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Spotlight Stories


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    STORE CLOSING: Another doomed drugstore

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    HYDROS ON THE LAWN: A West Seattle farewell

Chief Sealth Multicultural Night, baskets to pens to dancing
December 10, 2010 11:05 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Story, photos, and video by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

27 groups and 85 students, including some Sealth alumni and a few students from other schools, were represented last night at Chief Sealth International High School‘s 4th annual Multicultural Night. The newly renovated school’s Galleria and Commons had throngs of students, families and neighbors milling through tables to learn more about the school’s clubs and programs, as well as classes offered at Chief Sealth.

The Chief Sealth PTSA held a raffle throughout the evening, with winners announced at the evenings stage performances. Community-donated prizes including certificates for Proletariat Pizza and Snap Fitness, as well as an iPod shuffle, back packs and the enormous food basket shown atop this story, filled with delectables:

Nan Johnson, woodshop-class instructor , explained that woodshop students sell their craftwork from their classes and even honor requests for customized engraving on items including, puzzles, pens and ornaments:

The pens shown above are made by the students on lathes, using imported woods such as zebra wood as well as colorful acrylics. The pens sell for $15/$20 each and, like other woodshop products, can be purchased through Ms. Johnson (ncjohnson@seattleschools.gov). Johnson says that her courses also use donated leftover construction materials which are then used to teach students construction and carpentry skills rather than going to the landfill. Inquiries for donations or pricing can be made to Ms. Johnson.

Also showcased last night: Global Visionaries, with students currently raising money for a two-week spring trip; the film festival we covered last week also was related to the program. Twelve Sealth students will be traveling in April and June with Sealth teacher Noah Zeichner to Guatemala,

In Guatemala, they will spend time on a coffee plantation among other experiences, learning about global environmental-justice issues. Meantime, a cheering crowd watched stage performances last night, including the Ukulele Club, Poetry Club, Filipino Club, Latino Dance Club, Hip Hop Club, and in this next clip, the Vietnamese/Cambo Club:

And dancing was very well-represented by talented students in the Polynesian Club and the Break Dance Club:

P.S. It’s school-tour season, and Sealth’s tours are listed on the school homepage.

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West Seattle Friday: OLG tree, Lafayette auction, Bells…
December 10, 2010 9:40 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: OLG tree, Lafayette auction, Bells…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

What’s it like when your house is Ground Zero for school-auction preparations? Just ask Cosmo. His mom shared that photo as items for the Lafayette Elementary “Play It Forward” playground project auction filled the room last night – they’ll be moved today, since the auction is 6 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy. We’re told Cosmo’s holding “the item he covets most, a box of games and toys from Atomic Boys.” (That Admiral shop is part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide, by the way.) Full auction list here. One more non-holiday event: Last info night for Get Fit West Seattle at West Seattle Runner, 7 pm. Also today/tonight:

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE TREE LIGHTING: 7 pm, 35th/Myrtle (map), the highest-elevation Christmas tree in the city lights up! OLG asks you to bring a nonperishable food donation for the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

BELLS OF THE SOUND: Holiday concert at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW, 7:30 pm (full details here)

HOLIDAY STYLE NIGHT BENEFITING WESTSIDE BABY: Ola Salon throws a party for charity, 5-8 pm. Free services, drinks and food, raffles, donation of $20 or more at the door suggested, all proceeds benefit WestSide Baby – reservations not required but suggested.

And tonight begins the second-and-final weekend for the Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) holiday show:

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” is based on the classic 1946 Frank Capra film and being performed at historic Kenyon Hall, tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3 pm.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Police search, after car break-in
December 10, 2010 7:31 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Received early this morning from Thomas:

A silver Mazda Tribute was broken into in my neighborhood … around 10:45 pm. Our neighbors called the police, who were there
investigating around 11:15 pm.

The break-in occurred in the small group of houses directly behind the Home Depot … about 2 blocks up the hill on Webster (near the police department)

P.S. Like other crime reports we receive – as well as incidents covered by a WSB crew – this one is also linked from the WSB West Seattle Crime Watch page, where you’ll find other resources, including the most recent addition to the page – the latest Seattle Police tweets with stolen-car information from around the city.

