November 2012

Injured woman found on 152nd in Burien
A 56-year-old Burien woman was found lying in the roadway with a head injury Nov. 5, outside Burien Town Square. At about 5:30 p.m. police responded to a 911 call involving a woman lying in the road bleeding from the head. Witnesses said the woman had just left a pet store. Police said no one reported hearing tires screeching or an impact but did see a van drive slowly around the woman. Detectives also believe the driver of the
van may be a potential witness and are asking them to come forward. The van was described as a late 1980ʼs Ford or Chevrolet, possibly gray with an orange or brown stripe down the side. The van's driver is not a suspect. The woman remains at Harborview in critical condition. If you have information please call the King County Sheriffʼs Office at 206-296-3311 Reference case #12-258013

Ford Ranger failed to make Burien curve

FEDERAL WAY--The aqua blue pool had the look of clear Caribbean waters, a nice feeling in contrast to the chilly air outside the complex. Inside the competition was hot.

Built for the 1990 Goodwill Games, the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way hosted the 2012 WIAA State 2A, 3A, and 4A Girls Swimming and Diving finals.

Qualifying schools from across the state of Washington came together in this state of the art aquatic center to compete for state titles in their respective divisions. Inside, if you’ve ever been to a swim meet, was the ever present fragrance of chlorine and that was a fragrance these girls like to wear. Student body and family members cheered as the athletes knifed though the clear waters and did acrobatic movements on the one meter board. The din subsided only for the start for each event.

Of the many local high schools competing, it was Kennedy Catholic and Mount Rainier High Schools who came away with honors.

UPDATE for Jan. 7
The King County Prosecutor's Office charged 17-year-old Dailone R. Brooks-Harris with rape and robbery in the first degree on Jan. 7.

Brooks-Harris was linked to the crime through DNA evidence, and is accused of invading a young Top Hat couples home in November, pistol whipping the man and raping the woman while their infant slept nearby.

Police have yet to identify his accomplice.

Brooks-Harris is being held on $200,000 bail and has an arraignment scheduled for Jan. 17 in Kent, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Additional background on the case can be found here.

UPDATE for Jan. 3, 2013
UPDATE 4: Teen suspect arrested in home invasion robbery and rape near Top Hat

The King County Sheriff's Office is reporting an arrest in the home invasion robbery and rape that occurred in the Top Hat neighborhood in November of last year.

The Highline Times news partner KCPQ FOX 13 is reporting that the King county sheriff confirms two men pistol whipped a man, sexually assaulted a woman during a home invasion while their 18 month old child was sleeping. The assailants are described as black men, thin builds between 19 and 25 years old. One was said to be approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The invasion took place in the 10800 block of Sixth Ave. South. in a triplex there between 8 and 8:30pm. Monday according to deputies.

Police said a man who lives there had come home when two armed men approached him and forced their way into the house. Once inside, he was pistol-whipped.

A woman who was inside the home was sexually assaulted, according to investigators.

The 18 month old was not injured. Both the man and woman have been taken to the hospital.

The men went through the home, possibly looking for valuables and taking some items (though exactly what is not yet certain) before fleeing.

SeaTac and Burien police responded to the scene.

A K-9 unit has been called in to search for the assailants. They are still at large.

While Seattle School's infrastructure improvement levy will not be put to a vote until February 2013, the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council is taking an active role in helping the community shape a proposed new school on the Genesee Hill site as part of the levy package.

Seattle Public Schools, as part of the proposed BEX IV Levy, plans to build a new school on the Genesee Hill site (5012 S.W. Genesee St.) in West Seattle by 2015. They then plan to move the Schmitz Park Elementary staff and students to the new school, and plan to use the Schmitz Park site (5000 S.W. Spokane St.) for additional "elementary seats," although the specifics on what that means are unclear at this time.

