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Spotlight Stories

Update: City announces midyear budget cuts
June 14, 2010 10:46 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | West Seattle politics

(We’ll continue to update this story through the afternoon as reaction comes in – scroll down)
ORIGINAL 10:46 AM REPORT: The City Council’s special Budget Committee meeting has just begun; this will be the first official word of what cuts will be made to make up for extra red ink in the current budget year; We’ll post as it happens. It’s being pointed out that these cuts do NOT require council approval. Note: The presentation is online, according to our friends at My Green Lake – see it here. We’re reading it now.

ONGOING COVERAGE: Budget boss Beth Goldberg‘s first announcement: In light of the Fremont fire that killed five over the weekend, NO reductions in the Fire Department.

From the budget document – wading pool effects: Lincoln Park remains open 7 days a week. (Goldberg is telling the council that the decision was based on keeping the most-used wading pools fully open. Other decisions, she says, were made based on “geographic equity.”)

Wading pools open 3 Days per week (in our area – there are other 3-day schedules around the city):
Delridge, EC Hughes, Hiawatha, South Park (Goldberg says the scheduling decisions were made based on the busiest day of the week and the days on each side of that day; as of this writing, the Parks website is not updated)

Highland Park wading pool remains closed (it’s set for conversion to a spray park; Goldberg is noting during the briefing that spray features are cheaper to operate than regular wading pools; she says the city’s total wading-pool budget is just under half a million dollars a year)

ALSO FROM PARKS: No community center/swimming pool closures this year, no lifeguard cuts. The description of cuts does not mention any program cuts, but does note a 5% reduction in maintenance (no elaboration yet)

LIBRARIES: Current hours will be maintained at all locations (but there are cuts, like $500,000 cut from the collection fund)

(added 11 am) POLICE: From the document linked above:

Leaves 21 new sworn officer positions related to the neighborhood policing program vacant, saving $2.1 million

(added 11:19 am) Goldberg says there are more SDOT cuts to come – “as we go deeper, the decisions get uglier.” The document linked above goes into detail about that department’s challenges.

11:56 AM: The meeting’s over. The mayor has a media availability at 12:15 to comment on the cuts.

12:19 PM: News releases are starting to come out with reaction to the cuts. We’ll publish the ones we get – starting with, after the jump, Councilmember Jean Godden, who says she’s concerned about the 21 police jobs that won’t be hired:Read More

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Also this morning: County hearing on animal services
June 14, 2010 9:59 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

We’ve mentioned the City Council‘s upcoming briefing on midyear budget cuts – watch for word on that after the meeting starts at 10:30 – but there’s something else governmental to keep an eye on this morning: We know of at least two West Seattleites planning to testify at the animal-services-proposal hearing at the County Courthouse downtown – details after the jump:Read More

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West Seattle Monday: Walk/Bike/Ride; city cuts; park pitches
June 14, 2010 6:12 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Monday: Walk/Bike/Ride; city cuts; park pitches
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sunday evening photo taken in the Alki area by Eilene Hutchinson)
Using a fan paraglider is ONE alternative means of transportation – three more conventional modes are under discussion in West Seattle tonight, as the mayor’s Walk/Bike/Ride initiative comes to Delridge Community Center at 6 pm to ask you questions such as: What would make it easier to get around our area without a car? (Regardless of whether you can or can’t make the meeting, you can fill out this online ballot to share your thoughts.) … Also today/tonight, two other city government-related events with West Seattle ramifications, though they’re happening off-peninsula: First, 10:30 this morning is when we will all find out how the city will cut an estimated $12 million from its budget for the rest of the year – there have long been rumors that some parks facilities/programs would be affected, for example, but finally the speculation will end when the City Council, sitting as the Budget Committee, is briefed this morning on whatever cuts, in whichever departments, will be made. (Seattle Channel will show it live and we hope to have a streaming window here on WSB, too.) … Speaking of Parks, tonight is when West Seattleites who are pitching for a share of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund get to make presentations to the Levy Oversight Committee. See the applications and staff ratings here; the open house starts at Magnuson Park‘s Workshop/View Ridge Room at 5:15, presentations start at 6:30. … More of your Monday on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.

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West Seattle weekend scenes: Sun ‘n’ fun(draising)
June 13, 2010 10:42 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

They put the “fun” in “fundraising,” as the saying goes. Which is the case for the photo above, shared by Sarah Airhart of the Community School of West Seattle, who reports that their Saturday night auction …

… was a huge success and we raised over $22,000 for our new floors.