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West Seattle Art Walk report #2: More holiday cheer, & a farewell
December 10, 2010 6:52 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Art Walk report #2: More holiday cheer, & a farewell
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
More holiday cheer in our second and final report from Thursday night’s West Seattle Art Walk (our first one is here) – these are the venues visited by WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen. Above, we hear a certain CEO stood in for Santa Claus at The Kenney. At Seattle Yarn (5633 California SW), Mrs. Claus held court:

That’s Seattle Yarn’s Ruth Bowen with Mrs. Claus – also in the photo, Snooter-doots, which Mrs. Claus says each come with a name and a birthdate and are available for “adoption.” Meantime, holiday photos were the order of the night at West Side Yoga/Doga (6417 Fauntleroy Way) in Morgan Junction – but look closely at who’s under the lights:

WSYD was the site of the Yappy Howlidays Muttmixer for dogs and their people; photo proceeds benefited Dogs Deserve Better. The party was sponsored by West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine, whose founder Brandie Ahlgren was there too:

Brandie’s sitting next to a computer because she was showing off the new look that you’ll see within a week or so on the CityDog website, with more ways for dog owners to connect with each other. Heading north, while most of our Junction photos are in Art Walk report #1, Ellen dropped by the Neo-Kitsch show reception at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), a juried show with more than 50 participating artists:

That’s West Seattle artist Kelly Lyles showing off her “Black Velvet” (painted on velvet, of course). Kelly said her idea inspirations included Google. Last but not least, on the northernmost end of the current Art Walk map, the last WSAW (for now) at the Alki Bathhouse, because of city budget cuts (whose other effects on Alki Community Center/Bathhouse operations are explained here).

College student Logan Mohr, shown talking with a potential customer, showed a variety of work at the Bathhouse show; in addition to etchings and work in other media, he also designs and sells skateboards. One of the other artists showing at Alki Bathhouse was Su Harrington:

She told Ellen she’ll miss showing at Alki Bathhouse, since she lives nearby; this was her second show there. Next West Seattle Art Walk is the second Thursday in January (the 14th). As noted in our first report from last night, many Art Walk-highlighted works will be up at the venues (mapped here) throughout the month, and right now, that also means lots of art available for holiday shopping, even if you didn’t make it out last night.

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In case you heard the sirens overnight: Small Admiral District fire
December 10, 2010 5:23 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

In case you heard the sirens overnight, just after 3 am: What firefighters describe as a small fire at a house in the 2600 block of 49th SW (map) was put out quickly, but crews are still on the scene, cleaning up. They tell us the person home when it broke out got out OK; there’s some smoke damage and debris (like the pile you see in the foreground of our photo). They believe it was accidental.

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‘Tis the season for creativity: West Seattle Art Walk, report #1
December 9, 2010 10:34 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

Winning the Holiday Spirit Award tonight in The Junction during West Seattle Art Walk/Shop Late Thursday – the gleefully goofy Tacky Sweater Party at Twilight Artist Collective. (Compare to last year’s “tacky sweaters” here.) Even if you missed the party, you can stop in (4306 SW Alaska) and see the “12 Days of Christmas,” by 12 artists including members of the Twilight owner team. Smiles abounded along tonight’s Art Walk route for many reasons:

Posing with a few of her “Backyard Beauty and Beyond” photos at the Senior Center of West Seattle, that’s Trileigh, whose scenes of wild West Seattle have appeared many a time here on WSB – tonight was her first public (offline) exhibition! Kitty corner at Clementine (4447 California SW), West Seattle entrepreneur Cari Jones showed her new paintings:

We have to admit, though WSB is among her client firms, we didn’t know Cari was an artist too, along with everything else she’s up to (as detailed on the Clementine website)! Around the corner at Brunette Mix (4306 SW Oregon), tonight was a two-part event:

Brunette Mix proprietor BJ Prokopof is celebrating her third anniversary in The Junction – and hosting the art of Tony Taj. From there, scooting over to Ginomai artist studios on the north edge of The Junction, we peeked in on the silent auction we told you about this morning, raising money for the next Central America well-building trip on the West Seattle Christian Church schedule:

That gorgeous purse was donated by Funky Jane’s Consignment; we’ll be checking with WSCC to see how the auction went. Last but by no means least, over to Wallflower Custom Framing and Shooting Gallery:

Mark Morgan is one of 16 artists whose work is included in the “Puny Picture Show,” 2nd year in a row for Wallflower to feature small-size work by big-size talent. Remember, much of what is on display Art Walk night also remains on display for all or part of the following month at the participating venues, so every day/night can be an Art Walk day/night. We had a second crew out tonight, meantime, and that second round of December Art Walk scenes are coming up in a separate report! (Disclosure: Brunette Mix and Wallflower are WSB sponsors; Clementine, Twilight, and Funky Jane’s are featured advertisers in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide.)

