West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
(Cross-posted from partner site White Center Now)
(WSB/WCN photo from Saturday night)
Two updates today on Saturday night’s deadly fire on 28th SW, just south of Roxbury: First, according to King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West, it’s been ruled an accidental electrical fire. (Though no crime was believed to be involved, Sgt. West was dispatched to the scene to help coordinate communication.) Second, the sister of the home’s resident, 71-year-old Peggy Munsen, has spoken with WCN news partner The Seattle Times and confirmed that Ms. Munsen is the woman who died in the fire. That’s the same information given to us that night by a friend, but WSB policy is to withhold names until officials and/or family confirmed it. Ms. Munsen’s sister is former West Seattleite, now Bremerton resident, Kay Trepanier, long known for her business Cruises By Kay. As she told The Times, her sister went into the cruise business too. There is no word yet of memorial plans.
(WSB/WCN photo by Patrick Sand)
6:03 PM: From partner site White Center Now: Firefighters confirm one person was found dead at the scene of a house fire in the 9800 block of 28th SW. The fire itself was not that big, but generated lots of smoke, and they suspect the victim – described as a woman in her late 60s, early 70s – was overcome by smoke. Investigators don’t know yet how it started; West Seattle firefighters were called to assist North Highline/Burien crews at the scene. More in our WCN report. P.S. The “crime scene” tape doesn’t mean it’s a suspected crime – it’s just what they had handy to cordon it off.
6:54 PM UPDATE: Our crew is just back from a followup visit to the scene, with this video of a briefing with the acting battalion chief:
The only new bit of information is that the fire started in the living room and spread to a crawlspace.
8:35 PM UPDATE: A friend of the 71-year-old woman who lived at the home, a longtime local business owner, tells us her friend is the fire victim, and that her family mostly lives out of town but will be contacted. Our policy is to not publish names until either authorities or relatives confirm that next of kin has been officially notified. The victim’s friend remembers her as “a wonderfully sweet and kind lady with a wicked sense of humor; a dear friend who will be greatly missed.”
10:16 PM UPDATE: Just went back to check – 28th SW is reopened. One fire vehicle and a TV truck remain at the scene.
One of the two teenagers killed in last Sunday night’s South Park crash has been laid to rest: After her viewing in White Center and funeral Mass at Holy Family, 13-year-old Lucie Hernandez was to be buried at a cemetery in Tukwila this afternoon. A funeral Mass is planned Monday at St. Mary’s in the Central District for 16-year-old Luis Martinez, who was a student at TEC High School on the Evergreen campus in White Center.
The two boys who survived the crash are also Evergreen campus students, according to Highline Public Schools, at TEC and at the Arts and Academics Academy, while the third survivor has been identified as Lucie’s sister Karla, a ninth-grader at Chief Sealth International High School.
We had previously reported an account to help Luis’s family with expenses, accessible via any BECU branch, in the name of Victor Herrera, account number 3579847581. Donations were accepted at this past Wednesday’s Denny/Sealth concert (WSB coverage here). And tonight, we have the announcement of a benefit next Monday night (November 19th) to assist both Luis and Lucie’s families:
The event will be at Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant in Renton from 5 pm-9 pm. There will be a $10 buffet fee and a chance to drop off additional donations. Radio Variedades radio host Mercedes Garcia will be hosting the event live on the radio and encouraging the community to come and support. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to spread the word.
The restaurant is at 540 Rainier Avenue South (map).
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:54 PM: A helicopter’s been seen over south West Seattle, and we believe it’s linked to a stabbing reported at 13th/100th in White Center. According to King County Sheriff’s Office via Twitter, the suspect is the victim’s son. Headed that way.
6:24 PM UPDATE: The 69-year-old victim has died, and her 42-year-old son is in custody, KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says. We’re continuing to cover this on our partner site White Center Now (where our coverage includes video of Sgt. West explaining what they know so far).
