As was observed during this morning’s groundbreaking for Transitional Resources‘ new Avalon Place facility (2988 SW Avalon Way, just north of the old Tillicum Village building) – here’s the before/after:
TR is one of those places you drive by all the time without realizing it’s there. Its business is to help those with “serious, persistent” mental-health challenges, dozens of whom either live in its current buildings along Avalon, or get services there. Now it’s adding a brand-new building that’ll provide 16 “permanent, affordable housing” units, as well as space for other services, and that’s what brought TR staff, board members, and dignitaries out for today’s brief ceremony. In our video, the woman toward the right is TR CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker; the others include King County Executive Dow Constantine and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (project funding includes county and city dollars). Slovek-Walker tells us the house now on the site (you can see it in our video) will be demolished within a week or two; construction of Avalon Place should take about seven months.
(Photo copyright Robin Lindsey)
Just received this from Seal Sitters‘ Robin Lindsey, regarding Primo, the first seal pup to turn up on a West Seattle beach this pupping season:
She was just so excruciatingly thin that she did not have the strength to survive the night in the San Juans. She was a real fighter, however, and had an extreme will to live. It is too bad that more people didn’t get the opportunity to see how alert and beautiful she truly was.
An additional place to stay cool tonight, with that “heat advisory” kicking in a few hours from now – air-conditioned West Seattle High School Theater, where “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is onstage at 7:30 tonight and 3 pm tomorrow (plus next Friday/Saturday/Sunday). Anna from Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) shared the photo of Kyla Phillips and Clementine proprietor Linda Walsh, who have cameos in tonight’s performance. Tickets are available online (or at the door pre-show).
The strains of “Bohemian Rhapsody” will fill the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard tonight, among other memorable moments from “Wayne’s World,” tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies feature. Big change in the weather from last week’s rainout! Movie’s at dusk, free, bring $ for nonprofit-benefiting raffles and concessions. And tonight there’s a second movie-under-the-stars – “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” at Coastal on Alki. … Long before nightfall, you just might find a politician, or at least a political organizer/volunteer, on your doorstep. Primary Election Day is Tuesday and you have to dig that ballot out from under the coupons and catalogs and MAIL IT IN by then, so lots of doorbelling expeditions are planned to remind you of that. It’s so big, the Magic Vote Bus is even going to be in West Seattle (10 am, Delridge Playfield, they’d be happy to see you). Also on the docket: “Stage Struck” summer theater camp celebrates its 10th anniversary at 5 pm, St. John the Baptist Church Hall; Seattle Lutheran High School‘s Class of 1990 has its 20-year reunion at 7 pm tonight, Table 35in The Junction. More on the calendar!
(Thursday photo by Susan DuTemple)
By noon tomorrow, the fog from earlier in the week might seem like a particularly pleasant memory. The National Weather Service has called for an official “heat advisory” for noon tomorrow through 10 pm Monday. According to the newest forecast, we could be in the mid-90s tomorrow and Sunday, with only a bit of cooling the following three days. You know what this all means – time to haul out the “who has air conditioning” lists! These started a month ago during the last heat advisory. Here’s the one with A/C-equipped restaurants; here’s the (longer) list of “other places with A/C.”
ALSO: Note that tomorrow night, there are special events to cool you off – West Seattle Outdoor Movies (co-sponsored by WSB) in the courtyard by Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) features “Wayne’s World” at dusk – and tomorrow’s the last of three monthly movies presented by Coastal next to its Alki store (“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle“).
50-year-old Stephen Hayes Kirk is now charged with three counts of second-degree burglary, all from cases in Burien; the court documents mention that investigators have been looking into many other break-ins, including those in West Seattle, but no charges are filed in other cases so far. His bail has been reduced to $25,000 from the $150,000 set yesterday (which is what documents indicate prosecutors requested again today). We obtained the photo at left from the Department of Corrections.
Continuing to add more details from court documents: The “probable cause” information mentions 32 smash-and-grab burglaries that Seattle and Burien Police and the King County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating and says they began on June 15th. Since they had the same MO – glass smashed, vending machine(s) or cash register stolen – investigators say that strongly suggests the same person or persons was/were responsible. Their big break came, the court documents say, when they made a traffic stop on July 24th and the driver told them he knew who had burglarized a store on Des Moines Memorial Drive – a man he knew as “Steve” who drives a red pickup truck with “East Pierce County Fire Department” on its driver’s side door. Detectives reviewed video from a 7-11 near the store that had been burglarized and found a man and truck in the video that appeared to match the description.
Another clue, the documents say, came when they found the cash register from the July 29th Uptown Espresso break-in in West Seattle in the parking lot of Puget Sound Credit Union on Airport Way South – surveillance video from the credit union showed what appeared to be the same man and pickup truck. They circled back with the tipster from the traffic stop, who then told him he had witnessed the burglary he’d mentioned. Detectives ultimately got a full name on their suspect by checking with a scrap yard in Georgetown, asking if they had any customers matching the description.
