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Spotlight Stories


  • Festival

    SUMMER FEST COVERAGE: Scroll here!

  • Teacher

    STAR HONORS TEACHER: WSHS educator’s big win

  • Charged

    SERIAL ROBBERIES: 24-year-old suspect charged

West Seattle weekend scene: Log House Museum’s summer prep
June 6, 2010 12:17 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Right in the middle of West Seattle’s bright beautiful Saturday morning, its headquarters for history – the Log House Museum – got some love from a small but dedicated cleanup crew – below, that’s Southwest Seattle Historical Society president Judy Bentley and a young volunteer in the next photo, checking out the “to do” list.

For the latest roundup of what the Historical Society is focusing on – including a current pledge drive – you can check out their most recent newsletter (PDF) here. And expect to hear more soon about the Alki Homestead awareness event announced by board member Jim Del Ciello at this past week’s Southwest District Council meeting. Meantime, the museum’s open Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, 61st/Stevens (map), and well worth a visit.

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West Seattle weekend scene: 2010’s first summery sunset
June 5, 2010 11:29 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo by David Rosen from SlickPix Photography)
Though the solstice isn’t till June 21, you have to agree today felt like summer. Finally. So even with the clouds that moved in by the end of ReFRESH Southwest (our coverage is here and here), this was the perfect sunset. (The forecast still suggests the return of rain tomorrow.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Suspicious activity
June 5, 2010 9:31 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

From Sarah:

Hello,

Around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, my husband and I came home from a day downtown and observed a young man – black, early 20s-ish – attempting to act nonchalant while trying car door handles along Avalon Way SW between 35th and SW Genesee. Specifically, he tested a late-90s silver Honda Accord twice (crossing the street and testing others between attempts). I did report the activity to police, who were dispatching a car to check things out. He was wearing an oversized black t-shirt and black shorts, red baseball cap, and red backpack. Keep an eye out! This is obviously a heavily-traveled street, and it’s still light out, but this guy didn’t seem fazed at all.

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West Seattle coyotes: Pigeon Point sighting
June 5, 2010 9:05 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Coyotes | Pigeon Point | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Out of the WSB inbox, from Crystal:

I noticed that the coyote sightings are being posted on the blog so I just wanted to mention that we saw one tonight. We were walking through the Pigeon Point neighborhood toward the school there and we saw one behind the fence, near the Duwamish trail. It ran away from us because we were walking our dogs, but looked pretty big.

If you missed it – our previous coyote-sighting report included a photo. And as always, we don’t publish these because they’re cause for major alarm, but because some still aren’t aware they’re among us; here’s the “coexisting with coyotes” link frequently shared here.

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Next Saturday: Join West Seattle Kiwanis at Westcrest!
June 5, 2010 5:13 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy West Niver)
Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area is the only off-leash park in West Seattle, and the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is going to make it an even better place for dogs and their people – with your help. 9 am to noon next Saturday, June 12th, they’ll be there for a community-service project – installing hand-built (see photo!) cedar dispensers for “doggy bags,” and clearing overgrown vegetation. Want to help? Just show up! Got questions? E-mail West Niver at westseattlekiwanis@live.com.

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‘Live’ at the ReFRESH Southwest festival, report #2
June 5, 2010 3:41 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

We’ve been enjoying music drifting over from the Delridge Day main stage, into the Sustainable West Seattle Festival exhibition area, here at ReFRESH Southwest (grounds of Delridge Community Center till 5 pm). Above, drumming and dancing early in the afternoon. Right now, the Vicious Puppies Crew – breakdancers that rocked the festival (Delridge Day) last year too – are over at the main stage. 4:05 PM UPDATE: Final hour – here are more of the scenes – City Council President Richard Conlin dropped by, wearing the I (Heart) West Seattle T-shirt we remember from his visit to the Morgan Junction Park dedication this time last year (the Morgan Festival is coming up hext Saturday, in and around the park, 11 am-6 pm):

4:24 PM UPDATE: It’s been an afternoon full of workshops, too – here are some of the stars – urban ilvestock!

We also caught up with the Highland Park group that we mentioned in a separate story earlier – as they joined in Delridge Walks, heading to the festival on foot:

Again, this is on till 5 – performances by the Delridge Community Center building, sustainability exhibits (and other ‘tablers’ like us) in the parking lot. (video added 6:26 pm – there were also workshops inside, like this one)

5:07 PM: It’s all wrapping up, and we’re packing up. Lots more going on this weekend, of course – and next weekend, two festivals: Morgan Community Festival on Saturday, the West Seattle Junction Health Fair on Sunday (both of which we’re co-sponsoring). We’ve got some more video and photos to add to coverage of ReFRESH Southwest – once we’re back at HQ. Thanks to everybody who stopped by to chat, and everyone who worked hard to make this happen! ADDED: A few more pix, as promised – you saw the chickens above – here’s the chicken workshop!

