West Seattle, Washington
27 Sunday
When Pacific Science Center downtown had a media sneak peek for its new “Harry Potter” exhibition today, some local students got a preview too – Dano Beal‘s second-graders from West Seattle’s Lafayette Elementary School were front and center. Their teacher is known for classroom themes, and we’re told it’s currently decked out as Hogwarts. PSC’s Stan Orchard shared the photo. The exhibition officially opens this Saturday (here’s the info page on the PSC site).
(Photo of this morning’s fog just over The Bridge, courtesy Rick)
Even famous forecaster Cliff Mass cautions, in bold type no less, “I don’t want to get anyone excited.” But there’s a possibility of noteworthy wind in the forecast this weekend, he and other weather experts say, and since that sort of weather has been known to lead to trouble around here, we just want to give you a friendly heads-up; even if this possibility doesn’t pan out, it’s not a bad idea to make sure you’re ready just in case, as we get further into the fall. Here’s what Cliff wrote about the POSSIBLE wind; the National Weather Service‘s forecast discussion mentions it too.
Thanks to MargL and Todd for the tip – a solar-powered sign showing approaching vehicles’ speed has just gone up on southbound 35th SW (which has been dubbed “I-35” along much of its length) near 100th (map). Signs like this are part of SDOT‘s Arterial Traffic Calming Program – read more about it here.
Just 5 months after adding a retail storefront to their wholesale/catering operations, West Seattle’s Heavenly Pastry and Cake has decided to go back to wholesale/catering only. Co-owner Michael Stein e-mailed this morning to say this note is now up on the door of their location on California just south of Admiral:
Dear friend;
Heavenly Pastry and Cake is making a few changes. Our retail shop will be closed as of today.
We will continue baking here, however, for your special orders and our catering and wholesale customers.
Ordering our delicious Pretzels, Cakes, Scones, and other treats is easy, at (206) 420-2780; or online, at www.heavenlypastry.com
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Team Heavenly
One new enterprise that’s under way – Stein points out they’re making pretzels for Dante’s Inferno Dogs, the popular hot-dog purveyor that’s best known in more-northern Seattle neighborhoods.
(Opposite of this morning’s fog – Tuesday’s sun over the Duwamish, by Danny McMillin)
Quick look at tonight’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Both candidates in both major local races (King County Council, State House #2) are expected at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council candidates’ forum at Greenbridge YWCA, doors open 6 pm … School events: Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) welcomes prospective students/parents to Open House night, 6:30-8 pm … Seattle Lutheran High School also has an Open House starting at 6:30 pm … At Chief Sealth International High School, it’s International Baccalaureate Night, 6-8 pm, to learn about the college-prep program … The big annual Bordeaux, Bites and Boogie event for West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is at Herban Feast‘s Sodo Park, 5-10 pm … The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) screens movies tonight and tomorrow at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater (full Admiral schedule here) … Two neighborhood councils meet tonight: 6:45 pm at Westside Presbyterian Church, it’s the Genesee Schmitz Neighborhood Council, 7 pm at Alki UCC Church, it’s the Alki Community Council – follow the GSNC and ACC links for agenda highlights.
Two major milestones are ahead next week in the move to find out if a deep-bore tunnel really will be the replacement for the Central Waterfront section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, according to presentations Wednesday to the project’s South Portal Working Group. That’s the group that has been overseeing the south end of the project, and how it ties to transportation systems feeding West Seattle and vicinity. One week from today, on Thursday, October 28th, the two companies still working on proposals to design and build the tunnel are scheduled to present their proposals, which should kick off a six-week evaluation process. The next day, Friday, October 29th, a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be out (as explained here), reviewing potential effects of the tunnel (and other aspects of the project) will come out, kicking off a similar-length public-comment period that will include an open house in West Seattle: Mark your calendar for 6-8 pm Tuesday, November 16, at Madison Middle School. Lots more new Viaduct-related info from the meeting, after the jump:Read More
Toplines from Wednesday night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center: As she had done earlier this month for West Seattle’s other district council – Southwest – city Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao came out to talk about the city-budget proposal’s potential effects on her department, and to listen to local concerns. Other agenda items included the two local projects – both in the council’s coverage area – still in the running for Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund money, and how you can show support next Monday, plus the upcoming Gathering of Neighbors – read on:Read More
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
It’s been a busy week of environmentally-related meetings for West Seattle and its neighbors. The night after Sustainable West Seattle‘s forum on the Duwamish River (WSB coverage here), a “Community Forum on the Public Health Issues of Neighborhood Trucking” was convened, primarily for the Georgetown and South Park communities, but potentially of interest to other local areas with notable truck traffic.
