West Seattle, Washington
11 Thursday
Ready for Tuesday night tunes, symphony style? We visited the Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium tonight as Rob Duisberg was leading the Westside Symphony through rehearsal for tomorrow night’s concert (second half of a two-Tuesday doubleheader for the groups now collectively known as the West Seattle Community Orchestras). Bach and Beethoven both are on the program – as detailed here; $5 adults, $1 kids are the suggested donation amounts (more gratefully accepted, of course), with concert time 7 pm Tuesday (2600 SW Thistle).
Another postseason win to report from the local high-school sports scene: Chief Sealth International High School’s baseball team beat Bishop Blanchet today, 4-3. Other Chief Sealth teams have post-season games/matches this week too, as detailed on the school’s home page.
After almost 3 1/2 years of having a lost/found Pets page on WSB, we’ve noticed that often, lost dogs are reunited with their owners fairly quickly. Then sometimes, there are the elusive ones – with multiple sightings – and the community keeps an eye out, and after a team effort, there’s a reunion. Seems like that might need to happen for August the Weimaraner. Josh sent word late yesterday about August bolting in Gatewood. Since then, there have been multiple sightings, Josh says – most recently, he just e-mailed to say, “August was last seen tonight around 7:30pm around Fauntleroy ferry. Please keep an eye out. He is very scared. Thank you!” If you see August, Josh’s phone number is on the Pets page.
David B found that on his door in northern Gatewood (near West Seattle Thriftway) when he arrived home this evening and sent the photo, while wondering:
I am wondering if this is legitimate. It seems odd to me since this has no contact info and is not at least sponsored by the city. Have you had anybody report the same thing ?
Not recently. However, if you roam the Web, you will find many references to this sort of thing – some reported as scams, some not, one even described as an “emergency cash generator.” We checked the city business-license database and the state corporations database, and there’s nothing called “Community Sign Painting” in either one. Doesn’t mean this isn’t potentially legitimate – but unless you meet the people and ask to see their license, buyer beware.
A singular opportunity for writers in our area taking place at ArtsWest –
Seattle Playwrights Studio Presents
9th Annual Playwright’s Festival
Hosted by ArtsWest Playhouse & Gallery
Festival Run: May 28th – May 29th, 2011Seattle Playwrights Studio (SPS), under the aegis of ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery, proudly presents its 9th Annual Showcase of New Plays starting Saturday, May 28th through Sunday, May 29th. Each evening of the showcase will feature a different sampling of staged readings written by SPS members and performed by local actors in ArtsWest’s theater. ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery is located in West Seattle at 4711 California Avenue S.W.
Seattle Playwrights Studio provides playwrights the opportunity to hear plays-in-progress read aloud and to receive moderated feedback from fellow writers in a supportive environment. Over the last eleven years, plays developed within SPS have been professionally produced locally, and across the country.
Ticket Information: Tickets are $8; admission includes a wine and food reception after the show and a meet and greet with the playwrights, directors and actors. Performances begin at 7 p.m.; purchase tickets at the door or call the ArtsWest box office at (206) 938-0339. For directions, box office hours, and more information visit www.artswest.org.
Box Office hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12-7 PM
About ArtsWest: ArtsWest produces artistic events so fiercely compelling that they require conversation, improve the imagination, and promote cultural vibrancy as a core value for the communities of Seattle. ArtsWest is a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.
Remember “Teach Me How to Study,” which brought a round of regional fame to the staff of West Seattle’s own Denny International Middle School? As principal Jeff Clark pointed out at the time, it wasn’t the Denny staff’s first inspirational video and it wouldn’t be their last. And in fact, the inbox has just yielded the link to their latest one – “The Test Goes On,” which the principal explains this way:
Denny International Middle School staff and volunteers made this video as a way to continue to inspire our students to achieve greatness academically. We have the best students in the city-it is fun to connect with them in this way. A special thank you to Gary Lai, Will Braden, Chanda E. Oatis, Artise Burton, Kristina Bellamy-McClain, Erin Jolley, Herman Garcia, Roxana Amaral, and Theila, Roberto, Trish, Andy, and Natalie from City Year.
Go Dolphins!
Don’t miss the West Seattle neighborhood shoutouts in the second half! (P.S. The previous video “Teach Me How to Study” is past 28,000 views on YouTube.)
Thanks to the WSB’ers who have e-mailed and called about a car-motorcycle crash at 35th and Holden, by Fire Station 37, whose Engine 37 was dispatched to check out the people involved. Helen reports the motorcycle ridera woman was seen on a stretcher.
