Sunday spotlight: Sailings, salmon
Happening today:
LAST ’07 CHANCE TO RIDE THE WATER TAXI ON A WEEKEND DAY: The regular Elliott Bay Water Taxi weekend sailings ended a few weeks back; today is the second and final Sunday with special sailings geared toward the Seahawks crowd, but you don’t have to show a ticket or wear blue to get on board. The special sailings start at 11 am today and continue through 5:30 pm; can’t find a precise schedule online, so be sure to ask on board about when to catch the boat back. The weekday commute sailings continue for two more weeks.
CALL THE SALMON HOME TO FAUNTLEROY CREEK: With the recent “reach to the beach” work (read more in the new Fauntleroy Community Association newsletter), Fauntleroy Creek is more welcoming than ever for the coho that creek-watchers hope to see return. Everyone’s invited to the creek’s fish-ladder overlook (across the street and up the bank from the ferry dock; here’s a map) to drum and sing and call the salmon home, 5 pm tonight.
2 earthy activities
FREE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTARY SCREENING: It’s not happening in West Seattle, but WS resident Shauna Causey is helping organize it, and she’s got 100 spots left, first-come, first-served: The new CNN investigative documentary “Planet in Peril” is previewing Monday @ 7:30 pm at the Metro Cinemas in the U-District, after a 6:30 reception at a nearby restaurant. If you’re interested, e-mail Shauna at Shauna_Causey@cable.comcast.com ASAP.
FARMERS’ MARKET TOMORROW: It’s always earth-friendly to shop for fresh locally grown food at our local Farmers’ Market, which continues every Sunday on into winter. Here’s the latest list of what’s hot:Read More
Court documents from the 59th/Admiral shooting case
Exactly one week ago at this moment, police officers were swarming northern West Seattle, looking for a suspect in the fatal shooting inside a car at 59th/Admiral (WSB 10/13/07 photo at right). Tonight, a 17-year-old suspect is in the King County Jail, in lieu of half a million dollars bail, charged as an adult with second-degree murder. The court documents are now a matter of public record, accessible online from the King County Electronic Court Records system (which charges a nominal fee for copies/downloads). We have downloaded the charging documents filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, including the certification for determination of probable cause. The documents name both the suspect and victim. As the suspect is now charged as an adult, we will publish his name here: Dwayne Myatt-Perez. These court documents say he lives in the Alki area. Though as we posted earlier today the King County Medical Examiner has yet to include the victim’s identity in its media updates, he is identified in these publicly available court papers as Francisco Bailey-Ortiz, which is the same name that the suspect’s lawyer Robert Perez included in a comment on this post earlier today. Here is a transcription of the “probable cause” section of the documents, representing what police and prosecutors allege happened and what evidence they base the charge on, with one name and address omitted at WSB editorial discretion (we have noted clearly where those excisions were made):Read More
Fishing nets killing baby seals?
A new concern about baby seals in West Seattle waters: Local residents who asked to be anonymous e-mailed us (and other news organizations) with a claim that a net fishing crew strung its nets “right across one of the most popular haul-out beaches for these pups at Anchor Park … (Other) fishermen … reported they have never seen a net attached to these rocks before this year. Several fishermen witnessed the net had drowned three seal pups. … This is a clear violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We also have photo documentation of this same fisherman pulling a fourth seal pup out of his net. We cannot tell for sure if this particular pup is dead or alive.” Here’s that photo (we have cropped out what looks to be a partial identifying number on the boat, as we are still doing research to find out more about this claim):
The e-mail goes on to say the nets were removed for a while last week, then returned this past Thursday. The residents believe these nets belong to a tribe, but haven’t been able to figure out which one — because of what they say is a conflict over tribal fishing rights in the area. Whoever it belongs to, they say, they are “respectfully asking … to move this net for the next several weeks away from this very popular haul out beach for the pups.” We have e-mail out to the tribe that these residents think owns the net, to see what they can tell us about the situation, and will also be checking with the local federal authorities who have jurisdiction over marine mammals such as the seal pups. 5:10 PM ADDENDUM: 47 minutes after we published this report, this tv site posted a story about the situation suggesting something had happened today (“9 am Saturday”), although for the record, the photo published with their online story is one of two photos that we received from the concerned residents YESTERDAY (Friday afternoon).
Gatewood Elementary “Kids for Kids” a smash hit
If you see this before 2 pm Saturday, you still have time to get down to Gatewood Elementary and join in the “Kids for Kids” fun. If you see it later, the goats aren’t scheduled to leave till Tuesday morning, so you may get a chance for an impromptu look. (And check out WSB video of their arrival here.) Quite a crowd when we went by a little while ago — first two photos are onlookers admiring rain-shielded goats; third one is from the other “Kids for Kids” events up on the Gatewood playground:
Saturday midday miscellany
PUMPKIN MANIA: A canopy’s up over part of Erik’s Alki Pumpkin Patch, so you can stop by without worrying about total sogginess. In addition to our report from last Saturday, you can see more photos at Shell Marr‘s MySpace. And if you would like to wander through an art-glass pumpkin patch, you can enjoy that at Avalon Glassworks; see nice pix here.
