West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
It’s gray-whale season in Puget Sound – and there may be one in our area. Kevin sent this report Saturday night:
My wife and I and several others spotted a whale just off of the shore at Lincoln Park around 8:20 pm this evening. It was in the shallow water between the park and the ferry landing and eventually went back out to the sound near Blake Island. We aren’t sure what type of whale it was, but it looked like a gray whale and was on the smaller side. Have there been any other reports of this? We were unable to get a picture.
First place we checked was the Orca Network Facebook page, where sure enough, one person had posted “I live in SW Seattle. Near Seola beach. My neighbors have seen an Orca possibly in trouble, close to shore, with irregular breathing,” and then amended, ” It turns out it may have been a gray whale, according to another neighbor. Last seen heading north towards the Fauntleroy Ferry.” No further reports so far, but again, this is the season in which a few grays are spotted in Puget Sound; it was mid-April of last year when a gray whale stranded and died in West Seattle’s Arroyos neighborhood, and that was about two weeks after a gray whale spent the day swimming close to West Seattle’s shore. (If you see a marine mammal in distress, there’s a hotline: 800-853-1964.)
ADDED 10:20 AM: Stacey shares this photo from a week ago – no way to tell if it was the same whale, but if you haven’t seen one before, that gives you an idea of what a sighting might look like:
She explains, “We saw a gray whale off of 30th Ave SW in Shorewood last Sunday. It stayed around for a while going back and forth.”
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Last Sunday afternoon, a citizen called 911 to report that three people seemed to be in the process of stealing an anchor from a park along W. Marginal Way. Officers stopped the trio nearby and they did, indeed, have an anchor on a trailer. The Parks Department confirmed that no one had permission to take it. The anchor was returned to its original location. Two of the suspects were booked into King County Jail. The third was declined for medical reasons and was, instead, taken to Harborview.
*A man was unhappy with the food and service at an Admiral fast-food restaurant. He threw the bag of food at an employee and appeared to be ready to climb over the counter. The clerk returned the his money. Officers later found the man, who voluntarily returned to apologize.
Seven more summaries after the jump:Read More
9:56 PM: 11200 block of Marine View Drive (map) – on our way.
10:16 PM: At the scene. No smoke/flames visible. Looks like it wasn’t anything big, will have more details once we find the incident commander.
10:24 PM: SFD explains the home has new residents who just moved in and plugged in an appliance that shouldn’t have been plugged in; much smoke ensued. They used an extinguisher to get it under control before SFD arrived. Medics are checking out 1 resident now; also, fans are running to get the smoke cleared out.
Thanks to everyone who has signed up for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2011 – with four days left to register, 165 sales of all sizes are already on the list for sale day May 14th, and awaiting the map we’ll be making as soon as registration closes Wednesday night.
So far, taking a quick look through the list, we have sales from all five West Seattle zip codes, including at least 10 block sales, 5 business sales, 4 fundraisers, 3 service clubs, 2 sports groups, 2 schools, a music group, a retirement center, an apartment building, a church, a P-Patch – and of course, the four sites where you can sell your stuff if there’s no way to do it at your own place (Hotwire Online Coffeehouse and C & P Coffee Company – both WSB sponsors – plus the VFW Hall, and if you have bikes/gear, Cycle U).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Half a dozen people who registered did not complete the second step – paying the registration fee via PayPal. Maybe that just means you had second thoughts, and that’s OK; but if you didn’t complete the second step, you’re not signed up. We’ll be sending notes to the folks who didn’t go through step 2, to doublecheck, but you’re also welcome – if you’re not certain you fully finished the registration process – to send us a note asking that we check your status (garagesale@westseattleblog.com).
Meantime, if you are ready to sign up now, here’s where to do it! And if you’re participating – or even if you’re “just” shopping – be sure to “like” the WSCGSD page on Facebook; we’ll be creating an “event” page shortly for you to share with friends, family, anybody within traveling distance who might want to come spend the day garage-saling on our gorgeous peninsula. The clickable and downloadable versions of the map will be done no later than one week before sale day, and are free to anyone and everyone, so you’ll be able to share those too. Thanks for being part of the region’s biggest Community Garage Sale Day – the 7th annual edition, and WSB’s fourth year coordinating/presenting it – think of it as one big day of recycling, and of meeting more of your West Seattle neighbors. 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14th!
