November 2010

On Nov. 10, King County prosecutors filed charges of first degree theft, improperly obtaining financial information and first and second degree identity theft against two men, one of them from White Center, for a card skimming operation targeted at BECU ATMs.

Charging documents against Claudiu Flaviu Tudor and Mihai Podaru aka Gvidiv Mateescu came down after a several month long investigation involving officers and detectives from the Kirkland and Renton police departments.

Video surveillance footage and BECU transaction data was used to identify the suspects and catch them in the act of collecting card data, then allegedly using counterfeit cards to withdraw money, documents said.

The documents allege the operation went like this: Tudor and Podaru rigged ATMs in Renton and Puyallup with card skimmers and cameras that obtained card and pin numbers from anyone using the ATM.

UPDATE:
As of 10 a.m. this morning the line for turkeys was starting to diminish, but lead pastor Steve Jamison said he had just ordered 300 additional turkeys and that they would be there until they were all gone.
See our story about the event here.

Eastridge Church at 4500 39th Ave. s.w. is giving away 2000 turkey dinners beginning at 9:00 am Nov. 20.
The charity effort will be split between the West Seattle location and the other location for the church in Issaquah.

Their website reads:
Eastridge Church welcomes you to receive a helping hand and a little hope this Saturday (Nov. 20) during our annual Turkey and bags of Groceries Giveaway! We're giving away 2,000 between our Issaquah and Seattle campuses. Starts at 9 am. While supplies last. No proof of need required.

Water Taxi Service Alert Reminder:

As winter and inclement weather approaches be sure to have the most up to date information regarding your commute on the King County Water Taxi. Whether you ride the West Seattle or Vashon Water Taxi, stay informed on service delays and possible cancellations with sailing alerts (Sign Up), Water Taxi website alerts (Water Taxi homepage), or by calling our information line at (206) 684-1551.

Please also note that the King County Water Taxi will not operate the Vashon Route or the West Seattle Route on either of the upcoming holidays: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) and the day after Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). The free West Seattle Water Taxi shuttles - Routes 773 and 775 - will not operate on those holidays either.

The Des Moines City Council was handed a petition Nov. 18 with over 4,000 signatures signed by people in 43 different countries calling for police accountability in the shooting of the two-year-old Newfoundland dog, Rosie.

"I know Des Moines feels they are under a microscope on this issue and quite frankly you are," Newfoundland Club of Seattle President Richard Jack said.

This was the first council meeting since Rosie was killed by police officers, giving people their first opportunity to officially address the council.

"This gives Des Moines a great opportunity to rise beyond this tragic occasion, which is all too common across America. You have the power, the motivation, and the opportunity to set an example for every small city that expects law enforcement officers to perform animal control responsibilities," Jack said.

Des Moines Animal Control was called on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 7, to capture a loose dog on 16th Avenue South and South 262nd Street. Rosie had escaped owners Deirdre and Chuck Wright's yard.

Des Moines lone animal control officer Jan Magnuson was not on duty at the time, so regular police officers were dispatched to the call.

Times/News columnist Earline Byers and attorney Clark Snure have been awarded Lifetime Achievement awards in the first annual Spirit of Des Moines Awards.
The awards were created earlier this year to acknowledge people who put time and energy into making Des Moines better.

Byers has been serving on organizations for Des Moines for the past 47 years.

She became the chair of most of the city committees/boards she was a part of. She was elected or appointed the chair of the Annexation of North Hill Committee, Des Moines Library Board, Parks and Recreation Board, Human Services Committee, Senior Services and as the Des Moines representative to the King County METRO Citizens Committee.

She created, implemented and conducted city council candidate forums.

She became a part of the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, when the chamber only had 30 members. After Byers served on the board for eight years, the Chamber grew to about 145 members.
Byers also wrote the first Chamber of Commerce newsletter, "The Chamber Column."