The year-old Delridge Community Center Playground was a big draw:

West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen stopped by in the festival’s final moments:

And for even more photos – digital pix from Usnaps, a portable, rentable, digital photo booth created by West Seattle-based entrepreneurs – Usnaps’ Kim Schwarzkopf stopped by the WSB table to say hi; they’ve traveled the country with Usnaps in recent months. See the ReFRESH SW Usnaps pix here.

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The Kenney’s ‘Family Reunion’ festival: Indoors and out!
June 5, 2010 3:38 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

All over West Seattle, so much happening today – The Kenney has welcomed people of all ages to its ‘Family Reunion’ festival – we dropped by for some of the indoor activities, on a quick side trip from tabling at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival section of ReFRESH Southwest. Above, the Raining Sounds sang for the crowd; below, face painting was a hit

Still time to get over to the grounds of The Kenney – and bring some disposable diapers for the WestSide Baby diaper drive, till 4 pm in the main lobby.

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Live from ReFRESH Southwest, report #1
June 5, 2010 1:09 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

We’re here in the bright sunshine at Delridge Community Center, with a rainbow-striped cloth over our table, across from ZipCar, next to the North Delridge Neighborhood Council (selling their (Heart) Delridge T-shirts! as seen in our photo above), southeast side of the parking lot (which is where all the tents are set up), kitty corner from the West Seattle Food Bank (whose past board president Pete Spalding is walking around handing out (No) Hunger stickers). There’s “street food” too – we’ve heard about a taco truck and a hot-dog truck so far. See you here – free workshops, performances, family fun till 5.

2:10 PM UPDATE: So sunny and gorgeous, we’re just sitting here talking with folks – right behind us is a bike booth, with Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board showing off “e-bikes” among other things. We’ve taken some more photos, too:

King County Executive Dow Constantine stopped by a while ago … Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association director Derek Birnie’s here:

Lots of sustainable businesses – here’s Adam from Clean Air Lawn Care (WSB sponsor):

In our morning preview, we mentioned the Bucket Brigade, a project of Urban Land Army – Highland Park’s Becca Fong is here:

More to come! Look for the info booth on the south side of the parking lot – you can get a map that also has a schedule of performances and workshops – an electric-vehicle demonstration is about to begin. If you’re driving (and of course you’re encouraged to bike, walk or take transit), note that since the parking lot has festival booths, you’ll park somewhere on the periphery of the Delridge Community Center grounds – side streets have parking too.

2:39 PM: Want a free ticket to the Green Festival downtown? Drop by our table – or the Sustainable West Seattle table – we just got a batch. If you can’t make it there today, you can go tomorrow!

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Delridge Walks: On the way to ReFRESH Southwest (starting @ 1)
June 5, 2010 12:16 pm
|    Comments Off on Delridge Walks: On the way to ReFRESH Southwest (starting @ 1)
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

As a prelude to this afternoon’s ReFRESH Southwest mega-event (full listing of performances/workshops/tables/booths here), people were invited to walk to Delridge Community Center – perhaps taking photos and/or cleaning up along the way – and we caught up with part of the Highland Park group doing the latter. (By the way, that’s 34th District State House candidate “Mac” McElroy in the background – we’ve seen him at the last few Highland Park Action Committee meetings, along with many of the other community-council meetings we routinely cover. Any candidates coming to today’s festival, be sure to come see us at table 26 – as we did last year during the summer of city campaigns, we’ll photograph everybody who stops by!)

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Lincoln Park alert for dog owners/walkers
June 5, 2010 11:36 am
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 |   Pets | Safety | West Seattle news

We want to stress that we have no other reports on this and it will be difficult if not impossible to confirm with authorities – but given the nature of what Kim Petram says she saw/heard in Lincoln Park this morning, we agree with her that it should be passed along:

I was just walking our dog in Lincoln Park and Animal Control was there looking for reported raw meat that had been left somewhere in the south end of the park. He stated that they had a call about poisoned meat w/ the intent to “poison the dogs.” He didn’t find anything, nor did our dog, who is a cairn terrier with a pretty good sniffer. It was unclear about the report and how they knew dogs were the intended victim.