This photo arrived in a two-part communique from the mysterious, and apparently growing, YarnCore knitting collective, so we haven’t seen the new, Peeps-equipped “yarn bomb” in person. But you can probably tell which bridge it’s on – one that in fact has sported Christmas decorations for years (bright red bows, though we didn’t see them turn up last year). YarnCore’s website has other photos that’ll give you a closer look at the multi-faceted creation, which arrived one month after her/his/their first one.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch stories in this roundup: First, an update on the case of Joel Lund, charged with domestic-violence assault after being arrested Thursday night while awaiting trial in a catalytic-converter-theft case. (As part of that case, you might recall from our previous coverage, a judge had released him from jail over prosecutors’ objections.) Online court records indicate that at arraignment today (unlike county court, city court – where Lund is charged – has Saturday sessions), the judge granted the prosecution’s request to set bail at $20,000. The online system also indicates a third assault charge is pending.
Second, a home break-in reported:
I want folks to be on the lookout – my home on Cloverdale near 32nd was burglarized some time yesterday between 8:30 and 7:30. They broke a very small window on the front door and must have reached through to unlock the door. They stole most of my jewelry and a couple of beers. I don’t own much of any other value, but they opened everything imaginable, and probably under the mattress, as the bed was in disarray. I’m in the process of moving, so everything is already torn up – I imagine that worked in my favor. I think they were spooked or interrupted, as they dropped some jewelry and didn’t take some things I imagine are easily marketable.
After the jump: What the victim thinks spooked the burglar, plus the description of a possibly stolen bike left behind. Also ahead, report #3, an overnight fight that sent 2 to the hospital):Read More
The sun, the sand, the surf, the palms, the … snow-capped mountains!
As previewed here yesterday, the crew of the movie “Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas” indeed showed up today to shoot at Alki Beach – and brought the perfect props to fulfill what they’d told neighbors, that Alki would be doubling for Florida. Pull back the shot a little, of course, and the palm’s pot is revealed:
And somebody had to cart ’em around:
The crew was packing up by late morning:
Notices handed out to neighbors said they’re expecting to be back Monday; they’ve been shooting elsewhere around the city/region too, with Leavenworth playing the role of “Christmastown, Washington” – here’s a “rough cut” clip we found online:
Our story from yesterday explains what they’re doing in Seattle and why Florida figures into the plot.
(High Point Community Center video by Tracy Record for WSB)
All five of West Seattle’s city-owned community centers planned egg hunts this morning, as usual – and so far, we have coverage from three of them. Top video, the tweens hitting the field at High Point Community Center – took them less than three minutes to round up the eggs, despite the relatively small size of the group (other age groups went after eggs at different spots around the site – including the playground and the tennis court). Meantime, hundreds lined up outside Hiawatha Community Center in the Admiral District:
(Hiawatha Community Center photos by Jason Grotelueschen for WSB)
And .. off they went!
Yes, Mr./Ms. Bunny was on hand at Hiawatha too – with photo ops galore:
While over at Alki for a non-Easter story, we spotted some Alki Community Center egg hunters at Whale Tail:
(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
Aside from a teen hunt tonight, that’s it for the big egg hunts – but some local churches are offering them for kids in conjunction with Easter Sunday services; check the WSB West Seattle Easter page for the list.
Intrepid egg-hunter Louisa was happy to show off part of her bounty during the West Seattle Thriftway egg hunt this morning. As usual, since this is the first big one of the day, excited families lined up outside:
And once inside, it was “aisles of smiles”:
Where’s the Easter Bunny, you ask? In a video clip we will add later this morning, along with another photo or two. First, we’re hopping back out, to cover the community-center hunts (full egg-hunt list here). ADDED 12:15 PM: Here’s the video, as happy hunters enter the store:
Minutes later, big smiles all around:
And the store’s Twitter feed just carried a message of thanks.