3:55 PM: As the photo sent by Fulay shows, the crash actually was north of the fire station, right by the Chevron station. We’re checking to see what we can find out about the rider’s condition and the crash circumstances. This was dispatched as an aid call, not a more-serious medic call, so that would generally suggest NOT-life-threatening injuries.
4:05 PM: Updated information from Seattle Fire, via Lt. Sue Stangl: The motorcycle rider “refused treatment.” The car driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution; she was reportedly complaining of arm pain. Police at the scene tell us they’re still trying to sort out the circumstances of the collision; tow trucks have arrived so the scene should be clear soon. By the way, the 35th SW safety rally is still on for 4 pm this Wednesday, at 35th/Juneau, which is roughly a mile north of today’s crash scene.
Eagle-eyed WSB’ers have found stolen cars before – maybe you’ve seen this one. Out of the WSB inbox, from Angele:
My car was stolen between 7 pm Sunday night and 7:30 am Monday morning. It’s a white, 4 door, 1992 Nissan Maxima. Lic. #506SUN. It was stolen from California and Portland [map]. The car was locked, nothing visible on the inside, and the security system was intact. If anyone sees this car, please call 911. Thank you.
SPD is continuing to tweet stolen-car reports at @getyourcarback; here’s the tweet sent this morning for this car.
Congratulations to Madison Middle School “mathletes” who placed in the state Middle School Math Olympiad at Seattle University over the weekend. Coach Kathleen Myers, 6th/7th grade math teacher who’s on the left and shared the photo, reports:
Out of the 5 teams we brought to the competition, 4 placed!
-Our only 8th grade team won the only ribbon at Seattle U in session 2 problem-solving.
-Both of our 7th grade teams won a medal(the highest award) and two ribbons of excellence in the session 1 and session 2 problem-solving.
-One of our 6th grade teams won a ribbon of excellence in the session 1 long-problem-solving event.
At right in the photo is Colleen McClure, described by Kathleen as “a community volunteer extraordinaire” who “has no children at Madison but volunteers for many weeks from Boeing to assist the team.” Congratulations to all!
We first told you last week (Wednesday report here, Friday report here) what should be quite a sight, both as it approaches West Seattle and as it spends the next three months at Vigor Shipyard (ex-Todd) on Harbor Island for work: The 280-foot-high Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX), which belongs to the Missile Defense Agency and is usually based in Alaska. We just got word from Pamela Rogers in MDA Public Affairs that it will “enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca later today and begin its transit of Puget Sound to arrive at Vigor Shipyards Seattle (formerly Todd Pacific Shipyards) in Seattle, Washington, late Tuesday night.”
The update adds, “The first view of the SBX for some residents in the Pacific Northwest will likely be when the vessel is just off shore before entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca tonight. It should be visible from Port Angeles Tuesday morning. The vessel can be seen from various points as it makes its way through Puget Sound to Elliott Bay and to Vigor Shipyards Seattle, arriving late Tuesday night.” The MDA reiterates that the radar will NOT operate while it’s here.
2:38 AM TUESDAY: You can follow the SBX’s progress via marinetraffic.com – as of this writing it has just passed Neah Bay on the northwestern tip of our state’s coast, and moved into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
A 64-year-old Fairmount Springs woman is in the hospital today with what police describe as “serious injuries,” after an incident reported to them as a break-in. According to Seattle Police media-response unit Det. Mark Jamieson, the description is cautious because investigators are still trying to sort out what actually happened and how the victim was injured – he says they are not at all sure yet what actually took place, nor is there a description of a potential attacker, nor do they know for sure whether the attack was random or involved a stranger. He says all they do know for sure is that police were called to a home in the 5900 block of 41st SW around 4:30 am Sunday, that a woman is in the hospital with serious injuries, and that detectives are still working the case. When any additional information become available, we will add to the story.
(First two photos courtesy Karrie Kohlhaas)
A hub is born! The new North Delridge Emergency Communication Hub made its debut as part of the Saturday morning earthquake drill with groups like theirs from around the city. Volunteers gathered at the site – which joins the roster of other “hubs” around West Seattle where communication efforts will be coordinated in case catastrophe takes out the regular channels – at the Delridge P-Patch, to go through role-playing scenarios:
Karrie Kohlhaas described some of those scenarios in a note to her neighborhood mailing list (quoted here with permission):
–Family trapped in basement—138 people needing shelter—gas leak at the 76 station–water has been rationed by the city–looting at the Super 24–no fire fighters able to reach us–pack of dogs forming–lost child–Longfellow Creek flooded–another 6.8 aftershock–need rope and generator–heli-drop of water bottles on the way–another hub needs nurses–do they have a generator to loan to us? How can we get it from them?
