West Seattle, Washington
30 Tuesday
The Seattle City Council and King County Council both took final budget votes today (city news release here, county news release here); 
no last-minute drama – that was all worked out last week. Many of those councilmembers also send out newsletters, and one of them, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess (left), followed up his budget note with his thoughts on what should be done to help stop the youth violence that flared in a particularly ugly, and deadly, way this past weekend – in several incidents including the Southcenter shooting. We wanted to share what he has to say – his voice is particularly loud in this matter, as he chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee:Read More
(WSB video from Jim Diers’ speech at May 4, 2008, Sustainable West Seattle Festival)
One of our fellow contributors at White Center Now, Ricardo from Cafe Rozella, reports he’s learned that Seattle neighborhood-activism guru Jim Diers — who he says is a Rozella regular — has consulted with President-Elect Obama‘s administration on urban affairs. Here’s Ricardo’s report. (Edited Tuesday to clarify that Diers has met once with the incoming administration.)
That’s the legendary Tony, of Tony’s Produce and – this time of year – Tony’s Christmas Trees, applying flocking to one of said trees. We went by after Sandra e-mailed the tip (following up on our earlier mention of tree lots in progress) that they were open (1st one in West Seattle that we know of). Tony says they’re there 9 am-9 pm daily, starting now (35th/Barton, here’s a map). We also have updates on two of the Christmas tree spots we mentioned earlier: “West Seattle Bros” on Alaska west of Fauntleroy will open Friday, and West Seattle Nursery (WSB sponsor) will start selling trees Friday too. ADDED LATER: Skyline Secure Park will have “Christmas Trees on Alki” again this year, entrance across from the Harbor Ave 7-11, also opening Friday.
Here’s the Fauntleroy Creek fall coho watch wrapup from Judy Pickens, who also just reported these results to government agencies for their tracking purposes:
We closed Salmon Watch 2008 today with a grand total of one coho spawner (code name “Hillary”), who appeared on Nov. 8 in the fish ladder and waited in vain for a mate. We didn’t see any cutthroat or pesky river otter.
During this return season, fishers reported seeing a few coho in the cove but also sea lions and seals, plus tribal purse seiners along the West Seattle peninsula. Creek conditions were excellent (at least .7′ of water at the gauge), and rains were periodic and generous.
Our watch ran Oct. 27 to Nov. 24 and involved 16 volunteers. They recorded some 35 visitors at the fish-ladder viewpoint or creekside.
As we reported this time last year, the 2007 salmon watch counted 90 — the 2006 salmon watch, zero. Here’s hoping for a better year in 2009.
Fauntleroy Way has its radar speed signs … and it has other reminders of the perils of the road, like this car with a smashed-in rear end. We spotted it along the south-of-Alaska stretch (the one proposed for repaving and reconfiguration) a few days ago but don’t have the story behind it (yet); Scott M suggested it was worth a photo, so here it is. Will be checking again shortly to see if it’s been towed yet. Not far away, Mike J spotted this new Christmas tree lot getting set up on Alaska, between Howden-Kennedy and Bank of America:
Once the lots are all up and running this weekend, we’ll bring you the annual WSB Christmas tree lot list (and price check). Other lots where we’ve seen setup include the legendary Holy Rosary Christmas Tree Lot, which opens this Saturday behind Admiral Safeway, and the lot at Tony’s Produce (35th/Roxbury), which shut down fruits and veggies a few weeks ago to get ready for the Christmas focus.
Last August, while we were at City Hall to cover another story, an SDOT manager told us the badly needed repaving on 16th SW (photo above) was scheduled within two months. In this past weeks, it’s been pointed out — at the Delridge District Council meeting and in WSB comments — that the paving work has yet to begin. We promised to follow up; here is the explanation we have just received from Marybeth Turner at the city Transportation Department (SDOT):
SDOT was planning to pave the 5400 block of 16th Avenue SW (from Findlay to Brandon, at north end of South Seattle Community College) last summer by adding it to another paving contract that we already had in place. In the end we did not receive approval to add 16th Ave SW to the existing contract, and we were instructed to seek competitive bids for the project.
