…and we have proof in this photo of our patented SeaTac Blog Digital Weather Thingy®, taken at 2:34pm today:

The high at SeaTac Airport today was 90 degrees, and yes, we’re very proud that it was .3 degrees warmer at our place.

We hope everyone enjoyed this brief taste of summer. Tomorrow should be considerably cooler.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Spring…

SEATAC – A renowned Asian antiquities expert, indicted in Los Angeles in connection with a federal investigation into illegal trafficking of pilfered Southeast Asian art, has died in custody at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac.

Roxanna Brown, the director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University in Thailand, was found dead around 2:30 a.m., said FDC spokeswoman Maggie Ogden.

Brown was arrested at her hotel last Friday as she prepared to have dinner with colleagues from the University of Washington, where she was scheduled to speak Saturday, according to news reports.

Ogden said the cause of Brown’s death is under investigation. Brown had complained of being ill after her arrest and her scheduled appearance before a U.S. magistrate Monday was postponed because she didn’t feel well. Emily Langlie, the spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle, said Brown was able to appear in court Tuesday and that her extradition to Los Angeles to answer the charges was pending.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Johns, the Los Angeles prosecutor heading the illegal antiquities investigation, said Brown was “one of many targets” of the probe. He declined to say how her death would affect the investigation.

Brown, 62, who lived in Bangkok, was indicted on a single count of wire fraud for allegedly allowing her electronic signature to be used on appraisal forms of items donated to museums. Those appraisals, according to court documents, were inflated so that the donors could claim fraudulent tax deductions.

SOURCE:

• The Seattle Times

Do you get anxious in social situations?

Are you emotionally drained by big crowds?

Then you may be shy, like the young man actor Dick York (the original Darrin Stevens in “Bewitched“) portrayed in this classic 1950s-era film:

According to speaker and shyness expert Frank Selden, the good news is that shy people have some fantastic qualities they can access to transform to more social people.

Selden will share his secrets for shedding shyness during his “From Super Shy to Genuinely Gregarious” presentation at the special Thursday evening, May 29th, Des Moines Soundwaves Toastmasters 7pm meeting.

This free presentation is open to the public at the Wesley Homes Administration Building-Board Room, 21631 11th Avenue South, which is located across from City Hall in Des Moines, WA.

Selden knows from experience what it’s like to be shy. “Before Toastmasters I was scared to talk to people. I wanted to get to know people and wanted people to know me, but couldn’t do it. Now you can’t get me to be quiet!” he stated.

His “From Super Shy to Genuinely Gregarious,” presentation offers four steps for feeling more comfortable and adventurous in social situations.

An estate and tax-planning attorney based in Bellevue, WA, Selden has achieved the status of Advanced Toastmaster Gold through his membership in Toastmasters International. Selden is also the author of “Finding Faith in the Fury,” a non-fiction account of his experience as a Jag officer with the Washington National Guard while stationed in Iraq.

Toastmasters International, headquartered in Mission Viejo, CA, is a non-profit organization comprised of a worldwide network of clubs dedicated to fostering self-confidence and personal growth through public speaking and leadership opportunities.

Contact Lorylee Lejon at 253-839-9982 for more information.

WHAT: “From Super Shy to Genuinely Gregarious” presentation by Frank Selden

WHEN: Thursday, May 29th at 7pm

WHERE: Des Moines Toastmasters, at Wesley Homes Administration Building-Board Room, 21631 11th Avenue South

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A SeaTac man was arrested in a major drug bust Friday in Burien.

Rigoberto Sabalsa-Lozano, 43,  was manager of a Burien restaurant called the El Flamingo, which apparently served as headquarters for a major drug operation.

A 10-month investigation by a law enforcement team, dubbed Operation “Pink Tiger,” resulted in several arrests and the seizure of about 40 pounds of cocaine, a pound of heroin, guns, methamphetamine and about $240,000 in cash.

The operation was a joint effort carried out by the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Six suspects were arrested late Thursday and charged today with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. The arrests bring to 17 the total number of defendants charged in the case. One charged defendant remains a fugitive.

The operation took it’s name from the original target of the probe, who went by the nickname “Tigre,” and the fact that cocaine was wrapped in distinctive pink cellophane.

The first arrests and indictments in the case occurred in late March 2008, with the arrest of 10 people for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.

