West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Thanks to Sally for the tip that the Lagarto Glass studio in Pigeon Point (1904 SW Dawson; map) is having a sale today to clear out the garage studio and switch to work-at-home mode. Get there as soon as you can – they’re just going till it’s gone. Meantime, we’ve also stopped by the first-ever Rat City Rummage at the old White Center skating rink – good turnout of sellers and shoppers:
This one’s going till 6 tonight and you can see a few more pix as well as an artist/seller interview at our partner site White Center Now.
ADDED 9:52 PM: Thanks to Highland Park’s Dina Johnson for sharing this page full of photos of other artists and craftspeople who were on hand at Rat City Rummage.
More highlights from the current edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (jump here to the full Saturday list):
RAT CITY RUMMAGE: In White Center, the first-ever Rat City Rummage takes over the old skating rink, 10 am-6 pm, and we’re told vendor spaces are sold out, should be lots to browse and buy.
SANISLO USED-BOOK SALE: The 4th graders at Sanislo Elementary are having a Used Book Sale, 10 am-3 pm, to raise money to go to camp on Vashon. Never been to the school? Here’s a map.
JUNCTION PARKING REVIEW WALKING TOUR: Even if you didn’t RSVP, you’ll still be welcome to join in. Noon-2 pm, meet at Cupcake Royale (California/Alaska). Archived coverage of the parking review is here; by the way, the results of the Fremont parking review are being installed as we speak.
Just got an update from Dan Donohoe at the office of King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg: He says Satterberg has a family emergency and has to cancel his planned appearance at tonight’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting, but will reschedule. (However, the law/justice reps who are usually on hand at the meeting do include a prosecutor’s-office rep.) Everything else planned for the meeting, including updates on local crime trends and nuisance spots, is on as usual, 6 pm, St. James Place, 9421 18th SW.
Also from the “coming up” file – The man whose office is in charge of what happens to criminals after they’re arrested is scheduled to be in West Seattle this Thursday, 
at the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg‘s last major public appearance in the West Seattle/White Center vicinity was four months ago, at the “Public Safety in Peril” town-hall meeting (WSB coverage here) that he, Sheriff Sue Rahr, and others held to discuss then-looming budget cuts. So what’s happened since then, and how is it affecting the task of keeping criminals off the street since they’re caught? You can find out firsthand on Thursday night at St. James Place, 9421 18th SW (map); the meeting starts at 6 pm with free dinner, as always, and continues till 8 pm – Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Office reps are always on hand to update crime trends in the south WS/WC area too.
White Center Food Bank director Rick Jump is thrilled to have received that container to be turned into a worm-compost box for WCFB’s new “edible garden” – now he just needs a worm-savvy volunteer to help the box fulfill its destiny! He showed us the box when we stopped by this afternoon toward the end of a work party, during which Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle volunteers removed ornamental plantings from a long, narrow strip in front of the WCFB building, and started turning the space into the “edible garden”:
That’s Aviva from CHoSS – she brought kale and collard plants from her own garden to get into the newly tilled ground outside WCFB (which serves part of West Seattle, as well as White Center). The rich soil you see is partly thanks to compost donated by Cedar Grove, but that worm box we mentioned will have a big role in the future too – do you know how to set up and manage a box where worms will turn clippings and scraps into garden-ready compost? If so, please contact Rick at WCFB – rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 206.762.2848.
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Weekend Lineup (see this weekend’s edition here):
(photos from Alki Lodge #152 pancake breakfast added 9:25 am – above, Rick Dusatko refills the syrup; below, Geoff McNeely wielding the spatula)
PANCAKES: On the griddle right now, till 11 am, and you’re invited – Alki Lodge 152, 40th/Edmunds (map) in The Junction. (Donation $5, $4 for kids, includes eggs, sausage, coffee, juice, the full meal deal.)
