West Seattle, Washington

16 Saturday

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Spotlight Stories


  • Whales

    WHALE-WATCHING: Southern Residents at dusk

  • Fire

    CAMP LONG: Help rebuild the history

  • Holiday Guide

    WS HOLIDAY GUIDE: See what’s in it!

Happening now: West Seattle Edible Garden Tour
August 1, 2009 11:36 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Fun stuff to do | Gardening | West Seattle news

That’s “The Bee Keeper’s Yard” at 6750 35th SW – one of 10 stops on the West Seattle Edible Garden Tour, free and self-guided, happening till 4 this afternoon. Those boxes you see are for the bees – no, they don’t live in the iconic conical “hives.” Beekeeper and gardener here is Brian Allen:

You may also know Brian as secretary of Sustainable West Seattle. Visit his garden and any or all of the 9 others till 4 pm today – find the addresses and a downloadable map at ediblewestseattle.org.

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Church cleanup, Edible Garden Tour today; “Footloose” tonight
August 1, 2009 7:20 am
|    Comments Off on Church cleanup, Edible Garden Tour today; “Footloose” tonight
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

Highlights from the West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Work parties today include a one-of-a-kind event – St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral invites neighbors as well as parishioners to an “Ivy Out Day” to clear a spot along SW Hanford that will become a “park-like” space for the whole neighborhood – 9 am to noon with a free barbecue to follow. Also: You can take the FREE West Seattle Edible Garden Tour today, self-guided, 10 am-4 pm, get your map here. Then tonight – everybody gets “Footloose” at West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall, doors open 7 pm in the courtyard by Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), preshow fun at 8:30, movie at dusk, bring $ for concessions and raffles to benefit local nonprofits.

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Blue Angels weekend: Another Boeing Field place to watch
August 1, 2009 5:04 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Blue Angels | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

Continuing our 4th annual collection of reports from Temporary WSB HQ East, aka Boeing Field during the Blue Angels‘ appearances at Seafair: If you are thinking about going to see them today, but not necessarily determined to watch from Lake Washington, we happened onto another option for watching their takeoff, landing, and significant Angels-glimpsing inbetween. On Friday, since we didn’t extricate ourselves from the desk soon enough to go hang out “on the fence” (explained here) at the Museum of Flight, we had to find an alternative spot along the Boeing Field runway. A turn opportunity presented itself just north of the Boeing Field tower, and we wound up here:

The turn is at South 81st Place and East Marginal (map). It’s a small Boeing lot but as with the Boeing lots closer to the Museum of Flight, nobody seemed to be checking credentials. Drawbacks: A road parallels the runway-boundary fence, so you need to stand on or behind the fairly short concrete barrier. Advantages: You’re right there as the Angels go wheels up – and you get the Fat Albert (C-130T support plane) flyby, too:

Not to mention the multiple Blue Angels sightings during the show:

These folks ON the runway (across from “our” spot) had an even-better view, but somehow we doubt that spot’s publicly accessible:

The Blue Angels took off just before 1:30 on Friday, with a ground-shaking opening act from other airshow performers, particularly the F-15E Strike Eagles. Today, we’re hoping to get to the Museum of Flight in time to wait “on the fence” and see the walkdown, the synchronized crew moves, etc. And remember, the I-90 floating bridge closes 12:45-2:40 pm.

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Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Thomas Tobin
August 1, 2009 4:13 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgBallots have started arriving for the August 18 primary. WSB continues offering close-up looks at — asking the same 3 West Seattle-specific questions — 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

City Council Position 4 candidate Thomas Tobin lives on Capitol Hill, where he was born, grew up and plans to stay. He said he rarely has a chance to visit West Seattle, but when he does, Alki Beach is his favorite place.

“My grandma used to love to go to Spud’s,” he said.

This is Tobin’s second time running for city council. In 1997 he was in the race with Richard Conlin, who is now city council president.

Tobin is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a small business owner providing Internet service. “Being from here, I have watched the city deteriorate,” he said.

Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 5 notes, from shots to thefts
August 1, 2009 2:53 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two of these 5 incidents happened early this morning. First, in the Westcrest Park area, multiple police units answered a call of a disturbance, followed minutes later by a report that five gunshots were heard. No report of anyone having actually been shot, but police pulled over a car at 8th/Trenton (map) and reported finding a shotgun in possession of one of the passengers. Second incident just happened – police raced to an assault report in the 2800 block of Alki (map), with a suspect reportedly running away, but found an “uncooperative victim,” and the call was canceled (but in case you saw/heard all those officers, that’s what it was about). Now, to three reports received earlier, from purported solicitors using a ruse to get into a man’s apartment and steal from him, to a bike theft and stereo theft – read on:Read More

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Details: Shellfish diggers confronted at Weather Watch Park
July 31, 2009 7:58 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(photo by Brenda Peterson)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Digging for shellfish at most – if not all – West Seattle beaches is unsafe and unlawful.

Not everyone knows that. It seemed to be news to three men confronted this morning while digging along Beach Drive, before they agreed to put the clams – a cooler full of them, as you see in the photo above — back.

This all began when Brenda Peterson, a West Seattle author and wildlife advocate, was out walking on the beach this morning, as she does most mornings as the founder of Seal Sitters, the local group that watches for baby seals this time of year, and, when one is found, assigns volunteers to guard it from human/animal disturbance till its mom comes back for it.

Peterson spotted three men going back and forth along a sizable stretch of Beach Drive shore, where the tide was somewhat out this morning, digging big holes, and filling a blue and white cooler.

She tried calling wildlife agents and got only voice mail. She also called WSB.

Read More

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Door-to-door alert: Crew says they’re here for a month
July 31, 2009 4:41 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

Matt sent in the latest door-to-door alert – don’t know if they’re legitimate or bogus but there’s been some power in people discussing solicitor sightings so we’re sharing them. (Also note this online article from the Better Business Bureau.) Read on for Matt’s report:Read More

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Local food bank needs help, and not in the usual way
July 31, 2009 2:51 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

We mentioned this earlier on partner site White Center Now – but as we frequently note, White Center Food Bank serves a significant part of southern West Seattle as well, so we all have a stake in the WC and West Seattle Food Banks. Next Saturday and Wednesday, August 8 and 12, WCFB needs help emptying and refilling the warehouse so floor work can be done. This item on the WCFB website gives you multiple ways to volunteer.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Edible Garden Tour, lots more
July 31, 2009 12:23 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

Tomorrow’s the day for a new West Seattle tradition, in its second year – the Edible Garden Tour (free!) presented by wswllicon3.pngCommunity Harvest of Southwest Seattle. And of course it’s Seafair weekend, which means Blue Angels sightings, bridge closures, etc. … West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall gets “Footloose” on Saturday night … help clear off a park-like section of land on Saturday morning with St. John’s Episcopal Church (one of several work parties you can join that day) … And on street-food watch, note that Skillet is NOT scheduled for The Junction this Sunday, but Marination Mobile will be back at High Point on Saturday … more than four dozen events, ahead in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … here goes!Read More

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Heat wave casualty: West Seattle’s most famous crow
July 31, 2009 11:30 am
|      37 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

crows1.jpg

Just yesterday, we mentioned that unusually colored crow – “leucistic” is the term – in our story about Gatewood author Lyanda Lynn Haupt‘s new book (from which she is reading at Elliott Bay Books, 7:30 tonight). This morning, on our way out to cover a story, we saw one of our neighbors here in the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy area where “Leucy” has hung out for years – and she told us she found “Leucy,” aka the “brown crow,” dead in Wednesday’s historic heat. No sign of blood or injury – just dead. Neighbor Jane thinks “Leucy” was female, and had noticed her “showing off her babies” this past season. No way to tell how old “Leucy” was; Lyanda told us crows can live longer than a decade in optimum conditions.

