West Seattle, Washington
02 Wednesday
Once again this fall, for the West Seattle High School Wildcats, the varsity-football season all came down to a faceoff with Ferndale, on the road, in Bellingham. WSHS led at halftime last night but came out on the short end, 28-21. We didn’t make the road trip this time; here’s the Bellingham Herald‘s game report.
(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Two weeks ago, West Seattle-based Seal Sitters asked for help in finding space for a fundraising sale. They’ve found it – courtesy of a WSB sponsor! – and it’s coming up a week from today – here’s the announcement:
Seal Sitters will host an estate jewelry sale on November 14th at Merrill Gardens/Admiral Heights retirement home, 2326 California Ave SW (across from the Admiral Theater).
More than 500 pieces of jewelry will be for sale, including earrings, clip earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, pins, brooches, and watches. All of the jewelry is in very good condition; most of it has probably never been worn and most likely was purchased in the last 20 years. There is wide variety of styles for all budgets. The extreme generosity of a colleague has made this event possible. Seal Sitters thanks Merrill Gardens for the donation of their facility for this event. Cash, credit and debit cards accepted.
Other goods will be for sale, as well as fun raffle items. See photos of our beautiful seal pups and learn about our organization. Proceeds from the sale go directly to help defray Seal Sitters’ many operating expenses such as phone dispatch, web hosting and educational materials.
Help us protect the seals!
Seal Sitters would like to thank the West Seattle Blog, Coastal, Liberty Bell Printing, NW Art, Alki Mail, Bakery Nouveau and the West Seattle community for their generous support!
They’re inviting businesses to post flyers for the event – you can download the flyer from a link in this story on the Seal Sitters’ site. The sale is 10 am-2 pm next Saturday.
ADMIRAL SAFEWAY BECU BRANCH CLOSING: Thanks to Diane for the tip – she got a letter saying the Admiral Safeway BECU branch is closing as of 1 pm December 5. The letter says, “The Safeway building is being reconstructed so we must close this location.” The most recent estimate given by Safeway for when they hope to start construction is next summer (and late summer at that), so we’ll be checking with BECU regarding why they’re closing this far in advance. The letter does say the BECU ATM at the store will remain open as long as the store does.
PILATES NAME CHANGE: Thanks to Mike for the tip – Pilates Westside in Morgan Junction, which opened 6 months ago, is changing its name to Pilates al Dente. Mike spotted the notice posted on the storefront that also mentions a change in ownership. Online records show that name registered to one of the original owners we interviewed last spring. No website for Pilates al Dente yet.
THERAPEUTIC ASSOCIATES/WEST SEATTLE PHYSICAL THERAPY: Earlier this week, we briefly mentioned this firm’s new digs in Capco Plaza, the building with the new QFC, on the 41st SW side. We’ve since received an official announcement from them, including the benefits of their new location: “designed with their patient’s needs in mind and includes free parking, an easily accessible elevator and upgrades to state of the art equipment.”
Just in from Seattle Lutheran High School‘s Bil Hood:
The Saints girls soccer team just won their district tournament. Sophomore Ashley Shaw scored both goals for the Saints. They beat Orcas 2-1. They will start the state tournament next weekend facing the #6 team from their district. Go Saints.
Just got this from Kristina, and WSDOT has also tweeted it: The 1st Avenue South bridge’s northbound side is stuck open. No word yet on how soon that’ll be fixed. Big backup stuck behind it. 3:12 PM UPDATE: And good news, it’s been fixed, traffic should be back to normal shortly.
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Next rainy morning you commute – by car OR bike – those huge puddles may be a little less prevalent, thanks to the efforts of some of your West Seattle neighbors this morning: Before the wind and rain took a break, intrepid community members turned out in force in northeast West Seattle this morning to rake leaves from sidewalks and gutters, clear drains, and collect trash.
Rose Feliciano, who lives near the Pigeon Point portion of the bike trail, has been trying to keep it clear of leaves since her bicycling friends mentioned “the path is getting smaller!” Additionally, through the city’s Adopt-a-Drain program, Rose has been working to maintain a clear drain at Delridge and 23rd –the site of the West Seattle Bridge onramp. Unfortunately, she didn’t get out there quite soon enough yesterday morning to beat the BMW that drove through the deep puddle, stalling their engine. She notes: “It doesn’t take much for those drains to get clogged.”
