West Seattle, Washington
16 Tuesday
(State Ecology Department photo from spill scene)
2:37 AM: A cleanup is under way this morning on Harbor Island after a Union Pacific locomotive spilled 600 gallons of diesel fuel, according to the state Ecology Department. The state got word of the spill at 7:40 last night and says the diesel fuel “spilled to the gravel railroad bed when the engine and two rail cars went off the track.” Responders – also including Seattle Public Utilities and the U.S. Coast Guard – don’t think any of the spilled fuel went into the water. They think the locomotive was carrying about 1,500 gallons of fuel; the diesel that didn’t spill was removed by a vacuum truck, according to a news release from Ecology, which says UP has hired NRC Environmental Services for the cleanup. The Coast Guard says the two rail cars were carrying cement ash. Investigators are working to find out why the train derailed; no word of any injuries.
4:50 AM: Ecology spokesperson Dieter Bohrmann tells WSB that Union Pacific and NRC “kept a skeleton crew at the site” overnight, and are hoping to “get equipment in place to put the engine car back on the rails around 7 a.m., so crews could access the ground directly below the locomotive and determine any further cleanup actions needed.”
With the official start of summer just hours away, we’re looking ahead to this weekend’s festival schedule – starting with the Morgan Junction Community Festival (presented by the Morgan Community Association, co-sponsored by businesses including WSB), in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW) on Saturday, 10:30 am-7 pm, with live music, kids’ activities, and food, plus cool neighbors to meet. 
Food at the Morgan Junction Community Festival is a little different than your average festival – once again this year, they’re featuring the “Bite of Morgan,” which involves a free coupon book you get at the info booth in the park – first come, first serve! – to take around to nearby establishments. Festival volunteer Kate Gill de la Garza sends the updated final list of participants – nine this year, the most ever! – Abbondanza Pizzeria, Caffe Ladro, Domino’s Pizza, Feedback Lounge, Kokoras Greek Grill, Meander’s Kitchen, Pet Elements (doggie-treat bites), Windermere Real Estate, Zeeks Pizza. (And for a full-meal deal, buy lunch at the barbecue tent outside West Seattle Thriftway – all proceeds go to the festival fund.) As for music and performances, here’s the latest lineup; highlights include The Bubbleman at 11:15 am, the Tongan Choir at 4:15 pm, and lots of music before and after, including cover rockers Offenders at 6:15 pm to wrap up the festival, which runs 10:30 am-7 pm. More info in last week’s preview – see it here!
Tonight we have two reports that WSB’ers wanted to share with you – first one involves a ransacked car; second one, a mom who says someone was behaving suspiciously as she and her children passed – read on for both:Read More
Thanks to city Skatepark Advisory Council chair Ryan Barth for giving us permission to republish that photo, which shows a milestone for under-construction Delridge Skatepark: Concrete is now being poured! The skatepark at Genesee/Delridge – designed and being built by West Seattle-based Grindline – is tentatively set for dedication on September 17th, in conjunction with the Delridge Day festival.
So far the forecast looks great – finally! (cross your fingers) – for NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen‘s 
summer-solstice-sunset-watching event tomorrow night at Solstice Park (uphill from the tennis courts across from the north end of Lincoln Park – scroll down this story for the map on Alice’s site). Sunset is at 9:11 pm; get there by 8:45 to get a good spot and talk with Alice (here’s our story, with video, from her spring-equinox event). If the forecast holds true, this will break Alice’s string of consecutive sunless solstice/equinox events at 8. (2010 winter-solstice photo of Alice and sungazer, by Jason Gift Enevoldsen)
(4:55 pm view from the “live” construction-site webcam looking south at front of store)
As the new Admiral Safeway gets closer to completion, we have been checking with Sara Osborne from the project team to ask about any changes. August 12th remains the scheduled store-opening date, she tells WSB. The new commercial building on the northwest side of the site still has only one officially signed tenant, Umpqua Bank, but Osborne says, “There is considerable interest.”
Safeway also has a few community initiatives coming up: More than 20 West Seattle-area employees will join the playground-building party this Saturday (June 25) at Lafayette Elementary across the street from the new store. Osborne says, “Safeway will be providing refreshments and is also going to purchase a bench for the school’s Play It Forward fund.”