CONDO MANIA: The signs and balloons are out for the Strata condo-conversion “preview” event, and even some poor soul in a rain bonnet waving a big sign (a la Verge last winter). Hope the pay’s reasonable.
SMALL SIGN OF SEMI-CHANGE: Right across the street from Strata, the “closed for a few days” sign that was up for weeks in the window of shuttered Chuck & Sally’s Tavern is finally gone, no replacement.
EXERCISE FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Tomorrow morning’s Nia class at Youngstown Arts Center is a benefit for Northwest Hope and Healing, which helps breast-cancer patients. Instructor Lesley Tinker will donate all the proceeds from the class to the organization (her site is here). Class time is 10-11 am, no Nia experience required, all fitness levels welcome, $10 cash or check.
New mixed-use development south of The Junction: Spring Hill
While webcombing in the dead o’night for updates on Fauntleroy Place, we discovered a new West Seattle project on the website of FP developer BlueStar Management: A retail/residential complex to be called Spring Hill. Here’s what the BlueStar site says about it (followed by what else we have found out so far):
BlueStar Management/Development of Seattle, Washington has purchased three contiguous parcels on the east side of the 5000 Block on California Avenue SW, just south of the West Seattle Junction.
Preliminary plans for the Spring Hill development include approximately 80 apartment homes above 3,600 square feet of retail space. Parking will be available under the building as well. The apartment homes are expected to range from 550 to 1250 square feet and will help to fill the growing need for rental housing in the area. … Construction is slated for 2008 with anticipated occupancy in 2009.
Armed with that general location information, we scoured through the city’s online files, and discovered this project appears to be centered on the parcel at 5020 California, currently half-century-old apartments, per county records. (Saturday afternoon addendum: The streetfront of these apartments is actually marked 5022 Cali; photo below; BlueStar page about the complex, Skyliner, here.) Its land-use permit application and construction permit application are not dated right now, but they’re clearly new because the “pre-application site visit” happened on October 5th; the applications aren’t even coming up yet in a search of the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin archives. We’ll check with BlueStar next week to see what more they can tell us. Architects listed on the application are from Hewitt, which also is working right now on the QFC/Office Depot megaproject progressing rapidly north of Jefferson Square. Side note: If you’re thinking, “Isn’t Spring Hill also the name of a restaurant in development on the north edge of The Junction?” yes, you’re right. Popular name with long-ago geographic relevance.
From the “Other Blogs in WS” writers
Two notes from our weekly check to make sure the Other Blogs in WS page links are still good (and to see what all those other lively West Seattle writers are up to!):
-Looking for a West Seattle house for less than $300,000? One blogger’s house just went up for sale, and she’s started this blog [wsb note: link removed 12/26/07, no longer active] to get it a little extra attention.
-Dropping by the JetCityOrange blog reminded us that JCO’s Jerry had sent us a link earlier about some mysterious graffiti he spotted around town, wondering if anyone knows what it stands for. (Check it out here.)
Friday late-night roundup
-Congratulations to the West Seattle HS Wildcats for making it into the Metro League football playoffs after their win tonight in the big cross-WS-rivalry game against the Chief Sealth HS Seahawks.
-Some readers wrote us earlier in the day worried about the White Center shooting. Teenage suspects are in custody. If you haven’t gotten around to looking up exactly where that happened, here’s a map. To get resident reaction, the P-I’s “online reporter” went to Papa Murphy’s in the nearby business district and talked with people including a man from Arbor Heights who, according to the resulting blog post, expressed his concerns about safety in south WS.
-We have been watching county Medical Examiner reports and online “King County deaths” lists for identification of the victim in last weekend’s 59th/Admiral shooting. Nothing public, even almost a week later, which seems unusual. However, the King County online register does reveal that the suspect is back in county jail, with bail listed as $500,000 and the charge as “murder 2” — as we first reported last weekend, he was only briefly in the county jail, then transferred to juvenile custody; this would suggest he is now charged as an adult — we are looking for verification in the online records.
2 seasonal, weather-related RRRs – plus another request
We recently received two WSB Reader Recommendation Requests for services currently more relevant to many of us than usual, thanks to effects of the wind and water (reminder, all RRR posts are archived in their own category here):
–Alistair is looking for “someone good [in West Seattle] to clear my gutters and install leaf guards.
–Manuela is looking for a “reliable/reasonable person/crew to do some yard work – trim back trees, remove old landscaping.”
Please add your suggestions to “comments” on this post. Thank you for helping RRRs be a neighborly way to share recommendations and referrals across the virtual back-fence!
