West Seattle, Washington
11 Wednesday
That’s a photo of 15-year-old Sydney Hess, a West Seattle High School student who is missing, according to a family friend who asked us to post her photo and a request for help in getting her safely back home. She is believed to have run away on Friday night and did not show up for school today. The family asks: “If you have seen her or have any information about her whereabouts, please call Heather Hess at 206/291-4933 or contact the Seattle Police Department [Southwest Precinct] at 206/733-9800.” 6:48 PM UPDATE: Word is that she is back home safe.
Early Sunday, we posted 3 reader reports about gunshots at 17th/Trenton and promised to follow up with the Southwest Precinct. Just heard back from Sgt. Jeff Durden, who shared this info from the report: A 22-year-old was having a party for a friend’s birthday; “uninvited guests” showed up, a fight ensued, “several rounds” were fired into the air. The shooter(s) took off. No arrests, no injury, no property damage … no description of the suspects’ car, either. Regarding readers’ reports that this house had problems before, Sgt. Durden, who leads the Community Police Team, says it wasn’t on their radar but CPT officer Adonis Topacio will investigate — that’s who to contact (info here) if you have info to share.
That photo taken a short time ago shows the work that’s under way right now to dismantle this wall put up earlier this year along Harbor Ave (without proper permits, according to the city) east of Salty’s – here’s the photo we took last month:
As we wrote at the time, the city had posted “stop-work” orders earlier in March; the project is NOT related to Salty’s at all — it’s an industrial site with a different owner. We have messages out to city inspectors to try to find out more about the site’s status.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: Last general meeting before SWS presents its first-ever Sustainability Festival (May 4, NE corner of Alaska/44th, right across from the Farmers’ Market, lots more info here) – tonight’s meeting is at 7 pm, Camp Long.
RESCHEDULED PARK MEETING: Quick reminder, the rescheduled Hiawatha Community Center open house/meeting to get your take on the Seattle Parks & Rec Dept.’s future (the original meeting was postponed a week ago because of floor fumes) is tonight @ 6:30. Last West Seattle opportunity is Thursday night @ High Point CC. What’s the meeting all about? See our report on the one @ Southwest CC last Thursday. (If you can’t attend a meeting, share your thoughts online by 4/30.)
We told you two weeks ago about the new community-organic-farming effort on a plot of land off Delridge known as “Longfellow Creek Garden.” Today, the LCG blog has photos from the hugely successful work party on Saturday to clear the land, plus a short list of what’s on the agenda next. (That site, by the way, is one of 3 just added today to our “Other Blogs in West Seattle” page, which features links to 144 WS-based blogs, after a frequently updated digest of excerpts from the sites’ latest updates.)
The big day – dozens of sales all over West Seattle, a shopper/seller’s dream! — is Saturday, May 10; registration ends this Friday night 4/25 so we can work on the map, get packets to the participants, and intensify the areawide publicity blitz. Join the fun! Registration links and more info are on the official West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day website.
7 weeks ago, we took a baseline check 
of the regular/premium prices at every gas station in West Seattle, when it looked like prices were about to start another relatively steep rise. Tonight, we went back for another WS-wide survey, 
just to take more of a macro look at what’s happened in those seven weeks. The lowest price for regular is still where it usually is, Arco at Delridge/Orchard ($3.47, left, up 22 cents in 7 weeks); the highest price is at the Shell on California in Morgan Junction ($3.71, right, up 24 cents in 7 weeks); and one gas price in WS has passed $4 (premium at Admiral Chevron, $4.05, up 22 cents). Here’s the full survey, regular and premium prices at each station, listed lowest-to-highest, followed by where that station was seven weeks ago:Read More
When we dropped by the Morgan Junction “get to know your neighborhood gathering place in case of catastrophe” table at Thriftway this afternoon, one of the items Cindi Barker (right, with Helen Daniel) showed us really caught our eye, and she says it had many table visitors abuzz too: The Duracell 3-in-1 hand-crank light/radio/charger:
We have a hand-crank light/radio around here somewhere, but the charger is a new and welcome addition — this sort of gizmo would cover you in a true regional catastrophe. Cindi says she found the Duracell 2-pack for $12 at Costco; we’re going to check local hardware stores – also found a variety of similar items online by several different manufacturers. Meantime, next scheduled disaster-prep-info site/time is for Junction-area residents, at Ercolini Park, 10 am-2 pm next Sunday; check this map for the location or for a place/time nearer your home.