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Yet more national TV for West Seattle: ‘BizKid$’ at SW Pool
December 9, 2010 8:43 pm
|    Comments Off on Yet more national TV for West Seattle: ‘BizKid$’ at SW Pool
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Swimming on a rainy night? Sure! And tonight, West Seattle’s Southwest Pool had special guests at poolside, as you can see in the photo shared by Val, who reports:

Tonight the show BizKid$, shown nationally on PBS, was taping some segments with two of the lifeguards/swim instructors at Southwest Pool. Last week we all had to sign a consent form in case our kid got on TV while they were taping inside the actual pool area. The show will air sometime in April, locally on KCTS-9.

The BizKid$ production team is based in the Seattle area.

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How would West Seattle survive a disaster with no hospital?
December 9, 2010 8:07 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Health | Safety | West Seattle news

By Jack Mayne
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

West Seattle residents and civic leaders met Wednesday to discuss what would happen if an earthquake or other disaster cut off the community from the rest of Seattle and its hospitals and other emergency facilities – considering there’s been no hospital here for some 20 years.

The “Hospital Without Walls” meeting at Delridge Community Center was sponsored by Senior Services of Seattle/King County, the non-profit that runs several area senior centers and other senior services.

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1 more preview: West Seattle Art Walk, Shop Late Thursday, MORE
December 9, 2010 4:46 pm
|    Comments Off on 1 more preview: West Seattle Art Walk, Shop Late Thursday, MORE
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

(Photo added 7:37 pm, courtesy Tim – crowd at Wallflower Custom Framing‘s ‘Puny Pictures’ show)
Less than two hours till West Seattle Art Walk – all over the peninsula – and Shop Late Thursday in The Junction. In addition to our previous Art Walk previews here (several other interesting stops) and here (Ginomai auction for well-building), plus all the artist spotlights you can find on the official WSAW website, here are a few more mentions:

ARTSWEST (WSB sponsor): In addition to continuing “A Tuna Christmas” in the theater tonight, the gallery features “Neo-Kitsch,” a juried exhibition, and you’ll recognize some local artists – including Highland Park’s Dina Lydia Johnson and Kelly Lyles of art-car (among other things) fame.

LIBERTY BELL PRINTING: Days after announcing its imminent departure from The Junction, Liberty Bell has an open house tonight AND charity gift-wrapping by Furry Faces Foundation – 6-9 pm. Details in this WSB Forums post.

BRUNETTE MIX (WSB sponsor): Celebrating its third anniversary during tonight’s Art Walk!

BIN 41 WINE (WSB sponsor): Music, wine, and art!

NOT in The Junction —

CLICK! DESIGN THAT FITS – Offering special discount on locally originated merchandise, like what’s spotlighted here.

SEATTLE YARN COMPANY: We’re told their open house tonight will include a visit from Mrs. Claus.

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM OPEN HOUSE: Want a copy of the new “Images of West Seattle” as a stocking stuffer? The Log House Museum is selling it at its holiday open house under way right now, till 8 pm. (61st/Stevens)

SANISLO ELEMENTARY BOOK FAIR AT BARNES AND NOBLE: Need to buy books for somebody? Sanislo Elementary benefits if you buy tonight at Barnes & Noble, Westwood Village, where their Bookfair is under way, 6:30-8:30 pm.

In The Junction AND elsewhere:

WSB WEST SEATTLE HOLIDAY SHOPPING/BUSINESS GUIDE: 20 businesses offering deals and special holiday-shopping info. We’ve also upgraded it so you can e-mail/FB/tweet each individual business’s listing, if you want a reminder, or to share. Find it here (with more additions later tonight, in time for weekend shopping).

