U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Task Force Fugitive, Hung Minh Pham, Apprehended in Burien
According to Sargent Cindi West, media relations officer for the King County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals’ fugitive, Hung Minh Pham, was found and arrested in Burien on Monday, April 8, 2012.
New Futures in Burien to Merge With Southwest Youth and Family Services After 20 Years of Service in the S. King County Region
According to Ann Martin, the Treasurer of Southwest Youth and Family Services, in a speech given to the 34th District Democrats at their meeting on March 14th, Southwest Youth and Family Services and New Futures in Burien and SeaTac are in the process of merging the two organizations with a formal announcement to be made no later than April 1st. While all of the details have not been finalized, it seems that New Futures staff will soon become employees of Southwest Youth and Family Services. New Futures’ existing programs will continue as New Futures-branded programs although New Futures itself will come under the umbrella of Southwest Youth and Family Services.
New Futures was founded 20 years ago in 1993 by a group of teachers from Hazel Valley Elementary who expressed concerns over a significant number of their students receiving failing grades. The teachers are said to have realized that the majority of their failing students were all living in the same apartment complex, one of the lowest-income and highest crime complexes in King County, the Juanita Apartments in White Center. The teachers rented an apartment in the complex and started an after school problem working with the students who live there. What started with working with students to improve their grades eventually turned into a community development program to help develop safe and cohesive neighborhoods for the children to thrive in. New Futures now impacts 4,000 individuals living within the apartment complexes they serve within South King County.
In 2012, the executive director of New Futures, Jenn Ramirez Robson, expressed to the Burien City Council and public that due to a declining income, New Futures was considering bringing an end to their largest program, the program focused on The Heights apartment complex in Burien, to preserve the future of the three smaller programs located at Arbor Heights, Windsor Heights and Woodridge Park apartments. Despite concern from the Burien City Council and citizens, New Futures was forced to end their program at The Heights apartment complex shortly after the announcement.
According to their website, Southwest Youth and Family Services has been providing services in the West Seattle area since 1979.
“Our mission is to empower youth and families through culturally relevant counseling, education and family support services in White Center, South Park, Delridge, West Seattle and other neighborhoods.”
Southwest Youth and Family Services’ program is centered in three primary areas: Counseling, Education and Family Support. According to Ann Martin, New Futures and Southwest Youth and Family Services have programs that complement each other which makes the partnership a good fit.
Jenn Ramirez Robson, the acting Executive Director of New Futures, will go on staff with the rest of the New Futures employes at the new Southwest Youth and Family Services but is stepping out of her position as Executive Director.
New Futures’ 8th Annual Get Inspired! Benefit Breakfast at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Seattle is still scheduled for May 1, 2013. The event will be co-hosted by Southwest Youth and Family Services staff and board members and will serve as a celebration of the merger in addition to the award of three $1,500 scholarships to New Futures teen participants.
Areas Greatest Chefs Compete in the 2013 Burien Bites Top Chef Competition
Press Release: Our most talented in the kitchen are preparing to gather to flex their spice racks in March.
Restauranteurs, caterers and private chefs from Burien, Normandy Park and White Center are gearing up for the Top Chef competition. Top Chef is a preliminary event to Burien Bites which will happen in the summer.
More than twenty local competitors will meet their videographer for the adventure the afternoon of March 20th. From there, they will hear the rules and will proceed to acquire a mystery box of food provided by Freggies Organic Produce. The chef’s will have 90 minutes to take the box back to their kitchen, create something audacious and return with samples for the crowd that will be waiting including three top local food critics.
The bios for the Top Chef food critics reads like a true whose who in food for the region. This evening is set to be exciting and fun for all that participate. (more…)
King County Library System Approves New White Center Library and Location
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and written by Patrick Robinson.
The King County Library System Board of Trustees approved the new White Center library Tuesday night, Feb. 26 by a vote of 4 to 0, and approved locating the new library at a vacant lot on the corner of SW 107th and 14th SW (the preferred site by the White Center Chamber of Commerce, the White Center CDA, several school teachers and after school program directors, and many other White Center community members).
This location is directly across the street from Mount View Elementary School, directly across the street from Coronado Springs, a King County Housing low income facility with over 300 family and elder apartments, and the site is next door to almost 400 additional apartment units to the south.
All these residents will have an easy walking distance on non arterial streets to reach the new library. The KCLS will now negotiate with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, the owner of the site on the development process. (more…)
8 Month Investigation Leads to Arrest of Drug Traffickers in Burien
Burien - an 8 month investigation conducted by the King County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the seizure of narcotics, guns, money and the arrest of 8 people for trafficking narcotics.
The investigation started in April when Sheriff’s detectives learned that a narcotics dealer had a reputation of selling high quality cocaine and heroin in the Burien area. Detectives also learned that the suspect had been sought by investigators before for dealing narcotics but would shut down his operation when he suspected police were closing in. (more…)
Burien city manager thanks NHUAC for support of annexation, strikes at naysayer arguments
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Ty Swenson.
In the last North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting on Nov. 1 before final ballots are cast to approve or decline annexation to Burien, City Manager Mike Martin thanked the NHUAC for their support of annexation and responded to claims being made by those against the measure.
“I wanted to acknowledge all the work that has gone into this campaign and as you know, I wouldn’t be standing here unless our council supported this, and I really applaud you for fighting the good fight,” Martin said to the NHUAC board.
“I really applaud you folks for staying to the high ground and this is a very important policy decision and as a public servant, I very much regret some of the information that is out there that some people are using to make their decision.”
Before going into anti-annexation claims, Martin said the city is internally preparing for annexation in the event that it passes, including an “extensive task list” of transition talks with King County. He said Burien hopes to move quickly with a yes vote, and annexation could be implemented by April of 2013. (more…)
White Center Business Owners Support Annexation by Burien
The following letter was sent to Burien Daily by a group of White Center businesses owners who support the annexation of unincorporated King County by Burien.
Letter to the Editor: As responsible White Center business owners, we support annexation to Burien. Burien does not have a problem with vandalism, open alcohol, drug dealing, or prostitution in its commercial district, and we think that’s a good idea for White Center, too. Burien is in better fiscal shape than 90% of Washington cities and wants to maintain our public library and parks rather than having them closed or fall into disrepair with the county. Burien wants to maintain the uniqueness of White Center and give us an active voice in shaping the future together, including economic development and zoning.
These are real benefits for local families and businesses – not a scheme by a fiscally irresponsible city or the offer of a low bidder as portrayed in a recent Seattle Times Op-Ed piece by Mark Ufkes, president of the White Center Chamber of Commerce, and Don Malo, president of Independent White Center (IWC) PAC. To quell the concerns of those anxious about the soundness of Burien’s fiscal calculations, our state legislators have even pledged to endorse legislation for a safety net for the annexation if and when one is ever needed. In reality, White Center is not independent now – its services and future are dictated by King County policies and we share one county representative with 200,000 others. With Burien, we will have 7 representatives and much better coordinated services. (more…)
Seattle Met Publishes Article Documenting “White Center’s Annexation Fight”
Seattle Met, the monthly magazine first published in 2006, recently released an online article analyzing the current situation in the unincorporated portion of the Highline area which is currently voting on whether or not to annexed by Burien on November 6th.
The article interviewed a number of White Center business owners, Burien’s City Manager, Mike Martin, the President of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC), Barbara Dobkin, and White Center Chamber of Commerce, Mark Ufkes. Each of the interviewed had different reasons for supporting or opposing the annexation. (more…)