| Mar |
| 6 |
| 8:00 pm |
BTB Advertiser Elliott Bay Brewhouse and Pub will be celebrating its 3rd birthday this Saturday March 6th!
Live reggae from Dub Lounge International starts at 8pm.
Families are welcome and there’s No Cover!
Cheers to a great local establishment!
Elliott Bay Brewhouse and Pub is located at 255 SW 152nd in downtown Burien; phone: 206.246.4211. This family-friendly neighborhood pub offers a full pub menu, large party facilities, tournament-sized shuffleboard tables, along with party platters and beer to go.
More info on Elliott Bay Brewhouse & Pub is available at their website.
Here are a couple of videos of Dub Lounge International to whet your rastaman appetite:
Welcome back BTB Advertiser Burien Honda, which is having a birthday party and inviting everyone to come on in to check out the special green tag savings hanging from the rear view mirrors of all their cars.
They’ve been around Burien for 47 years and counting. In 1963, owner Jack Enderson opened a Honda Cycle dealership on SW 153rd and First Ave South, where “Mr. Auto” used to be (now Horizon Pets). He eventually added Triumph, BSA and Harley bikes to his inventory. In 1972, they needed more room and moved to their current location at 15026 First Avenue South.
This original 1970 N600 Honda has just 628 miles on it; its MSRP new was just $1,995!
In addition to an international reputation for its high mileage, Honda is leading the automotive industry in the Green and Hybrid Movement in automotive efficiencies. “Green” cars include the FIT Hatchback, Civic Sedan and “Hybrids” include Civic, Insight and Accord. They also have all of Honda’s conventional models. On the horizon is the FCX Clarity – a hydrogen and electric car available right now in California – and the CRV Diesel SUV sold in Europe and Japan.
Right now you can enjoy great 47 Anniversary savings on all Honda’s in stock! So stop on by and start enjoying your new Honda today.
Here’s a flashback pic of Burien Honda, circa 1972 – they’ve come a long way!:
| Feb |
| 20 |
| 6:00 pm |
Our friend Shelli Park of White Center for the Arts tells us that their one-year anniversary is fast approaching, and they’ll be celebrating it at their Third Saturday Art walk on Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 6pm to 9pm in various businesses in White Center.
The photo at left was shot by Brian Barr, whose work will be on display at WCFTA’s new community gallery, DREAM.
Here are the details:
WHAT: WCFTA monthly Art Walk, celebrating their one-year anniversary.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 6pm to 9pm.
WHERE/FEATURING:
- Salvadorean Bakery: Chuck Northcutt – photography on canvas
- Café Rozella: Carole Ellis – photography
- Triangle Tavern: Chase Evans – Spoken Word @ 6:15 DJ sets @ 7:00
- Full Tilt Ice Cream: Julie Luke – Acrylic on Canvas
- Proletariat Pizza: Baso – photography
- Dzul Tattoo: Urban and Tattoo Art
- Dream Community Gallery: Fusion Dance Crew @ 6:30; Brian Barr – Portraits of White Center; Amanda Helmick – Mixed Media; Amanda Pickerel-Winer – paintings
- Big Al Brewing: Raina Anderson – photography
- DubSea Café: Hye Young Kim – dyed yarn and acrylic, Micheal Olson – DJ –reggae/dub plus more!
INFORMATION: More info available at www.whitecenterforthearts.org.
And here’s a letter regarding accomplishments made during WCFTA’s first year:
“Dear Lovers of Art in White Center,
White Center for the Arts (WCFTA) believes that the White Center community’s rich tapestry of culture and local arts should be shared with everyone. Our work to establish a permanent home for the arts in the neighborhood is off to a great start! In the past six months we:
- Established an after-school art program in the local Highline District Middle and High School
- Established the Third Saturday Art Walk, exhibiting more than 25 local artists in 9 months time.
- Are hosting Community Artists Meetings to open the lines of communication
- Established a working relationship with local, county, and state arts organizations and continue to identify and foster new partnerships within the community to create a web of services and support for artists and youth.
- Partnered with the YWCA at Greenbridge to showcase local artists in the lobby on a quarterly basis, and are working with Youth Media Institute and the Highline School District to implement non-violent extracurricular creative youth activities in the schools and in the White Center Downtown Business District.
But we have more work to do, and we are in urgent need of your support so that we can create the anchor of our vision and visiability, DREAM Community Gallery. We are asking for a small donation of $10.00 from 100 people, a $15.00 donation from 55 people, and 10 $100.00 donations. You will be supporting the entire White Center Cultural Community, helping to give visibility to local artists in all media, ages, and neighborhoods. A gift right now will assure that WCFTA can continue on our mission to be a catalyst for the coming together of the arts and cultural community of White Center. The time has come for a permanent home for the arts in White Center. Our current projects are:
- DREAM, a Community Gallery sustained by an in-house Coffee House, providing un-juried exhibition space for local artists and performers, and providing a safe gathering place, and empowering activities, for youth
- Development of our arts education programming
- Collection of oral histories and artifacts for a permanent local history collection
- Facilitating cross medium and cross cultural collaborations, and continuing to bring positive business to White Center through the Art Walk
We appreciate gifts of any amount, and in return WCFTA is working hard to promote art and culture in the daily life of White Center residents. We are to receive a $5,000 grant. We need more to open our Community Gallery by February 20th, the first anniversary of White Center for the Arts. We have scheduled two dance performances, a musician, and two artists for the evening of February 20th, and they are counting on your gift to help make this happen. When combined with the work of our dedicated volunteers, established, emerging, and students artists, the community as a whole will benefit from seeing our mission to bring art, and the celebration of culture and heritage to all of White Center and its neighbors, succeed.
