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Spotlight Stories

On stage tonight: Youngstown showcase; ‘Birds’; ‘How to Succeed’
August 20, 2010 10:22 am
|    Comments Off on On stage tonight: Youngstown showcase; ‘Birds’; ‘How to Succeed’
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

In addition to tonight’s outdoor concert at The Mount (previewed at the end of this story), three more big events on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

YOUNGSTOWN SHOWCASE: Young artists’ work is showcased during “Youth Out Loud” 6-8 pm tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – free! The preview promises film, music, photography, and more.

Meantime, young actors will be on stage in The Junction all weekend:

(Photo courtesy Edgar Riebe of Captive Eye Media)
‘THE BIRDS’ AT ARTSWEST: Young actors who’ve spent much of the summer in classes and rehearsals at ArtsWest are now performing Aristophanes’ “The Birds,” the contemporary adaptation of a 2,400-year-old story rife with social and political commentary as well as comedy, with shows scheduled tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3 pm.

(Photo courtesy Twelfth Night Productions)
‘HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING,’ FINAL WEEKEND: Catch this one yet? Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) performers tell the musical tale of climbing the corporate ladder, with three more performances at West Seattle High School Theater – 7:30 pm tonight and tomorrow, 3 pm Sunday.

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Caspar Babypants + Board of Education = Hiawatha hit
August 20, 2010 2:36 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Wide-eyed wonder and all-out jumping for joy were alternating behaviors for the hundreds of young showgoers in Thursday night’s record-breaking crowd for the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. This time it was a double-bill of kids-music specialists, beginning with West Seattle’s own Caspar Babypants, who as usual mixed storytelling with song – and audience participation, as you’ll see and hear in our video clip:

After watching all that jumping and bouncing from the stage, Caspar Babypants’ Chris Ballew took a leap himself:

Afterward – the rock-star-turned-kids’-music-icon sold CDs and granted autograph requests at one of the lawn-ringing tables:

By the way, if you enjoy Ballew’s other work – with the Presidents of the United States of America – you can watch him sing a selection of POTUSA songs at a benefit concert at Camp Long at 5 pm Sunday, during this weekend’s Arts-in-Nature Festival at Camp Long ($25 concert tickets available here) – and earlier Sunday, as part of the festival, it’s a Caspar Babypants performance at Camp Long Lodge. Meantime, we spotted another local luminary offstage at Thursday night’s concert:

Radio-to-web personality Marty Riemer was there with his entire family entourage. Back toward the stage, the intermission between acts featured ballroom-dancing lessons for elegant young dancers:

Then back to the rock ‘n’ roll. You gotta love a band that sings “when 8 takes a nap it’s infinity”:

That’s the Board of Education with at least one West Seattleite in their ranks. One more note about the night – WestSide Baby was there, collecting diapers:

ANA provided free face painters and popsicles as special treats. Next Thursday night, it’s Camille Bloom – same time (6:30 pm), same price (free). And there’s more outdoor music in West Seattle tomorrow night – the third of this summer’s four Outdoor Concerts at The Mount at Providence Mount St. Vincent – Danny Vernon’s Illusion of Elvis. Concert’s at 6, and free; come early and buy dinner starting at 5, if you want – fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs will be available. (And for kids – a clown and face-painter.)

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Primary Election 2010: New #1 in 34th District House #2 race
August 20, 2010 12:10 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   34th District State House 2 | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgA change at the top in the 34th District State House Representative Position 2 results, after the latest vote count made public by King County Elections: Now Joe Fitzgibbon is ahead of Mike Heavey, by 186 votes out of more than 22,000 counted in this race so far. Again, the finishing order won’t change what happens next – both Fitzgibbon and Heavey are going to the general election, since it’s extremely unlikely that the 3,000-plus-vote gap between them and #3 Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy would completely close – but for politics-watchers, it’s interesting to keep an eye on the daily updates until the election is certified at month’s end. No change in the King County Council District 8 race, which has gaps big enough that none are likely – it’ll be Joe McDermott vs. Diana Toledo in November.