I think it may be worth a posting though to warn other dog owners in the park to be aware as well as concern for the wild animals in the park.

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Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights to host USO-benefit dinner June 15
June 5, 2010 11:21 am
|    Comments Off on Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights to host USO-benefit dinner June 15
 |   Announcements

On June 15, have dinner at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) and support U.S. troops via the USO:

ALL 56 MERRILL GARDENS COMMUNITIES HOST
PASTA DINNER TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO USO

Who: Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights will celebrate Support Our Troops Week by hosting a Pasta Dinner with all the fixings straight from the Mess Hall. The dinner will raise money to support the USO. Since 1941, the USO has been providing support to service members and their families.

The dinner is open to the general public for a minimum $10 donation. All money collected will be donated to the USO.

For the past 69 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been the bridge between the American public and the U.S. military. In times of peace and war, the USO delivers its special brand of comfort, morale and recreational services to the military. The USO is a congressionally chartered, private, nonprofit organization that relies on the generosity of individuals and corporations to support USO activities.

What: Residents and team members at each of the 56 Merrill Gardens retirement communities in ten states will host this fundraiser that is open to family, friends and the general public. All food and beverages will be donated by Merrill Gardens. Enjoy music swing dancers dancing to the music of the `40’s.

When: Tuesday, June 15th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights
2326 California Ave. SW – Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 938-3964

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West Seattle schools: Another ‘no confidence’ vote reported
June 5, 2010 11:15 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

One day after staffers described as “union members” at Schmitz Park Elementary School voted “no confidence” in Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson – as noted here – their counterparts at another West Seattle school are reported to have done the same thing. This vote was at Sanislo Elementary, according to this item on the Save Seattle Schools website (a noncommercial, volunteer operation that provides thorough coverage/discussion of district issues). The site says at least two other schools in the district have had similar votes. ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: A group calling itself the “Seattle Shadow School Board” says it’ll be rallying before the 6/16 School Board meeting to show opposition to renewing the superintendent’s contract. 5:30 pm outside SPS HQ in SODO.

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West Seattle Saturday: ReFRESH SW, Kenney ‘reunion,’ much more
June 5, 2010 7:56 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Saturday: ReFRESH SW, Kenney ‘reunion,’ much more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo added 10:30 am: Admiral Adopt-A-Street crew as they started to gather around 9)
The promised sunshine is really here! And so’s a HUGE list of events/activities. In chronological order:

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM CLEANUP: 9 am-noon, West Seattle’s own history museum gets some TLC, and you are invited to help. 61st/Stevens; here’s a map.

ADMIRAL ADOPT-A-STREET CLEANUP: Meet 9 am, Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), and join the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s quarterly street patrol. Coffee/pastries first, sack lunch afterward.

NORTHWEST SENIOR GAMES: 9 am, West Seattle Stadium (off 35th SW south of SW Avalon), it’s the track-and-field portion of this annual regional competition.

CLEAN & GREEN CLEANUP: 9 am, Southwest Youth and Family Services, a prelude to the afternoon’s festival; here’s a map.

DELRIDGE WALKS: Groups start walking to Delridge Community Center for this afternoon’s festival – there’s no public list but we know you can join the Highland Park group by meeting at HP Improvement Club at 9:45 am (here’s a map to HPIC).

FURRY FACES PLANT SALE/ADOPTION EVENT: Plants on sale 10 am-4 pm, cat and dog adoptions noon-4 pm, 3809 46th SW (here’s a map).

(added) JUNCTION TRUEVALUE ‘GRAND REOPENING’: They called at noon to make sure everybody knows it’s Grand Reopening Day, now that the renovation work’s done – special events till 2 pm.

COLMAN POOL’S 2ND PRESEASON WEEKEND: Lincoln Park’s outdoor swimming pool is open again today/tomorrow, starting with laps at noon.

BUCKET BRIGADE! Container gardening with West Seattle-based Urban Land Army, 11 am-3 pm at the Duwamish Environmental Health Fair in South Park, Delridge Day/ReFRESH Southwest 1-5 pm at Delridge Community Center.

GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY FAMILY FUN FAIR: Inflatables and more, noon-3 pm, 4320 SW Myrtle (here’s the official flyer; here’s a map).

REFRESH SOUTHWEST – SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FESTIVAL AND DELRIDGE DAY: 1-5 pm in and around Delridge Community Center. Here’s the list of activities – here’s the map of exhibitors. See you there – we’ll be covering it “live,” based at table 26 outside.