To give a tax deductible donation, visit our website: http://www.whitecenterforthearts.org/
Sincerely,
Shelli Park
Chair, White Center for the ArtsP.S. You may be fortunate enough to have an employer that will match your gift. This is a great opportunity to give maximum impact with your gift to White Center for the Arts.
Even if you don’t live in White Center, but know that this is a worthy cause, please donate and know that you are supporting strong work in a beautiful community.”
(Photo by Brian Barr)
Two years ago today (Dec. 11, 2007 to be exact), on a dining room table in a home in Burien, your B-Town Blog came unto this planet, chock full of hopes and dreams of informing, entertaining and enlightening a community, and initially only as a part-time hobby.
HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TO US!
But be warned folks, ‘cuz we’re entering our “Terrible Twos” and we aren’t going to stop until WE GET WHAT WE WANT! (SOUNDFX: WAAAAAA!)
It’s been an amazing two years too, from humble beginnings as a hobby to now, a full-blown full-time job with an office, numerous Contributors, over 40 Advertisers and nearly 50,000 Readers per month (November set a record…so far)!
And now, for trivial and archival purposes, are the two stories we posted on our very first day:
Of course, as we’ve grown, we’ve gone from just one sole Publisher/Editor (me, Scott) to a staff of 12+ regular (and irregular) Contributors, including:
- Janet Grella, Sales Director/Diva joined the LOL Dudez team last July. Not only does The Diva sell Ads, she also writes stories, takes pics and much more to all our community blog sites. With Janet on board, The B-Town Blog has enjoyed incredible growth in both Readers and Advertisers. Janet knows the future of advertising is online, not in newspapers.
- Ralph Nichols, Reporter/Writer. A former Editor of The Highline Times, Ralph specializes in covering local issues, including political, community, business, news and much more. Ralph has many years’ experience as a reporter for numerous daily newspapers, and has made the transition to this newfangled online world quite well.
- Mark Neuman, Writer/Sales: former real-world Journalist, TV Host, Producer and Marketer, Mark is an old friend of Scott’s going back to when they worked on their high school newspaper together (West Seattle High’s “Chinook”). Mark sells Ads and Writes for the BTB.
- Michael Brunk, Photographer/Code Guru. An amazing Photographer with a great eye for “the shot,” Michael not only brings his artistic talent (what we call “Brunksmanship“) to our sites, but his technical know-how as well. Need a great shot of something, or some Wordpress, PHP, CSS or other code fixed ASAP? “Call Michael!” is our immediate response.
- Bart Bryan, Sales. Another old buddy of Scott and Mark’s from their high school daze, Bart is a happy, friendly, gregarious man who loves to learn, “conversate” (as the kids say), sell Ads and of course, sing killer Karaoke.
- Gina Bourdage, Artist/Reporter: graduate of Washington State University with a B.A. in Communications, Gina is a native who currently resides on the cusp of the proposed annexation area. She does our Ad artwork, writes stories and much more.
- Amy Bouska, Video Producer. Amy Produces, Shoots, Directs and Edits original video interviews for us, and she does them quite well, especially since she serves as on-air Talent as well.
- Theresa Frasch, Sales. Theresa is an all-around talent, with the ability to sell Ads as well as fix the world in her spare time.
- Jack Mayne, Reporter. Jack Mayne is an experienced old-world Journalist who has worked with The Seattle P-I, The Journal American in Bellevue and Valley Daily News in Kent and many others. He brings not only his vast Writing experience to us, but his deep knowledge of the News Business as well.
- Shawn Underwood, Humor Columnist: Twenty-five years of living in Burien gives this Humorist much fodder for her writings. All of her stories are true, or at least have a grain of truth with no added embellishments. Or something like that.
- Danielle Burton, Artist/Illustrator. Danielle is not only a recent graduate of Western Washington University, but she is an amazingly talented Artist who brings a touch of original, artsy class to our sites.
- Bryan Charles, Intern. Bryan is a budding Artist and Animator who attends Highline’s Big Picture High School in SeaTac. He brings his twisted sense of humor to us through his cartoons and more.
We could go on and on about how great we are, but in the end the real reason we’re posting this is to thank YOU, our Readers and Advertisers, because without either of you we wouldn’t exist!
Thanks, and we look forward to an even better third year!
| Oct ’09 |
| 17 |
| 6:00 pm |
The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce (of which we’re proud members) is holding its 20th Anniversary Gala Party on Saturday, Oct. 17th at the Seattle Airport Marriott.
The evening will include dinner, a silent auction, music by members of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, dancing, and a program highlighting the Chamber’s 20 years of service. The Chamber will honor loyal and dedicated members who have been part of the Chamber since its inception.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce 20th Anniversary Gala
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 17th beginning at 6pm
WHERE: Seattle Airport Marriott, located at 3201 South 170th Street in SeaTac.
INFO: Reception and Silent Auction begins at 6pm and Dinner and the Program at 7pm, followed by dancing.
The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce will celebrate 20 years of serving the business community on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Seattle Airport Marriott. Since 1989, the mission of the Southwest King County Chamber has been to be a leader in the business communities it serves – Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines. The Chamber provides business advocacy, outreach and networking opportunities.