Safeway also plans to attend the West Seattle High School freshman orientation on August 31st, to “provide taste samples of nutritious lunch offerings for the students, as well as have an eScrip information booth.”
Last but not least, Osborne says, “We plan to host LEED tours right before the store opens. This means we will provide tours for interested groups who want to learn how a grocery store obtains LEED designation. If there are organized groups interested, please contact me at sara.osborne@safeway.com.”
(Photo by Mike Scharer, taken from Admiral Way Viewpoint during 7/4/2010 fireworks)
Quick note as midafternoon thoughts wander ahead to the next major holiday, exactly two weeks from today: Yes, there is an Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade again this year on Independence Day morning; here’s the story we published a week ago, with complete details – all kids welcome to join in! Fireworks? Once again, Seattle’s only display is over Lake Union – though it’s more visible from West Seattle than you might expect. (No, we didn’t chip in this year. We’re sponsoring even more West Seattle events instead.) Personal fireworks remain illegal in Seattle, but legal in the unincorporated King County area, including neighboring White Center.
We’ve received multiple photos today of an unsettling sight in West Seattle waters. The WSB’er who sent the photo above, showing Cormorant Cove Park off Beach Drive, wondered if it’s a spill. NO – not a spill. If you read WSB over the weekend, in fact, you probably already know it’s a bloom of microorganisms called noctiluca, according to Beach Drive resident Lura Ercolano, who answered a reader’s question over the weekend and shared a photo this morning:
Lura explains, “It is a beautiful, glowing, noctiluca bloom. They are single-celled creatures, and there may be more than normal this spring, or it might just be that we haven’t had big waves to disperse them.” We also received a Brace Point photo from Kathleen:
Here’s more information. Experts say noctiluca is NOT TOXIC so while you might just decide to keep away from it, you don’t have to. (Our archives show that something similar turned up in summer 2008.)
8:57 PM UPDATE: The Kitsap Sun reports that the state did a flyover this morning to take a look at the bloom.
Local neighborhood-organization leaders argued successfully to save it from last fall’s round of budget cuts – but now the West Seattle Junction Neighborhood Service Center (Alaska/42nd) is again slated for closure, according to a memo from the Department of Neighborhoods. This is part of almost $9 million in midyear budget cuts just unveiled by Mayor McGinn‘s office. From the memo by DON director Bernie Matsuno outlining more than $206,000 in cuts for the department:
… With these reductions, there are major staffing and programmatic impacts. We will be closing the West Seattle Neighborhood Service Center and moving operations into the Delridge facility. Although we believe this will not impact the community significantly (the Delridge facility is less than two miles away), NPIS staffing will be. We are losing funding for two, .5 FTE Customer Service Representatives (CSR) positions. Losing staff is never easy; we will do everything we can to support and assist staff as they seek other employment. The West Seattle facility will close on June 30.
The Junction center couldn’t stay open forever – it is on the site of the future Conner Homes development, which could start construction as soon as next winter. We are still reviewing the mayor’s plan to look for other West Seattle-specific cuts. This is the only West Seattle-specific cut listed in the presentation made to the Council Budget Committee this morning.
For the second weekend in a row, someone has reported being assaulted and robbed on Alki. As noted in our most recent edition of the WSBeat police-report roundup, two men told police they were attacked in the 2500 block of Alki SW early Sunday, June 12, and one man’s wallet was taken. Then around 2 am today, we heard a “strong-arm robbery” call on the scanner, at 59th/Alki – two blocks from the previous incident – and followed up with Seattle Police media-response unit Det. Mark Jamieson: He says witnesses called 911 to report seeing a “male victim … assaulted, robbed of (his) wallet and iPhone.” There are not many other details because the victim was “not really cooperative at the scene,” Det. Jamieson says, but after Seattle Fire checked him out, he was taken to Harborview Medical Center. We have a question out to the Southwest Precinct to ask if there’s any suspicion the two incidents are related, and we’ll update with any additional information we get.
