West Seattle, Washington
15 Friday
Just announced by the mayor’s office, a January 29th “open house” at City Hall downtown, with street-food trucks and live music – and one well-known West Seattleite is on the bill: Rocker Chris Ballew in his alter-ego as kids-music-maker Caspar Babypants. Here’s the full schedule for the January 29th event.
Lots going on with our neighbors to the south. First – the White Center Chamber of Commerce has put up its first two new multilingual “Welcome to White Center” signs. More details on our partner site White Center Now, where you also will find news of two new businesses – first, Crawfish Grill is going to “time-share” with Be’s Restaurant; second, a new wireless store is moving in. Thanks to WSB/WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz for spotting the new businesses; thanks to WCN reader Gill for sharing the sign photo (if you’re driving by Holy Family in about an hour, you’ll see the WC Chamber’s board celebrating the sign with a photo-op). P.S. You can check the latest headlines from White Center Now any time without leaving WSB – they’re fed to the page you’ll reach by clicking the top-of-page “White Center” tab.
(Click for a larger view)
Construction has been under way for the new Admiral Safeway (along with two other buildings on the site – residential and flex-work space to the southeast, a small standalone retail building on the southwest) for four months now. The ground-level progress is easy to see if you drive past, but here’s a different perspective. One of the longtime project point people, Sara Corn, shares an aerial view, photographed during that sunny day earlier this week – top of the photo is the east side of the site, left side is north, right side is south (facing Hiawatha), bottom is west (facing Lafayette Elementary). She notes that the construction webcam is currently out of service for “repositioning”; it’s been part of the project website, which you can see here. The new store is projected to open next summer; we have an inquiry out for more detailed information on the project’s progress.
1:34 PM UPDATE: Corn says the store remains “on track” for the expected August 12th opening.
Thanks to Angelique for the tip – A crash at Delridge and Willow (map) has cut power to the surrounding area. This just showed up on Seattle City Light‘s status site, and they’re showing more than 60 customers (homes/businesses) affected. We’re just arriving at the scene, and the crash – which does not involve serious injuries – is also causing some traffic diversion on the southbound side of Delridge. (In the photo, added 10:15, the car on the left is the one that hit the pole.) UPDATE: Per City Light and commenter “Unknown,” the power’s back on.
(Paddleboarder in a West Seattle sunset, by Danny McMillin, shared via the WSB Flickr group pool)
Something about that photo just says “weekend.” But before we get there: The rain’s supposed to taper off by afternoon, which means it might be perfect in time for the Nature Consortium‘s monthly eco-hike through the West Duwamish Greenbelt (RSVP to lisa@naturec.org), 1 pm @ 14th/Holly … 1st Friday of a two-Friday “defensive driving” workshop starts this morning at 9 at the Senior Center of West Seattle; call 206-932-4044 to see if there’s room …. One more late-night/early-early-am closure of the WESTBOUND Spokane Street Viaduct, meaning you can’t get onto The Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill (details here) … West Seattle High School‘s Winter Concert is at 7:30 tonight, WSHS Theater, free but donations accepted … Feel like dancing this afternoon? Senior Dance @ Delridge Community Center, 1-3pm, $3. Betty McLain leads you through lines, mixers, and other dances to music from the 40’s to present. … And at Alki Community Center tonight, another round of Friday Night Skating, 6:45-8:45 pm, $3 person, bring your own skates or borrow them. … More on the calendar!
The “William Tell Overture” – by steel drums! That was just one of the highlights in a night full of music by Denny International Middle School students, performing their Winter Concert across SW Thistle Street at Chief Sealth International High School‘s remodeled auditorium – next door to the new school Denny will occupy later this year. We also have video highlights from seven more of the groups that performed Thursday night as the culmination of four months of hard work – click ahead!
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
South Seattle Community College‘s food and wine programs are famous in their own right – perhaps because they’re open to even international education, with guests like the team from Spain that came in on Thursday. Among the team that led cooking and wine classes and presentations almost all day was guest sommelier Jesús Sanguino Collado (above). The featured wines and foods were from the Castilla y León region of Spain. Click ahead to see what they tried, and how:Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The turnout was the biggest news from tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting.
As mentioned here earlier this week, the group is taking a serious look at its future – and more than 25 people answered the call to join in that scrutiny by showing up to join in. “I see a lot of new blood,” offered ACC’s Larry Carpenter from the sign-in table at the back of the room. Some of it, he explained later, included members who hadn’t come to meetings in a while. He said membership is currently at 132, down from a peak of 390.
