West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
After almost two years in North Delridge, during which they added promotional merchandise to their original embroidery/sewing business, PB&J Textiles is moving to a new, much-larger location – the former South End Florist storefront at 10728 16th SW in White Center. Co-proprietor Paul Binder tells WSB, “We are excited about our new location as we will double-plus our space. This will allow for more product offerings, better retail space, and easy parking!” They’ve expanded their offerings yet again in preparation for the move and now offer paper printing, banners, promotional products, embroidery, and screen printing, as well as copiers if you need to make quick photocopies. They’re planning to move Friday, April 4th, through Sunday, April 6th, reopening in the new space on Monday, April 7th, and will be tracking the move via Tumblr.
Bail is set at $1 million for the 18-year-old SeaTac man arrested Friday in connection with the Wednesday night shooting that killed 17-year-old Ruben Castillo of Burien. Probable-cause documents made available today, following his Saturday bail hearing, reveal more details about the incident:
As reported on partner site White Center Now, a suspect is in custody in connection with the Wednesday night shooting death of a 17-year-old Burien boy at 15th/Roxbury. We’ll continue updating the story there as we find out more, but did want to let you know here too, since the incident stirred some discussion.
That King County Sheriff’s Office sergeant is one of several KCSO investigators walking Roxbury between 14th and 15th, looking for evidence in a shooting. All we know so far is that one person was shot and is at the hospital. When we get new information, we’ll be updating the story on our partner site White Center Now. (Early-morning note: The victim died overnight, KCSO confirms.)
That’s a photo of a purse like the one stolen in the 26th/Roxbury attack reported here March 7th – mentioned later by a commenter. We asked the King County Sheriff’s Office for followup information this week, and the photo above came in with this response in the form of a news release from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:
King County Sheriff’s detectives are trying to locate a purse that was stolen from a woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted near White Center earlier this month.
On Friday, March 7th just after midnight the victim was walking eastbound on the south side of Roxbury near 24th Ave. She was approached by a black male who asked her for a cigarette. The victim gave the suspect a cigarette when the suspect suddenly dragged her to a nearby lot where he punched her repeatedly then sexually assaulted her.
After the assault the (attacker) fled, taking the victim’s purse with him. The purse was never located and may have been discarded nearby or possibly given to an associate of the suspect. The suspect was described as a younger black male, early 20’s, about 5’9”, medium build, wearing a dark colored hoodie and jeans. The suspect may have injuries to his hands due to the violent assault on the victim.
If you have information about this assault or the missing purse please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours).
You can also be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
9:42 PM: We have been chasing reports of a helicopter for half an hour and have finally found Guardian One over the Greenbridge area. We have just found sheriff’s deputies to ask on the ground – they say it’s a “possible armed robbery suspect” from a White Center business.
10:19 PM: Commenters say the chopper’s gone – we left the area it was circling (the wetland just west of Greenbridge) in hopes of finding the reported robbery target, described as a produce stand, but didn’t see anything on the ground along any of the main business streets. Will follow up with KCSO tomorrow.
10:41 PM: Via Twitter, the Guardian One team says the suspect they were seeking was not found. Description: “… male … about 5’9″, wearing a red hoody, blue jeans, wearing a black beanie.”
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says, “(Last night) at about 8:40 pm at the Best Roasted Corn Stand on the corner of SW 98th and 15 Av Sw: A male suspect walked up to the stand, displayed a handgun and demanded money. The suspect also demanded the employees cell phone. The suspect fled on foot. The suspect spoke to the victim in Spanish. He was described as a Hispanic male, skinny, about 5’8″ tall, mid 40’s and was wearing a red sweatshirt, blue jeans and a black beanie. The victim has seen him in the area before.”
One more early warning – as first noted here last week, White Center Heights Elementary is due for a special visit by the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One around 1:25 this afternoon, as part of a special project kindergarteners have been working on. The North Highline Fire Department will be there too. WC Heights is at 6th SW and SW 100th, so Highland Park’ers might notice this too.
4:24 PM NOTE: We’ll publish a separate story here later but photos and video are up right now, if you’re interested, on our partner site White Center Now.
That’s a WSB file photo of the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One – which helps in other jurisdictions too, including Seattle – and next Thursday afternoon, you just might notice it over south Highland Park and Greenbridge. White Center Heights Elementary PTA president David Sonsteng sent early warning of the plan. Kindergarteners are “working on their community-helpers module in class,” he explains, so Thursday (March 13) 1:25 pm-2:25 pm, they will “get to meet some of these community helpers.” In addition to Guardian One, they’re scheduled to meet KCSO Deputy BJ Myers (who’s based out of the downtown WC storefront office), a fire engine from the North Highline Fire District, and an ambulance from AMR. We’ll remind you again that day, but if you might be anywhere near the area, store away the info. (The school is at 10015 6th SW.)