I have attached a picture-because our auction, like our school, is always a little different! This is Jenna Lutton, one of our preschool teachers, doing her ‘other job’ at our event. In the background is the Village we built with last year’s Fund A Need money rasied at the auction. This year our Fund A Need was for an interactive wall mural outside that the children and families will work on throughout the year. A huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers who out on this event-and just a heads up that next year, June 2011, we will be having an Olympic Special….with lodging AND tickets to at least ONE event. London 2012…….

Next photo was shared by Lisa Myers from CAPERS, after Elise and Claire set up shop outside her Junction store:

According to Lisa, the girls were raising money for the upcoming Relay for Life of West Seattle – this Friday night/Saturday morning at West Seattle Stadium – because they have a teenage cousin who’s surviving bone cancer. We didn’t get word of their efforts soon enough to go see them to find out more, and Lisa didn’t have contact info, but if anybody does – or at least knows which R4LoWS team they’re affiliated with – please post a comment or e-mail us!

P.S. Quick update on a fundraiser we covered last week – Pathfinder K-8 teacher Lou Cutler‘s Make-A-Wish fundraising birthday run (here’s our report, with video as he and young helpers crossed the finish line) set a new record – $4,244 as of Friday – well above his $3,000 goal – and you can still chip in, to make sick kids’ wishes come true – here’s the link.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Times updates beating case, and more
June 13, 2010 8:39 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

In tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – First, our partners at the Seattle Times have updated the Highland Park beating case tonight; they quote the victim’s father as wondering why no one has been arrested, while a police spokesperson is quoted as saying “there is more to this story than we can share with the public.” Here’s the Times story. Meantime, from the SPD online system that makes certain reports publicly available, four West Seattle reports published this weekend:Read More

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West Seattleite’s cheap-travel site gets Washington Post spotlight
June 13, 2010 7:29 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle people

National attention for another West Seattle entrepreneur: The Washington Post takes a look at websites that match travelers with private homes/apartments in which they can stay, and part of the focus is on Casa Casa, founded by Gatewood resident Lauren Braden. (She’s got a membership deal going right now – $20/year, half the usual rate.) Lauren also writes about budget lodging in our region at Northwest Cheapsleeps – and in fact we “know” her from Twitter as @cheapsleeps. (Thanks to another Gatewood writer, Tom of Bikejuju.com, for the tip!)

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West Seattle coyotes: Reports from North Admiral and Delridge
June 13, 2010 5:12 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Two West Seattle coyote reports today. Kim e-mailed the longer one from North Admiral:

After a hiatus, North Admiral has a coyote in the neighborhood again. On Thursday in broad daylight, two neighbors walking west on Walker between 47th & 48th SW [map] saw a coyote walking tandem to them. Then the coyote sprinted ahead, turned and started walking towards them, turned again and ran away to the west. This might also account for the bite marks on our cat this week. Kitty will live, but small pet owners in the area need to be on alert.

Earlier, we got a quick Delridge coyote report via Twitter from Dartanyon:

Just saw a coyote sprint across Delridge from Chief Sealth [at boren] into Longfellow Creek!

Here’s the “coexisting with coyotes” link; here’s our archived coyote reports, reverse chronological order.

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West Seattle’s French bakery & Farmers’ Market get a special visit
June 13, 2010 2:50 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle’s French bakery & Farmers’ Market get a special visit
 |   West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

If you’re from France … and you’re in the baked-goods business … where else would you want to visit in Seattle, but Bakery Nouveau, on a Sunday morning when you can also browse the West Seattle Farmers’ Market? While we were in The Junction this morning for the Health Fair, Chris Curtis from the Neighborhood Farmers’ Market Alliance – WSFM’s parent organization – let us know about the VIP visit. So we caught up with City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and two visitors from France –Serge Kreins from Biofournil (left) and Jean-Yves Fouché of Biofournil-owned Boulangerie Nantaise, which has a Belltown store. Nantaise means “from Nantes” – and Nantes happens to be Seattle’s sister city (as commemorated with the park name along Admiral Way – and by visits like this!). ADDED 10 PM: After Councilmember Rasmussen traveled to Nantes last month, he wrote about it on his “council blog” – both reports are linked here.

