West Seattle, Washington

15 Friday

41℉

Spotlight Stories


  • Whales

    WHALE-WATCHING: Southern Residents at dusk

  • Fire

    FIRE FOLLOWUP: Camp Long lodge ‘assessment’

  • President

    NEW SSC PRESIDENT: Her first months

2 ways to help the West Seattle Food Bank – 1 with prizes!
June 17, 2009 4:00 pm
|    Comments Off on 2 ways to help the West Seattle Food Bank – 1 with prizes!
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

That’s Phil and his young sidekick Adam from Longfellow Creek Garden, just after they dropped by the West Seattle Food Bank this afternoon to donate some fresh, clean greens. Their donation happened to come on the same day we got a note about two ways YOU can help WSFB, sent by board president Pete Spalding, who first explains that he and his board colleagues need some reinforcements:

We are looking for new board members for the West Seattle Food Bank’s Board of Directors. Over the course of the last year we have lost some directors due to varying circumstances like moving, job change etc. We know that there are some very dedicated souls out there in West Seattle that are specifically looking for something to do with some spare hours that they have. We know that they may want to do something that is personally fulfilling and this might just be the fit for them.

As most of your readers know the West Seattle Food Bank is committed to eliminating hunger in our area. We try to do this by:

– Securing and distributing quality nutritious food to our clients
– Educating our clients about good nutrition
– Increasing public awareness of hunger in our community
– Coordinating community resources for our clients
– Assuring continuity of services to our clients through a convenient, accessible location

If anyone is interested in finding out more about this volunteer opportunity they can go to our web site www.westseattlefoodbank.org and download the board application, they can call the West Seattle Food Bank office at 206.932.9023 and speak to our Executive Director Fran Yeatts or they can contact me at 206.579.4373.

That is rewarding in its own way. And if you’re also up for prizes – Pete adds that the annual West Seattle Food Bank raffle tickets have just gone on sale today, $5 each, with these prizes:

Grand Prize – Two unrestricted roundtrip Alaska Airlines tickets
1st Prize – Fresh Water Pearl necklace from Menashe & Sons Jewelers

But everyone that buys a ticket is a winner because you can take your ticket stub to:

– Cafe Revo [WSB sponsor]
– Christo’s on Alki
– Elliott Bay Brewery and Pub
– Zeeks Pizza, West Seattle location only

Each of these restaurants will give a 10% discount on your meal and that is probably more than the price of the ticket.

You can contact any West Seattle Food Bank Board of Director, call the food bank or contact me at 206.579.4373 to buy your raffle tickets. We will also be selling them at our booth at the West Seattle Summer Fest in July. There are only 1,000 tickets for sale.

Share This

Traveling writer takes a close look at “Nickelsville”
June 17, 2009 3:30 pm
|    Comments Off on Traveling writer takes a close look at “Nickelsville”
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online

West Seattleite Joni, who works for the company behind story-sharing site Whrrl, e-mailed to share the latest story posted there – a traveling writer’s photographic look at a day in the life of the homeless camp that calls itself “Nickelsville,” now in its second week at 2nd SW/Highland Park Way on the eastern edge of West Seattle, just feet from its original location. See the story here (or click on the image above); Joni also notes that the writer, Mark Horvath (who tells the story behind the story here), is having a Tweetup (Twitter-driven “meetup” – he’s at @hardlynormal) downtown tonight to talk about his project invisiblepeople.tv, and there’s still a few spots left. P.S. Just discovered some additional “Nickelsville” updates at Blogging Georgetown, including work to start an organic garden.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Theft story with a semi-happy ending
June 17, 2009 1:49 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Just received from a WSBer who wants to stay anonymous – her story started with a theft that happened literally in an instant in the Admiral District, and ended with help from a Good Samaritan on the other side of West Seattle:Read More