After posting a request for help on the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council e-mail group asking for leaf-raking assistance on the bike path today, she was joined by three more volunteers including Andy and Andre (photo above). Rose will be continuing her efforts until the trees have finished dropping their leaves. And her group wasn’t the only one out in northeast West Seattle this morning:
The North Delridge Neighborhood Council not only meets monthly but also gathers four times a year for Adopt-a-Street street cleaning. In their efforts today, they’ve also joined the Adopt-a-Drain program and before the group set off with their bright yellow bags, leader of the Adopt-a-Street program Nancy Folsom asked volunteers to “Check for drains as you go.”
They are also focusing on clearing street gutters for bicyclists. As part of the Adopt-a-Drain and Adopt-a-Street programs, the city provides plastic bags to the volunteers, then sends out a truck to pick up the full bags. (For more info on Adopt-a-Drain, go here; for more on Adopt-a-Street, go here.)
Last night, we reported on another holdup at Tervo’s Mini-Mart in The Triangle. Today, thanks to a Twitter tip, we learned there was a second convenience-store robbery in West Seattle last night – Delridge Deli Mart (map) also was held up. Official police information may be difficult to come by immediately, with so many resources dedicated to the officer-murder investigation, but we went to the store to seek confirmation, and a store staffer confirmed they were robbed. No word yet on time or description, but there’s been an ongoing series of store holdups in this area – Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith told us last night that the Tervo’s suspects matched the description “from October 22nd” — that’s the night (our report here) that John’s Corner Deli in Sunrise Heights and the Country Deli in Highland Park were both robbed.
One day after both the memorial for murdered Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton and the shooting of a man who investigators say they believe is linked to the case, SPD is planning a media briefing at any moment. KING5 is working on streaming it live – watch this link. 11:57 AM UPDATE: They weren’t able to make that work. But reporters at the briefing are tweeting — including KING’s Chris Daniels (twitter.com/chrisdaniels5). We’ll publish whatever official news release emerges from this in addition to links to coverage. And the Times has some of the details that are emerging – including what was found in the suspect’s apartment – a “cache of weapons … and bomb-making materials.” KING’s Daniels reports that police are saying the suspect is also linked to last month’s firebombing of police vehicles, and they are describing him as a “lone domestic terrorist.” 12:42 PM: Many additional details in the Times story now – see it here. 1:23 PM: Police have now published their statement on where things stand – see it here. They say they’re asking the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to file charges.
West Seattle Hi-Yu may be a summer festival, but its volunteers don’t take a break in winter – it’s always time to look ahead to next year, including raising money with the holiday ornament sale. Hi-Yu vice president Deena Mahn shares 
the photo and info: “West Seattle Hi-Yu is once again selling beautiful hand-blown glass holiday ornaments. Our 2009 ornaments were designed and hand blown especially for Hi-Yu by Christopher Sternberg-Powidzki of Glasshouse Studio in Pioneer Square. These ornaments will make great gifts for your family, friends, teachers, clients, co-workers, employees and yourself! The proceeds of the sale will go directly to the Miss West Seattle scholarship program, building a float that represents the West Seattle Community in parades throughout Puget Sound, and various community events.” The ornaments are selling for $20, and you can reserve one (or more!) now by calling 935-6517. Deena says you’ll also be able to buy ornaments at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on Sunday, Nov. 22, and at the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle Pancake Breakfast Dec. 5th (you’ll find both of those events on the WSB Events calendar page, too).
West Seattle High School‘s varsity football team is on the road tonight to play Ferndale at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium. Meantime, Chief Sealth High School played last night at Memorial Stadium downtown, in a game with multiple weather delays (lightning understandably clears the field) – read on for our game report:Read More
We published the West Seattle Weekend Lineup earlier than usual yesterday – so in case you missed it once all the other big news of the day started sweeping in, check it out here. A few highlights:
GREEN SEATTLE DAY: Volunteers will converge on greenspaces in West Seattle and elsewhere to do planting, restoration and pre-winter cleanup. Full list here.