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West Seattle High School football coach Davis Lura leaving
December 9, 2010 3:48 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Thanks to Curtis for the tip from last night’s West Seattle High School 2010 football banquet: Head football coach Davis Lura announced he’s leaving after four seasons. Having listened to what he described as an emotional speech, Curtis said, “Despite what was a very difficult season, it is very clear that Coach Lura cares about the young men on his team very much.” We checked today with WSHS athletic director George Foster, who confirmed Coach Lura’s departure, saying he is pursuing coaching opportunities in Ballard, where he teaches. No replacement for the Wildcats yet – the interview process may take a while.

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How Alki Community Center/Bathhouse will operate, post-cuts
December 9, 2010 3:17 pm
|    Comments Off on How Alki Community Center/Bathhouse will operate, post-cuts
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Two weeks after the Seattle City Council finalized a budget for next year – which among other things changes Alki Community Center into a “limited-use” facility – the details of what that means for people who use the center are finally worked out, while those involved acknowledge it’s a work in progress.

We sat in last night on the meeting of the all-volunteer Alki Community Center Advisory Council, whose members will be more responsible than ever for what happens at Alki CC – most of its programs are funded through the council, including preschool and child care. Among the toplines of what’s ahead: We know the new hours; we know that (as first reported here in October) the popular Alki Art Fair won’t happen next year unless someone else is found to present it; and we know that tonight will be the last time the West Seattle Art Walk includes an Alki Bathhouse stop.

Read on for details:Read More

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Highway 99 tunnel bids opened: ‘Winner’ says they’ll finish sooner
December 9, 2010 2:30 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

(Most recent WSDOT video simulation of the tunnel – from October 2010)
The apparent winning bid has been chosen from the two submitted for the tunnel that the state wants to build to replace the central section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. According to transportation reporter Mike Lindblom‘s story at SeattleTimes.com (WSB partner), the bidder, Seattle Tunnel Partners, says they could finish sooner than the state asked – and can build the tunnel a bit wider. The state has just sent its official news release – it’s not online yet so far as we can tell, but we’ve got it after the jump:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Burglary-attempt alert
December 9, 2010 12:50 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

This happened within the past hour in Highland Park, according to BigRed:

I just wanted to put the word out on an attempted break-in on our house around 12pm today; we live on 17th and Trenton [map]. I was home sick and my husband works from home and we have a rather large dog, so I am not quite sure why they picked our house but it worked out well! My husband was working in his office with his curtains closed and heard something on his window. He opened his curtain and found a younger African-American male, age 15-16 trying to pry our window open. This scared the robber off and he escaped down our alley. My husband also saw a younger female with the suspect, he didn’t get a good look at her but she seemed around the same age, possibly Hispanic. A section of our fence along the side was removed so they could get into our yard. Cops responded quickly and are canvassing the neighborhood for suspects. Our 95lb “guard dog” slept peacefully through it all.

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Streetlight safety: More City Light inspections after Queen Anne dog death, High Point problem
December 9, 2010 10:51 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | Utilities | West Seattle news

We’re at the Seattle Municipal Tower downtown, where Seattle City Light superintendent Jorge Carrasco is leading a media briefing about streetlight safety, in the wake of both the Thanksgiving Day electrocution of a dog who walked onto an electrified plate by a Queen Anne light, and a High Point incident revealed last night. Though City Light’s account did not mention names, HP resident Wendy Hughes-Jelen identified herself in WSB comments as the person who called to report a streetlight that appeared to be having problems, after her Italian greyhound Sophia acted oddly around it. Carrasco says the pole she reported (on SW Raymond, near the one in our photo) was indeed found to have “voltage” on the pole – no one was injured, however. That has been repaired, and he says after immediate testing of a half-dozen poles nearby, crews also went out yesterday and tested all 170 streetlights in the High Point area to be sure there were no other problems; there weren’t, but the grounding system there will be evaluated, in case a “more robust” grounding system is needed, according to Carrasco. Other “similar” developments will be checked ASAP, he said – listing them later as Greenbridge in White Center, as well as two Seattle developments, Rainier Vista and New Holly. The problem that caused the voltage in the High Point pole, according to the superintendent, was a frayed wire. The pole carried 50 volts, said City Light staffers at the briefing, which Carrasco confirmed could have been a problem if a pet or child had touched it before it was fixed. The voltage involved in the Queen Anne dog’s death, they said, was 90.

