day : 23/06/2008 11 results

With three nights to go till the first of two city-organized public forums on the two potential city-jail sites that are in southeast West Seattle, the Highland Park Action Committee got together again tonight to strategize in advance. Part of their plan is to research and counter some of the documents the city is citing as reasons why a jail wouldn’t be detrimental to this community (or either of the other two with potential sites). In particular, they are poking holes in this study posted on the city’s jail-info website, taking issue in particular with whether that federal study has any relevance to effects a jail might have here:

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That’s HPAC’s Kathleen Voss, saying that trying to apply the findings of that study to the situation here is a real case of apples-and-oranges. HPAC chair Dorsol Plants also noted that even where there might be economic activity tied to a jail, the money from jail workers buying lunch in Highland Park, as he put it, would not outweigh the money lost by families that wouldn’t buy homes in HP because of a jail nearby. HPAC continues its activism on a variety of fronts, including an online petition that’s linked from its jail-info page, but the next big focus is Thursday night’s city forum, 6-9 pm at 9125 15th Place S. in South Park (map). HPAC will hold its next monthly meeting July 21 (7 pm, HP Improvement Club), so members will have a chance to confer before the city’s second public forum (July 26, 9 am, South Seattle Community College). But as Plants warned tonight’s 50 or so attendees, “It’s going to be a long fight.” To catch up with all WSB coverage on the jail-sites fight, check out the newest-to-oldest archive page here.

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T(ee) for the Y: Nucor’s tourney makes WS YMCA the winner

June 23, 2008 11:47 pm

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| West Seattle people | WS & Sports

Josh Sutton from the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) sends that photo with a big thanks to Nucor — it’s from the company’s annual golf tournament for about 150 staff, vendors and customers, over the weekend at Washington National in Auburn. “This year, they decided to make it a fundraiser, and chose the YMCA as their charity,” Josh explains — with more than $30,000 raised. “We’ll be using funding to support our various youth programs like child care, day camp, academic support, and teen programs.” The photo shows the winning foursome: Weylin Thompson from Mulvanny G2 Architects, Nucor summer Metallurgical Engineering intern Anthony Perugini, and Nucor’s Craig Anderson (who organized the tournament) and CJ Shin. The foursome had a 9-under-par 63, and there’s a P.S. from Josh: “2 Y execs won the longest drives â€“ Sue Camou Arrant and Marcia Isenberger. Must be the power of a good workout.”

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Pulling an all-nighter that could help save your life

June 23, 2008 9:04 pm

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| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

At center stage in that photo from a few summers ago is Kevin Wooley (with Jim Dever and then-Hi-Yu Court members). You may know Kevin and wife Tammy Wooley, who are Fauntlee Hills residents – among other things, he chairs the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency, currently working to save the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and she volunteers at local schools. This Friday night into Saturday morning, we know where you can find them, and hundreds of others – at West Seattle Stadium, during the Relay for Life of West Seattle. It’s different from some of the other “walkathon” type fundraisers that happen each summer (like last weekend’s Race for the Cure) – and there are a variety of ways you can be part of it, with or without becoming an official participant. Read on to hear how Kevin and Tammy – a 10-year cancer survivor – describe it:Read More

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Attacked police officer: Take a moment to wish him well

June 23, 2008 5:38 pm

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| How to help | West Seattle police

Six days after Southwest Precinct police officer Jason McKissack was attacked while trying to break up a fight in High Point, he is recovering at home, but probably won’t be back at work for a while. Meantime, as reported over the weekend, charges are filed against the three teenagers arrested that night. But there’s one other aspect to this story: Many people have been wondering how to send a message to Officer McKissack. The leadership committee of the newly renamed West Seattle Crime Prevention Council had the same thought, and asked if we would set up a special page here on West Seattle Blog that you could use to get a message to the officer. We did, and here it is. A short form on that page will send an e-mail to a special box, and the WSCPC leaders will make sure Officer McKissack gets your message — in addition, if you tell us on the form that it’s OK to publish your message, we’ll post it on that special page too. Click here to go to that page now.

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West Seattle Summer Fest music lineup: See it here!

June 23, 2008 3:31 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Just in from the West Seattle Junction Association — the program for West Seattle Summer Fest, coming up July 11-12-13 — and it has first word of the music acts you can expect to see. It’s not on the Summer Fest website just yet, so download it here (the music lineup is on page 7, with performer info starting on page 10). The program has other Summer Fest details too; click ahead for a few additional notes of interest:Read More

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Charlestown Cafe: Sneak peek inside, pre-grand reopening

June 23, 2008 2:07 pm

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| Charlestown Cafe | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Tama and Sacha are two of the Charlestown Cafe team members working hard today to get the beloved restaurant back in shape for its grand reopening, now just days away, as first reported here last Thursday. It’s been a long and bumpy road to get the restaurant reopened after the February fire that at first left cafe co-owners hoping they’d only be closed for “days”; here’s one reason it took so long:

That’s the new hood system required as a condition of reopening. But as our photo shows, it’s in place and ready to go, and the place was abuzz with work when we stopped by earlier today:

Our Charlestown Cafe coverage — not just the fire, but also the development controversy that unfolded in preceding months — is all archived here.