Cost is $75 per person or $600 for a table of eight. Gala/festive attire. At this time Baker Commodities is a Platinum Sponsor. The Chamber is seeking auction items and sponsors of various levels for this event.
REGISTRATION: Register online here.
SPONSORSHIP: You can sponsor this great event and get some excellent, targeted publicity – just download this PDF here.
PROCUREMENT: The Chamber is still seeking items to put up for bid – you can donate by completing an for auction procurement form here (PDF).
COST: $75 per person or $600 for a table of 8
RSVP: For more information, contact the Chamber at (206) 575-1633 or email staff@swkcc.org.
| Aug ’09 |
| 8 |
| 6:00 pm |
The good folks at Sustainable Burien are holding a party to celebrate both their new garden beds (see our report here) as well as their one-year anniversary at the Burien Interim Art Space on Saturday, Aug. 8th, beginning at 6pm.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Sustainable Burien Garden/Anniversary Party
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 8th starting at 6pm
WHERE: Burien Interim Art Space, located at SW 150th and 5th SW
INFO:
Come join us in celebration of our garden beds at the Burien Interim Art Space. Sustainable Burien also celebrates its first year. Exciting things are happening and we invite you to join us.
We’re hoping folks interested in creating a bigger, permanent Burien Community Garden by 2010 will come with your ideas and enthusiasm. Please invite friends that may also be interested.
LET’S PARTY — Bring some food to share. Bring your chairs. Bring musical instruments. We’ll have some small BBQs for roasting your veggies, or separate ones for meat. Have excess produce from your own gardens? Bring that to share or we’ll deliver to the food bank!
For more information, here’s a link to their evite, and one to their website.
One year ago today (July 24, 2008) BTB Advertiser Airport/Burien Towing was changed forever when owner Mark Storer, 51 and his son Brian, 24, were killed when their floatplane crashed near Lake Nahwatzel, ten miles west of Shelton.
Lynette and Mark Storer
Mark founded and operated the towing business, and left behind his wife, Lynette, son Jared and daughter Teresa.
His son Brian was married, and left behind a wife and two small children.
Jared sent us this email Friday morning (7/24/09):
Mark Storer and his Model T Tow Truck.
At the Burien office our Airport Towing family is planning a day of remembrance for Mark and Brian. We are having lunch catered for them and leaving the days activities in the hands of long time Managers Colleen and Daryl.
My hope is that the Burien community remembers my dad for his hard work and dedication that he put into everything he was passionate about. He cared about his family, his church, towing, antique tow trucks, airplanes, and people. Mark loved children. He could not walk into the same room as a child without attempting to make them smile. It didn’t matter if he knew them or not. Whenever he saw his grandkids he would light up with joy and play with them for hours, even if he was at his desk and they were interrupting his work. He would make time. There are many things Mark may not be well known for because he did not brag about his accomplishments. He never announced that he would put $100 bills into the donation box at Burien Chevrolet when one of their employees was diagnosed with cancer. He never published that he faithfully gave more than 10% of his income to his church and other local charities. Mark paid back every loan he ever owed on. He enjoyed making a difference quietly and without praise.
Brian Storer
Brian was far from quiet. He was always making jokes and keeping the atmosphere light. His passions were his family, motorcycles, collectible firearms, music, and tow trucks. Brian met life’s challenges head on. He was the youngest of 3 kids and raising a family of his own with 2 sons. He bounced back from a motorcycle crash that broke his femur when he was hit by a drunk driver and his wife was 8 months pregnant with a 1 year old son at home. The now 3 and 2 year old boys miss their dad but continue to remember him through photos, videos, and stories that their mom and family shares with them.
Thanks for remembering them on this important day.
Jared
More from their website:
Mark worked hard every day to create good customer relations and to create a good work environment for his employees.
Brian Storer was one of those employees for most of his life. His playful attitude kept the atmosphere at the office fun and enjoyable.
Both men were an integral part of our business and lives and it has been a tremendous challenge to try and fill their shoes.
The tragic and unexpected loss of Mark & Brian sent a rift throughout the industry. Hundreds of professional tow truck operators knew them personally, as well as many local businesses who felt the pain, and several other friends and family members.
A large procession lead the memorial on 7/30/08.
Mark and Brian were very well connected throughout the industry and the community, which resulted in a Memorial Service of an estimated 800 people in attendance with less than 1 week of notice, several television news broadcasts, and many other articles written about the pair in the B-Town Blog and other publications.
Read more at Jared’s blog here, or learn more about Airport/Burien Towing here.
by Mark Neuman
It was a year ago this morning (June 29th) that a fire tore through the Tara Apartments on SW 155th in Burien. The blaze, determined to be an arson by police, destroyed the Tara, jumped westward, and gutted the neighboring Jenny Marie Apartments.
The recently-rebuilt Tara apartments, left, and Jenny Marie apartments on SW 155th in Burien.
More than two dozen people immediately found themselves homeless.
Three people died, including Lindy Kunimoto, 49, Ramon Cisneros Sanchez, 76, and Ramon’s 8-year old grandson, Edgar Cisneros.
One year later, no one has been arrested or charged in the incident (read our story on the investigation here).
Burien residents and businesses immediately rallied for the survivors, raising thousands of dollars and donating food, clothing and supplies.
Mayor Joan McGilton said last week “There has never been a greater outpouring of care and support by the people of Burien for others in need.”
We recently checked in with a few of the survivors to see how they are doing.