If the King County Council doesn’t agree to charge a new $20 car-tab fee to go toward covering Metro’s budget gap, big bus-service cuts are ahead. So said King County Executive Dow Constantine at a media briefing this morning; here’s the official news release. The Legislature has given the county the authority to levy the fee – temporarily – but citywide media reports like this one from our partners at the Seattle Times indicate a majority of councilmembers might prefer to ask voters instead of making the decision themselves. Metro says it’s already making plans for cuts just in case – it says closing the gap would require cutting 17 percent of the entire system – and released documents last Friday including this one showing the routes/dayparts that would be considered for cuts. West Seattle’s county councilmember Joe McDermott is on record supporting the $20 fee (and quoted in the above-linked news release).
West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) starts 2 weeks from this Friday – summer’s biggest party in West Seattle, and it’s a three-day celebration as usual. The West Seattle Junction Association has announced a few more details today (we reported on the full music lineup last Friday): For one – the vendor list is now online; see it here. And Summer Fest is very “green” – besides the sustainability/garden expo Green Life, you’ll find Hack Cycle, described as “old bikes ‘upcycled’ into new bikes using human-powered power tools alone,” and a Zero Waste commitment – in partnership with Cedar Grove Composting, WSJA says, “All plates, utensils, beverage containers and napkins are either compostable or recyclable and volunteers will be staffing disposal stations to help festival goers deposit their used items in the proper containers to keep recyclables from becoming contaminated.”
Summer Fest hours will be 10 am-10 pm Friday (July 8), 10 am-midnight Saturday (July 9), 11 am-5 pm Sunday (July 10); the vendors close earlier on Friday and Saturday (6 pm and 8 pm, respectively). Keep an eye on wsjunction.org/summerfest for all the official lists and maps.
(From last night’s Art Car show at Feedback Lounge – more pix here)
The heart of summer is rushing this way – two weeks till the 4th of July; West Seattle Summer Fest starts two weeks from Friday … But first, a few highlights for today, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
LAST WEEK BEGINS FOR SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Elementary and K-8 schools’ final day is tomorrow; middle and high schools’ final day is Thursday.
AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: “The Moviegoer” by Walker Percy is this month’s book for the afternoon group at Southwest Library, which meets today, 2 pm.
FULL TILT ICE CREAM ANNIVERSARY, MATCHING DONATIONS: In honor of its 3rd anniversary, Full Tilt Ice Cream donates matching ice cream to the White Center Food Bank for everything bought today. They’re now open Mondays (2 pm-10 pm); here’s our story from last night.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY FORUM: That’s tonight’s topic, , as previewed here last night, with participants including Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours and Mountain to Sound Outfitters, and Patti Mullen of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 7-9 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).
FAMILY STORY TIME: The High Point Library (35th/Raymond) has a Family Story Time on Mondays at 7 pm! All families are welcome to enjoy songs, rhymes, games, and books with the children’s librarian.
MONDAY NIGHTLIFE: Bingo at Alki UCC church – doors open at 5:30 pm, games start at 6:30 pm (read more here) … Trivia with Tom Hutyler at Christo’s on Alki, 7 pm … Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 9 pm
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog/White Center Now editor
Three is a big number for White Center-founded Full Tilt Ice Cream.
It’s how many years they’ve been in business, as of tomorrow (Monday, June 20th).
It’s how many locations they have open – though that number will rise soon.
And it’s how many members there are in Full Tilt founders Justin Cline and Ann Magyar‘s household, as of baby Moss‘s arrival 4 months ago – which made today Justin’s first Father’s Day as a dad.
On Monday, Full Tilt celebrates its anniversary by matching all the ice cream you buy that day with an equivalent donation to the White Center Food Bank (which also serves West Seattle, from Gatewood south). It also marks the start of 7-day-a-week operation, since till now, they haven’t been open on Mondays.
But before moving ahead, a look back: June 20, 2008, White Center and block-away West Seattle didn’t really realize an ice-cream phenomenon had just launched in their midst.
Certainly Justin didn’t realize what was going to happen.
