One more high-school-sports shoutout this weekend (in addition to Friday coverage of cross-country and football): We talked with a local coach who is looking back at how he began, as he celebrates his 200th win!
That’s Jeff Norton, longtime Seattle Lutheran High School girls’ soccer coach (and former principal, and current science teacher). He got his 200th win this past Monday when the Lady Saints beat Tacoma Baptist at Fort Steilacoom, 2-1. His team is 5-1-1 in their league so far this year and placed third in the state the last two years. He played college soccer at Concordia University in Portland; coaching SLHS was his first post-college job. He also coached the SLHS boys’ team that won the state championship in 1991.
Just got the photo from Christopher D – it’s from a crash that originally was dispatched as a “heavy rescue” but turned out not to need that kind of attention – He wrote, “I live on Holden St by the new fire station and around 11:00 this evening heard some loud banging noises … (went out) to witness a flipped car that was still running, a fire truck and police.” He says the car hit two parked cars, and that Holden is still blocked west of 35th SW (map) as of a few minutes ago. This is one of many incidents on local roads and highways today, including the crashes that closed the West Seattle Bridge for a while earlier, as reported here; please take extra care in this rain, which has been very heavy at times.
Richard Dusatko from Alki Lodge 152 says, “We’re trying something new” – and if this turns out to be popular, they’ll do more of it:
Training and testing for food and alcohol permits will be available in West Seattle Junction on Sunday, October 24, 2010 and Sunday, November 28, 2010, at Alki Masonic Hall, 4736 40th Ave. SW. Food permits at 10 am with the alcohol permits at 11 am. Cost $15 each. No reservation needed. Tell your friends.
Questions? Call Rick at 206-935-6818 or e-mail vinajane@hotmail.com. (He also points out the lodge will serve breakfast on those days at 9 am, $5.)
Two more Halloween-season events just sent in for the WSB West Seattle Events calendar … Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral is having a costume contest October 29th, 3-6 pm. (That happens to coincide with the Admiral Treats and Treasures trick-or-treating event.) Meantime, a new twist on West Seattle’s artsiest pumpkins:
That photo is courtesy Shannon Felix at Avalon Glassworks, who shares this announcement:
Design your own glass pumpkin and watch it being made at Avalon Glassworks on Sunday, October 17, 2010. You choose the color, shape, and stem type and see your unique piece being created. A limited number of time slots are available for purchase on our web site, www.avalonglassworks.com/designyourown.aspx at $60 (plus tax) each. We will also accommodate as many drop-ins as possible, first-come, first-served.
Our Halloween page is almost ready to go so if you have a Halloween/harvest-themed festival ahead in the next few weeks, please let us know!
(Promotional video for TEDxRainier – nothing about the speakers, but lots of scenery!)
Heard of the TED talks? Tomorrow, there’s an independently organized Seattle version called TEDxRainier, described by organizers as featuring “Seattle’s guiding lights in global health, environmentalism, high tech, literary arts, and culture, delivering brief lectures about their remarkable work.” TEDxRainier is happening in Benaroya Hall downtown, 10 am-6 pm, but because that only holds about 500 people (admission: $50), organizers arranged for a few locations around the region to stream the conference live. One of them is Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), 4410 California SW, specifically sought out by TEDxRainier organizers. You’re welcome to drop by, according to Hotwire’s Lora Lewis – she’ll have it set up on one of the Hotwire computers. You can see the schedule of speakers (though it’s not broken down minute-by-minute) in the official program here.
Thanks to Jonathan for the tip on this (via one of his neighbors): The pharmacy atBartell Drugs in Jefferson Square was robbed this morning and was closed for a few hours afterward. When we went over late this morning to check in person, the pharmacy was closed, but the store wouldn’t comment, referring us to corporate HQ, where spokesperson Rebecca Siegmund has just confirmed via e-mail:
There was a robbery at our store this morning at approximately 9:00 am. Everyone is fine and the pharmacy re-opened before noon. Due to the ongoing investigation we have no additional information to share.
We have an inquiry out to police to see if there’s any further information on circumstances or suspect descriptions.
ADDED 10:08 AM SUNDAY: A few more details from Southwest Precinct Lt. Von Levandowski – The robber “implied a gun, obtained assorted narcotics, and fled westbound on foot.” Description: White man, late 20s-early 30s, tan beanie, dark blue jacket, blue jeans, black New Balance tennis shoes.
