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    WS HOLIDAY GUIDE: See what’s in it!

WestSide Baby “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive begins: 1st donation
July 19, 2009 10:03 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

That’s Luke and he was the very first person to donate diapers to the annual “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive that officially began moments ago at the big bus parked alongside the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. WestSide Baby is hoping to collect tens of thousands of diapers today to help families all around the area. We’ll be publishing updates along the way. “Stuff the Bus” continues till 2 pm. Here’s the “before” shot from just before Luke’s donation:

10:21 AM UPDATE: Just got a note from WestSide Baby’s Nancy Woodland – they’re also doing this in Burien today and got 2,500 diapers in the first 15 minutes. If you have friends/relatives in Burien, tell them to get down to Burien Chevrolet and bring diapers! Here’s full “Stuff the Bus” info for both locations.

10:46 AM UPDATE: We’re reminded that other locations in West Seattle also are collecting donations as part of “Stuff the Bus.” You can take diapers to C and P Coffee and get a free coffee drink in exchange. And we’ve heard diapers are being collected outside at least one Safeway (working to verify which one).

10:57 AM UPDATE: It’s Jefferson Square Safeway. And another reminder from a Facebook friend (find us on FB at facebook.com/westseattleblog) – You can donate money to WestSide Baby online at any time so they can buy diapers and other items. One donation that’ll be made today is $128 raised at the raffle during last night’s well-attended Outdoor Movies on the Wall, according to Lora from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) – any time you go to Movies on the Wall this summer, please bring a few $ (though the movies are free) because there’s always a great raffle, with proceeds benefiting local nonprofits. More on “Stuff the Bus” shortly – we’re on our way back to the Farmers’ Market to see how Hour 1 has gone. (Updates on Twitter too – twitter.com/westseattleblog)

11:03 AM UPDATE: Clarification on the sizes most needed – 4, 5, 6 and 4T, as per the Stuff the Bus ad we’ve been running as a co-sponsor of today’s drive.

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Also today: Mediterranean Fest, Garden Tour, Farmers’ Market
July 19, 2009 6:56 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | Gardening | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

We’ve already mentioned it’s the day to “Stuff the Bus” for WestSide Baby – 10 am-2 pm at the Farmers’ Market (we’ll be there for “live” updates). Also – the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival is in day two:

Thanks to Dina Johnson for sharing photos from today’s Day 1 – that’s Shamandura with her 8-year-old granddaughter Princess Tori – here’s West Seattle dancer Mirabai:

The festival continues at Hiawatha from 10 am to 9 pm today. (ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT – Two Hiawatha scenes from Sunday – also both courtesy of Dina Johnson – first one is Lisa Yasmine, West Seattle bellydancer, and Katia Sahar completing their duet … second one, knights in semi-shining armor)

GARDEN TOUR: Today’s also the day for the West Seattle Garden Tour – 9 am to 5 pm, self-guided tour of eight residential gardens, with admission price including Ciscoe Morris‘ noon lecture at The Kenney. Ticket info here.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Looking for a deal while you’re there dropping off diapers for “Stuff the Bus,” or vice versa? Here’s today’s fresh sheet.

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West Seattle weekend scenes: 2 from Alki
July 19, 2009 3:56 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks to Ron Richardson for sharing photos from Saturday’s Alki Classic Car Show.

(Added later: Thanks to MargeC for these next two.)

(Missed it? No worries, the 2nd annual West Seattle Junction Car Show – co-sponsored by WSB – is going to be a biggie, and it’s just two months away – Sept. 20 – more info here.) Also from Alki, thumbs-up to the kids who got special “citations” from West Seattle Engine 29 firefighters visiting the beach on Friday:

(photos courtesy Seattle Fire Department)
The “citations” for kids found to be wearing their helmets property included coupons for free Subway sandwiches.

