October 2016

By Amanda Knox

The creaky, old Value Village off Pike St. on Capitol Hill may have been gutted and closed to the public, but the building itself still shows signs of life. Upstairs, where the men’s and children’s sections once resided, the scratched wood floors have been tiled over with large, black, vinyl mats. Here, every Wednesday, ballerinos and ballerinas wearing long johns and knee socks pounce, pirouette, and plié.

By Lindsay Peyton

It was an important lesson – wrapped in a fun package.

Emery, the 9-1-1 Emergency Penguin, wants children to know how, when and why to make a life-saving phone call.

The new, child-friendly character is part of King County’s program to make the first response hotline more accessible to the diverse communities surrounding Seattle.

Today, the county presented its seventh workshop at the Woodridge Park Apartments’ community center, located at 12424 28 Avenue South in Burien.

Children gathered around their desks and colored pictures of Emery, filled out activity sheets and took 9-1-1 pop quizzes. Teachers from King County set-up possible scenarios, asking students what to do if they called the number by accident and what reasons are there to dial.

Kayreen Lum, program manager III for the county, said creating a lesson that appeals to diverse populations was a high priority, especially since there are 170 languages spoken in area schools.

“King County is so very diverse,” she said. “We really needed to reach out.”

Lum said talking to young children was equally important.

By Peggy Sturdivant

Within 24 hours of disembarking from the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, along with the girl’s lacrosse team, I felt chewed up and spit back out by the fast pace of small town life. “How about a column on the difference between life on the island and the city?” my father said from the front seat of the car my mother was driving well below the speed limit.

For a person who claims that since his stroke he can’t read, can’t walk and can’t speak he’s a pretty good mind reader.

I have been to this island off the coast of Massachusetts every year of my life, but the higher the number of years the harder it seems to switch from Ballard to Oak Bluffs. This year I didn’t bring the one pair of shoes that I need or the right notebook for this week’s column deadline. Further confusing is my father, who could at least reliably hear cannot comprehend a word I say, proving that I don’t even speak the language.

by Ken Robinson
Editor

What is the toxic nature of Burien City Hall that has led to the departure of five department heads in the last two years?

One city attorney quit the first day of work without coming to the office. He cited "family" considerations. His replacement left after little more than a year. A long-time parks department head left mid-year of 2016. The economic development man left mid-summer. And then the council fired the city manager.

And now, no one is talking. The mayor won't return calls for comment. The new city attorney won't call back. The deputy mayor has not been heard from. None of the council members are willing to speak.

What has been going on is like a TV mini-series in its third year. In a town where drama is pretty hard to find, the council seems to be making its own. They already dealt with the problem  of people who smell bad hanging out at the library. And they really went after residents who insist on displaying junk cars in their yards. 

By Peggy Sturdivant

Within 24 hours of disembarking from the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, along with the girl’s lacrosse team, I felt chewed up and spit back out by the fast pace of small town life. “How about a column on the difference between life on the island and the city?” my father said from the front seat of the car my mother was driving well below the speed limit.

For a person who claims that since his stroke he can’t read, can’t walk and can’t speak he’s a pretty good mind reader.

I have been to this island off the coast of Massachusetts every year of my life, but the higher the number of years the harder it seems to switch from Ballard to Oak Bluffs. This year I didn’t bring the one pair of shoes that I need or the right notebook for this week’s column deadline. Further confusing is my father, who could at least reliably hear cannot comprehend a word I say, proving that I don’t even speak the language.

By Amanda Knox

International Wrongful Conviction Day celebrates its third anniversary on Tuesday, October 4th. In honor of that, here’s a layman’s crash course in the causes of wrongful conviction, and a brief introduction to the Innocence Movement.

The Causes
Wrongful convictions are not some weird anomaly. Studies estimate that between 2.3 and 5% of people currently incarcerated are actually innocent. The causes of wrongful conviction are well-documented and stem from systemic problems. They are:

1)Inadequate defense
It would be nice if the simple fact of your innocence were enough to protect you from having to face criminal charges. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Time and again, innocent people are forced to stand trial, and their futures depend not so much on the fact of their innocence as on how well their lawyers make a case for their innocence. When an overworked or incompetent lawyer fails to make the case, an innocent person will be wrongfully convicted.

2)Invalid forensic evidence

A couple of weeks ago, I had been driving all day and felt as whipped as a crew of galley slaves. I searched through the deepening night gloom for any motel with a vacancy.

Just when I thought I was going to have to pull over and sleep roadside for the night, I saw a sign blinking up ahead---heralding the Trail’s End Motel.

Indeed it was---even though with a few burned out lights it read rail’s E d Mo e .

But the smaller sign below contained the good news: VACANCY. (Actually it read VACA. But thanks to my longtime “Wheel of Fortune” viewer-ship I figured it out.)

I strolled in to the motel office wearily. Behind the counter was a guy who looked so creepy that even Norman Bates would have turned around and gone back to his car. But I was so tired that a bed of nails sounded appealing.

After checking in, I walked down several doors to my new venue---number 11---and even though I was yet to lay eyes on it I was already writing a blistering Tripadvisor.com review in my mind. I knew it would have to be a doozy to top some I had seen previously on-line.

information from City of Seattle

On July 25, 2016, Mayor Ed Murray led the 17th Find It, Fix It Community Walk in Roxhill / Westwood. Over 65 community members and representatives from 10 City departments attended the walk to discuss public safety issues and highlight positive aspects of the neighborhood. This report summarizes all of the City’s current responses to community concerns and questions brought up during the Find It, Fix It Community Walk process.

Community members submitted four Find It, Fix It Community Project Grant applications for Roxhill / West-wood. The selection committee granted funds to three projects. Over the next few months, the project leads will collaborate with the City and the Roxhill / Westwood community to complete these projects. The follow-ing project descriptions are taken directly from grant applications submitted by community members.

Project 1: Revitalize the 22nd Avenue SW and SW Henderson Street Staircase

Who: A group of concerned neighbors

By Gwen Davis

West Seattle Hi-Yu is suspended. The non-profit organization established in 1934 by West Seattle's service clubs to produce a summer festival for the West Seattle community and whose royalty and volunteers have served the community for 82 years just ran out of support. Perhaps the victim of changing times, the organization’s history of talent shows, Spring Tea's, queens and princesses as part of Seattle's Seafair celebration had seen diminishing support and declining membership.

The October general meeting was held Monday evening, where the decision to suspend the organization was made.

“At this this point, Hi-Yu does not have a product we are willing to put forth,” one of the officers said. “We surveyed the West Seattle community and out of 116 responses, the products available did not meet the needs of the community, " officers explained.

Bike taken from open garage

Police responded to the theft of a bicycle that occurred on Sept. 16 at a home located on the 2600 block of 87th Avenue N.W. Police made contact with the complainant who said his 2004 model black Giant road bicycle was missing. He said he might have left his garage door wide-up the night before because that’s the way he found it when he realized his bike was missing. There was no sign of forced entry. The complainant was unable to provide a serial number for the bicycle.

Sting of burglaries in one night in Ballard neighborhood