(June 2010 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
It only happens once a quarter – and today we have the date for the next opening of West Seattle’s Art Lending Library at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center: Tuesday (corrected), October 19th, one night only, 6-9 pm. Read on for the details (including how it works), just shared by Seth Damm:Read More
Second Saturday in a row with a crash on The Bridge right about this time of the afternoon. Police are currently diverting people who are trying to get to the high-rise West Seattle Bridge from 35th/Fauntleroy, pointing them down Avalon, because of a crash (possibly two multiple-car crashes). In this case, though, it appears the Avalon/Admiral and Delridge entrances ARE open. Does not appear anyone was seriously injured, according to the scanner. They’re trying right now to figure out how to get tow trucks to the scene, since multiple vehicles are involved, so it’s not clear how long the 35th/Fauntleroy entrance will be closed. 2:08 PM UPDATE: According to the scanner, they’re now reopening the 35th/Fauntleroy entrance, after the crashed cars were cleared away.
Thanks to Brian Presser from local Mac dealer TouchTech Systems in The Junction for sharing the photo – First Mutual Bank has been part of Washington Federal for a while (as noted on its website), but the new sign has just arrived.
The fall round of Duwamish Alive! cleanups are 10 am-2 pm today; click any tree icon on the Google Map above to see a spot that could use your help too … Cove Park in Fauntleroy (the little beach north of the ferry dock) has a work party too, 10 am-1 pm, followed by community members’ chance to talk about the park’s future after the Barton Pump Station expansion (preview here) … West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has a community-chat opportunity 11 am-1 pm at Southwest Library … Same type of meeting for School Board rep Steve Sundquist, 11 am-12:30 pm at High Point Library … The fall Rummage Sale at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) continues 9 am-3 pm (here’s our Friday story) … Foster cats are at Hiawatha Community Center, awaiting new “forever homes,” noon-3 pm … Noon is also when the party starts at Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center to support the Northwest Folklife Festival – The Not-Its perform, and a new ice-cream flavor debuts … As previewed last night, the memorial procession for GT Towing driver “Tony” Padilla leaves the Eastgate Park and Ride at 2 pm … Preview Seattle Opera’s “Lucia” tonight at The Kenney, 6:45 pm, free, with opera chorus maestro Beth Kirchhoff and two singers … Solar Epiphany‘s new solar showroom at 6016 California SW celebrates its grand opening 10 am-4 pm … more on the calendar!
(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
The South Seattle Community College Arboretum‘s Coenosium (“plant community”) Rock Garden is five years old – but it has a new designation as of this weekend. On Friday afternoon, garden volunteers and other supporters gathered for its dedication as a Garden of Peace. There to help lead the celebration, Dr. Laura Dorsey, founder of Atlanta-based Gardens for Peace, whose mission is “to identify and link gardens throughout the world, to foster respect for the environment and a climate of peace among all peoples” :
In our photo, Dr. Dorsey is dedicating the garden while its co-founders Bob and Dianne Fincham (who run a dwarf-conifer farm in Pierce County) and SSCC Arboretum Volunteer Coordinator Claire Hendrickson(seated, in black) look on. Applying to have the garden included in the international network was Hendrickson’s idea. The garden’s story is told here.
The garden runs heavily on volunteer power; Friday’s event was a chance for some of them to take a break and mingle. But more help is needed, Hendrickson says, every second Saturday at the garden between 9 am and noon. She can be reached at arboretum@sccd.ctc.edu or by calling 206-764-5323.
We’re committed to at least one election-related update per day/night between now and Election Day on November 2nd; you’ll be able to vote within days, since King County says it’s mailing ballots this Wednesday. Seattle Public Schools Proposition 1, a supplemental operations levy with a property-tax increase seeking to raise $48 million over the next three years. The basic language you’ll see on the ballot, plus the pro-con statements/rebuttals from the official voters’ guide, can be seen here. The district itself has an explanatory page here, including this line: “This levy is intended to fund textbooks, materials and teacher salaries per the new SEA contract.” The fine print – the actual detailed resolution approved by the School Board to place this on the ballot – can be read here. It doesn’t stipulate exactly what will be spent for whom and where. For an even-closer look at what supporters and opponents are saying, this site is set up by people advocating a “no” vote; this one is from the group that says “vote yes.” P.S. If you’re interested in discussing the levy (or any other SPS issue) with West Seattle’s School Board rep, Steve Sundquist has a community chat 11 am-12:30 pm today at High Point Library.
Via Twitter, @derekjlunde just shared that photo from what appeared to be a spinout toward the east end of the West Seattle Bridge. And that’s not the only mishap working at this hour – the 911 log also notes a fairly sizable callout right now for a crash on northbound 99 by Safeco Field (update: 2 people were hurt in that one-car crash, according to the scanner, including a 17-year-old girl). Since the forecast calls for off-and-on rain most of the weekend, it’s a good reminder about one thing – after a period without rain, the first major rainfall tends to lead to slicker roads as everything that’s been soaking in starts to float out. (One traffic alert this weekend – tonight and tomorrow night, overnight, Alaskan Way will be constricted south of the ferry dock as crews work to shore up the Washington Street Landing area where the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s Rachel Mariecrashed two weeks ago.)
