West Seattle, Washington

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Spotlight Stories


  • Crash

    ALKI CRASH CHARGES: Finally filed

  • Light rail

    WS LIGHT RAIL: Route discussion today

  • Aurora

    AURORA OVER WS: Late-night sky colors

Tide-walking, anyone? Lowest tides of the month, today/tomorrow
April 27, 2009 8:01 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle beaches

Beach Drive Blog reminds us that the lowest tides of the month are here. And they bottom out today and tomorrow – 1:11 pm today, 1:58 pm tomorrow.

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Got an old car seat you’re not using? WestSide Baby can recycle it
April 27, 2009 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on Got an old car seat you’re not using? WestSide Baby can recycle it
 |   How to help | Safety

We first published this at partner site White Center Now, but the invitation goes for West Seattle families too: It involves a car-seat-safety event with which WestSide Baby is involved on Wednesday at IKEA in Renton, but if you have really old car seats (6+ years old) still sitting around, WestSide Baby would love to get them today or tomorrow because of a rare opportunity to recycle most of what’s in them – get the full scoop here.

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale countdown: 2 big updates!
April 27, 2009 3:27 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Community Garage Sale countdown: 2 big updates!
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, May 9, 200912 days till West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (Saturday, May 9th). Thanks to everybody who signed up – and everybody who’s planning to shop – we’re past 175 and may hit 180 by the time we finish counting/recounting.

FIRST UPDATE: If you missed the deadline – here’s one last chance to be part of it, from Lora Lewis at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor):

Due to the overwhelming response to our group garage sale, the folks at Ginomai have been kind enough to also open up their parking lot to the group sale. The Ginomai lot is location right behind Hotwire so we’ll just combine forces! This opens up an additional fifteen 10×10 spaces so if people missed the deadline for the garage sale registration they can still join in the group Hotwire/Ginomai sale. Just e-mail Lora at lora@hotwirecoffee.com

SECOND UPDATE: In addition to the courtyard group sales at Hotwire/Ginomai and C & P Coffee, we have just finished going through the signup stack – here are the schools, businesses, churches, block sales:

SCHOOLS — Alki Co-op Preschool, Bella Mente, Chief Sealth PTSA, Lincoln Park Co-op Preschool, Roxhill Elementary, West Seattle High School Grad Night Committee

NONPROFITS/SERVICE GROUPS — Amigos de las Americas – Seattle Chapter, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls-West Seattle Assembly #18, Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, Liberty Tree, Lincoln Park P-Patch, Seattle Glee Clubs, Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, Southwest Youth and Family Services

CHURCHES: Grace Church, Hope Lutheran Youth New Orleans Mission Trip, Seaview Methodist, Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation

BUSINESSES: Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor), C and P Coffee (courtyard group sale), CF West Seattle, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), Freshy’s Coffee, Hotwire courtyard group sale (plus Ginomai lot), Muttley Crew Cuts and English Springer Rescue America, Sharon’s Westwood Florist, Shotridge Studios, Riverhouse Creperie

BLOCK SALES: We’ve counted eight – and we’ll spotlight them tomorrow! We’ll also have a flyer you can e-mail to friends, neighbors, anybody else you want to share the news with, post at your workplace, etc. For sellers, watch for updates at westseattlegaragesale.com, and also the info packet we’ll be mailing later this week.

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“Tentative” start date set for Fauntleroy Way repaving: May 26
April 26, 2009 10:42 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

That’s dashcam video we shot last fall showing some of the patches and bumps on just one side of the street not-so-affectionately dubbed by some “Fauntle-Rut Way.” As we’ve been reporting since the news first broke in mid-October, Fauntleroy Way is about to get repaved from the Triangle area to Morgan Junction (and as revealed in mid-March, a few extra blocks were added because the bid came in low enough to enable it). While the repaving is under way, the city also will be restriping and reconfiguring lanes (as finalized in January):

After SDOT’s paving expert Jessica Murphy told the Morgan Community Association earlier this month (WSB coverage here) that the contract had just been finalized (with Merlino Construction) and that the work would start “mid-May,” we kept checking back for word of a more specific date, as well as to ask what end of the project site would be tackled first, and here’s what we heard back:

We have tentatively set the start date for this project as May 26th, just after Memorial Day. We will begin in the north end at Alaska and work down the west side first and then work back up the east side. The schedule for the “added” area between California and Holly has not been determined (but it won’t be first!).

