West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
Police are on the scene of an accident that’s causing some traffic trouble if you are trying to turn northbound on Delridge from westbound on Roxbury. Doesn’t look too major; we’re just alerting you to avoid the area (map).
All sorts of West Seattle stuff on the city’s press-release site today. We first told you last Friday (with a lively discussion erupting afterward, of course) about the public meetings coming up later this month for the future parks at Morgan Junction and Myrtle Street Reservoir; the official city press releases are out today (Morgan Junction 1/15 meeting here, Myrtle 1/22 meeting here) so we’re mentioning them again in case you missed the news during the holiday crunch.
This just in from the city press-releases page: 35th/Thistle and 35th/Avalon will get cameras this year to snap photos of red-light runners. If you get caught, it’s a $124 fine (up from $101 last year). Specifically, at those intersections, the cameras will watch drivers heading south on 35th @ Thistle (above photo, right) and west on Avalon @ 35th (above photo, left). Full citywide list of present and future cameras here; map of West Seattle locations here:
And thanks again to our fabulous tech consultant Stuart Maxwell for troubleshooting: Long story short, because it includes some behind-the-curtain stuff you should know — The world of “spam” online doesn’t just affect your inbox; it also affects websites like ours that accept comments. Automated programs are out there relentlessly patrolling for places to try to post fake comments with addresses for porn sites, pharma sites, things like that. There’s an excellent spam-fighting program called Akismet that we and many other sites use, and it catches literally thousands of spam comments per day, on WSB alone. (Sometimes it accidentally nets bonafide comments too, so if a comment you post never turns up, that may be what happened.) According to what Stuart found out, Akismet had a glitch very early this morning, so the spam comments were flooding in, and the site-hosting company disabled the function till the problem could be solved. All’s well now, the old comments are back, and you can post new ones too. Sorry for the snag!
Just to let you know – we’re having some trouble with the “comment” function right now, including posting them and reading them. Sorry about that; will let you know when it’s fixed.
Since we first reported two months ago that the last remaining space in the ex-Alki Market would become the “Alki Urban Market,” hopes have run high, as has the volume of questions. A few more facts emerged when a sign appeared on its door December 21st featuring an e-mail address with the “seattleurbanmarket.com” domain, thus confirming AUM will be part of a group of stores run by Eastside businessman Thampipillai Thilakarajah (WSB photo above). But the website doesn’t have Alki specifics (yet), so to find out more, we requested an interview. Here’s the result:Read More
Just west of The Junction, and a couple houses west of Ercolini Park, you’ll find this deteriorating old home whose current appearance doesn’t hint much at its vital past as a neighborhood market — unless you look at the “past” photo sent by neighbor Bill Leaming (who also sent the “present” one below):
If you had trouble reading the inscription on the “past” photo of Fraker’s Grocery, it’s from 1956. County property records show the building dates back to 1926. City records don’t show anything new currently proposed for the site. Thanks to Bill for sharing the past/present photos; we love history tidbits here, so they’re always welcome. (Speaking of neighborhood markets, our Alki Urban Market update will be published first thing tomorrow morning.)
The first Southwest Design Review Board meeting of the new year, one week from Thursday, is scheduled to look at the Spring Hill apartment/retail mixed-use building proposed for 5020 California and 2 parcels south of that address (area photo above; developers BlueStar told WSB last week there’s no project rendering yet). As mentioned in our December 11 update, it’s now outlined as a 6-story building with 90 apartments, 100 parking spaces, and 4,000 square feet of retail. Area resident Mary wanted other neighbors to know that she’s drafted a letter opposing it and that they can contact her if they want a copy of it or are interested otherwise in joining forces:Read More
What a New Year’s Day along the West Seattle shore. First the Polar Bear Swim (see below), then the Seattle HOG (Harley Owners’ Group) taking off from Don Armeni on their annual “Chilly Buns Run” to Federal Way:
The cheering section outside the Alki Tavern was a nice touch.
Pix of this morning’s swim, courtesy of Dan E (thanks!):
Water temperature, by the way, was 48 degrees (warmer than the air, though!).
