February 2016

Anne Zachariasen’s died after a suffering a fatal overdose last November, and her body was dumped in a shopping cart near the Ballard Bridge. The two suspects who dumped her body have been arrested.

On Feb. 24 Seattle Police announced that Michael Kircher, 33, and Michael Tarp, 56, had been taken into custody. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged them with “unlawful disposal of human remains” and for also not notifying the coroner of Zachariasen’s death. She had overdosed outside Kircher’s RV. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned in the next two weeks.

SPD reported that the suspects had dumped her body because they did not want to draw attention to the drug activity at their RV.

Zachariasen’s body was discovered by an employee of Mac’s Upholstery shop near the 1500 block of N.W. 46th Street on November 19th, 2015.  She was wrapped in a sheet in a shopping cart.

SPD detectives discovered surveillance footage from a nearby business that shows the two men wheeling the shopping cart with Zachariasen’s body just two hours before the discovery was made.

By Sarah Cecil

For many people, the concept of retirement can be scary, both emotionally and financially. If you, too, feel somewhat anxious about what awaits you, you might feel more comfortable in knowing that, depending on where you work, you might be able to retire in stages.

As its name suggests, retiring in stages typically involves reducing one’s work hours from full-time to part-time, and then, eventually, to complete retirement. If you enjoy the social relationships of work, and you define part of your identity with what you do at your job, this type of gradual transition may be easier for you to accommodate than the abrupt transition from “worker” to “retiree.”


As for the financial aspects of such a move, you will want to plan ahead. A “phased-in” retirement can affect your investment and income strategies in several areas, such as these:

Registration Open for West Seattle Baseball
West Seattle Baseball is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to teaching kids the game of baseball. In addition to regular season play, all kids ages 7 and older participate in post-season tournaments. Those kids wanting to continue playing have opportunities to play baseball well into the summer in programs such as All Star programs for ages 8–12 years old as well as summer recreation programs including the WS Crush at the Pee Wee fields. WS Baseball welcomes players of all experience levels and is proudly affiliated with the national PONY Baseball organization. Goals include teaching the fundamentals of baseball and good sportsmanship while building a sense of community among players and their families. Practices begin in March; the regular season runs from the beginning of April to early June. Register today: westseattlebaseball.com.

SW Seattle Historical Society: “Words, Writers and West Seattle
Barnes and Noble, Westwood Village
2600 S.W. Barton St.

By Amanda Knox

I was twelve years old, still a kid, still being driven around by my mom to soccer practice. She had picked me up from the field that was thirty minutes away from our house, which meant a whole hour of her day was devoted just to ferrying me around. This was usual. Between Deanna and me and the three sports we each played—soccer, softball, and gymnastics—there was at least one practice or game to be ferried to every evening, more often two.

I sat in the front seat and both my mom and I were casually, comfortably quiet. I had kicked off my mud-caked cleats and rested my smelly soccer socks on the dash against the heater vents blasting hot air to thaw my half-frozen toes. I gazed out the window and was happy. Soccer meant a lot to me. Soccer made me part of a community, added a tangible dimension to my identity, offered me challenging but attainable goals and a healthy outlet for my energy.

By Lindsay Peyton

Wine tasting doesn’t have to be paired with a long drive.

Instead of road tripping to Napa or trekking to Walla Walla, West Seattle residents can sample the fruits of “urban wineries” right in their own backyards.

Ben Viscon makes wine in the neighborhood – and pours selections from Viscon Cellars weekly at his tasting room located at 5910 California Ave SW. The shop is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and during the West Seattle Art Walk.

“We’re making an in-city experience, with a local product,” Viscon said. “We bring the grapes into West Seattle, create the product here, and then we’re able to share it with neighbors and friends.”

Originally from El Paso, Viscon has a background in retail management, working at Dillard’s, Starbucks and REI. His most recent post was working with an advertising agency in Seattle.

Viscon started making wine in 2004. He was inspired to give it a try after volunteering at other wineries and vineyards.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Seattle Lutheran landed a berth in the state Class 1B boys basketball tournament by posting a 71-32 victory over Columbia Adventist on Saturday night.

The state quarterfinals open the tournament starting Thursday with the action running through Saturday.
State tournament draws will be held Sunday.

Seattle Lutheran will be joined by nearby West Seattle rival Shorewood Christian at the tournament.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Shorewood Christian earned its way to the state final eight with a 63-43 regional victory over Naselle on Saturday.

The West Seattle based squad will travel to Spokane for the Class B tournament starting Thursday.
Both the West Seattle and Seattle Lutheran girls were eliminated with regional losses Saturday.
The Wildcats fell to defending Class 3A chanpion Lynnwood by a 59-34 score as the Saints fell to Mount Vernon Christian by a 36-24 margin

Check this website for more details Monday.

By Amanda Knox

Hells, yes. This was my response to being offered the opportunity to cover Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ appearance at Easy Street Records to inaugurate the release of their new album, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made.

It was my chance to meet some personal superstars. First of all, Matt Vaughan, owner of Easy Street Records. was born and raised a West Seattleite, and Easy Street was my musical ground zero. The album release party was a chance for me to finally put a face to the facility where I was introduced to most of my musical influences and acquired all my CDs growing up. Furthermore, I owed Matt a hug. When I first came home from Italy, I was abstractly aware that people knew about my case and supported me, but one of the ways it really hit home was when I laid eyes on the message posted to the Easy Street Records sign board: “Welcome Home, Amanda!”

With the Metro Spring Service Change, starting on March 26th, the RapidRide C and D Lines will be separated, with the C Line extended to South Lake Union and the D Line extending to Pioneer Square.

With this change, each route will be shorter and more reliable and West Seattle riders will be able to continue through downtown Seattle to and from the South Lake Union area.

The C Line will operate between South Lake Union and downtown Seattle via 3rd Avenue, Blanchard/Lenora St, and Westlake Ave. Transfers between the RapidRide C and D lines can be made at the stops served by both routes on 3rd Ave at Pike and Virginia Streets.

Maps and explanation of the C/D extension info is online:
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/programs-projects/rapidride-extension/
More info online is planned around March 9 as the service change draws near.

RapidRide C and D Lines Extension

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday's battle between No. 6-ranked West Seattle and No. 1-ranked Lynnwood has been switched to 12 p.m. at Everett Community College.

The Wildcats carry a 22-3 record into the game and go in as the No. 4 seed out of Sea-King District 2, while the Lynnwood Royals come in at 23-0 as a No. 1 district seed.

The Royals are coming off a 60-22 championship rout of Arlington.
West Seattle has been led in scoring by 6-foot, 7-inch senior Lydia Giomi, who is bound for the University of Oregon to play women's basketball next year.

Giomi has averaged 15.7 points per game as the Wildcats' starting center.
Next in scoring for the West Seattle team is 5-9 senior guard/forward Lexi Ione, who has averaged 12.2 points.

Grace Sarver, a 5-10 freshman, has averaged 9.6 points, while 5-8 junior Izzy Turk checks in at 8.3 points and 5-7 freshman Jasmine Gayles at 8.2.

Kelsey Lenzie is a 5-7 freshman who has averaged 5.7 points and 5-8 senior Gabby Sarver has averaged 5.6, with 5-7 freshman Jenna McPhee averaging 4.6.