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Crime Watch reader report: Watch for would-be-burglars team

June 23, 2008 12:59 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Just out of the WSB inbox, from BG:

Yesterday (6/22) an attempted burglary was successfully thwarted on the 9000 block of 13th Avenue SW [map]. At approximately noon on Sunday, I was in my home office when I noticed three youths engaging in suspicious activity across the street in my neighborâ€™s driveway. With one youth serving as a lookout, the other two removed the screen from our neighborâ€™s kitchen window and attempted to enter the house. The neighbors were away for the weekend.

I immediately called 911 and police arrived in time to apprehend one of the suspects. Two suspects escaped and were not apprehended. I was shocked by the brazen attempt to burglarize our neighborâ€™s home in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon. These three juveniles have been recently observed by others in the area looking into cars and appearing to case houses. I urge you to keep an eye out for them in your neighborhood. Their physical descriptions are as follows:

1. Female, juvenile (14 â€“ 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5â€™ 5â€™â€™, stocky build. Short hair, worn in a bun in the back of the head. Last seen wearing tight blue jeans, and a tight black top.
2. Male, juvenile (14 â€“ 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5â€™ 8â€™â€™, muscular build. Last seen wearing baggy shorts, a dark oversized coat, and an orange knit stocking cap.
3. Male, juvenile (14 â€“ 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5â€™ 10â€™â€™, muscular build. Last seen wearing baggy shorts, a dark oversized coat, and a red baseball cap.

These three juveniles work as a team. The female has been observed walking in our neighborhood on the more than one occasion, and serves as a lookout for the male juveniles. Vigilance made the difference on our block yesterday and the West Seattle Blog deserves credit for making us all more aware of suspicious activity in our neighborhood.

And in turn we hat-tip to West Seattle’s police force at the Southwest Precinct, which is trailblazing for the whole city by aggressively advocating this kind of watchfulness and repeatedly reminding us all not to hesitate calling 911 for ANY kind of suspicious activity as it happens. If a life’s not at risk, the response time depends on what else is going on, but as we were reminded in a recent chat with precinct leaders, thorough and complete crime reports at the very least help them decide where to best deploy their people when they’re planning schedules and emphasis patrols.

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From the permit files: Station confirmation; townhouses

June 23, 2008 12:44 pm

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| Development | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

STATION CONFIRMATION: Yesterday, we showed you the long-closed Roxbury 76 station getting fueled. Today, the state liquor-license-application site shows “Roxbury Gasoline” at that location applying for a store license to sell beer/wine. So a mini-mart’s on the way too.

FUTURE TOWNHOUSES: The city’s latest Land Use Information Bulletin includes the decision approving a five-lot “subdivision” at 4009 California, currently home to this:

A permit to build five townhouses here was issued earlier this month.

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Happening tonight, Thursday: Meetings on West Seattle jail sites

June 23, 2008 11:42 am

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| Neighborhoods | West Seattle jail sites | West Seattle news

TONIGHT: The Highland Park Action Committee meets tonight (7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club, 11th and Holden) to continue strategizing opposition to the two HP-vicinity sites (map) on the city’s “final four” list of potential jail locations. THURSDAY: The first of two city-organized public meetings focusing on those two sites — this one’s in neighboring South Park (6 pm @ 9125 15th Place S., map here); the second meeting is July 26 at South Seattle Community College. More on all planned city forums here; city info page on jail-site search here; HPAC jail-sites info page here; all WSB coverage on the jail-sites issue is archived here.

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“Hang up and drive”: Enforcement starts next week

June 23, 2008 9:41 am

| 15 COMMENTS

| Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | Safety

Not West Seattle-specific but worth a reminder: The State Patrol is launching publicity this week to remind all drivers that troopers plan to start enforcing the “hands-free law” July 1st (one week from tomorrow. Drivers holding cell phones to their ears could face $124 fines – unless you were calling 911 to report “a highway emergency.” WSP will be partnering with at least one mobile-phone company at a media event this week to point out that it’s easy to set your phone up so you can talk “hands-free” while you drive, if you need to.

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West Seattle Gas Price Watch: Pump-jump slowdown

June 23, 2008 5:40 am

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| Gas prices | Transportation | West Seattle news

The highest price in this week’s West Seattle Gas Price Watch — our weekly survey of posted regular and premium prices at all West Seattle stations (checked during late-Sunday-night drives and posted early Monday mornings) — is only two cents over last week’s highest price: It’s $4.45/regular at Lincoln Park 76 (photo left). More than half the other 19 West Seattle stations have the same price for regular, a rare sort of consensus – some are even unchanged from last week — one station is actually cheaper! See the latest prices, on our map and text list, ahead:Read More