Press Release:
Health and human services expert Theresa Fujiwara has been named by Mayor Mike McGinn to The Seattle Public Library board of trustees. Fujiwara’s appointment is expected to be reviewed by the City Council’s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee on November 30.

Fujiwara, a Beacon Hill resident, has 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors in health and human services.

She currently works as strategy and policy adviser for the White Center Community Development Association, which is the designated lead agency for Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections initiative. Previously, Fujiwara was the site liaison for Making Connections at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where she was responsible for the co-design, leadership and oversight of a community change initiative aimed at strengthening families and improving outcomes for vulnerable children.

The West Seattle Food Bank at at 3419 s.w. Morgan Street got a boost on Friday, Nov. 19 at a time when they need it the most, just before Thanksgiving.

Only six weeks old, Junction furniture consignment store Suite Arrangements followed through on a pledge to donate 5% of all profits to the Food Bank and presented a check to Frances Yeatts Executive Director of the organization.

The new store has met with early success and owner Geoff Abdian said "We've already signed 100 consignors in our first five weeks -- a pace of over 1000 per year right here in West Seattle."

Abdian, who recently volunteered at the Food Bank pledged from the beginning to share a percentage of his profits with the Food Bank. “It’s not much yet,” Abdian said, “and the store hasn’t begun to repay the loans taken to open, but it’s a good start. And, we want to thank West Seattle for embracing the recycling of fine furnishings, and for helping to feed those most in need.”

Seattle Parks Department post:
We are making steady progress towards completion of the new park at Myrtle Reservoir. Construction of our new park is almost complete and we are eager to open this site to the public as soon as possible.

The lawn areas have been recently seeded and we want to protect these areas from foot traffic, but we also understand the community’s desire to have access to this new park. In the next several days we will be testing and commissioning our irrigation system and doing final cleanup work.

We also will be installing temporary protective fencing and signs within the park to direct people away from the newly seeded lawn and to protect SPU facilities. We are working closely with SPU to install fencing as soon as possible.

Once these things are done we will selectively remove construction fencing at the entry pathways, opening the park pathways and play area to the public. Our goal is to provide public access to the new park before the Thanksgiving weekend.

Parks is planning on this “soft opening” soon after the above work is complete. An official public opening celebration, yet to be scheduled, will follow the “soft opening.”

Staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and neighborhood volunteers were seen planting plants along the Fremont Cut of the Lake Washington Ship Canal today.

It was the first of the two volunteer days this week. The Corps is seeking more volunteers for tomorrow when they’ll be planting along the South Ship Canal Trail in Queen Anne.

“We’re planting the understory for the trees,” said Anna Welland of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The planting is part of phase two of a four-part plan to restore the historically significant plants and trees along the Fremont Cut.

In the Spring, the Corps, which operates and maintains the scenic stretch of land and water, removed 29 poplar trees because they posed a hazard to the community.

These plants we’re planting today are plants that were here historically,” Welland said.

Along with the native plants, Welland said they’re planting some drought- resistant plants as well.

“We plant these in the fall so that nature will take care of the watering for us,” she said.

These plants include kinnikinnicks, Oregon grapes, red currants, and senecios.

Teenagers and adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds came together at the High Point Neighborhood House Center on Nov. 18 to come up with strategies to stop drug use and prevent HIV infection in addition to discussing prescription drugs and the energy alcohol drink ban.

The coalition takes an updated approach to stopping drug use amongst young people from ethnic groups in southeast and southwest Seattle.

“The idea is to come together with lots of different folks to create a safe and healthy environment for southeast and southwest Seattle to promote positive youth development, prevent drug, alcohol and tobacco use and to do HIV prevention,” said Mike Graham-Squire with the coalition.

“A lot of drug and alcohol prevention programs focus really on education … (that) tell kids to say ‘no’,” Graham-Squire said. “But we really try to do, although those education things are important, is to look at how we can change the environment that youth are growing up in so that it will be a more positive and healthy environment to prevent kids from using drugs in the first place.”