(Photo shared by Leo Shaw)
The egg hunts are listed separately (find them here), but there’s a lot more happening too! Full list on the WSB West Seattle Events page; here are a few highlights:
WINE SALE: 2nd and final day of the Northwest Wine Academy Spring wine sale at South Seattle Community College (6000 16th Avenue SW), noon-4 pm. Details here.
ED HUME AT BRIDGE PARK: “Thinking outside of the pot” gardening demonstration with Ed Hume at Bridge Park (3204 SW Morgan Street), 2 pm. Free. Details here.
EYES ON THE SKIES: Mariners Salute to Armed Forces Night means two EA-18Gs are scheduled to fly over Safeco Field just before 6 pm – could mean a (loud) West Seattle flyover, so this is your heads-up, just in case.
OPEN HOUSE: Take a look inside Link Apartments (WSB sponsor), during its 11:30 am-3:30 pm open house today (since it’s so clear, don’t miss the rooftop deck).
BENEFIT DINNER/AUCTION AT WEST SEATTLE EAGLES: West Seattle Eagles benefit dinner, silent auction and live music to benefit the Mukilteo Magic, a special group of athletes who compete in track and field competitions throughout the region. All monies raised at the event will be used to send the team to the “Summer Olympics” at Joint Base Lewis McChord in June. All-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs with Caesar salad and garlic bread from 6-7:30. Cost for dinner is $10. Following dinner, live music by Vincent Blackshadow, a 15-year-old rock superstar; Call for the Priest, a Judas Priest cover band; and a short set by My Sisters Machine. $6 cover for music. All are welcome! Please use the back door, on the alley by Lady Di’s.
LIVE AT KENYON HALL: From Kenyon Hall:7:30 pm, the AMA Trio: accordion, clarinet, Venezuelan and Mexican harp, violin, cuatro, guitar, bombo, maracas, and vocals. Reserved table seats are $14. Row seating is $12 general and $10 seniors. With a reservation, row seating is only $10 general and $8 seniors. Elementary, middle, & high school students are $5. Preschool children are free; Root Beer Floats are still only a buck. To make a reservation, e-mail kenyonhall@earthlink.net.
(WSB photo from Southwest Community Center’s April 2010 egg hunt)
This is the big day for egg hunts, and most are happening this morning. If you haven’t already seen the schedule on the WSB West Seattle Easter page, here’s the lineup:
THRIFTWAY: West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan) is having its traditional annual Easter Egg Hunt!! The fun begins at 9 am but the line forms early! Kids aged 1-10, please.
LIFE CARE CENTER: Easter egg hunt at Life Care Center of West Seattle (4700 SW Admiral Way), 9 am, with golden prize eggs, drawings for prizes, pastries/juice/coffee, free
COMMUNITY CENTERS: Egg hunts at these West Seattle-area Community Centers for children ages 3 – 11 at 10 am, FREE.
Alki Community Center, 5817 SW Stevens (get there early! coffee, juice, muffins at 9:30 am – also, ages 0-11 welcome)
Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Community Center, 2700 California SW
High Point Community Center, 6920 34th SW
South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave. S.
Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle (also a pancake breakfast, 8:30-10:30 am, $4/person, and bike-helmet sale)
Please come early to find the hunting area for your age group, and remember to bring a bag or basket for the eggs you find.
EASTRIDGE @ LINCOLN PARK: 6,000 Easter Eggs in Lincoln Park, 11 am. Eastridge Church invites the community to its FREE Egg Hunt. The annual Easter activities for families and children includes an egg hunt with thousands of candy-filled Easter eggs, face painting, train rides, inflatables, prizes, and more! This children’s event is free and the community is invited! Eastridge Church Seattle Campus is located on 39th Avenue SW in West Seattle.
TEEN EGG HUNT TONIGHT: Teens Only! Southwest Teen Life Center (at Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle) Late Night Flashlight Egg Hunt for ages 13-19 at 9 pm. FREE Bring a flashlight and your sense of adventure–we’ll be searching for eggs. Find the most and win a prize!