GET OUT INTO THE GREENERY: Three work parties at midday today to help West Seattle’s greenspaces — Brandon Street Natural Area, West Duwamish Greenbelt, Me-Kwa-Mooks, all 10-2, hop to the Saturday section of WSWL for links with full details.
GET YOUR BUSINESS ON: Thinking of starting your own? Lora Lewis from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) is hosting a session on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. 7 tonight, e-mail to RSVP.
MEET “SIREN”: A successful businessperson – and TV personality! – is in West Seattle at 2 pm at Anytime Fitness (WSB sponsor): Meet Valerie Waugaman, known as “Siren” from TV’s “American Gladiators.” She’ll be putting on a fitness workshop and also talking about personal success. (More info in this earlier coverage.)
WHITE CENTER’S FIRST ART TOUR: 5-10 pm tonight, details at partner site White Center Now.
Remember the strong-arm robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska 76 station weekend before last – in which the robber got away with cash and lottery tickets? (Here’s our followup with full details from the police report.) 
The King County Sheriff’s Office put out a call today for help in identifying a robber with a similar M.O. who’s struck twice in White Center (late January and early February); we posted that announcement on White Center Now but then realized it sounds a lot like the Fauntleroy/Alaska bandit, so we’re mentioning it here too. Checking with investigators to see if that’s the Seattle robbery alluded to in the King County news release; also seeking any available images to post. ADDED 2:26 PM: Image at left is one of several we’ve obtained from KCSO – none is crystal clear but they still may lead to an arrest. This shows the robber hopping the counter in one of the White Center heists. And Sgt. John Urquhart from KCSO confirms it may be the same robber as in the Fauntleroy/Alaska case. Here’s one more – again, small and blurry, but we’re sharing:
BREAKFAST AT YOUNG’S: That’s the title of the latest of the popular weekly food tales that Justin Cline from Full Tilt Ice Cream is telling at White Center Now. He calls what he had at Young’s “the pinnacle of breakfast.” Read about it here.
HIDDEN GEM, JADE WEST CAFE: That’s the title of an e-mail to the Fairmount Springs list by Paul Sureddin, who says we’re welcome to share it with you too; he wrote it after several weekly breakfast visits to the little cafe north of Morgan Junction (breakfast? who knew?) – read on:Read More
We’ve also posted this at partner site White Center Now, but thought you might be interested too, as the White Center Food Bank also serves part of West Seattle. From Aviva at Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle:
Community Harvest of SW Seattle in partnership with the White Center Food Bank will be removing some grasses and other ornamentals to make room for a food garden. This demonstration garden, designed by a SSCC horticulture student, will have sections for traditional Asian greens, square foot gardening, northwest berries, and containers. The intention of this garden is to inspire and educate on the possibilities for growing food, even in limited spaces.
Seattleworks volunteers will be digging up existing landscaping on February 21st, and we would like to offer some of these lovely grasses and bushes in exchange for compost (or $$ to buy compost!) All donations of time or money will be happily accepted and will go toward this project and other projects which encourage food growing amongst low-income residents of West Seattle and White Center.
Contact: info@gleanit.org
COUNCIL SAYS “NO” TO ANNEXATION AGREEMENT: We’re working on continuing coverage for this at partner site White Center Now, but it’s worth a note here: The Seattle City Council has just voted 8 to 1 to *not* endorse the recent agreement reached with Burien and two fire districts, setting a framework for the potential annexation process over the next few years; the agreement basically gave Burien first rights of refusal on the southern half of the North Highline unincorporated area, and Seattle first rights on the north half (including most of White Center). We’re continuing to add details from the council discussion to the WCN report here. (5:14 pm note: Added a comment from Seattle mayoral spokesperson Alex Fryer, saying, “The MOU with Burien took some time, but we had an agreement that made sense for all the parties. With the City Council decision today, we’re done with the issue for this year.”)