The 16th Avenue SW project is now out to bid as part of a package that includes Second Avenue and Fourth Avenue paving. We must now wait and see what amount contractors will bid for this work. We expect to know this spring whether or not we have sufficient funds to proceed with 16th Avenue SW paving.
The complication with the paving of 16th SW is that it is not just a simple asphalt overlay, but requires more extensive work. The plan is to install a new storm drain and also street drain inlets. The road will be regraded and widened a bit. The asphalt path on the west side of the street will be improved. And of course the street will be repaved.
Paving funds are in shorter supply because of city budget changes last week in advance of the final vote expected today; as we reported last Thursday, the city is now trying to figure out how much money it will have to get repaving done on Fauntleroy between Edmunds and Alaska. We will keep checking on this one too.
TONIGHT: Highland Park Action Committee meets for the first time since the new list of potential misdemeanor-jail sites was announced last Thursday (WSB coverage here), with the Highland Park Way/West Marginal Way site still on the list (though now it’s one of six possible locations). But that’s far from all that HPAC is up to; read this WSB Forums post for reasons why you should join in. 7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club building (11th/Holden; here’s a map).
TOMORROW: Seattle Public Schools‘ preliminary list of proposed school closures will go public. We know for sure that they will be presented and discussed in detail at a School Board workshop tomorrow night (6 pm, district HQ: here’s a map) – but we’re still awaiting final word on whether any sort of media briefing will be held to make the list public earlier in the day. The chances at least one West Seattle school will be on the list are considered to be fairly high for a variety of reasons including “excess capacity” and building age/condition (here’s our most recent coverage, including dates for “workshops” to talk about the closures). The last round of building closures less than 2 years ago led to the shutdown of Fairmount Park Elementary.
WEDNESDAY: The closures – whichever schools are on the list – are likely to be a major topic as West Seattle’s school-board rep Steve Sundquist has his monthly “coffee hour,” open for anyone to drop in and discuss district/education issues, 9 am at Coffee to a Tea with Sugar in The Junction. (Added later Monday: We have word he also plans an extra community availability at the Delridge Library from 3-5 pm Saturday 12/6.)
As for the holiday – you’ll find lots of new information and events added to our Holiday Happenings page — including info we’ve compiled so far about what happens on Thanksgiving, from free morning workouts to grocery store/coffee shop hours – that info will be complete by tomorrow but we’re adding it to the list as we get it.
Four West Seattle gas stations are selling regular for less than $2, as of our weekly survey a few hours ago. (We’re still over the national average detailed in this report.) Read on for our full list (with posted prices for regular and premium), including comparison numbers for previous weeks/months:Read More
Wasn’t on our radar, but the University of Washington Daily was there Friday night as friends and family of Amanda Knox — whose mother lives in Arbor Heights — gathered at the Holy Rosary School Hall to raise money for Knox’s defense against the murder charge that has made international headlines. The family also recently set up a fundraising website that includes personal photos from Knox’s younger years; it’s at amandadefensefund.org.
That’s the new sign up outside the future home of Prost West Seattle, on California SW just south of The Bohemian and Spiro’s (here’s a map). Not only is the sign up, so is the Prost West Seattle website, with the promise that Prost is “opening really really soon”; this page elaborates that Prost expects to open in December, with hours 3 pm-2 am 7 days a week (same thing proprietor Chris Navarra told us in the interview for this story we published two months ago).
One more West Seattle beverage note: The Harbor Ave drive-thru coffee shack where we got the photo at left almost exactly a year ago (we’re showing Christmas lights again this year, by the way; send us addresses!) has a new look and a new name. We noticed repainting under way last week – from the former red, to a latte-like beige with tan trim – but didn’t think anything of it till we saw one of their coffee cards over the weekend and noticed the name has changed, from Sleepless Coffee to West Bay Espresso.
As posted on Creighton Space (with photo) — a seal pup on Alki (which, Creighton wrote, was being guarded by Seal Sitters), close to a dead seal. (Perhaps the same dead seal that someone posted about in this comment last night on an old post?) Overall, it’s been a fairly slow season for the Seal Sitters, but they had expected the recently arrived chum run to bring along more seals.