Fire survivor John Miklosh poses with his prized guitar, autographed by Vince Gill and Amy Grant.
“The fire is still on my mind,” said Sharon Howell, this past week. “I wondered why I was feeling so bad the last few days, and I guess my brain is just saying ‘Hey, it’s around that time (one year from the fire).’ Just talking about it gives me goose bumps.”
She and her roommate and friend John Miklosh escaped the fire, fleeing their unit in the Jenny Marie.
The two now share an apartment on 152nd near Highline High School, which they moved into mid-July of last year.
“We just love it here,” said Sharon, who works part time cleaning houses in the Issaquah area.
John still works full time as a superintendent in the international transport and container industry, and enjoys playing his new guitar.
“John met (country singer) Vince Gill in Wenatchee years ago before Vince got famous,” Sharon said, noting that John lost his guitar in the fire.
And Sharon and John still have their cat, Coco.
Closeup of John Miklosh's replaced guitar, autographed by Vince Gill and Amy Grant.
“We look at her and still see her scars. She really was hurt.”
Coco, scorched by the flames, was missing for the first four days following the fire.
“We were devastated. We thought we lost her,” Sharon said. “But some neighbors said they saw her going back and forth” to and from the ashes.
“Then she came back to us. John found her in the bathtub of our burned out apartment unit! We were so happy. She’s a rare cat.”
John Baggott lived with his wife, Jill, and son, David, in the Tara.
“Our dog, Missy, started barking and woke up Jill, who got me up and moving,” John said.
“She’s our hero,” said Jill of Missy, an Australian Cattle dog, also called a Blue Healer.
Tragically, their roommate, Lindy Kunimoto, 49, did not survive, despite the desperate vocal efforts of friends and neighbors to get him to climb out of his main floor bedroom window.
Arson survivor John Baggott in front of the rebuilt Tara Apartments.
Lindy died at the scene.
The Baggott family now live together, along with Missy, not far from Sharon Howell and John Miklosh.
“David is working at a restaurant near the Seattle Center,” said John, now retired and a graduate of Highline High School.
A big day is right around the corner for John.
“This Friday (July 3) I turn 70,” he said. “If my mother had held off fifteen minutes I’d a been a firecracker!”
Moriah Marlin, was a 29-year old mother of a six-month old boy, Emerson, on June 29, 2008.
“I never, and I mean NEVER, get two days in a row off from work,” Moriah told the B-Town Blog last July at a fundraiser for the survivors.
Barks from "Missy" helped save the Baggott family from the arson fire.
Moriah was away camping with her friend, son and dog that fateful weekend.
By utter coincidence, Moriah’s employer, a Burien grocery store, happened to have given her June 28th and 29th off.
“We returned home Sunday morning to nothing,” she said. “Turns out there were neighbors from two buildings up the street that were breaking our windows trying to save us and we weren’t even there.”
Moriah now lives in a house in Des Moines with Emerson, now a year and a half old, and her dog, Keira.
Moriah is currently employed as a technical support representative for a computer services company.
“Sometimes things just happen that remind you of the fire,” said Moriah, who has recently met a new and special man in her life.
“He wanted to give me a ring to show his feelings for me,” she said. “But he couldn’t just go to my jewelry box to try and figure out my ring size. He had to ask me my size, because the jewelry box I used to have, and everything in it, was lost in the fire.”
Moriah broke into tears recalling little Edgar, the boy who died.
“He would come to my place every day and knock on my door to play with my dog when he was a puppy.
“People told me the flames were forty feet high in the sky that night. I don’t know how I would have escaped with the baby and dog. Somebody above was looking out for us.”
One year ago today, on June 29, 2008, not long after midnight, hell erupted in a very small place in Burien. At 12:42 a.m., a 911 dispatcher received the first alarm. Seconds later, someone inside the Tara Apartments, at SW 155th Street and 5th Ave SW, yelled “Fire!” The complex was burning, flames already engulfing a stairway. Within a minute, a second 911 call reported the fire.
The June 29th, 2008 Burien arson fire at the Tara and Jenny Marie apartments claimed the lives of three.
Less than two minutes after the first call came in, Engine 28 of the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department rolled out the door of the fire station at SW 151st Street and 8th Ave SW, arriving at the Tara Apartments exactly five minutes after that alarm was received.
By the time the first firefighters got there, “it was already fairly involved,” Burien/Normandy Park Fire Marshall Bill Harm recalled last week. The complex was engulfed in flames, which quickly spread to the adjacent Jenny Marie Apartments and threatened nearby structures, forcing fire crews into a defensive strategy from the outset.
Despite the rapid response, 8-year-old Edgar Cisneros, his grandfather, Ramon Cisneros Sanchez, 76, and Lindy Kunimoto, 49 – whose bodies would be discovered later by investigators inside the charred Tara Apartments – were probably dead by the time Engine 28 arrived. Another 14 people required medical treatment, five of whom were hospitalized with serious burns.
A shrine was built to honor the youngest fire victim, Edgar Cisneros, 8, who attended Gregory Heights Elementary.
This was Burien’s worst residential fire in nearly 20 years – and when King County Sheriff’s Office arson investigators determined that it was intentionally set, this became a case of murder.
One year later, the triple homicide and arson remains an unsolved mystery. But, King County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said last week, “This is not a cold case. It is not on the back shelf.” The case remains “under active investigation” by KCSO homicide detectives.
