(Leaves along Harbor Avenue SW; photo by David Hutchinson)
It’s an unpaid-furlough day for many Seattle Parks workers, and that means most community-center programs aren’t in operation today, nor are swimming pools including Southwest Pool or environmental-learning centers including Camp Long … Interested in “green jobs”? There’s a forum today at Greenbridge presented by the Got Green? project, as a possible prelude to job training – noon-2 pm … Tonight’s the big event for West Seattle Democratic Women‘s weeklong celebration of the centennial of Washington women’s right to vote, 6 pm at West Seattle Golf Course (history-evoking costumes welcome!), tickets $25, contact WSDW at 206-935-3216 or wsdwomen@yahoo.com … Also tonight: Second-to-last performance of the West Seattle High School student presentation “12 Angry People,” 7:30 pm, same time as the first of two performances for Seattle Lutheran High School‘s fall drama “The Odd Couple” … Two holiday events, the Bella Nouveau European Day & Medical Spa open house 4-7 pm, 4204 SW Oregon, and a holiday bazaar at Providence Mount St. Vincent, 10 am-4 pm – details in this WSB Forums post … And tonight at 9, Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) hosts the CD listening party for Post-Modern Heroes, kickoff to an event-filled weekend (more here) …

5 notes tonight – no relation except that they’re all West Seattle, of course:

BRIGHT HORIZONS TO LINK: When we took you on a sneak peek tour of Link (38th/Alaska/Fauntleroy) earlier this fall, we noted that 12,500 square feet of the building’s commercial space is slated for a day-care center, though its operator had not yet been publicly identified. Now, as Diane posted in the WSB Forums, the national/international Bright Horizons is acknowledging that they’re the tenant. Emi McKittrick of Harbor Properties (developer of Link) confirms it and says the official media announcement is yet to come – we’ll publish more details when they’re available. The building is expected to be ready to occupy early next spring. Meantime, a few miles south:

35TH AND GRAHAM: Several people have e-mailed to ask about “the construction” at this High Point corner. It’s not construction. As first reported here back in June, it’s a “petroleum contamination” cleanup – there’s still a development proposal for the site, but nothing’s advanced with it lately.

JUNEAU STREET MARKET: So much for the people who told us they were “remodeling” —

Thanks to multiple WSB’ers who sent word of spotting the “For Lease” signs in the past two days. This store was closed for 8 months after a fire in the apartment above it – then reopened this past spring, but apparently couldn’t make a go of it. Now, to the water …

FISHING IN WEST SEATTLE WATERS: For the third consecutive autumn, someone has sent a photo after spotting the Quandary seine-fishing off our shores. This one’s from Bob Bollen, shared this morning. Bikehugger‘s DL Byron posted a photo on Flickr showing two boats in action, including the Quandary on the right. (The 2009 photo is here; 2008 is here.)

Last but by no means least:

SOUTH SEATTLE CC PRESIDENT @ WEST SEATTLE CHAMBER LUNCH: Took the photo at lunchtime Wednesday, as South Seattle Community College president Gary Oertli (left, with Chamber board president and fellow Chief Sealth graduate Jerome Cohen) talked to the WS Chamber’s monthly lunch meeting at Salty’s on Alki. We also covered his appearance at last week’s Southwest District Council meeting, and he shared many of the same SSCC datapoints with the Chamber membership. But what’s important to note here is the Chamber’s growing collaboration with SSCC – what it sees as one of West Seattle’s key resources. P.S. Big event coming up next Monday at the college’s main campus on Puget Ridge – the fall wine release – 5-7 pm, you can taste, you can buy, you can see where SSCC’s famous wines are made. Then next Wednesday, Oertli speaks to the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s weekly meeting (7 am November 17th, Be’s Restaurant).

(Monday photo by David Rosen of SlickPixPhotography. Read more about West Seattle’s latest pup sightings at Seal Sitters‘ “blubberblog” site)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: 2 neighborhood meetings tonight, both at 7 pm – Fauntleroy Community Association at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9141 California SW), and Admiral Neighborhood Association at Admiral UCC Church (California/Hill) … After the grand-opening-eve celebration, today’s the real opening day for Tuscan Tea Room and Romanza Floral in The Junction (4521 California SW) …. Fall sports banquet at Chief Sealth International High School tonight, 6 pm … Free remodeling/custom-home workshop tonight at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), 5458 California SW, RSVP to 206-932-3009 … High Point Library (35th/Raymond) invites you to a Poetry Workshop at 6:30 tonight, call 206-615-1637 to register … Special workshop tonight at SoundYoga (WSB sponsor), Restorative Yoga with Milo Minnis, 6:30 pm … At Senior Center of West Seattle, “Matter of Balance” begins weekly classes at 1 pm – reduce the risk of falling – free but call 206-932-4044 ext #1 to register … We’ve reported multiple times lately on the new Duwamish River cleanup-alternatives report; learn more about it in a workshop tonight in South Park, SP Neighborhood Center (8201 10th Ave. S.), 5:30, RSVP to contact@duwamishcleanup.org, since dinner’s included.

