White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Margarita Prentice will face off against fellow Democrat, Juan Martinez in the general election.  Although many are aware of the annexation issue regarding the unincorporated parts of White Center, few readers are likely aware of the critical role that Margarita Prentice played in the political machinations regarding whether Seattle would continue to vie for annexation of White Center.  Senator Prentice was responsible for legislation which basically made it unfeasible for Seattle to annex White Center.  Subsequent legislation, House Bill 1139 was introduced to allow Seattle the same access to annexation incentive funds as other cities.  Prentice was also at the heart of Seattle negotiations with the Sonics and controversy regarding predatory lenders.  “Juan Martinez, is an affable working-class guy from the South Bronx who’s pounding the pavement in an effort to make up the fundraising gap between his campaign and the Prentice juggernaut.” (The Stranger, August 6, 2008 – endorsement below).   For more information regarding Prentice and her challenger, Juan Martinez I invite readers to check out the following sites (and please feel free to suggest others):  Prentice, Martinez in Legislative District 11, Senator MoneyTree, Sen. Margarita Prentice website, Senate Democratic Caucus and Municipal League of Seattle Guide.  Information on candidate, Juan Martinez can be found at:  Juan Martinez website, State Sen. Margarita Prentice Likely to Face Challenger, Juan Martinez, Municipal League rating, The Bottom One Primary, The Stranger Endorsements.   While much attention is being paid to upper reach races, this is an important race and deserves our attention.

Last Friday, we showed you scenes (like the one above) from the Back-to-School Block Party on 12th SW … today, we have an update from executive director Pat Thompson at the YES Foundation of White Center, who says ALMOST A THOUSAND KIDS – 950, to be precise – got backpacks filled with school supplies, as a result! She also wants to thank World Vision and its partner Washington Mutual for generously supporting White Center kids by providing the backpacks. (First day of school – 13 days away!)

Centaur Hearts

www.myspace.com/centaurhearts

Abitron

and One Million Teeth

www.myspace.com/onemillionteeth

Starts at 9 pm SHARP Friday, over by 11 pm FREE FREE FREE

King County Elections will release daily vote counts till all ballots are tallied. After this afternoon’s count, the race to see who will face 11th District State Senator Margarita Prentice in November is still fairly close – Juan Martinez was 237 votes ahead of Scott McKay. (The 11th starts south of SW 102nd, east of 4th SW – here’s the map.)

Ricardo posted about the missing pugs below, and we reported on it at West Seattle Blog, where we now have an update: A witness called police with information indicating the dogs definitely were stolen. Here’s the latest. Call Seattle Police with tips.

Children of the Revolution

Cafe Rozella continues its summer music series with Children of the Revolution’s acoustic trio.  COTR are always a big draw so plan on getting there early for their performance which begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 22nd.  Show will be outdoors barring inclement weather.

The Seattle Times is reporting that Arbor Heights resident, Marsha Lubetkin, had her two pugs stolen during a burglary last night.  Lubetkin is posting pictures  and asking residents to be on the lookout for of her beloved pups, Bandit and Pippin.  Picture from the Seattle Times article.

Lubetkin and her two pugs (source Seattle Times)

Football’s an all-weather sport – good thing, since according to this Times blog post, the Evergreen High School football team is scheduled to start practicing just after midnight, and it’s not likely to be your typical summer night.

The latest King County results are linked from this page. We’ll add updates to this post as the 11th Legislative District (which includes part of White Center) races shape up; none of the 34th District legislators have challengers. 8:35 PM UPDATE: The main race to watch is 11th District State Senator, with three contenders, to be narrowed to two for November – incumbent Sen. Margarita Prentice is ahead, with Juan Martinez narrowly edging Scott McKay for second place right now. 10:30 PM UPDATE: More King County votes counted; Prentice and Martinez are still the top 2 in that race. 12:46 AM UPDATE: Martinez (27%) has started to pull away from McKay (24%) in the latest count – still quite some distance behind Prentice (49%).

Be’s just opened on 16th in the old Entourage space. It is the same folks who have the Be’s on California. I will post some pics and a review soon.

Knowledge is power, they say. So if you want to stay in touch with who’s building what in your neighborhood, here’s a page to keep an eye on: King County public notices. Checking it today, you’ll see there’s one notice in the White Center area – a decision announced 8/8, allowing a .42-acre lot at 10249 26th SW (map) to be subdivided into three parcels. One more handy link you can use any time to find out who owns a certain property: King County Parcel Viewer.