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Quick alert if you’re near the beach
July 31, 2009 11:10 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Full story on this coming up later but wanted to post a quick alert now. We were just out covering three men digging clams up along Beach Drive, which is (a) illegal and (b) dangerous – the beaches are closed to shellfish harvesting for health reasons, explained here (and most of it wouldn’t be open anyway – either parkland or private property). Confronted by a local wildlife advocate, they claimed it was for personal use, claimed they had no idea about the health risks etc., and returned the 100-plus clams to the beach. But in case they just packed up and moved somewhere else, be on the lookout – copper/gold Suburban-type SUV with plate starting with 861, blue and white cooler. More later!

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Update: Memorial, fund for West Seattle hero mom Arden Balyeat
July 31, 2009 9:08 am
|    Comments Off on Update: Memorial, fund for West Seattle hero mom Arden Balyeat
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

The time and place of this Sunday’s memorial are now set for Arden Balyeat, the 48-year-old West Seattle mom who died earlier this week after saving her 7-year-old son when they got into trouble in the Skykomish River (here’s our Tuesday night story). It’s at West Seattle Christian Church, 4 pm Saturday, with an “open house wake” at her home afterward, 4008 46th SW. Friend Cori Myka says those who want to bring food/drink to share at the wake are invited to, but perishable leftovers will need to be taken home afterward. They will have a guestbook and video camera for sharing memories. There’s now an online obituary with a comment area and maps to the memorial/wake locations; find it here. And Cori says there’s a benevolent fund in Arden’s name at BECU, with donations to be used for her son; checks designating the fund can be taken to any branch or mailed to BECU, she says (here’s the location-finder). Cori added in an open letter, “Thank you for all the thoughts, condolences and memories that have been given thus far.”

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Seafair today: Blue Angels’ practice show, and where to watch
July 31, 2009 8:54 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Blue Angels | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

(photo taken from south side of Boeing Field before yesterday afternoon’s practice takeoff)
If you’re not interested in watching those six bright-blue jets tear through the sky, the main effect of today’s practice that you’ll want to know about is the 12:45-2:20 pm I-90 bridge closure (tomorrow and Sunday too). If you are, today’s what we dubbed “Free Day” – you can go to Lake Washington and watch the air show (the Blue Angels are the stars but other acts perform) and hydro time trials without paying admission, unless you want to sit in the grandstands. (We wrote in 2006 about how to get to the lake shore.) For other Blue Angels-watching options, our preferred option remains the Museum of Flight, where you can arrive early for a spot on the fence to watch the “walkdown” (here’s our “on the fence” story from 2007) before the ground-rumbling takeoff; always hard to tell how the fence crowd will be, but we wouldn’t advise getting there later than noon. You can also watch the takeoff from other vantage points around Boeing Field – cars line the frontage road on its east side, and yesterday we wound up on its south side. Our fellow independent-neighborhood-news-site operators at Central District News have published not-so-well-known free viewing options in their “Blue Angels bonus” report. Also part of Seafair: Fleet tours continue today.

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Can you be a Homework Helper? Library system puts out the call
July 31, 2009 6:07 am
|    Comments Off on Can you be a Homework Helper? Library system puts out the call
 |   West Seattle news

From the Seattle Public Library – a call for volunteer “Homework Helpers” for the school year that starts in just six weeks:

Homework Helpers assist elementary, middle and high school students with understanding homework assignments, developing study skills and learning approaches for solving math problems. English is a second language for the majority of the students. Homework Helpers are asked to assist students for two hours per week throughout the school year. Please read the attached volunteer service description for more information.

There are volunteer openings at the following branches in central and south Seattle:

Beacon Hill Branch 2821 Beacon Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Columbia Branch 4721 Rainier Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Delridge Branch 5423 Delridge Way SW
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

International District-Chinatown Branch 713 Eighth Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

NewHolly Branch 7058 – 32nd Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Rainier Beach Branch 9125 Rainier Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

South Park Branch 8604 Eighth Avenue South
Homework Help Hours: Monday – Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Please see http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch for a map of branch locations.

To request volunteer application materials, please contact Anne Vedella, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at anne.vedella@spl.org by Friday, August 14. Interviews will take place in August. Thank you!

