White Center Now: The blog about White Center

FRIDAY UPDATE: This has been canceled because of the storm, we’re told.

EARLIER: Here’s a unique way to spend part of your Halloween this Saturday:

Here’s where to go – the entrance off 7th SW at the corner of SW 102nd st. and 7th Ave SW.

Thanks to the reader who shared this note received by families of Mount View Elementary students:

Dear Mount View Families:

We have learned about an incident in our neighborhood (of which) we want to make you aware.

(Monday) morning while walking to school, one of our students was grabbed by a stranger. Thankfully, the student was able to get free of the person and run to school. He reported the incident to an adult at school. Police responded and searched for the suspect but did not locate him.

We are sharing this information with you so that you may take appropriate precautions. Here at school, our staff will remain vigilant and our district security officers will have a heightened presence at times when students are outdoors.

This is an opportunity to have a discussion with your children reminding them of these precautions when walking to and from school.

Be aware of your surroundings.
Walk with a friend whenever possible.
If anyone approaches you or you feel threatened, report it immediately to a trusted adult.
We know this kind of situation can be alarming. Our students’ safety is of the utmost importance and we encourage you to talk with your children.

The suspect is described as a white male, 5’8” with mid-length brown hair, wearing a black coat, blue sweats, and white Adidas shoes.

If you have information about this incident, you are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

Sincerely,

Lisa Escobar
Principal

(Added: WCN photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT, SUNDAY: We’ve been checking out reports of a sizable law-enforcement presence near 15th and Roxbury, and this update just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West has the details:

A 26 year old man was stabbed in White Center tonight after an altercation with three men.

Around 6:45 pm a King County Sheriff’s Deputy was flagged down near 15th Ave and Roxbury St. by the man, who said he had just been stabbed. The man said he had been on a Metro bus with the three suspects and when he got off the bus at 15th Ave and Roxbury the suspects also exited the bus. A physical altercation ensued between the suspects and victim. During the altercation one of the suspects stabbed the victim in the back. All three suspects then fled on foot in an unknown direction.

When aid arrived they discovered the blade of the knife was still in the victim’s back. The man was taken to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. At this time the only description of the suspects is they were Hispanic men, late teens to early 20’s and at least one of them was wearing a blue bandana.

The King County Major Crimes Unit is handling the investigation.

If you have any information to help solve this case – call 911.

UPDATED TUESDAY: We’ve just learned that the victim is an employee of two West Seattle restaurants, and a crowdfunding drive is under way to help – more info here.

Earlier this week, we featured the documentary that was shown during last Sunday night’s Richard Hugo tribute at the White Center Fieldhouse. Tonight, courtesy of executive director Clay Eals from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – which presented the tribute – we have the performance itself, music composed by Wayne Horvitz as well as Hugo’s poetry. The backstory’s on this page of the SWSHS website.

EARLIER: Anybody recognize these dogs?

FRIDAY UPDATE: We’ve removed the finder info, because she reports the dogs are back with their people!

As mentioned here over the summer, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott has been championing the request to rename Lakewood Park in honor of the man who fought so hard for it and its little lake, Dick Thurnau. Today, he and his colleagues made it official:

Dick Thurnau was an activist, amateur historian and a recognizable face in the White Center community. He used his love of history to help in the restoration of the name of the lake near his home. Today, the Metropolitan King County Council gave its unanimous support to rename King County’s Lakewood Park to Dick Thurnau Memorial Park in recognition of his life of service to the White Center Community and this park in particular.

“The legacy that Dick left for White Center is in the vibrancy of this park, a welcoming and invaluable neighborhood resource,” said Council Vice Chair Joe McDermott, the sponsor of the legislation. “I am glad to work with the community to honor Dick’s dedication to the community.”

In 1948, newlywed Dick Thurnau and wife Helen purchased their home in the White Center community, next to Lakewood Park. Even though Thurnau moved from the neighborhood to work for Mack Trucks, he kept his home near the Park.

When he retired from Mack Trucks, Thurnau returned to his home and became a strong advocate for the neighborhoods that make up White Center. He led efforts to reduce storm water runoff into Lake Hicks, the lake within Lakewood Park, and the restoration of the park, which had become the home of a disc golf course.