Held at the Georgetown campus of West Seattle-headquartered South Seattle Community College, the forum consisted of three separate panels offering information regarding diesel pollution in the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods. Listening to the panels were Seattle City Councilmembers Mike O’Brien, Tom Rasmussen and Nick Licata as well as Port Commissioner Rob Holland, as well as an audience of approximately 40 people.
A beautiful day to be out by a creek, in a forest, and that’s exactly what students from Little Pilgrim School got to do today. They’re part of a first-of-its-kind program with EarthCorps trainees from several states and countries, installing 400 native plants along the restoration area at Fauntleroy Creek’s last degraded segment.
According to Fauntleroy Creek neighbor and steward Judy Pickens, the $52,000 project is funded by the City of Seattle, King County, the King Conservation District, and Fauntleroy Church, which owns the site. Little Pilgrim School is headquartered in the church; EarthCorps is based in North Seattle, and its team members talked with the kids in their classrooms just before they came out to plant (one group this morning, one group this afternoon).
P.S. You have a chance to lend a hand to Fauntleroy Creek this weekend – 5 pm Sunday at the creek overlook across Fauntleroy Way from the ferry terminal, it’s the annual gathering to drum, chant, and sing to call the coho home. Everybody welcome.
Tomorrow and Friday, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) returns to West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. We’ve given away tickets, courtesy of festival organizers, the past two nights, and tonight we have one last giveaway: Two tickets to the 6 pm Friday screening of “The Sleeping Beauty of East Finchley,” described as an “uplifting drama shot at the Various Voices Festival, a 4-day festival of gay and lesbian choirs from all over the world.” First person to e-mail us with SLEEPING BEAUTY TICKETS in the subject line, westseattleblog@yahoo.com, wins (be sure to tell us the name you want the tickets held in at the box office). Once the tickets are won, we’ll post an update here; no more giveaways after tonight, but you can go here to check out all the Admiral showings over the next two days.
9:19 PM UPDATE: The tickets have been won.
We’ve just arrived at the “heavy rescue” call on SW Chilberg, just off Beach Drive, north of Me-Kwa Mooks Park. That’s what you’re hearing helicopters about. As you can see in our photo, there’s a vehicle on its side – just to the left, a short but steep embankment.
UPDATE: Authorities at the scene say the driver of the red vehicle is hurt, though not life-threatening – he’s being evaluated right now. The blue car was not involved, despite how the scene looks in our photos. Authorities suspect the red vehicle’s driver just had trouble negotiating the turn which is immediately south of this scene. A tow truck’s on the way; they also need to get a fuel spill cleaned up.
(View of The Hole, photographed in September from atop the unrelated Link project)
We’re in King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead‘s courtroom downtown, after finally confirming today that what’s on her calendar as Ledcor Vs. Aero Construction is indeed the trial for the major legal fights over the stalled Fauntleroy Place development – aka The Hole. Judge Craighead’s staff told us by phone earlier today that the trial – two years in the making – was projected to take about two weeks, though they also noted that, after two days, it was running ahead of schedule. On the witness stand right now: Dan McTaggart from BlueStar, the original developer of the project, which was supposed to bring a Whole Foods Market and new Hancock Fabrics store, plus residential units and underground parking, to the 39th/Alaska spot that had previously held the old Hancock and a Schuck’s Auto Parts store.
Though we’ve just parachuted into the ongoing testimony, we’ve been following the paperwork online since the first two lawsuits were filed in March 2009 – as of right now, online records show 417 separate filings since the cases were consolidated in April of last year, some with triple-digit page counts, like the 100-plus-page list of evidence filed just before trial. One of the key points of contention – did construction work really ever start on the site, and who owes what to whom? (There was a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2008; demolition work began weeks later – but work idled on the site later in the year, and it was finally revealed that the project had fallen apart and was headed for court.)