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Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Mike O’Brien
July 31, 2009 1:58 am
|    Comments Off on Election 2009 closeup coverage: Council candidate Mike O’Brien
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgKing County has mailed the ballots for the August 18 primary. WSB continues offering close-up looks at — asking the same 3 West Seattle-specific questions — 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

Mike O’Brien’s background is in finance and economics; his passion is the outdoors and protecting the earth.

The 41-year-old Fremont resident is running for Seattle City Council Position 8 with the hope that he can use his experience as the former chief financial officer of a Seattle law firm to help the city create more housing, better transportation, and develop policies that will make Seattle vibrant economically and environmentally.

“I’m a numbers guy, I’m not a political beast by nature,” he said.

That started to change about nine years ago when O’Brien got involved with the Sierra Club.

Read More

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“Great season!” West Seattle Little Leaguers out of tourney
July 31, 2009 1:08 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

The West Seattle Little League‘s 11-12 All-Stars have come to the end of the road at the state tournament, after losing a nailbiter to Richmond last night in Port Orchard, 12-11. “Great season, All-Stars!” cheered the Twitter update at game’s end.

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Duwamish Trail closed part of next week for repair work
July 31, 2009 12:03 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news


View Larger Map

From right around that spot (Idaho/West Marginal), southward to SW Brandon, bicyclists, walkers and runners will have to detour off the Duwamish Trail next week – according to this announcement from SDOT:

The Seattle Department of Transportation is repairing the Duwamish Trail where sections have been damaged by tree roots and general deterioration.

The trail will be closed between SW Idaho Street and SW Brandon Street from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, August 3 and 4, and may be closed 24 hours a day on Wednesday through Friday, August 5 to 7, if it cannot be made safe for trail users after work hours.

Bicyclists and pedestrians will be detoured onto West Marginal Way SW. Advanced warning signs have been provided along with a notification board at the ends of the trail.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Welcome back to normalcy
July 30, 2009 10:22 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Wednesday sunset photo by Jim Clark)
As of 9 o’clock tonight, the “excessive heat warning” officially expired. Temperatures are into the 70s and said to be heading for the 60s. At tonight’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show (earlier coverage here), that was a huge topic we heard buzzing through the crowd – so many people had trouble sleeping last night and were looking forward to catching up tonight. As for the official forecast, looks like 80s for the next several days. (Now that we can think clearly again, we can all start polishing up our stories of The Hottest Day In Seattle History for the kids/grandkids/out-of-town relatives – darn, we never did get around to the fry-egg-on-sidewalk experiment – right on the heels of Snowpocalypse ’08.)

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From the “tis better to light a single candle …” department
July 30, 2009 8:41 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

We have before-and-after photos of that bench, but it’s so thoroughly tagged in the “before” photo that a even if we blur the tags, it isn’t very usable. So just imagine what it would look like with crude scrawls in black paint. How did the tags get removed? The anonymous West Seattle parent who shared the photo tells the story:

My daughter and I love to walk through Schmitz Park and have picnic lunches in the middle of the park on one of the two wooden benches. My seven year old daughter, looking at the bench we were sitting on, asked me yesterday why people put graffiti on beautiful things. I was stumped for an answer and decided then we would both do something about it. Today we hiked into Schmitz park with an arsenal of hand tools (no electricity) and scrapped and sanded off all of the graffiti on the two beautiful wooden benches in the middle of Schmitz Park. It made us both feel great!

If you see graffiti vandalism in a Seattle park and it’s not something you can handle this way – the Parks Department has a special hotline you can call: 206-684-7587.

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“Nickelsville” may stay at Terminal 107 Park at least 3 more weeks
July 30, 2009 7:05 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

(July 23 photo by Christopher Boffoli, as the encampment moved to T-107 Park)
Just spotted a newly posted news release from the Port of Seattle, which previously had said that they expected they’d complete legal proceedings by tomorrow to evict the homeless encampment that moved to the park a week ago. Here’s the text of what’s posted on the port’s website, dated today:

Update Regarding Nickelsville Encampment on Port Property

Port of Seattle staff members met with Nickelsville representatives earlier this week to discuss the issues facing the encampment, as well as the camp’s need to seek an alternative site. Under Washington state law, and as directed by the State Auditor’s Office, the port cannot accommodate the group’s request to use the property. The port would also face City of Seattle property code violations if housing is allowed at the property.