11:08 AM: We’ve been covering a business fire on our partner site White Center Now and are sharing the news here too after getting a question from a WSB reader who wondered why the 10000 block of 14th SW (map) is blocked by fire and police. The former White Center Blacksmith/Welding building caught fire this morning. It’s out, and nobody’s hurt; firefighters tell us the building is vacant and was about to get a new tenant. We’ll update the WCN link when there’s new information.
12:03 PM UPDATE: As mentioned on WCN, this affected WestSide Baby next door. From executive director Nancy Woodland:
This morning there was a fire at about 10 am in the large building next to WestSide Baby’s donations facility. One of our staff made the initial 911 call. It was significant and luckily, due to the very quick response of the North Highline Fire Department and with support from surrounding departments, the fire was under control within about 30 minutes. WestSide Baby’s donation facility is closed today to assess the smoke damage. We also have to have all the doors open in the hopes of minimizing smoke impact on all of the clothes, diapers and equipment stored inside. It’s REALLY cold so our staff is all huddled in our Administrative offices nearby. Phones and e-mails work.
The building next door was recently re-occupied by an auto repair business. They had only received keys last Friday. The fire investigators are here determining the cause.
P.S. 14th SW is open again.
SIDE NOTE: Not related so far as we know, but there’s a second fire of note in White Center today – a house fire on 20th SW.
New Year’s Eve (next Tuesday, December 31st), the White Center Food Bank needs volunteers who can lift boxes/crates of food. If you can help, e-mail audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or call 206-762-2848.
Want to feel a bit like Santa Claus? Help out tomorrow at the White Center Food Bank. Just in from Audrey Zemke:
The White Center Food Bank needs volunteer help Thursday, December 19 (additional time) 12:30 to 3:30 and 3:30 to 6:30 to hand out holiday food to clients. E=mail or call me to volunteer. Families welcome.
206-762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org.
It’s an even-more-frequent question than usual during the holiday season – “how can I help?” Here’s the latest answer: The White Center Food Bank, which also serves southern West Seattle, needs volunteers and donations. Specifically, according to WCFB’s Audrey Zemke, they need help passing out holiday food next Thursday (December 19th), 3:30-6:30 pm. If you can volunteer for that time – please contact Audrey, 206-762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org. Meantime, there’s one type of holiday food they especially need – turkeys and hams for larger households. You can take them to the WCFB at 10829 8th SW during its regular hours 8:30 am-5 pm Mondays-Fridays, or other times by arrangement.
Five nights after rocking KeyArena with Pearl Jam, Mudhoney rocked a wall-to-wall-and-out-the-door crowd at Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center, inside and out, to launch the honey/cinnamon/chocolate-swirl flavor bearing their name. More scenes from Wednesday night’s party on our partner site White Center Now.
P.S. Were you there? Got a photo/video link? Add it in comments here or on the WSB Facebook page post, where as of this writing we already have a couple bonus links.
(WSB video: Mudhoney at Easy Street Records this past April)
Back on November 22nd, we mentioned the upcoming release party for Full Tilt Ice Cream‘s new Mudhoney flavor – 7 pm December 11th at Full Tilt’s flagship White Center store. At the time, a sweet surprise was being planned – an unannounced appearance by Mudhoney themselves. Now, we hear from FT proprietor Justin Cline, it’s no longer secret – so we’re getting the news to you too. Be there one week from tomorrow (party at 7, band at 8), for the ice cream as well as the music!
King County Sheriff’s Office investigators are pleading for the public’s help in solving an early-morning murder in White Center. We reported the deadly shooting earlier on partner site White Center Now, but now, KCSO is casting a net far and wide in hopes of getting tips, so we’re publishing the latest update here too:
The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting and killing of a man in the White Center area … and is asking for the public’s help.
On 11/27/13 at about 2:15 AM, deputies were dispatched to the area of SW 108 St and 2nd Ave SW after a caller reported hearing at least one gunshot and said there was a man down in the middle of the street. Deputies arrived at the scene to find a young adult male lying in the street suffering from at least one gunshot wound. They attempted life-saving measures but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Sergeant Tony McNabb said, “Two young men were walking along SW 108 St. minding their own business when they were confronted by the two suspects. The suspects accused the innocent victim and his friend of being in a rival gang to which they both denied. As the victim and his friend began walking away, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and began firing at the two, hitting and killing one of them.”
Deputy Charlie Akers is asking for the public to “Put themselves in the shoes of this innocent young man’s family. As we are entering the holiday season, this family is grieving the senseless loss of this young man. If this was one of your loved ones, you would want answers, you would want justice. A young man has lost his life because he was mistaken to be in a gang.”. Deputy Akers added a message to the suspects: “You took the life of an innocent young man for no reason; turn yourself in.”
If you know anything about this senseless crime, please call 206-296-3311.
West Seattle’s Engine 11 (in our photo) and Battalion 7 have just cleared the scene of a major house fire in White Center this morning, for which the Seattle Fire Department provided “mutual aid.” The fire caused major damage to a home in the 10000 block of 11th SW (map); full coverage including video is on our partner site White Center Now.
