West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
Besides the case of the laptop bandit (suspect now under arrest), we’ve got a few more police reports from the Southwest Precinct to tell you about before the night’s over:Read More
Two nights after the Charlestown Cafe fire, another update from owner Larry Mellum: Regarding when the CC will reopen, he says, “I can’t really give you a time frame as yet but the damage doesn’t appear to be extensive enough to cause any kind of long-term closure. Our best guess barring any setbacks would be early next week if all goes as planned.” Larry also says it’s suspected that the fryer fire started because a thermostat failed and the oil got so hot (the cook tried to turn it off but couldn’t), it “spontaneously combusted.”
Official King County news release: Mail-only voting delayed till next year.
Just talked to the Southwest Precinct – they’ve arrested the key suspect in the laptop thefts last night at Freshy’s and Monday night at Cupcake Royale. (Previous WSB coverage here and here.)
With the Saturday caucuses suddenly in the national spotlight, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are both coming to Seattle in the next few days. Her appearance is scheduled for tomorrow night at Terminal 30, the cruise-ship facility on the south edge of the downtown waterfront, not that far from the WS bridge. His appearance is set for Friday, location TBA 11 am @ KeyArena. No word of last-minute GOP candidate visits, so far. More caucus info in previous WSB coverage here.
If you missed Monday’s meeting, or were there but didn’t get a copy – the full PowerPoint (which we partially screengrabbed for our report) and drawings are now available here.
Thanks to Jo for the tip that it looks open now – we just called owner “Thampay” Thilakarajah; he tells WSB the store will officially open 7 am tomorrow. (Here’s our in-depth article from last month detailing what he says AUM will offer.)
Just off the phone with the Southwest Precinct — 
updates on 3 cases: FIRST — The Freshy’s robbery yesterday (original report here) — police say they know who they’re looking for and at least one suspect should be in custody soon — plus there’s a strong likelihood, as posted in the comments on the Freshy’s report, that the main suspect also was involved in a similar robbery at Cupcake Royale Monday night — “exact same M-O,” police say — ask a question about a bus route, grab a laptop and bolt. At least one witness from Freshy’s knew the suspect’s name; separate from that, regarding the discussion about descriptive factors — light-skinned black male, 17 years old, 6’2″, 190, is what’s on the report. No good description of the other suspect(s). SECOND ITEM: The Admiral rock-throwing suspects, as reported here and here: A second suspect has now been arrested; just one more left to go. (No description but police in this case too say they know exactly who they are after.) THIRD ITEM: Police are putting out two photos of a van linked to a wallet-snatching at South Seattle Community College three weeks ago, hoping it might lead to some tips:
That’s a light blue or gray ’90s Dodge Caravan with tinted windows, used as the getaway vehicle after the robbery at 7 pm January 17. Police say a woman who works in the campus library had just parked her car and was walking to work when a suspect described only as a black man in his 20s asked her for 50 cents. She thought he was a student, so she pulled out her wallet and was going to loan him the money after a promise he would find her in the library and pay her back; he then grabbed her wallet and ran, with four other suspects (no description) suddenly appearing and fleeing with him. (No description of them.) If you have any information on the van, or anything else about this robbery, here’s who to call: Detective Jim Rodgers in the Seattle PD Robbery unit, 262-2515.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Amy:
Can you help me shout out to some helpful bystanders who came to my aid yesterday? My toddler, newborn and I were leaving Swedish Physicians (on California Ave & Hinds) and getting off the elevator to the parking garage when my son’s hand got trapped in the elevator door as it opened. I tried to pull it out to no avail and was screaming for help when several people arrived. One was a man holding a small child; he put the child down and managed to extricate my son’s hand. Another woman helped me push my infant’s stroller while I got my hysterical son back up to the doctor. In all the commotion I never thanked either one of them. Fortunately his hand is merely bruised, but it was very traumatic for him and for me and I really appreciate the kindness of strangers to get through a scary experience. Thank you, fellow West Seattlites!
As we first told you a week and a half ago, the former Hart’s Gifts on Admiral just west of California is becoming Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama, featuring “retro and nostalgic” merchandise. After seeing the sign go up (as shown above), we just checked with owner Kent Sadow regarding progress toward opening; he says it’ll be within the next few days, adding (for everyone wondering about retro candy possibilities), “Spent the better part of yesterday pricing Sugar Daddys, Good & Plenty, Chuckles, Candy dots (on paper) and a lot more.” He promises he will let us all know as soon as the “open” sign goes up.
