August 2020

By Ken Robinson

Huberd's Shoe Grease.

I remember it well. It was a mysterious  substance to an 8 year old. It’s curious viscosity, burnt amber color and slightly acrid aroma  gave it a timeless quality. Once in a while , we would pop the lid and look at it smell it.

When i was older and had my own leather books, the dark green “Ted Williams’ model Dad got me for my fourteenth birthday, I oiled them with Huberds. The new leather absorbed the oil, protecting

Them from moisture. We were going hunting for pheasants in White Swan, near Yakima. The cornfields there had been been cut low and after sunup, would still be a little damp until the sun dried them later.

My boots were protected.

information from King County Prosector

The King County Prosecutors office said on Tuesday that in the first six months of 2020, more people were shot in King County than in any of the previous four years over the same time period.

 A map is available here.

information from West Seattle Chamber of Commerce

We are excited to announce the launch of the South King County Fund, established by the Port of Seattle to develop equity-based partnerships and provide resources and support in near-airport communities. The Fund’s first grant cycle in 2020 is now open, and will focus on supporting regional recovery from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With ties to all of Washington’s key economic sectors and connections to more than 500 employers operating at our facilities, the Port is uniquely positioned to help lead the regional recovery. Through this Fund, we hope to support communities most deeply impacted by the current economic crisis with projects connected to Port-related industries, including aviation, maritime, construction trades and green career industries.

By Jennifer Danner

Seattle Police Southwest Precinct

Crime Prevention Coordinator

As we all battle this difficult time in our community and in our world, the Seattle Police Department would like to remind our community about some important prevention tips, specifically related to two topics: gun violence and auto theft.

If you would like to obtain some well considered financial advice, contact Sarah Cecil 206-938-6017.

Brought to you by Sarah Cecil Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments.

Sponsored Content.

"Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories," a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is excited to announce that it is hosting Mike Bergman for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, August 13 at 6:00 PM. Bergman will deliver a presentation entitled, “To West Seattle by Streetcar: 1916 to 1940.”

Registration is required.

information from King County Council

The King County Council on Friday approved an amendment that will keep new gun stores at least 500 feet away from schools. Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles brought the amendment forward to be included in an extensive update of the Comprehensive Plan, which was approved as amended.

“The hard truth is there is little we can do at the county-level to enact thoughtful measures pertaining to firearms and gun violence because of federal and state preemptions,” Kohl-Welles said. “But we have to be creative. When the recreational use and sale of marijuana was legalized at the state-level, we added buffer zones to help ensure children and youth would not have easy access to the drug – for their protection.

To the editor:

I grew up in West Seattle, after we came there from New Jersey in 1947.  I can remember my Dad, who had come out here in the 30's, taking us clam digging and fishing.  The digging was good and so was the fishing, and we caught flounder, rockfish, pollock, true cod, hake, black cod and perch.  We even fished for sea run cutthroat, but never got into salmon fishing.  That came later after returning from Viet Nam and catching my first salmon , a twelve pond coho, in 1970 just down from the Spokane Street bridge.  After that I was hooked, and have been salmon fishing ever since, my biggest so far locally being a 24 pound chinook, in 2009 off Jeff Head.

Now in the Seattle area there is no more clam digging due to pollution and marine toxins, and the pollock, true cod, hake and black cod are gone.  

By Jean Godden

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Alexandria Ocaslo-Cortez (aka AOC) for speaking out forthrightly on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about sexism faced by women in this country.

She did what many of us have been longing to do for years. She ripped into a male colleague for offensive name calling but, worse still, for a lame non-apology.

You've probably heard the story -- AOC's response has been downloaded over four million times -- but just in case you missed it, here's the nutshell version: Florida Rep. Ted Yoho recently accosted AOC on the steps outside the U. S. Capitol. He used a barnyard phrase to describe her policies. He didn't stop there, he referred to her as "a f-ing bitch."

By Ken Robinson

Managing Editor

You have the God-given, even Constitutional right to not wear a mask during the pandemic. Even though the governor mandated mask wearing, you don’t have to comply,

You can’t come in here.

That should be a sign on all businesses in the community.

And you don’t have the right to infect other people with your spittle. You have the right to be stupid. That may not be fixable.

You have to right to make sure others in the community know you are anti-mask and are stupid, like the woman in Chicago who knocked down another patron in a Staples store after the patron scolder her for not wearing a mask. The victim was violently knocked to the ground. Her leg was broken.