West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen truck; traffic-circle hit-run

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes – first, a stolen car that Tina hopes you will watch for:

My friend’s bronze 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck was stolen from the (Junction parking lot at 44th SW/SW Oregon) last Sunday. It was taken sometime between 12:30 pm and midnight. The license plate number is B33192Z.

My friend needs it to work; she is self-employed, and if she doesn’t have it to get to appointments, she doesn’t make any money. The truck has a camper shell, and the back is full of flooring samples. The gas tank was pretty much on empty, so whoever took it probably didn’t go very far.

Tina sent an update saying the truck was seen on SW Holly near Fauntleroy (map), where two men took the camper shell off and dumped it by a house. One more note: The truck has a faded American flag sticker on the back above the bumper. Call 911 if you see it, and then notify Tina, dohertym@gmail.com.

Second note: Late Tuesday night, an apparent hit-and-run at 39th and Raymond (map); a neighbor who wants to remain anonymous says a silver Acura crashed at the traffic circle and “four occupants fled the vehicle heading west toward Fauntleroy.” We are checking with police to see if the car turned out to be stolen and whether any suspects were found.

High-school basketball: West Seattle boys’ 1st conference game

High-school basketball season has begun in earnest, and the boys of West Seattle High School hosted Lakeside tonight. The Lions left with the win, 57-48, though the Wildcats had been on top at halftime, 28-25. Our partners at The Seattle Times have the stats; Ruslan Burduzha led West Seattle scoring with 18 points, while DeAndre Love and Malachi Cain had 12 each. (That’s Cain in our top photo, #21, with Spenser Elder, #10.) This was the first Metro League game of the year for head coach Keffrey Fazio’s 2013-14 WSHS varsity squad; its first game, non-conference, was a home-court win over Kent-Meridian, 72-58. Next up, the Wildcats visit Rainier Beach on Friday.

West Seattle Christmas lights: From Seola to Spruce

Now that it’s two weeks until Christmas Eve – we’ll be showing West Seattle Christmas lights nightly unless pre-empted by big breaking news. We welcome your suggestions (with or without photos), and we’re out looking around too. Above, Jeff and Ardith Burns shared the photo of their home in the Seola area:

We have decorated our home with lights and would like to share them with our West Seattle neighbors. There are over 18,000 lights and include 31 blowmolds, 3 fence scenes, and 5 standing/sitting deer. Our address is 3216 SW 114th St. [map] The lights are turned on from 5 pm to 10 pm each night through Christmas.

Next, another view from the crane-borne Christmas lights at West Seattle development sites; we noticed tonight that yet more lights have been added to the crane over Spruce (the former “Hole” at 39th/Alaska/Fauntleroy) – blue lights over the lower half of its vertical structure, punctuated by this:

More lights tomorrow! editor@westseattleblog.com if you have suggestions and/or a photo. To find them after we’ve published them, you can look in the archive or the WSB Holiday Guide as well as our Pinterest gallery of West Seattle Christmas lights, which includes an extra view of the Burns home.

Update: Chimney fire at condos across from Seacrest

5:33 PM: A condo building fire response across from Seacrest in the 1600 block of Harbor has slowed traffic in the area. The call originally went out as a chimney fire.

6:11 PM: The incident commander confirmed at the scene, that’s what it was. No major damage, no injuries, no unit(s) left uninhabitable. It was spotted by someone passing by, SFD says, who saw sparks and called it in. Harbor was blocked both ways when we got there around 5:25 but reopened a few minutes later. Thanks to those who texted us about it – the response didn’t look as big on the 911 log as it did at the scene, so we wouldn’t have gone without those firsthand reports.

Traffic alert: Crashes on southbound I-5, WS Bridge

5:04 PM: Heads up if you are heading home: 3-vehicle crash on southbound I-5 right at West Seattle Bridge exit.

6:19 PM: That crash is reported to have been cleared – though SB I-5 has been backed up six miles or so because of that and other problems. However, new trouble: Crash reported on the westbound high-rise West Seattle Bridge.

West Seattle Crime Watch: WSHS student grabbed, hits, escapes

1:58 PM: Seattle Police are searching for a man reported to have jumped out of the bushes near the east side of West Seattle High School, in the Walnut/Stevens vicinity. Police say the man was reported to have grabbed the arm of a passing female, who hit him and ran into the school. Police were not able to tell us if she is a student. She was not hurt. The man was described as white, 30s-40s, medium build, shoulder-length brown hair, about 5-11, in a blue zipup jacket and black pants.

