White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Ok, so I have been a bit deliquent on my lunch reviews as of late. To be honest, I have not been eatin lunch out much. I get a bahn mi from next door, or eat the pizza, that we are now serving.  This past Monday I got out of the shop though. I went down to Han’s in Burien. Yeah, not White Center, but it isn’t that far, and for you folks in West Seattle, really, Burien is not that far, and if you have never been to Han’s it is worth the trip.

Han’s is a deli, the way delis are supposed to be. The have a big case, full of cured meats, wursts, potato salads, and krauts. One wall is devoted to breads, the other to beer. Right in the middle is the dry goods. Spices and canned foods. Candies and chocolates. Even newspapers from the mother land. When you go here though, your focus should first be on that meat case. Most everything is made in house. I asked the woman how long they had been there, and she told me in a thick German accent, “We are new. Only about 35 years.” Yeah, 35 years, and you have never heard of this place.

I have now been in there a few times, and I have to say their sandwhiches, though small, are perfect. Try the Lachsschinken, a smoked ham that seems to be fat free, and full of wonderful smokeyness, or one of the many braunsweiger, or liver wurst. I am not a fan of liver, or pates of any kind but I am a sucker for braunsweiger. My Irish grandfather used to eat the stuff for lunch every day, and he would share chunks of it with his hounds. At Han’s, 4.50 gets you a sandwich with thick slices of braunsweiger, mayo, mustard, German pickles, and Havarti cheese. Try a few things in the case. Make sure you get a side of the German potato salad, and a little bit of the kraut. Skip the mustard/ American version of the potato salad. You can get that at Safeway. The ladies working here are friendly, patient and helpful. They might make fun of you, but only in the most loving way.

After you pick out your sandwich and cured meats, make a left and head over to the beer wall. If you are truly going to have a German lunch, you have to have a beer with that. I counted 43 different beers the last time I was there. Most are German, but there are a few from the newly opened Eastern Bloc. After you have picked out your beer, turn around and pick up a jar of pickles. The have quite a variety. Salt pickles, dills, German style, garlic. It will take me a year to work through the pickle aisle. Now head back to the register to pay and pick up your deli items. This is the time to pick out some chocolate. The have a huge variety of European chocolate, but even though I prefer a dark chocolate, I always end up getting the Kinder Egg. If you have never experienced one of these, think of a Cadbury egg, but instead of sugar goo, the are stuffed with a small choking hazard toy of some sort.

I keep forgetting my camera, but here is the address.:

Han’s German Sausage and Deli

17 SW 148th St # B, Burien, WA‎ –

(206) 244-4978

Come get updates on crime, safety, and other community issues in White Center and South Delridge tonight – the WC/SD Community Safety Coalition’s monthly meeting is at 6 pm (free dinner!) at St. James Place, 9421 18th SW.

Just received from the state:

OLYMPIA — Beginning April 1, many people currently receiving food
assistance through Washington’s food stamp program, Basic Food, will
receive an increase in their monthly food benefits. The Federal American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recently signed into law to help
stimulate the national economy, provides additional aid to people
receiving food benefits. Changes in Basic Food provided by the federal
stimulus package include:

* A 13.6 percent increase in maximum monthly benefit amounts for
most households – meaning a four-person household could receive up to
$668 instead of $588.

* Suspending the three-month time limit on food assistance for
childless, unemployed adults through September 2010.

Households currently receiving Basic Food will automatically receive the
higher benefits. DSHS sent letters to all affected households informing
them of the upcoming increase to their monthly benefits.

People receive their monthly Basic Food benefits electronically on a
debit-like card to spend on food items. The additional grocery purchases
generated by the extra benefits will increase economic activity in
communities across the state. During the state’s 2007 fiscal year,
Washington’s Basic Food Program generated more than $607 million in food
purchases statewide. With recent program expansions, this figure is
estimated to reach nearly $1 billion in 2009.

“Washington state has a history of weathering economic downturns fairly
well, but we haven’t been so lucky this time,” said Troy Hutson,
assistant secretary for the DSHS Economic Services Administration. “As
unemployment continues to rise, more people needing help to make ends
meet are coming to us. The food stamp program is the nation’s first
defense against hunger and these additional benefits provide much needed
help to families and the economy as a whole.”

People who would like more information about Basic Food can go to
www.foodhelp.wa.gov . Households can
quickly estimate what their monthly benefits would be and apply online.
People can also call 1-877-514-FOOD (3663) for questions about the
program.

Homestead Community Land Trust (HCLT) will be holding a special Informational Session at the Greenbridge Library, 9720 8^th Ave. S.W. on Thursday, April 9^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about affordable homeownership opportunities.