You helped them get there – by supporting everything from a bake sale to car washes to concerts – and now, they’re there. The Chief Sealth International High School Honor Choir is in New York City for its Carnegie Hall appearance on Sunday night; Monica shared this photo of the choir in their hotel lobby. They flew out from Seattle Thursday morning and will return Monday night; the whirlwind itinerary includes some sightseeing and entertainment (last night, for example, they were scheduled to see “Phantom of the Opera“) but plenty of rehearsing, too – this morning, they’ll be back at it starting at 6 am our time (9 am ET), and the concert is scheduled for 5:30 our time (8:30 ET) Sunday night.
Katherine Sather of the Nature Conservancy e-mailed to let us know about that adorable dance by Earth-suited Westside School (WSB sponsor) third-grader Callum McCaffrey during “Picnic for the Planet” on Friday at Pike Place Market. Checking out the video – we discovered they also had recorded another West Seattle performer, Chris Ballew from Caspar Babypants and The Presidents of the United States of America, soloing:
… which reminds us to mention again that Caspar Babypants will play two “mini-concerts” at City Mouse Studio and Store in The Junction (WSB sponsor; 4218 SW Alaska) two weeks from today, on May 6th, as first noted here. (Saturday morning, CB plays Benaroya Hall downtown! 11 am.)
Thanks to Brian Presser from TouchTech Systems for the initial tip – a green sighting that was only coincidentally on Earth Day: The forthcoming Irish restaurant/pub A Terrible Beauty received Irish-green paint you won’t be able to miss at California/Edmunds in The Junction. WSB contributor Katie Meyer checked it out and put together the photo collage above – including concrete-touchup inscriptions by proprietors Jenna and Paddy, plus son Mick (and passersby) as well as stonework contractor “Scottie Joe” (the subject of this report by Katie a week ago). ATB is continuing to work toward opening the first week of May.
As of about two hours ago, the 31-year-old man arrested yesterday in connection with a North Admiral burglary and under scrutiny for possible links to others is out of jail, over the objections of law enforcement. They noted formally in paperwork that they object because he is “suspected of being a serial burglar and likely to reoffend to support his drug habit.” King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB he was released “on personal recognizance” (no, we don’t know which judge was presiding) and is due back in court on Monday. He is not yet formally charged.
For a fourth consecutive day, the Seattle Police Aggressive Drivers Response Team was out on 35th SW today, and the roundup is posted on SPD Blotter. The bold-type highlight: 14 driving-while-cell-phoning tickets. There were speeding tickets too; read the roundup here (Admiral Way and the West Seattle Bridge are mentioned briefly too).
(WSB video of the entire 31-minute hearing, unedited, added @ 5:26 pm)
A dramatic sentencing hearing is concluding right now in the courtroom of King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller. He has sentenced 59-year-old Thomas Qualls, the Alki resident who pointed an assault rifle at police officers last September, to what prosecutors had asked after a plea bargain to an attempted-assault charge: 24.7 months. 
Two of the three police officers at whom Qualls pointed – if not fired, which was a point of dispute in the case – his rifle spoke to the judge first. Officer Andy Peloquin called the fact the case was plea-bargained to this potential sentence, the maximum possible in the “standard range” for attempted assault with a firearm enhancement, “a slap on the wrist.” (The other officer who spoke was Sgt. Steve Strand.)
We videotaped the entirety of the hearing, including what the officers and Qualls told the court – he and his lawyers blamed alcohol for much of what he did that night – and what the judge had to say. Qualls asked the judge if he could be allowed out of jail (where he’s been since the incident last September) in time for his 40th wedding anniversary, and the judge said no.
The reason for the plea bargain was explained by the prosecution as the fact that the investigation could not prove Qualls ever fired the assault rifle, as had been contended that night. There was no proof yielded by either two audio recordings from that night or a number of field investigations, including a re-creation at his Alki home a few weeks ago.