Today, our traditional WSB sponsor welcome goes out to Jenaya Van Horn, MA, LMFT, CMHS, whose West Seattle practice offers individual, couple, and group therapy. As you will see on Jenaya’s ad in the right sidebar — the one that is headed SAY NO MORE! — what she offers includes EFT Coaching, and here’s what she would like you to know: “The challenges we face are part of being human. They present us with opportunities to learn more about ourselves and the possibilities that life can hold. Attending to these can give our lives greater depth and make life more meaningful. This is often described as ‘work’; however, I prefer to see it as a labor of love. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, trained in EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and Lifespan Integration, two approaches that I have seen to be helpful in resolving depression, anxiety, relationship conflict, difficulty making or acting upon decisions, addictive or self-harming behaviors, anger, grief, trauma and transitions; more gently and quickly than talk therapy alone. If you are ready to enjoy a healthy, happy life with purpose and want to explore what you can do to make your life better or different, then let’s begin.” Thanks to Jenaya for supporting WSB; if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, the first step is to check out our Advertise page. That page lists all our current sponsors; we hope that if/when you do business with any of them, you will consider thanking them for supporting WSB, as we get closer to sustainability. Thank you, and thanks to all of them!
So says the National Weather Service forecast, 4 pm today-4 am tomorrow, 45 mph gusts.
The city Transportation Department says it’s looking at ways to convince more people to turn off northbound Alki Ave at 63rd, where the yellow “residential street” sign shown above seems to be too subtle a clue that the arterial ends there, instead of continuing up and through the narrow stretch where it becomes Beach Drive at Alki Point. Sandra Woods of SDOT tells WSB that might even include physical changes to the intersection, “to make the turn more obvious.” This is part of the next stage of the process regarding pedestrian improvements west of that intersection, now that the city has told concerned area residents it won’t do anything that would take away their existing non-parallel parking in the sidewalk-less zone. (That’s the proposal that brought an upset group to the Alki Community Council last month, as we reported here.) Woods emphasizes the sidewalk plan isn’t dead — it was the result of a neighborhood application/planning process — but will likely turn into some kind of what she calls a “nonconventional walkway.” Right now, the city is developing “conceptual drawings” to be presented at a future public meeting, likely late March/early April.
We always note the bigger commercial listings, and this one just turned up: The Limrock 11, 4501 Admiral (map), listed at $1,750,000.
First: Two notes about art. There’s an artists’ reception and sale this Thursday night at the Alki Bathhouse 5-8 pm; then, next Thursday night (Valentine’s Day), the West Seattle Art Walk in The Junction makes history with a record 20 venues participating. We just received the flyer; check it out here. (Or read more on the official Art Walk blog.)
Now, the beauty of nature. First photo is by Eilene Hutchinson (thank you!), who spotted this bird – believed to be a Cooper’s Hawk – on a wire over Spud’s:
And this is a shot we caught from Constellation Park at sunset tonight:
NEED HAIR HELP? THE $ GOES TO COMMUNITY HELP! This Sunday is the annual “Have a Heart Day” at Illusions (WSB sponsor), and the folks there tell us they still have some appointments open during the event noon-5 pm. Here’s how it works: They’re donating their services, at reduced prices; the price you pay goes to help Southwest Youth & Family Services and Pencil Me in for Kids. You can read about Pencil Me In and Have a Heart Day at this page on the Illusions site; read about SWYFS here. Call Illusions @ 938-3675 for an appointment.
DRINK, DINE, AND PAY TRIBUTE TO JOHN HARTLEY: Last spring, we posted about the sudden, much-too-soon death of John Hartley, a larger-than-life, popular local waiter. Now comes word of a project to honor John’s memory — raising $5,000 for a bench at Alki with a plaque bearing one of his favorite sayings, “Sit down and shut up!” Matthew Darling tells us that JaK’s Grill, one of the places where John worked, will be accepting donations during Happy Hour and the rest of the evening next Monday, Feb. 11, 4:30-10 pm (Matthew says the crew will donate part of their tips, too).
DOES YOUR GROUP NEED TO RAISE $? WSB sponsor Garlic Jim’s Pizza is offering a chance for local groups to make some $. Co-owner Ryan Reese says, “I have a really good fundraising opportunity for any local school, church group etc. I can guarantee a cash payment to whichever group chooses to help out a MINIMUM $750/week. This opportunity will be available for at least the next 5-6 weeks maybe even longer. That is a potential of $4,500 in six weeks. A group of 50 people can earn the $750 in under two hours. A group of 25 can earn the money in under four hours and so on.” To find out more, call Garlic Jim’s in The Junction at 937-JIMS (or drop by during business hours — east side of California Ave, midblock between Oregon and Edmunds).