If the hubs ever have to swing into real action, that’s the sort of thing they may find themselves dealing with.
Delridge was one of two hubs participating in citywide radio communications during Saturday morning’s drill. The other was one that’s been on the list since the program began three years ago, for the Fairmount neighborhood (south of The Triangle). At that site on the Providence Mount St. Vincent grounds, Chas Redmond was among the volunteers equipped with radio and other tools (pencil and paper played a big role):
(That Fairmount photo and the next one are by Patrick Sand for WSB)
WSBP co-founder Karen Berge tells WSB that the exercise overall “went very well, and that the North Delridge hub team “hit the ground running. … Those of us at the Fairmount hub enjoyed hearing their enthusiasm, as well as their professionalism & resourcefulness.” Karen says Highland Park hub leader Dave Brown worked with the new Delridge hub volunteers and, “To us listening from the Fairmount hub, they all sounded like they knew what they were doing & had done it before.” Just so you get an idea of how this might all work – the scenarios include reports of major problems, which are all noted and tracked – this board at the Fairmount hub showed some of them:
Karen adds, “The improvements to the forms & processes that we’d made since the last drill were effective.” Here’s a diagram she included in her response to our questions about how it went:
She continues, “A key improvement is that we realized at the last drill that it is very important to have the radio operator away from other activities and noise. … This drill was more realistic in that we had considerable issues with radio interference & garbled signals – as we might during a real emergency. Still, we managed to effectively communicate – since many of us regularly participate in periodic drills as well as radio tests each Monday evening, it was easier to ‘fill in the blanks’. Our process also has some redundancy; at times that can seem tedious, but in this situation it was helpful. One key takeaway, from this morning drill in chilly spring weather, was that the ground temperature had an effect over time. By the end of the drill, all of us had very cold feet!” She has more photos from the Fairmount site on the WSBP blog-format update site.
Again, the intention of all this is to make sure that West Seattleites can help take care of each other in case of disaster – since authorities have repeatedly warned that they will be overwhelmed, and it may take days for any sort of official help to arrive. There is plenty of room for more volunteer participation in West Seattle Be Prepared – here’s a place to start. And even if you’re not ready to volunteer yet, know your nearest Communication Hub’s location, and make sure your family/neighbors know about it too. You’re also invited to the next WSBP training/education session, with a focus, again, on earthquakes – it’s coming up one week from tonight.
(State ferry M/V Issaquah leaving Fauntleroy, photo by Zargoman from the WSB Flickr group pool)
In the distance on the left side of that photo is Colman Pool, where work starts today on a project that needs to be done before the season starts Memorial Day weekend – here’s the alert we published a few days ago. Also from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
TRAFFIC ALERT: For West Seattle’s many south-end-of-downtown drivers, a reminder that through mid-afternoon Friday, 1st Avenue South is narrowed through part of Pioneer Square and the stadium zone. Details here.
MEET THE TOASTMASTERS: One of our area’s Toastmasters Clubs, the Daystar Dialoguers, invites you to its Guest Day at Daystar Retirement Village, Building 2 (2615 SW Barton), noon to 1 pm. Light lunch afterward. See full announcement here
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: The monthly NDNC meeting is at Delridge Library (Delridge/Brandon), 6:30 pm, with King County Assessor Lloyd Hara as the special guest, explaining how his department works, plus the latest on market trends.
SEATTLE READS ‘LITTLE BEE’: The West Seattle (Admiral) Library branch (2306 42nd SW) is the location for tonight’s “Seattle Reads ‘Little Bee'” book discussion group, 6:45 pm. Chris Cleave‘s book is the subject of this year’s citywide “Seattle Reads” program.
This Saturday, West Seattle’s own Twelfth Night Productions has three rounds of auditions for 8-16 year-olds to be part of its summer production of “Oliver!” There’s one session of “general auditions” and two of “optional prepared auditions” – read on for full details in Twelfth Night’s announcement:
Twelfth Night Productions is looking for children to join the cast of their upcoming production, Oliver! Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel Oliver Twist, Oliver! Is the musical version of the story of a young orphan boy who leaves the harsh conditions of a 19th century London workhouse and eventually falls into the hands of a crafty criminal named Fagan. Fagan matches Oliver up with a young scallywag called the Artful Dodger who teaches him the art of picking pockets. With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! features beloved classics including “Food, Glorious Food,” “Where Is Love?” “Pick a Pocket or Two,” “I’d Do Anything,” “As Long as He Needs Me,” and “Consider Yourself.” Auditions for younger actors will take place May 14th with auditions for adults to be announced later.
