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    WS HOLIDAY GUIDE: See what’s in it!

Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Jessie Israel
August 16, 2009 12:38 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgWith three days left to vote by mail for Tuesday’s primary, tonight and Sunday morning we are wrapping up our close-up looks at candidates in races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot. Previous stories are in the WSB Politics archive.

By Jack Mayne
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Jessie Israel is seeking to replace a Councilmember she once supported but now says has done more obstructing than supporting solutions to the city’s problems.

The 35-year-old Ballard resident is running for City Council Position 6 against incumbent Nick Licata and candidate Martin Kaplan. She has never been a candidate before but she is certainly not a political neophyte.

“I was co-chair of the Women’s Political Caucus for five or six years, so I have been following campaign politics for many years,” she says.

But why Licata, who has gotten more than 70 percent voter support in his last two races?

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Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Martin Kaplan
August 15, 2009 9:30 pm
|    Comments Off on Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Martin Kaplan
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgWith three days left to vote by mail for Tuesday’s primary, tonight and Sunday morning we are wrapping up our close-up looks at candidates in races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot. Previous stories are in the WSB Politics archive.

By Jack Mayne
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Behold, a political candidate who says he is not a politician and maintains he will serve only one term in office “because I can get a lot of work done in four years.”

Martin Kaplan, a 60-year-old Queen Anne resident, says his experience makes him ready to start working as a City Councilmember on the day he is sworn in and can work harder for voters because he will not have to spend all that time during his term trying to line up financial and political support for a reelection bid.

“I won’t be involved in (preserving) the future of my political life,” says Kaplan, who contends that he is running “against two politicians,” Nick Licata and Jessie Israel. Licata is finishing his third term on the Council, and is running for a fourth, which he once promised would be as much time as he would serve. Israel is running for the office for the first time, but her political involvements over the years show she is no political novice.

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Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Brian Carver
August 15, 2009 8:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Brian Carver
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgWith three days left to vote by mail for Tuesday’s primary, tonight and Sunday morning we are wrapping up our close-up looks at candidates in races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot. Previous stories are in the WSB Politics archive.

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Brian Carver sees the future of Seattle in its young people. As one of five candidates for Seattle City Council Position 4, he says he would tap that creativity and energy to find long-term solutions to some of the city’s most persistent problems, including more affordable housing and jobs.

“I have always thought that working with youth is so rewarding and so necessary,” he said. “I am most interested in programs that empower youth so the direction of their life is in their hands and they are equipped to drive it forward.”

Carver, a 30-year-old North Seattle resident, has master’s degrees in business and engineering. He is the Worldwide Lean Manager at Amazon.com, in charge of making sure the company is operating as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. It’s a skill he wants to bring to City Hall.

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Photos: Pirate-mania at Outdoor Movies on the Wall
August 15, 2009 7:15 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

ORIGINAL 7:15 PM REPORT: Tonight’s West Seattle Junction Outdoor Movies on the Wall feature is the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, and those who (arrrrrrrr) already getting into the spirit include Andre’ from Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), who’s selling and serving barbecue pulled-pork sandwiches ($3) right now. This week’s cupcakes from Coffee to a Tea have a pirate theme, too, and in a little over an hour, the pre-show goofiness will involve “swabbing the deck” with a frisbee. It’s all happening in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), 4410 California SW, next to the post office, and you’ve got time to get there (b/y/o chair and/or blanket) – the movie’s free and starts at dusk, but the courtyard tends to fill fast. We’ll update this item later tonight with pix of movie-night fun. ADDED SUNDAY MORNING: Pix as promised. The pirate spirit prevailed – someone even brought a life-size cardboard Captain Jack, which quickly became a popular photo stop:

The aforementioned Andre’ from Endolyne Joe’s helped announce the “swabbing” contest:

Others were seen in pirate garb as well. And balloons further buoyed the crowd, courtesy of Snap Fitness (WSB sponsor):

Every week, the cupcakes from Coffee to a Tea have honored the movie theme:

Next Saturday night, this summer’s movie series concludes with “Cars.”