2:06 PM UPDATE: Right after we talked with SPD media-relations Det. Jeff Kappel about this incident, which we had heard on the scanner, SPD mentioned it on Twitter and described the victim as a student. (Added: The SPD Blotter version pulls back on that but says she’s 16.)

2:43 PM UPDATE: Here’s principal Ruth Medsker‘s note just sent to WSHS families, forwarded to us by a parent:

Today, one of our students was off campus during lunch when she was grabbed by a male stranger. She was able to break away and ran back to school, where she immediately reported it to our school administration. We called 9-1-1 and the police responded quickly.

Please be assured that we are committed to keeping our students safe while they are at school. We will continue to remind students to report these types of incidents to us immediately, and we also encourage you to discuss personal safety with your student.

Update: SDOT tells council committee that double-rate de-icer caused Dec. 2 crashes; Friday’s backup also somewhat explained

(Dec. 2: De-icer-slick, closed-to-traffic bridge; photo by Christopher Boffoli)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In a briefing before the City Council Transportation Committee, SDOT has just admitted what really caused the de-icer debacle eight days ago, when multiple crashes happened on the de-icer-slickened West Seattle Bridge, subsequently shut down until it could be sanded (WSB as-it-happened coverage here).

It was NOT the fault of possible driver error, NOT the fault of too-warm temperatures, both of which were cited by an SDOT spokesperson afterward, but instead: The magnesium-chloride de-icer liquid was applied at twice the rate it should have been. (We had asked about operator error, too, that day, asking SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan via e-mail: “So there was nothing different in the formula or the amount?” His reply: “Not that we are currently aware of.”)

The discussion about the de-icer problem was followed by a shorter exchange about last Friday morning’s 2 1/2-hour lane blockage on the Viaduct (WSB as-it-happened coverage here) – why that couldn’t be cleared sooner, and why Metro didn’t reroute sooner, given the massive resulting backup:

The answer to that last matter was a “facepalm,” as one person put it on Twitter – the city’s Traffic Management Center is usually staffed at that hour by interns, and on Friday morning, an intern who had not worked there before was on duty. Which apparently explains the first, belated SDOT tweet about the lane blockage:

SR 99 is very congested due to a bad accident

— seattledot (@seattledot) December 6, 2013

Just before 8, Metro finally texted word of a reroute, as we tweeted:

JUST got the first C Line reroute text from @kcmetrobus b/c of ongoing 99 woes. Will stop NB at 3rd/Seneca since missing EB Seneca/3rd.

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 6, 2013

(STORY CONTINUES BELOW, WITH MEETING VIDEO ADDED AT THE END, AND POST-MEETING FOLLOWUP) Click to read the rest of Update: SDOT tells council committee that double-rate de-icer caused Dec. 2 crashes; Friday’s backup also somewhat explained…

West Seattle Tuesday: Holiday concerts; Transportation Coalition meeting; more

From the year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and seasonal Holiday Events/Info Guide, highlights for today/tonight:

CITY COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: Meeting under way right now has a beefy agenda including a discussion that chair Councilmember Tom Rasmussen promises will include last week’s bridge problems, as well as the proposed Bicycle Master Plan Update. Here’s the agenda; it’s live via Seattle Channel cable or website.

WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: Last week’s bridge problems are also part of the agenda for tonight’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition board meeting, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. See the full agenda here. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)

FIND OUT ABOUT FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION: The group Families Like Ours welcomes you to an informational meeting, 6-8 pm at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), to learn more about placement agencies, types of adoption, the process, the cost of adoption/foster care, and how to get started. (3940 41st SW)

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Tonight the ANA looks back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 – via a visioning exercise – along with celebrating the holidays, and planning next Saturday’s Adopt-A-Street cleanup. The meeting (with coffee and hors d’oeuvres) is NOT at the usual location – 7 pm at the city-landmark The Sanctuary at Admiral. (2656 42nd SW)

EXPLORER WEST OPEN HOUSE: Last open house of the season at Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) – details in our calendar listing. 6:30-8 pm. (10015 28th SW)

HOLIDAY CONCERT #1: The West Seattle Debut and Intermediate Orchestras with Endolyne Children’s Choir invite you to share an evening of adventure near and far. Then sing in the holidays with traditional carols and Jingle Bell Rock! 6:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium. (2600 SW Thistle)