Children’s Audition Information
General auditions for students:
• Students (ages 8-16): May 14th 2011 from 12:30-4:00pm.
• Bring a photograph if you have one available and please come prepared to learn a song, and some choreography.
Optional prepared auditions:
• Students (ages 8-16): May 14th 2011 from 10:00am-12:00pm or 4:15-6:00pm
• Those who wish to present a prepared monologue and song may sign up for a time listed above.
Lots more details after the jump, including rehearsal and performance dates:Read More
A medical-marijuana dispensary is reported to be back on the table for moving into 5214 Delridge Way (map), less than two months after a fleetingly-reported possibility led to an intense neighborhood discussion, including a briefing before the Delridge District Council. 
That possibility seemed to fade, as reported here back in mid-March, when police said they had received word that the property owner was “leaning away” from renting to a medical-marijuana operation. Now, according to a report that North Delridge Neighborhood Council chair Karrie Kohlhaas has shared with the group’s mailing list, the plan is back. Kohlhaas writes that the co-owners of Washington Alternative Medicine requested a meeting with their group’s board last Friday to inform NDNC they’re negotiating to lease 5214 Delridge Way, which prior to a recent round of renovations had a troubled history, as home to Delridge Vacuum and TV, whose license was revoked by the city two years ago.
Prior to Kohlhaas’s report, we had already heard the new Delridge-dispensary report from a source who asked not to be identified, so we had been trying to reach WAM ownership to find out more. An associate of the owners eventually called our reporter back to ask that questions be e-mailed, and we are still awaiting a reply. If a facility does open at this site on Delridge, it would be the fourth known current/upcoming medical-marijuana enterprise in West Seattle (after GAME Collective on California SW midway between Alaska and Morgan Junctions, and Pharmaseed on Alki, now in operation, with Northwest Patient Resource Center coming to 35th/Roxbury), in addition to two new ones in the heart of the White Center business district just south of West Seattle, the GAME Collective “lounge” and Herban Legends.
This all comes as the status of the burgeoning medical-marijuana industry remains somewhat clouded, since Governor Gregoire vetoed much of a bill that both houses of the State Legislature passed in hopes of regulating it. There’s talk now of an alternate bill before the Legislature’s current special session ends; in the meantime, dispensaries remain illegal under state law (as reiterated on this state website), even though medical marijuana itself was legalized by voter initiative in 1997, but local authorities have not yet indicated how they’ll be handled if no state regulation is forthcoming.
Dianne Thorniley wanted to share this tonight:
Laurie E. Paton Williams died peacefully on April 30, 2011. Laurie is survived by her children Stephen Abegglen, Angela Mazloomi, and Mark Abegglen and her four grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Sue Lesmeister, Sally Parsons, and Diane Peel. Laurie graduated from West Seattle High School, class of 1958. Her memorial will be May 9, 2011 (Monday) at 2:00 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in West Seattle. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Stehekin Heritage Fund.
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. E-mail the text, and a photo if available/desired, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
Just a few days ago, we checked in with Drea, owner of The Sneakery, to ask about progress toward opening their new store in The Junction (former Liberty Bell Printing storefront at 4736 California). She thought it might be a week or two. Then suddenly, Desiree sent word late today that The Sneakery had decided to go ahead and open (she also sent the tip in February that they were on the way). WSB contributor Katie Meyer went over for a few photos. Above, that’s Drea (right) and Jess; next two shots, some of the merchandise:
‘Drea says they were testing the cash-register software and receipt printer anyway, and feeling the need for some sunlight in the west-facing shop, so they opened the doors. The inventory will continue to grow in the days/weeks ahead. Here’s the hours they have posted for now:
A brand-new, yet old-fashioned tradition sprouted at Village Green Perennial Nursery today – proprietor Vera Johnson (left) co-hosted the first-ever Mother’s Day Pie Social with pie goddess Kate McDermott. Everyone was supposed to bring a freshly homemade pie – and the resulting bounty (both savory and sweet) even had a guard:
(Yes, that’s the symbol “pi” after “I (Heart)” around the neck of “the guard.”) And apropos to the occasion, Vera got to beam with motherly pride as daughter Johanna serenaded guests with harp music:
Besides being a unique way to celebrate Mother’s Day – and homemade treats – the occasion was also a benefit for the White Center Food Bank, whose executive director Rick Jump was on hand when we stopped by in the early going.