Even more details of the plan are expected later this week. The city’s website for the project is here (although it doesn’t yet reflect the fact the work will extend southwest to SW Holly).

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You could say they got a head start on Mother’s Day
April 26, 2009 9:42 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle businesses | Westwood

Mother’s Day is exactly two weeks away — but one West Seattle flower shop has already had a burst of extra family spirit: Sharon’s Westwood Florist and Tanning invited WSB to drop in one morning this past week as the shop hosted West Seattle Moms of Tots members in a fun floral-creation activity. That’s store team member Thaddeus at right in the photo above, assisting; below, one of the young designers with the finished product:

Sharon’s Westwood Florist is at 35th/Kenyon (map), just north of Kenyon Hall. The day BEFORE Mother’s Day – as if they’re not busy enough – they’re participating in West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (Saturday 5/9, a record-setting 170+ sales!)

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Worried about swine flu? Constantine arranges briefing tomorrow
April 26, 2009 8:20 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

If you’re worried about all this swine-flu news (here’s the newest nationwide update) and wondering what’s being done in our area, just in case, we’ll find out more from public-health authorities late tomorrow morning: West Seattle-residing King County Council Chair Dow Constantine has arranged for an 11:30 am briefing during tomorrow morning’s County Council meeting, per a media advisory sent out tonight – read on:Read More

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In case you missed it: South Delridge/White Center crime update
April 26, 2009 6:30 pm
|    Comments Off on In case you missed it: South Delridge/White Center crime update
 |   Crime | Highland Park | Safety | White Center

It’s been a busy few days, so you might not have seen this on partner site White Center Now yet: If you live in south West Seattle, you’ll be interested in the crime updates — which included some good news! — plus Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg‘s remarks, as reported in our coverage of the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting Thursday night. See the story here. (Also of interest to south West Seattle: The Highland Park Action Committee‘s monthly meeting is tomorrow, 7 pm, 11th/Holden.)

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Eagle-eyed in West Seattle: Why you’re seeing more of them
April 26, 2009 4:04 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

(photo by Gary Jones, taken today at Alki)
After all the incredible photos shared with WSB lately showing eagles around West Seattle, we thought it would be interesting to get a broader look at the local population. Since we (like many other local-news organizations) work on occasion with the University of Washington News Lab, we asked if any of their student reporters might want to take that on – they agreed, and here’s the result (with some WSBers’ eagle photos and video woven throughout)!

(Brace Point-area juvenile eagle, photographed by Rick R)
By BEN BRADLEY
UW News Lab

This spring, people in West Seattle have noticed an increase in bald eagle sightings, particularly around Alki Beach and Lincoln Park.

David Schneider, a resident of West Seattle, has spotted a few himself. “I think there are only two or three pair, but I usually see them on Beach Drive on the north side of the park.”

Read More

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Another big May 9 event: Walking on Logs area followup cleanup
April 26, 2009 2:09 pm
|    Comments Off on Another big May 9 event: Walking on Logs area followup cleanup
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

cleanupotherview.jpg

Seven months ago, that was the scene as hundreds of people helped clean up the “Gateway” area from Walking on Logs up to 35th/Fauntleroy. We just got word from that cleanup’s organizer, Nancy Driver of the Fairmount Community Association, that a smaller followup cleanup is planned for 9 am-1 pm Saturday, May 9th (yes, it’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, but if you’re not part of the 170+ sales, you can pitch in before or after you shop!) — and she’d like to hear from anyone who can help. Here’s the announcement:

We are doing a four hour cleanup and blackberry removal on Saturday, May 9, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. We will only be doing the area from the gates (near the overpass) down to Walking on Logs. Objectives will be to accomplish the following: 1) pick up all trash; 2) weed whack and clean up the “Walking on Logs” area; 3) blackberry removal starting from the blackberry patch nearest to the gates and moving north. I found last fall that the blackberries pulled out of the ground fairly easily – using leather gloves and both hands I was able to rip them out of the ground, roots and all. Our hope is too get at least one large swath of blackberries removed – if we can get more than that done, great. The blackberry removal is a long-term project but this will be a start.