Nine days till Thanksgiving, and even fewer days till local food banks’ holiday food pickups – so now’s the time to figure out how to help. The White Center Food Bank, which also serves southern West Seattle, is looking for volunteer helpers as well as food and money – plus, note that there is a turkey-dropoff opportunity in West Seattle this weekend, if you can’t get to White Center:
Do you have time next week to pass out food to clients at the White Center Food Bank at .10829 8th Ave SW. We need volunteers on the following shifts:
Monday, November 19 (9:30 to 12:30)
Tuesday, November 20 (9:30-12:30, 12:30-3:30 & 3:30-6:30)
Wednesday, November 21 (12:30-3:30 & 4:00 to 8:00)
If you can help, contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 206-762-2848. Families and kids welcome.The Food Bank also needs donations of the following foods or money to buy them.
Turkeys
Canned Pumpkin
Canned Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Pickles
Cake Mixes
CrackersDonations are accepted Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 to 5:00 at 10829 8th Ave SW [map].
WEST SEATTLE DROPOFF: Turkeys can be dropped off on Sunday, November 18, at Fauntleroy UCC [9140 California SW], starting at 11 am. We will be onsite with our refrigerated van to accept donations.
We are checking with the West Seattle Food Bank regarding their holiday needs, and will publish that when we get the info.
(Matt, Delia, and Eric – photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
You could call Caffé Delia (WSB sponsor) our area’s first co-housed coffee shop.
Or, pop-up coffee shop, as its proprietors dubbed it.
It opened one year ago in the downtown White Center space that, by night, is Proletariat Pizza.
As with Proletariat, Caffé Delia’s proprietors are a married couple – Delia and Matt. And they say Proletariat’s Stefanie and Mike had the coffee-cohousing idea in the first place – stemming from a mutual-admiration society when Delia worked at Bird on a Wire Espresso and referred people to “the fun pizza place in White Center.”
We sat down with Delia and Matt to talk about their shop and its milestone anniversary, which will be marked with a party during Caffé Delia’s regular hours tomorrow (8 am-2 pm Saturday).
After a few “preview” weekends in White Center (photo above), Meander’s Kitchen proprietor Miranda has made her decision: The West Seattle location will close. She just made this announcement via Facebook:
Though we’d wanted to keep the West Seattle shop open through December, it’s become pretty darned clear that we need to focus our resources on the White Center shop. This past weekend was an amazing turnout; much more than we had thought, so our kitchen got backed up pretty significantly. In order to bring our best to you in the new space, we’ll be closing the West Seattle shop this week.
So, tomorrow will be our last day in West Seattle. Ed’s on the grill today, and I’ll be cooking tomorrow. Come say howdy…I’ll miss the West Seattle shop dearly, but I hope to see you all in White Center!
The WC address is 9635 16th SW, in the heart of the business district, same place you’ll find Caffe Delia (WSB sponsor), Proletariat Pizza, Full Tilt Ice Cream, Company Bar, Uncle Mike’s Superlicious Barbecue, 3.14 Bakery, and myriad other businesses.
(THURSDAY UPDATE: The first preview day has been changed to Saturday 10/27, 8 am)
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now
About Meander’s in White Center (opening the next two weekends for sneak previews):
First things first: the ventilation is AMAZING. See for yourself:
(Miranda even turned on the vent so I could feel the rush of air into the hood.)
With her forthcoming opening in the former Papa’s Pub in White Center (here’s our original report from 6 weeks ago), owner and chef Miranda Krone continues the evolution of what has become a favorite diner of people on our fair peninsula and beyond: Meander’s — with breakfast served all the time except weekend nights, when it turns into a gourmet bistro.
With evolution comes change, and the first change you’ll notice is all the space:
Read More
Soup weather has arrived. And so has news of a chance to show your soupiest stuff. Just out of the WSB inbox:
The 3rd Annual Great Soup-Off of West Seattle
Saturday, November 3rd at 6 pm
Big Al Brewing
9832 14th Ave SWPrepare your finest soup for a friendly competition with friends, family & neighbors!