HAPPENING TONIGHT: Last reminders about three events of note, all on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: The Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meets at Cooper Elementary, 7 pm; the Denny Site Redevelopment Design Team meets at the Denny Middle School Library, also 7 pm; and the ARK Park benefit concert (raising money for a privately funded new park on land owned by Arbor Heights Community Church) is happening at Roosevelt High School, also at 7.
“HAVE A HEART” FINAL TALLY: Heather at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) tells us yesterday’s event (WSB coverage here) brought in more than $1,700 for West Seattle Helpline and Pencil Me in for Kids.
HI-YU FLOAT HOME SEARCH: West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival president Tim Winston reports that the float has a reprieve (following this item over the weekend) but it’s not forever:
Harbor Properties has once more been gracious and extended our storage of the float through February. However, their project will need us to be out after that.
Regarding use of other currently empty buildings – they are looking for contacts, so even if you don’t know for sure whether something might be available, if you have a contact and can provide that info to Hi-Yu, please call Tim at 206-938-2088.
Tonight marks exactly six months since we helped launch White Center Now, the blog about White Center. As 
we explained when it launched, it’s different from WSB – instead of a focus on high-volume community news, it’s a more eclectic site, and that’s due in no small part to the work of our fellow founding WCN team members, two local entrepreneurs, Ricardo Guarnero from Cafe Rozella and Justin Cline from Full Tilt Ice Cream. Enmeshed in the White Center community as they are, they provide a unique perspective and memorable stories, like the one Ricardo has posted tonight, recounting the five-year history of his coffeehouse, the neighborhood it anchors (map), and how Cafe Rozella “changed a small corner of the world.” Read it here – then scroll down the WCN home page for more stories you won’t see anywhere else, including Justin’s latest food review (bahn bao!), a new arts endeavor in White Center (with an upcoming tour), and ongoing news coverage of potential annexation. Thanks to everybody who’s supported White Center Now over its first half-year, and if you have ideas/questions/observations, we have a team mailbox for that site – whitecenternow@gmail.com – e-mail any time!
In his new series of weekly White Center restaurant reviews – starting last week with the highly popular writeup about roasted chicken and more at El Paisano — Justin from Full Tilt Ice Cream has just written up Queen’s Deli, a new eatery promising “authentic Khmer food.” Go here to read his review.
Just posted on our partner site White Center Now: Even as Burien’s city manager Mike Martin told council members (who had to cancel tonight’s work session for lack of quorum) he’s hoping for an August vote on the proposed North Highline annexation (in an area that leaves the majority of White Center available for Seattle to annex), a prominent Burien resident, former councilmember Stephen Lamphear, has filed notice of an initiative to stop the deal for separate annexations. See the document here. More as this develops. 9:51 PM UPDATE: Added comments from initiative sponsor Lamphear at WCN.
One of our fellow contributors at White Center Now (the only place you’ll find White Center news, opinion, information updated 7 days a week), Justin from Full Tilt Ice Cream, reports on other local food from time to time, and today he’s written about Rosticeria y Cocina El Paisano – read it here (and catch up on what else the WCN team has been covering, including Ricardo from Cafe Rozella musing on the Microsoft job cuts’ impact)!
14 years ago tonight, a crime of greed took a terrible toll: Four Seattle firefighters lost their lives in a commercial warehouse in the International District that was set ablaze by its owner’s son. Tonight, those four firefighters — Randy Terlicker, James Brown, Lt. Greg Shoemaker, and Lt. Walter Kilgore (namesake of the Honor Guard shown in the photo above) — were remembered at Holy Family School, Terlicker’s alma mater. Those in attendance included Fire Chief Gregory Dean, Mayor Nickels, City Council President Richard Conlin, and City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess. The event also raised money for Holy Family scholarships to be granted by the Randy Terlicker Endowment Fund. ADDED 10:30 PM: Video of the Seattle Fire Department Pipes and Drums Band procession, followed by the Honor Guard presenting the colors:
Randy’s mom Colleen Terlicker shared memories tonight as well:
Her son was only 35 when he died in the warehouse fire; James Brown was 25; Lt. Kilgore, 45; Lt. Shoemaker, 43. Three years after the fire, arsonist Martin Pang was sentenced to 35 years in prison; as this 1998 Times story notes, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter – murder charges were rendered impossible by the extradition agreement with Brazil, to which he had fled after the crime.
