day : 25/03/2010 20 results

Your West Seattle Bookshelf, 3rd weekly edition

March 25, 2010 11:56 pm
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 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Lists courtesy of Square One Books

Once again this week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her store’s five best-sellers in each of four key categories:

Hardcover:
1. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rececca Skloot
3. Angelology: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Paperback:
1. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
2. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
4. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Children/Young Adult:
1. Warriors: The Omen #2 by Erin Hunter
2. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney
3. The Lightning Thief Series by Rick Riordan
4. The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
5. Bone Handbook by Jeff Smith

Teen:
1. The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
2. The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson
3. Graceling by Kristen Cashore
4. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Square One is in Jefferson Square.

West Seattle High School baseball/fastpitch dinner/auction Saturday

March 25, 2010 11:41 pm
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 |   Announcements

Just got this announcement for another big event Saturday to raise money for student sports at West Seattle High School:

Community event!!

Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction to support West Seattle High School Baseball and Fastpitch (Sponsored by the WSHS Booster Club)

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

Festivities begin with a Social/No Host Bar 5:00pm-6:30pm (at the church next to the high school parking lot)
Auction Doors Open at the High School Commons (3000 California Avenue SW) at 5:30 pm.
Dinner served from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm

End of silent auction/Dessert Dash/Live Auction and raffle will follow dinner

Tickets, which include a delicious spaghetti dinner and an auction bid number will be available at the door and are only $12 per person (children under 5 are welcome and are free)

Plenty of great items will be raffled and auctioned

* Vintage WSHS Indian softball/baseball wear
* Seahawks Jerseys
* New Letterman’s Jacket (donated by National Achiever)
* Embassy Suites Hotel Package
* Sports Memorabilia
* Photography Packages
* Bathtub remodel/refinishing
* Sounders Tickets
* Mariner’s Tickets (including Box seats)
* Restaurant gift certificates (Salty’s, Cactus, etc)
* Dinner for 10 w/ Coach Burr (WSHS Fastpitch Coach)
* Menashe and Son Jewelry Gift Certificates

And much MORE MORE MORE!!!!

WSHS Baseball and Fastpitch welcomes community members, our neighbors, fans, friends and families.

This is always a fun community event! Hope to see you all there!

Door-to-door alert: Nighttime “donation”-seeker

Just out of the inbox, a report from “Concerned Neighbors” – read on:Read More

Ladies Night Out fundraiser for West Seattle High School Grad Night

March 25, 2010 9:44 pm
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 |   Announcements

Less than three months left in the school year – and that means West Seattle High School‘s Grad Night is getting closer! This Saturday night, a chance to help raise money to make the safe celebration happen – here’s the announcement:

West Seattle HS 2010 Grad Night is hosting a Ladies Night Out – Cookie Lee Jewelry Show AND manicures/pedicures !!! Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 27th, from 7 pm – 10 pm at Seattle Style Salon, 7350 35th Avenue SW, West Seattle.

Grad Night 2010 in conjunction with Mary Toal is hosting a Cookie Lee jewelry show. WSHS parent and Cookie Lee Consultant, Mary Toal, will donate all proceeds to our Grad Night fund. PLUS her employer, BECU, will match whatever she donates! Seattle Style natural nail specialist will be available for mani/pedi services donating 1/3 of her sales!

Cookie Lee Jewelry is known for offering the latest in affordable, high-quality fashion accessories for women of all ages.

Manicures/pedicures bookings can be made through April 17th. Ask to speak to Denise or Lian (206) 938-2578 to schedule your time and confirm details.

Not able to attend on March 27th? Mary Toal is offering catalog sales, too! The Cookie Lee website (cookielee.com) is a small representation of the catalog. There’s so much more in the catalog!!! Please feel free to email Mary if you would like a catalog. Mary is generously donating all proceeds from catalog sales, too.

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to Carol Viger (West Seattle HS Grad Night Chair), cviger@comcast.net, 938-4204 or Mary Toal, mary.toal@becu.org, 938-2276.

What is Grad Night at West Seattle High School?
Grad Night is an all night, alcohol and drug free celebration on graduation night that is fun & safe for seniors. The locations, entertainment and activities are mysteries until the seniors arrive at their destinations. The celebration continues until early the next morning.

Why support Grad Night?
Because everyone makes mistakes – even the smartest, most athletic kids. Accidents happen. West Seattle HS has the largest Alumni Association in the United States at 17,000 members. Grad Night is a good segue to that end. We want to keep our kids connected to our community and coming back to give back and keep West Side the Best Side.

