Start-time changes for West Seattle schools?
From saveseattleschools.blogspot.com, authored by volunteer writers who thoroughly cover Seattle Public Schools issues:
A presentation made to the School Board last week on school transportation included proposed changes to “bell times” for schools around the district. Middle and high schools would all start at 8 am, which means, in West Seattle, Madison and Denny Middle Schools, Pathfinder K-8, and West Seattle and Chief Sealth High Schools. Right now, per district webpages (linked to the schools’ names above), Sealth, Denny, and Madison start at 7:40 (added, see comment re: Madison/7:45), WSHS at 8:10, and it would be a dramatic change for Pathfinder K-8, which now starts at 9:10. Also per the presentation (see it here), elementary-only schools would start at 9:15, which is a bit later than most start now (particularly Roxhill, which has an 8:50 bell time). If this wins final approval, it would take effect this fall for 2009-2010, and then potentially be reviewed again before 2010-2011.
Happening today: Farmers’ Market, WSB Forum potluck, more
All from the Sunday section of the WSB West Seattle Weekend Lineup:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, as always. The fresh sheet wasn’t published this week – but you’re bound to find a tasty surprise.
HEALTHY HEART DAY: There’s one more thing you can do in The Junction today to be kind to your heart (besides buying fresh produce at the Farmers’ Market) — Pharmaca (WSB sponsor) is celebrating Healthy Heart Day, 11 am-3 pm, with free cholesterol screenings, raffles, and more (details here; also, take along this WSB coupon to get $10 off a $50 purchase).
MORE DOG DONATIONS: The folks at Muttley Crew Cuts have some more bake-sale goodies today, raising money to help the North Sound puppy-mill rescue effort. (The Saturday sale raised more than $1,000, according to Muttley Crew co-owner Kelly; Bernadette from The Wash Dog also was raising money on Saturday, half the proceeds from self-serve dog washes, more than $700!)
WSB FORUM POTLUCK AND DONATION DRIVE: Furry Faces Foundation, which also is helping the puppy-mill rescue effort, is one of two nonprofits for which WSB Forum members are inviting donations during a potluck get-together today (the other is Seattle Education Access). Everybody’s welcome! 1-5 pm at Big Al Brewing in White Center; read more here.
MUSIC FESTIVAL TO HELP KIDS: This afternoon, 2:30 pm at Grace Church, it’s the concert and fundraiser (for Baphumelele, a South African children’s home) organized by Seattle Lutheran student Lauren Vanderpool as her senior project. Full details and a map await you here.
Orchard Street Ravine gets Valentine’s Day love: 350 new plants!
In Gatewood, neighbors and friends spent part of Valentine’s Day working to give nature a helping hand in one of West Seattle’s semi-hidden greenbelt treasures, Orchard Street Ravine (map). Among them, Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, who shared these photos and a quick report:
We had a very successful day planting in the Orchard Street Ravine. Nearly 20 people turned out and worked their tails off for 4 hours to get 350-plus plants into the ground. Half of the plants were donated by the Green Seattle Partnership, the others were purchased with the last of the ProParks Levy funding allocated for the ravine and trail project. Many of the plants that went in today were bareroot native trees, to complement the understory plants put in before Christmas. Today’s weather was much more enjoyable than during that frigid planting party! The remaining blackberry thickets seen in the boundary areas will remain for a year or so to provide ground cover for the wildlife, until the new plants are established and spread out. We’ve had madrona trees grow over 3 feet in one year, so this is a rich environment for native species. Remember that future work parties will be on the second Saturday of the month, from 9:00 to 1:00.