HOLIDAY CONCERT #2: Seattle Metropolitan Glee Club, based in West Seattle, presents its annual Holiday Concert at 7 pm at the Alki Masonic Center. Admission is by donation. There will be treats after the concert, and rumor has it that Santa will make an appearance. The Glee Club is also collecting gently used or new clothing items (coats, underwear, socks, etc.) for Mary’s Place, a shelter for women and children in need. (4736 40th SW)

West Seattle traffic alert: Next construction-related closure

Another road-closure alert for The Junction as two major construction projects continue. This is just in from Compass Construction, general contractor for the apartment/retail building at 4730 California SW:

Compass Construction will pour the garage parking slab on December 16th.

Northbound California Avenue SW will be closed during the pour from SW Edmunds Street to SW Alaska St. Uniformed police officers will direct traffic around the closure. Due to the size of the pour and our desire to get the street open for business as soon as possible, we are starting the setup at 5:00 AM and will start pouring at 6:00 AM.

We cannot control traffic to and from the area so our times are approximate. We anticipate the last concrete truck at approximately 11:30 AM and opening the street to northbound traffic and parking by approximately Noon. The midblock crosswalk will remain open during the pour.

We’ll also have a reminder about this when it gets closer, and this notice will remain linked in the “Big Stories” list atop the WSB sidebar, as with other noteworthy traffic alerts.

Metro-cuts timetable: West Seattle faces not just deepest cuts, but also first ones

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

West Seattle won’t just be the hardest hit if Metro has to carry out its plan for cuts – it will be the first hit.

So if you have something to say about the routes proposed for reductions/eliminations, it’s time to say something if you haven’t already. You have another chance to do that today, if you work downtown, with Metro’s next public meeting at Union Station at noon.

Metro’s been making the rounds, including a stop last week in West Seattle. That came almost a month after Metro GM Kevin Desmond had summoned news media to a meeting room downtown (WSB coverage here) to warn again that service slashes loom, outlining which ones were on the endangered list and how the process would roll out.

There was some hope then of a breakthrough in the Olympia-centered battle over transportation funding, including money for roads as well as transit. But it hasn’t happened yet, and most recently, while briefing the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council last Thursday, two of our area’s state legislators reiterated the lack of a deal.

So absent a major U-turn, you might say, the first batch of cuts for our area is approaching the onramp – detailed in a plan that is being drawn up right now, to go to the County Council within weeks, since these cuts would take effect in June.

Click to read the rest of Metro-cuts timetable: West Seattle faces not just deepest cuts, but also first ones…

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday on the bridges, roads, paths…

(More area traffic cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We start again today with both bridge cameras, to give you the best views currently available.

BIG-PICTURE TRANSPORTATION NOTES: Remember last week’s bridge troubles on Monday and Friday? Who could forget! They’re expected to come up in this morning’s meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen; you can watch live at 9:30 am on seattlechannel.org. The proposed Bicycle Master Plan Update for the city is scheduled for presentation during the meeting too. … The West Seattle Transportation Coalition invites you to its board meeting tonight – perfect time to get involved; 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way).

6:20 PM: Evening commute trouble – details here.

Memorial on Wednesday for Fern Baer Freeman, 1923-2013

A memorial service is planned tomorrow (Wednesday, December 11th), for Fern Baer Freeman, who lived for many years at the Island View Apartments in West Seattle and served as their manager for much of that time, according to her daughter Lois, who shares this remembrance:

Fern Baer Freeman was born December 23, 1923 in the Aberdeen, Idaho, area to Edward and Katherina (Friesen) Baer, who were part of that German Mennonite farming community.

Fern went first to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA later) and in 1946 completed her RN at Bethel Deaconess Hospital in Newton, Kansas. After various nursing work assignments (one in Berkeley, California) and more studies, Fern moved to the East Coast to attend the King’s College. She met and married New Yorker (Queens) Robert Franklin Freeman in Wilmington, Delaware on March 4, 1951. Fern com- pleted a BSN degree.

They had six children over the following eight years and had relocated to the Pacific Northwest by the time their second child (John) was born. They lived in Pocatello, Boise, and Mountain Home before leaving Idaho to move to Seattle in 1969. The Seattle area was Fern’s home from 1969-1974 and from 1985 to the present. The family lived in Ephrata, Washington, 1975-1985 when the two younger girls (Ruth and Linda) were in high school. Fern worked for a dentist there and learned to craft teeth.