The city will provide canvas gloves, safety vests, bags, and a few shovels and rakes. We will round up at least one gas weed trimmer but if you have one you are willing to bring that would be great. Volunteers are encouraged to come with their own leather gloves if you plan on helping with blackberry removal. The city will also provide us with a water cooler and we’ll have cups – unfortunately, no snacks this time, just water. IMPORTANT: Unlike the September cleanup – no traffic will be closed off next to the area we are working in.

… Whether it’s an hour, two hours or all four, any time you can contribute will be greatly appreciated. Additionally, any time you put in can be used toward matching funds from the city to get needed irrigation and drainage work done at the Walking on Logs that is needed.

Can you help? If so, please e-mail Nancy: ndriver@quidnunc.net

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Happening now: Sustainable West Seattle Festival “preview”
April 26, 2009 1:13 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Sustainable West Seattle Festival “preview”
 |   Environment | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle festivals

That’s Chas Redmond, who’s with Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market right now, handing out programs and signing up volunteers for the Sustainable West Seattle Festival, which happens one week from today, right across SW Alaska from the market. Chas also showed off small-scale versions of maps that will be at the Feet First/West Seattle Trails Alliance booth at the festival, with sharpies and sticky dots you can use to “visually vote” for the kind of transit you would like to see, and how you think transportation dollars should be spent:

The Farmers’ Market continues till 2 pm; Chas and Stu are along the alley, on the east side. If you don’t catch up with them, the schedule and map for the festival can be seen online here (including our spot in the media zone near the main stage, where the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day maps will debut at our table); the festival runs 10 am-3 pm next Sunday (5/3).

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Happening now: Skillet Street Food’s West Seattle debut
April 26, 2009 10:52 am
|      44 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | West Seattle video

Well – as we post this photo, it’s still a few minutes till Skillet Street Food officially opens in the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard at 11 am (they’re scheduled to be here till 2 pm – California SW, just south of Genesee, north of the post office). That’s the menu and pricing, written in purple on the side of the gleaming chrome Airstream trailer. We peeked into the trailer too, where Josh, Mark and Mary are working – video shortly.

ADDED 11:08 AM: Here’s video of Mary inside the Skillet trailer, telling us a bit about the burger, the poutine gravy, the Thom Kha soup and the calamari (see menu/pricing photo above):

10 minutes after they opened, there’s a line, but not too bad – still inside the courtyard.

ADDED 11:39 AM: Here’s the current line:

And most important of all, their signature dish – “The Burger” (one person just suggested it’s a serious rival to West Seattle’s current burger fave, Zippy’s):

Good reviews so far – including this :15 assessment of The Burger, from Gatewood resident Dave Gross:

We’re moving on to a few other stories but in case you checked online before heading out into the sunshine, we knew we had to report on the big debut. Their menu changes weekly and you can usually find it on the home page at skilletstreetfood.com; if you haven’t been to Hotwire before, here’s a map to their location. P.S. If you’re just catching up with all this and wondering what’s the fuss — Skillet sets up at various Seattle locations and has amassed quite the following, since street-side food is not often also somewhat gourmet, and this is yet another sign that West Seattle has “arrived” as a foodie destination (in addition to rave reviews for local eateries such as Spring Hill); previous “press clips” can be browsed here. P.S. We were asked via Twitter (@westseattleblog for human-powered updates and observations, @westseattlenews for links to WSB stories as they’re published) if Skillet takes credit cards – answer, yes.

8:32 PM ADDITION: Speaking of Twitter, this postmortem from Skillet via Twitter (@skilletstfood):

so..that was the biggest opening day at any location we have ever had..and the biggest day we have ever had…..thanks WS, WSB and hotwire

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Happening today: Farmers’ Market, Skillet @ Hotwire, more
April 26, 2009 7:02 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today: Farmers’ Market, Skillet @ Hotwire, more
 |   West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

(Photo added 9:54 am courtesy Lora @ Hotwire, as Skillet crew sets up)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS MARKET: 10-2 in The Junction; here’s what to look for.

SKILLET STREET FOOD’S WEST SEATTLE DEBUT: Remember, look for the Airstream trailer in the courtyard by Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), 11 am-2 pm, because of the last-minute change in locations. Menu’s here.

