West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
Thanks to the WSB’er who just called to point out this is breaking on the international/national news services: The parents of Amanda Knox, including Edda Mellas of Arbor Heights, have been ordered to stand trial in Italy for allegedly libeling investigators by saying they had mistreated her daughter while questioning her in the murder case for which she was found guilty. The trial for Mellas and Curt Knox is set to start in July. More here from ABC News.
Tonight was the last night in business for Tom Yum Koong in The Junction, according to the owner who’s selling the Thai restaurant. We’ve been working for a while to try to confirm details of the expected ownership change – the restaurant first went on the market more than a year ago, and then recently we learned a sale was in the works. But seller and prospective buyer didn’t want to go public till the deal was signed; once something was finalized, we were told, the restaurant would close for a while for a makeover. This may be that closure, but whether the deal is final or not, we don’t know yet; all we do know for sure is that current owner Jeff Sukomol e-mailed WSB contributor Bill “Hutch” Hutchison tonight to say this was Tom Yum Koong’s last night in business. (Separately, we got a note from Tim saying his spouse was in the restaurant tonight and was told it was their last night.) If this is the ownership change our research indicates, the eatery is likely to remain a Thai restaurant. We have messages out and hope to have more information as soon as tomorrow. P.S. Tom Yum Koong fans can still find Sukomol’s cuisine at Tangerine Thai on the eastside.
Another turn in the tunnel tussle tonight: Two West Seattleites and 15 other “stakeholders” who served on the committee that helped choose the proposed Highway 99 tunnel two years ago have released a letter to Mayor McGinn. They’re asking him not to go through with his threat to veto the actions the City Council has taken to join the state in proceeding with the project (which won’t be final until and unless it passes environmental muster later this year – and then, there are the two ballot initiatives looming this fall). “While we respect your preferences for a different Viaduct replacement approach, this compromise is the only feasible way to move forward,” says the letter, recapping how the stakeholders first went on record backing two other options, then the tunnel. The letter adds, “We believe that the time has long passed to second guess the bored tunnel decision made by the Governor, state legislature, County, Port and past and present City Councils. Whether or not it was our initial choice, all of us agree that the citizens of Seattle, the region, and state are best served by moving forward.” And they ask for a meeting with the mayor. No word yet on his reaction, but you can read the full letter here (Word doc). Its 17 signers include West Seattleites Pete Spalding and Vlad Oustimovitch.
ADDED 11:11 PM: For those who can’t read docx, here’s the plain-text version:Read More
Two news items from Sustainable West Seattle tonight:
(Tool Library @ SSCC last Saturday, photo courtesy Heather P. Brincko)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY MOVE: We just heard this mentioned at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting (toplines to come), and SWS’s e-mail update says it’s official – the West Seattle Tool Library is moving from South Seattle Community College to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. SWS says the move will happen in April: “The new location will quadruple our space and provide both a larger storage room for the tools and also a great community workshop space.” They need lots of community volunteer power, too – library@sustainablewestseattle.org if you can help.
HIGH-POWERED PANEL FOR TRANSPORTATION FORUM: Roads, buses, bicycles … Transportation topics are perennial hot potatoes on the peninsula, with our unique challenges. Want to hear directly from the movers and shakers? Put your question/concern to them in person? Here’s your next chance. Sustainable West Seattle‘s next Community Forum, coming up next week, has a high-powered panel, just announced: City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (who chairs the Transportation Committee) will facilitate; also from the city, SDOT director Peter Hahn; from the county, King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s transportation specialist, Chris Arkills; from the transit-planner perspective, Brice Maryman of SvR Design; and from the transit user perspective, Martin Duke from Seattle Transit Blog. The forum’s at 7 pm Tuesday, February 22nd, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction). Full details here.
Well, OK, it’s *almost* a century of history. The Museum of History and Industry‘s video team has taken on another West Seattle landmark, and suggested to WSB that you might want to see the 4-minute result. P.S. If you’re looking for what’s up at The Admiral right now, here are the latest listings.
(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB – tree down at Oregon/Glenn in The Junction)
As the wind kicks up again tonight – the National Weather Service has just issued a “special weather statement” warning of gusts up to 55 mph – we’re checking out a tree reported to have been blown down in The Junction. (Added: See comments for more. We’re still working on visuals. There’s also a tree down in the Morgan Junction area.)
7:39 PM UPDATE: The “special weather statement” has now been canceled – so the worst is over.