DELRIDGE ADOPT-A-STREET: Join the North Delridge Neighborhood Council at Delridge Community Center, 9:45 am, for this quarterly cleanup – all gear/supplies provided.
GREEN UP YOUR OWN YARD WITH NATIVE PLANTS: The West Seattle Wildlife Habitat Project‘s selling native plants to continue raising money for the demonstration garden at Seacrest. 3223 47th SW (map), 10 am-4 pm.
DON’T LET IT SLIDE: Timely, to say the least. Lots of information on landslide prevention is available — and answers to your questions — at a city-sponsored meeting at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) with engineers, geologists, arborists and more expertise, 10 am-noon at the Judge Warren & Nobie Chan Education Center near the Arboretum (park in the northeast lot).
SOUTHWEST LIBRARY ART AND ANNUAL MEETING: The annual community art show is under way at Southwest Branch Library (map) – today, meet the artists at an afternoon reception with refreshments, 2-3 pm, including a sculpture demonstration by Heidi Henry. Then you’re welcome to stay for the Friends of Southwest Library‘s annual meeting, 3-5 pm.
OPERATION CHANO: The Westenders Scooter Club folks are sending out one more reminder – tonight’s the pasta/movie/raffle fundraiser for the family of Cafe Revo‘s Chef Sean “Chano” Goff – full details at westenders.org.
Lots of entertainment options too – including Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) with the second performance of “The Diviners,” final West Seattle High School performance of “Invasion from Mars” — again, here’s the full WS Weekend Lineup list.
Tomorrow afternoon, when West Seattle’s School Board rep Steve Sundquist hosts a community chat at High Point Library (1-2:30 pm), a group plans to bring that graphic to his attention. It’s a mashup of Seattle Public Schools‘ newly revised attendance-area maps for West Seattle with data from the U.S. Census and other sources. The group, Friends of West Seattle Public Schools, says it shows that the new maps would “(divide) West Seattle along economic lines (and) undermine educational progress in West Seattle.”
The thick black line is the group’s approximation of the new line between the attendance areas for West Seattle HS/Madison MS and Chief Sealth HS/Denny MS attendance; the deeper-colored areas of the map are higher-income areas; there is a further gauge of economic demographics in each area – the triangles mark elementary schools, the white-centered triangles for schools where fewer than half the students qualify for free/reduced-price lunches, the soild-colored triangles for schools where a majority of students qualify for that assistance. The group says, “The originally proposed Sealth boundaries, if applied also to Denny, would be a good place for the district to start. It had a greater socio-economic / racial mix, while meeting the objective of fostering family engagement.”
Here’s a link to a longer statement the group has made. They are urging anyone else who’s concerned to be sure to speak out during the comment period that’s under way now – by going to tomorrow’s meeting for starters (here’s a map to High Point Library), by e-mailing board members and district executives – here’s the list they provided:
steve.sundquist@seattleschools.org
sherry.carr@seattleschools.org
harium.martin-morris@seattleschools.org
peter.maier@seattleschools.org
cheryl.chow@seattleschools.org
steve.sundquist@seattleschools.org
mary.bass@seattleschools.org
michael.debell@seattleschools.org
trlibros@seattleschools.org
superintendent@seattleschools.org
…and also by going to the official public hearing on the maps, 6 pm Monday at district HQ (2445 3rd Ave. South).
Just confirmed with Lt. Ron Smith at the Southwest Precinct, per a tip we got earlier: Tervo’s Mini-Mart on Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle was robbed again tonight, for the second time in two weeks. Lt. Smith says the description was the same as the robbers who held up the store on October 22nd – “two Hispanic males, late teens to early 20s.” No arrests so far; nobody hurt during the stickup.
New information from King County tonight, after the county’s announcement this afternoon — saying two local drugstores would be offering H1N1 vaccine to some high-risk people — conflicted with what WSBers were told when they called those stores. We inquired immediately with the King County Public Health staffers who sent out the media release – and just received this update from James Apa with King County:
Wanted to get you the latest on the H1N1 vaccination clinics. Our website is updated now, and the two Walgreens in the West Seattle vicinity are hosting flu clinics on Tuesday, November 10th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We have a great relationship with our pharmacy partners and they’re doing a public service in hosting these clinics. In some cases, there was a timing issue with information being communicated to their individual sites, but it’s resolved now. Thanks to everyone for their patience.