Here’s what he mentioned regarding safety “going forward”: As of New Year’s Day, there’s a new grounding standard for all metal poles, and City Light will be accountable for all inspections from thereon out. “We operate the streetlight system – we need to be the ones making sure the streetlights are safe,” Carrasco said. (It was revealed in coverage of the Queen Anne dog incident that SDOT had some accountability for checking the lights.) He also discussed the decorative streetlights that are in place in some neighborhoods – saying it’s difficult for crews to keep track of the different grounding configurations. “We are going to reduce the number of options going forward,” Carrasco said, regarding those types of streetlamps, in order to reduce the chances of safety hazards. He also announced a plan to test all 20,000 existing metal-poled streetlights (the rest of the city’s system has wooden poles) for voltage between now and next May 1st, while noting that a just-completed inventory of streetlights has had crews visiting all of those poles fairly recently, with no problems detected at the time. “We had a human being in the past year touching every one of those poles, metal or wood, and no problems were reported,” he reiterated. (As part of the inventory process, a metal plate was attached to metal poles.)

If you see anything of concern with a streetlight or pole, Carrasco stressed, call City Light at 206-684-7056 (the number we mentioned last night); he says staff has been trained so that they will recognize signs of a problem requiring an immediate inspection. We are checking to see what hours that number is answered, and what to do if you see a potential problem after-hours. Bottom line, though, SCL says these problems are extremely rare, so – Carrasco insists – you do NOT need to be worried that every streetlight pole you see is a potential hazard.

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USS Nimitz passes West Seattle shores en route to Bremerton
December 9, 2010 8:48 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(Photos by Gary Jones)
Not sure if it’s still visible but we just received a few e-mails (thanks, Diane, Bryan, and Ed!) pointing out that the USS Nimitz has been passing West Seattle shores while on its way to Bremerton, where its crew of nearly 3,000 will be based while maintenance work is done on the carrier. It was homeported in Bremerton for a decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and has spent most of this decade based in San Diego.

ADDED 9:31 AM: Thanks so much to Gary Jones, who has shared photos of the Nimitz passing our shores – in the top photo, that’s the Vashon Water Taxi heading downtown as the Nimitz continues its Bremerton-bound path; in the 2nd photo, that’s the top of the Alki Lighthouse in the foreground. Also thanks to Jennifer for noting in a Twitter discussion that the Nimitz is on Facebook (with updates about the arrival).

4:23 PM NOTE: The Navy has announced that after the work in Bremerton, the Nimitz will be homeported in Everett.

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Also today/tonight: College, culture, cleanup, crimefighting…
December 9, 2010 8:40 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(‘Slip 4’ Duwamish cleanup area, photographed for WSB by Christopher Boffoli)
Here are highlights of what’s notable tonight BESIDES the West Seattle Art Walk, The Junction’s Shop Late Thursday, and West Seattle holiday events: 2 more chances to learn more about the proposed alternatives for cleaning up Duwamish River pollution, 3:30 and 5:30 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Georgetown campus (directions here) … Two major high-school events tonight: At West Seattle High School, find out about financial, with a rep from the National Education Loan Association on hand, 6:30 pm in the WSHS theater … It’s Multicultural Night at Chief Sealth International High School, featuring student performances and appetizers, 6:30 pm … And the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meets tonight at the WC DSHS offices (9650 15th SW), 6 pm. … More (mostly) non-holiday events on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page!

ADDED 9:09 AM: From the comments, one more meeting tonight of note for anyone interested in local Seattle Public Schools.

ADDED 12:41 PM: Couple more additions: Youngstown Arts Center’s All-Access Showcase tonight, with amazing performances by the youth who are part of the afterschool (etc.) program there, 6 pm; Sanislo Elementary has a fundraising book fair tonight at Barnes and Noble/Westwood Village – 6:30 to 8:30 pm – if you buy a book, be sure to tell the clerk it’s to benefit Sanislo!