Urquhart said they have “at least one person of interest,” but could not comment further because the criminal investigation is open and ongoing. A man who had been heard shouting, “You can all burn in hell!” to a resident of the Tara Apartments a few days before the fire was interviewed by detectives during their initial investigation and released.
Arriving a minute after Engine 28 that deadly Sunday morning was a battalion command vehicle. One minute later, Ladder Company 29 pulled up. Engine 18 and Engine 19 and the first Medic One to respond were close behind. Over the next 20 minutes, multiple alarms summoned additional Burien firefighters and crews from the North Highline (Fire District 11), SeaTac, Tukwila, Port of Seattle, and Renton fire departments, South King Fire & Rescue (Des Moines/Federal Way), and Kent Fire & Life Safety.
“We had a very rapid response. You can’t get a much better response time, especially to a fire in the middle of the night,” Harm noted. “It was a chaotic scene … we did a good job.”
Part of the incident report details what the scene was like.
Despite their best efforts, the fire, which was burning out of control by the time the first firefighters arrived, destroyed the eight-unit Tara Apartments and heavily damaged the Jenny Marie Apartments.
Both buildings had smoke alarms but no sprinklers. Still, witnesses said later, they were shocked at how quickly the fire moved through the two adjacent complexes. Some 50 low-income residents were left homeless. The total loss, including personal property, was about $1.75 million.”
Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) joined the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and King County Fire Investigators in the investigation.
Today, both the Tara (above) and Jenny Marie apartments have been rebuilt and are ready for occupancy.
A $10,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible. Anyone with information about the arson can call the Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.
“This was a trying fire for all involved,” Harm recalled. “We got good assistance from the public afterwards.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- 3-Alarm Fire Kills Three, Leaves 50 Homeless
- Fire Victim Gets Surprise Gift Thanks To Local TV Station
- Burien Fire Victim Checks In With The B-Town Blog
- Fatal Apartment Arson Fire Was One Month Ago Today
- Fire Victims Donation Center Closed + Some Shout Outs
- Burien Fire Apartment Victims Suing Landlord
- Some Auction Items For Wed. Fundraiser At Mick Kelly’s
- Burien Fire Victim Fundraiser Coming July 16th
- How You Can Help Burien Fire Victims, Phase 1
One year ago Wednesday (May 6th), Ben Laumea, a father of six, passed away from injuries he suffered after being shot in the head with an AK-47 at the then-MVP Sports Bar in Burien.
A BTB Reader emailed us, asking why flowers had been placed on the doorstep of the establishment, now called Twigg’s, so we went over and took these photos:
As you can see in the closeup photo, candles were lit in the shape of a heart on the porch, along with about eight flower bouquets.
The shooter, Bruce Sivao Matagi, remains in jail on a first-degree murder charge.
Also, here are some Comments left on The B-Town Blog about this tragic incident:
I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY PPL JUS WANT TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT. MY UNKO WAS A GREAT MAN WITH A BIG HEART…HE WAS THE BABYY IN THE FAMILY. AND TO THE GUY WHO SHOT MY UNKO YOU BETTER BE VERY THANKFUL THAT LAW ENFORcEMENT GOT YOU 1ST……MAY YOU REST IN LOVE UNKO BEN ALWAYS IN OURS HEARTS AND ON OUR MINDS. I LOVE YOU FOREVER UNTIL THAT DAY WE MEET AGAIN. IA MANUIA LOU MAGALA. I LOVE YOU UNKO B……………………..
i’m going to miss you unko B. You were everyones favorite and you will never be forgotten. To you monk i hope you get released early on good behavior. when you get out i’ll be waiting for your punk ass.
iiM MiiSSiiN yOOh LiiKe Crazy uNko beN yOoh Was LiiKe a father to everyone but yea who eva did that to yooh will pay the priCe but its all good your in a better plaCe now unko ben muCh love to yooh Rest in harmony…
Here’s a video we found of Laumea’s memorial service:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=35283795| Dec ’08 |
| 11 |
One year ago today (Dec. 11, 2007 to be exact), on a dining room table in a modest home near Three Tree Point, your B-Town Blog came unto this planet, chock full of hopes and dreams of enlightening a community, and initially only as a part-time hobby.
On that first day, we posted these two stories, linked here for your flashbackian pleasure:
Then, after several weeks of reading our own crap, something happened.
People other than our family and friends started reading it (currently we have 10,000 unique readers per month and climbing!).
And emailing news, events, listings and more. And commenting on stories.
Then, a few months later, we re-designed the site, and something even more amazing happened.
A local business bought an Ad!
And now, we’re proud to say we’ve got 30 paid Advertisers (and growing – several more are in production), three dynamic sales reps (join the B-Town Blog-o-lution and buy an Ad from either Mark Neuman, Janet Grella or Bart Bryan) a 15-year old Intern named Josh Hart, and contributing Writers like Shawn Underwood, not to mention the dozens of great Photographers, Artists and other Contributors.
We’ve also strived to differentiate ourselves from other local blogs by actually helping our community by holding fundraisers. And we’re happy to report that in our first year, we’ve helped raise over $12,000 for various needy neighbors in the area, including:
- The Buckley Family, who lost everything they owned in a fire on Feb. 28th (we helped publicize their plight and held an online fundraiser).
- Victims of the fatal June 29th Tara Apartment arson fires (we arranged and co-sponsored a major auction fundraiser two weeks after the blaze that brought in over $10,000).