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West Seattle’s Picnic at the Precinct 2009: One big block party
August 15, 2009 7:07 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

No, that’s not a police officer lying down on the job – it’s special-assignment garb on display next while its neighbor handled the controls for the ever-popular Seattle Police robot that was shown off at this afternoon’s Picnic at the Precinct outside West Seattle’s Southwest Precinct. You could also get a firsthand look at equipment you hope won’t ever have to show up in your neighborhood:

More commonplace police vehicles, too:

And the police-transporting method that operates on four hooves instead of four (or two, or three) wheels:

Also on display during Picnic at the Precinct, many reminders that police work isn’t just about enforcing – it’s about prevention, too: Here’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow – your first stop for information on Block Watches and other prevention/deterrent tactics – talking with picnic-goers:

Other tables included Seattle Police Jobs and the Victim Support Team (follow that link to learn how to support VST as a volunteer):

Supporting the community is the work of many of the non-police-affiliated organizations represented this afternoon, including Southwest Youth and Family Services, whose director Steve Daschle staffed their booth:

SWYFS is this area’s lead agency for the city’s new Youth Violence Prevention Initiative; Daschle tells us they’re about to hire one more case manager for the program. SWYFS also is looking forward to its September 18th fundraising dinner/auction at Salty’s, Fia! Fia! Daschle explains that while his organization’s funding is only about 20 percent from the private sector, “unrestricted” money like that from fundraisers is vital – for example, they have an Iraqi Home Visit Program that is supposed to run 2 years for maximum impact, but it lost one year of funding, so money like this has to be used to keep it going. Tickets are available online. Also looking ahead to a fall fundraiser, the White Center Food Bank, whose Audrey Zemke was at Picnic at the Precinct:

She says invites for WCFB’s Fall Harvest Dinner and Auction will go out in about two weeks; it’ll be October 17th at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center, with media personality Cindi Rinehart as auctioneer and North Highline Fire Chief Scott LaVielle as emcee. West Seattle Food Bank was represented today as well – its board president Pete Spalding chairs the Southwest Precinct Citizens Advisory Council – he stopped to pose with fellow food bank board member Shannon Braddock:

Spalding also had a bit of politics news: In October, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council and Southwest District Council plan to co-sponsor a West Seattle-specific campaign forum – time/date/location TBA. Both groups have been visited by multiple candidates during the primary season that ends with Tuesday’s election, but the really big forums have happened in front of the 34th District Democrats, represented this afternoon as well:

Though it’s too late to register to vote in the primary, there’s plenty of time to get signed up for the general, and that’s what the 34th Dems’ reps were doing, as well as encouraging people who are registered to get Tuesday’s ballot turned in ASAP. And you won’t be surprised to hear some candidates showed up today, including City Council President Richard Conlin:

Conlin is seen there, talking with Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, who was promoting emergency-preparedness education today (check this website for info every West Seattleite can use). His race vs. West Seattleite David Ginsberg is actually not on Tuesday’s ballot since, if there’s only two, they advance directly to the general. Other candidates seen at the picnic during and before our visit included Mayor Nickels, mayoral challenger Joe Mallahan and city attorney Tom Carr. Many other groups and causes – more than 20 in all – joined in today’s picnic, including the Southwest Seattle Business and Professional Women:

They meet regularly in Burien; here’s their website. A few steps from their booth, kids got a chance to jump and bounce:

The bouncer was over next to free food and an entertainment stage with music and dance (we’ll add video later of the Northwest Tap Connection dancers) (*added* here’s that video:)

Picnic at the Precinct is an event held at all the Seattle Police Department‘s precincts each year, presented by the Seattle Police Foundation.

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Saturday notes: Twilight, Food/Fitness, Mashiko, D-Library, D-9
August 15, 2009 3:56 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | WS culture/arts

Miscellaneous items rounded up in the past few days:

TWILIGHT CLOSING PIKE PLACE STORE: Twilight Artist Collective just announced this afternoon that it’s closing its original store, at Pike Place Market, as of the end of this month and focusing on its West Seattle Junction location, saying Pike Place has been hit hard by the “economic slowdown” while adding, “The Junction shop has weathered this storm extremely well, and we’re very proud and lucky to have a supportive and dynamic community over there that supports Fresh Local Art.”