From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: SODO driver alert – 4th Avenue South closes at (lower) Spokane Street tonight and tomorrow night, 11 pm-5 am, for work on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project; SB detour is at Horton, NB detour goes up Spokane to 6th … Lafayette Elementary‘s Sports Swap to raise money for playground renovations is this weekend, so you can drop off sports items for donations or consignment at the school (2645 California SW) today, 3-5 pm (look for a longer WSB story later today on the playground project, which just launched a Facebook page) … Southwest Pool has a food drive under way, and you can swim free if you bring a donation today (from the Fall Brochure) … Skate at Alki Community Center! Only 2 chances to do it this month, and tonight’s one of them, 6:45-8:45 pm … At the Duwamish Longhouse: Mike ‘didahalqid’ Evans shares traditional native stories associated with Duwamish locations, 7-8:30 pm, $5 students/seniors, $10 adults. Come early 5-7 PM for $3 frybread … High-school football: Chief Sealth International High School hosts Lakeside at 4 pm, Seattle Lutheran hosts Rainier Christian at 7 pm.

Just in case you haven’t been over-reminded yet: Daylight Saving Time is in its waning hours for this year; early Sunday – aka Saturday night – we’ll turn the clock back an hour (2 am Sunday becomes 1 am). Lost track of time? Find the official U.S. clock here.

Two events previewed here in recent days are happening tonight. First, “Dine Out to Remember the Fallen,” raising money for the Lakewood Police Memorial, has lots of West Seattle participants, as outlined here (along with specifics on how they are participating – proceeds from food sales, drink sales, both, etc.), and concludes with an all-star jam at 8 pm at Bamboo Bar and Grill on Alki (latest on that here) … Another fundraiser happening tonight: West Seattle Helpline‘s fall benefit, 6 pm, Salty’s on Alki (previewed here last month) … Also tonight, the West Seattle High School Drama Club‘s fall production “12 Angry People” premieres for the first of its six-performance run, 7:30 pm (ticket details and a video clip are part of the preview we published here) … The freeform Ecstatic Dance comes to West Seattle starting tonight, 7:30 pm, VFW Hall – read about it here … Youngstown Cultural Arts Center hosts a special event with teenagers exploring the issue of climate change, 6:30 pm, all invited (full details here) … In The Junction, West Seattle jewelry designer Dave Sheely has a trunk show at knows perfume, 6-9 pm (Facebook event page here), and CAPERS hosts “Girlfriends’ Night Out” with West Seattle author Cynthia Nims signing her new book “Gourmet Game Night“ (and more), also 6-9 pm … More on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar!

Looking ahead: King County Elections says it’ll count about 45,000 more ballots for its second release of results, due out around 4:30 pm today (our coverage from last night is here, here and here) … In West Seattle, tonight’s big meeting is the Southwest District Council, with a very busy agenda, including presentations about RapidRide (which Morgan Community Association heard about last month), the Duwamish River cleanup, and the much-discussed petition regarding low-flying aircraft. The public’s always welcome at meetings of the SWDC, whose members represent community councils and other major organizations/institutions around western West Seattle (the Delridge District Council, same thing for the eastern peninsula, meets in mid-month) – be at the South Seattle Community College board room (campus map here; the building with the board room is detailed here) at 7 pm … Tonight’s nightlife includes trivia at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) at 6:45 pm, open mike at 9.

Tonight’s the deadline to mail or drop off your ballot – as mentioned here; then at about 8:15 pm, the first big batch of election returns will be in (with weeks of counting to follow). Also tonight: the Southwest Seattle Historical Society celebrates its new book “Images of America: West Seattle” – join the party (and get the book!) at 6:30 pm at Zeeks Pizza in Morgan Junction … Dream Dinners (WSB sponsor) has an open house tonight for you to sample their November menu, 5:30-7 pm, call 206-938-5999 to RSVP … If you’re driving the Alaskan Way Viaduct today between commute times, traffic alert: The far left northbound lane is scheduled to be closed daily through Friday, 9 am-3 pm, Holgate-Massachusetts, for rail repair … More on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.

(Photo by Danny McMillin – recent Alki sunset, but reminded us of the promise of sunrise)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

TRAFFIC ALERT: Westbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed tonight, 10 pm-5 am.

EARLY DISMISSAL DAY FOR SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Two hours early; here’s the district’s list of important dates with reminders on this and other upcoming schedule changes. P.S. One special activity today because of the early dismissal – High Point Library offers “Game On for Teens,” 3-5 pm.

SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS: West Seattle’s school board rep Steve Sundquist is at Delridge Library, 11 am-12:30 pm, for one of his periodic community chats; the West Seattle High School PTSA meets at 7 pm tonight in the school library.

MAJOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS TONIGHT: At the top of the list, community meeting #3 for the West Seattle Golf Course Driving Range. Meeting #1 (August report) proposed a site with so many drawbacks, it was scrapped by meeting #2 (September report), which stirred anger from some golfers because the new potential site might require changes to the current course. What will be proposed tonight? Be at the golf course clubhouse, 7 pm … Right before that meeting, the West Seattle Triangle Advisory Group of local community and business leaders meets at 5:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle – they’ll look at the “right-of-way design concepts” that project architects presented to the Seattle Design Commission 2 weeks ago … The agenda for Highland Park Action Committee‘s monthly meeting (7 pm, HP Improvement Club) includes a Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition rep (big news for the river lately, as we reported in coverage of the recent Sustainable West Seattle forum) and discussion of a possible new name for the group.

DIALOGUE ON PUBLIC TRUST: CityClub’s Community Matters Campaign comes to West Seattle for a discussion about public trust – what does it mean? why does it matter? 6:30 pm, Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle). Register online here.

(L-R: SW Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen and Blockwatch Captains Network leaders Deb Greer, Deanie Schwarz, Karen Berge at Oct. 14th awards ceremony)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: 2 weeks after receiving a Community Builder Award from the Seattle Neighborhood Group, the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meets again – Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn will be the guest; agenda highlights here. Check WSBCN out on Facebook here, on the Web here, and at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) at 6:30 pm … Toddler Open Gym is a new Tuesday morning feature (9 am-11 am) at Limber Yoga in The Junction … Classic-film fan? Merrill Gardens at West Seattle (WSB sponsor; 4611 35th SW) screens “The Maltese Falcon” in the on-site theater at 1 pm, free … Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool for the Arts has its grand-opening celebration tonight, as previewed here last weekend, 5:30-7 pm at the new WSUU church (7141 California SW) … Still Life Painting at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm, bring your own materials, all skill levels welcome … Rock trivia at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) has a bonus tonight (the calendar explains) … Want to tell the City Council something in person regarding the city budget? Tonight’s your last chance – the public hearing’s at City Hall downtown, 5:30 pm (signups at 5) … And even more, on the calendar!

From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, three notes for tonight: As noted again here over the weekend, two West Seattle projects in the final running for Opportunity Fund money from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy need a show of support tonight at the citywide public hearing. It’s on Capitol Hill, but this is the only hearing of its kind before a decision’s made how this round of funding will be spent. 7 pm (speaker signups at 6), Miller Community Center (here’s a map)… Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson returns to the peninsula for a “coffee chat” at West Seattle Elementary, 6-7 pm, part of a citywide tour … At Holy Rosary School Hall (4152 42nd SW) tonight at 6:30 pm, the author of a new children’s book called “The Pesky Peanut” (about peanut allergies), Katie Corl, appears at a “Book Talk” presented by West Seattle Family Zone. More on the calendar!

More from the WSB Events calendar for the rest of today (wondering about the forecast? here’s the latest): As previewed here again yesterday, the Admiral Theater movie benefit for Sofia Goff and family is at 11 … The West Seattle Eagles invite you to come shop at their holiday bazaar, 11 am-5 pm … Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation celebrates the official dedication of their new church in Gatewood with a service including dozens of ministers and the president of the denomination, 7 pm tonight … Seattle Slam wheelchair rugby/aboutQR.cfm starts at 11:30 am at Southwest Community Center … And the Southwest Library artists’ showcase starts today; the library’s open 1-5 pm.

(Opposite of this morning’s fog – Tuesday’s sun over the Duwamish, by Danny McMillin)
Quick look at tonight’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Both candidates in both major local races (King County Council, State House #2) are expected at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council candidates’ forum at Greenbridge YWCA, doors open 6 pm … School events: Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) welcomes prospective students/parents to Open House night, 6:30-8 pm … Seattle Lutheran High School also has an Open House starting at 6:30 pm … At Chief Sealth International High School, it’s International Baccalaureate Night, 6-8 pm, to learn about the college-prep program … The big annual Bordeaux, Bites and Boogie event for West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is at Herban Feast‘s Sodo Park, 5-10 pm … The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) screens movies tonight and tomorrow at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater (full Admiral schedule here) … Two neighborhood councils meet tonight: 6:45 pm at Westside Presbyterian Church, it’s the Genesee Schmitz Neighborhood Council, 7 pm at Alki UCC Church, it’s the Alki Community Council – follow the GSNC and ACC links for agenda highlights.