8:41 PM UPDATE: Added that photo, also by Katie, from the tree that hit a house on Holly Place in the Morgan Junction area. The homeowner told Katie they weren’t home when it happened; a neighbor called for help after seeing wires sparking. The damage is not reported to be major.
9:40 PM UPDATE: And now … thunder. Not mentioned in the current forecast, though…
In recent reports on crime trends and crime-prevention meetings, we’ve heard it from local police leadership again and again – car prowls (break-ins and attempts) are the crime category that continues to be hard to get under control. But Southwest Precinct Lt. Pierre Davis says there’s good news this afternoon: SWP officers “arrested one of our more active car prowl suspects in West Seattle. (At about) 12:33 PM, the suspect and others were in the area of Erskine Wy SW & SW Hudson street engaging in suspicious activity. Our officers, who responded to the initial call, located the suspects with goods in hand and made the arrest.” (We’re still following up to find out more about the “active” suspect and whether they were booked into jail, and will add that when we find out.)
It’s time for the Seattle Public Library‘s Global Reading Challenge for 4th and 5th graders – call it the Battle of the Books. Last Friday, SPL librarians were at Arbor Heights Elementary School for the big event there. School librarian Jeanette Hagen reports that the “Awesome People” team got a perfect score! In the photo, shared by Kacy, the team members (from Ms. Sato’s and Ms. Boitano’s rooms) are: Chase, Ruby, Sophie-Briere, Daisy, Fathi, Sean, and Natalie, with (back room left) Mrs. Hagen and (back row right) principal Dr. Carol Coram. The “Awesome People” were one of eight teams in the competition at Arbor Heights; they’ll go downtown for the semifinals at the Central Library on March 16th.
Quick note to say it’s exactly three months till this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – the fourth one since we inherited this fun annual event three years ago. It’s the second Saturday in May as usual this year, which means Saturday, May 14th. Last year, WSCGSD set a record, with more than 200 sales around the peninsula, from individual sales to group sales to school sales to business sales, plus a few sites where you could come set up a table if there wasn’t enough room where you live (we’ve heard talk of a few more such sites this year). We haven’t set the date for the start of registration yet, but we’ll talk more about that next month. Just wanted to make sure, if you’re interested in selling and/or shopping, that your calendar’s marked for May 14th. Meantime, take note that WSCGSD is online at westseattlegaragesale.com and on Facebook here; if you have a yard/garage sale before or after then, you can post it free on WSB – currently, the place to do that is in the WSB Forums.
When Michael Taylor-Judd told the 34th District Democrats at their West Seattle meeting last week that he had an online-donation button on his in-progress website, he was also quietly declaring he’d chosen which race he was in: Position 1 (it’s on the webpage, and he confirmed it to WSB). Today the incumbent, Councilmember Jean Godden, also is making a point of saying she’s definitely running again – note this tweet from a few hours ago. It’s at least a five-candidate race so far, since King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Maurice Classen jumped in last week, and while he’s not listed on the city website as having filed yet, Bobby Forch and David Schraer are shown in the Position 1 race along with Taylor-Judd and Godden. Five of the council’s nine positions are on the ballot this fall – besides this one, incumbent Councilmembers Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Bruce Harrell, and Tom Rasmussen of West Seattle all are up, and the city website shows all have filed to say they’re campaigning.
Just announced – a party at West 5, which recently celebrated its 8th anniversary, in honor of Georgetown Brewing‘s 8th anniversary:
On February 23rd 2003 Georgetown Brewing delivered its first keg of Manny’s Pale Ale to the Latona Pub in Wallingford. Eight years later, Manny’s Pale Ale stands tall as Georgetown Brewing Co.’s flagship beer. The success of Manny’s Pale ale has afforded the owners of Georgetown Brewing Co. to greatly expand their brewing capacity and their selection of “Darn Tasty Brews.”
Georgetown Brewing started out as a small, home-based venture by co-owners Manny Chao and Roger Bialous. Knowing they had created an excellent pale ale, Manny and Roger departed their day jobs, found a location in the historic Rainer Cold Storage building on Airport Way in Georgetown and started brewing Manny’s Pale Ale. Success came quickly for the young brewery and tap handles sporting the colorful “Manny’s” logo started popping up in pubs of quality and character throughout Seattle.
In 2008 Georgetown Brewing vacated their 9000 square foot brewing facility in the old Rainier Cold Storage building and moved into their sparkling new 37,000 square foot facility just across the railroad tracks at 5200 Denver Ave S. Their retail facility later opened in 2010 at the Denver facility.
