March 2012

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

1:37 a.m. on March 17th. 73rd block of 15th Ave NW

Police investigated a burglary at a Ballard tattoo parlor after an alarm that monitored basement motion went off. They arrived at the business to find the rear door open and a nearby window broken. The suspect appeared to have entered through the window and left through the door. Police found no signs that the suspect had rummaged through anything, and there were expensive electronics, computers, and tattoo equipment in plain view.

Damage was found on the rear porch, indicating that a vehicle or something large had collided with the porch with enough force to shove the porch railing four inches out of position. No tire marks or footprints were found in the area. Three fingerprints were found on the broken window. Police expected to gain access to security footage in the coming days.

6:00 p.m. on March 15th. 8th block of NW 52nd St

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Some time ago I alerted readers that corporations had the status of persons under federal law. The interesting thing is that they have all the rights of persons but none of the responsibilities. They have enough money to win most any election that they desire to win. I called a group together in West Seattle to study the history of the corporation as person and two members of the group helped to produce a skit filmed for You Tube by a young film maker studying at WWU. However, there are so many videos with corporation in the title that you would have a difficult time locating it. For that reason I have a link to the video that I am willing to send to anyone who is interested in watching it. The skit is now being offered in real time to any group that wants to have a few minutes of levity in a meeting and at the same time become educated about corporate personhood.

SUBWAY, the sandwich place, not the transit, is moving into Burien Town Square to become the first retailer in the Square.

"We do have a lease signed for a Subway restaurant to joint the property and we are excited about it," said Peter Marino, spokesperson for ST Residential, in the Chicago area. "It's probably within the next three or four months. I am not sure which space it will be in.

"We certainly are out trying to lease the other spaces and hope this is the first announcement of several," Marino added.

The Seattle Police Department's SPD Blotter has reported that a group of five teenagers suspected in a spree of pattern robberies at businesses around Seattle are off the streets and could soon be facing charges.

Since December, the group of suspects — which includes a 16-year-old, two 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old — have robbed at least seven corner stores and pawn shops in north and south Seattle while masked and armed.

On 12-19-11, shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers responded to the 4700 block of 50 Ave South to a business to investigate an armed robbery. According to the complainant, three suspects entered the grocery store and demanded the money from the till.

On 12/19/11, at approximately 10:18 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call from the clerk at a mini-mart in the 9500 block of Aurora Av N. The clerk called 911 to report that he had just been robbed at gunpoint by 3 black males.

King County Sheriff’s Office Detective Joe Gagliardi spoke at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Public Safety Forum in February, discussing gang graffiti (a separate story on graffiti can be found here), populations and territory.

Detective Gagliardi provided a number of facts on the current gang landscape in West Seattle and White Center. Here are some highlights:

-Demystification: Gangs do not discriminate based on race (with the exception of white supremacist gangs) or gender. For example, he said a predominantly Latino gang in Burien is actually ran by a white person.

-There are 143 active gangs in King County, 46 of those with 15 or more members. South King County has 4000 active gang members while there are 12000 total in the county, including Seattle. Some gangs have been around long enough for several generations of family members to get involved. There are babies born into gang affiliation.

press release:
Two public meetings will provide status updates on a King County project to build green stormwater infrastructure to control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) from the Barton Pump Station in West Seattle.
The first meeting is on Wednesday, March 28, at the Westside School, 7740 34th Ave. S.W. from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Another meeting with the same presentation material will follow on Saturday, March 31 at the High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Ave. S.W. from 10 a.m. to noon.

Combined sewer overflows occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle where pipes designed long ago to carry both stormwater and wastewater fill to capacity. To protect public health and water quality for Lincoln Park users, King County is working closely with residents in West Seattle’s Westwood and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods to plan and build a system of swales and rain gardens to capture and reduce the amount stormwater that gets into the sewer system during heavy rains.

press release:
On April 7th, Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy in West Seattle will be hosting fundraisers and free seminars to give back to the West Seattle and surrounding communities. Instructors from the school will be conducting a free anti-bullying seminar from 2pm-3pm for kids ages 4-10 to help build awareness to this growing problem for school age children.

Students from Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy will then be doing a Kick-A-Thon fundraiser, performing as many kicks as possible and getting donations for it. Proceeds from the Kick-A-Thon will help offset travel costs for students competing at the World Tang Soo Do Association Region 1 Championships in Reno, NV on May 25th-26th. Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy will also be having a “Pie Your Instructor” fundraiser where students get to throw a pie in their instructors face for charity. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the Evergreen Tang Soo Do Scholarship Fund which provides martial arts lessons to underprivileged kids.

No, this isn’t something out of an H.G. Wells novel nor an Orson Wells radio broadcast. It’s a gathering of high school age kids from all over the northwest in a showcase of science and technology in the 2012 Seattle FIRST Robotics Competition being held this weekend at the Century Link Events Center.

FIRST or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology is the brainchild of Segway creator Dean Kamen. From humble beginnings in 1989 FIRST now has teams in high schools on every continent, inspiring young people's interest and participation in science and technology.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE

FIRST is an exciting mentor-based programs that builds science, engineering and technology skills that inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Animal Aid & Rescue (AARF) pairs wine & chocolate at Vino Bello April 20 for their fundraiser "A Pair to Remember".

From the AARF website:

AARF needs your help! Because we frequently take in the harder to adopt out cases like Bully Breeds, dogs with health issues and Seniors, we always need help with our Vet Debt. Also, when an animal is in urgent need (whether due to an abusive situation or has run out of time at the shelter) we will have to board them while searching for a foster home. GOOD boarding is costly and without your help, we are unable to take in as many animals as we'd like. Please help us by donating and crossposting. Thank you!

UPDATE: THis event is this coming Friday:

Animal Aid & Rescue (AARF) pairs wine & chocolate at Vino Bello April 20 for their fundraiser "A Pair to Remember".

From the AARF website:

AARF needs your help! Because we frequently take in the harder to adopt out cases like Bully Breeds, dogs with health issues and Seniors, we always need help with our Vet Debt. Also, when an animal is in urgent need (whether due to an abusive situation or has run out of time at the shelter) we will have to board them while searching for a foster home. GOOD boarding is costly and without your help, we are unable to take in as many animals as we'd like. Please help us by donating and crossposting. Thank you!