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West Seattle Outdoor Movies on Saturday: “Up,” and free BBQ!
August 19, 2010 10:01 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

“Up” is Saturday night’s feature at West Seattle Outdoor Movies – remember this is now the second-to-last one of the summer, rather than the last one, because “Star Trek” was rained out two weeks ago and is rescheduled for August 28th. This Saturday night, not only will you see “Up,” if you come a bit early you’re also invited to a free barbecue provided by West Seattle Christian Church. Pastor Dan Jacobs says they’re planning on “hot dogs, burgers, veggie burgers, chips, bottled water… serving beginning at 6:30 until it’s all gone!” (WSCC is part of the regular volunteer crew that makes the movies happen – they’re just steps from the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse [WSB sponsor] courtyard that’s home to the big screen. They also sell classic movie concessions to raise $ for charity.) WSCC and its preschool are among the sponsors for this Saturday’s movie, with the rest of the roster including WSB sponsors Ventana Construction and Jackson, Morgan & Hunt, PLLC, plus Bakery Nouveau and Doug Baldwin/Windermere Real Estate. One more note: Seattle Tilth is bringing kid-friendly activities like worm bins, interactive games, and “light microscopy,” according to movie mastermind Lora Lewis of Hotwire. See you there!

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This weekend’s citywide traffic alerts – including West Seattle
August 19, 2010 8:11 pm
|    Comments Off on This weekend’s citywide traffic alerts – including West Seattle
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

SDOT‘s out with another one of those big-event traffic-alert roundups – including the SW Webster shutdown (west of Delridge) on Saturday afternoon for Picnic at the (Southwest) Precinct – read on to see what’s happening where this weekend around the city:Read More

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West Seattle summer scenes: The Kenney’s annual barbecue
August 19, 2010 7:53 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle summer scenes: The Kenney’s annual barbecue
 |   Fauntleroy | The Kenney | West Seattle news

Residents and visitors at The Kenney got a summer serenade on the northwest lawn tonight – that’s Ed Hartman on the marimba, during the retirement center’s annual summer barbecue party. Here’s the view looking over the roses and dahlias:

As reported here earlier this month, The Kenney is currently revising its redevelopment plan – two years after announcing the expansion project – and promising to have a new one out for community consideration within a month or two, before the official review process resumes.

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Update on police officer hurt in West Seattle crash
August 19, 2010 6:04 pm
|    Comments Off on Update on police officer hurt in West Seattle crash
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Many have been asking about the officer who was taken to the hospital after the crash yesterday afternoon at California and Brandon. We in turn have been asking police how he’s doing – and finally got an update a little while ago: According to Det. Jeff Kappel in the SPD media unit, the officer turned out to be just bruised and shaken up, and will be returning to work tomorrow. (The driver with whom he collided did not require hospitalization.) P.S. We also heard tonight from Lt. Norm James re: the incident to which the officer was responding when the crash happened. Apparently a parking-enforcement officer spotted a domestic-violence incident happening; the officer was “advanced on” at one point by the suspect but was not, Lt. James says, assaulted or hurt.

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Two more West Seattle notes for tonight: CPR class; kayak clinic
August 19, 2010 3:06 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

CPR CLASS: One of those “learn to do something you hope you’ll never HAVE TO do” things – but it can sure add to your peace of mind. Just got a reminder that C & P Coffee is hosting this: CPR Seattle is teaching CPR & First Aid for Infants, Children and Adults – tonight, 5612 California Ave SW, $45. 206-933-3125

KAYAK CLINIC: Got a note from the folks at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) and Alki Kayak Tours about a special event starting in just a few hours:

Tonight … world-renowned paddler and Eddyline Rep Ethan Ebersold will be on hand at Alki Kayak Tours to exhibit next year’s Eddyline Samba. Come meet a pro and learn some skills from 6-8 with a Paddle Stroke Clinic and the first opportunity to purchase our practically new demo fleet! Check out their kayaks at eddyline.com

Alki Kayak Tours is at Seacrest Pier.

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Remembering Ken Wise: Official county memorial proclamation
August 19, 2010 1:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

On the day that longtime West Seattle entrepreneur and Rotarian Ken Wise was remembered — a crowd packed Fauntleroy Church for his 11 am memorial service – a proclamation from King County Executive Dow Constantine honors Mr. Wise. See it here (thanks to Brian Waid for sharing it). Mr. Wise died of cancer on Aug. 1st at age 79.

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West Seattle business news: Online expansion for Seattle Yarn
August 19, 2010 12:02 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

“We’re not the center of your universe yet, but we will be,” quips Virginia Bowen, owner of Seattle Yarn (5633 California SW). This global takeover has begun with the launch of Seattle Yarn’s new online store, which offers many of the yarns, needles, hooks and books featured in the store.

Employee Marguerite Lynch (at right in the top photo with Virginia), who created the online venture, says: “We did this because people were requesting it. Our customers would bring their friends and family who were visiting from out of town and who still wanted to be able to shop our store when they went back home.”

