October 2011

Seattle Police report that on Sunday, Oct 20, at approximately 4:24 a.m. an officer stopped a suspicious parked pickup truck loaded with stolen items in the 600th block of NW 85th.

Two suspects ran away from the vehicle as the officer approached. The officer was able to detain the third suspect.

Meanwhile, victims from a residential burglary were calling it in while the officer was investigating the pickup.

The items from the truck were positively identified by the victim as being her things.

The suspect (17 but about to turn 18 in 2 days) was taken to the precinct. The truck belonged to his mother.

The suspect was booked into Youth Service Center for residential burglary.

press release:
Routes 21 Express, 37 southbound, 54, 54 Express, 55, 56 Express, 113, 120, 121, 122 and 125 have returned to their regular routing using the new viaduct bypass in SODO. The temporary stops at 4 Av S & S Lander Street and 4 Av And Jackson St Island will no longer be served.

Expect some delays in service on the bypass due to narrow lanes and lower speed limits and please be aware that bus times may be longer before the viaduct was demolished.

I can’t say I was a very good Girl Scout, despite spending my elementary and part of my junior high years in troops and camps. But one thing stuck: the proverbial two word motto that all Girls Scouts know: Be prepared.

I think about this almost daily.

No, I’m not a fatalist. I’m not even a pessimist. But I’d rather be prepared. I watched too many news reports after Hurricane Katrina to not get that message. And at work, we’re gathering speed, preparing both personally and collectively should disaster hit.

In 2005 after Katrina, my partner Forrest and I ordered a supply of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), and along with some bottled water, cat food, a few treats and a change of clothes, loaded up a plastic box and tucked it under the back porch. And it sat, out of sight and range of consciousness for the next few years.

The predicted disasters and full impact of climate change may not happen in my lifetime, but if insurance companies are paying attention, it suggests we all might want to do the same – just in case.

The Ballard football team beat the Redmond Mustangs 29 to 20 Saturday at Memorial in their last game of the season. It was also senior night for the team, the marching band and the cheerleaders.

The Beavers took the lead early and were able to hold on for the win, despite some big penalties and an injury. Jesse Scott, one of the 13 seniors on the team, came down awkwardly on his ankle after defending a pass in the third quarter and had to be carried off the field.

Ballard capitalized on a fumble early in the first and drove the ball 74 yards, scoring on a successful trick play when Max Marshall found Kyle Keunzi. Later on in the first the Beavers forced another fumble, but a penalty negated the play.

After a long first quarter, the Beavers and the Mustangs traded series until Jordan McColloch broke off a 45-yard run to pay dirt in the second, putting the Beavers up 15-0 after the successful two point conversion.

Like many of you, we were outdoors on 10-29 and saw yet another remarkable sunset as the cloud cover varied from, well, if you are a meteorologist or just know a lot about clouds, you tell us. All we know is that it was beautiful and we got several photos from people we know that show what it looked like.

If you are from West Seattle and have since moved away, this is what you missed.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

You can see a larger version of the photo above by clicking on the link.

If you caught a photo of this sunset please send it to WestSeattle@robinsonnews.com and we'll add it to the slideshow for everyone to enjoy.

32 Junction Merchants saw every kind of costume you can imagine and a few you can't as they held their annual Trick or Treat event on Saturday Oct. 29. The junction was packed with kids and their parents all eager to get their share of goodies offered at each store.

The event ran from 1pm to 3pm.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

While the trauma suffered by stroke victim Riley Jackson is not contagious, some may find his smile and carefree attitude toward it transmittable. And although Jackson, 75, a West Seattle resident with a home perched above the Fauntleroy Ferry, lives alone, you might say his house is filled, with Duchess, his forever-drooling white basset hound. Keeping them company are colorful free-range chickens that meander into the backyard garden from a neighbor's yard.

Jackson has authored a newly-released book about his ordeal, "A View From The Floor", a 264-page paperback by West Seattle's Tigress Publishing. The story centers on his third stroke, a doozy, causing him to pass out on his kitchen floor in his house on his 10-acre coffee plantation in Costa Rica, an idyllic high altitude spot with a view of the Pacific Ocean, but not, shall we say, across the street from Harborview Medical Center. It took eight hours to reach the emergency room there. It was March 27, 1997.

When he collapsed, then regained consciousness, his "view from the floor" was a Kafkaesque experience.

West Seattle High School was the host for the Metro League 3A Girls Volleyball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 29

The teams in the tournament were the two schools in West Seattle plus Bainbridge, Nathan Hale, Eastside Catholic, Bishop Blanchet, Ingraham, Holy Names, and Seattle Prep.

In the opening matches West Seattle faced Seattle Prep with Prep winning the contest.

West Seattle vs Seattle Prep
25-12, 25-12, 20-25, 25-13. Seattle Prep advanced to the finals.
West Seattle then faced Blanchet and won that match.

Chief Sealth went up against Eastside Catholic and lost.

Chief Sealth vs Eastside Catholic
25-13, 25-15, 23-25, 25-15

Eastside Catholic plays in the finals at 7pm. Sealth played Holy Names at 1pm.

West Seattle beat blanchet 18-25, 25-22, 25-23, 26-24.

Holy Names beat Chief Sealth 25-19, 25-17, 25-21

The championship round is at 7 pm between Seattle Prep and Eastside Catholic.

>Thanks to Kimberly Depew and Lacey Smart for the tournament updates

The Sealth team is:

Madeleine Twombley
Lorna Sailiai
Katherine Kirk
Lorraine Toilolo
Sam Fay

West Seattle is celebrating a new champion today with Andrew Borracchini, 16, who just won the title of "Washington State Best Bagger" in a competition held in Spokane sponsored by the Washington Food Industry Association. Borrachini who has worked at the Admiral Metropolitan Market for 18 months, flew to Spokane on Wednesday to compete against other baggers from across the state. The contest is a head to head event with the judging based on speed, proper “bag building” techniques, distribution of weight, attitude & appearance.

He won a $1500 check and a roundtrip flight for two and two-night night stay in Las Vegas for the National Championship, which will take place February 13.

He was selected to compete because he previously won the bagging contest at Metropolitan Market’s annual company picnic a tradition for the store. Metropolitan Market has sent its company picnic champs to the official state competition for the last 4-5 years.

On Saturday, Oct 29, Seattle teachers, University of Washington TA’s, and hundreds of their allies in the Occupy Seattle movement taught Chase bank a lesson about the impact on education funding of their bank not paying taxes in-state mortgage interest income.

The protest was part of a global day of action calling for a 1 percent “Robin Hood Tax” on financial transactions and currency trades.

Chase pays no state taxes on its in-state mortgage interest income because of a loophole was created for WAMU because it was a state bank. When the economy and the housing marketed crashed and bankrupted WAMU, Chase bought out WAMU and has now been “grandfathered” in under these tax breaks intended for state banks. If Chase did pay their fair share of taxes it would add nearly $100 million per year to Washington State’s budget.