11:01 AM: We’re getting questions about the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter over downtown White Center. In case you’re seeing it and wondering too, here’s what we published on partner site White Center Now: KCSO says the search is for someone who broke into a car and stole a purse. Deputies are searching on the ground too, and were seen in the 14th/96th vicinity.
11:56 AM: Search is over – per @kcsoairsupport, they didn’t find the person they were looking for.
12:27 PM: Our ground crew says the search was centered toward the park end of SW 96th, east of 14th SW. They took the relatively rare opportunity to get a clear photo of Guardian One – which assists other law-enforcement agencies at times, including Seattle Police, which doesn’t have its own chopper – in case you aren’t familiar with what it looks like (sometimes handy in order to distinguish between law-enforcement and TV choppers).
3:52 PM: Update from KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West: “The suspect from (this incident) was arrested near 102 and 8th SW after being spotted prowling cars in Steve Cox Park.”
No Labor Day break for Zippy’s Giant Burgers proprietors Blaine and Rahel Cook – while their beloved burger emporium is closed until Wednesday, they’re cooking up something big: More seating. Zippy’s has knocked down the wall and is expanding into the space next door. Blaine explains that this will finally bring back the full footprint of the old Cookbook Café. There’s even potential space for a bar in the expansion zone, but for now, when Zippy’s reopens on Wednesday, it’ll just mean more room to dine in – good news for fans including those who live too far to keep take-out food warm. It’ll be Zippy’s second expansion – their move from 16th/Holden in Highland Park to 9614 14th SW in White Center two years ago meant a whole lot more room.
3:46 PM: This happened just over the city/county line, so we’re reporting it here as well as on partner site White Center Now: King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says the White Center KeyBank branch in the 9600 block of 17th SW has just been robbed. She also sent a photo – if you see him, call 911.
4 PM UPDATE: KCSO has sent more information, including this description info to add to the photo above: The robber is described as white, in his 40s, wearing a blue shirt and jeans. KCSO says bank employees reported that he came into the bank just before 3 pm, gave them a note, implied he had a weapon (though they didn’t see it), and fled with an undisclosed amount of money, last seen eastbound on 98th SW.
6:47 AM: Thanks to Jan for the tip: Meander’s Kitchen is moving again, ten months after relocating from West Seattle to White Center. Proprietor Miranda Krone announced overnight via Facebook that she’s moving to a smaller spot in WC, 9809 16th SW, which is less than two blocks south of where her restaurant is now. More than a month earlier, she had mentioned in another post that her restaurant was struggling because of her “rash decision” to move to a much-bigger space. Her new update says Meander’s will be “closed for the next couple of days” but should reopen in the new space Friday.
8:43 AM: Couldn’t quite place the address, so we went over to White Center to take a look, and have added a photo; the space was San Fernando Roasted Chicken until recently, one door down from the corner of 98th and 16th.
“We are in need of some new volunteers at the White Center Food Bank,” says spokesperson Leah Zoller. If you have some time to spare in these final weeks of summer – YOU can help! She adds, “Most needed days are Mondays and Wednesdays as well as every third Saturday. Contact audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org to volunteer.” The WC Food Bank, at 8th/108th in WC, is the official food bank for West Seattle south of Myrtle Street as well as for WC and other parts of the unincorporated area.
If your neighborhood is NOT celebrating Night Out tomorrow (August 6th), consider spending the evening at White Center’s Business District Night Out from 6 to 9 pm. Highlights include a free Zumba class with Center Studio (WSB sponsor) outside at 6 pm, and a $2 food walk with more than 15 local restaurants (see map above). There will also be live music, a beer garden at Big Al Brewing, a raffle at Seattle Silkscreening Company, and free bike safety and emergency preparedness classes with the White Center Community Development Association. You can find more info (including photos of food walk offerings) at the White Center Chamber of Commerce‘s Facebook page.
P.S. If you’re in the Seattle city limits, not too late to sign up your block party for a street closure tomorrow night (non-arterial) – all the info’s here!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Justin Cline remembers back when, if he saw someone wearing something bearing the logo of his business, Full Tilt Ice Cream, “it was somebody I knew.”
Not any more, though, still, he says, “I see our shirts and stickers out there, and it blows me away. But – we make the ice cream the same way we did when I was making it all myself.”
The output’s too much for just Justin to handle these days – 2,200 gallons a week, he calculates, and then some.
Full Tilt marks its fifth anniversary tomorrow: June 20, 2008, Justin and wife Ann Magyar opened their doors in downtown White Center, in the same little hole-in-the-wall-ish spot where we talked with him this afternoon, after receiving a note letting us know FT-WC will donate its anniversary-day profits to the White Center Food Bank tomorrow, as usual.
White Center is the original store in a Full Tilt group that’s now grown to four, in addition to a partnership for Highscore Burgers, which opened on the eastside earlier this year, and a Full Tilt shop about to open on the campus of Microsoft, where Justin worked as a programmer 15 years ago.
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