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West Seattle-based Family Promise closes doors, hopes to reopen
August 19, 2010 8:37 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

We were sitting down at a Delridge coffee shop with Laura Bermes from the board of Family Promise of Seattle – the West Seattle-headquartered shelter for homeless families, profiled here previously – for what we had envisioned as a simple “how are things going?” story, when she dropped a bombshell: Family Promise has just closed its doors to go “on hiatus,” and won’t reopen until it has raised at least $90,000.

That means, Bermes says, there is currently no shelter for homeless families between downtown Seattle and Kent.

This is not just a matter of closing a facility and laying off some staff – Family Promise has hundreds of volunteers because of a unique partnership with 18 congregations, including several outside West Seattle. It does not have a physical overnight shelter, but rather rotates families between those partners’ churches, one week at a time, with each partner housing and feeding the family during “their week” – not proselytizing, simply serving, and caring.

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West Seattle Thursday: From Babypants to BBQ, and beyond
August 19, 2010 7:07 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

A month after captivating the West Seattle Summer Fest crowd, Caspar Babypants is back on a hometown stage for the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB) tonight, 6:30 pm at Hiawatha Community Center‘s east lawn, free, with The Board of Education. ANA president Katy Walum says the previously announced burger truck won’t be there after all – logistics didn’t work out – but the Full Tilt Ice Cream-selling “cooler on wheels” will be, with a larger supply! plus ANA is offering free “frozen treats, and 2 free face-painters will be there. Most important of all: Please bring diapers to donate to WestSide Baby. Katy says the sizes needed most right now are newborn and pull-ups.

Also today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

Memorial service for Ken Wise, longtime West Seattle businessman and Rotarian, Fauntleroy Church, 11 am … The West Seattle Wayfinding project is on the Seattle Design Commission agenda at 2 pm, City Hall downtown … The annual picnic at The Kenney (with a chance for you to find out more about the “downsizing” of their redevelopment plans, as reported here August 10th), 5 pm (southwest lawn) … job/subcontracts fair for the South Transfer Station project in South Park, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm at South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave. S. … Also 5-7 pm, open house for new Small Scholars Academy early-education program at High Point Community Center (as previewed here) … The next meeting of the Citizens Advisory Group for the Murray Basin Combined Sewer Overflow Project at 6 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy … Bella Nouveau Day/Medical Spa in The Junction is raising $ for Susan G. Komen for the Cure with its “Passionately Pink for the Cure” event at 6 pm tonight ($10 recommended donation) … Square One Books (WSB sponsor) starts its Huge Summer Clearance today, 40% off just about everything, and this continues through Sunday, including during The Junction’s “Big Bonanza” multi-merchant sale 10 am-6 pm Saturday.

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Want to be a ‘volunteer victim’? Recruiting now for disaster drills
August 18, 2010 11:39 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | Preparedness

These aren’t happening IN West Seattle, but the recruiting notice for volunteers to help with two drills is shared by WSB’er LyndaB, and given our peninsula’s leadership role as a hotbed of disaster preparedness, somebody out there just might want to help. And the volunteers for the first one can be as young as 14 – high-school students, that means community-service credit! Read on:Read More

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Presidential postscript: West Seattleite met with President Obama
August 18, 2010 9:19 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

So it turns out there was a major West Seattle connection to yesterday’s presidential visit beyond The Big Booms. From the “we’re embarrassed we didn’t know this earlier” department, a longtime WSB’er e-mailed tonight to point out that Gillian Allen-White, the Grand Central Bakery co-owner who hosted President Obama’s mini-business roundtable in Pioneer Square yesterday, is a West Seattleite – co-president of the Sanislo Elementary School PTA, in fact. She is at the president’s left in the WhiteHouse.gov video above, and there’s a photo on SeattleTimes.com (WSB partner) tonight, with a story by food writer Nancy Leson, who followed up with Allen-White to get the lowdown on what the president ordered for lunch while there.

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Open house Thursday for new early-education program
August 18, 2010 7:23 pm
|    Comments Off on Open house Thursday for new early-education program
 |   High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Meet Roxanne Brown. She’ll be teaching a brand-new early-education program in West Seattle starting next month, and you can check it out during an open house tomorrow (Thursday) night. The program’s called Small Scholars Academy and classes will be at High Point Community Center. Roxanne’s been teaching for five years, with two of those years in a Head Start program, and she says Small Scholars is meant to offer child-led experiences where kids can learn based on what they’re interested in – say, the kids want to talk about dinosaurs, and it’s time for language skills, you might bring in alphabet letters associated with dinosaurs. Play, Roxanne explains, can also lead to educational experiences. They’re registering kids 3-5 now for these options – Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays ($230 a month), Tuesdays/Thursdays ($185), or five days a week ($315/month), morning (9:30 am-1 pm) or afternoon (2-5:30 pm), kids must be potty-trained. Tomorrow night’s open house is 5-7 pm at High Point CC (6920 34th SW); classes start September 13th.