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Silent auction during WS Art Walk to bring a village clean water
December 9, 2010 2:08 am
|    Comments Off on Silent auction during WS Art Walk to bring a village clean water
 |   How to help | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

(Photos by Aaron Hernandez, courtesy WSCC)
Tonight (Thursday), during the December edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, stop by Ginomai artist studios and put in a bid for art that will do double duty: A gift for someone (maybe even yourself?), and a gift for hundreds of people thousands of miles away. Local artists have donated pieces for a silent auction raising money for the next well-building trip by a delegation from West Seattle Christian Church. Dan Jacobs, the WSCC pastor who spoke at last weekend’s Junction Tree Lighting, was part of the group that helped build a well for a Guatemalan village this past summer and is making plans now to go to Honduras next summer. (Exactly where, they don’t know yet, because the demand is so great, the exact community isn’t designated till the last moment.) It’s in connection with a group called Living Water, and as Dan says, it’s a matter of living or dying, in many cases – until these new wells are dug, deep below the area where the ground might be contaminated by farming runoff or other pollutants, water-borne illnesses are common, and deadly, especially to children, who also lose countless school hours to frequent sickness.

West Seattle Christian has been supporting well-building projects for some years – but until recently, that just involved fundraising. However, Dan says the value of going to help out in person not only entails more help, but also more awareness: “There were 10 of us who went, and 300 involved in sending us.” The drive to raise money for the project always starts at Christmastime, and that’s on purpose: “Three years ago, I heard a statistic that the U.S. will spend $450 billion on Christmas. The estimated cost to address the need for clean water in the world is $10 billion. We thought we could do Christmas better than just spending money on stuff.” (Thus, the involvement with Advent Conspiracy.)

One individual well about 100 feet deep might cost about $5,000, he notes, not much of a cost for 300 people to “have clean water for the first time ever.” The wells are drilled only in common public areas like schools, so there’s little chance of a “water war” breaking out over access. Dan says his group this past summer only had to dig to about 80 feet to get clean water, and they’ve gotten reports, since their departure, that it’s yielding even more water than expected.

Paintings and photos comprise most of the work you’ll see at the silent auction during the Art Walk. Included is some photography by WSCC’s Aaron Hernandez, who also is part of the well-building delegation. Even for those who couldn’t go, the pastor explains, “our whole church felt they were part of (the journey) – including some older couples who were so proud to be part of it, we felt as if we were taking them there with us.”

Bid for some art at Ginomai tonight, and you can be part of it too. The silent auction is in the community room down the hall – enter from 42nd, on the SW corner of Genesee (parking is on the south side of the building, also entered from 42nd).

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Video: TV role for West Seattle martial-arts expert Lisa Skvarla
December 8, 2010 10:34 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(NOTE: The promotional clip below includes a simulated violent attack)

Did you know that West Seattle martial-arts expert Lisa Skvarla is an accomplished stuntwoman too? In the two-minute preview video above, she’s the dark-haired woman in the re-enactment scenes (starting about 18 seconds in) as a crime survivor tells her story of an East Coast ordeal more than a decade ago. It’s part of a new DIscovery Health special, “The Worst Thing that Ever Happened to Me,” debuting at 7 pm Friday (December 10); Skvarla is seen in flashback scenes as Debra Puglisi Sharp, who survived an attack that took her husband’s life (also detailed in the book “Shattered“). Lisa and husband Joe own Lee’s Martial Arts in the south Admiral area, and she teaches self-defense to kids as well as adults. According to a news release Skvarla sent tonight to announce the show, she also has been an actor/stunt performer/stunt coordinator working in L.A. as well as Seattle for more than 15 years.

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City Light finds West Seattle problem after QA dog death
December 8, 2010 7:56 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Utilities | West Seattle news

You might have heard about the dog electrocuted on Queen Anne because of an “energized metal plate” over a streetlight power vault. Tonight, Seattle City Light reveals that a subsequent call from a worried High Point resident led them to a malfunctioning streetlight. From an SCL media advisory tonight:

“We received a call from a customer who believed that a streetlight in her neighborhood may not be working properly,” says Superintendent of City Light Jorge Carrasco. “Crews investigated the streetlight on Tuesday, found that there were exposed wires in the lamphead and immediately repaired it. There was no damage or injury associated with this malfunctioning streetlight.”

According to tonight’s advisory, Carrasco will brief the media tomorrow on the utility’s plans to check the system’s 20,000 metal streetlight poles and 10,000 metal streetlight-vault covers, and to fix any that need repairs. Meantime, if you suspect any kind of trouble with a streetlight – even if it’s just burned out – the city has long had a reporting system set up: Find the online form and phone number here.

