January 2013

I am quite appalled with Mr. Phil Stanat's letter that appeared in the Jan. 25th edition of your newspaper.

I am not a political person but it was enormously offensive to see President Obama lumped with the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Amin.

Should Mr. Stanat be living in the era of these rulers he would be in danger of becoming a "missing person."

He also stated in his letter, "in the United Kingdom it is illegal to own a gun and handgun homicides have doubled because the bad guys don't care about your silly laws."

The death rate in the United States from firearm related deaths is 10.2 per l00, 000 people (2010). Two thirds of these deaths are suicides.

In the United Kingdom the death rate is .25 per 100,000 people and .04 of these are homicides. (2011) We in America are 90 times more likely to be murdered with a firearm than a jolly old Englishman. Silly laws, I think not!

press release from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods:

The city of Seattle is now accepting proposals to the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund (NPSF), formerly known as the Neighborhood Projects Fund. This fund supports improvements to neighborhood streets and parks proposed by the community. The deadline for applications is February 4, 2013.

The NPSF can be used for projects valued up to $90,000. Park projects that have been funded in the past include playground improvements, trail upgrades, tennis or basketball court repaving, natural area renovations, and accessibility improvements. Examples of street projects include crossing improvements such as marked crosswalks, curb ramps, and pedestrian countdown signals; and traffic calming, such as traffic circles, median islands, and speed feedback signs.

Below are the three projects from the Southwest District that were awarded in the 2012 funding cycle:

· Improvements to streetscape on California Ave SW from SW Juneau Ave to SW Myrtle St

· Improve sidewalk at SW Cloverdale between Fauntleroy PL SW and 46th Ave SW

(Editor’s Note: United States Attorney Jenny Durkan has provided the following update to White Center residents on the aftermath of Operation Center of Attention, a multi-agency raid of drug and gun traffickers operating out of the White Center area in 2011:

Dear White Center Community Members:

I hope the New Year finds you well. I am writing to provide an update on the collaborative public safety efforts in the White Center area.

As you know, the multi-agency, federal and local law enforcement operation, called “Center of Attention,” that ended in late October 2011, focused on violent offenders who used White Center to engage in criminal activity. The King County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have been working hard with our law enforcement partners to bring those offenders to justice.

A near tragedy came straight to the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct doorstep (2300 S.W. Webster St.) on Tuesday, Jan. 29, when a man pulled into their employee parking lot and put a gun to his own head.

Here are the details from Det. Renee Witt with Seattle Police:

A man drove up to the “Police Only” gate entrance to the parking lot at the Southwest Precinct and produced a handgun from his lap and pointed it at his own head. On Tuesday, just shortly after 5:00 p.m., the man drove to the Southwest Precinct “police only” gate entrance and asked an officer for help. The officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, and the male produced a 9mm handgun from his lap and pointed it at his own head.

The officer took a tactical position and advised dispatch of the situation. Several officers were in the precinct parking lot and began negotiating with the male. More officers arrived very shortly after the radio broadcast and took positions of cover.

The 19th Annual West Seattle Garden Tour, taking place July 21 is seeking artists entries for their 2013 WSGT Poster Contest. This year the theme is the Art of Gardening.

The entry deadline is Saturday, March 2, 2013 and a $500 prize is waiting for the winner as well as wide area recognition.

The top ten selected works will be exhibited during the West Seattle Art Walk on June 13, 2013. Space permitting, the tour plans to display as many additional entries as can be accommodated.

According to the event's entry form "Theme artwork content should be an interpretation of the WSGT’s theme “The Art of Gardening” focusing on color, design and texture in the garden. The design should be able to accommodate text, but you should NOT include the title text on your artwork."

They will accept original artwork in any medium.

The Irish pub A Terrible Beauty with a location in West Seattle (at the corner of California Ave. SW and SW Edmunds Street) and their original location in Renton is about to add a third. The grand opening of their Lake Union location at 1001 Fairview Ave. North (in the former Blu Water Bistro location) is set for this Friday, Feb. 1 at 5:30pm.

The event will feature Erin McNamee, Eastside & Seattle Firefighters Pipes & Drums at 7pm, followed by the Stout Pounders at 9pm.

Owners Jenna Shannon Garvey O'Brien and Paddy O'Brien will be on hand for the opening.

More info on Facebook here www.facebook.com/aterriblebeautylakeunion or on their website here: http://www.aterriblebeauty.com

Lake Union Telephone: (206) 420-4498

By Vincent Keele, HurriKayn Natural Soap

A local businessman, Ben Busby-Collins, passed away on Jan. 19 in Everett. He was 38. He started his soap company Ballard Organics in 2005, selling his first soap at the Ballard Farmers Market, before moving to a bigger location in 2010 and then closing in 2011. (We did a report a on his company a few years ago.)

Below is a fond farewell from a colleague of his, Vincent Keele, of Lake Stevens-based Hurrikayn Natural Soap.

I wanted to take the time out to say farewell to a new friend.

I just found out that fellow soapmaker and local businessman Ben Busby-Collins, founder of Ballard Organics has passed away.

Byron Barnes, 47, was found dead in a Ballard parking lot at 1764 NW 56th St on Jan. 20, according to WHEEL and Quest's Bridge Care Center. He was homeless and is survived by one son, who is currently in jail.

The official cause of death is still pending, though people believe it may have been hypothermia. Alcohol was also involved.

Barnes is the person we interviewed when we reported on his close friend, Don Farquharson, passing away at Ballard Commons Park back in November. At the time, Barnes had nothing but good things to say about his friend. Like Farquharson, Barnes was an Alaskan native.

A friend of Barnes said that Barnes was at his place drinking the night before. The friend said he hadn't realized Barnes passed away until he woke up in the morning.

The West Seattle Artwalk just got an artistic makeover thanks to Seattle design firm Horsepower Design. The new poster created by Jeff Rodriguez features a highly stylized fish walking down the street. You'll see the poster on the street for the next Artwalk, set for Thursday, February, 14.

You can download a copy of the walking map here, or pick one up at any of the 25 participating businesses in West Seattle.

A small army of volunteers, guided by the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, spread throughout the county one night each January in an attempt to account for every person with no option but to sleep on the streets.

This year’s count, which took place on Jan. 25, sent over 900 volunteers out in the early morning hours. They tallied a total of 2736 men, women and children living without shelter across King County. They “were found sleeping on sidewalks, under bridges, in their cars, on public transit, and in temporary structures and makeshift campsites” the coalition explained in their One Night Count summary.

The total is 142 more homeless than last year’s count.

The count clumps Seattle into a single category (with 1989), so we can’t say how many homeless were found in West Seattle, but the coalition does a specific count for White Center, the unincorporated land between Seattle and Burien with an estimated population around 17,000.