In his efforts to help keep Lake Hicks clean, Thurnau discovered that the lake was originally named after Leonard Hicklin, one of the early settlers of the area that is today White Center. Thurnau worked to have the Hicklin name restored and was rewarded for his effort in 2011 when he received a letter from the United States Board on Geographic Names stating that they had approved his proposal in renaming Lake Hicks to Lake Hicklin.

In recognition to his devotion to the White Center Community, a number of neighborhood groups recommended the renaming of the Lakewood Park in memory of Thurnau.

Mr. Thurnau died in May 2014 at age 89.

If you didn’t get to the tribute to poet Richard Hugo last night at the White Center Fieldhouse and haven’t otherwise had the chance to see the biographical documentary shown during it, “Kicking the Loose Gravel Home,” you might want to watch at least part of it online. The folks at Caffé Delia shared the link this morning and pointed out that starting around 12 minutes in – and continuing off and on for at least 10 minutes after that – you’ll see ample footage of White Center in the mid-’70s (and South Delridge, too). The film is from 1976. Just grab and pull the “play” bar in the window above. The film, by the way, is by author/filmmaker Annick Smith, from Montana, where Hugo wound up, miles and years from his beginnings here.

Happening tonight – and it’s free! The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is presenting a concert and film, “Some Places Are Forever Afternoon: A Tribute in Music, Words, and Film to White Center’s Richard Hugo,” starting at 6 pm inside the historic White Center Fieldhouse at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd). Everyone gets in at no charge thanks to funding by 4Culture; the concert features pianist/composer Wayne Horvitz (who’s in the video invitation above), who released a Hugo-tribute CD in July. The event also will show “Kicking the Loose Gravel Home,” an hour-long 1976 film about Hugo, who was just 58 when he died in 1982. Everyone’s welcome!

(WCN photo from April 2015)
Six months after 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado died from injuries suffered when she was hit while crossing 16th SW at SW 104th, the driver who hit her is charged. 50-year-old Jamie Starr Larson of Burien got out of jail after a few days, while Ms. Delgado was still fighting for life in the hospital, a fight she lost eight days after she was hit. We’ve been checking on the case periodically for months, and this week, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Larson with vehicular homicide.

The charging documents begin starkly: “On March 31, 2015, the defendant, Jamie S. Larson, turned 50 years old. She celebrated by drinking alcohol for the next two days.” On April 2nd, she thought she was sober enough to drive – though she was unlicensed and uninsured. That’s the day she hit Rebecca Delgado in a marked crosswalk, with flashing beacons activated by Ms. Delgado’s husband, and with another driver stopped for her; the documents say Larson whipped around that driver, and that’s when she hit Ms. Delgado.

Larson is said to have told investigators at the scene that she had only had three beers, but she didn’t do well on the field-sobriety tests, and a blood test administered later led to an estimate that her blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash would have been .32, four times the legal drunkenness level. The charging papers say she also had taken an anti-depressant, that she admitted having a substance-abuse problem, and that she has one drunk-driving conviction on her record from 21 years ago.

We’ve reported before on efforts to clean up “The Bog” – and to make it less conducive to illegal camping, drug use, and crime. Aside from other concerns raised by those activities, the fact is that the area needs to stay clean because of its role in the area’s drainage system (as today’s rain reminds us).

The latest cleanup was a big one, and community member Gill Loring shares photos as well as post-cleanup info from King County senior engineer Ken Gresset, who, as we’ve reported here previously, has been leading cleanup efforts:

This past weekend, Ken and a group “Friends of the Trail” (their second time helping out) as well as a NH resident and her daughter got to it.

Excerpted from Ken’s e-mail: “Many thanks to all involved for a great cleanup last weekend. The group “Friends of the Trail” led by Wade Holden pulled out all the stops over two days and took 8 large truckloads of debris to the dump along with around 40 syringes.

Many thanks to Deputies Kennamer, Paul and Syson for their onsite security work and for Captain Boe for arranging their presence. Thanks also to North Highline residents Christine and her daughter who braved the onsite conditions to help out. The Sheriff’s department gave the campers three weeks of almost constant notice that the cleanup was coming and to take any possessions they wanted to keep with them.

On another bright note we did encounter one of the campers who seemed sincerely interested in getting help and we are working with a neighbor who knows her to get her connected to social services.”