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West Seattle weekend scenes (updated): Low tide; lighthouse
June 13, 2010 12:44 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

Not long after he stopped by to say hi at the West Seattle Junction Health Fair (continuing till 2; see our ongoing coverage) – Chas Redmond sent photos from Alki, right around the low point of the lowest tide of the month. The sunshine’s just been muted by some high clouds moving in, but not the rain-bearing variety, so don’t let that keep you at home! One other Alki attraction besides the tide – Chas also spotted the sign for the Alki Point Lighthouse, now open 1-4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays:

We’d just gotten that word from someone who talked with us at the Morgan Junction Community Festival yesterday, and will have it in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup from hereon out – we’re told the lighthouse has a small gift shop too!

ADDED 9:14 PM: Two more low-tide scenes – Shannon shared photos taken at Lincoln Park around noon.

Tomorrow, the tide will get almost as low as today: -3.1, compared to -3.2, just before 1 pm.

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Happening now: West Seattle Junction Health Fair
June 13, 2010 10:50 am
|    Comments Off on Happening now: West Seattle Junction Health Fair
 |   Health | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

VERY busy morning already at the first-ever West Seattle Junction Health Fair – dozens of local providers in booths set up in two rows in the Wells Fargo parking lot, right across SW Alaska from the Farmers’ Market. Stop by the very first booth along the sidewalk, where we are hanging out with Liz from the West Seattle Junction Association – you can get free The Junction/Downtown West Seattle stickers, info-cards about West Seattle Summer Fest (with the band list), which is coming up July 9-10-11; September 19’s West Seattle Junction Car Show; and this booth is also where to drop off the free raffle tickets you can pick up from many of the providers – prizes include yoga, fitness, skin care, massage and more. We’re right next to the booths for two WSB sponsors – Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy and Westside Dermatology :

Two more sponsors, Fitness Together and 8 Limbs Yoga are here too – and many other providers!

It’s all here till 2 pm. Including the Puget Sound Blood Center mobile unit – donate once, save three lives!

More coverage to come. 11:23 AM: Couple other brochures you can pick up here – the Junction Health and Wellness Guide brochure, listing more than 60 area providers/practitioners in all. Also the general Junction brochure. And Mr. Yuk stickers. Lots of great people watching – we just saw a family go by with a couple kids in one of the most interesting school sweatshirts we’ve seen lately: “Warning: Denny Dolphin/Slackers Be Warned/Denny students are college-bound …” Couldn’t read the rest at a distance (refers to Denny International Middle School in Westwood). Also speaking of people-watching – City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has just visited the Farmers’ Market with two businesspeople from France – Chris Curtis of the Neighborhood Farmers’ Market Association helped guide their tour too – stand by for a separate story on that.

12:52 PM: A few clouds are mixing with the sunshine. The crowd’s been steady – including not only Health Fair browsers, but also blood donors – one dropped by to let us know she’d given! More of whom you’ll see if you make it down here before 2:

Gordon’s at the West Seattle Be Prepared booth – you’ve heard all about preparedness efforts here; West Seattle leads the city in readiness, and if you’re still not sure how to be part of it, he can tell you all about it.

1:30 PM: Engine 32 is here for fire-engine visits! North side of the Health Fair zone.

E-32 is based just blocks away at Station 32 on SW Alaska east of Fauntleroy. 1:46 PM: Engine 32’s cameo is over – they’re headed back to the station. 2:16 PM: Final tally from Puget Sound Blood Center: 23 people gave blood during the Health Fair!

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West Seattle Sunday: From The Junction to the beaches
June 13, 2010 9:30 am
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 |   Fun stuff to do | Health | West Seattle news

Setup’s under way right now for the first-ever West Seattle Junction Health Fair, 10 am-2 pm in the Wells Fargo lot right across SW Alaska from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. We’ll be sharing booth #1 at the Health Fair for live coverage (including some Farmers’ Market highlights – live cooking demonstration today as part of both events!) so stop by to say hi if you are so inclined! Another highlight today: Just after noon, it’ll be the lowest tide of the month, and if you check out the beach at Constellation Park (south of Alki Point) or Lincoln Park (near Colman Pool, which is open today, by the way), you’ll find volunteer beach naturalists from the popular program organized by the Seattle Aquarium (WSB sponsor). And there’s more in store today – as listed in the latest version of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.