As a community member, maybe even one without kids, know that you may have saved a life, or at least given memories to last a lifetime in the community called “home” to these kids.

How much support is needed?
As a public high school, our goal is to raise $50 for every student who attends in order to keep the cost as low as possible. Last year’s Grad Night had approximately 125 attendees. Your donation will help offset the cost of transportation, activities, entertainment, security personnel, food, beverages, prizes and scholarships.

How can I support Grad Night?
Cash, of course is our greatest need. Donations can be sent to: WSHS PTSA – Grad Night, ATTN: David Broadstone, 3000 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98116

We are a 501(3)c. For more information, please contact Carol Viger, cviger@comcast.net, 938-4204

Followup: Pike Place Produce in West Seattle – more than produce

We promised a followup when we published a short item yesterday about the sign John S spotted at one of the former Huling/Gee lots on Fauntleroy Way. Tonight – the details!

Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Now we know what’s going on behind that banner, and Pike Place Produce co-owner Bruce McPherson laughingly offers an apologetic confirmation: “Sorry, West Seattle, it’s not a Trader Joe’s.”

Pike Place Produce Company — co-owned by West Seattle residents Mike Cairns and Bruce McPherson along with Bob Klein, owner of Corner Produce by Pike Place Market — has leased the former auto-sales lot (4755 Fauntleroy Way) to open a year-round farmers-market-type business – not just fruit and vegetables.

Read More

@ the Parks Board: Celebration set for Water Taxi’s new dock

March 25, 2010 7:06 pm
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 |   King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

7:06 PM: Also at the Seattle Parks Board meeting downtown: This hasn’t been announced by the county yet, but Superintendent Tim Gallagher has just told the board that a celebration at/for the King County Water Taxi’s new dock at Seacrest is set for Sunday, April 11, noon-2 pm – that’s the first Sunday after the Water Taxi season starts on April 5. 9:49 PM UPDATE: This is now on the Water Taxi/King County Ferry District website too. Free rides!

@ the Parks Board: Junction Plaza Park has a construction contract

March 25, 2010 6:45 pm
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 |   Junction Plaza Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Junction Plaza Park design from last round of meetings in 2009)
We’re at the Seattle Parks Board meeting downtown – where the big news will be a briefing on the Parks budget situation, which we were just told in a pre-meeting conversation with board leaders, is a lot worse than you might think. One big problem: No money to maintain the new parks facilities funded by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, and barely enough to maintain what the department has now. But that’s not the reason we’re writing this in-progress update: Speaking of new parks (though this was NOT in that levy), Superintendent Tim Gallagher has just told the Parks Board that a contract has been issued for construction of Junction Plaza Park, and work should start soon, with completion in time for “several summer events.” (The park is on the northwest corner of Alaska/42nd.) We’ll be tracking that; meantime, we’ll have the full Parks Board story later after the budget briefing.

West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 vandalism cases, 1 a church break-in

CRIME WATCH REPORT #1: That window-repair work in the Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) nursery wasn’t originally on the church schedule today … until burglar(s) broke in overnight. That’s not all they did; church staffer Jackie Gould says they used the custodian’s tools to break off part of a door latch, ransacked chapel drawers, and opened a fire extinguisher to spray retardant foam all over the hallway, even in a resource room where kids’ art/craft supplies (and other items) were stored:

The burglar(s) also stole small electronics including an iPod belonging to the church’s wedding coordinator. As you might be able to tell from that photo, some footprints were left in the foam in that room; most of the other damage was cleaned up by the time we dropped by at mid-afternoon.

CRIME WATCH REPORT #2: The keeper of the “Ducky Reserve” at Lowman Beach, Ron Sterling, has surveillance video equipment trained on his whimsical display at all times. They’ve caught some unusual sights over the years. This time, they’ve caught an unmistakable case of vandalism destroying/stealing the St. Patrick’s Day display he hadn’t changed over yet. He’s posted about it in the WSB Forums, including a link to video of the incident.

Reminder: Big tree-planting project in West Seattle this Saturday!