Excerpted from another e-mail: “I walked all of the trails today. I didn’t find any camps and only encountered one person in the area. I explained the trespass laws to him and he moved along.

The key is going to be continued police presence to make the place unattractive to the illegal users. As soon as the place is posted, we will start enforcing the trespass laws. The place looks great!”

And from the North Highline resident who helped: “My daughter & I were able to help for about an hour or so…It was disgusting, smelled really bad back there & yet people were willing to live in that! Ken, the “trails crew” was great! They pulled out several mattresses, sofa, tv, clothes & crap – yes, really! Hopefully in the future there can be a work party to start clearing out some of that brush to open things up a bit more! I’d be there, just let me know when!”

From the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s newsletter, word of something new on the way to Lakewood Park:

The Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation is honored to be the recipient of a 2016 Youth Sports Facilities grant from King County Parks. This grant will provide $75,000 for the creation of a new traffic garden in White Center in Lakewood Park.

The White Center traffic garden will be a bicycle skills park where learners of all ages and abilities can practice bicycling in a safe, car-free environment. With on-site bicycle storage, traffic signs and real-world infrastructure elements, the Traffic Garden will be the perfect place to come and learn about bicycle safety.

The newsletter says groundbreaking is expected early next year, “with programming beginning in the spring.” We’ll be checking with Cascade later today to find out more.

8:16 AM: An injury suffered during Friday night’s Evergreen-Highline football game in Burien has an Evergreen player in critical condition. That’s according to our regional news partner The Seattle Times, identifying the player as Kenney Bui and reporting that he is at Harborview Medical Center after emergency surgery. Bui is a senior at Evergreen; KING 5 quotes Highline Public Schools as saying counselors will be available on campus today for anyone who wants to talk about what happened.

2:58 AM: As also noted in comments, Highline superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield has announced Mr. Bui’s death:

It is with great sadness that School Board President Bernie Dorsey and I share with you that TEC High School senior Kenney Bui, who was critically injured in Friday night’s Evergreen v. Highline football game, died this morning at the hospital.

This is a devastating loss for all of us — Evergreen students, families, and staff, and our entire Highline community.

Our deepest condolences go out to Kenney’s family and all who knew him. Please join us in keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.

You want to be there – just a little time can make a big difference:

It’s happening 10 am-2 pm next Saturday (October 10th) – lots more information, including what to bring (and a map, if you’re not already familiar with North Shorewood Park), on this flyer.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

As is usually the case, the monthly North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting sprawled across a long list of topics and concerns.

Before the main announced topic – marijuana and the prevalence of shops both legal and illegal in North Highline – the NHUAC board and attendees heard the newest information on crime:

CRIME STATS UPDATE: White Center’s new storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer says the major categories show an overall year-to-year decline: 14 auto thefts in the past month, compared to 24 in the same month a year ago, “a real dramatic month,” he noted. The Coronado Springs Apartments area is a hotspot. Auto recoveries: Six this past month, compared to 11 the same month last year. Nine assaults, compared to 13 a year earlier; aggravated assaults, 3, up from 0 the same period last year. Commercial burglaries, forced: 2 compared to 1; just one non-forced, same as the period in 2014. Residential burglaries, 2 down from 5 (forced), 3 down from 5 (non-forced). Asked about the recent arson spree that led to an arrest, he said the officer who arrested the suspect, Joyce Ziegenfuss, took her into custody within hours of a “be on the lookout” bulletin happening. (We just checked the King County Jail Register – she remains in custody and was charged with arson.)

Despite all that, some at the meeting said they don’t feel safe in the area. King County Sheriff John Urquhart countered that forcefully, saying he was in Kent the previous night, where there was a “gang homicide” outside the Target store. “When was the last time there was a homicide in White Center?” he asked. (Answer: Going on two years.)

Then came the wide-ranging, multi-guest discussion of marijuana stores, dispensaries, rules, laws, concerns …

WASHINGTON STATE LIQUOR AND CANNABIS BOARD: The area’s new rep spent a few minutes speaking to NHUAC. He mentioned the new rules regarding marijuana businesses that were announced about a week ago; he says several public hearings will be held around the state to “welcome feedback” on the rules. (You can find them listed on this page of the WSLCB website, including one in Seattle on November 16th.) He also discussed changes made by the State Legislature this year, particularly how the medical cannabis business is to be integrated into the recreational business. The state Health Department will be overseeing the issuing of cards, for starters, and he says it’s believed that will reduce the number of fraudulent issuances.