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Got a fertile sense of creativity? ‘Garden art’ donations sought
June 13, 2010 9:02 am
|    Comments Off on Got a fertile sense of creativity? ‘Garden art’ donations sought
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

Take a close look – those aren’t mosaic stepping stones, but instead, decorated shovels – one example of “garden art,” which is what Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is hoping to harvest for its upcoming Garden Art Auction. Aviva from CHoSS sent the photo and the request:

Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is looking for interesting pieces for its Garden Art Auction, July 10th. Do you have ideas for turning a rusty old shovel into a work of art? Mosaic, welding, paint – only your imagination is the limit. We are looking for all sorts of garden art, not limited to shovels. Whether you are a professional or amateur, we would be happy to accept your donation for our auction. Last year Community Harvest provided more than 6,500 pounds of surplus local fruit to the food banks. This year we have started a Garden Helper program to mentor new vegetable growers. Contact Aviva at info@gleanit.org for information.

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Video: Bubbleman & more – final look @ Morgan Junction Festival
June 13, 2010 8:28 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

One more video look at Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival, presented by the Morgan Community Association – on a day we might all look back on as the first “real” day of West Seattle’s 2010 summer. Edgar Riebe of Captive Eye Media captured festival scenes in the final few hours, including the legendary Bubbleman, and the last musical act, the Burley Mountain Band. (For photos and more video, check out our as-it-happened coverage, report #1 and report #2.)

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West Seattle Bookshelf: Need some summer reading ideas?
June 13, 2010 8:07 am
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 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news

Lists courtesy of Square One Books

Now that summer weather’s here, we might suggest this could help with decisions regarding what to read in a beach chair or hammock! 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. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
3. Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre
4. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
5. The Passage by Justin Cronin

Paperback:
1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
2. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
3. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
4. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
5. Crazy For the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

Children/Young Adult:
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
2. Cat the Cat Who is That? by Mo Williams
3. Dancing Feet! by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown
4. How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
5. Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure

Teen:
1. the short second life of bree tanner/an eclipse novella by Stephenie Meyer
2. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
3. As Easy As Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
4. For the Win by Cory Doctorow
5. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Square One is in Jefferson Square, not far from the hubs of today’s Junction events if you’re going to the Farmers’ Market and/or the Health Fair.

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West Seattle weather: Sunday looks good for Junction Health Fair
June 12, 2010 11:28 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle weather: Sunday looks good for Junction Health Fair
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Tonight’s twilight beneath The Bridge, by Christopher Boffoli)
As nice as today was, the temperature “only” reached 74 degrees – meaning an ongoing Seattle weather record continues – we’ve never before made it this far into June without the temperature having gotten to 75. Tomorrow will be nice but isn’t likely to stop the record streak of 75-less-ness – the forecast is suggesting a high near 70. Still should be a great day for more outdoor activities, including the first-ever West Seattle Junction Health Fair – we’ll be onsite covering it “live” – more than 20 Junction-area health/wellness/fitness providers and practitioners in the Wells Fargo parking lot (listed here), 10 am-2 pm, there for one-stop shopping in finding out what they have to offer. This is right across the street from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, which will have a special healthy-cooking info to sweeten the pot. (And while you’re in The Junction, go admire the almost-done, newly planted Junction Plaza Park!) Also tomorrow, it’s the lowest tide of the month just after noon (here’s the chart).

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Update: Crash at 35th and Webster, 1 hurt
June 12, 2010 8:56 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

ORIGINAL 8:56 PM REPORT: “Automobile rescue” call at 35th and Webster. On the way. 9:09 PM: A car and truck collided and the car went into a pole on the northeast corner, according to Katie, who is at the scene. One person is hurt. Northbound 35th is blocked. 9:29 PM: Tow truck has arrived. The crash victim is in an ambulance but sitting up and talking with its crew. 10:44 PM: Adding photos, also courtesy of Katie. We have blurred the plate on the top one; this one shows a different angle, after rescuers cut the top off the car to get the driver out. Again, it does not appear he was seriously hurt; the truck driver appeared not to have been hurt at all, or at least nothing worse than minor.

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Nominated your favorite West Seattle super-volunteer yet?
June 12, 2010 7:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Nominated your favorite West Seattle super-volunteer yet?
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Tonight we’re midway through the open-nomination period for the next round of West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards. It’s a simple way to call attention to folks who work hard, for free, to make our community such an amazing place. WSB co-sponsors these awards with the Southwest and Delridge District Councils; volunteers from those two groups review the nominees and choose the winners. This is the third round since last spring; here’s who won the first time around; here’s the second group of winners. June 21 is the deadline, but take a few minutes to use this form to send in a nomination (if it’s not working, here’s a direct link). There are four categories: 3 individual volunteers in community, environment, or youth work; the fourth is a group award. Winners will be honored during the West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park at Hiawatha on July 20th.