March 25, 2010 3:40 pm
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 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

We’ve mentioned this a few times and with Saturday just around the corner, it’s time for another reminder: The Rotary Club of West Seattle is helping lead the way in a big tree-planting project along Fauntleroy Way this Saturday, along with local Boy Scouts and the city – and hopefully, with you too! Just be at Fairmount Playground starting at 9 am Saturday. Meantime, here’s the latest news release – read on:Read More

Update: New store West Seattle Runner on track for April opening

Lots of WSB commenter excitement when we first told you last month about Tim and Lori McConnell‘s plans to open a specialty store for runners – since christened West Seattle Runner. They were hoping at the time to open in “early April” – now it’s looking closer to mid-April, with a hoped-for opening date tentatively set: April 10. And a sign’s gone up, as you can see in the photo at left; Tim also sent photos of the interior work they’ve been doing in the space on the 2nd floor of Charlestown Center at California/Charlestown.

To keep up with store doings and their involvement with the local running community, you can join the West Seattle Runner group on Facebook.

Seattle City Council promises “support” for South Park Bridge $

As we reported last night, Seattle Mayor McGinn said the city would be hard-pressed to chip in money to help build a new South Park Bridge. Today, City Councilmembers have issued a statement saying they will “support” the county’s efforts to find money, adding – as the mayor had said yesterday – they “remain open to the possibility of making a contribution to the project from the City.” Read on for their news release (AND, ADDED 4:04 PM, reaction from the King County Executive):Read More

Reminder: Admiral Neighborhood crime-prevention summit Tuesday

March 25, 2010 2:30 pm
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 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

We’ve mentioned next Tuesday’s event before; now, the flyer just went out on the Admiral Neighborhood Association mailing list – read on for the text:Read More

West Seattle school news: Tilden celebrates its 25th anniversary

(Photos courtesy Tilden School)
“T” is for Tilden, as in Tilden School, which is celebrating a milestone today – a quarter-century in operation. That’s Whitney Tjerandsen, Tilden director, who signed the papers creating Tilden on this date in 1985. She joined students and staff in a party with not only the mini-cupcakes, but also a round of “Happy Birthday”; we’re told she explained to the students, “We’re celebrating with you, because you’re the reason we’re here!”

Tilden is a K-5 school at 4105 California SW, north of The Junction.

Followup: Clearer look at Alaskan Way Viaduct South End “staging”

Earlier this week, we brought you this story looking ahead at the “staging” for how Alaskan Way Viaduct construction will affect SODO-to-West Seattle Bridge traffic over the next five-plus years. In that story, we linked somewhat-complicated maps shown to the South Portal Working Group on Tuesday. Today, for those interested in planning ahead, the Viaduct team just sent us a user-friendlier version of the same info, drawn up in time for the North Portal Working Group‘s meeting last night. The graphic above is the first page; see the whole thing here. (Also, the project website now links to the slides from a separate section of the presentation we covered on Tuesday.) Reminder, this is just the work related to what the state is doing about The Viaduct – NOT nearby projects such as the city-owned Spokane Street Viaduct. (P.S. Another reminder – the Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to close 6 am-6 pm both days this weekend for its semiannual checkup.)

ADDED 2:40 PM: One more Viaduct note – some work planned for next week – here’s the advisory from SDOT:

Seattle Department of Transportation crews plan to close the southbound, right and left lanes (one at a time) on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, south of the First Avenue off-ramp, next week for maintenance. They will start the work this weekend, taking advantage of the closure already scheduled for inspection of the viaduct, and continue from Monday (March 29) to Friday (April 5) between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day. The crews will work on an overhead rail beam.

Crews will also close the northbound, left lane of the Alaskan Way Viaduct at Massachusetts Street to repair a damaged rail. They plan this closure for Monday (March 29) through Wednesday (March 31) from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

White Center notes: Evergreen Pool re-opening; bar/grill closing

(August 2009 photo of Evergreen Pool, just before it closed)
From partner site White Center Now and potentially of interest this side of the city-limits line: Seven months after Evergreen Pool in White Center closed because of county budget trouble, it’s on the brink of reopening – the swimming organization that’s been working all along to take it over has finally sealed the deal; here’s the latest.

SECOND WHITE CENTER NOTE: The entrepreneur who took over what was The Wall in the central WC business district and turned it into Hang Around Bar and Grill says they’re being forced out at the end of the week; here’s the story, with a followup in the works. (You can find WCN stories here on WSB anytime by clicking the White Center tab below the sunset header on all pages.)