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
Thanks to Mark for an early pic of the Art Car roadshow, fresh off the Fremont Fair, now set up in the Feedback Lounge/Zeeks Pizza parking-lot area at California/Fauntleroy – we’re on our way for more photos. Free, fun, family-friendly (and, as Feedback proprietor Jeff Gilbert pointed out in his online preview – they all actually run!).
(Find out more about that one, created by Emily Duffy, at braball.com)
ADDED 9:23 PM: New photos, including at the very top. Here’s one with a message everyone can appreciate:
That’s from the Rev. Bill’s Bible Camp car, created by Charles Linville of Portland. More ahead:Read More
We have the scenery. We have the activities. We’re even about to have lodging. Is “sustainable tourism” another way to boost West Seattle’s economy? (And what constitutes “sustainable tourism,” anyway?) That topic’s on the table for tomorrow night’s Sustainable West Seattle community forum, and you are invited both to come hear about the idea and to share your thoughts. Guests include Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours and Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Patti Mullen of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and Heidi Siegelbaum and Steve Gersman of Calyx Sustainable Tourism – tomorrow, 7 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Throughout this spring, West Seattle has been in an unusual spotlight – making a regular appearance on the Seattle Police Department‘s SPD Blotter website, as the Aggressive Drivers Response Team reports citation totals from staking out speeding-rich spots such as the east Admiral Way hill, the West Seattle Bridge, or “I-35.”
Like this (May 27th).
And this (April 21st).
And then there was the 92 mph citation on the West Seattle Bridge.
When this started to become a frequent occurrence, we asked for the chance to ride along. Police ride-alongs are fairly routine news-media fodder, particularly in TV, but since your editor here had spent so many years as an office-dwelling manager/producer, the opportunity had never presented itself.
The SPD media-response unit accepted the request, and after some weeks of phone tag, one gray day last month, we finally got the ridealong.
Not entirely what we expected. But if you’re interested in details about how the ADRT works – plus the one video moment when our assigned officer chased and snagged a(n alleged) speeder – now we know what the Charger sounds like from inside! – read on:Read More
With days to go in this school year for Seattle Public Schools – elementaries and K-8s are out after Tuesday, middle and high schools are out after Thursday – the focus on next school year intensifies. After publishing citywide waitlist numbers a week ago, the district is keeping its promise of weekly updates. If you haven’t watched waitlists before, you might wonder whether they’re getting shorter or longer. Read on to see what happened with last week’s five longest West Seattle waitlists:Read More
(Salvaging fishing floats in Minamisanriku: MSNBC.com photo by Jim Seida, used with permission)
If you are a casual reader of world news, it might seem that there’s little reported about Japan, post-quake/tsunami, aside from the ongoing nuclear-power-plant-related concerns. But there’s much more going on, as the disaster’s effects, large and small, are addressed, as survivors fight their way back to something resembling the lives they once lived – like the fishermen whose story is told here.
Their story, and others, has been brought to MSNBC.com readers by a team including West Seattle-residing journalist Jim Seida. He has spent the past two weeks in the hardest-hit areas and e-mailed WSB to share links of the coverage with which he has been involved. Jim is a Gatewood resident who works for MSNBC.com as a senior multimedia producer; he is just wrapping up his work in Japan with writer Miranda Leitsinger. Many of the links to their work are tied together on this Storify page; on their own company’s site, you can find the series here, as well as on the MSNBC.com World Blog and its Facebook page.
(By T_ravtyler, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
Happy Father’s Day! From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
KICK IT WITH DAD: The West Seattle adult/big kid soccer pickup game every Sunday morning is at Delridge Playfield (4501 Delridge Way). Men and women of all ages and skill levels are welcome! 8 am
GRILLING AND FREE ICE CREAM AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET: Get ready for Summer! Celebrate Father’s Day at the West Seattle Farmers Market (44th/Alaska in The Junction), 10 am – 2 pm. Chef Jacob Wiegner of Blackboard Bistro will demonstrate tips for grilling summer veggies, fruits and of course, meats, all available locally and sustainably from market farmers. There will be a FREE drawing for a free Weber grill! Anyone who shops the market on Father’s Day can enter to win at the market info tent. PLUS: free ice-cream treats for shoppers, courtesy of Husky Deli and local berry farmers in honor of Father’s Day. Full details here.