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Followup: 3 West Seattle High School-linked baseball draftees
June 12, 2010 7:09 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Back on Tuesday, we reported on two baseball players with West Seattle High School ties – one senior, one alum – drafted by the majors. After our report, a third one was drafted, and tonight we have a wrapup on all three with details courtesy of WSHS assistant baseball coach Scott Meaker:

3 players from West Seattle that played at WSHS for Head Coach Velko Vitalich were drafted by Major League Baseball (MLB) this week.

It started with the second day of drafting on Tuesday. Zach Varce, currently a Junior RHP for the University of Portland, was drafted in round 11 (355th overall) by the NY Yankees! Zach reportedly is on his way to the east coast soon to sign with one of the most storied sports organizations in the world! Congratulations to him and his West Seattle family!

Also on Tuesday, current WSHS Senior SS Trevor Martin was drafted in the 20th round (619th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals. Trevor was the unanimous MVP of the Metro League this year, the league that has brought home the Washington State 3A Baseball title for the last 2 years (O’dea HS in 2009 & 2010!). Trevor has an offer to play at perennial national champion contender Western Nevada College near Carson City, NV. (see story about his signing last January)

Coach Meaker’s report continues after the jump:Read More

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‘Live’ at Morgan Junction Community Festival 2010, report #2
June 12, 2010 2:59 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Belly dancer Najma is just one of the performers who’ve already taken the stage – or, in this case, danced on the green – at Morgan Junction Park, where we’re midway through the Morgan Junction Community Festival. Lots of folks dropping by to say hi (and in the past hour-plus, picking up the free bumper stickers we mentioned in our first report – they’re going fast!), telling us they’re taking a break from yard work or other things they think they SHOULD be doing … c’mon, get away from the computer, it’s a mellow afternoon down here. Dog-friendly too if you want to bring your pooch. Still three more bands to go over the next few hours, plus the fabled Bubbleman at 5:15 pm.

3:32 PM: Inbetween the park and the area where us exhibitor types are hanging out behind Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor)/Zeeks Pizza, you’ll find West Seattle Natural Energy and MissionMoto – they’re set up between Beveridge Place Pub and Feedback – and just past them, you’ll find booths like the one Sylvia Rolle and Cindi Barker are staffing right now:

They’ll be happy to tell you all about the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs (and other West Seattle Be Prepared readiness matters). More to come – this continues till 7.

4:37 PM: The Slags are just now starting to play – a little later than scheduled – and we’re awaiting word on whether the Bubbleman will make it – apparently he was having some trouble catching a ferry from Vashon. Meantime, some updates – we’re out of the I (Heart) West Seattle bumper stickers that the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce had given us to hand out – also “sold out” (though they too were free), the coupon books for the Bite of Morgan tastes – organizers printed almost 500 this year, a few hundred more than last year, but still ran out. Of course you can still stop in to eat and drink at the nearby restaurants/bars – all this is amid Kokoras Greek Grill, Feedback Lounge, Zeeks Pizza, Beveridge Place Pub, Starbucks, West Seattle Thriftway, Subway, New Teriyaki and Wok, Domino’s – and a bit to the south, Caffe Ladro.

5:25 PM: Bubbleman is indeed here and started a few minutes ago. We photographed him getting ready:

And from their performance about an hour ago – The Slags – introduced by their drummer’s son, with a bit of off-camera coaching from Morgan Community Association’s music guru (among other things) Chas Redmond:

Speaking of music … we spotted Willie Murderface – a West Seattleite who hosts karaoke – and asked if he’d stop for a photo:

Even if you’re not a karaoke denizen, you may remember Willie for the benefit he organized last January to raise money for Jason McKissack, the Seattle police officer who suffered a career-ending injury when attacked in the line of duty two years ago. (Here’s our story from the night of the fundraiser.) Thanks to everybody who stopped by today – the booth area behind the Feedback is starting to clear out, but there’s still one band left to play in the park (warming up now) before the festival wraps. We’ll have one more report later including a video-highlight roundup and any other post-festival tidbits – meantime, hope to see you tomorrow at the West Seattle Junction Health Fair, 10 am-2 pm in the Wells Fargo parking lot, right across from (and same hours as) the Farmers’ Market!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Saturday roundup (in progress)
June 12, 2010 2:19 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We’ve got reports to share – and we’ll be adding them to this story in the hours to come, so if you happen to see this shortly after we publish this, please check back – first reports are after the jump :Read More