Fern, Bob, and Ruth moved back to Seattle in the mid-1980s. Fern consecutively became the manager of two apartment buildings. She remained back-up manager at Island View in West Seattle from age 75-85. Fern and Bob were both members of West Side Presbyterian Church in West Seattle.

She is pre-deceased by a daughter, Ruth Laurel Freeman, in 2007, and her husband Robert in 2008. She has five living children [Daniel Freeman of Avon Lake, Ohio (near Cleveland), Lois Easley of Glen Ellyn, Illinois (near Chicago), John Freeman of Bellevue, Washington, Glenn Freeman of Kent, Washington and Linda Freeman of Edmonds, Washington], three children-in-law (Brenda in OH, Dan in IL and Susan in Kent), and nine grandchildren, (Julie, Amy, Sarah, Benjamin, Christopher, Katherine, Alison, Anna, and Joseph).

Mrs. Freeman will be buried this afternoon at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery near Northgate; her memorial service will be at 1 pm Wednesday at West Side Presbyterian (3601 California SW). More details at bartonfuneral.com.

West Seattle weather: Final night of winter’s first round

(WSB photo taken late today: Hockey on a frozen pond in White Center)
We know winter hasn’t even officially started yet – a week and a half until the solstice – yet it doesn’t get much wintrier than these past several days of mostly below-freezing, at times way-below-freezing, air. By this time tomorrow, forecasters say, the temperature will be rising back toward the normal range. So far tonight, the rumblings of possibly a little bit of snow have come true here and there – Admiral District in the 9 pm hour, Westwood a little earlier – but that’s about it, so far. If you see otherwise in the hours ahead, please let us all know with a comment here!

Meet West Seattle Hi-Yu’s newly coronated 2014 Junior Court!

Just coronated during West Seattle Hi-Yu‘s holiday party at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: The new Hi-Yu Junior Court! In our photo, from left, are Queen Bianca Carufel, and Princesses Callie McFadden and Sadie Botuchis. The community group made some changes this year; instead of a mid-summer coronation during the Hiawatha Fun Fest, the application, judging, and coronation were moved to fall. Boys were also invited to apply for the first time, but the seven candidates at tonight’s event were all girls. They were joined by the past Junior Court for this photo, also featuring 2011 Junior Court Queen Taylor Nichols (second from left), who emceed:

Next up – time to choose the Senior Court; applications are due December 20th, and you can find the form on the Hi-Yu website.

Followup: Explorer West Middle School open tomorrow

Just got word that the pipe problem is fixed and Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) will be open tomorrow, normal start time. The school says its Tuesday night open house is on, too, last one of the season, 6:30-8 pm.

Tonight: North Delridge Neighborhood Council, West Seattle Hi-Yu

Missed the chance for a daily preview this morning – so before the evening rush, a quick mention of two events tonight: The North Delridge Neighborhood Council meets at 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), with the agenda including the upcoming opening of DESC’s Cottage Grove Commons and some changes to the NDNC bylaws. Also, West Seattle Hi-Yu has its December meeting, potluck, holiday party, and Junior Court coronation all in one, 7 pm at the St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church Hall (California/Hanford).

West Seattle development: Five updates, including site sights

Five development notes today:

OFFICIAL NOTICE FOR 6917 CALIFORNIA MEETING: In case you missed the mention in our coverage of last week’s Morgan Junction development-primer meeting, the city notice is officially out today, confirming December 19th as the date for the citizen-requested Department of Planning and Development meeting to take comments on the 30-apartments, no-off-street-parking building planned at 6917 California SW. The project does not require Design Review, so no public meeting would be happening if not for a petition drive spearheaded by Concerned Morgan Junction Neighbors. The meeting is at 6:30 pm December 19th at the Senior Center of West Seattle. (This Thursday, December 12th, there’s another community-organized meeting, this time with the site’s developer, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center.) Our photo, by the way, shows the fence that went up around the site within the past few days.

2 FAUNTLEROY WAY TOWNHOUSE PROJECTS: First, with demolition last week, the site’s being cleared for the 5-rowhouse townhouse project at 5457 Fauntleroy (first mentioned here in June):

Further north, another proposal is now in the city system – seven townhouses proposed for a 7,500-square-foot site at 4842 Fauntleroy Way SW (map), to replace a 62-year-old duplex. The site plan shows two townhouses fronting Fauntleroy, five behind, with seven parking spaces lining the alley on the east side of the site.