We told you Tuesday about the free “Gobble Stomp” exercise classes being offered Thanksgiving morning by the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) at the Junction and Fauntleroy locations. Now, another option for pre-turkey exercise — just out of the WSB inbox:
Hi, I’m hoping to find some sportin’ folks of all ages and both sexes for a little pre-gorging two-hand-touch football on the athletic field at Madison Middle School. Very inclusive, get-everybody-involved, size-doesn’t-matter kind of fun. Approximately 9 am-10:30 (Thanksgiving morning). Gavin Layton, 206-937-5478
You can also e-mail Gavin if you’re interested – gavin@gavinlayton.com
From our West Seattle Weekend Lineup, a one-time-only event happening tonight – a chance to see a work in progress, telling a story that so far has gone untold, as the storyteller seeks help to finish her project. That storyteller is Seattle filmmaker Jen Marlowe, and her work is “Rebuilding Hope,” documenting three of the so-called “Lost Boys” of Sudan as they returned home to the country they had to leave because of civil war. West Seattleites Charlene Robins and Steve Dresang decided to help Marlowe by organizing an event at Kenyon Hall – this is part of the letter that they sent to friends:
Steve and I first saw the film about two months ago, and were deeply touched and moved by it. Steve spent almost a year in Angola witnessing and caring for the suffering that was inflicted on a nation by a long and drawn-out war. I had the unique and inspiring opportunity to medically care for some of the “Lost Boys” when they first arrived in Seattle about 7 years ago. So it was no wonder that this film pulled at our heartstrings and made us hopeful for Change …
The film is about 80 minutes long and Jen will be at Kenyon Hall to answer any questions you have after the film. We will have some drinks, snacks and popcorn as well. We plan to start the film at 7:30. I think the film will be a great learning experience for anyone who is grade-school age or older.
Charlene added in her note to WSB, “The public is welcome. The screening is free, but we encourage donations toward the cost of making this impressive documentary. The making of the film is a non-profit venture and donations are tax-deductible.” Kenyon Hall is at 7904 35th SW (east side of the street; here’s a map). You can find out more about “Rebuilding Hope” at rebuildinghopesudan.org.
(Photo courtesy Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, showing volunteers picking apples)
Thanks to community interest and generosity, Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is growing even faster than the fruit trees and gardens that local neighbors have “loaned” them, to share the bounty. So founder Aviva wanted to post a note of thanks – with questions for you as well, to see if there’s interested in some of what the group has on the table:
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle would like to thank all our generous
volunteers and tree owners for making the harvest of 2008 such an overwhelming success. We picked and donated more than 4,200 pounds of delicious local organic fruit and 800 pounds of vegetables. Volunteers harvested more than 65 trees, including a fig tree and some grape vines, planted two vegetable gardens, and started a few young fruit trees. At a time when food banks are experiencing increased need, we are grateful to make use of the abundance in our backyards for sharing with others.As we are planning for 2009, we have a few new projects we are considering. We would like to gauge community interest.
Are you a food-gardener-wanna-be? Do you wish you could walk out your door and pick fresh veggies for your dinner or lunch? Are you looking for a little help to develop your green thumb? CHOSS is contemplating a garden-mentor project, pairing experienced food gardeners with beginners so that more people can experience the joys of turning Lawns into Lettuce. If you are an experienced food gardener with a desire to share your art, or a novice who wants to get started, contact info@gleanit.org and let us know.
Our other potential project involves fruit. Yes, there are still lots of unharvested apple trees dropping fruit, and some would say, “why plant more trees?” But imagine a neighborhood orchard, planted anew with easy-pick disease resistant varieties, perfect for this climate. Imagine a neighborhood getting together for pruning parties, harvesting parties, community canning kitchens, cider making, with plenty left over for donation. Want to make this happen? Get in touch with us at info@gleanit.org.
We are also actively recruiting new board members, with skills, time and energy to share, especially in the areas of fund raising, event planning, and working with youth. Contact us at info@gleanit.org for more specifics.
