December 2011

The West Seattle/Fauntleroy Windermere office was reigning cats and dogs, and toddlers, too, last Saturday at "Santa Paws", their Christmas fundraiser for the Windermere Foundation. A menagerie of pets and people, some frantic, queued up for photos with a very patient Santa Claus. Donations were accepted. According to the office, Santa was photographed with nearly 50 groups of people and pets.

According to the Windermere Foundation website, "For the past 23 years, the Windermere Foundation has donated a portion of the proceeds from every home purchased or sold towards supporting low-income and homeless families in our communities. What started in 1989 as a grassroots foundation serving families in need in Washington State, has grown to encompass ten states and has raised over $22 million for programs and organizations that provide shelter, clothing, children’s programs, emergency assistance, and other services to those who need our help the most."

Real estate agent and West Seattle resident Mary Ann Vandergriff has been the Foundation representative for the 4526 California Ave. office for nearly 18 years.

Photographers of all stripes took advantage of the last lunar eclipse until 2014 early on Saturday, Dec. 10 and set up their tripods to catch some photos of the moon being shadowed by the earth. It was visible in the cold clear air until just before sunrise when a marine layer moved in to obscure the view.

Photographer Greg McCorkle took a sequence of images of the event. That's not the easiest task since the moon after all IS a moving target meaning, at regular intervals, McCorkle had to move the camera, re-center the moon and make his exposure. The result is the composite image above.

He shoots with a Canon 5d.

A larger version of the composite image can be viewed at the link above.

Press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office:
SeaTac Man Used Force and Coercion Pimping Young Women and Underage Girls

A SeaTac, Washington man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors and defense will recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison when RONNIE LEON TRAMBLE, 29, is sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on March 16, 2012.

According to the plea agreement, TRAMBLE coerced or forced more than five different women to work for him as prostitutes. Some of these victims were under the age of 18. The plea agreement details how TRAMBLE recruited one victim, and forced her to work as a prostitute with threats and violence. TRAMBLE repeatedly beat the victim, and forced her to give her prostitution earnings to him. TRAMBLE was charged federally in August 2011.

As part of King County’s Repeat Burglar Initiative, John Novotny was sentence to 8 years in prison for a massive rap sheet, including repeated thefts of the Arrowhead Gardens elderly community near Westcrest Park in southeast West Seattle, according to King County Prosecutors.

Sgt. Sean Whitcomb with the Seattle Police Department wrote in detail on the Novotny’s past. In addition to repeated theft from Arrowhead Gardens residents, Novotny commonly broke into homes that were for sale and packed a storage unit full of his stolen loot. Whitcomb said police believe he would then turn around and hold garage sales to get rid of the items.

Here are the rest of the details from Whitcomb:

press release:
Staff members of South Seattle Community College have recently been honored with awards recognizing their contributions to the college and local organizations.

Irina Minasova was honored with the inaugural South Seattle Community College Outstanding Alumni Award. She was presented with the award at all-campus convocation held prior to the beginning of the academic year. Irina, who immigrated to Seattle from Armenia in 1993, has been employed at South for 16 years and is the college’s director of Business Operations and IT Services.

She started at South as an ESL student and then, while working full-time at the college and raising two children, she earned an associate of applied science (AAS) degree in Accounting and an associate of arts (AA) degree. She has since earned a BA in Business Administration from Central Washington University/Des Moines, and will soon begin their MBA program.

press release:
The Seattle Department of Transportation is seeking community feedback regarding protecting and preserving street trees. The proposed ordinance will address protection and preservation; restrictions on tree removal; requirements for replacements; new requirements for private tree companies; and will strengthen penalties for violations.

Five community meetings are scheduled:

December 12
Highpoint Community Center
6920 34 Ave SW
Multi-Purpose Room

December 14
Van Asselt Community Center
2820 S Myrtle

December 15
Miller Community Center
330 19th Ave E

January 9
Meadowbrook Community Center
10517 35th NE
Room 22

January 11
Ballard Community Center
6020 28th Ave NW
Sunset Room

A West Seattle family is being sought to host an international student from Korea from Feb 1 to Jan 31, 2013.

The student is female and will attend 9th grade at West Seattle High School, so the family needs to be in their attendance area. The host family will receive between $650-950 per month stipend to provide room and board (including meals), depending on whether host family provides guardianship.

For more info, please contact Diane Swierenga at 206-313-7576 or via email at dianeswier@aol.com

She writes "Our family is already hosting 3 students, so we don't have room for more & are trying to help find another family for this student."

Locöl Barley and Vine (7902 35th s.w.) played host to three noteworthy jazz players on Friday Dec. 9 in a late night show.

Grammy Award winning musician Clark Sommers {bass} who has played on multiple recordings with Kurt Elling, Kobie Watkins{drums} plays with Sonny Rollins and Chad McCullough {trumpet} who is a local West Seattle player. All these musicians regularly tour the world and McCullough himself is off on tour to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Belgium and France next month.

This impromptu trio was assembled by McCullough who has played with them before but never in a trio and they worked their way through some original compositions, and some jazz standards including work by Miles Davis.

Owner Kyle Duce said he was "blown away by how good these guys are. I've never seen anybody play bass like that before."

Mount Rainier continued unbeaten in girls basketball with a convincing 69-28 thumping of visiting Tahoma in the first half of a boys' and girls' doubleheader night of basketball in Des Moines.

Brittany McPhee scored 25 points with Jordan McPhee and Kiana Gandy contributing 17 and 10 points respectively in a match up illustrating the skills that make the Rams a major force to be dealt with in league and state considerations.

Mount Rainier held an 8-7 first quarter lead before it made the statement that would repeatedly surface during the game. Speed encompassed the dynamic defense that forced steals while also igniting the fast break as the Rams scored almost at will. Jordan and Brittany combined for 17 points from all angles and areas resulting in 13 consecutive points capped by Gandy's rebound basket for a 21-7 dominance.
Ram players proceeded to shoot further and further ahead.

SLIDESHOW: Click the photo to see more derring-do in this admirable duel.

Brian Johnson exuded the great confidence his players demonstrated on the court on Tuesday, December 6.

Mount Rainier's head boys' basketball coach had just observed his team in a South Puget Sound League 4A North 74-52 demolition of Tahoma at home in a display of what the Rams bring to the fray this season in their bid to return to the playoffs after missing out last spring.

The Rams remained unbeaten (2-0 league, 3-0 overall) in a three-way tie for first.

"We started off slowly and did not have much continuity," he said. "We waited until we could break. Once we got on the the track we went from there. We have great athletes and we have depth."

Following a close first quarter that featured five ties before the Bears emerged with a 15-13 lead, Mount Rainier seized control for good with punishing defense and quick transition baskets.