Lots more happening today, including a craft show/brunch to benefit the fight against leukemia/lymphoma and The Esoterics at Holy Rosary – here’s the Sunday list, from the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day registration record!
April 26, 2009 1:44 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day registration record!
 |   Community Garage Sale Day

Registration is now closed, and the semifinal tally – pending a little checking and rechecking – is 170+ sales – big, small, inbetween, some for fundraising, some just for fun. That means the 5th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on Saturday, May 9th, will be by far the biggest one yet. Now we start making The Map, so the first copies will be available for you to pick up at our table at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival a week from today. Stand by for updates — including more on some of the big sale spots, as we start going through the signup stack!

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Highland Park dancer/activist to “shake it up” downtown
April 26, 2009 1:10 am
|    Comments Off on Highland Park dancer/activist to “shake it up” downtown
 |   West Seattle people | West Seattle politics

Monday at noon, if you happen to be outside the Jackson Federal Building downtown, you’ll see colorfully clad dancers demonstrating – to urge Sen. Patty Murray and other local lawmakers to support single-payer health-care. Helping lead the way: Dina Lydia Johnson, who’s also active with the Highland Park Action Committee (which, incidentally, meets Monday night, 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club). She’s put together a webpage with more about the demonstration – see it here.

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Fauntleroy SWAT situation over: Man surrenders
April 25, 2009 8:13 pm
|      37 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(previous as-it-happened coverage here)
8:13 PM BULLETIN: Just ended. More to come.

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
8:19 PM UPDATE: The standoff in Fauntleroy’s Endolyne business district lasted approximately 5 1/2 hours. According to our crews on the scene, it ended a few minutes ago as the suspect backed out of the house and surrendered, as police had been shouting through a bullhorn, asking him to do, for the past few hours. Just a short time earlier, police had said on the radio that they had re-established contact with him but he was “not cooperating.” WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who has been on the scene since even before the SWAT team arrived, says the man is well-dressed — wearing a tie and suspenders — and was taken to a medic unit that had been called to the scene a few hours ago to be on standby. We will have photos/video soon, but Patrick and WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli are still gathering more information now that the situation is over. Added: Seattle Police spokesperson Officer Renee Witt says the man was indeed, as we reported earlier, alone in the building. He says he was walking around with a shotgun – the sighting that touched off the standoff hours earlier – because he thought there were transients in the building. No evidence of transients, police say.

8:51 PM: That’s video of the man as police walked him around the corner toward the medic unit. (We don’t always show faces at arrest scenes, but we are following the rules implemented in all the conventional-media newsrooms in which we worked in recent years: Faces only if you are charged with the crime, confess to the crime, or there is no doubt you are the person who did what you are being arrested for – in other words, you are caught in the act – and that would apply here, with there being no doubt this is the man who held police at bay for 5-plus hours.)

9:06 PM: The last SWAT unit is leaving the scene, and traffic is moving through the area again. As we mentioned in our as-it-happened coverage, Endolyne Joe’s (which was behind the police line) decided to close for the night and send its staff home to be on the safe side, but should be open again for breakfast (and beyond) in the morning. Meantime, we are reviewing video shot at the scene earlier, to add a few more clips here from the 5-hour-plus standoff, and also will be watching the county jail register to see if the man arrested tonight shows up there.

9:54 PM: One thing that came up repeatedly during the standoff was the issue of the loud bangs heard several times, audible from some distance away – those were from devices police can choose to set off during situations in which they need to distract or confuse the person/s they are dealing with. WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli got two images related to the use of these – since police sent out a warning of sorts on the radio before setting them off, here’s an officer covering his ears, followed by some smoke in the air afterward:

You can also see some smoke clearing in this video clip, which also includes the sound of the bullhorn orders police were shouting at the suspect:

Here’s a clip of two of the vehicles the SWAT team brought to Fauntleroy this afternoon:

SUNDAY NIGHT NOTE: As of 10:55 pm Sunday, no one by the name we believe to be that of the arrested man has been booked into King County Jail. We will be checking with Seattle Police first thing in the morning to see if they have information on whether he is still in the hospital or whether he was released.