Please bring:
…a soup to serve 10
…your own serving and eating ware
…and a friendChildren/youth are welcome! RSVP to mikhaila.gonzales@gmail.com
Charges are now filed against 30-year-old Emanuel Kozma, who was fleeing King County Sheriff’s Deputies from White Center eight days ago when he crashed in Highland Park (WSB coverage here) and bolted, on the run till his arrest this past Monday night.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged him with second-degree assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
Ahead – from the court documents, the story of why he was arrested the day before the chase/crash, what happened surrounding the chase/crash, and another incident – a shooting – that came to light along the way:Read More
11:11 AM: Crossposted from our daily traffic thread as well as our partner site White Center Now: Avoid 16th/Roxbury – only one lane, westbound, is open on Roxbury, and only northbound is open on 16th – a man is reported to have been hit by the bike rack of a Metro bus. (A Route 128 is stopped at the scene.) His injuries do not appear to be serious, according to the medic crews radioing in to the hospital; he’s being taken to a hospital.
11:41 AM UPDATE: Metro Route 120 is being routed off eastbound Roxbury, according to a Metro alert, because of the investigation.
1:24 PM UPDATE: As of about 1:15, investigators still had eastbound Roxbury blocked off from 15th to 17th. Westbound is open and 16th is fully open. The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, since it’s on their side of the line; spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West tells us the bus was southbound on Delridge turning left to go eastbound on Roxbury; the man who was hit, in his early 30s, was crossing Roxbury northbound southbound* in the crosswalk when the bus hit him.
*New information Wednesday from KCSO.
(October 10th photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Just in from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West:
30-year-old Emanuel Kozma was arrested tonight around 6:30 pm in the Denny’s parking lot at S170sth and Pacific Hwy in SeaTac. He was the subject that King County Sheriff detectives chased on the 10th in the White Center area.
Detectives said he will be booked for investigation of Eluding, Assault 1, and Unlawful Possession of Firearm. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review. He was caught due to persistent work from detectives!
Here’s our coverage from last Wednesday. Kozma had just gotten out of jail three hours before the chase/search, after a White Center drug arrest. Deputies started pursuing him in WC, and then he ran after the car he was driving flipped at 17th and Trenton.
It’s calendar-marking day. Something else you won’t want to miss – less than two weeks away! The official announcement:
The White Center Food Bank will host its 8th annual Harvest Dinner and Auction on October 20 at South Seattle Community College’s Brockey Center beginning at 5:30 pm. The event will feature a live and silent auction with items ranging from wine collections to weekend getaways at premier northwest locations. Tickets (pre-registration only) are $65 and available at whitecenterfoodbank.org or by calling our offices at 206-762-2848.
White Center Food Bank serves West Seattle from SW Myrtle Street through White Center to SW 140th in Burien, bordered by Highway 509 and Puget Sound. In 2012 we are on track to serve 60,000+ individuals, much like 2011. The need in our community remains high for food assistance as record numbers throughout our state face food insecurity – many for the first time in their lives. Seniors are particularly feeling the pinch and our outreach efforts are expanding to serve this special client group that often finds themselves unsure of how to ask for help, and where to get it. We place a special emphasis on fresh, healthy foods that promote and maintain health for all our clients, from babies to seniors, as well as providing shelf-stable pantry items.
5:47 PM: We’re en route to check out a report of a crash in White Center, and that’s apparently what’s brought the chopper that we’re getting questions about. More shortly.
5:58 PM UPDATE: Our original text tip had said the crash was at the 5-corners intersection at 16th/100th – but we’re not finding anything, yet.
With a thriving business district, White Center continues to draw visitors from this side of the city-limits line – and now you can check out what it has to offer, even before you go.
The White Center Chamber of Commerce‘s new website, VisitWhiteCenter.com, was officially announced today. (Here’s the news release, published on partner site White Center Now.) Its centerpiece is a business directory, which includes a White Center restaurant directory too. The site is designed by Noise Without Sound, led by Kathi “George” Wheeler.
SIDE NOTE: The rat did not make the final cut. But a mascot named Ratty lives on via the Rat City Business Association (WSB sponsor).
Two more food drives for the White Center Food Bank (which serves south West Seattle too):
VILLAGE GREEN NEXT SATURDAY: Bring donations to Village Green Perennial Nursery till 4 pm today Saturday, September 29 – look for the barrel. 10223 26th SW.
CHICO’S NEXT FRIDAY/SATURDAY: Shop at Chico’s at Westwood Village next Friday and Saturday (September 28-29), and if you bring a nonperishable-food donation, you’ll get a 10 percent discount on your purchase.