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West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup #5: The politicians
July 19, 2009 3:11 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup #5: The politicians
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | West Seattle video

That’s video of Dow Constantine, King County Council Chair, King County Executive candidate and West Seattleite, marching with supporters in Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade (and giving WSB a shoutout after spotting us on the sidelines). With by-mail voting about two weeks away for the August primary, you’ll even find non-West Seattle-dwelling politicians almost anywhere a crowd gathers – the City Council‘s president (who’s up for re-election this year) was in the parade too – Richard Conlin and supporters were seen here in the staging area south of Lafayette Elementary:

Other sightings included Conlin’s opponent, High Point resident David Ginsberg, later down the parade route:

And we saw two other council candidates pre-parade, Dorsol Plants and Rusty Williams. Not in the parade but seen working the sidelines, two mayoral candidates – James Donaldson and Mike McGinn, who talked to spectators and handed out “Mike Bikes” stickers:

No sighting of Mayor Nickels himself – though we know that earlier in the day, he helped open the new Sound Transit Light Rail line. Speaking of transportation, Ron Richardson shares this photo of Port Commission hopeful Max Vekich‘s parade visit:

Meantime, King County Assessor candidate Lloyd Hara and supporters stopped to pose:

Acting assessor Rich Medved was scheduled to march in the parade but suffered a stroke last Tuesday and remains in the hospital. Meanwhile, not all politicians in the parade were running for something – both of West Seattle’s State House reps were spotted – here’s Rep. Eileen Cody:

Keep an eye on the WSB Politics archive for all the latest; we also have an archive for the West Seattle Grand Parade, where you’ll find all our other stories on Saturday’s extravaganza. And we’re not done with Saturday reports yet …

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Election 2009 close-up coverage: Council candidate Rusty Williams
July 18, 2009 11:58 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgPrimary Election Day is a month from today; your ballot will arrive in about two weeks. WSB is offering close-up looks — with West Seattle-specific questions — at races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot, starting with Position 8, which Richard McIver is leaving. Six candidates are running; two nights ago, we looked at Robert Rosencrantz, who won one of the 34th District Democrats‘ “dual endorsements” in this race; last night, the other endorsee, David Miller; now, Rusty Williams.

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

When you meet Rusty Williams, it won’t take him long to mention his mother, Jeanette Williams, a hard-working Seattle City Councilmember who served from 1970 to 1989, and his inspiration.

Williams, a 58-year-old View Ridge resident who used to play with the band Bighorn, is eager to follow in her footsteps. He has a business degree from the University of Washington and has worked a wide range of jobs, starting with a paper route. He was the Information Technology Director for Pacific Trail Sportswear’s production department.

Williams grew up overlooking Magnuson Park, and in recent years, has worked on thorny Magnuson Park issues. He is also a member of the Rotary Club and Ceasefire, which works to stop gun violence. Most recently he has been encouraging the city to name the West Seattle Bridge in honor of his mother, who died last year, for her leadership in getting the bridge built. (The council has voted unanimously to recommend this, as reported here last Monday.)

Williams says his favorite place in West Seattle “is anywhere you can see the sun set over the Olympics. The best sunsets in the world.”

Read More

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Wall-to-wall crowd for first Movies on the Wall show of the summer
July 18, 2009 11:43 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

That’s the best crowd shot we have but it still doesn’t do justice to just how jampacked the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff was, by the time tonight’s first Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall show — “The Princess Bride” — got going around 9 pm. (People were still trying to jam in after the movie started!) We’ve seen some well-attended showings in the past few years but nothing like this one, with people even filling the eastern wing of the courtyard. For the pre-show festivities, Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis hosted a “Dating Game” – here are your three bachelors (#1, at right, “won” – we’ll add video later):

One of tonight’s sponsors was Dream Dinners (WSB sponsor) – here’s proprietor Leslie Thomson (left) and assistant, who served up barbecue sliders:

West Seattle Christian Church provides the concessions, with proceeds going to nonprofits:

Next week: The original “King Kong” – with the preshow festivities intriguingly themed “Save Barbie.” Full movie list on the Movies on the Wall website.

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Tomorrow’s the day to “Stuff the Bus” for WestSide Baby
July 18, 2009 8:57 pm
|    Comments Off on Tomorrow’s the day to “Stuff the Bus” for WestSide Baby
 |   How to help | West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

If you were at today’s West Seattle Grand Parade, you couldn’t miss the bright yellow banner, or the school bus:

The WestSide Baby contingent rolled, strolled and walked down California not only for the fun of it, but also to remind everyone about the organization’s biggest event of the year, coming up TOMORROW: Stuff the Bus. Buy disposable diapers (smaller sizes are most in demand) and take them to the bus at West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm tomorrow, and help WestSide Baby help thousands of West Seattle and White Center-area families in need (a bigger demand this summer than ever before). WSB is proud to be one of this year’s co-sponsors, and we’ll be publishing “live” updates during the event. See you there! (P.S. Still more parade-photo collections to come later tonight – meantime, scroll down the main page to see the ones we’ve already published.)

