Jerry's View: Epicure had a long history

patr — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:34:46 +0000

It must have 30 coats of paint.

It has changed doors and windows too many times to count. It was the former Game Collective, a medical marijuana outlet until November of last year.

In looking back, it was also a Chinese late night eatery, a video store and heaven knows what before that.

I recall it as the former Epicure Restaurant in White Center. It was once the second office for me in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It had everything but the keyboard of Vi Childs whose music must echo still from the dim little lounge in the rear. The air yet heavy from those years of cocktails and cigarettes.
This ageless building with several faces sits on the corner of 16th S.W. and S.W. 98th St. in the heart of the town. A town now in the throes of a battle being waged for annexation to Burien.

 My office was one block west of the Epicure, on 17th, making for an easy stride to coffee. I had a very small gathering area inside the newspaper building, certainly not adequate for staff to meet. It made sense to use the restaurant.

No more nighttime Fauntleroy Expressway closures

patr — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:42:09 +0000

press release:
The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation on the Fauntleroy Expressway, the raised roadway at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge, completed nighttime work on Tuesday, February 22. No further closures of the raised roadway are expected for this project.

The contractor has been strengthening the structure to make it more likely to withstand the force of a major earthquake. Upgrades to the structure have included strengthening the columns with steel jackets, strengthening the pile caps, adding additional longitudinal restrainers and replacing the bearing pads. The latter work item is what required the nighttime closures.

The work remaining consists primarily of the installation, grouting and painting of the steel jackets around the columns. Short-term lane restrictions will continue for both east and westbound traffic on surface Southwest Spokane Street for this work. The project is expected to be completed by this spring.

Seattle Police ask for public aid after a New Year spike in shootings, murders

Ty Swenson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:38:48 +0000

Seattle is off to a bad start when it comes to violent crime.

With nine homicides this year (including one in West Seattle: the shooting death of 36-year-old Micheal Travis Hood on Jan. 21) and 11 additional aggravated assaults that resulted in injury, SPD Detectives are asking for the public's help in solving the unresolved crimes.

A table of this years violent crimes is included as a link above.

Press release from Det. Jeff Kappel:
Recently there has been an increase in violent crime in many of our neighborhoods. The Seattle Police Department views this increase as a public safety emergency.

To date, the Seattle Police Department is investigating nine homicides, and many shootings that could have easily become homicides.

Seattle Police detectives are investigating each and every one of these incidents, but they cannot solve these crimes alone. Investigators need the public’s assistance with information and tips if they are to solve cases.

Friends of Hicklin Lake hoping to land water cleanup grant

Ty Swenson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:16:54 +0000

Friends of Hicklin Lake (of Lakewood Park in White Center) are angling towards a grant from the Puget Soundkeepers Alliance to help cleanup the body of water beset with pollution. For background, check out the Herald article, "Hello Hicklin Lake: Hicks Lake in White Center gets its old name back"

Friends of Hicklin Lake
February 28, 2012
7-8:30 PM
North Highline Fire District
1243 SW 112th Street
Seattle WA 98146

Press release:

The Friends of Hicklin Lake invites you to a discussion on a potential grant opportunity from Puget Soundkeepers Alliance. We hope you can attend or send a representative. This grant, if awarded, may help us in our efforts to clean up Hicklin Lake's water condition. Also attached is a short 10-question survey that will be discussed at the meeting. Please fill out the questionnaire by Thursday, February 23. Click on the link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5PWRKZB. We value the community input on Hicklin Lake.

Guilty plea in White Center murder of Sweetheart Failautusi

Ty Swenson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:05:54 +0000

On Feb. 17, 25-year-old Anthony Haroldlee Smith pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the Aug. 16 shooting death of 23-year-old Sweetheart Failautusi, according to King County Prosecutors.

Smith faces 11 to 19.5 years in prison and prosecutors say both the county and defense council will recommend a sentence of just over 15 years when Smith is sentenced on March 23 at 1:45 p.m. before King County Judge Mary Yu.

Smith wrote the following confession to the court:

"In King Co. Wa on August 16, 2011 I, while committing the crime of Assault (second degree) and in the course of and in furtherance of said crime, and with the intent to cause the death of another person, did cause the death of Sweetheart Marie Failautusi. She died as a result of a gunshot wound and I was the person who fired the weapon."

Stay away from Seal Pups! A resting pup in Lincoln Park attracts the curious

patr — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:15:46 +0000

A Seal pup was observed, just adjacent to Point Williams near Colman Pool this afternoon, Feb. 22 and it attracted the attention of the curious, even though it was hard to see, the view obscured by some driftwood

SealSitters.org took action and the area was taped off to warn people to stay well away. The pup, only a few weeks old about was observed around 3:30 pm by West Seattle Photo Journalist Steve Shelton was graciously allowed inside the perimeter, with a long telephoto lens to get the photo.

Robin Lindsey was on hand to warn people away and noted that the pup may have been suffering some respiratory distress.

To report a marine mammal on the beach in West Seattle or beaches north to Kayak Point (in Snohomish County) call the Seal Sitters Hotline 206-905-7325 (SEAL). If a marine mammal is being harassed or harmed it is a violation of federal law and you are asked to call NOAA Enforcement at 1-800-853-1964 or in the case of imminent danger please call 911.

AmericanWest Bank named as the WestSide Business of the year; Award presentation set for April 18

patr — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:38:32 +0000

The annual WestSide Awards sponsored by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce have been announced and Shannon Felix of Avalon Glass has shared the announcement. Atop the awards list are AmericanWest Bank, The Grove West Seattle Inn, Pete Spalding, and the West Seattle Garden Tour.

Here's the announcement:

The results are in! Thank you to all who submitted nominations for The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Program. From a pool of over 40 submissions, the committee has selected AmericanWest Bank (formerly Viking Bank) as the WestSide Business of the Year for 2011. Many nominators mentioned "friendly, personal, and professional" but it was AmericanWest Bank's community involvement and support of local non-profits that earned them the title. All the nominees represented the quality West Seattle businesses which make us proud, including: Mashiko, Ola Salon, Click! Design That Fits, Clementine Shoes, Max and Quinn's Atomic Boys, Link Apartments, Tony's Market, Nurturing Expressions, and Ventana Construction.