Normandy Park Blog

The Seattle Times has an interesting article today about a couple in neighboring Des Moines who’ve had their home-based swingers sex parties shut down by the city.

Apparently neighbors complained, cops “investigated” (undercover perhaps? or should we say undercovers…) then the city threatened them with a $513 per day fine for “running a business from their home.”

They called their ongoing sex parties the “Hardwood Cabin” and promoted it online at HardWoodCabin.com, which of course is no longer active (we know you’re going to check it but trust us, there’s nothing there now but an “Account suspended” notice but we’ll wait while you copy and paste the URL in…).

Okay, done checking it now?

On the bright side – at least we now know what the source of those strange sounds were that were emanating from south of NP.

Full story here.

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The tragic apartment fire that killed three in Burien early Sunday has been determined as being arson, and a $10,000 reward has been set for information leading to an arrest.

Lots of generous Readers have been asking how they can help the victims, and here’s what we recommend for now since relief efforts are still developing:

• Donate online directly to a “Burien Apartment Fire” fund courtesy the American Red Cross. The Red Cross website says:

“Help the Red Cross provide food, shelter and hope to the victims of the Burien Apartment fire. All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. By making a gift to this fund, your gift will be used to provide assistance to individuals and families affected by the fire. If you would prefer to make a gift to support the thousands of disasters the Red Cross responds to each year across the country, please select the National Disaster Relief Fund. If you wish to support disaster relief in our local community, please select the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties Fund.”

• Donate by phone: With a credit card, you can make a secure Red Cross donation over the phone weekdays between 8:30am – 5:00pm by dialing (206) 323-2345.  Make sure and specify that the donation goes toward the “Burien Apartment Fire”.
• Donate by snail mail: Send a check or money order to the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties with “Burien Apartment Fire” in the Memo Field and mail it to:

Seattle Red Cross
P.O. Box 3097
Seattle, WA 98114-3097

• As of today, here are local businesses that are accepting donated goods for the fire victims:
  • Sterling Savings Bank, located at 224 SW 152nd Street in downtown Burien is accepting and holding donations; contact number is (206) 243-6869
  • Collins Chiropractic, located at 619 SW 152nd in downtown Burien is accepting and holding donations; contact Lindsay at (206) 242-0998

NOTE: Until we gather more info on the victims, we recommend that our Readers either donate cash directly to the Red Cross, or purchase Gift Cards to local businesses and drop them off at either Sterling Savings or Collins Chiropractic.

Until we know specific needs and sizes we recommend NOT donating clothing yet – stick to either cash or Gift Cards for now.

If you own a business, or are a Reader who wishes to help, please email us – our goal is to serve as the online resource for assisting our neighbors in need, and this effort is only just beginning.

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WHITE CENTER – The 16-year old boy who fatally shot a White Center man during a burglary attempt last fall plead guilty this morning to second-degree murder.

Jonathan Newman was originally charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court shortly after the slaying of Craig Hoffman, 46. But the case was remanded to adult court Monday after King County prosecutors agreed to charge the boy with second-degree murder in exchange for the guilty plea.

Sentencing was scheduled for June 13. Prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of up to 23 years in prison.

Andrea Mathison, Hoffman’s sister, was in court this morning when Newman pleaded guilty. She said she was pleased the teen’s plea meant the case would not go to trial.

“He admitted what he did was wrong,” said Hoffman, of Lakewood, Pierce County. “That part is very comforting.”

According to charging papers, Newman, who was 15 at time, and two other teens saw Hoffman drive away from his home the morning of Oct. 19. Newman entered the house through an open garage and then let the other two boys in through the front door. When Hoffman returned a short time later the boys raced out of the house with stolen items in hand, court documents said.

Deputy Prosecutor Amy Montgomery said Newman shot Hoffman as the homeowner was chasing the teens off his property.

The two other teens have pleaded guilty in juvenile court and had agreed to testify against Newman.

SOURCE:

• The Seattle Times

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