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Primary Election 2010: Newest results just published
August 18, 2010 4:33 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   34th District State House 2 | King Co. Council District 8 | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgKing County Elections got 95,000 more ballots in the mail today – the highest single-day delivery, which they say is unusual because that usually happens Election Day – and expected to include at least 40,000 in the second run of primary results. Those results were just made public – see them here. The order hasn’t changed in our area’s biggest race, 34th District State Representative Position 2, but Mike Heavey‘s margin over second-place Joe Fitzgibbon narrowed to 21 votes. Complete look at that race, after the jump:Read More

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Update: California reopens after crash involving police car
August 18, 2010 2:11 pm
|      50 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | WS breaking news

(NOTE: As of just before 5 pm, California SW has reopened)

ORIGINAL 2:11 PM REPORT: Just getting word of this crash near California/Brandon (in front of Papa John’s – here’s a map), involving a police car. We’re told a car was pulling out of a driveway when it collided with a cruiser en route to an incident, apparently with lights and siren. We’re told the officer is hurt. No word yet how badly. (Photo added 2:18 pm) Christopher Boffoli and Patrick Sand are both there for WSB and we’ll add details as we get them.

2:36 PM UPDATE: A few more details – The officer involved in the crash had been heading to a call about a “disturbance” at California and Dakota north of The Junction. Investigators are headed to the crash scene to sort out other details. The driver of the other car was apparently not hurt – looks shaken up as much as anything; officers have been talking with him. California is closed **TFN** from Rite-Aid at the north to Brandon on the south. The injured officer is being checked out.

2:54 PM UPDATE: Buses are being rerouted too. We’ve gotten this e-mail alert about the 22:

Rt 22 is temporarily rerouted on California Ave SW near SW Brandon St, due to a blockage.
Use stops north of Sw Edmunds St or south of SW Morgan St.

Looking up the others. (54, 128, ST 560 affected too) Also, SPD Blotter has published a very short update on the crash:

On August 18th at approximately 1:52 p.m. an officer in a fully-marked police car was responding to an emergency call with lights and siren activated. Just north of SW Brandon Street on California Avenue SW the officer collided with a beige Ford sedan and subsequently struck a tree near the side of the road. The driver and only occupant of the beige Ford sedan, a male in his 70′s, was evaluated at the scene but was not injured and did not require transportation. The officer was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are responding to the scene. The circumstances surrounding the collision are currently under active investigation.

Scanner traffic indicated that the emergency call involved a parking-enforcement officer who may have been pepper-sprayed by someone – we are checking on that.

3:20 PM: Added that photo from Christopher, which shows the other car that was involved.

4:23 PM: Christopher checked again a few minutes ago – still closed. We’ll continue checking periodically.

4:59 PM: Thanks to Pop from the Thaitan Restaurant, who says the road reopened a few minutes ago. Belinda, via Facebook, says buses are going by too.

ADDED 6:34 PM: Thanks to Garfield High School student Gabriel S. for sharing that photo – again, the officer who was hurt was described as having “non-life-threatening” injuries, but we’re still trying to find out more on how he’s doing.

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West Seattle restaurant news: Junction Wing Dome sign goes up
August 18, 2010 2:09 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Thanks to Brian Presser at TouchTech Systems in The Junction for sharing that photo – the sign’s going up for the new Wing Dome next to CAPERS, almost eleven months after we brought you first word the company was looking at West Seattle. We have a message out to see if an opening date’s been set yet; last time we checked in with the Wing Dome folks, they were hoping it would be this month.

5:04 PM UPDATE: Colleen O’Leary with Wing Dome’s parent company Consolidated Restaurants says they’re just clearing the permit phase and they should have word of an opening date soon.

