December 2015

Man mugged and assaulted while waiting for bus

I was watching an old movie on TV a couple of nights ago. A gangster was being pursued by the cops---aren’t they always? So he went to a plastic surgeon and got his face changed. They do it all the time in the movies.

And it wasn’t a mere face-lift. After all, one false surgical move---or twelve--- and the gangster could have gone from looking like a burly guy to Melanie Griffith.

So the doctor did a complete face alteration on the thug. When finished, the gangster didn’t just have a different face---but a different posture, gait, voice and religious affiliation. He was also about six inches taller. I guess the movie director hoped the audience wouldn’t notice---or would assume the guy had just been slouching previously.

Up until recent years, that face-changing stuff has been just movie fantasy. In fact, one of the dumbest films in the last several years was called Face/Off.” In that one, federal agent John Travolta lets his bosses’ graft a criminal’s face onto his own, so that he can trick the bad guy’s brother into giving him key information. Logical, right?

By Amanda Knox

I realize that in many of my most recent columns—engaging with subjects like grief, political frustration, introspection, stillness—I may be coming across as a bit of a Debbie Downer. No, I don’t suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder). I’m not overwhelmed or irritated by the holidays. Quite the contrary, I luxuriate in any excuse to gather together with my big, loud family and celebrate the idea of life and light emerging from death and darkness. It’s just, even by the weekend before Christmas, the festivity of the season hadn’t yet caught up with me. Or, despite my best efforts in having done (most of) my Christmas shopping and painting my nails Santa Claus red, I hadn’t caught up with it. I’ve been distracted.

Enter the Democratic debates of Saturday, December 19th. I hastily wolfed down some salad greens in front of my computer screen for the opening thirty minutes, almost regretting that I had a fun evening planned. I was missing it! Oh, well. There’s always Youtube.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday, Dec. 26

Boys basketball
Kennedy 76, Cascade Christian 60
Kennedy Catholic opened its own Christmas Classic tournament by posting a victory over Cascade Christian on Saturday.

Wednesday, Dec. 23

Boys basketball
West Seattle 69, TJ 35
The Wildcats were winners at home against Thomas Jefferson on Wednesday.

Girls basketball
Auburn 36, Mt. Rainier 28
The Rams came up short in a low-scoring non-league game Wednesday.

Tuesday, Dec. 22

Boys basketball
Sammamish 61, Foster 53
Sammamish scored a win in the Foster gymnasium last Tuesday.
Todd Beamer 86, Mt. Rainier 80
Todd Beamer outgunned the Rams in a high-scoring South Puget Sound League Northwest Division showdown Tuesday.

Girls basketball
Todd Beamer 59, Mt. Rainier 10
Mount Rainier was topped by highly-ranked Todd Beamer last Tuesday.

Monday, Dec. 21

Boys basketball
Decatur 88, Highline 57

High schools

Boys basketball
Highline hosts Ferndale for a 6 p.m. non-league game this Wednesday and Chief Sealth is on the road at North Kitsap for 7 p.m. action.
Seattle Lutheran's next action is at 6 p.m. Saturday at Shoreline Christian and at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Chief Sealth is at Garfield, West Seattle at O'Dea and Mount Rainier at Kentridge.

Girls basketball
Seattle Christian gets a 4 p.m. visit from Evergreen this coming Saturday and Seattle Lutheran is at Shoreline Christian for 4:30 p.m. action that day.
Mount Rainier entertains Kentridge and Highline hosts Bellevue Christian in 7 p.m. Tuesday games.

Wrestling
Kennedy hosts O'Dea and Cascade Christian for 10 a.m. action Wednesday before going to the Everett Classic at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Evergreen/Tyee goes to a tournament at Bremerton and Mount Rainier to a tournament at Franklin Pierce on Saturday as well.
Chief Sealth gets a 6 p.m. visit from Eastside Catholic on Tuesday.

Gymnastics

BURIEN, WASH. – Last week, the City of Burien received the geotechnical report on the state of the Dec. 8 mudslide. In accordance with the report, the City is keeping the evacuation order in effect for the two houses which sustained damage in the slide and allowing the other three evacuated houses to resume occupancy only upon performing further geotechnical studies of their property to make sure it is safe.
 
According to the report, the land around the slide is likely to remain unstable throughout the coming months due to precipitation. Individuals who have been monitoring the area indicate that erosion continues along the slide area but movement appears to have slowed and the debris piles do not seem to have moved noticeably over the past several days of drier weather.
 
The geotechnical team assembled to assess the site reviewed the overall geology of the area, recent weather patterns, the size and shape of the slide, the pitch of the slope, the permeability of soil, the movement of water through the soil, and many other factors to arrive at their recommendations.
 

The Tukwila Police Department is investigating a robbery and assault that took place at a local convenience store Fri, Dec 18. The robbery took place at the 7-Eleven near the intersection of Interurban Avenue S. and 58th Avenue S. just before 2:30 a.m. The clerk told police that one man entered the store wearing a mask and was followed by another man who was armed with a gun. The armed robber assaulted the clerk and demanded any cash on hand. The two men left the clerk, who was the only person in the store at the time, after they were given the cash from the register. They are believed to have fled northbound on Interurban in a waiting vehicle. The Tukwila Major Crimes Unit is now investigating the robbery and asking anyone who may have any relevant information to call their tip line at 206.431.3689. The clerk was left without any major injuries. 

Crimes reported between 12/6/15 and 12/20/15

Home and Business Break-in/Burglary:

Tell Your Story,” a ceramic exhibit by artists from the Washington Clay Arts Association is the first exhibit of the new year at the Burien Arts Gallery, 826 S.W. 152nd St.

The exhibit runs Jan. 7-Jan. 30. Come in Friday, Jan. 8, 5-8 p.m. and meet the artists at the Gallery’s Opening Reception.

Kristin Schimik and Garreth Schuh are jurors for the show.

Artists United artists Lorain Stowe and Tracy LeMoine will also exhibit acrylic paintings in January.

The day after Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 26, noon-3 p.m., is the last chance to see the Gallery’s “Bountiful Textures” exhibit by textile artists from Fiber 19.

Artists Sonia Grasvik and Gail Wax are presenting their fine-art quilts across the street at Skinperfect, 905 S.W. 152nd St. as part of the “Bountiful Textures” exhibit.

And in downtown Burien, Town Square Fabric & Yarn, 445 S.W. 152nd St., features the fabulous quilts of local artist Deb Rychert.

The Gallery will close Dec. 27 for the holidays and reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 7 with the new exhibit.

Normal gallery hours are noon- 6 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday.

by Lee Ryan

After spending almost a year down in the Oklahoma area, I’ve been able to get a good handle on the differences between not only the North and South, but also Democrats and Republicans. It’s been surprising.

Both the Left and the Right have their strong opinions, but I noticed that the folks in the South are much less likely to be hateful and rude, when people’s politics differ. That was refreshing, but disappointing, too, especially since I moved down there from Seattle.

Overall, there’s a lot of hubbub about Donald Trump. I can see why. He’s brash, crude and haughty, and doesn’t know the meaning of “politically correct”. However, he’s also refreshing. In a world that has become so constipated in its microscopic endeavors to not offend, we’ve had our freedoms so stripped that we’re becoming sterile, cloned Androids - void of individual opinion.