One of the questions asked of the rep was: If the new rules are removing limits on how many marijuana stores will be allowed in a certain area, how will the proliferation be regulated? He said it depends on how many applications are received, among other factors. “So when can we say, we’ve got enough?” the attendee pressed. The rep suggested sharing that feedback with the WSLCB. “Our board is always receptive to that kind of feedback.” He added, “We began with a very conservative number of shops, based on trying to capture 5 to 10 percent of the black market, and then it would be revisited down the road.” Now, they’re hoping to target up to “20 percent of the black market,” he said. “I think we’ve got a long way to go before we capture the illicit market, which is our goal down the road … there’s still a very viable and very large illicit market out there.”

If this area is going to have a disproportionate number of marijuana stores – up to eight allowable, it was said repeatedly, according to the current formula – how can residents be sure they benefit from an appropriate amount of the revenue? asked one attendee. No clear answer ensued, but the rep said there’ll be a “formula.” Right now, spreading the entire $15 million tax revenue around the state would “be very thin,” he added. Overall, the advice was to speak to state legislators (at least one of whom might be attending a NHUAC meeting later this fall). That wasn’t much consolation to attendees who said that it felt as if the area has become a “dump site” for “vices.”

SHERIFF’S TAKE ON IT: Next up, Sheriff Urquhart declared he knows why there are more stores in areas like this – because too many other jurisdictions have banned them. He wondered if there is anything the state can do “to ban that practice.” Said the WSLCB rep, “No – that was the attorney general’s interpretation.” Sheriff Urquhart says then the law should be changed, since the intent of Initiative 502 was that every area would “take its share,” but without that happening, areas like this one that have no way to ban them are winding up with a disproportionate share.

Meantime, he says five of the 15 “illegal” dispensaries in the unincorporated urban areas are out of business, of the ones targeted at the news conference held back in July (WCN coverage here). He says King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is “dedicated to” putting other shops out of business by going to court – via civil laws (as regional media reported last month) – by year’s end, if necessary. There was some back and forth with the state rep as to whether some of those stores would continue to have a grace period until next July or not.

NHUAC board member Elizabeth Gordon – who runs an I-502-licensed marijuana store in downtown White Center – noted that some areas that don’t have anti-pot-store rules, such as West Seattle, don’t have legal stores because they have few or no spaces that qualify given the buffer-zone rules, and “that’s another reason for the clustering … in this area.”

“Until this all settles out in the next three, four, five years, we’re just not going to know how this is going to work … I call this a giant social experiment in the state of Washington, because that’s what the voters wanted,” said the sheriff. “We just don’t know how this is going to work out.” He looked at the state rep in the audience: “You might have to change your name back to the Liquor Control Board.”

The state rep noted that the buffer-zone rules were changing.

“Could the county limit the number of stores in an area?” Urquhart asked King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who replied that Bellevue had tried to do that but is “currently being sued … for doing so.” (Here’s a Seattle Times [WCN news partner] story from last year.)

MCDERMOTT ON MARIJUANA, AND MORE: Taking his turn as speaker, the county councilmember said the moratorium on dispensaries in the county is in its second six-month extension, and he hopes to extend it one more time. The moratorium was news to some in the room; McDermott said if someplace new has opened, the county needs to be notified so it can enforce the moratorium. NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin said it’s hard for the community to know what’s going in and where. McDermott noted that if it’s a legal store, there’s supposed to be a notice in the window. Board member Elizabeth Devine said, “No one’s claiming that pot shops are the end of western civilization … but because it’s new, you’re having (some who are responsible) applying next to some (who are not).” She said the fact that cannabis businesses are “all-cash” is a particular challenge/concern. “We just need you and the other legislators to look out for us because all sorts of interesting things can happen … otherwise, all hell can break loose.” McDermott said that’s exactly why he had pursued the aforementioned moratorium, and pressed Olympia to take steps to address the unregulated medical-marijuana business. One man said he felt there isn’t enough concern being shown for White Center; he wants to see “more law enforcement .. more response from the community when we ask for things to stop … cleaning up our streets and sidewalks.” He says White Center isn’t what it used to be, earlier in his 67 years of living here. McDermott noted that King County is not necessarily the best local government for WC. Board member Liz Giba said that she wishes information about unincorporated White Center and Skyway – both urban areas – could get information, broken out from the rest of the unincorporated area. Giba said she would get in touch with McDermott regarding what kind of information she’s looking for.