The court documents say they subsequently got a court order to put a tracking device on Kirk’s pickup truck. That was done by a King County Sheriff’s Detective on August 6th – last Friday. Among other things, according to the documents, the tracking device placed his pickup near the two Admiral District smash-and-grab break-ins earlier this week – Luciano’s Pizza on Sunday morning (photo right) and Admiral Shoe Repair on Monday morning. He was arrested early Wednesday, with most of that story told in the separate court/police document we reported on yesterday – except for one detail: Officers found a “large amount of loose change” in Kirk’s pockets, but he claimed it was because he’d been panhandling at a nearby store when someone ran up to him, gave him all that change, then ran away.
Kirk’s arraignment – the hearing at which he would enter a plea – is set for August 26th. We’ll be checking with prosecutors regarding whether more charges might be filed before then.
Nine months after first word that a 7-11 was on the drawing board for the former Exxon station/mini-mart at 35th and Barton, there’s a new indication it’s moving forward: A liquor-license application filed this week. This comes after a real-estate-style shingle’s been hanging out front of the property for a few months, promoting franchise opportunities; the names on the liquor-license application include Joseph DePinto, 7-11’s corporate CEO, so we have a message out to corporate HQ to see what we can find out about its status. (Nothing new on the building-permit front.) 7:24 PM UPDATE: Got voicemail from a corporate rep at day’s end. We have to call back to ask specifics on this particular store – but she said that in general, 7-11’s are often built/opened by the corporate parent without a franchisee having signed on yet – then they go find one.
The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close all eastbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct from First to Fourth avenues S overnight, beginning Sunday night, to prepare for the Monday morning opening of the Fourth Avenue S Off-ramp. The closure is necessary to remove the concrete barrier and to patch surface concrete where the barrier was connected to the viaduct deck.
Crews will place temporary barriers where the new off-ramp meets with the upper roadway to allow for a daylight opening of the ramp.
All eastbound lanes will be open by 5:00 a.m. Monday and the new Fourth Avenue S Off-ramp will be opened after the morning commute. The overnight closure begins at 10:00 p.m. Sunday, August 15, and will be complete by 5:00 a.m. Monday, August 16.
High Point staff is overseeing a mural project at Commons Park. The theme is past, present, and future. It was teen led, designed, and executed. It incorporates soccer, different ethnicities (including a hajib on one of the girls), local industries such as Boeing, and local attractions such as the Space Needle. There were a total of 46 different youth who worked on the mural project over the past three weeks. Youth ranged in age from 8 to 18 with the majority falling between the ages of 9 and 14. The mural will be complete after the youth add in writing what they want to be when they grow up on the panels. The mural will then be sealed and with the assistance of the Junction Association it will be installed in the walkway between California Avenue and the parking lot behind merchants in the Alaska Junction.
We hope to get an installation date firmed up soon. The Junction Association is having the hallway painted before the new murals are installed.
Six weeks after the South Park Bridge closed for good – by opening the drawbridge leaves and keeping them that way – demolition is about to begin, according to a news release from King County, though the leaves won’t be the first thing to go. Read on for details:Read More
Story and photos by Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Lisa Coronado — an actress, producer, and West Seattle resident — is still marveling at the recent phone call she received from the owner of C&P Coffee Company, offering up the coffeehouse as a filming location and any services it can provide to Coronado and her West Seattle-based show “The Divine Marigolds,” which she hopes will make it to TV.
“I mean, where else are you going to get that except West Seattle?” asked Coronado during a break from a script reading of the pilot episode, titled “Finnegan’s Wake.”
They describe their show as “a heartfelt comedy about a tight knit Irish-American family set in the gorgeous Alki Beach area of Seattle, Washington.”
Today we’re welcoming one of our newest sponsors, Dick Cady, who offers piano lessons in West Seattle to both beginners and advanced students. It’s a WSB tradition for new sponsors to get the chance to let you know about their business; Dick says he tries to create the right environment to help students learn: “One of the things I hear from my students often is, ‘This is exactly what I wanted to know.’ I’ve been teaching for some time, and knowing when to teach something is as important as knowing what to teach. Also, my students often say how much fun they are having. I like to have fun and laugh in the lesson too. Whether it’s the parent of a beginning child or an older transfer student, an adult who has been playing a long time or one who is just starting, most people seek me out because they have heard from a friend how much they’ve learned. I’m always honored to get a recommendation from a student. I think they keep coming because there is always more to learn in music – and this goes for me too – and because of the supportive atmosphere.” Dick also has experience working with students who have performed in national and regional competitions. Just this part spring, two of his students who are part of the Garfield High School Jazz Band received Outstanding Soloist awards at the Essentially Ellington competition in New York. Over the past 10 years he has sent several students to that festival, while some of his middle schoolers have received awards at festivals and competitions closer to home. Piano teacher Dick Cady is online at dickcady.com; by phone, he’s at 206-762-8679.