Several sites around West Seattle/White Center/South Park got an extra boost from volunteers today, during the United Way of King County “Day of Caring”:
At WestSide Baby‘s WC headquarters, the volunteers included former Mariners player Dan Wilson and wife Annie Wilson, photographed with WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland. They are the chairs of UWKC’s campaign this year. WS Baby also welcomed dozens of volunteers from Virginia Mason. Full story – with video – is on our partner site White Center Now.
In West Seattle, volunteer sites included the Westwood Village QFC:
That’s where we photographed Judy Nash and Sukhvinder Singh Gulati, Microsoft employees there to help with a food drive to benefit the White Center Food Bank. Microsoft also shared some of its staff with the Nature Consortium‘s work party in the West Duwamish Greenbelt today. (Anyone else who worked on “Day of Caring” today – as a volunteer or a nonprofit host – let us know!)
Just stopped by Proletariat Pizza (9622 16th SW in downtown White Center) to catch Stefanie and Mike Albaeck and family for a quick photo to mark the popular pizzeria’s 3rd anniversary. (Here’s our 9/18/09 report on partner site White Center Now.) Busy night, which is also good news for the White Center Food Bank, to which Proletariat is donating 30 percent of the night. (WC Food Bank also serves south West Seattle, from SW Myrtle south.) They’re open till 9 pm.
The King County Sheriff‘s race is a countywide vote, so when your ballot arrives next month, in advance of the November 6th election, you’ll have to choose between current Sheriff Steve Strachan – appointed when Sue Rahr resigned for a new job – and challenger John Urquhart. Their first joint appearance in this area was tonight in White Center, during the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s quarterly Public Safety Forum, and it was an energetic hour-plus faceoff – all on video above. (That’s NHUAC’s Richard Miller introducing them, with Sheriff Strachan speaking first.)
We’ve received calls about helicopters over White Center, south of downtown WC. King County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a body that Sgt. Cindi West has tweeted was found in the Mallard Lake area, near the Coronado Springs Apartments at 14th and 107th. We’ve gone to the scene and will have continuing coverage on partner site White Center Now.
7:54 PM: Just got a note about more than a dozen emergency vehicles on SW Roxbury. We believe this is related to the King County Sheriff’s Office reporting a possible shooting in the 9600 block of 11th SW. More when we get there.
8 PM UPDATE: KCSO Sgt. Cindi West updates that this apparently is an accidental shooting. She tells our crew that a man appears to have been walking with a gun in his pocket, and when he reached into his pocket, the gun went off. He shot himself in the leg; he’s been taken to the hospital. Traffic is still moving on Roxbury, and the scene will be wrapping up.
Don’t be chicken! You too can make friends with the fabulous fowls of the White Center Food Bank. Both named Henrietta. That’s Linda, in our photo, with one of the Henriettas. They’re both meeting visitors right now during the WC Food Bank’s summer open house – and they’re the inspiration for a program that you can be part of, to provide fresh eggs to more of WCFB’s clients (who are in West Seattle as well as WC). Till 2 pm, you can meet the H’s, tour the demonstration gardens, and get to know some cool people, at 10829 8th SW.
(Photos by Patrick Sand for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now)
10:29 AM: Just getting word of a robbery reported at Chase Bank in White Center. Seattle Police are helping search. There’s word of a possible suspect found to the south, but the search will continue until and unless that is verified.
10:41 AM UPDATE: We were at the location where police took the possible suspect into custody, 19th and 104th – photos to come – checking with KCSO to see if they believe that’s the robber. (update) Sgt. Cindi West says yes, they do.
11:01 AM UPDATE: Sgt. West has just spoken with media at the bank. She says that deputies spotted the suspect “jogging” — reinforcements came in, they stopped him, and found a gun and a bag in his possession. She says that the robber did show a gun in the bank. We have her interview on video and arrest-scene photos to be added when our crew’s back at HQ.
11:33 AM UPDATE: Just added the above clip, with Sgt. West explaining what happened, and saying the suspect – first spotted by a sergeant – was being taken to jail.
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