Resident Gill Loring suggested that anyone concerned about cleanups and other action can get in touch with Bong Sto. Domingo at the county. He also asked McDermott what’s up with annexation; McDermott said all he’s heard are “the same rumors,” regarding Seattle trying to “keep its foot in the door.” Whether the potential sales-tax credit is available at the level that the city wants for annexation was still in question. In the meantime, what can be done for the basics in the area? Loring asked – especially the roads? “The long-term outlook for county revenue is bleak,” answered McDermott. The county has lobbied for increasing the limit on sales-tax revenues, to get more money, and to get support from other jurisdictions, but nothing’s been finalized. Another question from Loring: Has the county researched why larger businesses aren’t opening in/moving to areas like this, given their proximity to the city? McDermott said he’d look into what’s being done in the economic-development area.

Later in the discussion, talk turned to the empty spaces in the heart of the business area, and what could be done about that. “This is a great community,” said one man. “Why can’t we attract people?” Discussion also wandered to trash pickup, and the perceived lack of a requirement for it, in some parts of the business district. Sto. Domingo explained that there IS a requirement, under health laws, but enforcing it is the challenge, with a shortage of resources. McDermott explained that the county’s in the middle of a two-year budget cycle, so nothing regarding funding for those resources can change for at least a year. Sto. Domingo said the crew that comes out periodically is working on it, but the problem seems to be breaking out “every other day.” Dobkin wondered why business leaders such as the White Center Chamber of Commerce aren’t involved in advocating for it; she says that on Sunday mornings in particular, downtown is in terrible shape.

BOG CLEANUP: This weekend county crews will be back at “The Bog,” per NHUAC members and Deputy Kennamer. Anti-trespassing signs will be going up in the area. Shrubbery cleanup will be happening in the 11th/12th/Roxbury vicinity – though that’ll cost a fair amount of money, the deputy noted, up to $60,000.

RENAMING LAKEWOOD PARK FOR DICK THURNAU: The County Council is expected to finalize this (prior WCN coverage here) on October 12th, and assuming that happens, a celebration is planned at November 7th at the Technology Access Foundation‘s Bethaday Community Learning Space.

NORTH SHOREWOOD PARK WORK PARTY: Watch for the official announcement of this, coming up soon.

UNINCORPORATED-AREA GRANTS: The deadline for applying for King County’s “community-engagement grants” is coming up next month – November 16th – it was pointed out. Find out about them here.

MARTIN’S WAY: One of the new owners of the former McMurphy’s at 16th SW & SW 112th, Vik, said the mural is complete and he is thankful for community support. He said he hasn’t had to call KCSO in nine months. He expressed thanks for the accessibility of County Councilmember Joe McDermott (who was present at the meeting). He said he is hoping to create a school at the site, teaching technology among other things. You can find out more at the website for what he says is called Martin’s Way (which started when he had a facility by the same name in the North Delridge area a few years back).

NHUAC COMMITTEES: Open to the public to get involved on a variety of fronts, Dobkin reminded everyone – if you’re interested, e-mail her (find her address on the NHUAC website).

WHITE CENTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Gordon says they’re trying to recover their former e-mail list – many people who used to get notifications of meetings, for example (including us here at WCN), haven’t had word for some time. You can e-mail whitecentercc@gmail.com, she says.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets on first Thursdays, 7 pm, at the North Highline Fire District‘s HQ. In November, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is scheduled, and is expected to bring members of his staff, with topics including the “community justice” program relating to abandoned/vacant houses, often bank-owned and taken over by squatters.

