May 2017

By Jennifer Burbridge
Seattle Police SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

This month’s crime prevention article will focus on a property crime that we often see an increase in around the summer months- residential burglary.

Burglary is defined by the Seattle Police Department as: when someone enters physical property, not his or her own, without permission, with the intent to commit a crime. Theft is defined as: whenever property is taken. For law enforcement there is a difference between burglary and theft and when you report a crime to 9-1-1 or to a Seattle Police Officer, the language you use makes a difference! The Seattle Police Department distinguishes between two types of burglary- residential and non-residential. Residential burglary refers to the theft occurring in a dwelling, other than a vehicle (such as a private home or apartment) and non-residential burglary refers to the theft occurring in a commercial or non-residential building (such as a grocery store or clothing store).

The architects and design review committees will host community meetings to share progress on the early design of the new schools approved by voters last November. Your questions and feedback are important and welcome.

Community Meeting | New Middle School at Glacier
Tuesday, June 6
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Hilltop Elementary School cafeteria

You are invited to see the progress on schematic designs by Integrus Architecture.
The future middle school will be located at the site of the former Glacier High School, 2450 South 142nd Street, SeaTac, WA 98168.

Community Meeting | New Elementary School at Zenith
Thursday, June 8
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Des Moines Elementary School gym

You are invited to see the progress on conceptual designs by Hutteball & Oremus Architecture.
The future elementary school site is at 16th Place South & South 240th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198.

A meeting to update the community on the early design work for the rebuild of Highline High School will be announced as soon as possible.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Cass Elliott of West Seattle broke his way into the state Class 3A record books to highlight the area performances at the higher classification track and field meet held at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Elliott won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 37.11 seconds, snapping the previous record of 37.65 set by Capital's Jeff Allen in 1994.

Elliott also took eighth in the 110-meter high hurdles event with a time of 15.39.

Also making the winner's circle was the Mount Rainier foursome of Brian Pearson, J.J. Young, Tevin Johnson and Bryant Welch in the boys 4A 1,600-meter relay in a time of 3:21.62 that was not a record.

Chloe Cunliffe of West Seattle took second in the girls 3A pole vault at 12-feet, 00.00 inches and fifth in the long jump at 17-05.50.

Elijan Jackson of Chief Sealth also enjoyed a big day, taking third in the boys 3A long jump at 22-10.75, sixth in the high jump at 6-02.00 and eighth in the triple jump at 43-08.00.
Aiden Bosco of Mount Rainer raced to third place in the 4A 300 hurdles with a time of 37.93 and teammate Terrell Grier took fourth in the 110 hurdles in 14.65.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Semipro
Highline Bears
The Highline Bears will open their third season with home games Friday and Saturday at Mel Olson Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center.
Highline hosts the Northwest Emeralds for a 7:05 p.m. game Friday to open, then entertains the Laces team at the same time and place Saturday.
Sunday the Bears visit the Northwest Honkers in Fall City.

Pros
Mariners
Seattle is in Colorado for a 4:10 p.m. game against the Rockies on Tuesday before turning around to host the same team at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday and 12:40 p.m. Thursday at Safeco Field.
The Tampa Bay Rays come in for 7:10 p.m. action Friday and Saturday and for a 1:10 p.m. game Sunday.
The Minnesota Twins visit at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.
All Mariners games can be seen on ROOT Sports Northwest cable television.

Sounders
Seattle visits Columbus for a 4:30 p.m. game Wednesday that can be seen live on Channel 13 before hosting Houston at 7 p.m. Sunday at CenturyLink Field.
Sunday's action will be televised on JOEtv.

Memorial Day at Forest Lawn was somber but sunny, emotional and factual as Keith Hughes, Commander of American Legion Post 160 and Commander Bill Skwiercz of VFW Post 2713 spoke for a crowd of approximately 120 gathered for the ceremony May 29.

The Duwamish Dixieland Band played, Boy Scout Troop #2713 presented the colors, and Ross Hauck sang a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Commander Skwiecz spoke about the reverberating pain of losing a family member, in his case, his brother and the effects on those who live on. Commander Hughes read the poem In Flanders Fields, a poem written on May 3, 1915 by Colonel John McCrae written to honor a fallen friend. Hughes became emotional recalling those he knew who had died during battle, and talked about the manner in which cemeteries in some foreign countries are treated as places of honor where children are taken to preserve the memory and teach them about those who came from another country to defend their freedom.

Echoing Taps was played by Pete Kirkman and Al Kieth and white doves were released symbolizing the release of the spirits of those who died.

For the third year, American Legion Post 160 gathered volunteers to help put up flags in the West Seattle Junction on Memorial Day to honor the military service of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

Colonel Tom Busey US Army (ret). led one of two groups as more than 40 flags were put in pre-drilled holes in the junction, some wrapping around the intersection of California Ave SW and SW Oregon Street near the West Seattle Senior Center.

Busey explained that there has been a low key effort to both get more flags and to get construction companies or building owners to drill the requisite holes out in front of some of the new construction in the Junction but so far there's been little response. The flags, which cost around $45, are stored in the junction and brought out by The American Legion twice a year. Other groups also bring them out on other days during the year.

By Jean Godden

There's a big gaping hole in the heart of our city. The unsightly cavity -- a pit without a pendulum -- blights the block between Third and Fourth and Cherry and James. It has been yawning there since 2005, a full dozen years.

That pit was created when crews demolished the old Public Safety Building, a decrepit structure infamous for its abandoned city jail and its dysfunctional elevators. The quirky elevators once imprisoned Police Chief Patrick Fitzsimons' wife for four uncomfortable hours.

When the run-down building was finally demolished and carted away, Mayor-at-the-time Greg Nickels had high hopes for a public-private development. The site would house a 43-story office/residential building, an underground parking garage and a Civic Square rimmed with retail spaces.

That grand vision -- Seattle's answer to San Francisco's Union Square -- dated from the boom days of 2007. But in 2008, the Great Recession hit the city. Civic Square plans, designed by Triad Development, were put on hold until times improved and financing would become available again.

By Pat Cashman

If Abe Lincoln was still alive, he’d be 208 years old---and really tired. Not only is Lincoln considered one of our greatest presidents, but he was also the first to do something else. Wear a beard. Not the most fascinating thing about him perhaps, but beards are intriguing in their own way.

Following Lincoln, only a few other presidents have had beards. The last was Benjamin Harrison---also called Benjamin Hairy-one, although not to his hirsute face. Harrison was five feet six inches tall, but with his beard appeared to be five feet six and an eighth.

Following Harrison, beards---at least on presidents---pretty much went out of style. Teddy Roosevelt had a moustache---and so did the guy who followed him, William Howard Taft. Taft had plenty of ear and nose hair too. And since he tipped the scales at over 300 pounds, Taft also had muttonchops---at least three times a week.
But since then, for almost a century, no president has had so much as a single sideburn. That’s good, because a single sideburn makes a face look unbalanced.