Video-game champion going for a record – in West Seattle


Watch live video from John McAllister Joust Marathon on Justin.tv

If you check out that feed, you can’t really tell where it’s happening – you’ll just see a video-game screen and hear some voices – but it’s potentially video-game-playing history, and it’s happening in West Seattle, according to what WSB contributing researcher Katie Meyer has turned up. The player is 41-year-old John McAllister, who’s set records before for video-game playing/scoring (earlier this year, it was Asteroids); he’s going for a record playing Joust. The game machine’s owner is a well-known figure in the gaming world, known online as SanTe, and his home near Westwood Village is said to be where the Joust machine is hooked up to a PC, streaming what McAllister’s been up to. He’s going for the highest score ever, which means he has to pass 107,000,000 points and then some, a record set 25 years ago. Various gaming writers have been mentioning this (here’s one update from a few hours ago). Unless something goes awry, McAllister should break the 25-year-old scoring record in a few more hours. If you look at the screen, by the way, the score doesn’t reflect the official total – Katie explains that it rolls over every 10 million points – he’s approaching 100,000,000 at last report.

Alki Community Council: Local lit, budget cuts, disaster prep

October 22, 2010 1:03 pm
|    Comments Off on Alki Community Council: Local lit, budget cuts, disaster prep
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

 

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
 

A local author took center stage at the monthly meeting of the Alki Community Council at Alki UCC Church on Thursday night, along with discussions of disaster preparedness and city-budget concerns affecting Alki Community Center.    

The final hour of the meeting was devoted to a presentation by Alki author Peter Stekel (above) who talked about his book, “Final Flight: The Mystery of a WWII Plane Crash and the Frozen Airmen in the High Sierra.”  The book, published last month and available on Amazon, chronicles Stekel’s extensive research into the 2005 discovery of the body of an “ice man” pilot in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and Stekel’s resulting discovery of airplane wreckage and an additional pilot’s body. 

The meeting opened with remarks by Alki parent Lisa West (who had also collected signatures and spoken at last week’s Seattle budget hearing), expressing concern about service reductions at Alki Community Center as part of the proposed cuts announced by Mayor McGinn last month (WSB coverage here). West said the city’s plan would reduce the center’s weekly operations from 53 hours to 15 hours (7 of those on a single day – Friday), and that the closest alternative (Hiawatha) is “too far up the hill for kids to walk to.”

West encouraged community members to let the City Council know that Alki Community Center is important, by visiting the council’s “IdeaScale” website and voting for continued funding (link is here).  NOTE: The city’s third and final public budget hearing is Tuesday October 26th.

ACC trustee Tony Fragada added that the city’s proposed budget cuts would also affect Department of Neighborhoods funding and encouraged citizens to keep that in mind while getting involved with the discussion.

Read on for more meeting notes: Read More

Happening now: Lafayette Elementary Walk-A-Thon

Big week for West Seattle’s biggest elementary school (526 students as of the newest enrollment report), Lafayette. Yesterday, we showed you a second-grade class’s special field trip; today, the entire school’s involved in the biggest fundraiser of the year, the annual Walk-A-Thon. Above, lining the course to cheer on the walkers – some run:

And some get company – that’s WestSide Baby‘s Nancy Woodland taking a lap earlier this morning. School fundraisers like this rustle up cash for what the budget just doesn’t cover any more – though at least the schools still get great folks like the Lafayette office team, Ms. Selena and Ms. Connie:

For years, by the way, Lafayette has been working on upgrade its playground – and an entirely different round of fundraisers is under way to take advantage of a grant that’ll evaporate if not matched – look for that story coming up here on WSB. And if you have a school fundraiser, celebration, event, need, whatever, that you want to make sure the greater West Seattle community knows about – send the info this way! Thanks!

Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council: Shuttered school’s future

(Art on closed ex-Genesee Hill Elementary building, photo shared by neighbors in July)
West Seattle’s newest community council/association, the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council, just had its latest general-membership meeting last night at West Side Presbyterian Church. The biggest news comes in one of GSNC’s biggest areas of emphasis, the fate of the former Genesee Hill Elementary School, now in its second year of vacancy. Mary Fleck heads the GSNC subcommittee regarding the school and says they’ve been talking with Seattle Public Schools and the city. SPS says the building is not for sale, and is not scheduled to reopen any time in at least the next few years. (As we’d reported earlier this year, it was offered for lease but there were no proposals.) The neighborhood’s cleanups and gardening projects have made the most progress toward keeping it out of disrepair; next step, GSNC plans a round of neighborhood meetings to gather opinions on what should/could be done with the buildings. The district was reported to be open to talks about more use of the GHE gym and auditorium.

Also at GSNC – Presentations from Cindi Barker on preparedness (West Seattle Be Prepared), Benjamin Kinlow on crime prevention (Block Watch), and Dot Beard on the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council. (Kerrie Schurr organized last night’s meeting and noted that crime prevention, safety, and preparedness were areas of particular interest for those who attended the last meeting.)

The Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Association doesn’t have a regular meeting schedule yet but you can keep an eye on its website at gsnc.wordpress.com.

Helicopter in the Delridge area: Checking on it

Just getting notes in multiple channels about a low-flying helicopter over North Delridge. Checking! 10:28 AM NOTE: Southwest Precinct says there’s no police search under way right now, so it’s not law enforcement …

West Seattle Chamber’s big night out: Bordeaux, Bites, Boogie

(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Whatever you do for a living, you know being in business is hard work. So last night, members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce took a break, just for one night, to have a good time while raising money for the organization’s ongoing work to strengthen West Seattle’s economy. Even chamber president/CEO Patti Mullen got a chance to relax a bit:

That’s Patti on the left with twin therapists Jessica and Michelle DeShayes of Alki View Massage. Another popular event during the “Bordeaux, Bites, and Boogie” celebration at Herban Feast‘s Sodo Park was lipreading:

The “lipsologist” for whom those lip-print-bearing partygoers were waiting in line was Jilly Eddy, here doing an analysis:

With the microphone, here’s Paul Binder from PB&J Textiles, which moved this past year to new headquarters next to Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge:

And we caught up with the CEO again, here with Bonnie David of Salty’s and Molly Swain from Providence Mount St. Vincent:

If you’re a West Seattle businessperson but not a Chamber member – here’s membership info. (WSB is a member; we signed up a few months after becoming a business 3 years ago.)

West Seattle Friday: Spooky fun; Huling Bowl; flood benefit…

October 22, 2010 8:29 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: Spooky fun; Huling Bowl; flood benefit…
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports | WS miscellaneous

(Lincoln Park photo by Flickr member nakean)
Though Halloween itself is nine nights away, spookiness is on the rise in a big way starting tonight, so don’t forget to keep an eye on our special Halloween page of events/activities for all ages (with listings through Nov. 1st). Tonight’s highlights include night 3 of “Evil Dead: The Musical” at ArtsWest (7:30 pm), 1st of 4 nights for The Anunnaki Project‘s annual “Ghost Game” at Youngstown Arts Center (8 pm), “Northwest Ghost Stories” at the Duwamish Longhouse (7 pm), The Little Gym of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) with a Halloween Carnival tonight open to all, 4-5:30 pm for the tiniest kids, 5:30-7 pm for pre-K and grade-schoolers (free but bring food-bank donations), and Delridge Community Center‘s Halloween Carnival 6-8 pm … From the non-Halloween listings on the Events calendar – Delridge CC is also where you’ll find the West Seattle Garden Club, meeting 10 am-2 pm, including a presentation on bats … High Tea at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) at 3:30 pm today, RSVP to 206-938-3964 … Tonight’s the crosstown-rivalry Huling Bowl football game with Chief Sealth IHS hosting West Seattle HS, Southwest Athletic Complex, 7 pm, festivities start at 5 pm, full schedule hereWhalebones plays Easy Street Records in The Junction, 8 pm … It’s the second and final night of the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) at Admiral Theater – buy tickets here … 6:30 pm tonight in Gatewood, you can reach out across the globe to help Pakistan flood victims – here are full details.