CHOSS board member Mary Ellen Cunningham spoke about some of this at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council earlier this week, and also mentioned a project next year to turn more of the fruit into preserves if it’s not otherwise usable. The group did a lot of teaching this past year as well as harvesting; here’s just one example.
Four days till Thanksgiving; unique ingredients await you at today’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm. Click ahead to see the list of what’s new today, and what else is fresh:Read More
We use that beautiful photo – Saturday night’s sunset from the Duwamish Head vicinity, shared by David Hutchinson (thank you!) – as an excuse to mention that the latest forecast calls for Thanksgiving Day sunshine, highs in the upper 40s (and Friday sunshine too – great for West Seattle shopping, as well as for downtown parade-going, which is on our agenda).
A few things we didn’t get the chance to share earlier because of everything that was happening: First, just in time for West Seattle Junction holiday shopping, the renovated Stop and Shop opened today on the street level of the Senior Center of West Seattle. Among the eclectic offerings, a $25 Santa suit:
Stop and Shop is now open 10 am-4 pm, seven days a week. Also in holiday mode today, the Camp Long Lodge, where a festive crowd turned park tree trimmings into wreaths:
At the center of that photo is Camp Long’s Gretchen Graber, who reminds you NOT to get your own trimmings at city parks – these were salvaged from work crews — but you can certainly make wreaths out of greenery from your own yard. In fact, your next chance to learn the art of wreathmaking is this Wednesday (11/26) at West Seattle Nursery (WSB sponsor), with a free wreathmaking class at 10 am (and more later in the holiday season – see the Holiday Happenings page).
Just in from Jim:
Just saw a big flash over West Seattle about 8:00 from my viewpoint here in Shorewood. Of Course someone in West Seattle might have seen a big flash over the Olympics for all I know. One of the brightest I’ve seen in years.
This reminds us of a meteor clip posted on Slog today – going to go look for that. There is an annual meteor shower in the middle of November … researching that too. 8:34 PM ADDITION: The meteor shower was “Leonids,” which peaked Monday. This is the Edmonton dashcam video of a meteor sometime Thursday (as featured on Slog earlier):
When WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand talked recently with students at Tilden School (WSB sponsor), he invited them to keep us posted on any other news they wanted to share. Tilden’s Julie Enevoldsen has just forwarded a writeup from Ahna, and a comment from Vivian, regarding a current project to help students in Uganda (map) through a program called Sister Schools:
From Ahna —
“We need to help Uganda. I’m a fourth grade student from Tilden School and we are trying to help the Sister Schools. We want to raise enough money to buy a roof for the girls’ shower and maybe even some lights.
The Sister Schools takes place in Uganda in Africa. It used to be the best place in Africa but a bad war came and ruined the place. Now they have to walk about three miles to get water and on bare feet! Some of the people in Uganda don’t have clothes, they have to wear rags or tie their left-over clothes. So we are sending donations like shirts, pants, toys, and things like that, but not stuffed animals because of lice.
Terry is the one who brings the donations to them and he is a very great person to do that because he has to go all the way to Africa and back. We are also doing a penny drive but we don’t have to bring just pennies; we can bring nickels, quarters, dollars, and dimes, along with pennies. We want to raise $500.00 and we are almost there. We have $447.58. We want to raise money so we can help them renew everything like the girls’ bedroom because the girls’ bedroom has a problem with the girls on the top bunk. The top bunk of the girls’ room has the most heat–and a lot of heat–because the metal on the roof makes it really hot. We have to save Uganda and they need more help.”
From Vivian —
“Last year we gave items to Sister Schools, and when they saw the items their faces lit up with joy, so we are trying to make that happen again.”
Julie adds —
The enormous heap of school materials, clothes, and sports equipment the Tilden students collected was sent off today, on its way to Uganda. We look forward to Terry’s return next spring; he’ll bring photos of those faces “lit up with joy” to share with our students. Seeing their own donations in the hands of the Ugandan children reinforces the Tilden students’ understanding that they can make a difference in the world. Tilden School would like to extend our thanks to Viking Bank for their very gracious support helping count all those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters! (Our updated total, so far, is $710.86.)