KING COUNTY FOOD AND FITNESS INITIATIVE GETS NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Derek Birnie at Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association calls this to our attention – the national parent organization for the multi-year Food and Fitness Initiative has highlighted Delridge youth leaders in its latest newsletter. See it online here. Birnie notes, “The DNDA staff and young leaders who have put together the FEEST program at Youngstown have established a model that other folks around the country are eager to learn from.”

SPEAKING OF FOOD: Today’s the day that West Seattle’s Mashiko is scheduled to officially transition to all-sustainable sushi. We talked about it in this recent report on Mashiko; its proprietor has a lot more to say in this item on his own site.

DELRIDGE LIBRARY END-OF-SUMMER CELEBRATION … and Family Game Night, coming up Tuesday, 6-8 pm. From the library staff: “Delridge kids, teens and adults read like crazy all summer and have nearly tripled the Delridge Branch summer reading goal of 2, 350 books! Come to pat each other on the back and celebrate this achievement with snacks, prizes and games. There will be games and activities for all ages. This is a drop-in program – join us any time between 6 – 8pm.”

WEST SEATTLE LINK TO “DISTRICT 9”: Found out via Facebook that there’s a West Seattle link to the sci-fi movie “District 9” that just hit theaters this weekend: WSB’er Noelle tells us her brother Elliot Ferwerda, who grew up in West Seattle but now lives in Chicago and works for production company QED, has producer credit on the sci-fi thriller.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car stolen, clues found
August 15, 2009 12:57 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from Jon:

Our car stolen from our garage, 5400 block of 40th Ave. SW [map], sometime b/t ~5:00 pm 8/14/08 & 10:00 am 8/15/09. 1997 Honda Civic LX 4-door sedan, green, 624-XKD (WA). A guy near I-405 in Kirkland called me @ 10:15 this morning saying he found glovebox papers in the middle of his street, included owners’ manual, registration. I’ve filed report w/ SPD.

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Digital Darkroom interns’ report: Rat City Rollergirls go green
August 15, 2009 12:05 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | Environment | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

We’ve had the honor of featuring some work this summer from instructor Leslie Howle’s Digital Darkroom interns, who have been learning photojournalism in a Delridge Community Center-based program. They covered a recent Longfellow Creek cleanup with volunteers including Rat City Rollergirls athletes – the kind of cleanup that dozens of volunteers do around West Seattle’s greenbelts just about every Saturday (listed here) — and brought us this report – by the way, the Rollergirls battle the Windy City Rollers TONIGHT in Kent, more info here:

(Rat City Rollergirl Dixie Dragstrip at the Longfellow Creek cleanup)
On Saturday, July 25th, Digital Darkroom intern Keahnu Dorsey and photojournalism instructor Leslie Howle stopped by to talk to the Rat City Rollergirls and watch the 80 or so community volunteers who were putting in hours of hard labor pulling up ivy at the stream restoration event at West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek near Greg Davis Park.

(Read on for more of the story – and more on RCRG members from West Seattle and White Center – including local business owners!)Read More

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Voting this weekend? We’re #1 – but with a long way to go
August 15, 2009 9:19 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

King County Council District 8 – which includes West Seattle and White Center – is now atop the list for percentage of ballots returned, as of the latest nightly update: Just under 16%, half a point ahead of District 6 on the Eastside. So, 84% of us will vote this weekend (never mind those predictions of low turnout, we can prove them wrong). Toward that end, we have more than a half-dozen additional candidate stories to publish here in the next few hours, in case you still need more info to make up your mind. Earlier coverage is archived here.

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“Happiest man in heaven”: Alki crowd celebrates Hussein Khazaal
August 15, 2009 8:46 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

On the night when the family should have been celebrating the anniversary of Hussein Khazaal‘s marriage to wife Inaam – exactly 40 years earlier – rather than celebrating his life after his too-early death, his daughter Nadia (left) said she’s sure he is the “happiest man in heaven right now.” Tributes to, and memories of, that man – gone suddenly at just 63, after spending more than half his life at the helm of a cherished restaurant, known most recently as Phoenecia at Alki – surrounded a photo on one of several easels at last night’s memorial.