Morgan Community Association: RapidRide update, much more

Many of West Seattle’s neighborhood councils/associations meet monthly. Those that don’t tend to have jampacked agendas when they do get together – and as usual, that was the case with the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting on Wednesday night. Of all the topics tackled, the long-in-the-works RapidRide bus system briefing was the beefiest, but the MoCA meeting also brought news about other subjects from an impending development to neighborhood crime/safety concerns – read on:Read More

Election countdown: Quick toplines on tonight’s forum

(Part 1 of 3 unedited segments comprising tonight’s candidates’ forum in White Center)
It’ll be the wee hours before we finish the full story, but for election-watchers, we wanted to let you know we’ve written a very quick first summary of tonight’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council-presented candidates’ forum in White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood, featuring both candidates in each of our area’s open-seat races: King County Council District 8 and 34th District State House Position 2. That quick summary is up right now at partner site White Center Now. We also recorded the forum on video in its entirety – nothing artistic, we’ll warn you, but in case you want to see/hear for yourself, we’re putting it on the record in three unedited segments comprising the entire 2 1/2 hours – what’s embedded above is Part 1. ADDED 11:19 PM: And here’s part 2:

12:47 PM: And part three:

Again – full story to come!

From Tilden School students: Why West Seattle forests need help

(We hear from Tilden School’s fifth-graders from time to time. Tonight – they explain their recent forest-restoration project.)

By Tilden School’s Fifth Graders
Special to West Seattle Blog

On October 8th, our fifth-grade class joined Nature Consortium’s Restoration Project Director Mark Tomkiewicz (aka Buphalo) and Restoration Project Coordinator Lizzie Petrin in the West Duwamish Greenbelt here in West Seattle. Nature Consortium is a nonprofit organization “whose mission is to connect people, arts, and nature,” and Buphalo and Lizzie spent a whole day teaching us how to be stewards of the environment through hands-on habitat restoration activities. Even though the word “green” is in “Greenbelt,” and it is green, this West Seattle forest is unhealthy and needs our help.

The West Duwamish Greenbelt is covered with both invasive and native species. Common invasive species include Himalayan blackberry, evergreen blackberry, and English ivy. Our class picked up trash and ripped out invasive species, so we could plant native species, specifically western red cedars. When native species grow near invasive species, they can be killed, but we can save native species by removing invasive plants and planting native ones.

The western red cedars we planted are young coniferous trees. Mature coniferous trees are not currently in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, but if they were, we would gain many benefits. One of them is carbon reduction. You might ask why, and the answer would be under the bark. Coniferous trees do a great job of capturing the carbon dioxide we produce. The Pacific Northwest actually holds the top ten carbon-storing forests in the U.S., according to the Wilderness Society. If you cut down the trees that hold the carbon, it is released into the atmosphere to contribute to global warming as greenhouse gas.

Even though the West Duwamish Greenbelt has few evergreen trees, the forest is still green. It’s a common misconception that since it’s bright and green, it’s healthy. That’s not the case. Invasive species can be green, and they kill off the more important coniferous trees! Also, most of the green, mature trees in the Greenbelt are short-living and deciduous, thus not storing much carbon and allowing invasive species to take over. Coniferous trees are long-living (some over 1,000 years), store much more carbon, and stay green and oxygen-producing all year round. So, here’s the proper conception of a thriving forest: if it’s a green forest in winter, chances are it’s a healthy forest!

The West Duwamish Greenbelt is a large watershed whose naturally-filtered water should drain right into the Duwamish River, one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S. However, because West Marginal Way and industrialized land stand between the Greenbelt and the Duwamish River, the healthy water from the Greenbelt cannot flow directly into the toxic river. If it could, it would help clean up the river, creating a healthier, salmon-filled waterway.

Even though we may have only made a small dent in the giant wall of ecosystem-destroying forces, our effort to stop the reign of pollution and invasive species will lead to a better world. We have begun to improve our future and that of generations to come. With year-round opportunities to volunteer with Nature Consortium, we all can save the West Duwamish Greenbelt by fighting for native species and against invasive species.

