(LATEST UPDATE: Go to the West Seattle for Japan FB page and follow the link to “Info” to find the latest list of participants … )
(Poster added Tuesday am, republished with permission; design by Jeff Gilbert, Feedback Lounge)
Followup to our Friday report with West 5 proprietor Dave Montoure‘s announcement he was organizing a Japan-relief event for next Sunday (March 27) – he said he would announce details via Facebook and Twitter, and a poster appeared late tonight on the West 5 FB page; see it here(*morning update, we now have permission to republish it; see it above*).
The poster says “donating for relief” and notes that donations go to Peace Winds Japan and KnK International; the notation on FB says, “Support these businesses on Sunday, provide relief to Japan.” P.S. The event has its own Facebook page – “like” it here.
ADDED 11:47 AM TUESDAY: We’ve received the official news release for this event – read on:Read More
Story and photos by Ellen Cedergreen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Tomorrow (Tuesday) night, West Seattle-based painter Jennifer Carrasco opens a new series of classes at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor). And recently, she gave her students and fans a special treat: A tour of The Ruins, a private supper club at the foot of Queen Anne Hill, where her murals cover an entire room, spanning an area half the size of a football field, including the ceiling.
Carrasco was hired for the project in 1995, by project designer Joe McDonnel and partner Virginia Wyman. It took her two years of full time work — a year to design and a year to execute, in order to finish the murals. And in addition to the “Pacific Northwest Rococo” style murals, which were actually painted offsite (in acrylics) and installed later, Carrasco’s work can also be found in the entry hall to the club, and on a life-size horse just inside the doorway. The horse, a leftover department-store Ralph Lauren prop, is painted in gold and covered in flowers.
A group of around 20 were treated to a tour of the Ruins, as well as a presentation, where Jennifer outlined how she completed such a large-scale body of work.
thought you might be interested in a coyote sighting this morning on Delridge at the Louisa Boren school. A woman was taking photos of it and it ran across the street in front of my car – had to hit the brakes so I would not hit it. This was at 8:20 this morning, a time when kids are in the area waiting for buses- there were a couple about half a block from where the coyote was.
We’ve been publishing coyote sightings (with photos when available – scroll through the archive) for about four years, by the way, and haven’t had any West Seattle reports of human-coyote problems, though certainly there’s no doubt they eat smaller animals, which is noted in the coexisting-with-coyotes advice to which we often link. Then, there are the audio encounters, like this one Sha’ari shared last week:
All the dogs in the neighborhood went nuts as a coyote sang his high-pitched repetitive barks for about 10 minutes, just ending about a minute ago. Sounded like it was coming from the Longfellow Creek/golf course area. I’m on 25th Ave SW near Alaska. Wish I’d recorded it! First time I’ve heard that in 12 years @ my house.
45th-reunion time for the West Seattle High School Class of 1966, and Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) proprietor Sue Lindblom, sends word that organizers are trying to track down “missing persons” from the class. If you are one – or know one – the June reunion info is on a website that’s simple to remember: WestSeattle66.com. (If you follow the link, you’ll also see a link on that site to join the class’s Facebook group.)
We’re at Chief Sealth International High School, where the community event for their long-planned World Water Week festival is under way – a resource fair in the commons (through the main door with the cylindrical atrium), then Rep. Jay Inslee and Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen preceding author Robert Glennon in the auditorium at 7. Refreshments and music are part of the fair – here are the steel drummers currently serenading the growing crowd:
Coverage of the speeches, coming up later.
ADDED AFTERWARD: Till our full article about the event is ready, here’s our video of the auditorium presentation, in its entirety:
(WSB photo: Police after the robbery, about a block north of the dispensary)
Two days after an armed robbery at a medical-marijuana dispensary in the 5400 block of California SW (original Saturday night WSB coverage here), the three suspects made initial court appearances this afternoon. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the adult suspect, 24, has bail set at $500,000; the 15- and 16-year-old boys who also were arrested have been ordered to “remain in secure detention.” The KCPAO has until Wednesday to file charges or set the suspects free. We’ll add to this story shortly with details from the court documents accompanying word of today’s hearing.