Also happening on Alki this morning – Harleys gathering for their annual New Year’s ride, south through Burien and on to Federal Way. Video of that in our next post; meantime, a few more Alki Polar Bear pix from Dan E:Read More
Nominate somebody for the West Seattle Community Recognition Awards. Quick, easy, free. If you missed our announcement just before Christmas, read it here.
Ours: Sanity, reason, compassion … and we want to see orcas up close and personal for the first time in a decade-plus. Yours? Discuss here.
On Saturday we listed our Top 7 WSB ’07 video picks; on Sunday, the Top 7 most-discussed WSB posts of the year. Finally tonight, with hours to go till 2008, the more traditional list – top West Seattle stories of the year. Let us know if you think something else should have made the Top 7. Here goes:
#7 — 4132 CALIFORNIA FIRE: This August inferno was the biggest West Seattle fire of the year, and it was arson; no arrests reported to this day, but reconstruction of the project is now well under way.
#6 — CALIFORNIA/ADMIRAL REPAVING: From March through July, city crews repaved major stretches of two of West Seattle’s most significant arterials. (Ah, if only Fauntleroy and Alki, among others, could get the same love.)
#5 — NEW JUNCTION FOOD: What a year it’s been, from Garlic Jim‘s to Shoofly to Ama Ama to Shadow Land, with Spring Hill up next.
#4 — ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY RETURNS, BUT THE SAGA’S NOT OVER: A big year for this West Seattle icon: The plaza project hit the radar in July; the recast statue returned to its original pedestal on September 11th; the plaza fundraising has two more weeks to go. Bound to be a major story again in ’08.
And one last Casey Kasem turn … the countdown continues:Read More
Thanks to Marco in High Point for e-mailing this photo of Lincoln Park in today’s glorious sunshine.
Two main headlines from the latest stack of reports at the Southwest Precinct: 
An alert neighbor helped police nab three burglary suspects, and somebody targeted two cars driving along Delridge. First, the cars: Both incidents happened Friday night while the drivers were heading northbound in the 4500 block of Delridge. First, a 34-year-old woman driving a Nissan Quest told police that around 7:25 pm that night, her passenger-side window suddenly shattered; then, a 43-year-old man driving a Mercedes heard something hit his passenger-side door around 7:30 pm, and when he stopped, he noticed a small hole made by what looked to have been a BB pellet. Nobody hurt in either case, and no arrests reported so far. (In case you were wondering, that is 3 miles north of where bicyclist Peter McKay was shot with pellets on Delridge last month.) Now, the rest of the reports, starting with the burglary arrests:Read More
WSB dropped in for a quick soundbite as the retirement celebration began this morning for Lien Animal Clinic‘s Dr. Larry King. We asked what he’s going to do now:
The clinic, of course, will keep going strong. Read more about it and its staff at the Lien website.
Thanks to everyone who e-mailed to say the crane equipment has arrived at the QFC/Office Depot megaproject site in The Junction. WSB contributing photographer Christopher Boffoli took the above photos from the 9th floor of Alaska House (the ex-Huling/Gee land and Fire Station 32 are in the background). Christopher also reports that there’s a traffic alert in connection with this: “41st St SW is closed between Alaska and Oregon. 42nd SW is open but electricians are working on the west side of the site and have the sidewalk closed.” Another of his photos:
More info from Christopher: “It looks like they’ve poured a large footing in the very bottom and middle of the building site to which they are attaching a crane in sections. It looks like this large, yellow crane will be a fixture on the West Seattle skyline for the foreseeable future. Workers erecting the crane told me that it will be 140 feet high when completed.” Three more photos ahead from different perspectives:Read More
Out of the inbox:
My husband just went out this morning to find a car that was parked in front of our house on Charlestown egged (near 53rd). It must have happened sometime yesterday or, I’m guessing, last night. I know you guys have covered vandalism and stuff like this in the past, so I thought I’d pass the information along to you and see if others have experienced the same thing. It seems kind of random, as we don’t have kids and pretty much keep to ourselves. The car was a rental and had California plates.
As always, a reminder to everyone – don’t hesitate to call police when you see or hear something suspicious, and of course when you believe a crime has been (or is being) committed. In addition to 911, there’s a non-emergency line at 206/625-5011.