Two cat-adoption notes tonight. First, an update on the five kittens that Wendy and Stephen Hughes-Jelen have been fostering in their High Point home, chronicled on Facebook via Kitty Cornered: Two weeks after our first story, your editor here and WSB’s in-house Young Photographer dropped by on Wednesday night, procuring a few photos, including the floor-level view above. At that point, two of the kittens already were spoken for, including Purrl, seen here with Wendy:
They went home with their new family the next night. Now, via Kitty Cornered, we see two of the remaining three were expecting prospective adopters to visit tonight, likely heading off to their “forever home” tomorrow. That would leave little striped Legacy, photographed frolicking with feet:
Wendy and Stephen are fostering through West Seattle shelter Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor SW), which means if Legacy is indeed the last of the quintet to go, she has to go to a home that already has at least one cat (or could be adopted with another Kitty Harbor kitty – they’re open Saturdays and Sundays, more info, and lots of cat photos, here). They’ll clearly miss their young charges, and still hope to try it again sometime – maybe next year – but they note that foster families should be ready for one thing: Raising a big group of kittens can be a bit costly, in terms of milk and food!
SIDE NOTE – CITY FOSTER-CAT-ADOPTION EVENT IN WEST SEATTLE: The cats you’ll see at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW) tomorrow, noon-3 pm, have been cared for by volunteers who have been helping the Seattle Animal Shelter by providing foster homes. More details here.
All three local high-school varsity-football teams lost tonight. At Southwest Athletic Complex in Westwood, the final score was Rainier Beach 31, West Seattle High School 8. WSHS’s lone touchdown came from sophomore DiAndre Johnson, who ran the ball 21 yards for the score:
(9/28 photo of Mr. Padilla’s truck at the GT yard on Harbor Avenue, decorated as a tribute)
More details tonight on the memorial procession tomorrow in honor of the driver for West Seattle-based GT Towing who was killed on the job two weeks ago, 51-year-old William “Tony” Padilla: The procession, already planned to start at 2 pm at the Bellevue Park and Ride at 14200 SE Eastgate Way (map), will end in Seattle, at 2960 4th Avenue South (map). That update comes from the Washington State Patrol, which included this reminder:
The move over law is in effect in Washington State. The purpose of the law is to protect all emergency zone workers. Motorists are required to move over and away from the emergency worker when approaching in the lane closest to the worker. If traffic volume prohibits moving over then the motorist is required to slow down significantly when approaching emergency personnel on the road. Starting in January 2011 the law becomes even more restrictive by making it a violation to exceed the speed limit within 200ft of an emergency zone even after moving over. The fine for failing to move over is $124. Drivers are also subject to a charge of reckless endangerment to emergency zone workers if it is determined that their actions are likely to endanger an emergency zone worker. A conviction will result in a 60 day license suspension.
The driver charged with vehicular homicide in Mr. Padilla’s death, 20-year-old Shavelle Lewis, remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Some kids have lemonade stands. Here’s one who had a worm-compost stand (the sign reads, “Meet the Worms”). Dorothyshared the photo from the sale her nephew Zachary (that’s his hair, to the left of Dorothy’s visiting friend, Officer Krista) had today in the Admiral area. The proud aunt explains that Zachary “got a worm farm for his birthday in April. He spent all summer composting to get his worm compost and worm tea.”
That’s the final design for the long-awaited Delridge Skatepark, for which groundbreaking was anticipated soon, since bids came in two weeks ago (as reported here), with two bids below the original $505,000 estimate. The second-lowest was $502,000 from the West Seattle company that designed it (as a subcontractor), Grindline. But the low bidder, TF Sahli Construction ($413,000), may not meet the qualifications – and therein lies the controversy. West Seattle skatepark advocate and city Skate Park Advisory Committee (SPAC) member Matthew Lee Johnston has been covering this closely on the citywide website he keeps, SeattleSkateparks.org. On Tuesday, Johnston wrote this item openly critical of the low bidder and the construction process for the Seattle skatepark Sahli recently built, Lower Woodland. Today, he wrote a followup, suggesting that Parks has determined that Sahli did not meet the qualifications but would seek to re-bid the project instead of giving the contract to the 2nd-lowest bidder. That report drew concern from one North Delridge neighborhood leader who has long helped marshal support for the project, Nancy Folsom, who wrote a letter to Parks Department manager Kevin Stoops (as have Johnston and 2 other SPAC members) saying in part:
I urge you to reconsider. I’m sure you have only the best interest of the budget in mind, but a contract that seems cheap up front can end up costing far more in the long run. This will be a major city feature for many years. I will have to leave across the street from it. Let’s make it something that we’re all proud of. I don’t want to regret encouraging my neighbors to support the park and process.