We encourage anyone who’s inspired by Ahna’s and Vivian’s stories to visit
the Sister Schools website, sisterschools.org; there are many ways to help.
Last night, a WSB Forum member posted a photo and report about an accident at 15th/Barton; we subsequently checked with police, who told us it was vehicle vs. pedestrian. Now there’s an update on the police department’s SPD Blotter site, saying the victim wasn’t a pedestrian, but a 5-year-old boy on a bicycle (you can see the bicycle in the photo at left, from the original forum post). Police say he was not seriously hurt. More details here in the SPD Blotter post.
(see bottom of this post for added/updated info throughout the evening)
ORIGINAL 4:21 PM REPORT: It’s the closest major mall to West Seattle so this is practically local news: A shooting is reported at Southcenter Mall in Tukwila – at least one person reported to have been hit. We are monitoring some of the scanner traffic; the search for a suspect/s appears to be continuing. Will add more info/links as we get them; this is the first report. Eerie that it was the pre-Thanksgiving weekend three years ago when the Tacoma Mall shooting happened. 4:33 PM UPDATE: Scanner says it happened “between Mac Store, Banana Republic, and main hallway” and believed to be gang-related. We are also monitoring regional news sources for any new details from scene. Here are some direct links: P-I report, KING5 report, KIRO report, more links when they show up online (here’s the Twitter stream for Southcenter mentions). The Times doesn’t have a separate story yet but its home-page blurb says 2 victims have been taken to Harborview Medical Center; scanner traffic a few minutes ago also mentioned 2 victims. 5:01 PM UPDATE: KING says the person who shot 2 men at the mall is NOT in custody at this point; officers are continuing to search the mall in case he’s still in there. 5:22 PM UPDATE: First eyewitness account we’ve found is in a Daily Kos “diary,” of all places. “exiledfromTN” wrote:
Long story short, we were upstairs when we heard the shots. The mall was packed with people, and when the first shot went off, my Memphis upbringing told me immediately the noise was too loud to be anything else but shots. Everyone is looking around as if they’re all thinking, “WTF was that?” Then shots two and three go off, and there’s no question.
Times now has a standalone story, which says two other people were hospitalized besides the shooting victims – including “a pregnant woman who went into labor.” 6:06 PM UPDATE: Witness doing a phone interview on KIRO says it started after a fistfight between a group of young men who the witness said “looked 18, tops.” The two victims are described as “late teens/early twenties.” 7:06 PM UPDATE: One of the victims has died, according to the Times. 7:42 PM UPDATE: “WesCAddle” reports this in the comment section below:
We were there. In watching a movie at the new theater when about 30 minutes into it, they turned on all the lights and an usher came in and announced that we all needed to evacuate the mall. When we got out into the lobby of the theaters, the big metal gate was closed and we were told we would not be allowed to leave the theater. After about 10 minutes of standing around in the lobby (and watching police with automatic rifles running all over the place on the other side of the gates) the theater operators told us we could go back in and finish watching the movies, since it would probably be a while before we could leave.
Needless to say, we returned to the movie and finished it. When the movie ended they began letting people leave, and traffic was a nightmare. The police response was huge outside and inside the mall.
It was better than the movie.
ADDED 9:29 PM: We have an even more harrowing account from WSB’er “Jack Loblaw”:
My wife and I were at the Starbucks at Southcenter when the shooting occurred. We used to target shoot for hobby and knew by the second round fired that it was gunfire. Out daughter and her girlfriend ( 13 years old ) were at the theatre seeing “Twilight”. We ran for our lives. I looked back and saw that my wife had ran into Starbucks which was a trap with no way out. I ran back knowing that I could be shot and pulled her out and ran faster than I have ever run before. We got outside and I called 911. It took 45 seconds or more for them to answer. I told then that we were at Southcenter and 5 shots had been fired inside the mall. They said that there were multiple reports and that they were on it.