- Both the Highline Area Food Bank and White Center Food Bank (we held a fundraising “Blog Party” in August at BTB Advertiser Elliott Bay Brewery where we raised enough food to feed two families for a month).
- Both the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby (we held an in-person “Turkeys N’Diapers” fundraiser in November at the White Center Albertsons and raised nearly $1,200 in one day).
So, please help us celebrate our one-year anniversary by giving yourself a gift – because we couldn’t have done it without YOU!
Thanks, and we look forward to an even better second year!
61 years ago today – Nov. 30, 1947, at around 2:25pm – an Alaska Airlines airplane with 25 passengers and three crewmembers on board crashed while trying to land at Sea-Tac Airport, killing nine and injuring 17.
One of the dead was Stella Pearl Jones, 44, a blind passenger in a car struck by the airplane on Des Moines Road (now Des Moines Memorial Way) near 180th:
Crash victim Virginia Stitsworth, 33, was also known as "Virginia Grafton."
Another victim was Mrs. Virginia Stitsworth, 33, an entertainer whose stagename was “Virginia Grafton” (her field of entertainment is unknown).
Most people who remember this tragic incident have either passed away, or perhaps their memories have faded. However, that does not diminish the impact of such a terrible crash that took the lives of nine, which, if it happened today, would surely be a major news event.
The doomed flight had many problems en route to Sea-Tac, including two days’ delay in Alaska for bad weather and mechanical problems. Once in Seattle, heavy fog obscured the landing strips at both Paine and Boeing Fields. The unsuccessful landing at Sea-Tac was the third attempt to land under poor visibility, and one can’t help but imagine the potential worry its passengers may have been going through at the time.
The four-engine Alaska Airlines craft, a Douglas C 54-A, descended from the northeast, then (according to some reports) touched down 2,748 feet beyond the approach area to Runway 20. It then careened over an embankment onto Des Moines Road, where it collided with an automobile, killing a female passenger. It then burst into flames as passengers tried to escape.
Six persons were dead at the scene and three more died in the hospital. The victims included:
Virginia Stitsworth, 33, aka Virginia Grafton, Seattle- Jonas E. Johnson, 44, Palmer, Alaska
- Gordon Johnson, 21 months, Palmer, Alaska
- Stella Pearl Jones, 44, Seattle, passenger in an automobile struck by the airliner
- Leslie Howe, 33, Spokane
- Fred Smith, 20, Tacoma
- Olie Raing, Anchorage
- Reba Monk, 22, Stewardess, Seattle; Monk was burned while leading passengers to safety through the flames
An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board found that the pilot approached the runway too high and was not correctly lined up for proper landing.
The pilot, who survived, was assessed a penalty of $1,000 for violations of Civil Air Regulations.
Here’s text taken directly from the archives of the Daily Sitka Sentinel Alaska, dated Dec. 1, 1947:
ALASKA PLANE CRASHES AT SEATTLE.
BRAKES FAIL CAUSING PLANE TO JUMP BANK.
Seattle (AP) — The pilot of a four engined Alaska Airlines transport plane which crashed and burned at the Seattle-Tacoma airport blamed the crash today on failure of the hydraulic brake to “take the slightest hold.”
Eight passengers died and three others were critically injured as a result of the accident late yesterday.
The pilot Capt. JAMES E. FERRIS, 37, of Seattle, told the Seattle Times that the DC-4 plane landed at a speed of approximately 100 miles an hour, rolled like “it was on a bed of ball bearings” until it leaped a 60 foot embankment at the end of the airport runway. It crashed into an automobile on the highway below, killing a blind woman in the car.
The plane was flying from Anchorage to Seattle. It had 28 persons aboard, 25 passengers and a crew of three.
Three passengers were reported in critical condition at the New Renton hospital and two were listed as unsatisfactory at Harborview County hospital.
The others had been released after treatment or were recovering from minor burns and bruises in the hospital.
Twenty-six of the 28 aboard the big plane scrambled from door and emergency exits or were pulled from the flames by rescuers. All, however, were seared by the gasoline fed flames that flashed through the fuselage. Four of the rescued died later.
The latest casualty was the plane’s stewardess, MISS REBA MONK, of Santa Monica, Calif., who was credited by survivors with having led many of the passengers to safety.
The other dead are:
- MRS. VIRGINIA STITSWORTH, 33, Tacoma, entertainer known professionally as VIRGINIA GRAFATON.
- GORDON JOHNSON, 21-month-old son of MR. and MRS. J. E. JOHNSON, of Palmer, Alaska.
- The list of dead climbed to eight when 44 year old JONAS E. JOHNSON, of Palmer, died of burns. His 21-month-old son, GORDON, died in the plane wreckage yesterday. MRS. JOHNSON was released from a hospital after treatment for burns.
- MRS. PEARL STELLA JONES, 43, Seattle, blind woman trapped in the car which the big transport smashed as it careened off the field onto the intersection of the Des Moines highway and 158th St.
- LESLIE HOWE, listed of Seattle and Spakane, died in hospital.
- OLE RIUG, Anchorage, died in hospital.
- REBA MONK, Santa Monica, died in hospital.
- FRED SMITH, Tacoma, died in hospital.
The injured crew members:
- Capt. JAMES E. FARRIS, Seattle, the pilot; formerly a Matson line pilot, San Francisco; injuries not serious.
RICHARD F. WHITTING, co-pilot Anchorage; fractured arm, burns, possible internal injuries.The passengers injured:
- ANE PLEYM, Los Angeles.
- MRS. LESLIE HOWE.