Here is some additional information from the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council, including how to get involved in suggesting a vision for the new school:

UPDATE Nov. 14, 12:00 p.m.: Low Income Housing Institute Executive Director Sharon Lee said that the advisory committee consists of a range of community stakeholders, from those who are concerned, to neutral, to supporters of the project. Their first meeting will be November and will meet monthly for an undetermined amount of time.

The committee will have their say on such subjects as how prospective residents of the senior housing apartments are screened, how the Urban Rest Stop would be managed, what hours it would be open, what services are given and any other concerns that may be raised.

Lee said she was not sure when the master permit for the Urban Rest Stop portion of the project would be applied for, but said that it will be likely sometime in 2013.

She noted that the Urban Rest Stop in University District, which opened just a few months ago, has been doing well. It serves 50 to 60 people a day, she said, and the community so far has been extremely positive and supportive of it. She said there was a real need in the University District for the Stop's services, especially for young adults.

Original Story:

“Awesome.”

That was the one-word reaction from Liz Giba, a leader in the fight to keep the White Center Library, following a King County Library System (KCLS) planning committee meeting in Burien on Thursday, Nov. 15.

With the overwhelming defeat of Burien’s bid to annex North Highline, Giba and other area library supporters who packed the small Burien Library conference room feared KCLS director Bill Ptacek would recommend the library board resume plans to close the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries and build a larger library in north Burien.

Instead, Ptacek suggested KCLS build a 10,000 square-foot library north of the current White Center Library at 11220 16th Ave. S.W. The current library is 6,000 square feet.

Ironically, one of the reasons Ptacek had earlier given for closing the White Center site was that it was too close to Seattle’s city limits. He argued Seattle residents were coming over the border and using the library without paying for its services.

In a later interview with the Highline Times, Ptacek said there will be no changes to the Boulevard Park Library.

Versatile Colin Cossette keyed a 20-14 Kennedy Catholic football team Class 3A state football first-round win against Columbia River of Vancouver at Kiggins Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Kennedy (9-1) advanced to play Mt. Si, which defeated the Lancers 30-0 at Mt. Si in the season opener for both squads. Greater St. Helen's 3A champion Columbia River finished at 7-4

With inside two minutes in the fourth quarter, the Lancers from Burien worked a fake-handoff into the line from their own 36 yard line.

Fooled by the play-action pass set up ,the River defenders were sucked in, allowing Cossette to sneak unguarded through the middle of the field for a 51-yard reception, giving Kennedy a first down on the CR 13. On the following play, Drew Thompson ran for the touchdown, helping KC into a 20-14 lead with 1:15 showing on the scoreboard clock.

Kennedy still had to weather a strong comeback from the Chieftains.

The legalization of recreational marijuana use for Washington residents 21 years and older officially kicks in Dec. 6, but King County prosecutors and police are already changing their policies.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg announced on Nov. 9 that his office dropped all 175 outstanding misdemeanor marijuana possession cases in their system. Cases were only dropped for those 21 years and older.

“Although the effective date of I-502 is not until December 6, there is no point in continuing to seek criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal next month,” Satterberg said in a press release.
Shortly thereafter, the King County Sheriff’s Office announced their deputies “will not be directed to arrest or charge individuals caught with one ounce or less of marijuana following the passage of I-502,” effective immediately but only for unincorporated areas of King County like White Center.

On a cool and nippy night in Burien, Kennedy Catholic journeyed out of the Class 3A state 2012 girls soccer tournament by way of a powerful and strongly attacking Everett squad in a 4-0 Sweet Sixteen loss at Highline Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Everett (15-4-1) moved on to the Elite Eight while the Lancers finished at 13-6-1.

"Everett is a strong team," said Kennedy assistant coach Brian Mullen. "They're taller, and bigger. You can't make mistakes against teams at this level. Everett really shifted from offense to defense quickly. We've been in transition the last few years and have a number of young players."

Kennedy Catholic began well, passing the ball and penetrating the Everett Seagull half of the field regularly with nice passing from spread out positioning.

Everett was able to steal the ball deep in Kennedy Catholic territory for a Haley Ayers unassisted goal in the fifth minute for the first goal.