In today’s traditional WSB sponsor welcome, we’re letting you know about the Allstate Insurance agency in Morgan Junction where you’ll find (left to right in our photo) Phillip Plenkovich 
and Andrew Mead. Phillip is a West Seattle native who attended Arbor Heights Elementary, Denny Middle School, Chief Sealth High School, and the University of Washington. His community involvement includes the West Seattle Rotary Club and coaching youth basketball at the West Seattle YMCA. His specialties include auto, home, and life insurance. Andrew helps clients with life-insurance and disability coverage; he and his wife Sharon moved in August 2006 from Maple Leaf in North Seattle to High Point here in West Seattle, where he’s working to build community as the president of the new High Point Neighborhood Association. Thanks to Phillip and Andrew for supporting WSB; if you are interested in finding out how to join them, check out our Advertise page (which also lists the current sponsor lineup) – we’ve got new opportunities coming up in the new year!
THIS MORNING: As Katherine noted in the WSB Open Discussion forum, Lien Animal Clinic is inviting the community to drop by till noon today and offer “happy retirement” wishes to Dr. Larry King.
TONIGHT: The New Year’s Eve happenings list on the WSB Holidays page is probably about as long as it’s going to get, unless you’ve got something to add. “Science Friction” at Youngstown Arts Center, and watching the Space Needle fireworks from any vantage point on the West Seattle shore, are among the highlights. (And we’re still working on the New Year’s Day coffee list; what we have so far is on that page too.)
SIDE NOTE: Times Square fans might appreciate some of the New York pix that Wendy Hughes-Jelen from High Point has been posting on her blog while traveling.
It’s the first goat sighting in West Seattle since Kids for Kids @ Gatewood Elementary in October (our report with video here) — we received two tips about goats at work now in north West Seattle, including this from Eric Bell of fridgefoto.biz, who also sent the photos above and below:
While on one of my regular walkabouts (Sunday) afternoon, I happened upon an increasingly familiar Seattle occurrence… a herd of goats ridding a hillside of unwanted foliage. These free-range ruminants. aptly named goattrimmers.com, were clearing brush from a couple of overgrown properties on Ferry Avenue, a sidewalk-deprived backroad that connects the Admiral District to Harbor Avenue. After conversing with the “shepherd” – who actually wore a floppy hat and carried some sort of shepherd-like device, I discovered his gang of goats will be around for about a week. This was literally a traffic-stopping event, while taking photos (and shooting some video), at least five cars pulled over to witness this pastoral event.
Our other tip came from “Garybert & Garybert’s Lady,” who e-mailed:
In travels (Sunday) am spotted ruminants ruminating on the hillside northside of Ferry by Victoria SW. Goat herder advised they would be there another week and then move across the street to another hillside. Just look for the bright orange (and electrified fence).
In case you’re not familiar with that area, here’s a map.
Some weeks back, we carved out a little section in the right sidebar to spotlight current “most-discussed posts,” since our publishing volume tends to push things off the main page within a few days. Toward that end, our second of three WSB “Top 7 of ’07” roundup counts down the posts that drew the most comments – with a couple exclusions: We’re leaving out our “unveiling” post from earlier this month, which drew 90-plus comments from (mostly) well-wishers, and we’re leaving out reader-recommendation posts (original RRR archive here; new RRR forum here), which by their nature are meant to draw comments (including the all-time recordsetter so far, “West Seattle Dishes to Die For,” at 161 comments). So here goes:
#7: With 58 comments, “For the First Time Since Spanky’s Went Out …” in which we discussed the appearance of a new sign at Morgan Junction’s Short Stop, touting “Adult DVD,” which was pointed out in an e-mail tip.
#6: With 62 comments, “Admiral Acceleration Agitation,” inspired by e-mails questioning the 30 mph speed limit on Admiral Way.
#5: With 65 comments, “Wheels Up,” which began with e-mail from WSB regular “The House” regarding a note left under his windshield.
#4: With 70 comments, “Mars Hill Money Trouble,” regarding a revelation from the only megachurch with a West Seattle branch.
And now, as we invoke Casey Kasem yet again, the top 3:Read More
Thanks to “H” for sending photos (taken from a distance, with a long lens, he wants you to know) of a seal pup he says drew a crowd in the 2200 block of Alki this afternoon. (Perhaps in honor of seal-pup mania making our first West Seattle Top 7 of ’07 list?)
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