(NOTE: The promotional clip below includes a simulated violent attack)
Did you know that West Seattle martial-arts expert Lisa Skvarla is an accomplished stuntwoman too? In the two-minute preview video above, she’s the dark-haired woman in the re-enactment scenes (starting about 18 seconds in) as a crime survivor tells her story of an East Coast ordeal more than a decade ago. It’s part of a new DIscovery Health special, “The Worst Thing that Ever Happened to Me,” debuting at 7 pm Friday (December 10); Skvarla is seen in flashback scenes as Debra Puglisi Sharp, who survived an attack that took her husband’s life (also detailed in the book “Shattered“). Lisa and husband Joe own Lee’s Martial Arts in the south Admiral area, and she teaches self-defense to kids as well as adults. According to a news release Skvarla sent tonight to announce the show, she also has been an actor/stunt performer/stunt coordinator working in L.A. as well as Seattle for more than 15 years.
“We received a call from a customer who believed that a streetlight in her neighborhood may not be working properly,” says Superintendent of City Light Jorge Carrasco. “Crews investigated the streetlight on Tuesday, found that there were exposed wires in the lamphead and immediately repaired it. There was no damage or injury associated with this malfunctioning streetlight.”
According to tonight’s advisory, Carrasco will brief the media tomorrow on the utility’s plans to check the system’s 20,000 metal streetlight poles and 10,000 metal streetlight-vault covers, and to fix any that need repairs. Meantime, if you suspect any kind of trouble with a streetlight – even if it’s just burned out – the city has long had a reporting system set up: Find the online form and phone number here.
But his appearance during the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s luncheon meeting was noteworthy. Instead of focusing on the lighthouse, as expected, he said it was most important for people to know more about the Arctic, what’s changing there, and how it’s affecting not just the USCG, but the rest of the country.
He discussed the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap without ever using the phrase “global warming” or “climate change.”
(UPDATED 5:22 PM: At the end of the story, we’ve added new information from the county, including an open letter to the community, and information on how residents of the proposed-for-purchase Lowman Beach properties were notified. ADDITIONAL UPDATE 6:35 PM with Fauntleroy reaction)
(County map showing where the “green stormwater infrastructure” is proposed for the area feeding the Barton pump station; go here for larger version) ORIGINAL 2:40 PM REPORT: Just in from King County Wastewater Treatment Division: The county has announced its preferred alternatives for facilities to achieve a required reduction in CSOs (combined-sewer overflows) at the Murray (Lowman Beach) andBarton(next to the Fauntleroy ferry dock) Pump Stations. For Murray, they propose building a million-gallon storage tank under private property across the street from Lowman Beach Park – which the county would have to buy (even if that involves “eminent domain“); for Barton, the Green Stormwater Infrastructure project – read on for the news release; more to come – the process of arriving at these choices has been going on for more than 3 years (with major acceleration in fall of last year). and today’s announcement is the first step toward an in-depth environmental review:Read More
Congratulations to volunteers from West Seattle’s Hiawatha and Alki Community Centers for winning 2010 Denny Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Stewardship, as presented by Seattle Parks last night. From the announcement:
Up and Coming Youth Award
Natalie “Wolfy” Whithan, Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council
At just 17, Natalie is already making a big impact in her community. She is a member of the Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council and the Youth Engaged in Service program. She has helped the center create more organized office systems, reshaped the Teen Advisory Council, designed colorful bulletin boards that highlight the teen program, led younger youth in fun activities, and ran special events at both the Hiawatha and Southwest community centers. She is a bright light to those around her.
Associated Recreation Council Volunteer of the Year Award
Darrell Glover, Alki Community Center Advisory Council
Darrell not only helps lead the center with important policy and monetary decisions through his work on the advisory council, but he also rolls up his sleeves to help out for special events. He advertises events to businesses, parents, and friends before the event; sets up tables, passes out equipment, and supports staff during the event; then takes out trash, sweeps up afterward, and ensures the work is done before going home himself.
Though registration started yesterday for Seattle Parks community centers and pools’ winter programs, if you tried to find a copy of the winter brochure, you couldn’t. This, we’ve learned today via a discussion on Twitter, is because the department has needed extra time to figure out the schedules for the budget-determined “limited hours” community centers – including Alki – since the budget was just finalized two weeks ago. Parks says the brochures might be posted online as soon as tomorrow (watch the right sidebar on the home page for your favorite community center – the West Seattle/South Park centers and Southwest Pool all combine their schedules into one brochure); the printed version will follow. But you don’t have to wait for the brochure to get program information – check out the online-registration system SPARCby starting here. (P.S. Your West Seattle Community Centers, which are part of the WSB sponsor team, are “likable” on Facebook too.)
2:07 PM P.S. Just discovered on the Alki Community Center webpage that its Advisory Council meets tonight, 7 pm, to talk about next year – a meeting certainly of interest to anyone wondering how the budget cuts will affect its offerings.