Bobo Botanicals on the move, “to keep everything going”
As noted in this report earlier today, Valentine’s Day is a big day for florists – but one West Seattle florist is looking ahead to something even bigger, now that the holiday is over. When we spotted that big banner (shown above) outside Bobo Botanicals at 3435 California SW, we wondered whether the shop was going out of business, so we put a call in to owner Anka Bobo. Her emphatic answer: NO – “we’re not going out of business, we’re staying in business.” She does acknowledge, “The economy’s hit us really hard,” but she’s doing what she can “to keep everything going” — including moving to a studio on Charlestown Hill where she will continue her floral business “by appointment only.” Her original lease hasn’t expired yet but she is helping the owner get the word out about the search for a new tenant. And as she gets ready to move at the end of the month, she’s got sales going to reduce her inventory. She’s focused on staying in West Seattle — she grew up here, went to West Seattle High School, then moved away but came back to raise her kids. (If you want to check out her moving sale before the month ends, here’s a map.)
UPDATE: Suspicious death now classified as homicide
We told you this morning about what police called a suspicious death in a building at Fauntleroy and Dawson. Police now say the victim was a 71 year-old woman and her death is classified as a homicide. More information at SPDBlotter. Google Street View of the building (you can click inside the image to move around and get an idea of where this is, if you’re not familiar with the area):
View Larger Map
ADDED 6:55 PM ALONG WITH THAT IMAGE: For context – this is the second homicide case of the year in West Seattle (first one, the still-unsolved Steve Bushaw shooting on 2/1); there was only one for all of last year, a woman in Highland Park killed last spring by her husband, who then killed himself. In 2007, there were three (all men killed by someone they knew – the third case, the 59th/Admiral shooting in October ’07, was ruled self-defense, after a trial WSB covered extensively; the other two ended with plea bargains – here and here). Also, one very good point made in an unrelated crime thread in the WSB Forums: Everyone concerned about crime in our area is not only welcome, but encouraged, to attend the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – it’s coming up this Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room, and since there are almost always several reps from the precinct there, you will get the latest on the homicides, and other local crimes, firsthand, as well as a chance to ask any questions you have (the special guest is the SPD 911 team leader, to help debunk myths about when to call 911 and when not to).
Happening tomorrow: Enjoy local music, help orphaned children
That’s Khayelitshe, South Africa, home to the Baphumelele Children’s Home, which helps kids whose lives have been touched by HIV/AIDS. 
Tomorrow afternoon, you’re invited to a Children’s Music Festival — the senior project of Seattle Lutheran High School senior Lauren Vanderpool (left) — to benefit the children getting assistance from Baphumelele Home. It’s at 2:30 pm Sunday, Grace Church (10323 28th SW; here’s a map), and a free-will offering will be taken at the door. Lauren writes, “Children and teens from Seattle Lutheran and around Seattle are sharing their musical talents in a variety of ways.
… There are over 14,000 orphaned children in the small village of Khayelitshe. Baphumelele is a haven for these children whose lives are affected by AIDS. Right now the women of Baphumelele are in the process of building several more ‘Cluster Homes’ so the children have a warm place to sleep, and a health clinic (they have a doctor and two nurses who visit twice a week). Baphumelele is run by local women from the Khayelitshe village. The children of South Africa need our help and support.” You can find out more at www.baphumelele.org.za — and by going to the Children’s Music Festival tomorrow afternoon at Grace Church.
This explains the new Google searches for “Nicholas Francisco”
It’s been some months since our logs showed people landing on WSB by searching Google for “Nicholas Francisco,” the Seattle man who vanished one year ago. (His disappearance was a West Seattle story for a while because he and his wife had attended church here, and friends here put up posters all over the area.) But today’s logs suddenly show a few of those searches, and an e-mailed link explains why: On the anniversary of his disappearance, his wife gave her first TV interview in many months (see it here), claiming she found evidence of a “secret life” – but also saying, she just wants to know, is he still alive? As for law enforcement – the missing-person case is still open.
Traffic alert: Avoid I-5 southbound through downtown
A major crash (check the cam here) has WSDOT warning that all southbound lanes are blocked:
A police investigation continues to block all lanes of southbound I-5 at Pine Street in Seattle. Traffic is currently getting by on the right shoulder. All exits on the express lanes are open to all traffic. Washington State Patrol, fire, aid and Seattle Police are on scene.