A burst of evening sunshine broke through the clouds as hundreds of friends and family members – including Phoenecia customers – gathered on the Alki waterfront a few blocks west of the restaurant:

Among them, Jason Grotelueschen, who described Mr. Khazaal as “an amazing man with an amazing family” and sang the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”/”What a Wonderful World” medley in his honor:

For both those who considered him “a second father” and for the family he and Mrs. Khazaal created, he was remembered as someone who believed “nourishment for your children is number 1 in life” – and that meant much more than food, though the analogy ran through other open-mike tributes like these:

-“I do know (his) secret ingredient – gratitude, love, joy and passion.”

-“The restaurant, and food, were a vehicle for him, to teach how to be, in life.”

And so, the guests who came to the beach to celebrate him, were invited to join in a meal:

Other restaurateurs joined to help feed those in attendance – the names we saw included Husky Deli, Puerto Vallarta, Luciano’s.

Though the tables were draped in black, the mood was anything but mournful. The laughter that rippled through the crowd as some of the stories were told seemed to honor one observation in particular: “He was celebrating life, his entire life.”

More than 80 tributes to Mr. Khazaal were posted in the comments following our first story last Sunday about his passing; read them here.

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Captain Jack rules the screen tonight at Movies on the Wall
August 15, 2009 8:38 am
|    Comments Off on Captain Jack rules the screen tonight at Movies on the Wall
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

That’s one of many fan-created tributes you can find on YouTube in appreciation of Johnny Depp‘s three star turns as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. Tonight in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor; 4410 California SW), you can see the movie that started the frenzy, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.” Gates for this West Seattle Junction Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation open at 7, and we’ve seen some wall-to-wall crowds, so you are advised to stake out your spot early. Since it’s getting darker earlier here in late summer, the preshow zaniness — described by Hotwire’s Lora Lewis as “‘swabbing the deck,’ where people race across the ground ‘curling’ a Frisbee with a broom” — may start earlier than the usual advertised time of 8:30 pm; the movie’s at dusk. While the series itself has a long list of sponsors, including WSB, each movie has screening-specific sponsors who are on hand to meet, greet and often offer treats, and tonight they include one of our newer sponsors, Endolyne Joe’s, selling barbecue sandwiches, as well as Liberty Bell Printing and Snap Fitness. (You’ll also be able to buy classic movie concessions like popcorn and candy, provided by West Seattle Christian Church with proceeds to charity, and bring some money for nonprofit-benefitting raffles, with prizes including gift certificates to local restaurants.) This is the second-to-last Movies on the Wall show of the summer; our coverage of the earlier movie events, including preshow fun from tin-foil-hat-making to go-go dancing, is here.

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Garage-saling? Duwamish sale today, plus WSB Forum listings
August 15, 2009 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on Garage-saling? Duwamish sale today, plus WSB Forum listings
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Two reminders: The Duwamish Longhouse is scheduled to be the site of the Duwamish Community Garage Sale today, and you’re welcome to be a seller as well as a buyer – first-come first-served for table space, 10 percent of proceeds go to the legal fund for the tribe’s federal-recognition fight. Tribe chair Cecile Hansen‘s famous fry bread is promised, as is the tribe’s famous salmon lunch. 9 am-6 pm, Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle (4705 West Marginal Way SW; map). And if you’re looking for random garage/yard sales to shop, be sure to check the WSB Forums‘ Freebies/Deals/Sales section, which is where anyone can post sales for free – at least three so far for today, see ’em here. (P.S. Shoppers may also want to check out C & P Coffee‘s arts/crafts fair, 9 am-3 pm, 5612 California SW.)

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Another garden party tonight: 34th District Democrats
August 14, 2009 11:30 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Thanks to Bill Schrier, the 34th District Democrats‘ webmaster, for photos from tonight’s big annual fundraiser at West Seattle Nursery, the Garden Party – just two nights after the group made headlines by hosting a largely nonconfrontational health-insurance-reform forum featuring a congressmember and an overflow crowd. Tonight’s crowd — all fun, as you can see by the photo above (most exuberant, in the blue shirt, is Chris Porter, who chaired the party-planning effort). Media personality New York Vinnie (who lives in Gatewood) served as auctioneer:

If you’re wondering about the bright colors – there was a Brazilian theme tonight – including music from Grupo Amoroso. Plus candidates and elected officials in attendance – center and right, here’s State Sen. Joe McDermott and State Rep. Eileen Cody, with State Rep. Sharon Nelson‘s legislative assistant Joe Fitzgibbon at left:

In addition to the group’s expenses, the money it raises from events and dues goes toward everything from charity donations to campaign contributors for the candidates it endorses.