SATURDAY’S NOT JUST CAUCUS DAY: There’s a boatload of events happening around West Seattle on Saturday. Before you caucus – how about helping clean? There are Adopt-a-Street Cleanup campaigns Saturday morning both in The Junction (check the JuNO website for more on how to help – they’re looking for volunteers right now) and the Admiral District (see this Admiral Neighborhood Association group page to get details).
GOT A FRUIT TREE THAT NEEDS PRUNING? Experts will show you how! Check out this announcement:
Do you have one of those apple trees that hasn’t been pruned in years? Or maybe you have a young pear tree that you’d like keep in good “shape”? Now’s the time for pruning those trees. The Community Harvest of West Seattle, in conjunction with Solid Ground, will be offering 2 pruning workshops in West Seattle. These basic workshops will be taught by a certified arborist, and will include lecture, demonstration, and the possibility of some hands-on experience. The workshops are free, but are limited to 18 participants, so please RSVP if you are interested. We are looking for a plum tree or 2 for the demo. We are hoping that attendees will share their new skills with their neighbors.
Dates: Saturday – February 23rd, 10 AM-1 PM – Apple and Pear Trees – Duwamish Cohousing
Saturday – March 8, 10 AM – 1 PM – Plum Trees – Site to be decidedRSVP to Aviva with your contact info – 200-2107 or info@gleanit.org
This just in from Michael:
I *just* witnessed a robbery at Freshy’s coffee on California. Three
young African-American men came in and asked the barista how often
some bus came by. She answered, then they milled around for a minute
acting like they were debating if they were going to wait. Then one
guy grabbed the open laptop of a woman who was sitting near the door
and bolted, along with another one of the guys. The woman screamed and
chased after them. The third fellow stood around saying “What’s going
on?”, but it was clear that he was in on the scam — either trying to
block other people from chasing the perps, or to grab something else
while people were distracted.The woman came back to the coffee shop a few minutes later saying that
one of the guys had knocked her to the ground very forcefully when she
chased them; she ended up with a big welt on the back of her head.
Meanwhile another patron chased the guys as well and saw them leave in
a red car parked near the high school. The barista called the police
and they’re on the way. The victim said she’s from out of town, making
it that much worse.This was such a deliberate, organized crime that I’m sure they’re
going to try pull this again. Please tell everyone to be on the
lookout, to protect their laptops and other valuables when they’re
out, and to keep an eye out for people running this kind of scam.
If you haven’t been to Freshy’s and can’t place the location — west side of California, south of the Admiral District, across from Hiawatha.
Thanks to OP for that photo of one of the flyers (weatherbeaten as they can get) that’s up alerting people about the poison concerns at two local parks. As previously mentioned, the locally based animal-advocacy group Pasado’s Safe Haven (whose post-Katrina rescue had included Mo, the West Seattle dog that got sick last week) is offering a $5,000 reward, and there are now details on its website, including a flyer you can download to print and post. (P.S. A pet-helping side note: This Saturday and Sunday, 20 cats and 40 kittens will be available for adoption at Kitty Harbor next to ActivSpace on Harbor Ave, 11 am-7 pm both days. KH has found new homes for more than 500 felines in its first four months in West Seattle! 11 am-7 pm both days; call 935-1919 or go here to find out more.)
Through 9 pm, says the National Weather Service. Gusts could hit 50 mph.
5 pm. Cafe Rozella info here. Any other West Seattle Super Tuesday parties? Post ’em!
Per the P-I, city councilmembers officially voted this morning to spend money on studying six possible streetcar lines to follow the SLU…etc., including one that potentially would head out our way. (Interesting history culled from a websearch: The county looked into studying a WS streetcar more than two years ago, says this link; and of course The Junction takes its name from the fact two streetcar lines crossed there.)
(Photo courtesy Scott Kratz) We just checked with Helen Fitzpatrick of the Seattle Fire Department re: the cause of the Charlestown Cafe fire; “fire in the deep-fat fryer,” she confirms. As we reported last night, cafe owner Larry Mellum told WSB a few hours after the fire that they’d need “days” to get the restaurant back in shape – we’ll keep checking on how things are going. (Original coverage from last night is here and here, with JetCityOrange‘s fire video here. Just last week, we’d reported promising news about CC’s future.)
Luminaria like those grace the field at West Seattle Stadium one night every summer as part of the Relay for Life, an overnight event that brings together local people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Tonight, organizers are inviting you to the Relay for Life of West Seattle kickoff party, 6:30-8 pm at Fauntleroy Children’s Center; map here. (The actual Relay for Life happens 6 pm Friday, June 27, through noon Saturday, June 28.) To get more information – even if you can’t make the party tonight – call Karee Boone at 206/674-4105, Melissa Bazala at 206/281-3738, or Diane Redenbaugh at 206/937-2291.
| 8 COMMENTS