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Preliminary name recommendation for Morgan Junction’s park
April 25, 2009 7:58 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | West Seattle people

The final word rests with Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher, but the Parks Department naming committee has announced its recommendation for what to call Morgan Junction’s new park (on the ex-Fauntleroy Auto, ex-planned-monorail-station site north of ex-Video Vault-turned-Beveridge Place Pub). The recommended name, disclosed at this week’s Parks Board meeting … Morgan Junction Park. As reported here in recent months, a community petition drive had been under way to get the park nameed in memory of Tim St. Clair, the longtime West Seattle Herald reporter who died in March of last year; he lived near Morgan Junction and spent years covering issues that led up to the creation of the park, including the monorail. Supporters, including major West Seattle-area community leaders and groups, asked Parks to make an exception in the department’s naming policy, which says a park can’t be named after someone until at least three years after their death. Again, the final park-naming decision is up to Superintendent Gallagher; if you are interested in contacting him with your comments on the proposed name, you’ll find his contact info here. Whatever name is finalized, the park will be officially dedicated during the Morgan Junction Community Festival on June 13th.

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Updates: SWAT team in Fauntleroy standoff, roads blocked
April 25, 2009 2:47 pm
|      63 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(scroll down for newest photos, info)

ORIGINAL 2:47 PM REPORT: Checking on multiple reports (thanks for the calls and e-mails) of major police activity in the Endolyne business district area of Fauntleroy. We’re told roads are blocked off in the area. One neighbor describes the scene: “Multiple cop cars cutting off every street in my neighborhood and police with guns drawn running around especially up by the bakery/restaurant.” We’re heading down the hill now to find out what’s going on.


View Larger Map

2:59 PM: Still no official information as it is a very chaotic scene but two citizen reports suggest it involves a suspect who may have a gun. So DEFINITELY avoid the area TFN. We can’t get close from the west side so we’re going around the other way. Scanner indicates special units are being used here including SWAT (en route if not there yet) – a negotiator is apparently on the scene. Scanner says suspect has told police no one else is with him.

3:22 PM UPDATE: An officer at the scene told us the person they’re all focused on is believed to be in the alley behind Endolyne Joe’s. The SWAT team has just arrived — adding a photo in a moment.

3:54 PM UPDATE: No major updates from the scene. Police all in position, though some of them have moved around. Scanner traffic within the past several minutes indicated the suspect was still talking via phone with police. And on a practical note, this is affecting traffic toward and from the ferry dock AND traffic between Fauntleroy and Marine View Drive/west Arbor Heights, so keep that in mind.

4:12 PM UPDATE: To further clarify, co-publisher Patrick Sand, who’s our reporter/photographer on the scene right now, says he’s been told the suspect is in a 2-story apartment building on the alley behind Endolyne Joe’s. Just in case that helps you further figure out where all this is unfolding. Adding a photo – note we are cropping our SWAT team photos as it’s important in standoff situations not to show police’s exact positions, lest a suspect be monitoring media (of any kind):

4:36 PM UPDATE: Police are now using a bullhorn to try to get the suspect to re-establish contact. From comments (if you haven’t read it there already), Rick is at the scene and forced to stay at his workplace while the standoff continues:

I’m at work in the middle of this, i’m inside the taped area, my office wall adjacent to this alley. There are a handful of swat patrol guys with machine guns outside my window. I tried to leave and they told me to go back inside and wait. I’m watching from my window…

WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is also now at the scene, which we have covered from both sides. (After arriving, he took the next photo, added Saturday evening:)

5:30 PM UPDATE: No major developments. Standoff still under way. Police still trying to get suspect to re-establish contact. The loud noises you hear are being made by police, deliberately, we can verify. There are still conflicting anecdotal reports from the scene whether anyone was believed to be in the house with the man.

6:01 PM UPDATE: Again, we’re not doing play-by-play from the scene because (as discussed in comments) there are some details that it’s safer not to report publicly while these situations are unfolding. Police are still using a bullhorn to try to get the man to respond; the building he’s believed to be in is the 4-plex immediately west of the commercial building at 45th/Wildwood.

6:09 PM UPDATE: SPD spokesperson Officer Renee Witt just confirmed to us – after we called to triplecheck – that what we have been reporting for hours is accurate: NO HOSTAGES.