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Traffic alert: End of westbound West Seattle Bridge closed by crash
August 14, 2009 9:58 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

If you’re heading toward West Seattle soon – or know someone who is – note that a crash has led police to close off the West Seattle Bridge, westbound, near the Fauntleroy end – traffic is being diverted off at the Admiral exit. No details so far on how serious the crash is.

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Also tonight: High Point P-Patch party; House Blend at The Mount
August 14, 2009 9:55 pm
|    Comments Off on Also tonight: High Point P-Patch party; House Blend at The Mount
 |   Gardening | High Point | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That dragon “guards” the new MacArthur Lane Community Garden/P-Patch in High Point, where volunteers have recently finished assembling its beds and decorating its framework, culminating in a neighborhood party tonight:

Julie Bryan told us the plots will be assigned soon – as will P-Patch plots at High Point Commons Park (scheduled for the 20th), a long-awaited event. Here’s a closer look at the dragon:

The park’s outer fence is festive too:

(ADDED 10:35 PM – Joni’s sharing many more photos via Whrrl – she’s been working on the project all along, and her photos include the ribbon-cutting celebration and check presentation that happened tonight after our brief visit:)

Powered by Whrrl

Meantime, a couple miles north, early-evening sunshine graced the second of four Summer Concerts at The Mount (WSB sponsor) at Providence Mount St. Vincent:

Maia Santell and House Blend headlined – these are free concerts, but if you bring a few dollars, you can buy food/bevs – we took a closer look at the dinner options this time around – check out this Philly sandwich:

A special feature tonight, Jeanne H. Nordquist was doing caricatures.

Next Friday night’s Concert at The Mount: Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana, 6 pm. (And the night before that, it’s another Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha presentation, the Brian Waite Band, 6:30 pm Thursday.)

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No Crime Prevention Council meeting this month – go to the picnic!
August 14, 2009 8:45 pm
|    Comments Off on No Crime Prevention Council meeting this month – go to the picnic!
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

That’s the message tonight from West Seattle Crime Prevention Council president Dot Beard – she asked if we would remind you that the group is NOT meeting this month (they meet on third Tuesdays, so that would have been coming up next week), but they urge everyone to attend tomorrow’s Picnic at the Precinct at the Southwest Precinct (map), 1-4 pm. Next WSCPC meeting will be September 15th, and King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg is scheduled to speak.

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First update: Sunset memorial for Phoenecia at Alki’s owner
August 14, 2009 8:29 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

We’ll have a full report later with highlights of memories shared tonight, “open-mike” style, before guests shared “something special” to celebrate the life of Phoenecia at Alki restaurateur Hussein Khazaal, who died suddenly last Saturday. But if you couldn’t be there, we wanted to show you the crowd first – we estimate around 250 people. Some sat, some stood, some were out of our camera’s view, up on the sidewalk. Some memories were tearful, but many brought laughter. More later.

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Happening now: Delridge Produce Co-op’s 1st Mobile Market
August 14, 2009 6:28 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Delridge Produce Co-op’s 1st Mobile Market
 |   Delridge | Health | West Seattle news

That’s the team you’ll find at the Delridge Produce Cooperative “Mobile Market” set up outside Watts Electric, east side of Delridge south of Henderson (map), till 7:30 tonight (with different locations along Delridge the next three days, repeating the series of four stops this week and the next three). They’re actually not selling, but rather giving away fresh fruits and vegetables:

Tiny’s donated most of what you see in that photo – except for some vegetables, including chiles, dropped off by someone that DPC president Galena White (right side of the top photo) said read here this morning that they accept produce dropoffs too. This is a pilot project to show how people might respond to a co-op selling fresh produce in Delridge, which has no grocery store of its own, let alone some place to regularly buy fresh, healthy food. So when you pick up your free produce, you’ll be asked to fill out a super-fast four-question survey.