Like other print publications, the ACC-published Alki News Beacon has gone through some changes in recent years.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – first case includes an update on a reader-reported incident earlier this week
*A watchful neighbor prevented the theft of a package from a 35th Avenue front porch on Monday. She scared off the thief, who had apparently been following a UPS truck on its route and making off with the deliveries. Followup since 1st WSB story on this: The suspect’s car was found later that day run off the road into the brush at Fairmount and Admiral Way SW. There were no keys in the ignition and no sign of the driver. Its license plate had been stolen in North Seattle, and the car, itself, had been reported stolen somewhere in Seattle on December 22nd.
*An officer driving by a construction site on Avalon Way early Monday was suspicious when he passed two men carrying bundles of pipe along the road. He became more suspicious when, after pulling a U-turn to observe the pair, he discovered that one of the men had disappeared. (He turned out to be a transient with a history of copper-wire theft, found later, out of breath, and carrying the same type of electric tape that had been used to bind the pipe bundles.) The remaining fellow’s story didn’t check out, and a grocery cart nearby was filled with a hacksaw, gloves, and welding ground cables (which contain copper). The pair was interviewed and released from the precinct pending location of a victim.
Nine more summaries ahead:Read More
Seattle Parks is about to decide whether or not to go ahead with the controversy-beset West Seattle Golf Course driving range. Last time we checked with project manager Garrett Farrell, to find out what was next after last year’s public meetings (most recent one, October) and unpopular design concepts, he suggested checking back in mid-January. So we did. Though Farrell wasn’t available for comment today, Parks leadership fielded our question and sent this answer through spokesperson Dewey Potter, saying they’re almost done with a review that might lead to the project being canceled completely :
You probably know that this project is the first project under the 2009 Golf Master Plan. The intent was to locate a new driving range west of the clubhouse along 35th Ave. SW. Unfortunately, as we moved into the detailed design and engineering phase, it became apparent that the location presented a number of unforeseen problems.
Our design team developed an option to locate the driving range closer to the clubhouse at the fairway for hole #9. This location would necessitate reconfiguring the hole and several pathways. Through three public meetings, the design team has tried to design the driving range in a way that preserves the integrity of the existing course and contains the overall project costs. As you know, the fairway 9 location has stirred some controversy and opposition by many West Seattle golfers.
Late last year ago Acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and Acting Deputy Eric Friedli met with staff and closely reviewed:
1) the proposed plans for the driving range and related changes to the course
2) the public input received through the public review process
3) the costs and available funding for the project.We have asked staff to conduct an additional review and analysis of the driving range project in the context of the entire Golf Master Plan for our review in January. After review of the project it is entirely possible that we will not press ahead with the West Seattle driving range project. We want to make sure that if the project does move forward it is consistent with the history of the course and meets the needs of the golfers; if it does not go forward, we will adjust the overall Golf Master Plan in a way that meets the needs across all our municipal courses. Eric met with the West Seattle Golf Men’s Club on January 12 to get a better understanding of their concerns.
The review should be complete in the next week or so and we will schedule another public meeting to present and discuss it with the golf community, and we’ll let you know when that meeting is scheduled.
The three design concepts proposed so far came out in August (concerns included a potential 90-foot-high net), September (concerns included potential alteration of 2 existing holes on the course), and October (concerns included potential changes to 3 holes).
Just announced by the city:
Bernadette (Bernie) Matsuno, a former deputy director of the Department of Neighborhoods and a well-known community activist and volunteer, will return as interim director of the department, Mayor Mike McGinn announced.
(City-published photo above.) Read on for the rest of the announcement:Read More
(Wednesday photo by Tristan Baurick/Kitsap Sun; used with permission)
3:07 PM: Following up on yesterday’s discovery of a body washing up on Bainbridge Island (WSB coverage here), drawing the interest of Seattle Police: Though the King County Medical Examiner told us a few minutes ago that they’re not formally identifying the body that washed up on Bainbridge yet – they just brought it to their facility today – other sources including KIRO-TV say the family has been told it’s 24-year-old Jeremy Peck. We just talked with Seattle Police Det. Mark Jamieson, who told WSB that while they also have not been officially notified it’s Jeremy, if and when they do get that notification, what they do next still depends on what the cause of death turns out to be – whether it was homicide, accidental, or suicide. It’s been exactly two weeks since our first story on Jeremy’s disappearance; family and friends say he was last seen early the morning of December 24th.
5:07 PM UPDATE: The Medical Examiner’s Office puts out a daily media update each afternoon; today’s update ends with a note that the “the body (found) in Puget Sound” will be examined tomorrow (Friday).
There’s excitement under every footstep at the Community School of West Seattle. Sarah Airhart shares the photos and the news, along with words of thanks:
The Community of School of West Seattle wants to let everyone know that after a year of planning, auctioning, fundraising and grant writing and 3 weeks of being closed to remodel, our new Marmoleum floors and children’s bathrooms are finally IN.