7:10 PM UPDATE: Status quo at the scene. In news of nearby businesses, we called Endolyne Joe’s to see if they were planning to be open IF this ends before too long, and Mike told us no, they just decided a short time ago to send everybody home, to be on the safe side. So they are closed for the rest of the night, no matter what. Kitty-corner in the same intersection, though, people are coming and going from Guadalajara – that’s on the other side of the police tape.

7:38 PM UPDATE: Police at least briefly heard from the suspect for the first time in a while, according to the scanner. And without going into further detail, let’s just say this could go on for quite some time. Just saying that so if you live in the area and have been waiting to make your plans for the evening based on whether this might end sometime soon, you can plan otherwise. We will probably start a new story for evening updates on this, since there’s another story we’ve been holding off on publishing to keep this atop the page; when we do that, we will add the URL here, but till you see that, we’ll add any new info here.

8:12 PM UPDATE: It’s over – the man came out and surrendered. Starting a separate post to cover that. Find it here.

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West Seattle scenes: Eagle on the beach; “Junction Rebellion”
April 25, 2009 1:19 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses

Thanks to Stacey and Brooklyn Fuda for that photo – Stacey explains, “My daughter and I were at Alki this morning at about 10:30 during the low tide and we saw an Eagle hanging out on the sand. It was pretty awesome! I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anything like that before!” (With all the great eagle sightings lately, we have a guest-written feature story in the works for sometime this weekend.) Meantime, back inland to The Junction, we’ve mentioned today’s “Junction Rebellion” shopping discounts (coupons here; participants listed here) – Jefferson Square has participants too, including Square One Books:

And Snap Fitness (WSB sponsor) is having an open house with free food:

Guests too – with Snap’s MJ Benavente in the middle, that’s Mary Zwerling at left and sports chiropractor Michael Ross (who gave a talk this morning) at left:

Snap’s open house continues till 3 pm. More big events happening around West Seattle as the day goes on – next up, the Pet Rodeo and Snooty Walk presented by West Seattle High School students at Hiawatha (including pet adoption!), 2-4 pm, and Feedback Lounge‘s grand opening night, starting at 6 pm (see our Thursday night sneak peek here).

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day: Hours left to register!
April 25, 2009 12:18 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day: Hours left to register!
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, May 9, 2009Looks like it’s going to be the sale day to end all sale days. Well – maybe not literally “end” – Saturday , May 9, will be the 5th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, and we certainly expect to present a 6th annual, and 7th annual, and what a bash it will be for the 10th one in 2014 … Anyway — 11:59 pm tonight is the deadline to register your sale. Too late to get a form in the mail but online registration is pretty quick (do it here), and that’s how almost 80 percent of the signups have come in.

For everybody who’s signed up by then – we’ll be sending you an info packet via postal mail, including your “official participant” sign and more on how to donate unsold items via Northwest Center. And as mentioned before, we will have The Map ready extra-early this year – Sunday, May 3, with free copies available for pickup at the West Seattle Blog table near the main stage at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival (sponsoring and co-sponsored by WSB); after the festival ends on Sunday afternoon, the map will be available online, and other locations we’ll announce this week. Also look for the flyer we’ll post online so you can put it up on your workplace bulletin board, e-mail to your friends, anything else to spread the word. Keep watching for news here and at westseattlegaragesale.com. Thanks!

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Happening now: Cove Park, Delridge volunteer cleanups
April 25, 2009 11:19 am
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Cove Park, Delridge volunteer cleanups
 |   Delridge | Environment | Fauntleroy | How to help

The little park north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock sometimes seems like one of West Seattle’s best-kept secrets, but today the sign you’ll see when you click the video is catching some attention – the Fauntleroy Community Association has volunteers out at Cove Park for the spring cleanup. We talked with FCA’s Gary Dawson, who explained the cleanup’s a little more intense than usual because the winter cold and snow killed more of the shrubbery. They’ll be out till noon if you want to go jump in; they’re also adding new wood chips donated by Stonehedge Tree Experts (WSB sponsor) owner Mark Harman, who along with his dad is volunteering today too. Meantime, eastward to Delridge, the quarterly Adopt-A-Street cleanup is under way today, with the North Delridge Neighborhood Council starting at Delridge Community Center and Chief Sealth High School volunteers starting at the school (Boren campus) – we caught up with a Sealth PTSA trio:

(From left: Janet Hillier, Liann Sundquist, Vanessa Hodges)
Sealth is one of the schools where you’ll find big sales on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day two weeks from today (registration ends at 11:59 pm tonight) – and the PTSA is looking for donations and volunteers; here’s their announcement:

Funds raised will help benefit the Chief Sealth Students participating in a Summer 2009 Study Abroad trip to Japan and the many programs of the Chief Sealth PTSA.