5:10 PM ADDENDUM: Reader Katherine has a semi-related request we are adding to this post — simply a request for help that you may be able to provide. If you can help, please e-mail her directly (link is included in her note below):
I’d like leaves. I’m an organic gardener on very poor soil. I usually go around begging leaves about this time of year. However my best source, a yard with a huge old maple in it, was swept clean by the wind yesterday. What I’d really like is to pick up leaves after they’re raked and bagged. My health is poor, and I can’t do a lot of raking. But if there’s someplace relatively small where the leaves are deep, I’ll rake and bag myself. I’d definitely prefer not to have dog droppings mixed with them. Anyone with leaves to offer can contact me at kld963@gmail.com.
Gatewood gets their goats
Thanks to reader K for sending pix of the most eagerly awaited animal act to hit West Seattle since the baby seals. (News about them, coming up in a bit.) We are processing video right now too.
More ugly weather
Not mega-bad but still formidable wind, plus sideways rain, right now. Weather Service’s forecast warns of showers, isolated thunderstorms, and maybe even (more) “small hail.” (Hope the Lafayette Walk-a-Thon kids have moved into the gym or put things on hold by now?) 12:11 PM UPDATE: Just heard thunder.
Gatewood/Morgan outage: THIS explains it!
Now that power and cable are back for people in the south Morgan Junction/west Gatewood area that was without power till about 5:30 this morning, we seem to have learned about the culprit. Area resident Vlad Oustimovitch sent the photo above (thank you!), explaining it was “a large Big Leaf Maple tree that came down on the 4000 block of SW Orchard Street at 4:15 pm yesterday. It tore out the power and cable lines and blacked out the whole street, and I suspect other streets as well. Nobody was hurt, but there are skid marks 10 feet away from the downed tree where a car driving on the street was almost crushed. I came down soon after, and the driver was shaking as he looked at what just missed him. Crews were out early in the morning and had the street cleared and power on by 5:35 am. Impressive job, they did it all in the dark. Cable was restored a few hours after that.” 5:25 PM ADDITION: One more case of “When Trees Attack!” from yesterday’s storm. Hotwire Coffee proprietor Lora Vickrey e-mailed this photo of the tree that came down outside the Junction post office. Nobody hurt, Lora reports, but some folks passing by at the time were shaken up!
Two, cool for school
Happening at elementary schools in West Seattle today:
LAFAYETTE WALK-A-THON: It’s an annual tradition for this elementary school in the Admiral District. Starting at 9:15, and continuing throughout the day (more info here), each grade gets its turn to take 45 minutes to walk laps around the Lafayette playground, raising money for a variety of school projects. Past beneficiaries included the playground itself, which is continuing to undergo renovation work. If you stop by to cheer them on, note there’s a bake sale too.
GATEWOOD GOATS: The storm-delayed arrival of the Rent-a-Ruminant herd is expected to happen around midday today; this too is part of a big playground improvement project. The really big event is 10 am-2 pm tomorrow, and you’re invited.
These and other happenings are also on our Events page (including tons of Halloween and Thanksgiving/Christmas fun); our West Seattle Weekend Lineup will be out a bit later this morning.
Reader report: Fauntleroy/California back on
From the comments on our post below — Mike says the power returned around 5:30 am. Thanks for the update! Meanwhile, all Seattle Public Schools (in WS and elsewhere around the city) will be open as usual, according to the SPS site. 7:10 AM ADDITION: After more interruptions in Comcast cable internet/tv service in Upper Fauntleroy, more Comcast crews have just been spotted “working both sides of the street” near Caffe Ladro down the hill.
Fauntleroy/California still out
As of 3:30 am. North side of the intersection (Corner Inn, Washington Federal) has power – street lights are on along Morgan on the north side of the Thriftway — but the businesses (Thriftway, Tully’s, Starbucks) are clearly still out, as is the traffic light at that intersection and the next light south (Caffe Ladro/Stella Ruffington/Akina Designs block).
Late night update
Took one more spin through Fauntleroy/California a short time ago – still out – no City Light crews in sight (but Comcast had a couple trucks a few blocks south). The City Light site says 10,000 people citywide were still in the dark as of 10:30. 11:22 PM UPDATE: One more outage that seems not to be on the city website:Read More
Morgan Junction still out
Just drove through Fauntleroy/California – intersection’s out, most businesses at that spot dark (Thriftway appears to still be on generator power), the businesses along California south of Fauntleroy are out too (Caffe Ladro, Subway, Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc.) though there’s spotty power on some parts of the left side of the street (like the Watermarke condo conversion). Full power picks up right after Seattle International Baptist Church. Going out in a bit to survey the waterfront areas. No wind left, at least. P.S. The City Light outage page doesn’t mention the entirety of this outage – it mentions Myrtle to Othello/38th to 40th (west slope of Gatewood) and Spokane to Charlestown/53rd to 55th.
| Comments Off on Sunday spotlight: Sailings, salmon