THE KENNEY ‘FAMILY REUNION’ FESTIVAL: Everybody’s welcome – family activities, treats, lots more, 1-4 pm, details on The Kenney’s website.

KITTY HARBOR OPENS: The nonprofit cat-adoption facility on Harbor Avenue just north of The Bridge opens for the season, 1-6 pm – new website this year, too.

AFTERNOON WINE TASTING: This afternoon at Bin 41 (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, Greg FInger leads a tour of France’s wines, 2-4 pm.

DIAPER DRIVE AND FREE PLAY FOR THE KIDS: Help A Mother Out event at The Little Gym (WSB sponsor), just bring disposable diapers for WestSide Baby! 2-4 pm

WEST SEATTLE PRODUCE ‘GRAND OPENING’: The outdoor produce stand (and more) on Fauntleroy south of SW Alaska has been open more than a month, but is finally ready to celebrate with special events all weekend.

ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY CARNIVAL: 3-6 pm, lots of family fun, 3701 SW 104th (here’s a map).

DUWAMISH LONGHOUSE GALA: The Duwamish Tribe‘s annual gala dinner and art auction at the West Seattle longhouse; starts at 4 pm with a wine reception. Tickets here; here’s a map.

ARTSWEST FUNDRAISING GALA: Starts at 5:30 pm at Herban Feast‘s SODO Park (here’s a map).

DINNER AND A MOVIE AT TIBBETTS: “Summertime” is the movie, and the night starts with dinner, 6 pm, more info at www.tibbettsumchurch.org (WSB sponsor)

KENYON HALL MUSIC: Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio, 7:30 tonight – more on the Kenyon Hall website! 35th/Kenyon.

SKYLARK PROM: Skylark celebrates its fourth anniversary, 8 pm, 3803 Delridge Way.

HELL’S BELLES: They’re playing West Seattle Summer Fest next month, but you can see them even sooner – Rocksport tonight, 10 pm.

‘FOOL FOR LOVE’: 2nd of three shows for Damaged Actors Productions‘ version of the Sam Shepard play, 10 pm at Easy Street Café, “pay what you will.”

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West Seattle school kudos: Denny academics, Holy Rosary greenery
June 5, 2010 4:09 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Two West Seattle school successes to share! First – on Friday, Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark got to show some waterborne solidarity with his school’s mascot – the dolphin. The always-dapper principal went into a dunk tank, suit and all, to celebrate his student body “demonstrating their brilliance through substantial increases on several academic assessments.” The ‘after’ photo:

He says some other staffers braved the water too. Next, north to Holy Rosary School:

That’s the Green Elective Class at Holy Rosary, showing off the award certificate and $500 they got for winning a Terry Husseman Sustainable School Award (a state program, explained here) According to the state website, Holy Rosary was honored for:

Establishes and implements a variety of sustainable programs within the school and community from composting to “no idle zones”. Their overall goal is to encourage a lifestyle that embraces responsible green behaviors.

The same document also reveals that Gatewood and Roxhill Elementary Schools in West Seattle won Husseman Awards too!

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West Seattle Bookshelf: 1st June edition
June 5, 2010 3:01 am
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 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news

Lists courtesy of Square One Books

Looking for something to read, and/or wondering what’s hot? Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. 61 Hours by Lee Child
3. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
4. War by Sebastian Junger
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Paperback:
1. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
2. Tinkers by Paul Harding
3. In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
4. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
5. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Children/Young Adult:
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
2. Perfect Piggies! by Sandra Boynton
3. Warriors/Battle of the Clans by Erin Hunter
4. Star Wars/A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder
5. The Lightning Thief Series by Rick Riordan

Teen:
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Bloodhound/Beka Cooper #2 by Tamora Pierce
4. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
5. Burned by P.C. Cast

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West Seattle High School alumni celebrate their centennial
June 4, 2010 11:52 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle schools

At West Seattle High School tonight, the WSHS Alumni Association‘s annual All-School Reunion included even more special moments than usual. This is the centennial anniversary of the first WSHS graduating class in 1910 (12 seniors, per a WSHS history summary) – in their honor, the half-centennial-anniversary class of 1960 appeared together onstage with emcee Gary Smith (Class of ’66; photo above). Then, there were three Hall of Fame inductees:

The trio included WSHS’s highest-ranking current alumnus, King County Executive Dow Constantine (Class of ’80), shown above with Karen Seamens Dobbs (Class of ’71), current WSHS Alumni Association president. The other inductees are internationally accomplished photographer Harald Sund (Class of ’61) and retired business executive Wendell Hurlbut III (Class of ’49). Hurlbut couldn’t be there, but Sund was on hand:

Another big part of the program – presenting scholarships; this year, the first-ever Tim Brenton Scholarship, in honor of the WSHS-alum Seattle police officer killed in the line of duty last year, went to Genneva Machmiller:

That’s Genneva with the WSHSAA president. She’s planning to major in nursing at UW. Other scholarship recipients from the Class of 2010:
*Korinne Ainsworth (Friedline, WSHS Alumni scholarships), planning to major in English at UW
*Sam Ameny (WSHS Alumni scholarship), planning a business law/sports agent major at UW
*Raymond Carter (Duke/Radar scholarship), planning a chemical enginering major at UW
*Triston Endreao (Blauert scholarship), planning an environmental-studies major at Whitman
*Karen Lowe (WSHS Alumni scholarship), planning a biochemistry/medical research major at UW
*Carl Swenson (WSHS Alumni scholarship), planning a nursing major at Gonzaga
*Biniaim Woldehaimanot (Bacas Delimitro scholarship), planning a law major at Western Washington

Before the award ceremony, attendees got to “roam the halls” and admire classic cars displayed along SW Stevens before joining in one of more than three dozen by-class reunions assigned to various WSHS classrooms. The West Seattle Big Band then played a set in the theater before the award announcements got under way.

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Holy Rosary students ‘Running for Robel’ in Race for the Cure
June 4, 2010 9:30 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

When the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure hits Seattle streets this Sunday, it’ll be a new location – around Seattle Center, instead of on the Alaskan Way Viaduct – but some things will be the same: The love, emotion, and determination, of those who both are there to support a cure for breast cancer, and those who have survived it. One special story has come to our attention, thanks to Komen volunteer Meg Paynor, who shared a letter written by an 8-year-old Holy Rosary School second-grader:

My name is Anne-Louise Lorentz. I am 8 years old and attend 2nd grade at Holy Rosary School in West Seattle. Recently, my teacher, Karen Robel was diagnosed with breast cancer. She will not be able to finish the school year with us because she will be undergoing surgery. My classmates and I are running to support my teacher and help raise funds and awareness for this disease. Your support and contributions are a blessing. If you are not able to make a monetary donation, I ask that you please say a prayer for our beloved teacher, Karen Robel.
Meg says, “Cherie Skager, the director of communications at Komen, who reads all the
story submissions, was so moved she contacted Anne-Louise¹s mother and asked
her if Anne-Louise would be the ‘Official Starter’ of the 1k Kids Race on Sunday. Anne-Louise was so thrilled, she asked if her entire class could lead the Kids’ Race. On Sunday at 8 am, the 20+ students of
Karen Robel will start the Kids’ Race, with Anne-Louise leading the group.” Meg adds that they will be obtaining a group photo to frame as a “Get Well” gift for their teacher, who had her surgery this week. They will all be
wearing t-shirts that say “Running for Robel.”

Last year, the Kids’ Race also had a West Seattle flavor – Adam Westerman was grand marshal, after helping raise thousands in honor of his mom, breast-cancer survivor Eddie Westerman. Even if you’re not planning to join Sunday’s Race for the Cure, you can donate online here.

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Des Moines crash victim identified as Sam Backman of West Seattle
June 4, 2010 4:34 pm
|      39 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