We mentioned this a few days ago on partner site White Center Now but want to share it here too: Next Monday night at Holy Family School (20th and Roxbury; map), a benefit dinner will be held to raise money for the Randy Terlicker Endowment Fund. 
He was one of the four Seattle firefighters who lost their lives in one of the most tragic incidents ever to rock our city’s public-safety community, the Pang warehouse arson (also memorialized by the Pioneer Square sculpture shown at left, which pays tribute to the four and to all firefighters killed in the line of duty). The night of the dinner marks exactly 14 years to the day since the 1/5/95 fire that killed Terlicker – a Holy Family alumnus – along with Lt. Walter Kilgore, Lt. Greg Shoemaker, and firefighter James Brown. The dinner event will also serve as a memorial for the four, with the Seattle Fire Department Pipes and Drums Band scheduled to take part, as well as presentation of colors by the Walter Kilgore Memorial Honor Guard, and remarks by Randy Terlicker’s family and friends. The endowment fund provides HF scholarships to families who need financial assistance to attend the school. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 pm (after a 6 pm social hour); call HF at (206) 767-6220 to check on ticket availability.
Two weeks after the first serious snow started to fall on our area, more stories continue to emerge about how hard people worked to be sure the weather didn’t stop them from doing what needed to be done. 
At one point, we published an urgent call for help from Rick Jump (left) at the White Center Food Bank, saying they needed volunteers to help distribute holiday food baskets for hundreds of families; he subsequently reported that many people answered the call and they had more than enough help. What Rick didn’t mention, though, is the lengths he’d been going to, to keep the WCFB — whose official service area includes part of West Seattle — running. That story emerged in e-mail we received last night from Christi Stapleton, who along with Beth Grieser wanted to make sure Rick and the volunteers got a special shout-out, as well as everybody who has helped WCFB and West Seattle Food Bank:
The White Center Food Bank has been working overtime to get enough food and workers together to help out, but it’s been tight lately: demand is up, donations are down.
The Executive Director, Rick Jump, is really dedicated, as are the volunteers and staff.
But, with the weather this year, their dedication really stood out. There was enough food for everyone, but the weather meant that volunteers had a hard time getting there to help!
The snow and ice made travel difficult for all, but Rick’s street was too icy to drive, so he walked 2.5 miles to the food bank and slept there THREE nights to make sure all families could be served. Volunteers braved the snow to help out.
Admiral Safeway and Roxbury Safeway ran a promotion at the register to allow shoppers to painlessly and quickly add a ham for the food bank to their grocery bill! The response was great and allowed the food bank to distribute hams to every family that came to the food bank over the holidays. The Jefferson Square Safeway ran the same promotion and those hams were donated to the West Seattle Food Bank. All in all, it was a great program. Thanks to all the shoppers that donated, Safeway management for their patience and to the Safeway staff for making it a successful food drive.
The families were thrilled with the ham and the special holiday food. They all were appreciative to be able to serve a special holiday meal to their families.
Special thanks to everyone that donated their time and, of course, money, to keep the food banks going. It’s important work and you are appreciated. Keep it up!
If anyone has questions, wants more information or wants to donate (time or money), call Beth Grieser at 206-938-5706. She coordinates the food bank distribution for the 34th District Democrats and the West Seattle Democratic Women. With a little more prodding, they will have her on the board of the
White Center Food Bank, too!
Christi sent the following photo of some WCFB volunteers. Right after it, you’ll find links you can use right now, without even leaving your house, to donate money directly to the WC and WS Food Banks.
The food banks’ website pages with links to donate $ online (and more info on how else to help them):
White Center Food Bank here
West Seattle Food Bank here
Scroll down each of those pages to look for the DONATE button.