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West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup #4: The crowd-pleasers
July 18, 2009 5:49 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

As our West Seattle Grand Parade coverage continues – that’s the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival contingent, from the award-winning “How Sweet It Is” float to this year’s Senior Court candidates (coronation 7 pm Monday at West Seattle High School, be there) to this year’s button designer. Other crowd-pleasers – of course, the Seafair Pirates (cover your ears!):

Perhaps the warmest welcome of the day was showered onto J.P. Patches, the beloved clown/TV host who returned to the West Seattle Grand Parade (courtesy of Bill and Cynthia Reid of John L. Scott in Westwood) after a year away, now that he’s feeling up to it:

That photo is by WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, as is this one of comedian/broadcaster Pat Cashman, who as King Neptune presides over all the Seafair festivities this year (and was just here in West Seattle last weekend for the Seafair Pirates’ Landing at Alki):

We mentioned the Seafair Clowns earlier, in our sidelines/behind the scenes report – we have video of them too:

More later – including more of the West Seattle community groups that turned out in force to strut their stuff, as well as the politicians who represented both in the parade and on the sidelines, and a closer look at paradegoers. And again, we have two photo galleries you can check out via Flickr – Christopher’s photo set here, and the West Seattle Blog group here (if you have parade photos, please consider joining the group to share some of ’em)!

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West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup report #3: The winners!
July 18, 2009 5:14 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

(West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club won the “Festival Trophy” in the Conveyed Float category)
ORIGINAL 5:14 PM SATURDAY REPORT: We will dress this up later with more images of the winners – still tons of photos and video to share – but we just got the list of West Seattle Grand Parade winners in from American Legion Post 160’s Dave Vague, and in case you were waiting to hear, we’re publishing it for starters in raw cut-paste format – read on for the winners in each category: (NOTE: NOW UPDATED WITH PHOTOS)Read More

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West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup report #2: The protectors
July 18, 2009 5:05 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup report #2: The protectors
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flyover (the chopper is based at Port Angeles) provided a memorable moment early in today’s West Seattle Grand Parade. There was military presence on the ground as well – with the color guard from Fort Lewis:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Two police motorcycle drill teams opened the parade, as usual, and we have video of both – first, Seattle Police:

Then, their counterparts from Vancouver, B.C.:

Representing the Seattle Fire Department, West Seattle’s own Engine 29:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
You can see more of Christopher’s photos in his Flickr stream here; we’ve also got photos in the West Seattle Blog Flickr group here. And more parade reports to come – including within minutes, the list of winners.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Second-floor break-in
July 18, 2009 4:34 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

Just got a note from a Highland Park resident who wanted to alert people to the break-in at her home near 16th and Cloverdale (map)- read on for details:Read More

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Video: West Seattle Rotary Kiddies’ Parade 2009
July 18, 2009 4:09 pm
|    Comments Off on Video: West Seattle Rotary Kiddies’ Parade 2009
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

(Grand Parade report #1 is here)

This one’s a parade all its own, so we’re presented a video clip and will add some photos as pix continue coming in. Right before the West Seattle Grand Parade, the Rotary Club of West Seattle presents the Kiddies’ Parade, open to whomever wants to participate – as you can see in the video, Hi-Yu Junior Royalty and the Denny Middle School Marching Band were among today’s participants. (The Kiddies’ Parade runs from California/Genesee just north of The Junction to the same ending point as the Grand Parade, California/Edmunds, so it wasn’t seen by those who watched from points farther north.) ADDED: Two photos from before and after the Kiddies’ Parade:

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West Seattle Grand Parade aftermath report #1: Side notes
July 18, 2009 2:56 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Now, the followup to our as-it-happened West Seattle Grand Parade coverage (which you can see here – be sure to follow the photo links!) – we’ll do this in several installments. First: We told you weeks ago that designer/barista/Project Runway star Blayne was going to be the Grand Parade Grand Marshal – but just how grand, managed to stay a secret till Parade Day. That photo’s from shortly after Blayne showed up with his “unicorn” in tow. We heard from Lora at Hotwire weeks ago that Blayne had the idea of riding a unicorn but they weren’t sure they’d find a white horse to fit the bill – they did. Blayne told us that when he showed up to check in, the parade coordinators were impressed, saying they hadn’t had a horseback rider in years. WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli caught him further down the route:

Speaking of design, from the staging area, here’s a famous car – the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) bug, promoting Pencil Me In for Kids, and the car wash at West Seattle Eagles tomorrow – that’s Heather behind the wheel:

Also photographed in the staging area where we all waited along Lander by Lafayette Elementary, the Pathfinder K-8 unicyclists:

West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival president Tim Winston and wife Carol Winston got to make two tours of the parade – after they accompanied the float, royalty and candidates, they circled back to ride in our entry, celebrating West Seattle Volunteers (they are among the first West Seattle Volunteer Recognition honorees announced at the Concert in the Park just this past Tuesday):

Honoree Beth Grieser walked with us too. Other unsung heroes of the parade include the police who keep everything orderly and watch the closed streets – but perhaps the most unique officer on view was Officer Lumpy:

He’s actually a Seafair Clown who lives in West Seattle, and is seen there checking the cab of the concrete mixer that led the clowns’ series of vehicles. Many non-clown officers were IN the parade, too, including the motorcycle drill teams from Seattle Police and Vancouver, B.C., Police – one of the latter got an offer of a cool-down shpritz about mid-route – thanks to Luckie for the photo:

Of course, our favorite parade people of all include YOU! – everybody who lined the parade route. We have loved the parade for so many years and walking in it is a real kick – great to see everybody still out there after more than two hours (we were toward the end of the lineup)

Back toward the start of the route, here’s the smoke clearing from the very first Seafair Pirates cannon blast of the parade – the crowd whooped mightily afterward:

Then back to the end of the route – after you’ve walked 2 miles or so in hot sunshine, the adrenaline can start to wear off – as it did for Junior Member of the Team, who assisted our Volunteers of West Seattle entry mightily by handing out candy to parade watchers all along the way – Christopher caught him in the home stretch:

We’re expecting word shortly of who the judges chose for Grand Parade awards – we’ll publish those in another update as soon as they’re in! P.S. Thanks to Rhonda from The Mortgage Porter (WSB sponsor) for adding tons of parade photos to the West Seattle Blog Flickr group pool – if you’re uploading parade photos to Flickr, please consider doing so too – that way we all have a HUGE pool of great pix!

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Next on the doubleheader: Outdoor Movies on the Wall tonight!
July 18, 2009 2:18 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

(“Princess Bride” DVD trailer)
Doors open at the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff (next to the Junction Post Office) at 7 pm for the first of six Saturday night West Seattle Junction Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall (co-sponsored by WSB). Tonight, it’s “The Princess Bride” after a NFFTY short AND the pre-show “Dating Game.” Free, but bring money for concessions (by request, frozen Junior Mints will be offered, we hear) and raffles (Dream Dinners [WSB sponsor] $100 gift certificate). Bring your own chair and/or blanket. See you there!

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West Seattle Grand Parade updates via Twitter
July 18, 2009 9:27 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

What you should see above this paragraph is a box with our latest posts to Twitter – which is easier for us to access while mobile than the site itself, though if any major news happens, we do have access and will publish it separately. When you see a Web address in one of the “tweets” above, it IS clickable, and will lead you to one of the photos we’re sending from the parade (and preps) via iPhone. You can scroll through the latest posts by using the vertical scroller on the right. (Also, if there’s major non-parade news, we’ll include it in the stream above – it’s showing whatever we’ve sent to Twitter most recently, regardless of the subject.) If you just see a big black square above, try refreshing the page. POST-PARADE NOTE: The widget remains “live” and has a buffer limit so if you see this sometime after oh say Saturday night, all our parade stuff may be out of reach, replaced in the widget by newer “tweets,” but you can always look at Twitter online (just go directly to our feed page at twitter.com/westseattleblog and keep clicking “more” at the bottom of the page to go back in time!).

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West Seattle Grand Parade and Kiddies’ Parade today!
July 18, 2009 8:02 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Almost 80 groups/floats/vehicles are on the list for today’s West Seattle Grand Parade – and that means you’ll see hundreds of people participating, from the very low key (like us and those we’ll walk with again this year to honor West Seattle Volunteers) to the bold and brassy – cannon-deploying Seafair Pirates, loud and proud marching bands like the Seattle All-City Band, which got in some practice at school district HQ yesterday:

And remember, there’s more than one parade!

KIDDIES’ PARADE: This happens before the Grand Parade and there’s still time for participants to get back to their seats along the route and enjoy all the sights and sounds. You can walk or ride – just be at California/Genesee and look for the organizers (Rotary Club of West Seattle).