We thank piano teacher Dick Cady for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
Happy 1st anniversary to Cherry Consignment in The Junction and Porterhouse Pub in the Admiral District – both are having special events today in honor of having been open a year. Porterhouse (2329 California SW) is offering beer specials and door prizes. Cherry Consignment (4142 California SW) is having a special sale event 6-8 pm, with storewide discount, a “Super Saver Rack,” and refreshments.
As of very early this morning, the downtown transit tunnel was still closed because of a “malfunction” — affecting buses, light rail, and drivers/bike riders on the streets that carry more buses when needed. To get the latest on its status, go here.8:59 AM: As you probably know by now, all’s well again, and has been for most of the commute. The link, however, is a good resource for all Metro riders – it’s a blog-format website where they track the commute status daily, even when nothing extraordinary’s happening.
Just five weeks after first word that Blackboard Bistro would replace short-lived Eness at 3247 California SW – it’s Grand Opening Eve for proprietorJacob Wiegner (above left) and his team. Friday night, they’re officially open; tonight, they welcomed food writers in for a “media preview”; we don’t partake during such things but we did drop in for a few photos. Blackboard Bistro actually has been serving guests in “soft-open” mode for at least a week; as promised, the menu’s on a blackboard:
Here’s a closer look at the “savory” side (as opposed to the right side of the photo, which was the “sweet”):
You can also see the opening menu in the news release we published July 28th. And here’s a food photo, tweeted by @valentinavitols during/after tonight’s sneak peek. Per the Blackboard Bistro website, Friday night’s grand opening is 5-11 pm and you should have made a reservation by now – but you can always check tomorrow to see if there’s room left (or make plans to visit on subsequent days/nights).
When the meteor-shower talk started rising beyond a dull roar last night, Christopher Boffoli went out to the Me-Kwa-Mooks vicinity along Beach Drive in search of an early view. He reported only two meteors in 40 minutes – but great stargazing. (We noticed the latter even from our near-lots-of-streetlights Upper Fauntleroy porch.) Tonight, however, should be a different story. This is the night the annual Perseid meteor shower is peaking – maybe almost a meteor a minute, if you have a good view. Via Twitter, @martha_kang points us to this NASA link for the best information – they’re keeping watch at the space agency too. (Added: Links from Katie – here and here – and from Mac – here.) If you can stay up late enough, NASA suggests the best viewing is after midnight; let us know what you see, and from where! Or try this live feed which is linked from that NASA page – video AND audio:
Even the layout of treats at Liberty Bell was a work of art:
And another Junction stop – Bin 41, “your Junction wine shop” (WSB sponsor), where they were thrilled to host Washington winemaker Brian Carter tonight – he took a quick break from pouring, to pose with Bin 41 proprietors T. Frick and Jon McNamara:
Speaking of The Junction, two huge events are coming up within the next month-plus: On August 21, it’s the multi-store Big Bonanza sale, all day long (participants listed here), with not only deals, but fun, like a water-squirting showdown at high noon. Then September 19th is the third annual West Seattle Junction Car Show (co-sponsored by WSB) – the posters are hot off the presses at Liberty Bell, so you’ll be seeing them around soon. And mark your calendar for the next West Seattle Art Walk, second Thursday in September, 9/9 (if you want more info about any of the artists whose work you saw tonight, there are plenty of highlights on the official WSAW website).
By one count, more than 500 people sprawled out across the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center tonight for the season’s third installment of “Summer Concerts at Hiawatha,” presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, whose president Katy Walum‘s shoulders you’re looking over in the top photo. On stage, Pearl Django:
As usual, lots of families – check out the stroller lineup:
As mentioned in our preview earlier, the “cooler on wheels” featuring Full Tilt Ice Cream was there, and next week will feature the Buns on Wheels burger truck. Tonight, there was some unofficial neighborhood awareness-raising going on – we spotted opponents of the 3200 block of California rezoning proposal – with its pivotal public hearing coming up next Wednesday downtown (here’s our coverage archive topped by the newest stories)
We’re told, however, that this was not an authorized table – tabling at the series has been reserved for sponsors (which include WSB, though tonight because so much was going on, we just dropped by for photos/video.) Meantime, as big as tonight’s crowd was, next week just might beat it – a double bill of family music by Caspar Babypants and The Board of Education. (6:30 pm Thursday as usual) – admission free as always, but donations will be collected for WestSide Baby: Bring diapers, kids’ essentials, or even $ to donate.