- WILLIAM RANDALL, Nenane, (also listed as OLIVER RINDAHL); critical.
- MARY B. KELLY, Seattle; condition unsatisfactory with neck and back injuries.
- JOHN A. LATHANAN, JR., Fairbanks; critical.
- MRS. LATHANAN, treated and released.
- MRS. J. K. (CHRISTINE) TRASS, Seattle.
- H. M. KOCH, Snohomish, Wash.
- MRS. FLORA HUNTER, Anchorage.
- RICHARD JONES, Palmer.
- MRS. SELMA OLSEN, Anchorage.
- MR. and MRS. ROWLANA SMITH, Terrabonne, Ore., MRS. SMITH, an expectant mother, hospitalized, her husband treated and released.
- EUGENE MARTIN, Seattle.
- ZENA LOUISE FELTRIN, Anchorage.
- LES M. GREENING, Anchorage and Seattle.
- MR. and MRS. RALPH TRACY, McGrath.
- MRS. J. E. JOHNSON, Palmer.
Ten others of the plane’s passengers and crew were in critical condition at Seattle and Renton hospitals. Several were not expected to live.
Bodies of two of the dead were not recovered until nearly four hours after the crash because of the intense heat emiting from the wreckage.
The plane, a DC-4, crashed only a few minutes after it had been turned back from an attempted landing at Seattle’s Boeing field by fog. Two airport employes in the control tower at the Seattle-Tacoma field said the ceiling radioed to pilot JAMES EVAN FERRIS, Seattle, as the plane settled through the overcast was 600 feet with a quarter mile visibility. Three minutes after the crash a special reading showed the ceiling at “400 feet with three-quarters of a mile visibility.”
HAROLD K. PHILIPS, chief of the maintenance division for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, sped to the scene for official inquiry and said:“Apparently the pilot ground hopped when he saw he was going off the runway.”
MRS. JONES, a widow and mother of a 9-year-old boy, was riding with a neighbor, IRA VON VOLKENBURG when the plane came plunging down a steep bank and swept the car across the road. VON VOLKENBURG said he escaped by kicking out a window and then groped in the smashed car without finding MRS. JONES. He was driven away seconds later as the plane burst into flames and then was wrecked by an explosion.
Eye-witnesses said the plane had made an apparently safe landing when it suddenly turned and went broadside over the bank at the end of the runway.
An outboard engine struck the bank as the plane sagged and watchers at the control tower said it “popped into flames.” Then it again as it flattened VON VOLKENBURG’S automobile and finally was sheathed in flame as the fuel tanks exploded.
The liner had been dogged by bad weather since it took off from Anchorage last Thursday. During its flight from Alaska it was delayed at Yakutat and Annette Island, near Ketchikan. It had taken from Annette at 9:30 a.m. yesterday.
Do you love local history as much as we do? If so, consider joining or donating to the Highline Historical Society, which is holding an online auction through Dec. 15th at this website.
You can join at this link, or donate directly to the HHS by clicking here.
We’re proud to say that The B-Town Blog is now a member, so you can look forward to many more obscure local history stories on this here website…
SOURCES FOR THIS STORY/PHOTOS:
by Janet Grella
It is often agreed that most people over five years old and living in the United States on November 22, 1963 will remember exactly where they were when they found out that President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s gunshot in Dallas, Texas.
Today is the 45th Anniversary of this event that robbed us of our first Catholic president. The BTB thought we’d look back at this common memory through the eyes and memory of a local man who was there.
I met Tim Leahy at the Des Moines Legacy Foundation’s 9th Annual Bayside Brunch at Anthony’s Homeport recently. He was the Auctioneer, I was a volunteer. Through the course of conversation, I learned that he not only had lived in Dallas with his family, he was at the actual parade.
His Dad Richard took Tim (6th grade), sisters Cathy (8th grade) and little sister June (5th grade) out of class to see the first Roman Catholic President. Mom Patricia was home with his two younger brothers. From their vantage point they saw the presidential plane landing and Love Field. The Leahy family were very excited as the Presidential Lincoln Convertible drew past their spot real slow. Dad was taking home movies on an 8mm camera. Once they passed, Mr. Leahy got the kids in the car and drove them to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
Local resident Tim Leahy was in Dallas when JFK was shot.
In what Tim said was “no longer than 10-15 minutes, we walked into the restaurant; everyone was gathered around a radio, weeping. A waitress told them the President had been shot. Dad rushed over to St. Monica’s Catholic Church to pray for the president, his family and the country.”
Although they had planned to go back to school at St. Monica’s, they were taken home to start what would be a three-day television broadcast.
Like all viewers on Saturday morning, Tim and his family watched Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald in the garage of Dallas Police Headquarters surrounded by policeman and detectives. Let the conspiracy theories begin!
Walter Cronkite of CBS News broke into the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns” to tell the nation President Kennedy had been shot about 12:35pm CST and rushed to the hospital – here’s a video clip of that very moment:
At 1:38pm CST Mr. Cronkite was back on screen to tell American that our 35th President of the United States had died, about 38 minutes ago at 1:00pm:
BTB wants to know where were you when Kennedy died, and what were you doing?
Email us or post a Comment below…
We’d like to take a moment to reflect and commemorate that it was exactly one month ago today that an arson fire blazed through the Tara and Jenny Marie apartment buildings in the 400 block of SW 155th Street, killing three (Edgar Omar Cisneros Velazquez, his grandfather Ramon Cisneros Sanchez and Lindy Kunimoto) and injuring six.