KEEP YOUR TOES OUT OF THE ROAD: The Grand Parade begins with two motorcycle drill teams – Seattle Police and Vancouver (B.C.) Police – and they use almost every inch of the road, so don’t plan on putting your blanket on the street. Here’s another reason you’ll want to stick to the curb:

BE READY TO APPLAUD, SALUTE, CHEER: Plenty of opportunities. You’ll see amazing performers like the Pathfinder K-8 unicyclists and more than a few drill teams. You’ll see the Honor Guard from Fort Lewis. You’ll see famous faces – like Grand Marshal Blayne and the Seafair Clowns’ special guest Jim Dever from Evening Magazine. And you’ll see some of the folks you don’t get to thank for the hard work they do every day, including the police and firefighters (Engine 29 is in the lineup).

ON THE SIDELINES: The official parade lineup is only part of the story. For example, the list only includes three politicians, but we’ve seen notes from several more who plan to be working the sidelines, since this is a big election year for local offices.

FREE, BUT BRING MONEY: With the route on California passing so many West Seattle businesses, you’ll find opportunities to spend. And fundraisers too, like the annual Dogs 4 Cats at Hotwire Coffee just north of The Junction (right at the start of the Kiddies’ Parade route), benefiting Furry Faces Foundation:

3rd Annual Dogs 4 Cats wiener sale this Saturday outside of Hotwire from 11 am to 1 pm. Grab a delicious Hebrew National hot dog or veggie dog and support animal rescue. Cost is $4.00 per dog and we’ll have all the toppings too including the usual stuff plus sauerkraut and even coleslaw. While you’re grabbing lunch browse the tie-dyed shirts made locally or pick up a handmade magnet by WeeJess Buttons.

Hotwire is of course the spot where you’ll want to be back this evening for the first Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation, “The Princess Bride” – more here.

PHOTO TO SHARE? As always, we’ll have photos and video, but if you’re taking pictures, you may capture a moment that we’d completely miss. We’d love to add that moment to post-parade coverage – editor@westseattleblog.com (or share to the West Seattle Blog Flickr group).

FOLLOW VIA TWITTER: We’ll share photos and tidbits from the staging zone – and from the parade itself (though texting might be a little tough while carrying a big sign) – follow us on Twitter at @westseattleblog or check it from the Web at twitter.com/westseattleblog. (Send us a message if you plan to tweet too!) We’ll also add our “latest tweets” widget here before leaving the house – it usually lives toward the bottom of the WSB Twitter page.

Remember that by 9 am, California will be closed from just south of Admiral to the south end of The Junction – so approach from the side to find parking (or take a bus).

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Burglary + car theft = advice
July 18, 2009 7:38 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Karen sends word of a burglary/car theft on 37th SW south of Dawson (map) – it happened a week ago but she and Block Watch neighbors just confirmed it, and it yielded advice she wanted to share:

The burglar(s) stole several large items and got away by stealing the SUV that was parked in the garage. One of the neighbors had noticed the garage door open while walking to work last week, but because he didn’t know the victims were out of town he didn’t bother to check on it.

The burglar(s) tried to pry the front door with either a crowbar or large shaft screwdriver but could not get in that way; they then broke through the downstairs back bedroom window.

Their comment to me: “…didn’t tell us that they were away. It’s really a good idea to tell your trusted close neighbors when you are on vacation or extended period away from your home because we can watch out for one another.”

One great way to get to know your neighbors – have a block party on Night Out, coming up August 4. You need to sign up by July 31 to get approval to close your (non-arterial) street; find out how by going here.

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Not registered to vote? Today’s the deadline for most
July 18, 2009 12:52 am
|    Comments Off on Not registered to vote? Today’s the deadline for most
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Unless you’ve just moved to this state, in which case you have till Aug. 10 to register in person, today’s the day to be sure you’re registered in time to vote in the August 18th primary (which has not only the mayoral, council and county executive primaries, but also the bag fee). You can do it online here.

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Election 2009 close-up coverage: Council candidate David Miller
July 17, 2009 11:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgPrimary Election Day is a month from tomorrow; your ballot will arrive in about two weeks. So we’re ramping up our close-up looks — with West Seattle-specific questions — at races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot, starting with Position 8, which Richard McIver is leaving. Six candidates are running; last night we looked at Robert Rosencrantz, who won one of the 34th District Democrats‘ “dual endorsements” in this race; tonight, the other endorsee, David Miller:

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Most people wouldn’t admit a fascination with land-use codes, but Seattle City Council Position 8 candidate David Miller, a 42-year-old Maple Leaf resident, doesn’t hesitate.