Admiral Safeway: Rezoning hearing set; decision on 1st building

If you’re following the Admiral Safeway redevelopment project – still working its way through the approval process – there are two notices worth noting this morning: First, this one includes word that the city Department of Planning and Development is recommending approval of the rezoning that’s required for Safeway’s plan, and has set the mandatory public hearing before the city Hearing Examiner – 9 am April 16. Second, here’s the land-use decision on the 1st building that’s planned for the site – the smaller, California-fronting 7,000-square-foot retail building in the left foreground of the rendering above. Safeway had said it wants to build that first, so that its pharmacy can move there and continue service while the main store is closed for construction. As with all such decisions, this one is appealable, and the notice says April 8 is the deadline for that. (For more on the project, see our report on its final Design Review meeting.)

West Seattle Thursday: Viewpoints; crime/safety; author reading

March 25, 2010 7:19 am
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 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Hamilton Viewpoint, earlier this week)
VIEWPOINT POLICY AND BUDGET BRIEFING ON PARKS BOARD AGENDA: 5 West Seattle viewpoints owned/maintained by Seattle Parks are included in the Viewpoint Vegetation Management plan that’s on tonight’s Parks Board agenda at 6:30 pm (CORRECTED TIME, city webpage was wrong; this is at Parks HQ downtown); here’s the briefing paper, and here’s a report on the status of some of the viewpoints citywide. Also on the agenda, a budget briefing – amid much concern about more Parks changes/cuts if the financial picture stays gloomy.

NEVER TOO SOON TO LOVE READING! This morning it’s Toddler Story Time at the High Point Library, 11:30 am-noon.

WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Their regular monthly meeting is at the West Seattle Golf Course banquet room – preceded by the discussion group talking about Corporate Personhood at 10:30, followed by registration for the lunch meeting at 11:15 (they request reservations by the day before, but you can try 206-935-3216 to see if there’s room). Guest speakers include King County Elections Director Sherril Huff. The group’s continuing its food drive, so remember to bring a donation if you’re attending the meeting.

AUTHOR READING/SIGNING: Bainbridge Island author Jonathan Evison will be at West Seattle (Admiral) Library tonight at 6:30 to read from and sign his book “All About Lulu.” The event is co-sponsored by Square One Books (WSB sponsor); admission is free, but copies of the book will be available for purchase.

SOUTH DELRIDGE/WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY SAFETY COALITION: It’s the monthly chance to find out about crime trends and prevention/safety advocacy in the area, with Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s deputies joining community volunteers, 6 pm at the DSHS office on 15th SW in White Center (directions here).

Traffic alert: South Park Bridge closed by crash

March 25, 2010 6:19 am
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 |   South Park | West Seattle news

We’ve been talking about it a lot lately, and right now there’s a traffic alert about it: A caller told us the South Park Bridge is closed because of a crash, and indeed, KIRO 7’s chopper is showing the scene, with a vehicle on its side. No word on injuries, but that route’s likely to be blocked a while. 6:36 AM: Last aerial showed a tow truck there, so it should be cleared soon. Tipster Tony B sent this photo showing the pickup on its side:

Highland Park Action Committee: Candidates; traffic; T-shirt …

checkbox.jpgStarting Feb. 2 and continuing through last Monday, five people have entered the race for 34th District State House Position 2. Call it the domino seat: It’s opening because Rep. Sharon Nelson is running for the State Senate seat that Sen. Joe McDermott is vacating to run for County Council (appointed Councilmember Jan Drago repeated recently that she will not run). All 5 State House #2 hopefuls showed up for the first major candidates’ forum of the campaign last night, organized by the Highland Park Action Committee. That wasn’t the only item on HPAC’s monthly meeting agenda, but it was the biggest one – after the jump, video clips of each candidate plus other meeting toplines :Read More

Next chance to help the hungry: Peace Lutheran youth food drive

This Saturday, the youth group from Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood hopes you’ll drop by and help them amass a sizable food donation for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks. Peace Lutheran youth director Nicole Klinemeier explains, “The food drive is part of an event where we are talking about hunger issues. This is one of our service projects during the event. The event itself lasts for 24 hours, but they commit to not eating for 30 hours, as a taste of what it is like to go hungry.” She says the items food banks need the most include:

Cereal
Dry variety (e.g., Hamburger Helper, Rice a Roni, etc.)
Beans
Rice
Canned meat (anything but tuna)
Canned fruit and vegetables
Diapers (size 4, 5, 6)

You can drop off donations on Saturday between 8 am and 12:30 pm; Peace Lutheran is at 39th and Thistle (map). And remember – because of the Feinstein Challenge (explained here), ANY donation to the local food banks through the end of April counts for extra.