We were on the first floor and our kid was in the theatre on the top floor. We snaked our way up stairs and got to the theatre. There were just locking the doors of the theatre when we got there. I told them that our kids were inside and that we were not going to be locked out from them. They let us in; as I stood watch my wife searched theaters for the kids. They finally evacuated all the theaters but would not let us leave the lobby. They told us to go back into a theatre to which I replied “F-Off ” I just was in the line of fire and I refuse to be trapped in a box with no way to run.” We were held captive for what seems like an hour. Verizon cell phones DID NOT WORK. I used my AT&T Blackberry to start searching for information. I called a friend on AT&T to get info via the web. Finally we were let out.. There was at least 5 or 6 police officers with fully automatic weapons that we had to pass through on the way out. …
What is wrong with America that it is not safe to take our family to the mall ? We were just remarking 2 minutes before the shooting occurred that Southcenter looked like it had cleaned up its act and that it did not look like gang central — I guess we were wrong. Do we need to be armed to go out in public any more — ???
9:36 PM UPDATE: The person who was killed is identified (per the Times) as 16-year-old Daiquin L. Jones. 15-year-old Jermaine McGowen is the survivor. No arrest reported yet. 10:01 PM UPDATE: Channel 5 says the search inside the mall has just ended, no sign of the killer. 10:43 PM UPDATE: Later in that newscast, a relative of the victim told a reporter that the victim had just gotten out of jail “last Friday” – not clear if that meant yesterday or a week earlier. EARLY SUNDAY UPDATE: Times says Southcenter Mall will reopen today.
At this past week’s Delridge District Council meeting attendees heard a moving presentation about the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership — which needs more people power to help keep local kids out of trouble with alcohol and other drugs, not just to keep them safe for now, but also to reduce their chances of lifelong problems – the sooner you start drinking, the more likely you are to struggle with alcohol abuse as an adult. Since knowledge is power, as the saying goes, one simple way to help — if you’re a West Seattle parent — is to complete a new survey – and you can do it online. Here’s how Renae Gaines, a local leader in this fight, explains it:
The Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is interested in getting feedback from community members about the attitudes and perceptions of underage youth using alcohol and/or other drugs. We realize that you are a valuable source of information and the information will help the coalition to address alcohol and drug use in the community.
In late November, a survey will be sent out to 1233 community members to gather information on attitudes, knowledge and perceptions around this issue. The coalition will use the community information to develop community strategies and solutions. The survey data is important for understanding the issue surrounding underage use of alcohol and other drugs in the community and we strongly encourage community members to participate. The community members were selected randomly and will receive a survey via the United Stated States Postal Service which will include a postage paid return envelope. Or you can have the option of completing this on-line survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/WestSeattleParentSurvey . If you are a West Seattle parent and you haven’t received the survey via US mail or completed it through Madison Middle School, please take it online.The results of the survey will be distributed throughout the community after the data analysis and community members will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the results.
If you have questions about the community survey and/or information about the coalition, please contact the SPF-SIG Community Coordinator, Renaé T. Gaines: (206) 396-2945 or her e-mail: rtgaines@seattleschools.org
Another way for you to join forces with the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is to attend the next meeting, coming up Tuesday night — 6-8 pm, Southwest Library branch; here’s a map. (All the group’s meetings through next May are listed now on the WSB Events calendar.)
ORIGINAL REPORT: The “heavy rescue” call to 6900 Delridge (map) is a two-car crash, including a rollover, and it’s blocking the road both ways – photos in a moment. Thanks to T. Bradley for the photos above, and this info:
From what I could observe the overturned car was heading southbound on Delridge when it hit the silver Honda Civic that appeared to be parked on the west side of Delridge. Upon striking the rear driver’s side of the Civic, the gold Ford Taurus rolled over onto its roof. The Taurus appeared to be occupied by a women and 2 to 3 small children. No one was trapped and all were able to extricate themselves prior to the arrival of the first fire department units. There appeared to be minor injuries. Currently Delridge Way is blocked in both directions.
We will go check in a bit to see if the road has reopened yet. 4:09 PM UPDATE: It’s cleared, and open.
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