The necessary legal proceedings that began on July 24th are continuing and documents have been filed with King County Superior Court. These proceedings are expected to conclude by Friday, August 21st.

Port commissioners and staff recognize the serious challenges posed by homelessness to all involved. Staff members will continue to work in good faith with Nickelsville residents as the court process continues.

Given the port’s legal constraints, staff members hope that the Seattle community and Nickelsville advocates will assist the group in finding a new, appropriate location for the encampment.

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Video: Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, show #2
July 30, 2009 6:39 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Young concertgoers are getting free treat samples at the PCC Kid Picks van, here on the east lawn of Hiawatha, where the second show in the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series is about to get under way. We’re tabling tonight along next to the ANA’s team, steps away from Kid Picks (PCC is a co-sponsor of the series, as is WSB), and the temperature is INCREDIBLY pleasant. All caps because it is such a relief after all that heat. It’s probably in the 70s back here. Tom Colwell and the Southbound Odyssey are playing tonight (folk classics and more) – he was just introduced as “having first picked up a guitar in 1957” and still going strong. Here’s ANA president Mark Wainwright saying a few words to the crowd (that’s Colwell in the background at right):

Admission’s free – bring your own chair, blanket, food and beverages, this’ll be continuing till 8 or so. 6:51 PM NOTE: Adding a few more photos, a couple songs into the show – after a couple folk classics, they’re playing an Eagles song. Tonight’s theme: “Songs for the Journey.” We’d estimate at least 150 people here. Still lots of room on the grass – it’s a big lawn! 7:46 PM UPDATE: The band just resumed after a short break – they are likely to be playing till 8:30 if you’re still thinking about coming down:

By the mid-show break, the crowd had grown to about 200. Wide-ranging music selection – including “Circle of Life” from “Lion King,” the folk classic “Guantanamera,” and now “Ramblin’ Man.” We’ll add some video later. Four more concerts in the series, and next week, there are two groups – Swamp Soul, with Cajun/Zydeco music, and Ragged Glory, a Neil Young tribute band. The full schedule, and more information about Admiral Neighborhood Association, is all here. ADDED 11:44 PM: Video of one of the band’s songs from tonight’s show – shot wide so you can see the family fun in front of the stage:

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Afternoon heat-related updates
July 30, 2009 2:58 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(TV covers the heat by putting up a tent at the beach – Alki photo courtesy Chas Redmond)
Just got word from Seattle Public Library HQ that the libraries around the city without a/c are closing at 4 pm. In West Seattle, that means the branch in the Admiral District. (The Southwest branch “does not have air conditioning on the main level,” according to the SPL news release, but will remain open till 8 pm. The Delridge and High Point branches DO have a/c.) ADDED 3:06 PM: King County Public Health is reporting what’s described as the county’s first heat-related death – according to the news release, “a man in his 60s from Seattle , had heart disease with heat as a contributing factor to his cause of death.” ADDED 3:31 PM: Diane reminds us that the Senior Center of West Seattle, in The Junction, has A/C and is open till 8 pm. Meantime, good news – the “excessive heat warning” is now scheduled to end at 9 tonight, rather than 6 pm tomorrow (though the air-stagnation advisory continues till tomorrow night).

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World-renowned African Children’s Choir returning to West Seattle
July 30, 2009 2:43 pm
|    Comments Off on World-renowned African Children’s Choir returning to West Seattle
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Last time that world-renowned group performed at West Seattle Christian Church, they drew a capacity crowd, and Pastor Dan Jacobs says some would-be concertgoers even had to be turned away. So we’re giving you advance notice – mark your calendar for the African Children’s Choir‘s return to West Seattle, 7 pm August 25 in the new WSCC Activity Center (4400 42nd SW; map). Free admission, but an offering will be taken to support the group. According to the ACC’s website, the children who will be touring next month are from Kenya and Uganda. Questions? Pastor Jacobs can be reached at 932-2098, extension 102.

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