickison was killed in 2005. Here’s a video tribute to him, posted on You Tube:

Delridge is blocked from Thistle to Holden because of a fire in the 8100 block.

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 authentice 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.

It’s become a monthly tradition – and tonight’s your chance to check it out again: The White Center for the Arts open studio tour, 5-10 pm.

Come and meet PI Journalist and social media maven, Monica Guzman and other members of the BigBlog to discuss the state of journalism at Cafe Rozella this Wednesday (April 22nd) at 5:30 p.m.  Event is free.  We are located at 9434 Delridge Way S.W.  (just north of Roxbury – next to Center Tool Rental).  Meet some great people and journalists.

Got this note from a Seattle-based TV production company and thought we’d share (if we weren’t in media, we’d apply ourselves, as absolute experts on house-messiness):

Seattle’s Screaming Flea Productions is shooting an upcoming TV pilot in Seattle:

Do you have clothes from your laundry room, toys from your kids’ rooms, and odds and ends stored in your garage starting to spill out and invade your living spaces? Does your home need some major design updating?

We’re looking for couples to appear on a new design makeover show for a major cable network. This show focuses on couples whose homes are messy, cluttered and disorganized. Our team (an organizer, designer, and carpenter) will organize and redesign rooms in your home at no cost to the homeowner. You just have to be able to let go of the clutter and have a real desire to get organized!

We start shooting very soon.

Please send your story along with pictures of your mess and yourselves to:
makeovertvshow@gmail.com

One of our cafe patrons was driving to the cafe when he saw an approaching car hit a child who was sumersaulted by the blow.  As the child was crawling away, her head bleeding, the driver, a young man kept repeating, “it’s ok” to his companion.  They got into the car and were about to drive away when our patron pulled his car in front of theirs and told them, “you aren’t going anywhere.”  A restaurant next to the scene emptied out and people surrounded the car while somebody called the police.  Aid units and police arrived.  No word on the condition of the child.

Check out the boundaries described in the report we just posted at partner site West Seattle Blog. Grand opening: 11 am May 1st.

Seattle Weekly‘s managing editor Mike Seely, who lives in West Seattle, is getting a lot of buzz right now for his new book about the area’s “dive bars.” We asked him about local establishments included in the book, and he listed White Center/Top Hat spots: Marv’s Broiler, the Locker Room, Magic Lanes, The Barrel, and the White Center Eagles Club. In West Seattle, the nods go to Poggie, Tug, Corner Pocket, Admiral Pub, Redline, Ebb Tide Room, Alki Tavern, Rocksport, as well as the Admiral Benbow Inn on the “Ghosts of Dive Bars” list. Seely will be discussing his book during upcoming on-air and in-person appearances, all listed here.

Only one place in the greater Seattle area is postmarking returns till midnight: USPS’s Riverton Station, 15250 32nd Ave. So., a few blocks east of the northeast end of Sea-Tac Airport (Google Street View above; map here).