2801 SW NEVADA LOT SPLIT, TOWNHOUSES: A few more details on this lot-split plan mentioned last week while we were covering the prefab-townhouse installation nearby on SW Genesee: The comment period for 2801 SW Nevada’s lot split (map) ends next Sunday; you can send a comment by following the link atop the notice, which currently covers only the lot split, though a site plan on file with the city outlines four townhouses to replace the 66-year-old duplex that’s there now.

2 NEW SEAVIEW HOMES: Two 94-year-old houses in the 5900 block of 47th SW in Seaview (map) are planned to be demolished and replaced with new homes – the application for 5911 47th SW is here; the application for 5917 47th SW is here.

SIGHTS ON SITES: Two reader-contributed photos – first, Sharonn caught one of the tanks taken out of the ground at the former Shell station on the 4755 Fauntleroy Way development site at Fauntleroy/Alaska:

That’s not the official start of demolition at the site, just the cleanup of the corner.

Finally – the crane that’s been up for half a year over Spruce, aka the ex-Hole, was spotted hoisting bio-break necessities:

Thanks to Leslie for sharing that pic taken from Dream Dinners (WSB sponsor) on the outer east side of Jefferson Square.

West Seattle Bee Garden: The buzz for what’s in the works

(May 2013 photo by WSB’s Katie Meyer)
So what do you do for an encore after you launch a brand-new educational garden with a parade and festival AND win the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Westsider of the Year award? West Seattle Bee Garden founder Lauren Englund sends word that even bigger things are ahead for the WSBG in the new year – and recaps some of what else happened along the way:

Guess what, the West Seattle Bee Garden (WSBG) crew made a last-minute decision to apply for another Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund grant this year, and was awarded $18,000! Fantastic news!

This year has been great; not only did West Seattle come together and create the space from scratch in less than three months, but eleven field trips took place there, including a spectacular Seattle Public Library reading event which packed the place with eager learners.

The garden has also had a constant stream of visitors from near and far – really need a guestbook!

Also, local companies including Shipwreck Honey and Seattle Bee Works helped out by building the hives and hosting beekeeping classes at the space. Interested in beekeeping? Keep an eye out for more opportunities down the road!

Here are a few changes you can expect to see at the WSBG, and educational opportunities we hope to share beyond our Bee Garden borders:

Click to read the rest of West Seattle Bee Garden: The buzz for what’s in the works…

West Seattle weather: Burn ban ends; possible ‘light snow’

11:26 AM: Two weather notes: First, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has ended the latest King County burn ban, saying, “An increase in wind speeds is expected this evening and possible precipitation later in the day. Pollution is not likely to build to levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups and clearing is expected once a front comes in and wind speeds increase.” Second, the latest version of the National Weather Service’s ongoing “special weather statement” alert still foresees potential “light snow” this afternoon. Let us know if and when you see some – we’re on watch too.

11:55 AM: A bit of VERY light flurrying in North Delridge, tweets MetPatrick.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Car theft compounds locker break-in

Monica is asking you to be on the lookout for a stolen car – which is linked to a theft report:

Last night, my son was working out at 24 Hour Fitness at Westwood around 10:00. He called us at 10:30 to report that his locker had been broken into and his wallet and keys (and one shoe!) stolen. The thief then stole his car. SPD did arrive and take a report. Please be on the lookout for a 2005 Nissan Altima 4D 2.5, license plate #AIX6123, in the color of light metallic green. My hope is that it has already been ditched somewhere.

As the SPD @getyourcarback auto-theft tweet advises, call 911 if you see it.

SIDE NOTE: That SPD Twitter feed does not mention *where* a car was stolen, not even which part of the city, and the notations that appear on the SPD crime-info map do not link to reports with info about the car, so the only way we can publish details of a stolen vehicle is if we get a reader report, like this one. Not only have those reports led to other readers spotting stolen cars, sometimes a sighting results in even more (update on the suspect in that case is in the works, by the way). We do hope you won’t EVER be hit by crime, but if you are, once it’s been reported to police, consider sharing info here too – editor@westseattleblog.com.

Update: Explorer West Middle School closed today

7:48 AM: Just heard from Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) – the school is CLOSED today because of a broken pipe.

