Our fave namesake sports team, The Rat City Rollergirls (RCRG), kicked off their 2010 season opener recently to raise money for various charities, including;

• Old Dog Haven, a small nonprofit group using a network of foster parents to provide a loving safe home for abandoned senior dogs.
• The Pin Up Angels, who send care packages to our deployed servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
• The Lambert House, a center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning youth that encourages empowerment through the development of leadership, social and life skills.
• Fisher House, who supports military and their families while recovering from illness or injury.

The first bout of the season Jan. 31st was an exhibition bout, which was set up like a mini-tournament. Our own Bart Bryan and Mark Neuman braved the dangerous sidelines of the bout to shoot this video, which was edited by Gina Bourdage:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was a bout RCRG played for charities, and will not count toward their regular season team standings; however, at the end of the night the standings were

1. Sockit Wenches
2. Grave Danger
3. Throttle Rockets
4. Derby Liberation Front

Here are the points:

• Period 1, 1st Players:  TR 62, SW 97
• Period 1, 2nd Players:  GD 88, DLF 51
• Period 2, Grudge Match:  TR 97, DLF 43
• Period 2, Champs:  GD 66, SW 70

On March 6th, the RCRG set new records with attendance reaching 5,158 fans, the top attendance for a modern roller derby bout, packed KeyArena to watch the first regular home bout of season 6.

The Throttle Rockets smashed the skates of Derby Liberation Front, while Grave Danger drew first blood against the Sockit Wenches. Word on the street (direct from KeyArena folks), is that Rat City Rollergirl fans drink more beer than ANY sporting event at KeyArena! For more information and tickets visit www.ratcityrollergirls.com.

Ever wonder what it takes to be a Rat City Roller Girl? It’s more than a pair of skates and some lip gloss. To even be considered you need to commit to three 2-hours practices a week, work six committee hours a month and “Have a ton of chutzpah, sweat, determination, and a nice smile” just to name a few.

Beyond the eye-catching outfits these girls take some serious hits. Don’t believe us? Just check out the Hall Of Pain section of their website (there is a reason a disclaimer is posted to this page, this is no joke).

RCRG’s next bout is Saturday, April 10th, with Derby Liberation Front vs. Grave Danger, and Sockit Wenches vs. Throttle Rockets.

by Ralph Nichols

Burien City Council members agreed on Monday night (March 8th) to consider a resolution expressing to residents of northern North Highline (aka White Center) the city’s interest in eventually annexing this unincorporated area.

The formal resolution will include wording that declares “the Burien City Council intends to advance annexation in [north North Highline] as soon as reasonably possible after successfully completing the annexation [of south North Highline].”

The green "Area Y" section is what Burien might go after.

This is the initial draft wording for the “Now therefore” conclusion of the proposed resolution that City Manager Mike Martin and council members agreed on during Monday night’s discussion of Burien’s possible annexation of the remaining North Highline unincorporated area.

Only Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, who also opposed the annexation of south North Highline, demurred.

Burien council members will consider the resolution, which will be drafted by Martin, at their March 22 meeting.

Voters of south North Highline approved in August annexation by Burien. The annexation of that area becomes effective on April 1.

In the meantime, the city of Seattle has expressed renewed interest in annexing the north North Highline unincorporated area.

The proposed resolution is a response, in part, to requests by some north North Highline residents for a display of interest by Burien in their unincorporated area, to assure residents there that they have an alternative to annexation by Seattle.

Additional details will follow.

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, along with other public safety officials, will be giving a special presentation on Tuesday, March 9th from 6pm – 8pm at the South Park Community Center, just down the hill from White Center.

The purpose of this meeting is to address area safety issues, especially gang activity.

Sheriff Rahr will be joined by Jaime Mendez from Univision Seattle TV and La Voz de Washington radio, along with other local gang prevention specialists to talk to Latino families in the community about keeping their kids out of gangs. King County Deputy and Burien Police Officer Joe Gagliardi, a regional expert on gangs and gang activity, will give a visual presentation that will be simultaneously translated for the audience by Mendez.

Mendez, a local Latino radio and television news personality, is also the voice and face of a series of Spanish language radio and television commercials that the Sheriff’s Office has been running which identify the signs of gang involvement that families need to look for.

“We have to make an effort to talk to every community – and language and culture cannot be our excuse not to reach out and do something,” notes Sheriff Rahr.

The Sheriff’s Office E-911 Communications Center can answer many foreign language calls and refer callers to available translators who can help. The Latino community effort is made possible by federal gang prevention funding generated by Washington State congressional delegation members, including Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Jim McDermott. The Sheriff intends to expand this project to other communities where English is a second language for adults in the family home.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sheriff Sue Rahr and other public safety officials will discuss gang activity in South Park.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 9th from 6pm – 8pm.

WHERE: South Park Community Center, located at 8319 8th Ave South.

INFO: From a press release:

Keep Your Family and Community Safe!

The King County Sheriff’s Office invites residents of South Park to an important event at the South Park Community Center. Gang activity is increasing and dangerous to your family, and especially to your children. Come to this special event to learn how to keep your kids from becoming involved in gangs. Meet police officers who are here to help your family in the community. Experts will be presenting information and knowledge about how gangs operate and what you can do to keep them away from your neighborhood.

Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: South Park Community Center

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr and other public safety officials ask that you attend this special presentation to learn from experts on gangs and listen to answers to these questions:

• How serious is the gang problem in South Park?
• What can parents do to keep children away from the influence and pressure of gang involvement?
• What are the signs that tell you when gangs are active in your community?
• What can the residents of South Park do to help the Sheriff’s deputies to keep gangs out of their neighborhood?

The King County Sheriff understands your concerns about persons being asked to show documentation of their immigration status. This gang awareness and prevention event is only about keeping your family and community safe. No questions about personal identification will be asked of those who attend this special presentation. Your participation is essential to making this occasion successful, so these amenities will be provided at no cost:

• Food and beverages
• Games and care for small children.
• Fun activities for teenagers.

The City of Burien will be conducting a special census of the newly-annexed southern portion of the North Highline area between March 12th and April 25th.

This area, which contains approximately 14,100 residents, officially becomes part of Burien April 1st. Residents approved annexation during the August 18, 2009 election.

As part of the annexation process, the City is required to conduct a special census of all housing units. Households in the annexation area will be visited by a census worker wearing a fluorescent vest and a City of Burien identification badge between March 12 and April 25, 2010.

The only information required in this census is the names of all individuals residing in a household. Annexation residents may also provide this census information directly, at any time after March 12th, by calling the Burien Census Hotline (available 24 hours a day) at 1-800-635-6594.

From what we understand, this work is actually being contracted through a company called Calm River, which, according to their website:

Calm River Demographics focuses on providing comprehensive census, demographic and mapping solutions for cities, counties, non-profits, universities, libraries, healthcare and human service organizations.

According to the city:

Any information provided will be held confidential. Cooperating with this special annexation census ensures that the City of Burien receives a full share of state funds allotted for essential public services.

This special annexation census is in addition to the U.S. Census conducted by the federal Census Bureau later this spring in which residents will receive a 10-question census form in the mail. More information about the federal census is available at http://2010.census.gov.

Residents should be aware that neither census will require them to provide their social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account information or pay any fees. Residents should not provide such details to anyone who claims to be a census worker and asks for this kind of information. Legitimate census workers will have identification badges with a phone number that residents can call if they would like to verify their identities.

Residents may contact the City at (206) 241-4647 with questions or concerns.