Schedules for appointments are already starting to fill up, and we’ll be continuing to update our site over the weekend as availability changes:
www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.aspx
Just got this note from Steph. There could be a tiny chance it’s legit, but more likely just a particularly callous scam to try to wrangle your credit-card info:
I got a call a few minutes ago from a guy asking for a donation to the Seattle Officers group that will help police families. Not really sure the exact name. He asked if I could donate any amount of money using a credit card. I was going to but thought this might be one of those scam calls to get my card info. I asked him to send me info and I will donate then. I don’t know if that was a good idea. I feel bad if this was legit but it feels a little weird that they would be asking for money when one of their officers had just died but I don’t think they would do that. Anyways, I thought I would let you know to see if anyone else gets the call.
As published here and elsewhere, the only official way to donate to the Brenton Family Assistance Fund is by making a donation to it through any Bank of America branch. Time and time again, the warning is always “don’t give your credit card number to ANYONE over the phone.”
Amid all the other major news … we’ve had so many rounds of hail/sleet it’s been hard to keep track. WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli got that photo a few hours ago – and before we could publish it, the Tukwila and vote-count stories pushed it to the back burner (freezer?). Now we’ve just had another round – splattering against the front door – and we have a weather report from co-publisher Patrick at the Chief Sealth-Mercer Island varsity football game at Memorial Stadium downtown: The game’s in its second weather delay – flashes of lightning put it on hold early on, then play resumed, and now more lightning and thunder has cleared the field. It was a 5 pm scheduled start, but because of delays, they’ve only made it through one quarter (MI 14, CSHS 0) as of 6:25 pm. We checked the newest forecast – showers, wind, and occasional hail/sleet are forecast at least through tomorrow. P.S. To check in on the game – and the weather! – follow @wsblive on Twitter. ADDED 6:57 PM: The game did resume. Also, it’s not West Seattle and has no WS link but can’t resist sharing a photo tweeted from Enumclaw – where what looked like one whale of a funnel cloud was spotted:
@TysonGamblin saw that near Mount Peak.
The daily results count is out – and Mike McGinn‘s lead over Joe Mallahan in the mayor’s race has widened to more than 1200 votes, more than double what it was a day earlier. 8:10 PM UPDATE: King County released a second round of results this evening – now McGinn’s lead is more than 2,200 votes.
Unfolding on multiple citywide-media outlets right now – what KING5 calls a “massive response” at a complex in Tukwila where a shooting happened and may be related to some kind of a break in the Officer Tim Brenton murder – less than two hours after his memorial ended. We’ll link some of the various coverage sources here momentarily. 4:19 PM: KING5 says Tukwila police tell them a man shot at that apartment complex “is the suspect” in the murder, and reporter Jim Forman points out that the ambulance into which that man was taken “has not moved.” 4:21 PM: The Seattle Times also reports the man who was shot is believed to be a suspect in the case. KING5 is saying that the suspect was shot possibly while exchanging gunfire with police, and that he is in his 30s. The station also corrected its report about the ambulance – saying the suspect has just arrived at Harborview Medical Center. The Times, meantime, says the suspect is 41. Tukwila Police are telling KING right now (live) that they are questioning other people but they are not describing them as other “suspects” at this point. 4:49 PM: The Times says the suspect is reported to have pulled a gun on police but it may not have fired before they shot him. 4:53 PM: A police spokesperson is live on TV now saying that they want to refer to the man who was shot as “a person of interest,” not necessarily a suspect yet. They confirm a vehicle similar to the one that was sought – Datsun 210 – is there, but they need a warrant to go through it and to look inside the “person of interest’s” apartment. The spokesperson says this all started with a citizen tip. 6:11 PM: The “person of interest” remains at the hospital; seattlepi.com has a neighbor’s description of him. Police are expected to have a media briefing soon. 7:34 PM: No new briefing yet but seattlepi.com quotes sources as identifying the man. We won’t publish the name till we hear it from police — too many chances this early on that information can change — but you can click through to read the seattlepi.com account. 8:48 PM: SPD has released a statement of sorts, but it says very little – read it here.