Reflecting on the anniversary is co-owner Roger Bialous, “This is a proud milestone for everyone at the brewery. With so many great, independent breweries making quality beer in Seattle and Washington State, we are pleased to have enjoyed continued success.” Quipped Manny, “We like to make beer, period. The owners and employees also enjoy consuming beer.”
To celebrate their 8th anniversary, the owners and employees of Georgetown Brewing chose to have a party at West 5 Lounge in West Seattle, a restaurant that also recently celebrated its 8th anniversary. Said Manny “We kind of grew up with Dean and Dave (owners of the West 5). They were one of our earliest customers and we have watched our respective businesses grow together since 2003, becoming friends along the way. We thought – it’s a perfect place for us to celebrate!”
The anniversary party is open to the public at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 23rd. In addition to Manny’s Pale Ale, all of the handles at West 5 will be pouring Georgetown beer. The following will be available for enjoyment: Roger’s Pilsner, Chopper’s Red, Georgetown Porter, Lucille IPA, Lisa’s Chocolate Stout and Superchopp. There will also be giveaways of Georgetown Brewing (and West 5) merchandise.
February 2003 was quite some month in the West Seattle beverage/food world. Not only did West 5 launch that month – so did C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), in a comfy Craftsman house at 5612 California SW (map). In fact, founders Cameron and Pete Moores (namesakes C & P – who we coaxed into the Sunday sunshine for a quick photo) started it on this date in 2003. Valentine’s Day “seemed like a lucky day to aim for,” Cameron explains.
As they celebrate their business’s 8th anniversary, we asked what has surprised them most as the years have unfolded: “That owning a coffee shop could be like a family, this place is no longer our own vision, it has become about the community. Like a family, the sweetest part of the experience is getting to know each other over time.” C & P offers a slate of community-geared events year-round – music, poetry, art, wine-tasting (their ongoing calendar is here) – and we wondered about the secret of pulling that off successfully: “There is so much talent here in West Seattle, we only had to provide a welcoming space, and the music and art present themselves. We are so lucky to live here!” No major changes planned for the coming year, says Cameron – “We just want to continue working on improving our space, preserving the 100-year-old building we inhabit, and meeting new friends.” If you want to wish C & P a happy anniversary, they’re open till 8 tonight (6:30 am-8 pm weekdays, 7 am-8 pm weekends).
A Genesee-area cancer patient’s family, hit by a car theft last Mother’s Day (here’s the WSB story from last year), says it’s happened again – this time early Valentine’s Day – and this time, the car had a packed trailer attached, so they are missing a lot more than just a vehicle. It’s a gray 1991 Subaru Legacy Wagon, with DP plates, 02112, and a 4×8 utility trailer with Arizona plates. (Police have already sent it out on their Twitter feed for stolen-vehicle reports – here’s the tweet.) Their firsthand story after the jump:Read More
TODAY/TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS … That photo just came in from Sam, proprietor of the Junction flower shop Fleurt at California/Oregon, who says it’ll stay up throughout this Valentine’s Day; if you’re looking for someplace taking last-minute Valentine flower orders, she is (with a free pair of earrings thrown in for $50+ orders) … speaking of free:
FREE MOCHA, TODAY ONLY! Deals don’t get better than that. Get the today-only FREE strawberry/white-chocolate mocha coupon for Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) by going here … Hotwire’s at 4410 California SW (next to the post office).
VALENTINE DINNER: Three other WSB sponsors have Valentine’s deals: Dinner for 2 special at Feedback Lounge (details here), 6451 California SW … Special Valentine’s dinner with burlesque, food, beverages, at Skylark Café and Club, 3803 Delridge Way SW – full details and ticket-buying link here … Bamboo Grill on Alki has special Valentine dinners including filet mignon ($39.95/two), butternut-squash ravioli, or mahi mahi, 2803 Alki SW.
SALAMANDER LOVE NIGHT: Still deciding what to do tonight besides a nice dinner? Naturalist Stewart Wechsler is scheduling a program that he has done every year for years at Camp Long called “Salamander Love Night,” 7 pm – two species of salamanders show up around Valentine’s night every year to court, mate and lay eggs. Since Parks budget cuts no longer allow public programs at Camp Long, this is not an official city offering and there’s no fee (though donations are accepted) – call or e-mail ASAP to check if there’s room, 206-932-7225 or ecostewart@quidnunc.net.
NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING WITH VALENTINE COOKIES: That’s what the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is promising tonight, Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW, 6:30 pm. Show your love for your ‘hood and participate! Agenda includes a briefing on upcoming work at North Delridge’s Fire Station 36.