Homestead is partnering with eligible homebuyers to create affordable homeownership in the White Center and Boulevard Park.  How it works is the homebuyer selects a home that is FOR SALE and fits their needs and budget.  They pay $100,000 less than the sales price, significantly reducing their monthly mortgage payment.  In exchange for receiving the $100,000 –which does not have to be paid back – the homebuyer agrees that when they decide to sell, they will sell to another income eligible buyer at an affordable price.  In this way, the community maintains a stock of affordable homes and the homebuyer passes on the affordability to the next buyer.

For example, a recent Community Land Trust homebuyer in White Center is paying $950/month as their housing payment for a 2 bedroom single family home with a large basement and detached garage.  They have a stable monthly payment, have the opportunity to build equity, can live there as long as they want, and they receive the tax benefits of homeownership!

To qualify, you must  a) be a first-time homebuyer   b) earn less than 80% area median income for King County**   c) have the ability to be approved for a home loan   d) have a desire to live and own a home in the White Center/Boulevard Park community   e) have 1% or $2500 to put towards the down payment.

Please help get the word out by encouraging eligible future homebuyers to attend the session.   At the session we’ll provide:

• An overview of Community Land Trusts and our approach to homeownership
• A detailed view of Homestead’s Purchase Program for White Center/Boulevard Park
• Steps to getting started on the path to Homeownership

You can contact Laura Evans with any questions or to RSVP for the session.

Laura Evans

Homeownership Program Manager

Homestead Community Land Trust

2524 16th Ave. S. Suite 300

Seattle WA 98144

ph: 206 323 1227 ext. 111

fax: 206 588 0253

www.homesteadclt.or

From Ian at White Center Community Development Association – an invitation to help plan a big springtime event:

Community Partners and Friends! The White Center Community Development Association (White Center CDA) is gearing up for its Sixth Annual Spring Clean. This event brings the White Center and Boulevard Park communities together for one day to clean, plant, paint and connect with their neighbors/family/friends/businesses/non-profit organizations/etc. We would like to invite you to our first meeting, so please bring your energy and ideas to the table. Please forward this to anyone who is interested in being a partner and/or volunteer.

White Center CDA Spring Clean Meeting
Tuesday, March 31 – Noon to 2:00pm
YWCA Meeting Room at Greenbridge (9720 8th Ave. SW)

Tentative agenda Items:

-Introductions

-Identifying Partners and their resources

-Brainstorm ideas

-Q&A

-Committee Sign-ups

-Marketing and Promotion

-Flyers and T-shirts

-Art/Mural opportunities

The actual Spring Clean event will be on Saturday, May 16. Mark your calendars and save the date.

From the King County Sheriff’s Office:

The suspect who Sheriff’s Office detectives believe stole a car with two toddlers strapped in to the back seat was arrested this afternoon shortly before 2:30 PM. The arrest occurred at an apartment in Tukwila. The arrest was uneventful.

The kidnapping incident occurred last night (Monday March 23rd) about 7:00 PM in the Top Hat neighborhood.

Detectives believe the suspect was loitering at the Oasis 76 Station, 11249 – 1st Ave South last evening. A man went into the station to buy cigarettes, but left his 2005 Jeep Cherokee outside with the doors unlocked and the engine running, just outside of the entrance doors.

The man’s 1½ year-old daughter and 3 year-old niece were inside the vehicle. The father/uncle saw the suspect get into the car and start to drive away. He ran to the car and pulled open the driver’s door, yelling “My kids, my kids”, but the suspect pushed him out of the doorway and drove off. The dad gave chase on foot but to no avail. He returned to the store and called 9-1-1.

As Sheriff’s deputies were taking the report and notifying adjacent police agencies, the Jeep Cherokee pulled into the Albertson’s parking lot, 15840 – 1st Avenue South, at a high rate of speed and honking the horn. The driver was yelling out the window “help me…help me” and when a patron approached the car he handed off both kids and took off quickly.

Suspecting something might be amiss, the customers called 9-1-1 and the connection was made. Families were reunited shortly thereafter.

An alert Sheriff’s sergeant located the stolen vehicle about 11:30 PM in a Tukwila parking lot.

The suspect arrested today is a convicted felon and on Active Supervision with the Dept. of Corrections. He was released from King County Jail on March 18th after an arrest on an Obstruction charge.

The suspect will be booked into the King County Jail later today for Investigation of Kidnapping and Investigation of Theft.

From our partner site West Seattle Blog – both King County deputies and Seattle Police say what brought the chopper over the city/county line early Sunday was a fight, possibly involving someone with a gun, and did not result in arrests. Police could not confirm whether this nearby incident was related.

White Center has a new Vietnamese cafe.  P & T2 Cafe is located at 9835 16th Ave but the entrance is on the 17th Avenue side.  P&T, like Tam Than, on Delridge, is unlike traditional coffee houses.  The interior resembles a cocktail lounge with loud music, bright lights and video games.  The lingua franca is Vietnamese.  Welcome to our new neighbor.