Just in case you’re heading that way or you happen to be on the other side of this and about to head THIS way, we thought we’d better share. (Added: Thanks to Scott B for sharing this link; KIRO says it started with a pursuit following an Eastside carjacking; there’s a closer photo on the KOMO site.) 1:36 PM NOTE: WSDOT sent an update – 2 SB lanes now getting by on the right shoulder.
West Seattle scenes: Valentine morning with Linda and crew
Yes, Valentine’s Day procrastinators, you can still get flowers. One option: Follow the trail of rose petals (who needs bread crumbs?) to Linda’s Flowers and Gifts at Admiral/California (map); we stopped by last Valentine’s Day to chronicle the craziness of this very busy day, and they invited us back. The shop’s namesake and owner Linda Harader was busy with what she says remains the Valentine favorite – red roses:
As you can see in the background of that photo, balloons are bouncing around the shop too. At the work table, here are Debra (left) and Virginia:
And in the other direction, with the boss in the foreground, Melody (in pink) and Wendy:
They’re there till 5:30 tonight or “until we’re done.” When we stopped in about an hour ago, they were finishing their pickup orders, but they say they’ve got plenty left for walk-ins. (There’s a flower shop on the south side of West Seattle too, Sharon’s Westwood Florist on 35th south of Kenyon.)
West Seattle weekend scenes: Need sweet Valentine treats?
From left, John, Kelly, and Lauren are the family who unleashed Muttley Crew Cuts on West Seattle – and as we mentioned earlier this morning, they’re having a bake sale today to raise money for the North Sound puppy-mill rescuees/rescuers. You can’t miss the bake-sale tent outside their shop on the west side of California south of Hanford (map) – that’s what caught our eye and led us to pull over for a quick photo on the way back to WSB HQ from another story. (Inside, 50 percent of the proceeds from today’s bath-only canine clients go to the same cause, and The Wash Dog in Morgan Junction is doing the same for self-serve dog washes.) They’re there till 7 (bake sale too, for as long as the ample supply of treats last!). ADDED 10 PM: Kelly e-mailed to say the bake sale alone brought in $1,000 today! And that doesn’t even include the 50% of “bath dog” proceeds they were planning to donate. She adds, “We had a wonderful day and thank everyone that came out and supported us. We will be here tomorrow starting at 10 am to groom cats; I will have the left-over goodies here if anyone wants to stop by and donate. Please no dogs tomorrow, it’s hard enough grooming cats :) We are all going home and going to bed!!!!”
“Suspicious death” investigation near Fairmount Park
Megan e-mailed overnight about police activity in and around a building at Fauntleroy/Dawson (map), which had been preceded by a medic call earlier in the night (“7 per rule,” which usually means serious distress or injury), and then was followed very early this morning by the Medical Examiner taking away a body. According to Lt. Steve Paulsen from the Southwest Precinct, it’s a “death investigation that can be classified as suspicious” and investigators were called in to thoroughly process the scene “to be on the safe side.” That’s all the info we have so far but will update when we know more.
Happy Valentine’s Day, West Seattle! Today’s highlights
HELP PUPPY-MILL RESCUEES BY GETTING YOUR DOG/S CLEAN: Self-serve dog washes at The Wash Dog and “bath-only dogs” at Muttley Crew Cuts both will send 50 percent of today’s proceeds to help the puppy-mill rescuees/rescuers in the North Sound. For The Wash Dog, hours are 8 am-7 pm; for Muttley Crew, hours are 9 am-7 pm, and you need to call for an appointment — 932-6888 — they’re having a bake sale with hot coffee and cocoa too.
HELP STUDENTS BY GETTING YOUR CAR CLEAN: 10 am-3 pm at West Seattle High School, student fundraiser car wash, suggested donation $10.