9:45 AM: They hope it’ll be fixed in time to resume classes tomorrow (which is also an Open House night); we’ll update when info is available later.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday on the move

(More area traffic cams on the WSB Traffic page)
With two major bridge problems last week, we’re hoping for better luck this week. In that spirit, we’re showing both bridge views as the morning begins, since both cameras are working:

ADVISORIES: Half a block of 42nd SW in The Junction is scheduled for daytime closure again this week, just south of SW Alaska, for sewer-line work. Another encore: Again next weekend, 99 will be closed north of downtown, same stretch as this past weekend, between the Battery St. Tunnel and Valley St.

West Seattle holidays: Building with gingerbread at WS Christian

Though the Seahawks didn’t win today, a team-inspired creation took top honors at tonight’s annual gingerbread-house-building competition at West Seattle Christian Church‘s Activity Center in The Junction. It’s a fast-paced event with dozens of builders deploying stacks of building components:

Some of the results had Christmas themes – like this message for Santa:

Others were timeless. Here’s a treehouse:

A beach scene …

And a Biblical scene – Noah’s Ark, in gingerbread:

Disclosure note – WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand helped judge again this year.

Followup: Inside The Bridge as it prepares to open new location

(MONDAY UPDATE: Jenny at The Bridge now says the new location opens THURSDAY at 5 pm)

The dilapidated exterior of 6301 California SW is now a memory, but the old Chuck and Sally’s Tavern sign lives on in the back of the building’s new incarnation as The Bridge. With it are two of the co-proprietors, Trevor Garand and Rita Dixson, in their Seahawks gear because they opened the new place to invitees for this afternoon’s game.

You should be able to watch the NEXT Seahawks game there, because they’re expecting to officially open on Friday (December 13th) Thursday 12/12.

The site is returning to life as a business for the first time since August 2007, when it abruptly closed, initially, as reported here in September of that year, with just a sign mentioning cooler problems. A “For Lease” sign went up in early 2011, but it continued to idle as a vandalized eyesore. Then this past May, as first reported here, Rita, Trevor, and partners Jenny Almukhtar and Ahmed Almukhtar signed a lease and confirmed The Bridge would renovate and move into the building. Its original building near 35th and Avalon, closed last week, is scheduled for demolition when a six-story, 160-unit, 162-parking-space mixed-use building goes up.

West Seattleite scene: Eddie Vedder’s concert T-shirt

(Friday night photo by Amy Allen)
That photo is from Friday night’s Pearl Jam concert at KeyArena downtown, and it has a bit of a backstory! First, while checking Twitter that night, we noticed some pointing out that lead singer Eddie Vedder was showing off some West Seattle (his longtime neighborhood) pride – Stephanie called it directly to our attention:

We looked around for a photo but couldn’t find one until Alia told us via Facebook about one she had seen via Instagram. We contacted the photographer, a Pearl Jam superfan from Des Moines, Iowa, named Amy Allen, for permission to publish her photo here, and she said yes. By day, in fact, Amy is a professional photographer, though she was at the show as a fan equipped only with an iPhone – the 71st time she has seen Pearl Jam in concert, she told us. She’s on Instagram at @amyallenphoto.

P.S. Thought we recalled seeing the same shirt at CAPERS in The Junction; their FB page confirms it.

Happier holiday for 90 kids, thanks to Rotary Club of West Seattle Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree

Once again this year, the Rotary Club of West Seattle and a big supporting cast of volunteers got to play Santa for almost a hundred kids from local schools, during the annual Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree – the club’s biggest day, and signature community-service project, each year. It all started before dawn Saturday, with volunteers already in place as kids began arriving at the building that’s home to SODO Sears, SODO Kitchen, and Starbucks HQ. It’s always a big operation:

The kids patiently waited as a full morning of activities ramped up:

Click to read the rest of Happier holiday for 90 kids, thanks to Rotary Club of West Seattle Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree…

Happening now: Crafty creations rock ‘Gifted’ @ Feedback Lounge

If there’s a baby in your house or otherwise on your gift list – Sasquatch Samwich‘s onesies are part of the lineup today at “Gifted,” the annual arts/crafts sale/bazaar under way now at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) – even a Seahawks design (12th baby, baby!) and the Tardis from “Doctor Who.” And/or stop by Dickie‘s table for creative coasters:

The Feedback’s musical mission resonates with Dean Moller and his Soul Cat Guitars:

Wouldn’t be a Christmastime bazaar without artisan decorations – the tree is by Kyle Schumacher of Blue Fish Studios:

Wander on into The Feedback (6451 California SW in Morgan Junction) before 6 pm.