To date, no arrests have yet been made, despite a $10,000 reward.
| Jul ’08 |
| 26 |
| 12:00 pm |
B-Town’s own specialty wine bar (and BTB Advertiser) Vino Bello will be celebrating its second anniversary this Saturday, July 26th, starting at Noon and going until 8pm.
From their press release:
Join us in celebrating our 2 year anniversary this Saturday, July 26th. Winemakers Tim Sorenson of Fall Line Winery and Alex Manoni of Stomani Cellars will be sharing their new vintages with us. Don’t miss the door prizes and specials!
- Noon – 8pm: Wine Tasting
- 4pm: Meet the Winemakers
- 5pm: Live Music featuring JD Hobson
- 5-7pm: Door Prizes
More info at the Vino Bello website.
| Mar ’08 |
| 27 |
| 5:00 pm |
Burien’s own E.B. Foote Winery is celebrating 30 years in business this year with new releases and old favorites at its Anniversary Celebration, March 27-30.
Boeing engineer Gene Foote started the winery in South Seattle in 1978, at a time when Washington state had only six other wineries. Foote carved out a reputation for interesting and careful wines, but decided to retire from the business and sold it to Sherrill Miller and Rich Higginbotham in 1991.
Washington still only had 35 wineries at this time.
“It was a big deal when Washington had 50 wineries, and it was not thought that we would have many more than 100 wineries. What a difference 30 years makes,” Miller says.
The couple mortgaged their house and came up with the money to buy the winery, which was then in a warehouse in South Park. Neither had ever made wine before. Gene Foote worked with them the first year, and after that, they were on their own. Having been serious wine drinkers, they knew how they wanted the wine to taste but had to learn what to do–things like contracting with top-quality grape growers, what flavors oak barrels impart to a wine, and sales and marketing. While learning the ins and outs of winemaking and the wine business, they began to develop the distinctive character of their product that has since earned so many awards and high ratings from wine festivals and publications around the country.
Miller and Higginbotham moved the winery to Burien in 1999.
“We needed a bigger location and one that was a little easier to find,” Miller says of the Burien site.
Tucked away in a warehouse underneath a strip mall, for some years, as news of the winery leaked out, people were often heard to remark “There’s a winery in Burien?”
Increasingly, however, people know about E.B. Foote’s offerings, from its distinctive Sweet Sherrill dessert wine to its full line of remarkable reds. The reds in particular continue to bring home awards and honors from wine festivals across the country. It is featured at a number of local restaurants and wine shops.
The walls of the winery are covered with awards, including a Platinum Award for their 2000 Syrah from Wine Press Northwest magazine’s Best of the Best judging; 91 points from Wine Spectator for their 1998 Cabernet Reserve; and Gold Medal and Best Washington Wine award for their 2004 Perfect à Trois.
But the wine that most often piques customers’ interest is the Sweet Sherrill. Sweet Sherrill started out as a Chardonnay, but Sherrill made a couple of mistakes.
“Bacchus intervened to transform my unfortunate accident into a crowning achievement,” Miller says. “Since it was my mistake, we decided to name the wine Sweet Sherrill. I like to say ‘The wine reflects the winemaker herself – a bit sweet but with plenty of complexity.’”
Making wines that suit consumers’ palates can be a challenge, Miller says. And most wine drinkers don’t have the patience or the place to cellar wines for any length of time.
“As a winemaker, I want my wines to be drinkable at release. Our reds will improve with a bit of age, but I don’t want to wait 10 years for a wine, only to be disappointed,” she says. As a result, E. B. Foote wines are a balance of fruit, oak, tannins and acidity.
E.B. Foote Winery is rolling out new labels for its wines, and a new wine to celebrate the anniversary, Founder’s Red.
“It is a Cabernet Franc, a new varietal for us, and the label has Gene Foote’s picture on it,” Miller says. Mr. Foote will be on hand for part of the celebration.
The Spring Anniversary Celebration will include commemorative wine glasses for sale and anniversary cake, as well as tasting of E.B. Foote wines.
While developing the brand and the business, Miller and Higginbotham have attempted to make the winery a destination. The winery has hosted a variety of events, from fund-raisers to live theater to musical performances. They host private tastings for a variety of groups. The winery gift shop offers a variety of items, from wine glasses and bottle openers to clothing to decorative wine bottle bags.
Recently they also added a wine club, in which members get generous discounts and receive regular shipments of wine throughout the year.
E.B. Foote is open for tasting Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The winery is located at 127-B SW 153rd St., Burien.
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Winery
$5 tasting fee, applied toward wine purchase
Thursday, March 27, 5 pm – 9 pm
Friday, March 28, 11 am – 9 pm
Saturday, March 29, 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday, March 30, Noon – 6 pm
Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the winery with the release of our limited release Founders Red. Our Founder, Gene Foote, will join us for most of the weekend. Kerry Smith, our Artist-in-Residence, will have paintings, prints and cards available for purchase. Truffles from Chocolate Serenade will also be for sale. Enjoy wine tasting, snacks and anniversary cake. Get a friend or two and drop in during these hours, no reservations needed! The winery will be chilly so dress warmly and casually.
Scheduled for release: Limited release Founder’s Red (a Cabernet Franc)
CONTACT:
Sherrill Miller
E. B. Foote Winery
(206) 242-3852 – winery
(206) 715-3114 – direct
www.ebfootewinery.com
