October 2009

Thanks to a Washington’s Most Wanted viewer tip into Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, fugitive Marcel Matthews was captured by Seattle police, Monday, Oct. 5. Matthews is wanted for burglary and is accused of sneaking in through a bathroom window and hitting a home in West Seattle – while people were inside the house.

Matthews’ rap sheet is long and includes convictions for assault, drugs, felony flight, car theft and trespass.

The Seattle Police detective detective working the case sat watch on the Renton house where Matthews was suspected of hiding until he spotted him and made the arrest.

Washington’s Most Wanted host David Rose said, “There’s not a much more terrifying experience than having a criminal break into your home while you’re there. West Seattle homeowners can rest a little easier tonight knowing Seattle police have Matthews in custody thanks to a tip from one of our viewers.”

To learn more about Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound go to www.crimestoppers-ps.com.

Jason Sutherland, a West Seattle resident and REI employee, enjoys the tranquil sport of stand up paddle boarding near the Fauntleroy Ferry dock where he launched.

"This is a great way to get out on the water if you have no waves," said the mellow mariner.

The Ballard High School girls soccer team broke its two-match losing streak Oct. 6 but settled for a tie against last-place Bothell.

Freshman Kat Anesini scored the Beavers' only goal off a Cassie Winters assist in the 53rd minute.

Bothell answered five minutes later, and neither team found the net the rest of the way.

The goal was Anesini's team-leading fifth of the season. She has scored the only Ballard goals in the last two matches.

The Beavers (1-2-2 conference, 2-5-3 overall) face Roosevelt (1-4-0 conference, 3-7-0 overall) at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 at Ingraham High School.

Dear Editor,

So, Im taking a walk tonight with my friend. We were walking through the Admiral District of West seattle. This is right at the tip of the peninsula, where there are really expensive houses.

We came across this house under construction. It was surrounded by a construction fence. Behind this fence were 50 goats.

They were there to eat the blackberry bushes growing behind the house. All of a sudden, they find a place where the fence isn't held together correctly. One got loose, and half of them poured out the hole. I got in front of the hole, but the rest went in the back yard, and somehow got out somewhere else.

My friend called the police. They took about 10 minutes to get there. In the meantime, the goats are eating all the beautiful shrubry of the houses in the neighborhood.

Neighbors are coming out to see what was happening. Im tring to keep them from walking down the stairs to busy california ave. So, one of the cops grabs one of them by the horns. and puts it in the yard, where I held it by its horns.

After about a year of studying parking in the West Seattle Junction, the Seattle Department of Transportation is making several suggestions to “improve parking management” in the area, which include adding two-hour time limits next to businesses and converting one-hour limits to two.

These changes are expected to improve predictability and make it easier for customers to find parking, according to a report by the transportation department.

Some highlights of the city’s study are:

- Two-hour time limit parking is well used throughout the day.

- Drivers comply with time limits more than 90 percent of the time on California Avenue Southwest and more than 80 percent of the time on adjacent residential streets.

- Parking is used most during mid-morning and afternoon hours.

- In unrestricted parking spaces most cars park for a short time: On California Avenue Southwest more than 70 percent of drivers park for three hours or less. On residential streets adjacent to California Avenue Southwest more than 50 percent of drivers park for three hours or less.

The West Seattle Junction Association will host trick-or-treating in the Junction this year, sponsored by area merchants, on Halloween, Oct. 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The event includes a movie on the wall, a raffle, a food drive and more.

Click here for more information.

Seattle School District officials have unveiled proposed boundary maps as part of its new Student Assignment Plan that splits district elementary, middle and high schools into “attendance area” zones, which students will be assigned to based on their address.

View the proposed boundary maps here.

The plan also includes re-opening several schools, including Viewlands Elementary School in 2011, based on projected increasing enrollment in certain areas of the city.

Viewlands was closed in 2006, amidst a highly controversial closure process, in part due to declining enrollment.

The latest on the plan was detailed to select members of the media, including the Ballard News-Tribune, at a media roundtable, hours before the School Board launched its four-hour workshop on the subject at 4 p.m. Oct. 6.

The School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal Nov. 18 after about one month of public comment. Details of the implementation plan will not be made until the board has approved the boundary proposals, said Seattle Schools Enrollment Manager Tracy Libros.

Seattle School District officials have unveiled proposed boundary maps as part of its new Student Assignment Plan that splits district elementary, middle and high schools into “attendance area” zones, which students will be assigned to based on their address.

The plan also includes re-opening several schools based on projected increasing enrollment in certain areas of the city.

View the proposed boundary maps here.

The latest on the plan was detailed to select members of the media, including the West Seattle Herald, at a media roundtable, hours before the School Board launched its four-hour workshop on the subject at 4 p.m. Oct. 6.

The School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal Nov. 18 after about one month of public comment. Details of the implementation plan will not be made until the board has approved the boundary proposals, said Seattle Schools Enrollment Manager Tracy Libros.

Zac Martin looks while he leaps off of a log on the Lincoln Park Beach.

Pictured rear, left to right, Adam Chase, J.T. Schultz, and Thomas Bowers. All are on the Holy Rosary School cross country team.