Share This

Hiawatha Playfield turf/lighting project: The fence is up
June 17, 2009 1:01 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Forest for the tip that fencing went up around Hiawatha Playfield in the past 24 hours or so. We’re checking with the Parks Department for an official status report, but this is likely to mean the long-awaited start of field improvements (detailed here in a story that also noted the previous project delays). The work will include new lighting (up to 90′ high) and synthetic turf, with the end result accommodating baseball, soccer and football; here’s the official project page. (Side note: The cost of this project came in at half a million less than estimated, according to Parks managers, and that’s the money now rechanneled to replace two-thirds of the funding pulled from the Delridge Skatepark at the last minute in last year’s budgeting process.) P.S. Here’s the overview rendering of the Hiawatha project from our coverage last year:

hiawatha.jpg

Share This

School’s (almost) out: Sports camps hit the ground running
June 17, 2009 11:02 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Friday’s the last day of school – and Monday’s the first day of Basketball Camp at Chief Sealth High School – for students who will be in the 2nd through 9th grades this fall. Sealth’s incoming athletic director Sam Reed just e-mailed a reminder about the camp (here’s the story we published in April); you can see the brochure here, and he notes you can even sign up at the door Monday morning. That’s not the only sports camp in West Seattle this summer – we’ve also published notes on our Announced page about West Seattle High School basketball camp (details here), WSHS volleyball camp for middle- and high-schoolers (details here) and Lee’s Martial Arts summer camps (details here). Got a West Seattle summer camp with room? Let us know!

Share This

If there’s only one meeting you attend this summer …
June 17, 2009 10:47 am
|    Comments Off on If there’s only one meeting you attend this summer …
 |   Development | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

We published first word of this on June 8th. But it’s too important to not mention again, since the city’s sending notices around again today. The “Neighborhood Plan Status Check” meeting for West Seattle is July 28th. The plans (find them here), written a decade ago with community involvement, outline not what your neighborhood looks like now so much as what it will look like in the future. Read on for the meeting explanation/reminder issued today:Read More

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Not stolen, not prowled … tipped
June 17, 2009 9:56 am
|      42 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We talk a lot about car crime – but hadn’t seen something like this lately: Paul from PB&J Textiles and Coffee at the Heights (WSB sponsor) sent that photo, explaining:

Here is what we woke up to this morning. We live at 109th and 28th Ave SW [map]. Some kids I am thinking felt the need to turn our car on its side. You can see the 2 hand prints from where they lifted it and pushed it over. Not sure of the damage yet, but not a fun thing to wake up to when you have a full day planned….

The handprints:

(The area is just east of the Seattle city limit, so it’s King County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction.)

Share This

Tonight: Student Assignment Plan vote; Delridge District Council
June 17, 2009 6:12 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge District Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PLAN: Two years in the making, the new Student Assignment Plan — the Seattle Public Schools framework for deciding which students go to which school — comes up for a key School Board vote tonight. Linked from the meeting agenda, here is the entire SAP, Part One. One point of concern is its policy regarding siblings – here’s an excerpt:

• After both parts of the assignment plan, including attendance boundaries, are approved, the next step will be development of a transition plan. The transition plan will provide specific information for families prior to the next Open Enrollment period.

• The transition plan will include procedures so entry grade siblings and older siblings have the opportunity to be assigned to the same school (which may be the new attendance area school) if requested. This does not assure assignment of the entry grade sibling to the older sibling’s current school.

If the parent/guardian indicates that the priority is to have the siblings attend the same school and space is not available at the older sibling’s current school (or for both siblings at any other schools requested), the siblings will be assigned to the new attendance area school.2

The attendance boundaries for each school, if you’re wondering, have NOT been drawn yet – that’ll come later. Also on tonight’s agenda, the $500,000 sale of part of Jefferson Square, as repeatedly reported here earlier this spring (here’s the document that’s linked from tonight’s agenda). The meeting begins at 6 pm, district HQ in Sodo; if you can’t be there but want to send feedback to school-board members, contact info’s here.

DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center. Wondering what this meeting is really about? Delridge Neighborhood Services Coordinator Ron Angeles explained it best in a recent e-mail announcement of the meeting:

In the City of Seattle, citizens are encouraged to participate in city government and one of the most effective ways of getting involved in through your District Council.

In 1987, the Seattle City Council established the District Council system as a way of soliciting input and advice from citizens on city-sponsored programs and initiatives.

This month the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council will have on its agenda a presentation by Andrea Petzel, Senior Land Use Planner, Seattle Department of Planning and Development, on the proposed legislation to establish more backyard cottages in Southwest Seattle. And a presentation by Erin Taylor, who is representing the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG), a group of partners (City of Seattle, King County, Port of Seattle, The Boeing Company) coordinating cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway.

As customary, all Neighborhood Organizations and Groups will have an opportunity to give reports and announcements of activities, programs, and events going on in Delridge.

Please feel free to bring a neighbor, friend, student, co-worker … with you.

Share This

Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza’s painstaking process, brick by brick
June 17, 2009 1:02 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Today is scheduled to be the second day of work on Phase 2 of the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Fencing went up Tuesday morning, and when we dropped by late Tuesday afternoon, project volunteers including David and Eilene Hutchinson were continuing to sort through the 800-plus new inscribed bricks (and 7 tribute plaques like this one) that will be put in over the next few weeks, while work is also done to pave the way for the placement of a new time capsule. The money raised by the new brick/plaque sales will go toward plaza maintenance.

Share This

West Seattle backpack attack: The police report
June 16, 2009 10:15 pm
|      46 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Westwood

One more followup on the case of the 12-year-old boy hit in the head with what was believed to be a rock-filled backpack at Southwest Community Center at noontime Monday: We’ve just seen the official, detailed police report for the first time and have transcribed most of it — obviously without names, since most people involved are juveniles and no charges have been filed. The victim and suspect are both 12-year-old students at Denny Middle School; he lives in West Seattle, she does not. According to the report, he was believed to have been unconscious for about 10 minutes after getting hit in the head twice. Read on for the entirety of what police wrote up afterward (warning, the description of what witnesses said they saw after he was hit is a bit graphic):Read More

Share This

Lincoln Park owl family: “Wollet” gets fluffier
June 16, 2009 9:15 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Wildlife

More photos tonight courtesy of Trileigh (you can see additional pix here) – who says:

The owlet seems extraordinarily fluffy these days. He must be getting a pretty good education in crow management, given the amount of time his parent spends dealing with those paparazzi!

That’s “Wollet” the barred owlet above (my, how Wollet has grown! remember this, three weeks ago?) – and one of the watchful grownups here:

Share This

West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Updates from police
June 16, 2009 7:22 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We’re at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, where Southwest Precinct police are briefing attendees on the latest crime trends. Sgt. Jeff Durden just mentioned that plans are in place to keep things safe this Friday as school comes to a close – two Community Police Team officers will be “visible at schools” and then police will be keeping closer watch on parks, “to keep any shenanigans to a minimum.”

In other crime trends – car prowls are still a major problem, according to the latest statistics shared by Officer Adonis Topacio: 75 in the past month (since May 16) – including four in one day at Lincoln Park. (That’s actually a drop from the 100 recorded throughout the calendar month of May, according to the monthly crime statistics we published here.) Residential burglaries are trending down a bit – 45 in the last month, compared to 50 for the May calendar month; Sgt. Jeff Durden says that’s “normal” but “still too many.”

On the positive side, Officer Topacio says that Westcrest Park illicit activity has decreased dramatically – though he’s hoping the previously problematic area of the park will get more public use, to keep that “activity” from returning.

Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel says “there’s an increase in gangbangers from the East side showing up in High Point” (he indicated that meant the other side of the city, not necessarily the east side of Lake Washington). He said two arrests were made last night after a call about a possible burglary; they had warrants out for their arrest, linked to the New Holly area, and had gang affiliation. Officer McDaniel says he followed up by meeting with the HP family whose son was allegedly hanging out with the people who were arrested, and said he denied any knowledge of those “kids” – so, Officer McDaniel said, “the father gave him an ultimatum – shape up, or ship out.”

As for Alki, Community Police Team Officer Ken Mazzuca provided that briefing, saying it had been fairly quiet lately, nothing major. One meeting attendee asked about noise laws and loud sound systems in cars; Officer Mazzuca says they can be cited if the noise can be heard from at least 75 feet away – and he says some citations HAVE been issued so far this summer.

Also discussed at tonight’s meeting – a reminder about signing up for this year’s Night Out (Against Crime) block parties on August 4th – and Sgt. Durden shared a little-known fact: If you want a police officer to drop by and visit your block party, just say so when you register your party (here’s where to do that).

Share This

Give Blayne, others a lift: West Seattle parade needs convertibles
June 16, 2009 6:38 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

convertibleprincess.jpg

(2007 parade photo courtesy Rhonda Porter from The Mortgage Porter [WSB sponsor])
Just one month till West Seattle’s 76th annual American Legion Grand Parade (July 18). That’s its official name, though you might think of it as the Hi-Yu Parade – it’s presented by American Legion Post 160, and while West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival royalty, volunteers and float are IN it, they don’t present it (they handle enough other events, you can be sure). But that’s not the main reason we’re writing. We just heard from Dave Vague, parade coordinator with Post 160, who says:

We’re in need of finding three convertibles that would like to appear in the parade to drive the American Legion President, our Orville Rummel award winner for community service, and our Grand Marshal – Blayne Walsh from Project Runway.

(And, of course, from Hotwire Coffee [WSB sponsor].) This is the second consecutive year that the Legion’s put out the call for convertibles, since after the Huling/Gee dealership shutdowns in 2007, that put an end to the reliable supply of cars for parade participants to ride in. (Seafair royalty, as shown in the photo above, bring their own cars – but West Seattle’s honorees have to fend for themselves.) If you can help, here’s how to contact Dave: vagued@comcast.net or 206-932-2066.

Share This

Followup: Southwest Pool pump repair done, as scheduled
June 16, 2009 5:50 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Westwood

So when’s the last time you saw a swimming-pool pump impeller? Jim sent that photo, taken at the Beckwith and Kuffel machine shop where one of the big parts from Southwest Pool‘s circulation pump was being fixed for those emergency repairs this afternoon. According to assistant coordinator Matt Richardson, the repairs were finished on time, and the pool did reopen at 5 pm. Lap swim’s under way now till 6, then as usual, it’s a public swim from 7:30 to 8:30, and Shallow Water Aerobics and Hydrofit from 8:30 till 9:15. Southwest Pool is West Seattle’s only municipal indoor pool; its full schedule is here. West Seattle’s only municipal outdoor pool, Colman Pool, is now in 7-day-a-week summer operation. One more SW Pool note – just noticed on its website, a three-week closure is scheduled in late summer for “main drain work,” Aug. 22-Sept. 13.

Share This

Update: Wandering toddler reunited with family
June 16, 2009 5:15 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

5:15 PM ORIGINAL REPORT: From Kristine:

I am up at the Southwest Library on 35th and Henderson. There is a three year old white male with blonde hair and hazel eyes with two police officers and no parent or adult. He is dressed in striped blue/yello pants and a green tee shirt. He has been here since 3:45.

We’re on our way over to find out more. Police have been alerted so call 911 or go to the library if this child is yours. 5:32 PM UPDATE: Just talked to one of the officers who were taking the child around the neighborhood in hopes of finding his house – they’ve located the right place and reunited him with his family – seems he wandered off – they’re talking with a parent now.

