(October 2011 photo of Amanda Knox and mom Edda Mellas, by STEVE RINGMAN/Seattle Times, used with permission)
Four months after her West Seattle family and friends welcomed her back from four years in prison in Italy, the number four seems to have resurfaced in the saga of Amanda Knox. The long-expected announcement of her book deal is out; here’s the Associated Press story published by our partners at the Seattle Times. It quotes an unidentified source as saying the book deal is worth $4 million. The book is expected to be published by HarperCollins early next year. While local media has kept their promise to keep their distance since her return after the Italian courts overturned her murder conviction, national/international tabloids have been publishing sightings and gossip, and (in case you wondered) most would seem to indicate she is not living in West Seattle.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Last night was a big night for West Seattle Cub Scout Pack 793, families, and friends – the annual Blue and Gold Dinner at Holy Rosary. Enhancing the night, a high-profile guest: Former Cub Scout Dow Constantine, better known these days as King County Executive.

Not only did he talk about his Scouting past while at Schmitz Park Elementary, he also mentioned that his family goes way back with Scouting – his grandpa was a Scout leader and his uncle was an Eagle Scout. He talked about leadership and civic participation, something the Scouts are learning early:

(Thanks to Pack 793’s Jon Gerhardt for letting us drop by on the big night!)

(Photos courtesy National Grocers Association)
Though he didn’t make the top 5 at the national championship, Washington State’s “Best Bagger,” Andrew Borracchini from Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral, is a winner just the same. The national bag-offs were Monday in Las Vegas, during the National Grocers Association convention, and a 30-year-old woman who works at a Piggly-Wiggly in Wisconsin brought in the bacon (the $10,000 grand prize). Andrew had quite the cheering section (as noted in our preview before his departure), T-shirts and all!

And MM spokesperson Torie McIntyre says that “out of 24 contestants, (Andrew) made it until the Top 5 were chosen. He competed well and represented Metropolitan Market and West Seattle (and Washington!) well.” (Here’s coverage from the Las Vegas Sun and from the Las Vegas Review-Journal – Andrew’s in one of their pix.)

One week ago, we published a story that captured hearts and imaginations around the region, as it was shared by many, and picked up by a few citywide news organizations. A West Seattle teenager named Gabriella wrote that she found a “mystery gift” on a waterfront bench – shown in the photo above; it included a letter from someone saying it was a tribute to the sister she lost. We just noticed that the story picked up a few more comments this week – one from “Lainey,” who says she left the gift. Since few would otherwise see a new comment on a days-old story, we’re publishing Lainey’s message here:

Dear Gabriella,

For the last 10 years, I’ve left a birthday gift and card to honor my sister Karen, who died in 2001. She delighted in giving and receiving presents. I’ve spent hours wondering who finds these gifts and what their reactions might be. For the first time, I now have some answers to those questions.

Gabriella–you are an absolutely amazing “finder of the gift”. Your life-affirming actions of opening & receiving the gift(s) honors my sister Karen–more than anything I could have hoped for or imagined. Thank you for being the source of such a beautiful gift coming back to me and others. Your youthful and wise spirit discerned the power represented in this memorial. Your words inspired and blessed. My story is now part of your story. Your story is part now part of mine.

Please keep looking for and opening the gifts that life presents to us.

With much gratitude,
Lainey

If you shop at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral, you’ve seen courtesy clerk Andrew Borracchini smiling at you from that banner outside the store, and signs inside, for a few months now, following his victory as Washington state’s Best Bagger (as reported here in October). And if he’s helped you with your groceries lately, you might have noticed his custom name badge:

This was Andrew’s last weekend of work before he and an entourage of supporters take off for Las Vegas, where he’ll compete in the national championship at the Mirage Hotel on February 13th, just eight days away.