BREAST-CANCER-FIGHTING CAR WASH: Car wash with proceeds to be donated to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. Diana will be traveling to Tanzania in August to climb Kilimanjaro. The carwash will run from 10 am until 6 pm at Alki Auto Repair, 2504 Alki Avenue SW. More details here.
GET DAD A TREAT, DO A GOOD DEED: Bake sale and homemade crafts sale for Power of Hope, a nonprofit organization focusing on youth empowerment through arts. All proceeds go to camp tuition for underprivileged youth. Bake sale will be held 10 AM-3 PM in The Junction- outside the Key Bank. Homemade delicacies will include traditional and unique goodies, diabetic-friendly cookies, plus vegan and gluten-free treats! Fresh Starbucks coffee available too. Handmade crafts, mostly made by the youth, are all one of a kind and as unique as the kids we serve.
SEE GLASS ART AS IT’S BEING MADE: Father’s Day Glass Jellyfish Demo with guest artist Richard Lowrie at Avalon Glassworks (2914 SW Avalon Way), 11 am – 5 pm. The public is invited to watch live glass blowing demonstrations throughout the day at Avalon Glassworks, when Lowrie will sculpt these seemingly weightless forms out of hot glass. Meet the artist, purchase signed work, and watch the process. For more info see their website or call 206-937-6369.
SWIM WITH DAD: Colman Pool continues its 7-day-a-week summer operations – schedule and other info here.
TAKE DAD TO BROWSE TOOLS: West Seattle Tool Library is open in its new Youngstown Cultural Arts Center space (east side of main building) 1-5 pm
RED CEDAR OPEN CIRCLE: Songs, Dances, Teachings of the Pacific NW Coast at the Duwamish Longhouse, 4705 W. Marginal Way SW, free. Traditional teachings passed down by Native Elders are shared with all people by teacher, Whis.tem.men.knee, Johnny Moses of Puget Sound First Peoples. All welcome. Bring your drum. 1-3 pm
DAD NEEDS A NEW PET, RIGHT? West Seattle’s only animal shelter, Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor Ave SW), is open 2 – 6 pm.
ART CARS IN MORGAN JUNCTION: Direct from the Fremont Fair, rain or shine, dozens of “art cars” will converge on the lot adjacent to Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and Zeeks Pizza, California/Fauntleroy, 7 pm. Free!
LIVE MUSIC: Jamtime, 1-4 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW … Triple bill for all-ages at Skylark Café and Club, 7 pm, details here.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
“Dreams do come true,” exulted West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao as he and WSLL leaders past, present, and future cut the ribbon formally dedicating the Bar-S Playfield improvements they fought hard to make happen.
Central among them, the new “Snack Shack” in front of which the ribbon was stretched for the brief ceremony, led by Terao:
(WSB video by Tracy Record)
The architect who donated his time was part of it too, Rich Murakami, ski-jacketed in the chilly drizzle:
(Murakami is not only a nearby resident, he’s also made his mark on West Seattle in another very-visible project – the Southwest Precinct.)
The dedication was part of a celebration that defied the day’s off-and-on rain, bookended by a season-ending barbecue, among other things. More after the jump:Read More
The longest days of the year are here, and summer officially starts with the solstice on Tuesday. (Warmth is bound to follow.) So the West Seattle Junction Association is ready to launch Shop Late Thursdays this coming week, with participating stores staying open till 9 pm on Thursday nights, all summer long (not just the Thursday nights with extra fun like West Seattle Art Walk or Summer Fest Eve). Nineteen merchants are on the list already (and remember there’s a growing number of restaurants/lounges to enjoy while you’re there too). More info’s on The Junction’s website.
Eve sent these two photos taken during Friday’s low-low tide, wondering if anyone knows what they are – the first, she said, looked “like plastic” but clearly wasn’t (we also recall seeing the formation in another low-tide photo we had received but not published); the next, she said, looked almost “like red tide”:
Thanks in advance, beach expert(s) who will solve the mystery!
10:24 PM UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has solved the FIRST mystery in the comment section – second one is still a open case.
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