Share This

Full Tilt Ice Cream to give gifts, not receive, on its 1st birthday
June 16, 2009 4:09 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | White Center

From the WSB Forums: The acclaimed White Center ice cream-n-pinball (and more) shop Full Tilt is marking its first birthday this Saturday with a plan to give gifts instead of receiving. For every cone or pint sold in their shop this Saturday, they will donate the equivalent to the White Center Food Bank – coupons for cones, to be given to WCFB clients, and pints to be packed up and delivered to WCFB. The FT team’s been involved in a lot of community work since its opening, so you can support that through the Full Tilt First Birthday celebration. (And if you haven’t heard, they’re expanding to a location in Columbia City soon, too.)

Share This

Cat Adopt-a-Thon at All the Best Pet Care on Alki, June 28
June 16, 2009 3:19 pm
|    Comments Off on Cat Adopt-a-Thon at All the Best Pet Care on Alki, June 28
 |   Announcements

All the Best Pet Care on Alki sent this announcement:

On June 28th, Feral Care will be holding an Adopt-A-Thon and fundraiser at All The Best Pet Care on Alki. The event will take place from noon until 5 p.m. at All The Best Pet Care’s Alki Beach store, located at 2820 Alki Ave SW (next door to the Cactus restaurant). The featured guest is Joy Turner, radio host and animal communicator. In addition to readings by Ms. Turner, there will be kittens available for adoption, a raffle, there will be lots of pet care information, samples, treats and fun things to buy to support homeless kitties.

Please visit All The Best Pet Care on Sunday, June 28th, to help raise funds for Feral Care’s ongoing efforts to end the cycle of homeless cats. Sessions with Joy Turner are available as follows: 5 minutes for $20, 15 minutes for $45, or 30 minutes for $75. Advance reservations are available by contacting All The Best Pet Care’s Alki Beach store at 206.938.7501 or alkibeach.atb@gmail.com

Share This

Garden or 2 still needed for West Seattle Edible Garden Tour (8/1)
June 16, 2009 3:10 pm
|    Comments Off on Garden or 2 still needed for West Seattle Edible Garden Tour (8/1)
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle)
It’s this year’s hottest gardening trend – growing your own food – like the arrangement above that lends a new meaning to “salad bowl.” If you have an “edible garden,” you might still have a chance to be part of the 2nd annual West Seattle Edible Garden Tour – the date’s set for August 1st and Aviva from Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle says they’re still seeking “one or two more gardens to round out the tour” – if yours might qualify, or you have one to suggest, info@gleanit.org – Meantime, CHoSS is also looking for volunteers to help pick cherries for distribution to local families in need:

With the warm summer weather, fruit harvest season is right around the corner and cherries are ripening. Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle connects volunteers with fruit tree donors, picking surplus fruit for donation to the food bank. Help distribute our local abundance. Want to harvest? Know of a tree? Have a couple of hours to help with some computer/office tasks? Contact
info@gleanit.org

They’re also starting a “Grow Your Own Groceries Project” to help low-income (or recently unemployed) people learn to grow some of their own food; mentors are being sought as well as participants – same e-mail address.

Share This

Tim Burgess at West Seattle Chamber’s “Lunch with LEO”
June 16, 2009 2:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Tim Burgess at West Seattle Chamber’s “Lunch with LEO”
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

That’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Patti Mullen with Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess at Chamber HQ earlier this afternoon, as the WSCC hosted its latest “Lunch with LEO” (Local Elected Official). Burgess was the second councilmember to take part (after Tom Rasmussen last month – WSB photo here). Since Burgess chairs the Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee, you won’t be surprised to hear that most of the questions from participants involved crime and other public-safety matters, including much discussion of the new Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. That’s one of the main issues in the spotlight when the entire City Council comes to West Seattle later this month for a town hall-style meeting (6:30 pm June 25, The Hall at Fauntleroy, as reported here). We also asked Burgess for his thoughts on the “Nickelsville” homeless encampment situation on the eastern edge of West Seattle (most recent WSB coverage here); he did not comment directly on whether the campers should be evicted for trespassing (as they were on another section of the same site last fall) but did say, “Encampments do not provide permanent solutions,” while allowing that this one was better than encampments like those cleared off the hillsides over I-5, but then pointing out that the better solution, in his view, lies with measures such as the new Housing Levy that voters will consider this fall. (Watch the WS Chamber’s website for the next “Lunch with LEO” opportunity.)