Just out of the WSB inbox, word that the next initiative targeting the tunnel-replacing-Viaduct plan is to be filed with the City Clerk tomorrow morning. This one is to bear the name Seattle Taxpayer Protection Initiative, and according to its sponsors’ news release:
• Requires the City of Seattle to hold the State solely responsible for cost overruns and to require budgetary transparency on all state transportation projects located within Seattle.
• Requires all branches of City government to cooperate in holding the State responsible for project costs and report progress to the citizens on a quarterly basis.
• Establishes a Cost Accountability Commission to inform and monitor implementation of the ordinance.
• Instructs City Officials to fulfill the requirements of the ordinance within the full limits of their established authority.
The sponsors, including the state Sierra Club and Real Change, have a website at moveseattlesmarter.org. This is separate from the “no tunnel” initiative for which signature-gathering has been under way for months. P.S. The filing tomorrow will come three hours before the governor is scheduled to open bids from the 2 teams vying to design and build the tunnel.
ADDED 2:16 PM: Reaction from the pro-tunnel Tunnel Plus Transit coalition, excerpted from a news release they just sent:
“This initiative is a complete waste of time, trees, and money. The backers say they are concerned about protecting Seattle’s wallet, but they admit this will have no real affect – except, of course, that they want to waste the taxpayers’ money to put it on the ballot. We don’t need symbolic gestures, we need to replace the capacity of an aging and dangerous structure, we need congestion relief, and we need to take advantage of the favorable bidding climate right now. More delay is irresponsible,” said Bob Donegan, coalition spokesman.
Just yesterday, we were talking about owls. This one is not likely to have been part of THAT story, but it’ll figure into the next West Seattle Art Walk. Remember Wollet, the Lincoln Park owlet, shown here last year in photos shared by Trileigh? This photo is part of her first-ever photography show, “Backyard Beauty and Beyond,” which you can see at the Senior Center of West Seattle during tomorrow night’s Art Walk, 6-9 pm, along with other photos she took, mostly in Lincoln Park. “It’ll be wonderful to share some of these glimpses of our local beauty with my wonderful WS community!” Trileigh tells WSB.
Other December Art Walk highlights – with venues from Alki to Highland Park! (here’s the map) – include The Puny Picture Show, “tiny original masterpieces” – from 16 artists! – at Wallflower Custom Framing and Shooting Gallery (WSB sponsor). You’ll find live music, “puny snacks,” and eggnog as part of the Art Walk party accompanying the show at Wallflower (which also is offering a deal on the WSB Coupons page right now).
Also in The Junction, Twilight Artist Collective – one of the 20 participants in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide – is not only showing new art, it’s having a Tacky Sweater Party; wear your tacky sweater and bring an unwrapped toy for the Treehouse toy drive that’s continuing at Twilight (SW Alaska just west of California) … Be sure to find your way up to California/42nd/Genesee, not only to see Justin Hillgrove at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), but also to check out the Silent Auction at Ginomai artist studios – local artists have donated work to raise money for West Seattle Christian Church‘s next wellbuilding trip to Central America (we’ll have a separate story with more on that later today) … Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor) is celebrating its third anniversary and featuring the work of Tony Taj … The Junction also will be in the midst of its second Shop Late Thursday tomorrow night.
Art Walk highlights outside The Junction: If you and your dog stop by West Side Yoga/Doga in Morgan Junction, you’ll find yourself in the Yappy Howlidays Muttmixer party, presented in conjunction with West Seattle-headquartered City Dog Magazine … The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way) will have a visit from Santa Claus in the FIRST hour, 6-7 pm … Bird on a Wire Espresso will welcome Art Walk visitors to its new location at 2604 California SW tomorrow night instead of its Westwood store … A long list of previews can be found at wsartwalk.com (see the map here) and we’ll have at least 2 more previews before tomorrow night.
This morning’s photo is courtesy WSB’er “Veteran Wisdom,” updating the installation of additional lampposts along SW Alaska in The Junction. A bigger light – Alki Lighthouse – figures prominently in one of today’s featured events (as does The Junction): The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle will hear all about it from U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gary Blore, commander of the USCG’s Seattle-headquartered 13th District; the noon luncheon at Be’s Restaurant is $8, call the Kiwanis office ASAP for a reservation – 206-938-8032 … Tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, West Seattle CoolMom talks about greening up the holiday season as well as looking ahead to 2011 … From the WSB West Seattle Holidays list, Westside Dermatology (WSB sponsor) presents its first-ever Holiday Skin Care Party, 5:30-7:30 pm, free but go here to RSVP … Fine Films at Freshy’s (Coffee, 2735 California SW) screens “Elf” at 7 pm.
Other December Art Walk highlights – with venues from Alki to Highland Park! (
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