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From Arctic to Alki: USCG commander @ West Seattle Kiwanis
December 8, 2010 6:42 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(USCG Rear Admiral Gary Blore with Kiwanis Club of West Seattle president West Niver)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If we started this story by saying that the U.S. Coast Guard District 13 commander, Rear Adm. Gary Blore, was in West Seattle today, that wouldn’t be remarkable, considering he lives here – on the grounds of the Alki Point Lighthouse.

But his appearance during the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s luncheon meeting was noteworthy. Instead of focusing on the lighthouse, as expected, he said it was most important for people to know more about the Arctic, what’s changing there, and how it’s affecting not just the USCG, but the rest of the country.

He discussed the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap without ever using the phrase “global warming” or “climate change.”

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County reveals its West Seattle sewer-overflow-reduction choices
December 8, 2010 2:40 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 5:22 PM: At the end of the story, we’ve added new information from the county, including an open letter to the community, and information on how residents of the proposed-for-purchase Lowman Beach properties were notified. ADDITIONAL UPDATE 6:35 PM with Fauntleroy reaction)

(County map showing where the “green stormwater infrastructure” is proposed for the area feeding the Barton pump station; go here for larger version)
ORIGINAL 2:40 PM REPORT: Just in from King County Wastewater Treatment Division: The county has announced its preferred alternatives for facilities to achieve a required reduction in CSOs (combined-sewer overflows) at the Murray (Lowman Beach) and Barton (next to the Fauntleroy ferry dock) Pump Stations. For Murray, they propose building a million-gallon storage tank under private property across the street from Lowman Beach Park – which the county would have to buy (even if that involves “eminent domain“); for Barton, the Green Stormwater Infrastructure project – read on for the news release; more to come – the process of arriving at these choices has been going on for more than 3 years (with major acceleration in fall of last year). and today’s announcement is the first step toward an in-depth environmental review:Read More

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2 West Seattle volunteers win Seattle Parks’ Denny Awards
December 8, 2010 1:50 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Congratulations to volunteers from West Seattle’s Hiawatha and Alki Community Centers for winning 2010 Denny Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Stewardship, as presented by Seattle Parks last night. From the announcement:

Up and Coming Youth Award
Natalie “Wolfy” Whithan, Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council
At just 17, Natalie is already making a big impact in her community. She is a member of the Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council and the Youth Engaged in Service program. She has helped the center create more organized office systems, reshaped the Teen Advisory Council, designed colorful bulletin boards that highlight the teen program, led younger youth in fun activities, and ran special events at both the Hiawatha and Southwest community centers. She is a bright light to those around her.

Associated Recreation Council Volunteer of the Year Award
Darrell Glover, Alki Community Center Advisory Council
Darrell not only helps lead the center with important policy and monetary decisions through his work on the advisory council, but he also rolls up his sleeves to help out for special events. He advertises events to businesses, parents, and friends before the event; sets up tables, passes out equipment, and supports staff during the event; then takes out trash, sweeps up afterward, and ensures the work is done before going home himself.

Natalie and Darrell were two of six West Seattle-linked nominees, as first mentioned here last month.

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City budget effect: Delay for Seattle Parks’ winter brochure
December 8, 2010 12:57 pm
|    Comments Off on City budget effect: Delay for Seattle Parks’ winter brochure
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Though registration started yesterday for Seattle Parks community centers and pools’ winter programs, if you tried to find a copy of the winter brochure, you couldn’t. This, we’ve learned today via a discussion on Twitter, is because the department has needed extra time to figure out the schedules for the budget-determined “limited hours” community centers – including Alki – since the budget was just finalized two weeks ago. Parks says the brochures might be posted online as soon as tomorrow (watch the right sidebar on the home page for your favorite community center – the West Seattle/South Park centers and Southwest Pool all combine their schedules into one brochure); the printed version will follow. But you don’t have to wait for the brochure to get program information – check out the online-registration system SPARC by starting here. (P.S. Your West Seattle Community Centers, which are part of the WSB sponsor team, are “likable” on Facebook too.)

2:07 PM P.S. Just discovered on the Alki Community Center webpage that its Advisory Council meets tonight, 7 pm, to talk about next year – a meeting certainly of interest to anyone wondering how the budget cuts will affect its offerings.

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