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Chief Sealth principal awaits move: ‘Champing at the bit’
August 18, 2010 12:57 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

With the Chief Sealth International High School renovations close to completion – and the first day of school just three weeks away – the project-management team at DKA Architecture just sent along a new aerial. (Ever wonder about unmarked choppers/planes in the area from time to time? Keep in mind, some are taking photos like these!) It shows the Chief Sealth campus from the south side along Thistle, looking northward. Note the paved parking areas, among other touches. We talked to Sealth principal John Boyd a short time ago to find out how soon his staff will be moving in; as the quote in our headline indicates, they’re eager. Right now, Boyd says, they’re awaiting the results of fire/safety inspections. If those go well, the contents of administrative offices and classrooms – what Sealth teachers have already boxed up – will be moved over the weekend, with the hopes that administrators can come in Monday and Tuesday to start getting settled, with teachers following on Tuesday and Wednesday. “We’re anxious, we want to get over there, but we want everything to be done (right) – and we’re still operable at Boren” till then, Boyd tells WSB, adding, “The facilities are beautiful.” The upgrades have been under way for two years, and the new Denny International Middle School is being built on the same site, though its completion/move aren’t scheduled till next year. (More project background can be found here.) ADDED 1:12 PM: Also just got a new photo taken at the site today and shared by DKA, described as “the installation of the new water feature in the CS Galleria entrance”:

More new outside/inside photos here.

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3 weeks till school: West Seattle Helpline backpack drive revs up
August 18, 2010 12:06 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo from last year’s backpack giveaway, courtesy West Seattle Helpline)
Three weeks from today, it’s the first day of the new school year for most Seattle Public Schools campuses – with many private schools starting then (if not sooner) too. And that’s why West Seattle Helpline< is revving up its annual backpack drive right now. They’re collecting not only backpacks to give away to students who need them, but also school-age clothing to give away with the backpacks. To find out how/where to donate clothing, just call the Helpline at 206.932.4357; you can drop off backpacks not only at Helpline HQ but also at CAPERS in The Junction.

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The Andover School: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor
August 18, 2010 10:28 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor today, and as is customary, new sponsors are invited to share information about their business: The Andover School was established in 2009 after founder Kari Cassidy-Diercks had difficulty finding availability for her children in a West Seattle preschool. With a background in operations and marketing, she teamed with childhood educator and preschool director Kelli Palsha to create a high-quality, unique, artistic and academic curriculum. The Andover School in West Seattle is located between the Alaska and Morgan Junctions. It is a year-round preschool experience for ages 2 through pre-K, which Kelli says is based on the ideals of organic and holistic learning. Kari says they incorporate standard letter education with dramatic play, cooking classes with etiquette, and creativity while offering a strong emphasis on Kindergarten preparedness, especially in the afternoon program. She adds, “The Andover School aspires to help children grow their pre-academic and social skills in play-based learning. Social and emotional learning is emphasized, as this is the foundation for all other learning. Children are encouraged to feel empowered to put their own ideas into action, whether making a rocket ship out of cardboard, inventing a new game, or painting with their toes to learn to count, and The Andover School truly believes in the adage ‘learning through a sense of wonder’.” The dramatic play area is fully decorated in a completely different theme each month to stimulate play and learning.

The Andover School has expanded to a second location on Mercer Island that will open in September. With the graduation of students to Kindergarten, and with the opening of the new Mercer Island location, several AFTERNOON-only positions have just become available. The afternoon program is particularly designed to accommodate the preparation for Kindergarten with an emphasis on letter recognition and writing, math, and advanced cognitive processing. For more information about their half-day programs (9 am – 12:15 pm / 12:45 pm – 4 pm), drop them a line at faculty@theandoverschool.com or phone 425-772-5970.

We thank The Andover School for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.

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West Seattle Wednesday: ‘Upzone’ hearings downtown, and more
August 18, 2010 8:01 am
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   California Ave upzoning | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Today’s the day for what could be all-day proceedings regarding the proposed zoning change in the 3200 block of California SW, which would allow more height and larger commercial spaces in future buildings. As noted when we covered related proceedings last week, it’s happening in the city Hearing Examiner‘s chambers (40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown) and will begin with the public hearing on the proposal, which the city Department of Planning and Development has recommended the City Council approve; the day’s schedule also includes the hearing on an appeal filed against the DPD’s ruling of “environmental nonsignificance” for the proposal. … Otherwise, regular weekly Wednesday events are on the calendar, including produce sales at the High Point Market Garden, 32nd/Juneau, 4-7 pm, and trivia at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 6:45 pm, followed by open-mike time at 9 pm.

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Door-to-door alert: Solicitors in Gatewood
August 17, 2010 11:02 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Door-to-door alert | Gatewood | West Seattle news

Couple notes tonight about solicitors in Gatewood – whether legit or not, it’s not clear, but those who e-mailed to share the story thought they seemed suspicious – read on:Read More

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