A West Seattle Crime Watch update before we top the main page with evening updates on the weather, looking ahead to tomorrow: We have new information about law enforcers’ search for robbers who are believed to have hit at least three stores in the south West Seattle/north White Center area in the past week — stickups at Gas Depot and Lucky Seven last Thursday, and at the Country Deli this past Tuesday (WSB coverage here; map above shows the three locations). According to information forwarded by Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen, investigators reviewing surveillance video — which has not yet been publicly released (though we have requested any available images) — say “the suspects can be seen … milling about outside for a while prior to the robberies, checking to see if any customers inside.” Investigators want to get this information to local businesspeople: If you see suspicious-looking people hanging around outside your business, call 911. Until we get visuals, all we can tell you regarding a description is what little police have shared — “possibly” Hispanic men in their “late teens/early twenties” — they have been described as wearing bandannas over their faces, and toting at least one shotgun.
Two items of interest if you haven’t already seen them on our partner site White Center Now: First, one of White Center’s newest nonprofits — actually on the Seattle side of WC, so it’s West Seattle too — invites you to an open house 3-7 pm today; read the WCN story to see why New Traditions is one-of-a-kind. Second, a followup on the annexation-process deal reported last night: The full document is now online.
We’re breaking this at our partner site White Center Now: After weeks of mediation, Burien City Manager Mike Martin has announced that Burien, Seattle, and two fire districts have agreed on important points to pave the way for potential annexations of the White Center/North Highline area. Details here as his council briefing (under way right now in Burien) continues – one big part of the deal relating directly to West Seattle is that a King County fire station has been carved out of the original Burien annexation proposal zone, because Seattle said it was important for the continued protection of Arbor Heights.
One way to look at it is, it’s like helping get the toys and clothes from Santa’s workshop, into the sleigh: WestSide Baby, which collects and distributes clothing, diapers, and toys for local families in need, is having a Sorting Party tomorrow night, and it’s a classic case of “many hands mean lighter work” — If you can spare all or part of two hours, 7-9 pm tomorrow (Thursday), you can help get items from shelves like the ones above, into family-tailored bags like the ones below (with “orders to fill” for almost 200 kids as of our visit this morning):
RSVP to Sarah at sarah@westsidebaby.org – or just show up, 10032 15th SW in White Center (map). Read on for more, as explained by WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland:Read More
Please help welcome our newest WSB sponsor, the White Center Swap Meet and Flea Market. As we reported earlier this fall, the former Southgate Skate Center (map) has been renovated to become the Southgate Event Center, which is home to the White Center Swap Meet and Flea Market – the only one of its kind in the West Seattle/White Center area. After several weeks in “soft launch” mode, the Swap Meet is ready to welcome you to its official grand opening – as it launches expanded winter hours, 
just in time for holiday bargain shopping: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (12/6/08 update – hours are now 10 am-4 pm), Saturdays and Sundays. In true swap meet/flea market tradition, you never know who’s going to be selling what (like the items you see at left), or what treasures you might find. Operator Dean Burgess invites you to stop by and check it out – there’s no admission, and the building is open to the public. As for the Southgate Event Center itself: Now that the historic 13,000-square-foot center has been remodeled, you can book it for parties and other events, starting in January (here’s more information from the center’s website). There’s an attached kitchen, and a small business-office space upstairs. Free space also is available to nonprofits (by appointment only). Dean and his team say they are “proud and thrilled to be retaining this building and returning it to its use as a community outpost and meeting place.” Drop by and say hi this weekend during the grand opening, 8:30 am-4:30 pm both days — 9646 17th Ave SW (map), barely a block over the line from West Seattle, and immediately west of the heart of the 16th SW business district. Welcome to the White Center Swap Meet and Flea Market; we’re glad to have them on the WSB sponsor team – you can see the latest lineup here, along with information on how to become part of it!
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