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Update: Harbor Avenue briefly blocked for ‘rescue’ – but all now OK
June 12, 2010 12:21 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Photo added 12:46 pm – SFD units that were there till it turned out the diver wasn’t missing after all)
We are on our way to the scene of a water-rescue call in the 1600 block of Harbor SW. Traffic in the area is snarled and police have it blocked right at The Bridge, so if you are trying to get to Alki, approach from the west – don’t go from Avalon, Spokane, bottom of Admiral, etc. Still working to get details of what the rescue call’s all about. 12:24 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Katie for word that this call went out as a diver missing near Salty’s. 12:32 PM: Christopher Boffoli is there and reports that what was reported as a missing diver, turned out to be a diver that got separated from their companion/s and has been found. All this should clear up soon. (But traffic lags – and it’s already a busy, sunny day at the beach – so we still advise approaching Alki from the west, for a while.)

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Morgan Junction Community Festival 2010 till 7 pm – report #1
June 12, 2010 11:11 am
|    Comments Off on Morgan Junction Community Festival 2010 till 7 pm – report #1
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

That’s the entertainment schedule at the Morgan Junction Community Festival, which has just begun at Morgan Junction Park (on California SW just north of Fauntleroy) – in and around the park, and don’t miss the dozens of booths behind Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and Zeeks Pizza, including ours:

(That’s our old advertising banner from the Water Taxi, which isn’t running ads on the new boat yet.) Also of note, in the “festival zone” at Beveridge Place Pub, a crowd’s gathering for the USA-England World Cup soccer match:

You can also watch at Abbondanza Pizza a bit further south, same side of California SW. So come down and enjoy the festival – be sure to get your free Bite of Morgan food coupons (Abbondanza is among the participants) at the Morgan Community Association booth at the park – the one in the left of this shot:

The festival continues till 7 pm. More coverage to come! 11:49 AM: Almost forgot – in addition to the Bite tastes, you can get a barbecue lunch at West Seattle Thriftway, kitty corner from the festival zone, till 4 pm, benefiting the Morgan Community Association!

12:49 PM: Back to the festival focus after a brief bit of breaking news (diver rescue call that turned out OK – diver wasn’t missing or in trouble, after all). Good news – we have something new at the booth, courtesy of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce – free I *HEART* West Seattle bumper stickers! While they last! Here they are on our table, next to the makeshift World Cup scoreboard:

Also Water Taxi brochures and city Neighborhood Center info. We’re right behind Feedback Lounge, between Animals First Foundation and Pacific Rim Emergency Planning.

2:05 PM: Shoutout to more of our neighbors here in the exhibit area – longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction is right across the way – here’s Ventana’s Anne with kids Delila and Logan:

We’ve also seen some candidates – Marcee Stone and Joe Fitzgibbon, both candidates for the 34th District State House Position 1 have been sighted. (P.S. Later in the afternoon, another candidate in that race, Mike Heavey, visited the festival too, as we noted at the time via Twitter.) We’ll be starting a new report shortly – have video of belly dancing and music too!

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Happening now: Day 1 for the new West Seattle Tool Library
June 12, 2010 10:56 am
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Day 1 for the new West Seattle Tool Library
 |   Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

Jennifer and Lacy were the first two renters for the brand-new West Seattle Tool Library, which opened its doors at 9 this morning on the north side of the South Seattle Community College campus. They’re borrowing tools to help build a chicken run. You are welcome to visit the Tool Library (bring 2 forms of ID to rent something) before 2 pm today – you’ll meet friendly folks like Sustainable West Seattle‘s Patrick and Gary:

They’re also planning a brief dedication ceremony around 12:30 pm, if you’d like to be on hand for that. You’re also still welcome to bring tools to donate – as long as they’re in good working condition, and not gas-powered. P.S. You can browse the Tool Library inventory online by going here. (While you’re at SSCC, note that the Northwest Wine Academy‘s summer release event continues noon-4 pm today, just steps from the Tool Library – it’s a twofer!) ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: One more photo:

We checked back at the Tool Library in early afternoon – just missed the dedication ceremony because we got sidetracked to check out the big Harbor Avenue rescue response, but we did catch this crowd of browsers.

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