FREE STRAWBERRY WHITE MOCHA: Go to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and mention you heard about the free drink at West Seattle Blog – they’re open 7 am-7 pm.
FREE EXERCISE: 9 am at Youngstown Arts Center, the NiaDivas (WSB sponsors) invite you to start Valentine’s Day by doing something good for your heart (and the rest of you) – in a free “Welcome to Nia” introductory class.
FREE MUSIC: Check the West Seattle Weekend Lineup for all the places you can enjoy free music today and tonight – one late add, Henta and Marias performing 3-5 this afternoon at Pearls on Delridge.
Those are just a few of today’s biggies — the full list is here.
Update: Crash at 35th and Trenton
(WSB photos by contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Police are still on the scene of what appears to be a single-car accident. An overturned car is blocking the two northbound lanes of 35th as investigators try to determine what happened. Witnesses on the scene reported that a single female occupant was removed from the car and was treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital. Police are not saying if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash. 12:15 AM UPDATE: That report was from Christopher, this is an update from TR: We just checked the scene — the car’s been turned upright, and traffic was getting through on the southbound side of 35th – looked like the car would be towed and the north lanes cleared shortly. Information on the victim’s condition may be hard to come by but we will check again and post a followup when we find out.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Another rack ripoff
Out of the inbox, from Greg in Seaview:
Sometime during the night of Feb 12 or daytime Feb 13, a Yakima roof rack was stolen off of my car parked in the 5000 block of 48th Ave SW [map]. The car was damaged by the thieves and this was the third car theft we have had in the past three months.
Less than two weeks ago, we had multiple rack-theft reports in this story and the ensuing comments.
Breakfast bunch: West Seattle, White Center reviews to share
BREAKFAST AT YOUNG’S: That’s the title of the latest of the popular weekly food tales that Justin Cline from Full Tilt Ice Cream is telling at White Center Now. He calls what he had at Young’s “the pinnacle of breakfast.” Read about it here.
HIDDEN GEM, JADE WEST CAFE: That’s the title of an e-mail to the Fairmount Springs list by Paul Sureddin, who says we’re welcome to share it with you too; he wrote it after several weekly breakfast visits to the little cafe north of Morgan Junction (breakfast? who knew?) – read on:Read More
Alki Point sidewalk project tour: Work may start next month
In an icy wind, with seagulls and crows chasing an eagle overhead, we toured the Alki Point sidewalk project zone this morning with SDOT’s Sandra “Sam” Woods (foreground with documents) and Eric Sill, Alki Community Council leaders, and neighbors. Its goal: To finish the pedestrian connection on the north/west side of Alki, from the park’s western end at 65th SW to where open waterfront begins again at the Beach Drive turn. Much of the money for this work is coming from the Neighborhood Street Fund. It’s been a controversial project – some upset neighbors even threatened a lawsuit at one point. The plan detailed during today’s tour goes to great lengths – and widths – to avoid taking away the long-used perpendicular parking spaces outside waterfront homes (the major source of controversy) as seen here:
Along most of the currently sidewalkless area, the new sidewalk will be built out in what currently is part of the street, which as a result will be dramatically narrowed (it’s not an arterial anyway), while the parking spaces will remain on the other side of the new sidewalk. Technically, some of those spaces will be “public parking, but it will feel private,” Woods explains. Read on for more details from today’s tour:Read More
City goes public with Seattle’s “bicycle plan progress report”
Just back from Alki Point, where we toured the upcoming sidewalk-completion project zone with SDOT workers, neighbors, and Alki Community Council leaders. Working on that story right now – many more details since the update we published last weekend — but wanted to share something that landed in the inbox while we were out, the city’s announcement of its Bicycle Master Plan Progress Report – read on for the summary (which takes note of “sharrows” like the one above, which have appeared on many stretches of West Seattle roadway in the past year or so) and link:Read More
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