WHAT’S MORE ROMANTIC THAN OPERA? Seattle Opera preview tonight at the West Seattle Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 2306 42nd SW, 6:30 pm (more info here)
TODDLER VALENTINE’S EXTRAVAGANZA: Bring your little sweetie to this one today at Hiawatha Community Center, 2700 California SW, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, $5/child. Giant jumpy toy, games, crafts, Balloon Buffoon Dude and all the toddler toys. Gift bags and snacks are included!
Those are just some of the highlights – check the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for the full list.
(WSB photo from 2010 West Seattle Grand Parade, by Christopher Boffoli)
Yet another city-budget shock wave is rippling tonight – this time, one that casts a cloud over a decades-old West Seattle summertime tradition.
American Legion Post 160, longtime sponsor of the midsummer West Seattle Grand Parade, has just started planning for this year’s parade, set for July 23rd, and has learned it’s facing a big new bill – not unlike the local youth-sports leagues that are suddenly paying thousands more than they used to.
Last year, we reported on the close call American Legion Post 160 and other summertime event sponsors had with a city “cost-recovery” proposal – at one point in May, it looked like events happening just weeks later might have to pay for their own traffic control, which the city has always picked up, and that could have cost the West Seattle Grand Parade $1,500 it didn’t have.
Given the short notice and big protests from other affected groups, the city decided to pull back for last year, while issuing a warning about this year’s budget. So now, it’s 2011. Post 160’s parade chair Dave Vague tells WSB, “Although the city has not changed its fee schedule for the parade, the Seattle DOT is now requiring us to handle all of our own No Parking signs. I asked one of the barricade companies for a bid and it is going to cost us $3,000 to put up all of the signs. Needless to say, this is too large a burden for the American Legion to take on by themselves now.”
The “no fee-schedule change” to which Vague refers cuts both ways. As explained in our story last year, while the obvious solution would seem to be for Post 160 to charge entry fees for commercial participants, they can’t; parades that charge entry fees are charged sharply higher permit fees. Right now, so that their permit fees stay low, there’s no fee for anyone to enter (though some donations are received).
So how to handle the $3,000? Vague says, Post 160 is turning to you for ideas and support:
We are looking to the West Seattle Community to help us raise the necessary funds for the parade or help us find a sponsor or sponsors to help us with the cost. If your readers would like to donate or have ideas on how we could raise the funds needed, they can contact the American Legion at (206) 935-9407 or write me at vagued@comcast.net.
(WSB photo from 2010 West Seattle Grand Parade, by Mindon Win)
As longtime fans of the West Seattle Grand Parade, and co-sponsor of multiple community events each year since we became a business, we have already said (as we did last year) that WSB will be first in line to be a sponsor if Post 160 decides to go that route. What’s your thought about the best solution? Let Post 160 know, and/or post a comment here.
Thanks to Derek Page for sharing the photo and the results of this afternoon’s big game:
“The 6th Grade Holy Rosary boys defeated St. Joseph today in a hard-fought battle to win the citywide CYO championship. The final score of 20-13 reflects the excellent defense played by both teams. Congrats, Gators!
ADDED 9:58 PM: We now have the results of the HR 8th-grade boys’ championship game; they lost to Lakeside, 43-29.
For a lucky few, this was a day for whale-watching. But for many more, it was a great day for eagle-watching. Above, the closeup is courtesy of Robin Lindsey, who notes, “This eagle perched on a light pole was literally stopping traffic this afternoon along Constellation Park as people were excitedly taking cell phone photos, No doubt this mature eagle was probably thinking people are crazy.” The juveniles drew attention, too:
Trileigh Tucker shared that photo and the next one, observing that love is in the air, and not just for people: “For the past few days, there’s been lots of eagle activity, and lots of eagles, in Lincoln Park. I’m attaching a couple of photos of a juvenile bald eagle (I’m guessing it’s a first-year bird, born last spring) from today. In addition, there’s been lots of courtship behavior between two adults, including chasing each other, aerial interactions, and much chattering back and forth. Just in time for Valentine’s Day! I hope everyone keeps their eyes out to appreciate nature’s romance…as well as our own!”
And an eagle couple was caught on camera too, by Steve Edington, who says, “I was in Lincoln Park about 9:30 this morning and saw a bald eagle catch a salmon. It flew into its ‘usual’ tree, along with its mate, and proceeded to devour the fish.”
Thanks to everyone who shared their sightings!
