Advocates for suicide prevention have good news from Fremont as the Aurora Bridge suicide barrier nears completion. The Aurora Bridge has the dubious achievement of being the second most popular suicide destination in the United States next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Fremont residents say build the sucker. But no! Some Queen Anne residents oppose it, saying that a median barrier—despite being told by engineers that was structurally impossible—would be preferred. They also think an anti-death fence would be unsightly. “It’s a beautiful view, and that fence is going to cut it off,” Queen Anne Community Council president Ellen Monrad told the Fremont Universe.
A Capitol Hill woman caused $30,000 of damage to her apartment building by using a burning chopstick to light her crack pipe.
Down in White Center, County budget cuts have eliminated or severely reduced basic services. According to White Center Now and the West Seattle Blog graffiti removal and litter clean-up have turned into purely volunteer affairs, and good luck calling 9-1-1 once you pass beyond the Seattle border. The cause of these complaints is that White Center falls outside city jurisdiction, so therefore relies exclusively on County services. Last year the Seattle City Council voted to create plans to annex White Center, but a new report says the Mayor will delay those plans. Says Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for Mayor Mike McGinn:
The City simply does not have sufficient resources (and resource growth) to meet existing demands and take on the new demands that the annexation of [White Center] would require.
If Seattle chooses not to annex White Center, then Burien would have an option to incorporate the neighborhood. In either event one day soon we will undoubtedly lose those 16 to 24 blocks that separate Seattle from Burien. Until then White Center will continue falling into neglect until it eventually becomes a lawless outpost for renegade frontiersmen and fur trappers.
Luckily frontier living makes a comeback all over Seattle. The Central District News covers a local business that makes stylish backyard chicken coops. And where are the fur trappers when you need them? West Seattle has a problem with oddly behaving coyotes and an owl that attacks people’s hats. But if you’d rather love a furry critter rather than wear one, Sassy, a Chihuahua mix, is up for adoption at the Seattle Animal Shelter.

Burien already took what they wanted from unincorporated King County. It will eventually become part of Seattle. There is a fairly active no annexation movement though.
“Down in White Center, County budget cuts have eliminated or severely reduced basic services.” Graffiti removal is not a basic service. Fire, water, police. Those are basic services.
This is another reason why I do not advertise in the stranger.
Wow, because an unpaid intern wrote a sentence you didn’t like. This is another reason small business owners seem weird and thin-skinned.
Not just because of an unpaid intern no. Because The Stranger can only mention White Center if they qualify it as also being a ghetto.
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/pizza…
So as long as they keep shitting on my neighborhood, I am going to keep not buying ad space.
But they fucking loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee columbia city.
” ‘We’ will lose?” What do you mean “we,” white man? Do you think White Center is Seattle’s by divine right or something?
Do you think downtown White Center is all there is to the remainder of unincorporated North Highline? Clue: It isn’t.
Residents of the southern half of North Highline voted, by a comfortable margin, to annex to Burien. If (let’s hope) Seattle fails to act in 2011, Burien WILL ask King County to put annexation to Burien on the ballot in 2012 for the northern, unincorporated part of North Highline. The votes are already there on Burien’s City Council, and this November’s Council elections are unlikely to change that, despite the comment from the uninformed Catalina Vel-Duray.
Burien wants this area, and I’m pretty confident that the voters will annex to Burien.
@5, Columbia City has a sense of humor.
@ fulltilt
Full Tilt and Proletariat are shining lights in the block, but I can still make five steps out of your business and buy crack, or “fresh steaks” off of someone on the street ( true story from last week, double points for me holding a baby at the time! ).
Clearly @7 wins with pointing out Columbia City has a sense of humor. White center might not be a ghetto but its not far enough off for your indignation to stick.
All your suburb are belong to Seattle.
“Until then White Center will continue falling into neglect until it eventually becomes a lawless outpost for renegade frontiersmen and fur trappers.
Eventually?? See, if you guys from the Stranger would actually go down there and check it out, you’d realize that WC is ALREADY a lawless outpost for frontierspeople and, um, others…
AND I LIVE THERE, OKAY? 🙂
Confidential to WiS: Damn, dude, that was actually funny.
“Full Tilt and Proletariat are shining lights in the block, but I can still make five steps out of your business and buy crack, or “fresh steaks” off of someone on the street “
Dude that is not ghetto, that in convenience.