Share This

Author Jennifer Worick to read at Admiral library this Saturday
June 16, 2009 2:13 pm
|    Comments Off on Author Jennifer Worick to read at Admiral library this Saturday
 |   Announcements

From the West Seattle (Admiral) branch of the Seattle Public Library – an author reading this Saturday with Jennifer Worick (here’s the direct link):

Saturday, June 20 at 3pm.
Jennifer Worick
Backcountry Betty Crafting With Style: 50 Nature-Inspired Projects
This hip, snappy craft book includes projects designed to bring the outdoors in! The
author will discuss a variety of craft projects that she has divided into habitats
from your backyard to the seashore.

Share This

Milestone for Junction Plaza Park: $98,000 city matching grant
June 16, 2009 1:03 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Junction Plaza Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Days after West Seattle’s newest park was dedicated in Morgan Junction, there’s big news for the push to finish the long-awaited park in The (Alaska) Junction: Susan Melrose of the West Seattle Junction Association tells WSB they’ve just received word they’re getting the $98,000 city Neighborhood Matching Fund grant sought to help complete Junction Plaza Park. That brings the money gathered for the project (updated)to $295,000 – the current design will cost about $350,000 to build. (For comparison, the just-finished Morgan Junction Park cost almost half a million dollars.) Another major fundraising push will come during next month’s West Seattle Summer Fest (WSB sponsor), with a beer garden set up at the site, proceeds benefiting Friends of Junction Plaza Park. The group also will be participating in this Saturday’s Junction Clean and Green event, which will be centered at the new Genesee P-Patch (as reported here last month) — with Mayor Nickels scheduled to appear — but also will include a Junction Adopt-A-Street cleanup with work at the 42nd/Alaska park site (just a few blocks south of the P-Patch). It’s hoped that the park project will be ready for groundbreaking this fall. It’ll also be a beneficiary of the West Seattle Garden Tour coming up July 19 (tickets on sale now). ADDED 4:09 PM: A Friends of Junction Place Park meeting also has been announced, for 6 pm July 6, Senior Center of West Seattle.

Share This

Dow Constantine says no new jail if he’s elected Executive
June 16, 2009 12:32 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle jail sites | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

We’re not yet publishing every back-and-forth in every key race – our in-the-works Election page will be your HQ for that, if you’re interested – but since this is a major issue for West Seattle, here’s the statement just issued by King County Council Chair Dow Constantine‘s County Executive campaign regarding the latest developments in the continuing process of a potential new Seattle-and-other-cities misdemeanor-offenders jail (with a West Seattle site remaining under consideration) – he says if he’s elected KCE, there won’t be a need for a new city jail – read on:Read More

Share This

Girl Scout alumnae event (from WS and beyond) July 1st
June 16, 2009 12:20 pm
|    Comments Off on Girl Scout alumnae event (from WS and beyond) July 1st
 |   Announcements

The event’s not in West Seattle, but they’re hoping to draw Girl Scout “alumnae” from all over the area, so here’s the official announcement:

Girl Scout Alumnae Happy Hour at Twist Restaurant and Lounge

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
6-7:30 p.m.
2313 1st Ave.

Join us while we mingle, enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, and have fun! Learn what’s new with Girl Scouting and connect other women who believe that girls can and should lead lives of courage, confidence and character! $5 ticket price at the door. All Girl Scout alumnae welcome!

*Please contact Sue Ramsey to RSVP at suesr@girlscoutsww.org or (206) 633-5600 ext. 215

Share This