(Photo by Cliff DesPeaux/THE SEATTLE TIMES)
The emotional, inspiring, and at times humorous memorial service for Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton has just ended at KeyArena. We have photos from inside courtesy of The Seattle Times, this time not because of our partnership with them but because SPD designated them as part of the “pool” to take and share photos with other news organizations. At top, the crowd as Mayor Greg Nickels spoke; he referred to Officer Brenton’s years here, saying, “I’m proud that he grew up in my neighborhood, West Seattle. He graduated from West Seattle High School. If my numbers are correct, we moved into his neighborhood when he was a junior.” Governor Gregoire paid tribute too. But the event was truly about the solemn and dangerous work of serving and protecting, as Officer Brenton – also a U.S. Army veteran – had done for most of his adult life. For SPD, Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer opened the memorial and introduced each speaker:
(Photo by Alan Berner/THE SEATTLE TIMES)
It was of course noted during the memorial that Officer Brenton’s killer has not yet been caught. Mayor Nickels called the murder “a despicable and evil act”; regarding the quest to catch the killer/s, Acting Chief John Diaz said, “in that mission we will not fail.” We expect a few more photos later this afternoon and will add them here; our story with photos and video from this morning’s procession of law-enforcement vehicles is here. 6:03 PM: A few more pool photos from this afternoon’s memorial:
(Photo by Alan Berner/THE SEATTLE TIMES)
(Photo by Alan Berner/THE SEATTLE TIMES)
8:36 PM NOTE: Just received an update from the county – published here – superseding all the earlier stuff here.
3:10 PM NOTE: As pointed out in comments — also in an e-mail and also in a school mailing list we’re on — there appears to be a discrepancy between what the county has sent out – and what the pharmacies are telling callers. King County Public Health spokesperson Matias Valenzuela tells WSB, “We’re looking into it.” So stand by for an update. Meantime, as commenters suggest, DON’T CALL YET – until this is straightened out by the county. Another spokesperson tells us they are “reconnecting with participating pharmacies” to find out what the discrepancy is about.
ORIGINAL 2:27 PM REPORT: An update from King County Public Health today – certain pharmacies around the county are now getting more H1N1 vaccine to make available to “people prioritized to receive” it. The list includes the two Walgreens (6330 35th SW and 9456 16th SW) stores in West Seattle – both by appointment, for ages 9 and up. Read on for the full countywide announcement:Read More
If you commute by bus, you know how frustrating things were during last year’s snow woes – from stuck buses, to buses that never came at all, 
to a shortage of route-specific, time-specific information directly from Metro – which led to bus riders sharing firsthand information here and elsewhere to help each other out. Metro says it’s got a plan to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Exactly one month after SDOT came out with its snow plan (WSB coverage here), which includes procedures for coordinating with the county-run transit service, Metro unveiled its own snow plan today, including plans for new emergency routes, a color-coded map to show when they’ve kicked in, a trial run for new snow/mud tires, and a new alert service you can start signing up for (promising route-specific information). Here’s the Metro announcement with links to the new features.
(scroll down to see added info, video and links)
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
The Seattle Times (WSB partner) has a map with a timeline pointing to multimedia coverage of the procession that’s been under way for more than an hour; see it here. Meantime, we are adding photos taken for WSB by Christopher Boffoli along the procession route.
12:03 PM UPDATE: SPD has shared the program that is being distributed at this afternoon’s memorial. Mayor Nickels, Governor Gregoire and former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske are among those who are speaking. You can see the program (2-page PDF) here. And here’s Christopher’s video of scenes from the procession:
More coverage from fellow independent community-collaborative news sites Capitol Hill Seattle, here, and Central District News (whose editor Scott is at KeyArena and updating what he’s seeing), here. Live video coverage is being streamed right now by KING5 – keep in mind the memorial itself begins at 1. ADDED 1:06 PM: The Times reports that St. James Cathedral is holding a prayer service at 6:30 tonight, all welcome, on behalf of Officer Brenton, the Fort Hood victims, and all those lost to violence.
So far we’ve gotten texts about a couple of “huge puddles” that are causing some commute trouble, including one at West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way, and also where Delridge meets The Bridge – given the overnight downpour, certainly there are others, so give yourself extra time when you head out.
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