Should it stay or should it go? The fate of the big birch tree shown above is one of the issues that came up as about 50 people joined in the first design meeting for the new 34th/Barton P-Patch, Saturday afternoon at Southwest Community Center.
Landscape architect John Barker, who’s leading the design work, told attendees that an arborist checked out the tree with him earlier in the day, and proclaimed it to be perhaps the healthiest European paper-birch tree she had seen in the city. On the other hand, materials prepared for the meeting show it casts a significant shadow, so the design process will have to determine whether that’s an impediment to maximizing the site, or perhaps a feature for cool shade on warm summer days. Toward the start of the meeting, a show of hands was requested, and the “keep the tree” hand-raisers significantly outnumbered those supporting “take out the tree” – which is the only tree of any kind on the site. Barker estimated that it would cost about the same to keep it or get rid of it.
But the tree’s future was just one topic, albeit one that took up a fair amount of time.
Though they’re to the south of us at last report, local orca experts did spot whales in West Seattle waters again today, and sightings on the Orca Network Facebook wall affirm this. We mention it so that you can be on the lookout between now and dusk – on days when they pass here headed southbound, they often reappear in this area late in the day (last Sunday, orcas made a very close pass by Alki, and some even went on into Elliott Bay, toward downtown). We’ll add updates here if they’re seen in our waters again before dark.
P.S. West Seattle-founded The Whale Trail has another presentation coming up that orca fans won’t want to miss – find out about Tucker, the dog who’s helping save orcas! It’s at the Duwamish Longhouse in West Seattle at 7 pm February 24th, and advance tickets are available now – full details on The Whale Trail’s website.
Thanks to Explorer West Middle School for sharing photos from a special guest appearance last week by King County Executive Dow Constantine. 
Every year, the school focuses on a sustainability issue, and this year it’s “What makes a society sustainable?” so that’s what he talked about, before answering students’ questions. The school says his presentation included an explanation of balancing environmental sustainability with economic health plus reminiscences of his early involvement in community organizing to help save West Seattle’s College Street Ravine (side note, the Nature Consortium‘s quarterly work party there in his honor is coming up 10 am Tuesday – RSVP to 206.923.0853). So how did the school get West Seattle’s top politician to come speak? The event had a unique origin: Explorer West parent Judith Arvidson was the winning bidder for an appearance that Executive Constantine donated to the Southwest Youth and Family Services auction last year, and decided to in turn donate it to her daughter’s school.
Lots of early Valentine’s celebrations today, and things are especially heart-y at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor), in the throes of its annual “Have a Heart Day” fundraiser. Illusions team members donate their time, and the salon offers reduced-price haircuts with all proceeds going to charity – this year, it’s Pencil Me In For Kids, to make sure no student has to go to school without the supplies she/he needs. The salon was busy when we stopped in a while ago, but Illusions’ Sue Lindblom told us they still had a few openings – so you can call 206-938-3675 to see if there’s a chance they can get you in before 4. More reasons to stop in – the artists they’re currently showcasing are on hand too; and they’re offering salon merchandise at a 14% discount. They are accepting Pencil Me in for Kids monetary donations too, so even if you aren’t getting a cut, you can stop by and help the cause – 5619 California SW.
If you pursue your passion, it’s said, it can take you a long way – and West Seattle photographer Machel Spence‘s photographs of local fungi are now on their way around the world. She announced this weekend that she’s “in the current winter issue of Fungi Magazine – there is an article inside with more photographs and I was chosen for the cover shot too! I think it’s such an amazing boost for West Seattle and another reason why we should protect our parks here!” Many of her photographs, views into a sometimes-tiny world you have walked by and through a million times and never noticed, are from Lincoln Park. Her website has a link you can use to get a copy of the magazine, whose founders say it’s both for amateur and professional mycologists.
Spring approaching – and it’s the major season for fundraising galas. Some of them are annual traditions – and then every year new ones emerge, like this one: The intergenerational three-group West Seattle Community Orchestras have just announced their first-ever Spring Gala, to raise money for their youth programs – that’s half the WSCOs’ 120-musician membership! – as founder Toni Reineke notes in the announcement, the group “fill(s) the gap for students wishing to pursue their talents in music, at a time when many local music programs have suffered budget cuts.” If you buy your ticket early, there’s a discount. A night of music, with a silent auction and light dinner, is promised, at West Seattle’s Kenyon Hall. The gala is at 7 pm Saturday, March 12th (doors will open at 6:30 pm), with tickets $20 if purchased before March 1st, $25 afterward. To get your advance tickets, e-mail Abe Santini at abe@wscorchestras.org.
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