(Photo courtesy Seattle Chinese Garden)
Been to the Seattle Chinese Garden yet? It’s on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge and ready to greet you at an open-house celebration one week from today. From the official announcement:
The Seattle Chinese Garden will host a free public open house to celebrate the completion of the garden’s first courtyard, named Knowing the Spring. Yueming Ling, vice mayor of Seattle’s sister city Chongqing , along with Seattle city officials, will attend the May 15 festivities. A lion dance will open the celebration, which includes martial arts and traditional Chinese dance performances, painting and calligraphy demonstrations. …
Knowing the Spring Courtyard was designed by architects in Chongqing, located in southwest China, and built in collaboration with Chinese artisans, local architects and contractors. The Seattle Chinese Garden, when complete, will be one of the largest Chinese gardens outside China, and the first in the United States to be designed in authentic Sichuan style. …
The Seattle Chinese Garden is located at the north end of the South Seattle Community College campus at 6000 16th Avenue SW, in West Seattle. The Open House is May 15, 2011, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Big news from longtime WSB sponsor M3 Bodyworks – another major insurance plan is now accepted at their massage clinic. From M3’s Michael Mandell:
M3 Bodyworks Massage Clinic is pleased to announce:
We are now accepting Regence Blue Shield Insurance!Regence is a major insurance plan in Washington, and we are very excited about this news. If Regence is your insurance plan, we look forward to the opportunity to serve you after many years of waiting to join the network. Being on this network will also allow us to bill your insurance if you are on Uniform Medical Plan, which switched to Regence at the beginning of this year.
If you are wondering if your insurance plan covers massage, check with your carrier.
M3 Bodyworks currently accepts the following insurance:
Aetna
Cigna
Premera Blue Cross
Lifewise Health Plan
Regence Blue ShieldSo, welcome Regence customers! You can still book your appointments online at M3bodyworks.com.*
M3 Bodyworks Massage Clinic
5236 California Ave SW, Suite D
Seattle, WA 98136
206.331.3999 – Phone
206-388-3226 – FaxHours: 10 am-10 pm, 7 days a week
*Please note that only a few practitioners are accepting Regence at this time. Please pick “Regence” as your insurance type, and you will be assigned to a contracted provider. We expect all practitioners to be credentialed in the near future.
*Not all insurance plans cover massage therapy. Many require a doctor’s prescription. Please check with your carrier to see if you are covered for massage therapy.
Got late word from Puget Sound Blood Center that their Bloodmobile is in The Junction right now – till 3 pm. 42nd/Alaska, if you are able to stop by and give.
Today we’re sharing a reminder from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition about an important chance for you to have a voice in a big piece of the Duwamish cleanup plan. The plant shown in the September 1940 Boeing photo above made a lot of history, but also a lot of pollution, that’s finally about to be cleaned up. From DRCC:
The Boeing Plant 2 toxic cleanup is in progress!
You may have noticed that some of the old Boeing Plant 2 building along the Duwamish River has already been demolished. This is the first step towards cleanup and restoration of the site. The Boeing Company will pay to remove the contaminated mud from the river and in the upland areas below the old facility. This is currently the river’s most toxic site, and its cleanup will be a huge step forward for the river’s cleanup and restoration progress. Your comments are needed!
DRCC/TAG is reviewing the proposed cleanup plan, and will submit formal comments by the deadline on May 28th.
We want to hear your comments and questions: james@duwamishcleanup.org / 206-954-0218
We will have this information translated into Spanish by next week and work with local bilingual & Latino community organizations to educate the community about the cleanup plan, and receive comments from Spanish-speakers, and other language groups. Please help us spread the word!
EPA will accept written comments from the public on their cleanup plans for Boeing plant 2 until May 28, 2011. This is the only opportunity for the public to give opinions on plans for the cleanup at the Boeing Plant 2 site.
* Comments can be sent to EPA via email to: blocker.shawn@epa.gov.
* Please cc: DRCC/TAG on emails at: contact@duwamishcleanup.org
* Standard postal mail comments can be sent to:U.S. EPA, Region 10
ATTN: Shawn Blocker
1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, AWT-121
Seattle WA, 98101
Click ahead to read what DRCC has recommended and is commenting:Read More
Two traffic reminders: As a lead-in to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Lane Squeeze starting May 16th, most of The Viaduct will be closed most of next weekend, starting 11 pm Friday – full details here. And before that, there’s a five-day round-the-clock squeeze on 1st Avenue South from King to Royal Brougham, 6 am Monday morning through 3 pm Friday – one lane each way, around the clock, explained here.
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