They are so beautiful and we are so thankful to all our friends and families in and around the West Seattle community that made this happen. We raised $17,000 at our auction and were awarded a grant for $21,000 we worked hard and saved our pennies to make this happen. Any past alumni families (and anyone who just wants to come and look around) are invited to stop by to our Open House on January 22nd between 10 am and 2 pm – we can’t wait to show you what YOU helped make happen. It truly does take a village!
CSWS is at 9450 22nd SW.
Today we’re welcoming one of our newest WSB sponsors, WEdesign, which is taking the traditional WSB opportunity to tell you about what they do: WEdesign Inc. works with homeowners to design and install custom landscapes that fit their lifestyle and budget while promoting a healthy, sustainable relationship with the environment. 
We combine custom stone work and carpentry with edible landscaping, backyard wildlife habitat and drought tolerant plantings. Drip irrigation, low-voltage lighting, rain gardens and custom play spaces round out our favorite functional gardens. Clients appreciate most that our collaborative design process results in a landscape that meets their needs in an ecological way. Our installation team is well-trained and experienced, offering a high level of craftsmanship and responsive customer service. We pride ourselves in creating landscapes that homeowners and their families can enjoy for years to come.
WEdesign is a member of Seattle Tilth, the Coalition of Organic Landscapers and a 5-star EnviroStar business. For more than 12 years, owner Michael Lockman has been a member of the West Seattle community, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. You’ll find WEdesign online at we-design.net; e-mail michael@we-design.net or call 206-459-7022.
We thank WEdesign for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
No injuries were reported, but a trail of destruction was left behind by one driver along 26th SW in North Delridge late last night. This morning, you can still see not only damaged vehicles (photo below) but also where the car hit signs, from a traffic circle to a corner (above) [2:10 PM NOTE: In comments, neighbors say the traffic circle, with the bent sign in the background, bore the brunt of last night’s street damage, and the tire tracks etc. at right are from a previous crash].
One neighbor, Ruby, relates a firsthand account from her partner, who saw the whole thing:
She had just parked her car and was trying to retrieve her bag from the passenger side of the car when she heard a car coming down the street at a very high speed. (She guessed around 50 mph). She honked several times in an effort to say ‘slow down!’, and the car blew past her, launched itself over the traffic circle, wrecked into the Telecom truck, and hit a van on the opposite side of the street. She ran after the car trying to get a plate and thinking the car would eventually just stop because it had so much damage…. But it didn’t… it kept going and hit several more cars before the driver abandoned it somewhere south of the park.
A police search followed, ending with no indication of the driver having turned up (we have inquiries out again this morning to see if they ever did, and will add any information we get). Anyone who suffered damage is also urged to contact police, if they haven’t already. Ruby says they heard of at least four cars that were damaged; seven were mentioned by Chris, who tweeted about this last night.
ADDED 3:22 PM: According to Lt. Ron Smith from the Southwest Precinct, five vehicles in all have reported damage from this incident so far. He says that despite a search involving two K-9 teams, the driver and vehicle were not found, though a possible license plate was reported, so investigators are working on that.
Will King County have to use “eminent domain” – taking possession of property, whether the owner likes it or not – to build a storage tank across from Lowman Beach Park, reducing combined sewer overflows (CSO)? The newest developments in the CSO project were a hot topic during Wednesday night’s quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting, which also tackled traffic safety and a request related to this summer’s Morgan Community Festival, plus a guest appearance by local police leadership. Details ahead!
School events top our quick look at today/tonight’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar; it’s Choice Night/Information Night at West Seattle High School, 6:30-8 pm (new PTSA newsletter‘s online too); Denny International Middle School‘s winter concert is in the auditorium at Chief Sealth International High School, 7 pm; families interested in the new Bright Horizons child-care center that will open in Link (WSB sponsor) are invited to an information session at Cupcake Royale, 4-7 pm (more info here); also in The Junction, the local office of AAA Washington is marking its “Million Member Celebration” with a day of refreshments, discounts and contests, 9 am-6:30 pm (4701 42nd SW). … Tonight’s major community meeting: Alki Community Council, with Topic A “where do we go from here?” 7 pm, Alki UCC (here’s our preview).
TRAFFIC ALERT: Another closure tonight for the WESTBOUND Spokane Street Viaduct (the I-5 to SR-99 section of the West Seattle Bridge), 10 pm-5:30 am.
Thanks to JayDee for the photo from Wednesday night’s moonrise, a perfect bookend to a day that began with an incredible moonset (nice views from Beach Drive Blog too). This full moon is bringing another round of very high tides – this morning, it’s up to 12.8 feet just before 6 am; this round will peak with the highest tides this winter, 13.3-foot high tides (per the chart we use) in the 7 am vicinity Saturday and Sunday. The state, by the way, is looking for your photos of these so-called “king tides.” P.S. Back to the moonrise – check out this breathtaking non-WS view sent via Twitter.