We checked with Parks to see if the re-bidding report is true. Project manager Kelly Davidson was unavailable, but spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad tells WSB that Sahli has been given “until close of business today” to submit “additional documentation” regarding its qualifications – in particular, she mentioned, having to “have built six 15,000-square-foot or larger skateparks in the past six years.” So what happens if Sahli does not submit documentation confirming that? we asked. Parks has the discretion, according to Hammerstad, to either give the contract to the next lowest bidder (Grindline) or to re-bid. Since Monday is a furlough day for the division working on the project, we won’t know anything more before Tuesday – but this issue is certain to come up at SPAC’s next monthly meeting, which happens to be Monday night at Parks HQ downtown, 7 pm.
From the Chief Sealth International High School Jazz Band to the Endolyne Children’s Choir, from Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events (WSB sponsor) with pretzels and cider to Guadalajara Restaurant with tacos, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival‘s full lineup of activities, performances, food vendors and community participants is out. The festival is still a little more than a week away – a week from Sunday, 2-5:30 pm on October 17th – but so you can plan, we’re sharing the info here now (thanks to the organizers for providing it!) – click ahead for the full list:Read More
We are holding a Ski Swap and Haunted House at the VFW Halloween Weekend, benefiting the West Seattle Snowsports Council (WSSC). Many different manufacturers’ reps will be bringing sample product, so great deals on some of the best new gear in the NW.
We will be holding a WSSC planning meeting Wednesday, October 13th, so anyone interested in helping with the Haunted House or Ski Council is invited to attend.
Ski Swap and Haunted House
October 29th – Gear Drop Off 4-7 PM, Haunted House Setup
October 30th, Ski Swap and Haunted House 10-6
October 31st, Haunted House and Ski Swap 10-4, Gear Pickup 4-6pm
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall (VFW), 3601 SW Alaska St (across from M2S)
WSSC Planning and Haunted House Meeting: Wednesday, October 13th @ M2S, 6 PM
During our most recent round of check-ins on local in-progress projects, from the Wing Dome (opening Tuesday) to the future Trader Joe’s, commenter “rw” asked about the planned Jonny Bostons Sandwich Shop just north of The Junction. (Here’s our story from mid-August.) While driving by this morning, we saw the door open at the 4151 California SW storefront, so we checked to see if owner Dan Atherton was around – and indeed, he was. He told us that he’s now hoping for an early November opening – as you can see from this photo, they’re still doing major work inside (permits took quite a while, as is often the case):
But in a week or so, Dan says, they should be able to move on to drywalling, among other work. As noted in our previous story, Jonny Bostons will be open lunch and dinner, Mondays-Saturdays, for starters.
(Photos added 11:58 am – thanks to Lynn for sharing them! Top, CSIHS girls & boys; bottom, all participants, boys & girls, WSHS in yellow, Franklin in Green, Ingraham in blue, Cleveland in red)
Just received results of Thursday’s multi-school Lincoln Park high-school cross-country meet from Jason Glover, cross-country coach at Chief Sealth International High School:
Here are the results from the metro 3A cross country meet held @ Lincoln Park 10/7.
In the boys’ race, CSIHS had 4 runners in the top 10, led by senior Daniel Perrine in second place with a personal best of 17:49. WSHS had 3 boys in the top 10, led by M. Wicklam with a time of 19:39.
Out of five teams, CSIHS won with a score of 39 points, while WSHS was second with a score of 47 points.
In the girls’ race, CS freshman Kenaia Neumann won with time of 22:57, followed closely by WSHS’s N. Broten @ 23:16.
Chief Sealth won the girls’ team race with a score of 27 points.
Chief Sealth, West Seattle, Ingraham, Cleveland, and Franklin were the teams involved.
We just went over to see how the Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) rummage sale was going in the first hour of its two-day run. So much stuff, some of the big, sturdy items are outside, like those bikes. And inside …
… that’s just the first of three rooms (plus a hallway, plus the stage) of stuff — clothes, dishes, decorations, books, vinyl, appliances (at least 2 sewing machines), furniture, luggage … The sale’s on at 41st/Andover (map) till 4 pm today, again 9 am-3 pm tomorrow.
Thanks to Jonathan for 
Via Twitter, 
We are holding a Ski Swap and Haunted House at the VFW Halloween Weekend, benefiting the West Seattle Snowsports Council (WSSC). Many different manufacturers’ reps will be bringing sample product, so great deals on some of the best new gear in the NW.
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