We talked with Andrew on Saturday morning at the store, where he’s been working weekends for more than a year. In recent weeks, he’s been given an hour to practice during every shift he’s worked. There’s a lot at stake – a $10,000 prize (with cash prizes for 2nd-5th place too) – and he will have a bigtime cheering section: Not only are about 20 members of his family traveling with him for the big event – so are some high-profile supporters from Metropolitan Market, including store general manager Glen Hasstedt and MM ownership. On Saturday, the store allowed Andrew to show us his winning skills – while he explained the keys to good grocery-bagging:

Andrew, by the way, is a junior at O’Dea, and says his sister Angela, who preceded him in Metropolitan Market employment, is the one who taught him the ropes in the bagging world. Last year’s national champ was from the Northeast – will Andrew bring the Golden Grocery Bag Trophy home to the Northwest this year? We’ll find out a week from tomorrow.

Out of the WSB inbox tonight, that photo and this note:

My name is Gabriella and I am 15 years old. I wanted to share my experience because I found it touching and very sweet.

While on a bike ride to take photos today, I found a gift sitting on a bench with a note attached that read “To the finder of this gift” overlooking the Seattle skyline near Salty’s.

I sat on the bench and opened the card, which was from a woman remembering her younger sister today, which would have been her 59th birthday. The woman shared her younger sister’s interests, accomplishments and love of life, and how she died suddenly in 2001 due to a pulmonary embolism from a foot injury. The gift was left at this location because her sister’s ashes were scattered on Alki and she loved the view of the skyline.

In the letter, the writer asked the finder of the gift to please express their love to those they care about. She also said that she learned that “all our love, memories, and connections are still there as true and strong as ever” even after death. The writer expressed her deep love for her sister and that the best parts of her are still with her.

I hope the writer of this letter sees this and knows how much it touched me.

P.S. The gift was a LED head lamp for riding and was with a card that read, “May a luminous dream light the way.”

Thank you, Gabriella

FRIDAY NIGHT POSTSCRIPT: Our friends at KING 5 read this too, and asked if we could put them in touch with Gabriella. Here’s the resulting story.

In case you haven’t heard – the marriage-equality bill has just passed the State Senate, 28-21, and now goes to the State House. It was announced at the Southwest District Council meeting that we’re currently covering at South Seattle Community College – and generated a round of applause. Our state would become the 7th to legalize same-sex marriage; more from our partners at the Seattle Times.

ADDED 8:33 PM: Local leaders are starting to share their reaction – first, West Seattle-residing King County Executive Dow Constantine – read on:Read More

9:38 AM: Between 2 and 5 am today, in below-freezing weather, 800 volunteers roamed King County for the annual One-Night Count of people sleeping outdoors. The results just announced: 2,594 men, women, and children were counted, “a small increase over those found without shelter last year,” according to the official post-count announcement, which explains that volunteers “counted people trying to survive in cars, tents, all night buses, select hospitals, or curled up in blankets under bridges or in doorways.” Guidelines for public discussion of the count do not allow specific locations to be reported, so we don’t know at this point if they visited the Nickelsville encampment in Highland Park, where one WSB Forums member who is a frequent visitor told us 90 people were staying as of a recent count. Last year’s countywide total was 2,442, and organizers also say it is perennially “an undercount of people without shelter on this night. Counters can reach only a portion of the geographic area of the county, and many homeless people sleep in hard-to-reach places.”

2:59 PM UPDATE: Here’s a breakdown of this morning’s count. There is no West Seattle category, but the list does mention 55 people counted in White Center.

Big night for the Cub Scouts of Pack 793 Den 4, sponsored by Holy Rosary Parish. 14 Tiger Scouts visited Emmy Award-winning West Seattle journalist Brian Callanan, who is host of “Ask the Mayor” on the Seattle Channel. Top photo shows Brian leading the scouts on a tour of the cable channel’s HQ. Then – it was “Ask the Mayor” night, on TV, and for the scouts:

(Back row, Den Leaders left to right: Charles Guzek, Brian Christenson, Patrick Quinn. Front row, Scouts left to right: Augie Herrin, Brody Olson, Jake Beardemphl, CJ Guzek, Ben Leonardo, Charlie Bendzak, Jack Cahill, PJ Barton, Jack Christenson, Henry Ament, Kaeden Quinn, Ryder Mackay, Carter Joy)
Brian Christenson, who shared the photos, picks up the story:

After the tour of the station, Brian Callanan escorted the scouts to the mayor’s office for an in-depth interview to get answers to what the 6 and 7-year-old kids in West Seattle want to know. The mayor was extremely engaged and wanted to make sure that all scouts had their questions answered. Questions ranged from “whether the mayor was right-handed or left-handed” to “what sports he liked to play.” The mayor stated that he enjoys biking, sea kayaking and basketball. And although he is right-handed, he is adept at shooting a basketball with either hand. The most hard hitting question came from 6 year old CJ Guzek, who wanted to know if the mayor got his wife’s bike back that was stolen last year. The answer unfortunately was ‘no.’ When discussions turned to the recent storms and the mayors handling of the event, the scouts were very positive about the event. However, the 6 year old scouts were more excited about schools being closed and getting to stay at home and play in the snow.

Bottom line: Mayor McGinn is very scout-friendly and and the scouts had a great experience with Brian Callanan and Mayor McGinn. Thank you to both!

You may have heard the news from Olympia – the State Legislature now has the votes to pass legislation that would make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. (Here are details from our partners at the Seattle Times.) West Seattle’s legislators support it, and so do other local political leaders. Read on for what they have to say:Read More

Just received this from Meighan:

I wanted to share this story with you, as it made a profound impact on my family and is such a cool representation of the community we live in here in West Seattle.

Tonight we were at dinner at Elliott Bay Brewing Company. It was a celebratory dinner of sorts, as my husband was back from a long weekend away with his family on the east coast. We were all really excited to see him, and I was also thrilled for dinner out after juggling a day of work and school cancellations without him.

We had a great dinner sharing stories of the weekend snow, sledding, and friends, a dinner that was made even sweeter by the news we received when we asked for our check. A woman who was sitting at the table next to us, who wished to remain anonymous, had paid for our dinner. We were floored. I mean what an amazing surprise.

My eight-year-old son Brendan then exclaimed, “Wow, there are some really nice people in this world.”

I am so thankful to that individual, not just for our dinner, but for showing my kids what it means to be generous and to spread happiness in such a cool, meaningful, and unexpected way.

We will certainly be spreading the love as a result and I hope this story inspires others to do the same. Unexpected, random acts of kindness can have a profound impact and are infectious.

Thank you, dinner angel!

Reminded us of this story from earlier this month.

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The afternoon sun broke through the clouds just in time for Saturday’s dedication of the Fallen Soldiers Memorial at West Seattle’s Vietnamese Cultural Center, honoring both Vietnamese and American soldiers lost while fighting for that nation’s freedom.

Around 70 people, bundled up against the cold, showed up for the ceremony, which was presented in both Vietnamese and English. The dedication was held Saturday to commemorate the invasion of Vietnam’s Paracel Islands by the Chinese in January of 1974.

Veteran Vietnamese military leaders involved in the action were present, including Naval Lt. Commander Sai Nguyen (far right in photo), who gave a speech honoring those lost.

The ceremony included traditional drumming, a processional carrying names and photos of fallen soldiers, national-anthem salutes, offerings of burning incense, and speeches.

Read More

What would you do if you found cash just lying out in the open, absolutely no hint as to who had lost (or left) it there?

Times are tough. You can imagine that many might at least fleetingly consider keeping it.

But a WSB reader we’ll call Texasgirl – her Forums handle – decided to find the owner of the cash she and her boyfriend discovered. She e-mailed us:

My boyfriend & I were out walking (Sunday) afternoon at about 1 PM, and we found quite a bit of cash laying on the sidewalk on Admiral, on the bridge over Fairmount Avenue … It’s enough money that we’re sure the rightful owner is missing it. These are tough times for many out there, and we know this could be someone’s grocery money or rent money. If someone can identify the amount and denominations, we’d like to arrange to return the money to them. If the rightful owner isn’t located, we’re planning to donate the cash to a worthwhile charity.

We e-mailed back to suggest they contact police, and post in the WSB Forums, where lost/found notices are welcome (aside from pets, which have their own page). So they did. And it worked.Read More