Award-winning West Seattleite Bettie Williams-Watson is putting out the call tonight for more participation in an online survey with a very specific target group:
Greater Seattle area Black/African American girls and women, ages 14-25, about their impact experiences with domestic and sexual violence in predominantly African American faith communities (churches, mosques, temples or synagogues) in South, Central, or West Seattle.
It’s a project of her Multi-Communities (MIC) organization, with funding from a city grant. They’ve been seeking respondents since spring of last year and have extended the survey to February 10th in hopes of finding more. The official announcement cites federal statistics saying, “Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races,” adding, “The aim of this survey is to not only shed more light on these issues, but to break shame and silence, and increase individual and community awareness. What happens here impacts all of us. No one is immune from abuse.” Be forewarned, that the some of the questions in the survey are explicit; if you, or someone you know, qualifies to take it, Williams-Watson hopes you/they will. Here’s the link.
Continuing our coverage of the murder trial in the February 2009 West Seattle shooting death of Steve Bushaw: Court is now in recess till 9 am Monday. That originally was projected as the date testimony would begin, but this case hasn’t even gotten to jury selection yet, because of an ongoing series of twists and turns among the four original defendants. Two of them have pleaded guilty in the past two weeks, but one of them may withdraw that plea when court resumes Monday. Details ahead:Read More
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog  Â
About 30 people gathered for Sustainable West Seattle‘s monthly Community Forum on Tuesday night at Coffee to a Tea with Sugar in the Alaska Junction (the event’s original venue, the Senior Center of West Seattle, was unavailable at the last minute).
Although the group’s “volunteer fair†format couldn’t happen Tuesday night because of space/time limitations related to the venue change, it was a busy night of “annual reports†for 2010, and guest presentations from the West Seattle Wildlife Habitat Project and the Salish Sea Trading Co-op.
Highlights on what’s been accomplished – and what’s coming up, plus the lineup of new SWS leadership, ahead:Read More
(Added 4:09 pm: Photo by Tristan Baurick/Kitsap Sun; used with permission)
2:18 PM: Through the comments following our latest story on the search for missing 24-year-old West Seattleite Jeremy Peck, we learned of an investigation on Bainbridge Island – a body, believed to be male, washed up today, and the Kitsap Sun reports that Bainbridge Police are working with Seattle Police. Commenters wondered, is there any link to the Jeremy Peck search? We have checked with Seattle Police’s media unit, which is in turn checking with detectives, and with Seattle Police’s West Seattle leadership, through the Southwest Precinct; Capt. Steve Paulsen says they haven’t heard anything. The Kitsap Sun’s latest update says their county’s medical examiner is handling the case and will be responsible for identification. Again, there is nothing so far that says there’s any relation, except that Bainbridge police are quoted as saying it might be related to a Seattle missing-persons case, and that the body may have been in the water two or three weeks; we wanted to let you know we are checking. Our latest update on the Jeremy Peck search is here; we just added a news release sent by organizers of this Sunday’s vigil.
3:45 PM UPDATE: Commenting via e-mail, Jeremy Peck’s longtime friend Ben Doty, who is helping lead search effort, told WSB, “At this time, we’re aware of what happened in Bainbridge Island. Nothing has been confirmed. We remain hopeful.”
11:06 PM UPDATE: KING5 picked up the story tonight; here’s their link. The Sun has updated to say that the King County Medical Examiner now has possession of the Bainbridge body and will announce the ID if/when that’s available. In their comment section, another case of a young adult man missing about the same period of time was brought up – a 25-year-old soldier who jumped off the Tacoma Narrows Bridge a few days before Christmas.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office just got the body today, according to both a KCME spokesperson and Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson. The official ID has not yet been determined nor made public. Until it is, and until cause of death is determined, according to Det. Jamieson, police’s next move won’t be clear – for example, even if it is Jeremy Peck, was it homicide, suicide, or an accident? All that is part of what the KC Medical Examiner is looking at right now.
A sighting of El Chupacabra on Alki is expected soon – but it won’t be fodder for summoning paranormal investigators – it’ll be a reason to dine and drink. Shortly after Casa Feliz closed on the lower level of 2620 Alki Avenue SW (photo above added 4:18 pm), brown paper went up and tips came into the WSB inbox asking “what’s moving in?” This afternoon, we have the answer. We spoke with Aaron Wright, whose El Chupacabra Mexican restaurant and bar is about to celebrate its 5th anniversary on Phinney Ridge – he is hoping to open the Alki branch before that mid-March date. Read on for details:Read More
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