Qualls – who had no prior record – was shot in the abdomen by police and has been in jail since leaving the hospital less than a week after the confrontation, which started when one of his grown children – both of whom were in the courtroom – had called 911 to say he had threatened suicide after a disagreement with his wife, who also came to court for the sentencing. No family members addressed the judge, but the defense lawyer noted that family and friends had sent Judge Heller letters expressing support. (September 2010 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
(Photo by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
For two of West Seattle’s three biggest high schools, this was the last day of spring break. For Seattle Lutheran High School, this was the annual “Day of Service.” Students fanned out to a variety of locations for a morning of volunteering; above, the group that WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen found cleaning up and weeding at Junction Plaza Park: Paul Beery, RJ Son, Tony Ostenson, Fred Lisko, Brian Simmonds, and Mathew Hood. SLHS’s Bil Hood shared the next 3 photos – here’s the diaper drive for WestSide Baby outside Safeway in Jefferson Square:
Then there was the crew that worked at the Senior Center of West Seattle:
And an whimsically artistic touch:
ArtsWest, Me-Kwa-Mooks , and still more spots got some TLC too – plus handmade thank-you cards were on their way to “1,000 of our neighbors.” Bil says the day began with an announcement after the morning chapel service that “the students have raised almost $1500 for the Red Cross relief efforts across the world.”
Last night’s Evening Magazine featured the creations of West Seattle “upcycle” artist Russ Morgan, as you’ll see if you watch the KING 5 clip above. And not only was it timely since today is Earth Day – also turns out he’s having a reception today at Hotel Monaco downtown (1101 4th Avenue, 4-6 pm – you’re invited!), according to proud sister Wendy Morgan (also a West Seattleite), who tipped us to the story and the reception. Find out more about Russ’s art at justarumor.com. P.S. Wendy tells us that in West Seattle, his work is available at Capers in The Junction.
Thinking an unannounced festival or fun run was perhaps on the way, we had asked SDOT about those “no parking” signs in the Alki Bathhouse vicinity, but they had nothing on their special-events list. A note just out of the WSB inbox explains the signs: Alki photographer extraordinaire David Hutchinson e-mailed to say nearby residents have received a notice explaining that “Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas” will shoot exteriors in the area tomorrow and Monday. Quoting the notice, “We will be using the beach as a backdrop for Florida.” (The movie’s iMDB summary shines a little light on why.) Beach Drive Blog had reported previously on the crew’s plans to shoot in that area too.
1 PM P.S.: After rooting around for more information about the movie – we’ve added a clip above with some explanatory behind-the-scenes info (found here, where some “rough cut” clips also have been posted), including soundbites from directing/producing team members such as Jennifer Roth, just announced today as the recipient of the 6th annual Seattle Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film.
(WSHS Class of 1960, photographed at the 2010 All-School Reunion by Patrick Sand for WSB)
It just might be our area’s biggest school event each year, and the details for this year just came in. The West Seattle High School Alumni Association‘s All-School Reunion and Open House is set for Friday, June 3rd. It all starts with classic cars on display along SW Stevens at 4 pm, and wraps up with presentations, including scholarships, concluding around 9 pm. Read on for the schedule of what’s planned inbetween:Read More
2 West Seattle Crime Watch reports: First, more details on the burglary arrest announced by Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen (here’s the Thursday story). The suspect is 31 years old and, according to the incident report, was tracked down after a report of a burglary at a home under construction in the 1500 block of Sunset Avenue (map) in North Admiral. A construction crew member told the responding officer that the burglary was the second one recently – the first time, wiring had been cut and stolen, and that wiring had just been replaced on Wednesday, one day before it was cut and stolen again; water pipes were cut away too. SPD Media Unit Detective Mark Jamieson adds that “information shared between Patrol and detectives matched the M.O. of someone they were aware of,” and subsequent investigation led to the suspect’s arrest as he tried to “recycle”/sell the stolen property. He’s still in jail, not yet charged so we’re not using his name; Det. Jamieson says police found drugs on him as well, so he is facing potential charges for that as well as burglary, according to the jail register. This is all just from the report for this arrest, so too early to say if he indeed will be linked to other break-ins.
And as if to underscore the point that one arrest never solves everything (so don’t stop being vigilant), a few hours later, a burglary was reported at midday – read on for that report:Read More
Having an Earth Day cleanup? Whether it’s one person or one-hundred, you’re welcome to share a photo – as did the proud grandparent who sent this one, noting that it’s “Captain America picking up trash!”
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