Longtime West Seattle activist Nels Ekroth is gone
This just in from Bill Schrier with the 34th District Democrats. He’s put up more info about Mr. Ekroth at 34dems.org – excerpt:
Nels and his wife, Fair Taylor Ekroth (1910-1990), were civil rights activists and supported various labor movements, political rallies, and protests during the 1940s and 1950s. Fair Taylor Ekroth was an officer of the Progressive Party in 1948 and the two met in Seattle in 1949, when both were working for the Progressive Party. Nels was investigated by the Committee for Un-American Activities and lost his job on Seattle’s waterfront as a result.
The 34th DDs are working on a special tribute page. Mr. Ekroth would have turned 90 in eight days. (Photo courtesy 34dems.org)
Have you seen this bracelet? A mom’s memento, missing
The photos came with this e-mail from Libbe:
I just had a rehearsal dinner for my wedding this past Friday at Lincoln Park right on the water (closest to the Vashon ferry, shelter #3) .
A close family member of mine believes she has lost the most precious objects she owns there. It’s a gold Medic Alert bracelet. Her son passed away in 2001, and she had his bracelet saved and remade for her. She has worn it for the past 7 years day and night. She’s convinced that it has fallen off at the park during this dinner. We have looked in the area and have been unsuccessful. It’s a very unique piece and had some custom engraving on it (In memory of you, Josh 10-19-79 to 5-31-01). I’ve attached pictures that approximates what it looks like. We plan on going to local pawn shops to inquire about it as well. Just thought it may be worth it to check with any WSB readers.
If you have any idea where it is, please e-mail or call us (all the options are on our Contact page) and we will put you in touch with Libbe and her relative. We usually invite people with lost/found items to post in the WSB Forum (except for pets, for whom we have a separate page) but this one’s a special case; hope someone in WSB-land can help.
Follow-up: Fate of dog that bit child at West Seattle school
When we talked with the Seattle Animal Shelter last week about the iguana rescued in High Point (it’s gone to a foster home), we asked about one other recent case – the pit-bull dog that bit a girl at Lafayette Elementary on the last day of the school year (original WSB report here). They didn’t have the info handy then, but promised to find it, and indeed, we just got a call from Don Baxter from SAS: He says the dog was “put down” after the 10-day quarantine period at the shelter — because its owner was never found, and they can’t run the risk of adopting out a dog that’s already bitten someone. “Plus, it showed additional aggressive tendencies while it was here,” Baxter added.
West Seattle jail-sites fight: WS meeting info now online
Follow-up to last Saturday’s city-organized public forum (WSB coverage here) about the two southeast West Seattle sites under consideration for a possible new misdemeanor-offender jail: The city just sent word it’s updated the jail-project website with feedback from that event (see it here). The city’s series of four public forums on the four proposed locations winds up tomorrow night at Seattle Center; that event is expected to focus mostly on the Interbay location, but city reps reiterated Saturday that participants are welcome to discuss any and all of the sites. The next government-organized public meeting after this will likely not be till fall, once an environmental assessment is out for these sites and any non-Seattle sites that the city’s new jail-project partners propose.
Update: “Car-Free Day” announcement set for Alki tomorrow
We reported here late Friday night that Mayor Nickels was expected to announce this week that Alki will indeed have a “Car-Free Day” before summer’s out (a source told us it’ll be September 7th). And now it’s confirmed that the mayor is making an announcement at Alki tomorrow morning, though it’s described only as an event where he “will announce the dates and the streets chosen for the city’s Car-Free Days. As part of the city’s ‘Give Your Car the Summer Off’ campaign to combat global warming, selected roadways will be open to only pedestrians and bicyclists on designated summer Sundays.” We’ll be there to bring you the official word as soon as it’s announced.
Spokane Viaduct update: First “lower roadway” closures imminent
Thanks to everyone who has forwarded us an e-mail that is circulating today, and/or has asked about some new signage that has gone up, regarding the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project and work in that area beneath/alongside the east end of the West Seattle Bridge. We wrote an extensive in-depth preview about it and published it here in May, with graphics, detour information, and more. You can see that story here. We also have just checked with the city regarding what’s about to happen in the area – which is actually utility work, not the widening project itself, which starts in fall, but the utility work WILL trigger the first closure to dramatically affect West Seattleites heading for destinations such as Costco. We will add the details on the utility work here shortly, but since that e-mail is apparently going around fast, wanted to start by posting the link to our original preview. More shortly. ADDED 1:45 PM: Here’s the information on what’s about to happen in that area:Read More
Corner Inn auction: Memories up for bid
Your editor here has driven past the Corner Inn (California/Fauntleroy) thousands of times, yet never been inside till this morning’s auction, almost two months after its sudden shutdown. Above, you see just one video clip of many we captured during the auction’s first 45 minutes – even without any personal memories in the place, we found ourselves oddly teary at the sadness of the scene – the icicle lights and Mylar stars still dangling from the ceiling, right next to the elevated portable podium where the namesake of James G. Murphy Auctioneers cheerily (as our video shows) plowed through the list of items, from a colander, to photos from the wall, up to the piano and organ – those by the way went for a shockingly low price; that clip ahead (and we’ll be adding more as we go through our video):Read More
Reader report: Alki-area cell-calling woes
“D” wanted to pass along an alert to fellow T-Mobile cell users – she says her phone’s not working in the Alki area, except for text messages (they live near 62nd/Alki). She says the customer-service department reported “network problems in (the) area” are being worked on.
Update on West Seattle’s OTHER ex-Schuck’s site
As demolition proceeds on the 39th/Alaska/Fauntleroy ex-Schuck’s (etc.), the project on the site of the ex-Schuck’s that was knocked down seven months ago at California/Charlestown (WSB coverage, with video, here) is close to completion. It’s been six weeks since our last update, so we just checked back this morning with the leasing agent for Charlestown Center, Joe Beynon, who says he can reveal two of the businesses that are going in — Anytime Fitness is leasing two-thirds of the top floor, a hair salon called Budget Cuts is leasing part of the first floor. Who else is moving in? Beynon says he’s “not at liberty to disclose that” just yet. The spaces will be turned over to tenants on August 7th.
Coin-operated pool table, anyone? Corner Inn auction today
The preview’s at 8 this morning, auction’s at 10, for the fixtures and furnishings from the former Corner Inn at California/Fauntleroy, less than two months after it abruptly shut down. The James G. Murphy Auctioneers website has a list of items, plus pix. Besides the coin-operated pool table, there’s the piano, the organ, and pie case, among other things. (The auction is at the shuttered restaurant/lounge, by the way.)
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