October 2016

By Pat Cashman

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.

Safeway shoplifter makes getaway without any stolen items

A shoplifter turned violent at Safeway, located on the 2600 block of California Aveneu S.W., around 11 p.m. on Tues., Sept. 27. The suspect was a white male in his 30s, wearing a dark hoody and jeans. Witnesses said he was about 6’2” with a thin build, scruffy facial hair and a buzz cut.

The suspect had filled a shopping cart with food and a case of beer before making a beeline for the exit. Security ordered him to stop and the man dropped everything except the beer, continuing to make his way toward the door. A witness then tried to block the exit

The suspect ran and dropped the beers, which exploded on the ground. A Safeway employee confronted the thief, who then pulled a rope out of his pocket, which had a lock and a paint scraper tied to it. The suspect swung the small blade at the store worker but did not hit him.

The robber ran off, and police were unable to find him. Staff from the store will send the security feed to officers to follow-up.

Robbers sneak in on sleeping man on 47th Avenue S.W.

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

By Gwen Davis

We all know Seattle is a bike-friendly city. However, the Cascade Bicycle Club just took bike freedom and happiness to the next level.

This past Saturday, the Cascade Bicycle Club held the grand opening of the new White Center Bike Playground at Dick Thurnau Memorial Park.

The White Center Bike Playground is what’s known as a “traffic garden” — a paved, flat area with real-life traffic modalities. Traffic gardens contain simulated roads, sidewalks, stop signs, roundabouts and other realistic traffic signals, in order to teach bicyclists how to obey traffic laws for when riding on real streets.

Traffic gardens empower people to both learn how to ride a bicycle in a flat, car-free environment, while also learning the rules of the road. They are useful for all ages. Traffic gardens are largely found in Europe, especially in countries such as Denmark.

By Kathryn Kingen

Did you know that the great pumpkin owes its fame to a legendary man named Stingy Jack? According to Irish legend, going back hundreds of years, this miserable character was so crabby, nasty and disliked, that when he died he was rejected by both heaven and hell. Consequently his unwanted soul was left to roam the darkness on Hallows' Eve. oooOOOooo! Pumpkins were carved by Irish families as Jack O'Lanterns and lit to drive his wretched spirit away from their homes and into the shadows. Apparently those guardian pumpkins did a glowing job because in return the entire Halloween holiday celebrates the Jack O'Lantern face as its iconic symbol.*

By Chef Jeremy McLachlan

♫ "So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
I wanna really, really, really wanna pumpkin recipe ah!"♫

By Chef Jeremy McLachlan

♫ "So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
I wanna really, really, really wanna pumpkin recipe ah!"♫

By Kathryn Kingen

Did you know that the great pumpkin owes its fame to a legendary man named Stingy Jack? According to Irish legend, going back hundreds of years, this miserable character was so crabby, nasty and disliked, that when he died he was rejected by both heaven and hell. Consequently his unwanted soul was left to roam the darkness on Hallows' Eve. oooOOOooo! Pumpkins were carved by Irish families as Jack O'Lanterns and lit to drive his wretched spirit away from their homes and into the shadows. Apparently those guardian pumpkins did a glowing job because in return the entire Halloween holiday celebrates the Jack O'Lantern face as its iconic symbol.*

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday, Sept. 29
Football
Mt. Rainier 24, Kent-Meridian 18
Mount Rainier improved its overall season record to 5-0 with Thursday's victory over the Royals at French Field in Kent and now stand at 3-0 in North Puget Sound League action.

Girls soccer
Kennedy 1, Tahoma 0
The Lancers blanked the Bears in an NPSL match Thursday.
Mt. Rainier 0, Kentwood 0
Mount Rainier battled Kentwood to a scoreless tie.
Chief Sealth 6, Rainier Beach 0
The Seahawks soared past the Vikings in Thursday Metro League action.
West Seattle 2, Bainbridge 0
West Seattle was a winner against Bainbridge on Thursday.
River Ridge 4, Tyee 0
The Totems took a loss in a South Puget Sound League 2A contest Thursday.
Fife 9, Foster 0
The Bulldogs were buried by the Trojans of Fife.
White River 10, Evergreen 0
Evergreen fell against the Hornets on Thursday.
Highline 4, Renton 0
The Pirates rallied past Renton in Thursday SPSL 2A action.

Volleyball
Kennedy 3, Enumclaw 1
The Lancers posted a victory against Enumclaw in an NPSL match.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Kelemete plays on MNF

Yes, that was Evergreen graduate Senio Kelemete who had his name on his back show up for the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football this week in their loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Kelemete is in his fourth National Football League season as an offensive lineman.

Kela, Rangers clinch title

Chief Sealth graduate Keone Kela and the Texas Rangers clinched the American League West title this year, then added home field advantage throughout the American League playoffs with a win on Friday.
Kela has a 5-1 record coming out of the bullpen for the Rangers and 44 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched over 34 games. He has an earned run average of 6.27 in an injury and surgery shortened season.

Barnette shines with 2.09 ERA

Thomas Jefferson graduate Tony Barnette also plays for the Rangers this season and has a sparkling 2.09 earned run average over 60.1 innings in 53 games. Barnette has recorded 49 strikeouts coming out of the bullpen.

Madison starting for Cougars