P.S. More West Seattle free outdoor music tomorrow night – the second of four Outdoor Concerts at The Mount, south side of Providence Mount St. Vincent, dinner offerings go on sale at 5 pm, music starts at 6 with Maia Santell and House Blend.
We’ve been out covering a boatload of big events, but first wanted to tell you, if you watch West Seattle development, that the first Southwest Design Review Board meeting in about half a year is over, and the 7100 Delridge project – 58 apartments, 1,750 square feet of retail, and three rental houses behind the building – made it through the “Early Design Guidance” phase. We’ll add full details later about architect Warren Pollock‘s presentation and SWDRB members’ advice. Next step: At least one more meeting, at which the design will have to be presented in more detail.
ORIGINAL 3:26 PM REPORT: We’re at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, where the 50-year-old Burien man suspected in more than 40 smash-and-grab burglaries – including a series of break-ins in West Seattle – has just appeared before a judge for his bail hearing. We are not identifying him until and unless he is charged, which could happen tomorrow. The judge granted prosecutors’ request for $150,000 bail; his defense lawyer had argued that there was little evidence tying him to the three cases on which he is currently held – but the judge noted that he allegedly had a “cash register in his hand, which was then dropped” at or around the time of his arrest early yesterday. We should get more information shortly on the circumstances of his arrest – now that bail is set, prosecutors will be able to release some documentation, which we’ll add here when we get it. In granting the bail amount, the judge noted that the suspect had more than 60 cases in his history, resulting in more than 90 warrants – drolly observing, “That’s a ratio of 1.5 warrants per case.” (The warrants, the prosecutor had said, were generally for “failing to comply with court orders.” As we reported yesterday, he has prior burglary convictions. The Department of Corrections told WSB today that he had served two prison terms – from September 2002 to August 2004, and from June 2007 to September 2009. (The latter was in connection with the theft of an ATM from a tavern in Seatac.) More to come.
ADDED 3:55 PM: We have the probable cause paperwork now, from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – indicating that detectives had been watching this particular suspect, also saying that he was caught an hour after a burglary at a West Seattle church, and mentioning an alleged drug problem – read on:Read More
Thanks to Sue for noticing this and sharing the link: Central District News has an update today on Leschi neighbors’ plans for a memorial to Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton, murdered there in the line of duty last fall. Officer Brenton, you may recall, had West Seattle ties, including having graduated from West Seattle High School in 1988. The CD News story includes images of what is on the drawing board for the memorial in Leschi – and a request for donations if you’d like to help them cover its $25,000 cost. Meantime, Officer Brenton’s accused murderer awaits trial.
50-year-old Stephen Hayes Kirk is now charged with three counts of second-degree burglary, all from cases in Burien; the court documents mention that investigators have been looking into many other break-ins, including those in West Seattle, but no charges are filed in other cases so far. His bail has been reduced to $25,000 from 
The court documents say they subsequently got a court order to put a tracking device on Kirk’s pickup truck. That was done by a King County Sheriff’s Detective on August 6th – last Friday. Among other things, according to the documents, the tracking device placed his pickup near the two Admiral District smash-and-grab break-ins earlier this week – 
Nine months after 
It’s a WSB tradition for new sponsors to get the chance to let you know about their business; Dick says he tries to create the right environment to help students learn: “One of the things I hear from my students often is, ‘This is exactly what I wanted to know.’ I’ve been teaching for some time, and knowing when to teach something is as important as knowing what to teach. Also, my students often say how much fun they are having. I like to have fun and laugh in the lesson too. Whether it’s the parent of a beginning child or an older transfer student, an adult who has been playing a long time or one who is just starting, most people seek me out because they have heard from a friend how much they’ve learned. I’m always honored to get a recommendation from a student. I think they keep coming because there is always more to learn in music – and this goes for me too – and because of the supportive atmosphere.” Dick also has experience working with students who have performed in national and regional competitions. Just this part spring, two of his students who are part of the 
We are not identifying him until and unless he is charged, which could happen tomorrow. The judge granted prosecutors’ request for $150,000 bail; his defense lawyer had argued that there was little evidence tying him to the three cases on which he is currently held – but the judge noted that he allegedly had a “cash register in his hand, which was then dropped” at or around the time of his arrest early yesterday. We should get more information shortly on the circumstances of his arrest – now that bail is set, prosecutors will be able to release some documentation, which we’ll add here when we get it. In granting the bail amount, the judge noted that the suspect had more than 60 cases in his history, resulting in more than 90 warrants – drolly observing, “That’s a ratio of 1.5 warrants per case.” (The warrants, the prosecutor had said, were generally for “failing to comply with court orders.” 
Thanks to Sue for noticing this and sharing the link:
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