As long time patrons of Cafe Rozella may remember, when we opened up (about four years ago) we featured a breakfast burrito (Greek and Mexican).  The burritos were universally praised and helped define the cafe.  For reasons that we will explain on a later day, we discontinued the breakfast burritos about two years ago.  Well, we are happy to announce that this week, the new and improved breakfast burrito will make its comeback.  And we will feature a choice of tortillas, including sun-dried tomato and Spinach as well as the good ole’ standby the flour tortilla.   So drop by and enjoy a breakfast burrito with some Lighthouse Coffee.  Cheers!

Rozella Breakfast Burrito a hit on Flickr.

From just north of White Center, Hope Kerkof sends word that Shorewood Christian School‘s auction is almost here:

Mark your calendars! This Saturday, March 28th at 5 pm, you won’t want to miss the Shorewood Christian School’s annual auction. The theme of this year’s dinner-auction, “Come aboard Our Cruise Ship,” docks at Shorewood Foursquare Sanctuary at 5 pm. This is a fun filled evening of buffet dining, with a silent and live auction benefiting Shorewood Christian School. The proceeds from the auction this year goes to Shorewood Christian’s high-school-expansion efforts. Boarding passes are $25.00 each. For tickets or more information, call Shorewood Christian at 206-933-1056 or visit the website at www.ShorewoodChristianSchool.org

(Crossposted in part from partner site West Seattle Blog.) Area students are involved with the World TB Day event Tuesday night at Town Hall in downtown Seattle is free – and promises to be an eye-opener. Full details here. If you thought tuberculosis was a thing of the past – this King County-specific information alone will cure you of that notion. (The local rate, in fact, hit a 30-year high in 2007.) Student organizers also have been sending out TB info via Twitter – follow their tweets (and see the archives) at twitter.com/worldtbday.

Lots of great art in the studio rooms upstairs from the 16th SW entry to the old skating rink .. but this was our favorite … with an invitation to do your own creating.

The Greater King County Police Activities League and the White Center PAL Boxing Program will sponsor the First Annual Sgt . Ken Migita Memorial Amateur Boxing Show on Saturday March 28, 2009 starting at 6 p.m. at Evergreen High School.   Admission is $10 for Adults and $5 for Children.   This is an opportunity to support positive athletic activities for youth who might otherwise be “at risk.”  Support this worthy enterprise and enjoys some great home-town boxing.  Contact:  Tony Rago (206) 293-3742 or 763-7525; email:  rago3@comcast.net.

WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK: Today’s the first of its new monthly Saturdays – third Saturday of each month – for WCFB to be open for clients 11 am-1 pm.

ART STUDIOS OPEN: White Center’s artist community invites you to another open house 5 pm-10 pm — enter from 16th SW, same place you’d use to get to the old skating rink (where it’s another Rat City Rummage NEXT Saturday, by the way).

Just talked to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Office to find out why a search was under way around 16th/SW 116th – turns out one man was shot, another grazed by a bullet, on SW 119th. Three people have been arrested, no other suspects are being sought, and everybody involved knew each other, according to Sgt. Urquhart – the search that you’re seeing if you’re in the area involves deputies looking for the gun, which hasn’t yet been recovered.

The huge regional FIRST Robotics Competition is happening in Seattle next week – Thursday 3/26 through Saturday 3/28 at KeyArena – and Evergreen TEC will be there. Read all about its robotics achievements here.

… because Highline Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools, and even the Vashon school district all are in no-classes mode today.

Just got this from executive director Nancy Woodland at White Center-based WestSide Baby:

WestSide Baby is hosting a 3rd Thursday After Hours Sorting Frenzy

Join us between 7 and 9 to organize and sort toys, clothes, bottles and more. Open to ages 8+ but ages 8 to 14 must be accompanied by a volunteering adult.

WestSide Baby is at 10032 15th SW; here’s a map.

Just announced:

Members of the Division 26 Kiwanis in Seattle would like to invite you to bring non-perishable foods to the White Center Food Bank on Wednesday evening April 8, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Members of the Kiwanis will be stationed outside the food bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW under a canopy to collect your donations.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time

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.

The Seattle Times is reporting that the road clearing during December’s snow storms was driven by political decisions rather than the clearing of critical arterials.

In previous storms, plow drivers had discretion over how best to clear their assigned routes, said plow driver Chris Stuker. City drivers would traverse main routes in tandem, allowing main roads to be cleared and plows to clear feeder streets as they were able to, Stuker and three other drivers said.

But that system was replaced by top-down decision-making that resulted in trucks being pulled from major streets for special assignments and to help less-experienced drivers, most of them working in the south end of the city, according to two drivers who asked to remain anonymous out of a concern for their jobs.