Meantime, the site’s future ownership – and ostensibly, future development – is linked to the outcome of this; a potential new owner has been seeking “judicial foreclosure” for more than a year, but as we understand it (at least pending a review of all the latest court docs), nothing will change till some of the key issues are settled – particularly liens for key project figures who say they’re owed money. We’ll track this as best we can during the trial (and of course, beyond).
As reported here on Monday, renovated Fairmount Playground is almost ready to open – and we just got a note from Seattle Parks saying, “There are a couple of minor items to be fixed before we can open the site, but these should all be completed by next week and we anticipate opening the playground on Friday, October 29th.” Project manager Kelly Davidson had told WSB on Monday that the “punch-list” inspection was set for today.
(WSB photos/interview by Ellen Cedergreen)
Got a mattress you don’t need any more and can’t find anyone to take? Your solution may lie with Matt Althauser, who recently opened Bed Be Gone, a mattress-recycling company, based at ActivSpace on Harbor Avenue north of the West Seattle Bridge. He’s been a man of many potential-startup ideas over the years, but this one just made sense: “I started researching and realized there’s nobody doing it for individuals in Seattle, so I thought it’d be a great service and it’s a pretty straightforward business model.” How does it work? Read on! Read More
At last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen mentioned the ongoing search for a suspect believed to be responsible for at least half a dozen recent local burglaries. Just got word from Lt. Ron Rasmussen that the suspect is now in custody:
Through the excellent work of the Southwest Precinct Detectives and Patrol Officers, we arrested a juvenile male last night who we believe is responsible for the series of burglaries that have occurred in West Seattle area over the past couple of weeks. The investigation continues as detectives continue to follow-up on leads developed during the investigation.
Capt. Paulsen said last night that a search warrant had been served even before the suspect’s arrest, and stolen property had been recovered. Meantime, he also said police are actively looking for a suspect in connection with two recent “indecent liberties” incidents involving females walking alone, and he suggested extra precautions – read on:Read More
If you noticed Seattle Fire Department Engine 29 out front of historic West Seattle (Admiral) Library in the past hour – don’t worry, no fire, no rescue, no medical problems – as mentioned in the WSB morning preview, it was Firefighter Story Time!
That’s Matt Saunders from Engine 29 and Leslie Sumida from the library. Big turnout this morning – dozens of kids! It’s part of special Fire Prevention Month activities presented by SFD.
Just in from SDOT, a general traffic alert about President Obama‘s impending Seattle visit – he’s campaigning for local Democrats tomorrow, but arriving tonight:
Seattleites should be prepared today and tomorrow for occasional street closures or traffic slowdowns as President Obama arrives at a local airport, travels to various events, and departs on Thursday. Little information on the routes and times of his movements are announced for security reasons.
The President arrives tonight, so travelers can expect a possibility of rolling closures on the freeway or major arterials leading from a local airport. There will be street closures to provide security near the Westin Hotel tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning there will likely be closures on local streets as the president attends an event at a private residence, and then attends an event at 11 a.m. at the Edmundson Pavilion on Montlake Boulevard NE next to Husky Stadium.
Rolling closures are again likely on the freeway or major arterials as the President travels to an airport when leaving the city after the event at the Edmundson Pavilion.
The aforementioned “local airport” is usually Boeing Field, just east of West Seattle. President Obama, you will probably recall, last visited just two months ago (a day that’ll be long remembered, particularly for The Sonic Booms).
The Avalon Way 7-11 is now under the same ownership as 2 other West Seattle 7-11s (Admiral Way and Harbor Avenue). What makes that particularly notable is that the owner is throwing a “grand opening” party in a couple weeks (though he took over last spring); here’s the announcement sent to WSB to share:
Grand Opening: Meet Chintu the owner
November 6th, Saturday – 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Free Hot Dogs – Fresh Bakery Chips, Balloons & much more! Bouncy House for kids
7-Eleven 22561, 3280 Avalon Way SW
Bring your kids and have fun
We asked Monti, who e-mailed the announcement, for a little more information:
Chintu took over the store on May 19, 2010. He does not live in West Seattle, but he has been running two other 7-11s in West Seattle for the last 14 years. Chintu wants to have a grand opening for this store because he wants to connect with new friends and families in the West Seattle community … he knows if he connects with the community, he can improve his store to serve the customer better. We believe with this grand opening we can bring the West Seattle community together. AND HAVE FUN TOGETHER!!