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Court-case reminder: Most online photos are NOT up for grabs
August 14, 2009 3:54 pm
|      46 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(Photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
When we published that photo from WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli last November, as part of coverage of Beato’s closure, little did we know it would wind up in court – where he just won a victory on behalf of intellectual-property rights. We strongly believe in those rights and protections here at WSB — for example, when we are asked for permission to use a photo, if it’s not a photo that was taken by one of us co-publishers, we tell the requester that we do not have the rights to the photo, and we forward the request to the person who provided us with it, whether amateur or pro. Same goes for written work – if we link to someone else’s story, unless there are unusual circumstances (and involving permission), we don’t pull a chunk of the story; we provide the link because we believe you should go read it on the writer’s own site. And we have a notice at the bottom of our pages pointing out that photos cannot be used without permission. Sometimes, though, either we, or someone who has contributed photography, discovers a picture used without permission, as happened with the one you see above. Read on for the full story of what happened and how the small-claims court case turned out:Read More

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Election 2009: Need voting help? Special Saturday hours
August 14, 2009 2:15 pm
|    Comments Off on Election 2009: Need voting help? Special Saturday hours
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

By 8 pm Tuesday, your ballot needs to be either in the mail (make sure it’ll get postmarked August 18th or earlier) or in a drop box (here’s the list – there’s one in North Delridge and one in White Center). If you’re having trouble, haven’t received your ballot, etc., you can get help in person tomorrow, 10 am-5 pm at King County Elections HQ in Renton. Read on for the official announcement, which also includes details on Accessible Voting Centers:Read More

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Crop Circle (to be) spotted in West Seattle
August 14, 2009 1:43 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gardening | West Seattle news

… but it’s not likely to be suspected of extraterrestrial or supernatural links. West Seattle Crop Circle is a new group that Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is organizing in West Seattle to follow up on the success of the Edible Garden Fair and Edible Garden Tour – and the growing popularity of edible gardening. The first meeting is a little more than a week away – read on for the full announcement from Susanne at CHoSS:Read More

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West Seattle Art Walk: Creativity-drenched, on a rainy night
August 14, 2009 12:52 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Last night at Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction, during the August edition of the monthly West Seattle Art Walk, art literally happened inside and out – despite the thunder-and-lightning cloudbursts in the hour before WSAW kicked off. What you see above was created on the sidewalk outside Twilight – a surprise, its proprietors told us, by “traveling artist” friends Christopher and Erica, who dropped by. (Those are crabapples in the center of the piece.) Inside, DJ Joel was at the turntables for the promised dance party:

Among the creations on display was Mark Gunderson‘s work, which appears to be looking back at the viewer:

While Twilight’s home turf, The Junction, remains the epicenter of the ever-growing Art Walk, it’s now passed 50 venues, and the map reaches far and wide to all corners of the peninsula, like Fauntleroy:

Near the south end of the WSAW map, that’s Janet Price with Southwest-inspired art at The Kenney; near the north end, here’s Gail Howard at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District:

Even if you missed the Art Walk last night, most of the featured displays will remain up in the participating businesses throughout the month of August – check the official West Seattle Art Walk website for the full list of venues and for previews of spotlighted artists. Save the date for September’s Art Walk – second Thursday, as always – that’ll be September 10th.

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Yet more “Big Bonanza” details – including a high-noon showdown
August 14, 2009 12:03 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Followup to Thursday’s update on The Junction’s “Big Bonanza” end-of-summer multi-merchant sale a week from tomorrow: In addition to individual businesses’ planned deals (many of which are listed here) – look for a red-and-white checked tablecloth signaling who’s participating – you’re invited to the West Seattle Junction Association‘s tent at California/Alaska to pick up “festive bandanas and sheriff stickers,” enter a $100 Junction gift-card giveaway, and, at high noon that day, to get a “squirter” to join in a water-fight showdown. (That’s just one of 2 big events in The Junction in the next six weeks – September 20, streets close for the 2nd annual West Seattle Junction Car Show, which we’re co-sponsoring again this year – if you want to enter a car, registration details are here.)

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