He has experienced its intricacies up close and personal as past President of the Maple Leaf Community Council, as a member of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Citizen Advisory Committee, and while working on several other environmental committees.

He helped develop the Parks and Green Spaces Levy that voters approved last fall.

Since he announced his candidacy, Miller seems to be at every possible gathering throughout the city, whether it’s an early breakfast meeting on Saturdays or waving to supporters at community events.

Read More

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West Seattle Whole Foods site’s potential buyer drops out
July 17, 2009 10:17 pm
|      39 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(June photo looking into the Whole Foods site excavation from its southeast side)
E-mail this week jolted us into realizing a whole month had passed since our last official update on what has become known as the “Hole Foods” site, the excavated hole where Whole Foods, Hancock Fabrics and more than 100 residential units were supposed to be built, till construction idled last fall and lawsuits erupted (as first reported here). If you have been following along, you may also remember that news broke in January of a new deal pending for the site, and two months later, an entity calling itself Alamo Manhattan surfaced, led by West Seattleite Matt Segrest, confirming Alamo Manhattan was “under contract to purchase the site” (4/7 WSB report here). We subsequently checked in with Segrest periodically for progress reports; last month, he told us he was “still working on a deal.” So with four weeks having passed, we pinged him on Wednesday to ask if he’s still pursuing the project. The answer that came in today: No. Segrest’s exact quote, via e-mail:

At this time, Alamo Manhattan has chosen to not move forward with the purchase. (We maintain interest in the opportunity, though.)

That’s all the details we have. Since we found this out late on a Friday, we won’t be able to check with others – such as the site’s current owner – till Monday. Meantime, the lawsuits involving the site are still listed in court records as pending, and a check of online records regarding the parcel shows 12 liens in all filed since late last year. (We couldn’t check further into court documents tonight – the service that makes them available online shut down for the night earlier than usual.)

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Followup: West Seattle High School cheerleader BBQ winner!
July 17, 2009 8:46 pm
|    Comments Off on Followup: West Seattle High School cheerleader BBQ winner!
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

During West Seattle Summer Fest coverage last Sunday, we showed the West Seattle High School cheerleaders who were raffling off a barbecue while tabling outside TrueValue in The Junction. The winner — Matthew Mors, who sent that photo of the prize delivery, and this info:

The proceeds of this event will help the cheerleaders with their expenses for camp and uniforms. The cheerleaders would like to thank Junction True Value for the partial donation of the barbeque, and for allowing them space in front of their store for the three days of the street fair. The cheerleaders would also like to thank everyone that donated and really appreciate the support of the West Seattle community.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Parade! Movie! “Stuff”! Gardens!
July 17, 2009 7:25 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

piratelight.jpg

The West Seattle Weekend Lineup was stuck in traffic today and just arrived here on the page tonight, but we’ve been talking a lot about the big events anyway (and much of it has been on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for months) … First, tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade (above, 2008 photo of a Seafair Pirate having a blast – they’re here tomorrow of course) and Rotary Kiddies’ Parade (more here with road-closure info too) … then a great chance to cool off tomorrow night:

thebigscreen.jpg

Outdoor Movies on the Wall (co-sponsored by WSB) starts its six-week run in the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff, with “The Princess Bride,” tomorrow night (doors open @ 7) … Then on Sunday during the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, it’s all about DIAPERS!

busfinale.jpg

That’s how things went during WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” one-day diaper drive last year but this year (also co-sponsored by WSB) you can do even better – get your donations to the bus parked at the Farmers’ Market 10 am-2 pm Sunday!!! And once you’ve dropped off those diapers, off to enjoy beautiful West Seattle gardens …

The West Seattle Garden Tour, which benefits local nonprofit endeavors, is all day Sunday and your ticket includes not only visits to all the gardens (like the Hailey Family Garden in Admiral, above) but also a chance to see/hear Ciscoe Morris at noon at The Kenney. But wait! There’s more! Like the Mediterranean Fantasy Fest, the Alki Classic Car Show and Shakespeare in the Park … more than 50 events in all, ahead in the slightly belated Friday night-Sunday night West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … here goes!Read More

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Sales-tax increase for crimefighting, courts and public health?
July 17, 2009 4:56 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

That’s what interim King County Executive Kurt Triplett is proposing – a one-tenth of one-cent increase – though he says that still wouldn’t hold off all potential cuts. He’s asking the County Council to send it to voters in November. Read on for the full news release just sent by the county:Read More

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