Happened onto this while chasing something else: The Technology Access Foundation‘s annual Geocache Cup — described by TAF as a “high-tech treasure hunt” — will start at White Center’s Lakewood Park. The Geocache Cup is set for 1-6 pm Sept. 27; registration is open NOW for participants and sponsors – here’s the place to start. If you’re not familiar with TAF, its mission includes “prepar(ing) underserved children of color for higher education and professional success.”

Vashon resident, author and contributor to the Crosscut.com blog, Daniel Jack Chasan, has a couple of informative posts on current developments in White Center. The first post, “Gentrifying White Center” deals generally with the issue of affordable housing and how it is being impacted by gentrification and more specifically by the Greenbridge Project. Greenbridge is housing development of mixed income community taking shape in the old Park Lake housing project site. The model for Greenbridge is the Holly Park development in the Rainier Valley. Chasan points out the paradox that bedevils the economic revitalization of previously poor areas such as White Center. In the process of providing new jobs, businesses and higher income residents the area pushes out the very people who it was designed to assist. In the process, the area loses the flavor that the refugee and immigrant community imparted to the neighborhood. As well, Chasan takes King County to task for reducing the number of affordable housing units. I am not sure that I feel quite as pessimistic about gentrification destroying the character of White Center but Chasan’s concerns are certainly valid.

The second post by Chasan, “Social Progress in White Center” deals more broadly with the various social initiatives by foundations such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The White Center Early Learning Initiative is nicely described. As with the first post, Chasen voices some concern for the changing character of the community. This post is a good primer for anyone wanting to understand some of the dynamics at play in White Center. Unlike the housing issue, it is hard to fault a program that invests heavily in the betterment of children. All the more so, as success would mean that the Initiative would become a model for other communities. In any event both posts are highly recommended reading.

If you vote in person instead of by mail, tomorrow’s the day – 7 am to 8 pm. The “Top 2 Primary” system is now in effect; the county has an FAQ explaining it here. If you’re not sure where to go to vote, look it up here. In state legislative race (all candidates listed here), the 34th District (map) legislators are all running unopposed, but the 11th District (map) races all have at least two candidates each.

Now you can say you’ve seen a 200-pound halibut. Posing with it, Seattle-based fisherman Bill Curtin, husband of Village Green Perennial Nursery proprietor Vera Johnson. He’s back home from fishing in Alaska, and Village Green is selling some of the catch – plus inviting you to a halibut barbecue next month. They’re also selling red snapper (rockfish) – we stopped by for some today and followed Bill down to the basement freezer:

More of the story, just ahead: Read the rest of this entry »

Have you heard about the King County Food and Fitness Initiative? It’s a ten-year program, and White Center is one of the focus communities, along with the neighboring Delridge area in West Seattle. As part of KCFFI, volunteers have surveyed area grocery-store pricing and food availability — and today we have the results of the most recent findings, which include White Center supermarkets as well as others from West Seattle to Burien: Read the rest of this entry »

I miss Lou’s burgers. There, I admit it, I was addicted to their greasy little packets of nutrition. These were not the picture perfect chemical concoctions that passes for sustanance under the rubric of corporate fast food. Sure, White Center now has some genuine burgers. I’m thinking of the cheeseburger and onion ring platter at the Triangle Pub. And not too far away is Zippy’s, where they grind their own chuck. Lou’s satisfied a different need, that primal urge for grease. After consuming a Lou’s burger you knew that you would survive another winter. Plus they had these tasty things that were made from pods that they pull out of the ground in Eastern Washington. I think they call them potatoes. Yup, those were good little burgers.

Spotted this while checking for “next steps” on the ongoing annexation issue: King County’s Boundary Review Board plans a public hearing on the city’s North Highline Annexation proposal at 7 pm September 2, at Riverside Residences in Tukwila (11244 Tukwila International Blvd.; here’s a map). Read the official public-hearing notice by going here.

Click picture to play the video

That’s Alma Villegas, live Friday night on the patio outside Cafe Rozella. More music is ahead for the White Center venues of two other WCN team members – the Rozella schedule is here, the Full Tilt schedule is here. (Any others for us to add to the WCN Events Calendar? Send the info to whitecenternow@gmail.com!)

Just drove by and found that the burger stand is now becoming a Pho joint and a Little Caesar’s. I have no idea when they are opening, I will try and find out more Monday.

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