We are joining in with the 5th Annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale sponsored by the West Seattle Blog!

We Want Your Stuff!
Clean out your garage, closets and basement by donating items in good condition. All unsold items will be donated to Northwest Center; therefore we are following their donation guidelines.

Love to Bake?
Please consider donating baked goods we can sell to hungry shoppers. Not time to bake? We would also appreciate your donations of juice boxes and bottled water to be sold to thirsty shoppers. After all shopping at such a great sale is hard work!

Important
Due to extremely limited storage space at the school, we can only accept donations of your items and bake sale goodies the day before the sale or the morning of the sale.

Please bring donations to the school Friday, May 8th from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm or Saturday May 9th from 7:00 am to 9:00 am

We need your help – Just 1 or 2 hours of your time on Friday, May 8th or Saturday, May 9th will make a BIG difference! We have a variety of jobs and time slots.

Contact us at garagesale@chiefsealthptsa.org or leave a message at 206-252-0444 voice mail box 98550. A PTSA member will return your call!

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Happening today: Get out, pitch in, strut, shop …
April 25, 2009 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today: Get out, pitch in, strut, shop …
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help

(photo added 9:45 am – sent by Doug Baldwin, as the Windermere crew prepped balloons for “Junction Rebellion” sale participants)
So much going on today, the best thing we can do is point you to the direct link to the Saturday section of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup. Lots of chances to have a good time (Snooty Walk, music, theater, more) and/or do a good deed (Delridge and Cove Park cleanups, food drive at Westwood Village QFC) – we’ll be covering some of them throughout the day.

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Join Pete Seeger’s multi-site 90th birthday bash — at The Admiral
April 25, 2009 3:33 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Admiral Theater | Bag fee battle | West Seattle video | WS & Sports | WS culture/arts

Folk-music legend Pete Seeger co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer,” but Peter, Paul and Mary made it famous. Seeger – whose impending 90th birthday will be celebrated in West Seattle and other locals nationwide – is much better known for his songwriting than his singing – this classic performed by The Byrds, also from the ’60s, is a prime example:

Here’s Seeger explaining how he wrote that:

So, after those clips, are you in the mood to sing along with songs like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn,” along with many others? On Seeger’s 90th birthday, Sunday 5/3, a day with celebrations planned around the country, the Seattle party will be right here in West Seattle, at the historic Admiral Theater. The singalongs will be part of an evening music slate, starting at 7 pm, following a documentary screening at 4 pm. West Seattle author/historian Clay Eals is the one who came up with the idea for the historic theater to host this celebration of living history – during an interview at the Admiral last Wednesday, he explained what it’s going to be all about:

Read on for more about the celebration, more from Eals – who explains the synergy between this event and the musician-biography project he worked on for years – ahead:Read More

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Closing sale Sunday at The Little Artist in The Junction
April 25, 2009 1:54 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Thanks to Bonnie for sharing this e-mail sent to a customer list for the kids-art business upstairs from Curious Kidstuff in The Junction:

Dear Friends,

After seven years I have had to close The Little Artist. I am very sad about it and will miss you all. In order to clear out the studio, I will be having a sale on Sunday, April 26th from 11:00 to 4:00.
* Art materials
* Easels
* Furniture (bookcases, cubbies, etc.)
* Storage bins
* Art project books
* “Grab bags” materials for several projects in each bag
* Birthday party supplies
Prices are below my costs, so bargains are to be had! Hope to see you!

We’d checked out a tip some weeks back that The Little Artist was for sale, but hadn’t confirmed anything at the time. The studio’s operator is NOT the same as the toy store it’s above.

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