Sewer-overflow facility at Lincoln Park? Community meeting set

The citizens’ advisory group set up at the suggestion of neighbors upset about the possibility of a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) control facility digging up Lowman Beach Park has finished its months-long work to suggest and review other options. At its last meeting three weeks ago, the consensus was that its preferred alternative would be a storage facility under the south parking lot at Lincoln Park. It didn’t come without controversy – that’s technically outside the Murray Pump Station-feeding “basin,” for which the county had originally proposed three other options, and the advisory group rep from Fauntleroy, Vlad Oustimovitch, removed himself from the voting, saying his area wasn’t truly represented, with everyone else who was voting living outside the area they were targeting. The county doesn’t have to accept the recommendation, but wants the community to hear about the proposal, so a meeting is now set for November 1st. Read on for the official news release, which also mentions the group’s four runners-up:Read More

Followup: State confirms Junction liquor store will move

Four months ago, we reported that the state liquor store in The Junction might move. We’d checked back a time or two since then, only to be told, no further progress on decisionmaking. But now that’s changed. After e-mail from Kyle, who spotted a “for lease” sign (which we subsequently photographed), we checked back with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, whose spokesperson Anne Radford now confirms the store WILL move:

The lease at the current location expires in the spring. We plan to relocate the store to a nearby location at that time.

Dates and the new location are currently under negotiation, so I don’t have any additional details at this time.

“Nearby” location certainly opens a lot of possibilities. We’ll keep checking back; thanks for your help keeping an eye out, too. The state previously had said the lease was set to expire next February, if not renewed. As you’ll likely recall, West Seattle’s other state liquor store moved relatively recently too; after closing in Morgan Junction in September 2008, it reopened on the north side of Westwood Village this past March.

Traffic alert: Westbound Spokane St. Viaduct closure ahead

(SDOT photo of Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project work, taken and provided last week)
Early warning just in from SDOT:

The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct (the raised roadway that connects I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge) tentatively plans to close the westbound lanes of the viaduct on Wednesday night.

Crews plan to work from 10 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27 to 5 a.m. on Thursday, October 28 to stripe the roadway and install a temporary barrier in preparation for widening the easternmost portion of the Spokane Street Viaduct.

During this work, traffic from southbound I-5 that would otherwise take the Spokane Street Viaduct will instead be directed to the Forest Street exit to access surface streets. Traffic from northbound I-5 and westbound traffic from Columbian Way will be detoured to surface streets at Sixth Avenue South.

At yesterday’s Alaskan Way Viaduct project-related South Portal Working Group meeting, SDOT reiterated that the Spokane Street Viaduct project is on schedule. The next key component to open will be the new 1st Avenue South on-/off-ramp on the westbound side, expected to be done by next fall.

Lafayette class gets a magical field trip to Pacific Science Center

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).

West Seattle Weather Watch: Heads-up about POSSIBLE wind

October 21, 2010 11:59 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch: Heads-up about POSSIBLE wind
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(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.

New ‘how fast you’re going’ sign on Arbor Heights stretch of ‘I-35’

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.

West Seattle food: Heavenly Pastry closes Admiral retail storefront

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.

West Seattle Thursday: Candidates, school events, Alki, GSNC…

(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.

Viaduct = tunnel? 2 milestones ahead, with a West Seattle event

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

Delridge District Council: City $, Gathering of Neighbors, more

October 21, 2010 5:24 am
|    Comments Off on Delridge District Council: City $, Gathering of Neighbors, more
 |   Delridge | Delridge District Council | West Seattle news

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

On the road and in the air: Forum tackles truck/health concerns

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.

Read More

The littlest volunteers: Little Pilgrim students at Fauntleroy Creek

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.

Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival: Final WSB ticket giveaway

October 20, 2010 8:53 pm
|    Comments Off on Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival: Final WSB ticket giveaway
 |   Admiral Theater | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

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.