It’s been a tough few months at Hegge Chevron in Sunrise Heights; first, the sudden death of owner Mark Hegge this past March. Today, the staff is dealing with news that one of their co-workers was killed in a car crash. It was a one-car crash in Des Moines, discovered late last night (here’s a KIRO TV report); today, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 20-year-old Sam Backman, and the folks at the Chevron station tell us Sam worked there. They say he was a Seattle Lutheran High School graduate and played ‘multiple sports’ there (here’s a 2007 story noting his football accomplishments; a school newsletter has him on the SLHS Honor Roll the same year). Lately, he had been in the automotive program at South Seattle Community College. According to the tv report, his Honda Accord crashed through a rail and plunged down a ravine near South 216th/Marine View Drive. SATURDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Seattle Lutheran has announced that Sam Backman’s memorial is set for Saturday June 12th at 3 pm, at Grace Church, 10323 28th Avenue SW, just south of Roxbury. ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: Also from SLHS: There will be a viewing Thursday 4-8 at Howden-Kennedy in The Junction. The family asks that in place of flowers, donations be made to the Seattle Lutheran Sports Department. (Photo added Sunday, provided by Sam Backman’s family)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 1 man charged in 4 car-theft cases
June 4, 2010 3:43 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(May 24th photo by David Rosen from SlickPix Photography)
A followup this afternoon on car-theft cases, including the one that yielded the May 24th photo above, as well as the one discussed in this recent comment thread. Charges have just been filed against Ronald E. Thompson, a Gatewood resident who turns 20 on Monday. He is charged with three counts of auto theft and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, all happening over the past month and a half, starting with one theft in Queen Anne on April 16th. We just obtained the documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The vehicle stolen in QA was found in West Seattle, while the other three were stolen from, and found in WS – the one in the photo was taken from, and found in, the 5400 block of 46th SW. A Lexus stolen in the 6000 block of 44th on May 30th is the one in which Thompson was found two days later, when police arrested him in Gatewood, a few blocks from his house. After the arrest, the charging papers say, Thompson told police about “an assault rifle” at his home; police found a Sturm-Ruger Mini-14 .223-caliber rifle loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition; he told them he’d bought the rifle, but it was listed as stolen in a King County burglary. Thompson remains in jail and is scheduled to answer the charges June 14th; the documents say he not only has a juvenile record, but also is still awaiting trial on a different auto theft case, in which “he told police that he stole a vehicle from West Seattle and drove it to Bothell, where he was trying to sell a laptop computer.”

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ReFRESH Southwest on Saturday! Here’s the full schedule
June 4, 2010 2:34 pm
|    Comments Off on ReFRESH Southwest on Saturday! Here’s the full schedule
 |   Delridge | Fun stuff to do | Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Hope to see you at tomorrow’s ReFRESH Southwest – the umbrella name for this year’s combined Delridge Day and Sustainable West Seattle Festival events, all happening tomorrow at, in, and around Delridge Community Center, 1-5 pm (after the Clean and Green cleanup and Delridge Walks events in the morning!) — here again is the outdoor exhibitors’ map (WSB is #26), and now for the first time we have the full schedule of indoor and outdoor events, from arts to games to the sustainability workshops and beyond, just forwarded by SWS Festival coordinator Christina, after the jump:Read More

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Friday pm notes: Schmitz vote, Swinery patio, Shorewood sales
June 4, 2010 1:36 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Three quick notes as the weekend approaches:

SCHMITZ PARK STAFFERS VOTE ON SUPERINTENDENT: We’ve received this from several education-related sources: 15 “union members” at Schmitz Park Elementary are reported to have voted “no confidence” in Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson. Here’s one post about it. The Save Seattle Schools site has reported a few other such votes outside West Seattle, including Ballard HS.

SWINERY PATIO: Maybe THIS will bring summery weather? The Swinery is opening its courtyard patio for lunch service as of next Tuesday, according to longtime WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli (and it’s also confirmed on their FB page). If you haven’t been there lately, take note that they’ve been writing about expanded food offerings – including hot takeout food for dinner.

SHOREWOOD SALES: More information on the Streets of Sales in the Shorewood neighborhood south of SW West Seattle tomorrow, 10 am-4 pm – akin to WS Community Garage Sale Day – Shorewood’s Lynne Crockett has sent this PDF of a hand-marked map showing sale locations. Printed maps will be available throughout the neighborhood. (And if you don’t mind going even further to shop, tomorrow also is Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale Day, 10 am-3 pm!)

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West Seattle’s Twelfth Night Productions announces auditions
June 4, 2010 1:04 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle’s Twelfth Night Productions announces auditions
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Mary Springer at West Seattle-based Twelfth Night Productions sent this announcement to share: Open auditions tomorrow and Sunday for their summer production, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” If you can act, sing, and dance – read on!Read More

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“We’re graduating!” Skylark marks 4th anniversary with a prom
June 4, 2010 12:15 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A distinctive label describes the event Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) will host tomorrow night to mark its 4th anniversary: Not a party, not a bash … but a prom.

“After four years, we’re graduating … we’re seniors now!” laughs Skylark proprietor Jessie Summa-Kusiak.

Four is a special number for another reason. That’s how many Skylark staffers have been with the music club/restaurant/bar since Day 1 – including the bar manager and kitchen manager, and bartender Cheryl, who is the model in many of Skylark’s ads.

Why the longevity? Here’s one unexpected reason …Read More

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