This investigation used court-authorized wiretaps, which were left in place even after the first round of arrests. The wiretaps lead to additional evidence which resulted in the additional arrests.

Last night, law enforcement executed seven search warrants and seized more than 16 kilos of cocaine, three guns and more than $203,000 in cash. Four cars also were seized.

An additional person was arrested for involvement in the drug conspiracy, but later was released when he was found to be a juvenile.

Eight search warrants were served on March 25, which resulted in ten arrests, seizure of two kilos of cocaine and a pound of heroin. In addition law enforcement seized three guns, eight cars and $40,000 in cash.

The drug-trafficking organization was based in Burien and had direct ties to Sinaloa, Mexico, said Special Agent-in-Charge Arnold R. Moorin.

“The organization was large, well-established and was distributing more than 30 kilograms of cocaine per month in the greater Seattle area, Moorin said.

Domingo Bailon-Yanez, 30, of Burien, was identified as the alleged leader of that distribution ring. El Flamingo Restaurant is owned by a relative of Bailon-Yanez, and both the manager of the restaurant, Rigoberto Sabalsa-Lozano, 43, of SeaTac, and bartender Carla Rodriguez-Romero, 26, of Kent, have been charged in the case.

Conspiracy to distribute the amounts of drugs involved in this case is punishable by a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison and a $4 million fine.

Use of a juvenile to facilitate a drug crime can add an enhancement to the sentencing range, under federal law.

SOURCE:

• KOMO News

Come July 25th, shoppers and diners will be able to admire Mt. Rainier through a 90-foot glass facade while eating inside the $240 million remodeled Westfield Southcenter mall.

The addition brings the mall to 1.7 million square feet, making Tukwila the home of the largest indoor shopping center in Washington and Oregon, according to the Westfield Group, the company that bought the property in 2002.

The 400,000-square-foot upgrade is the most dramatic change to Southcenter since it opened in July 1968.

Among the mall’s new features will be an AMC Theatre with IMAX capabilities, 75 additional retail stores and five restaurants with outdoor seating:

• Joeys
• Duke’s Chowder House
• Blue C Sushi
• Racha Thai & Asian Bistro
• BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse

New retailers include:

• H&M
• Coach
• Banana Republic
• Sephora
• White House | Black Market

“Retail is what it’s all about,” said Larry Green, Westfield’s senior vice president of West Coast development, adding that Southcenter is “taking the level of fashion up another level.”

Other additions include parking garages, rooftop parking and family lounge play areas for kids and parents.

On Thursday, Westfield passed out hard hats and safety goggles to a group of reporters who toured the construction site, including the SeaTac Blog’s own Mark Neuman, who said it was “very impressive.”

Construction crew members operated two cranes within the atrium. The air inside was dusty, the floor was mostly unfinished and unadorned signs hung where stores will be: Kay Jewelers, Hot Topic, Limited Too.

The mall’s new layout will resemble a racetrack, with three connecting walkways into the existing section. The addition sits in front of the older section, giving the building an entire new front.

Andrew Ciarrocchi, Westfield senior general manager, noted that more than 1,000 pilings driven 180 feet into the ground support the new shopping structure. The old section will be spruced up with better lighting, new storefronts and fresh paint.

The Westfield executives’ statements Thursday didn’t match what retailers seem to be feeling nationwide.

In a recent survey by American Express, for example, business owners in the retail industry had the most negative outlook on the economy, compared with other industries. Retail business owners cited a downturn in the housing market, rising energy and gas costs, and the U.S. tax system as the main causes for their woes, according to American Express OPEN’s Small Business Monitor, a semiannual survey of business owners. The nationwide survey was conducted in March.

Green said that Westfield is concerned about what is going on nationally, but that the Seattle region has a healthy level of demand for new retail.

But “we’d like to see gas prices drop,” he said.

Westfield Southcenter is one of several regional retail centers that are expanding. Other developers have said the Puget Sound retail market is not yet saturated.

Retailers were lining up to be a part of Southcenter, but the center didn’t have the space to accommodate them previously, Ciarrocchi said. The center wouldn’t have expanded if it wasn’t sure that it could lease the space, he added, when asked whether the economy has affected leasing.

Westfield’s new space is 100 percent leased, but all the new tenants have not yet been announced.

SOURCE:

• The Seattle P-I