Just two weeks until the biggest night of the year for the White Center Food Bank and its supporters – and ultimately, the people it helps day in and day out:

The White Center Food Bank’s 11th Annual Harvest Dinner & Auction is coming up on October 17th at South Seattle College’s Brockey Center. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and helps us to continuing feeding our community; in 2014, we served 64,473 people from White Center, West Seattle, and Burien. The auction is really fantastic this year, with items ranging from restaurant gift cards to a week in Mallorca, Spain, and everything inbetween; the dinner is a delicious steak and salmon entrée (vegetarian also available). Tickets are on sale RIGHT NOW! Last year, the event sold out, and we hope for the same this year. Information, tickets, and a preview of items up for bid, all available at whitecenterfoodbank.maestroweb.com

No plans for Friday night yet? From the White Center Eagles:

If you are a Fleetwood Mac fan, we have a special evening planned for you! Solstice (and Friends) are appearing at the White Center Eagles this Friday night, October 2nd, from 7 PM to 11 PM. They are a Fleetwood Mac cover band. Their repertoire also includes a great selection of rock and blues. We have a large dance floor. Dinner from 5 PM to 7 PM. Please join us for a night of awesome music and dancing. Eagles and signed-in guests only!

Just announced:

NORTH HIGHLINE UNINCORPORATED AREA COUNCIL MEETING (NHUAC)

When: Thursday, October 1 @ 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station (1243 SW 112th Street)

Plan on joining the discussion at the next NHUAC meeting with our special guests:

• King County Council Representative – Joe McDermott
• King County Sheriff – John Urquhart

The discussion will focus on the licensing of marijuana stores in the unincorporated areas of North Highline and Skyway/West Hill. Presently the state has 11 licenses available for the whole of unincorporated King County- 8 of those licenses have already been issued for stores in the urban unincorporated communities of North Highline (3 stores) and Skyway/West Hill (5 stores). There are also changes coming that may allow for an unlimited number of these licenses to be granted. How will this impact our community? Should regulations be enacted to prevent the concentration of these stores in our community?

Also on hand will be our new White Center Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer to provide updates on crime trends and general community safety concerns.

Your voice matters on these important community issues. Hope to see you at this very informative meeting

For more information see: northhighlineuac.org or email: bdobkin@northhighlineuac.org

Tomorrow (Saturday, September 26th) is a milestone anniversary for Mac’s Triangle Pub – 10 years! You’re invited to come celebrate, all day and all night. They’ll be open 9 am-2 am, with the day playing out like this:

Breakfast special
Introduction of the new Triangle Burger
Huskies playing Cal Bears
Live music by Mercy Mercy
New limited edition 10th Anniversary T shirt
Karaoke
Community photo op!
2005 pricing!

Go see Mac and the team at Delridge/16th/Roxbury.

Following up on County Councilmember Joe McDermott‘s announcement last month, he’s sent word that you are welcome to come tell a Council committee next Tuesday (September 29th) what you think about renaming Lakewood Park in honor of its longtime champion, Dick Thurnau:

At the request of many in the community, I have introduced legislation renaming Lakewood Park in honor of Dick Thurnau, a longtime neighbor and advocate for the park. The legislation will be considered by the Council’s Transportation, Environment, and Economy (TrEE) Committee on Tuesday, September 29th. This meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am.

I invite all interested individuals to attend the upcoming meeting to share your thoughts about this proposal to rename Lakewood Park to Dick Thurnau Park:

What: Transportation, Environment and Economy meeting
Where: Council Chambers, King County Courthouse, 10th floor
Time: 9:30 am

Directions to the Courthouse can be found here; just scroll to the bottom of the page. A meeting agenda will be posted later this week.

Further comment would be welcome when the legislation is before the full Council sometime following committee action.

If you’re not able to make the committee meeting, please consider emailing your comments to me at Joe.McDermott@kingcounty.gov. You can also watch the meeting on KCTV’s Live Stream on the day of the meeting.

11:09 AM: Thanks to the reader who tipped us to this: The Nimbin recreational-marijuana store at 10861 1st Avenue South in Top Hat is cleaning up after an early-morning break-in via vehicle. We are still working to get information from the King County Sheriff’s Office, but they confirmed that, as our tipster said, a vehicle drove into the shop, and that they would be open today even as repairs continue – they were not commenting on what if anything was stolen. This is one of three state-licensed marijuana stores that have opened this year in unincorporated North Highline. We’ll update when we get info from KCSO.

12:46 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says a neighbor heard the crash around 2 am, then looked out to see that a “white truck” had backed into the shop. “The witness saw a man exit the truck and enter the business. The man was in the business for about a minute then returned to the truck and sped off. When deputies arrived they contacted the owner who responded to the scene. It appears as though some cash and an assortment of packaged marijuana was stolen.” No description of the driver other than “male.”