The store’s at 35th and Avalon; here’s a map.
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Two community-council meetings tonight, both starting at 7 pm: Morgan Community Association at The Kenney and Delridge Neighborhoods District Council at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (our calendar page has agenda highlights for both) … The South Portal Working Group for the Alaskan Way Viaduct project, which includes 3 West Seattle reps, meets at the Sound Transit board room downtown, 4 pm … West Seattle (Admiral) Library hosts Firefighter Story Time at 10:30 this morning … Teens are invited to “Bowling for Peace” at Roxbury Lanes at 4 pm, as part of Week Without Violence … 6:30 tonight, the Sanislo Elementary PTA meets .. That’s also when the first-ever cooking class at Highland Park Improvement Club meets – ravioli-making – call 206-459-9050 to see if there’s room left … And tonight, the long-awaited Seattle premiere of “Evil Dead: The Musical” opens at ArtsWest in The Junction, running through Nov. 13th.
Right now police are searching in Westwood for someone suspected of stabbing two people – the injuries so far are not believed to be major – according to the scanner, one in the hand, one in the lower arm. It happened in the 9200 block of 31st SW (map). 12:46 AM: Scanner now indicates one person’s in custody and a knife has been recovered.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third weekly installment of this new WSB feature – if you missed the explanation/introduction with which we prefaced the first one, you can see it here.
By Megan Sheppard
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Two men called 911 late Sunday and said they were trapped inside a locked Avalon Way storage facility. As it turns out, they just didn’t see the “open” button for the roll-up door. Firefighters opened the door from the outside, but one man’s taste of freedom was short-lived: Officers arrested him when a computer check showed he was wanted on a warrant for driving with a suspended license.
*Early Sunday evening, two thieves were likely congratulating themselves for nabbing a compressor and a variety of tools from the bed of a pickup truck parked in Morgan Junction. But karma paid a visit and the pair ended up in a car wreck just blocks away. The culprits managed to escape, but the tools—scattered across the roadway near SW Raymond and Fauntleroy SW — were retrieved by their owner.
10 more reports, ahead:Read More
More youth basketball in West Seattle: Rino Canoy shared this news – three tryout sessions remain this week:
The Salvation Army Community Center HYPE Basketball Program is having tryouts starting tonight and throughout the week for their AAU youth basketball program. The youth basketball teams has been comprised of mostly West Seattle kids who play in the competitve AAU basketball leagues and tournaments during the winter season. Details are as follows:
Salvation Army H.Y.P.E. Winter Try-outs
5th Grade
Wednesday October 20th – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm6th Grade
Thursday October 21st – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm7th Grade
Thursday October 21st – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm(Plus)
Another program that the Salvation Community Center is doing early next month is a FREE basketball skills-and-drills program for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Starting Nov. 8th 5:15-7pm Mondays and Fridays, participants will be coached through 45 minutes of basketball skills and drills, followed by 45 minutes of gametime.
Most of the participants are from West Seattle, he says. This all happens at the Salvation Army Community Center at 9020 16th Ave SW; questions? Call Sean Connors at (206) 767-3150 ext -108.
Thursday and Friday, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) is back at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. See the full Admiral lineup here. Tonight, we have another ticket giveaway – this time, we’ll have TWO winners, each for two tickets to “To Faro,” screening at 9:45 pm Thursday, described as “an endearing account of complicated relationships … an audience favorite at LGBT festivals around the world.” First two people to e-mail us at westseattleblog@yahoo.com each get two tickets to that screening. Make sure your e-mail has TO FARO GIVEAWAY in the subject line, and includes the name in which you would want the tickets held at the box office. As soon as they’re given away, we’ll add a note here. We’ll have one more giveaway, tomorrow night; then Thursday and Friday, it’s festival time.
ADDED 10:28 PM: Both sets of tickets have been won! Check back tomorrow evening for 1 more giveaway, different film.
P.S. One more reminder of this free event that’s being held (not in WS) in connection with the festival, tomorrow night: SLGFF is joining with Safe Schools Coalition to screen the documentary “Bullied” at 6 pm Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall, with a panel discussion afterward, including three youth speakers.
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