From the P-I: 32nd SW burglar(s) made off with $7,500 in athletic shoes.
From CL: Laptop stolen from a car in The Junction, but the owner doesn’t care so much about the laptop, just really needs the accompanying hard-to-replace notebook back.
One month since we debuted a new WSB section — featuring (note the “tab” link on our header) stories from the popular book “West Seattle 101” by Lori Hinton. 
We’re continuing to add to the list of “West Seattle 101” stories available on WSB: today, we’ve added two more, both fun places to go and both deeply linked to West Seattle history: the Log House Museum on Alki, and Husky Deli in The Junction. You can find all nine “West Seattle 101” features published here so far by going to the WS 101 on WSB “home page”; more to come!
Thanks to David Hutchinson for sharing that photo of a bald eagle he and his wife saw in the “tall tree” near 61st/Alki on Friday afternoon, not far from the Statue of Liberty (now wouldn’t THAT be a photo op someday, if an eagle ever alighted ON the statue …).
This map shows the first seven spots around West Seattle designated as neighborhood gathering places in case disaster strikes and normal lines of communication aren’t working; this is where you would go for information and help. As part of a neighborhood-group-led process for the next month or so, each spot (and a couple more yet to be firmed up) will have a date set when volunteers will set up a table for you to come visit and pick up information to help keep your family safe. The next such event is TODAY, at the designated Morgan Junction gathering place — West Seattle Thriftway — 11 am-4 pm.
From West Seattle Farmers’ Market organizers, the latest list of what you can expect to find (10 am-2 pm, SE corner of Alaska/44th):Read More
Just got three messages about this in rapid succession: Shots fired and police searching in a Westwood neighborhood. (location map) Here’s one note:
Heard multiple rounds of gunshots interspersed with several people yelling outside. Called the police, who reported other calls had been received for same disturbance. Have yet to see any signs of the police- however can still hear some yelling. Curious if anyone has any details on exactly what is going on/happened- or if police responded.
That reader mentioned 17th/Cloverdale as the location; this next note has more details:
MANY gun shots were just fired in association with a house party at a notorious drug/party rental house. There are at least 5 police cars on the scene right now. 17th & Trenton. The house is (in the 8600 block of) 17th Ave SW. This is the 3rd police activity at the residence in the past year.
And here’s the third note received:
About 11:40 pm this evening there were about 12 shots fired. Directly after the shots were fired two cars sped north on 17th. Police responded right away. There were several police cars on our block investigating the scene. Just an FYI. It was rather frightening.
Monitoring the scanner now, will update if anything more comes in about this. (Likely unrelated but a WS police team has just been dispatched to a report of a “large group” fighting outside Morgan Junction Tully’s.)
That hand-lettered sign graced a column inside the Admiral Pub as the WSB Forum Community and fellow funseekers rocked the house during tonight’s get-together and fundraiser. More pix (plus video) ahead:Read More
Yes, yard/garden/habitat work can be fun — if you have company! That video shows just one of several merry mulch-relaying groups we saw in action during a brief visit to the EarthCorps– and Nature Consortium-organized Duwamish Alive! Earth Day event at Pigeon Point Park today. The restoration work at PP Park has really taken shape since we visited for this report a few months ago. After today’s cleanup work, the party was scheduled to move inside neighboring Cooper Elementary for indoor events (good timing; as our video shows, we were there during a sun break, but we all know that didn’t last long). One organizer told WSB today’s turnout numbered about 400!
We told you earlier this week about an event today looking ahead to the city’s proposal to “update” neighborhood plans. Didn’t realize quite how dramatically the process might change till reading this P-I account posted tonight. (Aside – not all West Seattle areas have “neighborhood plans” from the ’90s process that resulted in the ones that exist today; five do, as you can see from this map.)
Great people, great raffle items & fun, a great cause. All ages welcome. Map here. See you there! 8:21 PM UPDATE: We’re just back; party’s still in full swing, excellent turnout, plus three TV stations (KING5, Q13, KIRO7) showed up (watch at 9/10/11 pm tonight). Full WSB report, with pix and video, a little bit later.
WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham photographed the West Seattle High School Class of ’09‘s second annual Snooty Walk fundraiser this afternoon, with this info about those pix, clockwise from top: 1. A pug dashes for the finish line with lofty goals of winning “fastest dog”; 2. “Gunner,” a 2-1/2-year-old purebred black lab, ducks through a flexible tube to win first prize “Speediest” through an obstacle course; 3. Chloe and Jacob Simmons congratulate their dog, Frieda, during the “Best Dressed” portion of the competitions; 4. Grayson (27 months old) couldn’t resist taking apart the dogs’ race lanes to investigate his world through a cone. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, mattdurhamphotography.com.) Below, coincidentally sent separately by Grayson’s mom, this photo shows the family’s two canine competitors:
Accompanying that photo, these details:
West Seattle’s own Harold, 4/M/BlackPug, won something! He came in second, VERY SNOOTY, at today’s Snooty Walk and Pet Rodeo. For so long now all the attention has gone to Hester his older sister, 5/F/FawnPug. Though we think the pair was robbed of the Cutest Couple Award we had a great time again (Hester has been putting up with Harold’s ahumpin’ for YEARS, yet the prize went to a couple of dogs that just met at the event. Can you believe it?) I hope to see the Get Snooty T-shirts put up on eBay for the community to bid upon. Keep the money flowing in, Class of ’09!
ADDED 9:03 PM: This one’s from Laurie:
Laurie elaborates:
This is Penguin, the Polish Crested chicken who won “Most Unique†and “Smallest†pet. She is 7 weeks old and has been hand-raised from chickhood. Bianca (8 years old) was very happy to win a trophy!
ADDED SUNDAY: More of “Gunner,” the “Speediest Pet” winner. Proud owner Wendy Bradley sent this quick clip of Gunner “running the tube” (that’s Matt Durham at the other end getting the photo you saw above), followed by a photo of Gunner with his trophy:
Dustin in Arbor Heights (thanks!) caught some flakes on cam in Arbor Heights; below is the video we shot with our cam pointed out the car window while en route to “only because there’s not one in West Seattle” Trader Joe’s in Burien a short time ago – looked more impressive in person but here it is anyway:
One more event we’re counting down to – opening day for the Elliott Bay Water Taxi a week from tomorrow. (Full schedule here, including details on the opening-day festivities.) Rides are free all day that day, but for subsequent trips, there’s a coupon for a freebie on a postcard from West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Dow Constantine that’s landing in (postal) mailboxes now (we just got ours).
Less than a week left to sign up to be part of the 4th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (go here to see how); we’ve now passed 60 sales signed up to be part of one fun day of West Seattle-wide shopping and selling on May 10, but there’s room for more on the map – invite your neighbors to set up a block sale, or have one at your business/school!
Looks like Winter Encore ’08 smacked other areas but spared us (so far), so here are outdoor and indoor highlights (find today’s full list in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup):
EARTH DAY: It’s officially not till Tuesday but today, Cooper Elementary and neighboring Pigeon Point Park are the epicenter of the Duwamish Alive! activities happening all day long (with work parties at Roxhill Park and Brandon Street Natural Area too). Full details here.
FREE SWIMMING! It’s part of the April Pools Day event 10:30 am-noon at Southwest Pool.
LONGFELLOW CREEK FARM WORK PARTY: As we put it in our first report, “free organic produce … with just one catch!” Noon-4 pm.
HOMEMADE BRIGADE: Artists and craftspeople are setting up inside Freshy’s noon-4 pm today to show and sell their creations. Organizer Amber Bennett says live music will follow.
SNOOTY WALK: Across the street from Freshy’s, at Hiawatha, the pet event organized by and benefiting the West Seattle High School Class of ’09 starts at 2 pm. Read all about it here.
GOING TO THE HEALTHY LIVING EXPO? It’s not in West Seattle but if you’re going to this event @ Qwest, the WS Nia Divas asked us to let you know they’re presenting a free Nia class there @ 3 pm.
WSB FORUM COMMUNITY GET-TOGETHER AND ARSON-VICTIM FUNDRAISER: 6-9 pm tonight at Admiral Pub, join the WSB Forum Community for an evening of fun — all ages welcome — including a dart tournament and raffles with a list of enticing items (still growing as we speak) to raise money for Puget Sound Key and Lock, the Morgan Junction business gutted a month ago by a still-unsolved arson attack (recent followup here). Admiral Pub is on the east side of California just a few blocks north of Admiral; here’s the latest forum thread about tonight’s event (including raffle-item updates).
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