ADDED 5:31 PM UPDATE: We’re transcribing the court document (minus any suspect/witness names), after the jump:Read More
Are food trucks a threat to fixed-location restaurants? Lumpia World, which has set up at Rite Aid south of The Junction on Saturdays and Mondays for the past month or so, says its permission to be there just got pulled – after what its co-owner says was a confrontation on Saturday with someone making that argument. We just talked with co-owner Derrick – but first, here’s the backstory: Today, via their Facebook page, they announced they won’t be there tonight, claiming that an “unidentified man” approached the truck on Saturday, saying something about health rules, and “was/is upset about the rise in mobile food vendors & the fact that our overhead/taxes are not what his is based on him having a physical location.” As a result, Lumpia World said in its second FB post, the man caused “a very large scene at our trailer as well as in Rite Aid. With this said, Rite Aid has asked us to halt our operations temporarily until they hear back from their legal team.” And in a third and final FB post:
… We hope this matter will be resolved in a quick manner so we can get back to doing what we are passionate about & love in West Seattle. It is not our mission or goal to take business away from any one, we just want to bring & make available our cuisine that we are so passionate about.
We just talked by phone with Lumpia World’s co-owner Derrick, who confirms that Rite Aid has withdrawn their permission for Lumpia World TFN (he says at least one other area business with a sizable lot has invited him to contact them, though). He reiterates that the man did not identify himself or his restaurant but demanded to see food handler cards and claimed one was invalid because it’s from a different county (Derrick says that’s not true – we’re researching the rules) and then became irate, going on about taxes and overhead that he has to pay compared to a mobile operation, after which, Derrick says, the man went into the store and complained there. He’s waiting for final word from Rite Aid; in the meantime, LW tried White Center last weekend, by Big Al Brewing, and Derrick says they’ll return there 5-8 pm Friday.
Meantime, we have a message out to Rite-Aid media relations to ask about the reported permission withdrawal. But the one person we don’t have a message out to, because we have no idea who he is, is the “unidentified” person who complained – we issue an open call, if that’s you, we’d love to publish your side of the story too – or that of ANY local restaurateur who feels that street-food trucks are hurting their business. It would be an important viewpoint to hear.
Seattle Department of Transportation paving crews will start work this week on two pedestrian safety projects on California Avenue SW.
The first project will be at the intersection of California Avenue and SW Frontenac Street [map], where they will install new curb ramps on three corners of the intersection. When the first job is finished, the crews will install a new curb bulb on the southbound side of California Avenue SW at SW Othello Street [map].
The crews will work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking will be restricted in the work area. The crew chief hopes to complete both projects by the end of the month.
Congratulations to Bill Schrier of West Seattle, an acclaimed tech visionary just reconfirmed as Chief Technology Officer and Director of the Department of Information Technology for the City of Seattle, a department he has led for eight years (and now will lead for at least another four). The announcement from the council, after the jump:Read More
WSB’ers have answered similar calls in the past – so if you can help with this, West Seattle High Schoolteacher Michelle Sloan and her students will be grateful! Please contact her ASAP via the e-mail address and/or phone number below if you’re available:
West Seattle High School Marketing Class needs marketing/business judges for Friday, April 1st. We have 7 marketing teams that will be presenting their Entrepreneurship projects and need judges to decide which team presented their project the best.
Date: Friday, April 1st
Time: 11am-12pm
Where: West Seattle High School- Marketing Classroom, #131 (Near the main office)
Parking: Visitor parking available in the main parking lot in front of the school.
Your job: To watch 7 West Seattle High School Marketing teams present their Entrepreneurship projects and score them based on a scoring rubric given to you by the teacher.
Thank you for supporting your students and community.
In January 2010, a Metro bus driver who lives on Alki survived a vicious attack while on the job in Tukwila. She recovered well enough to be at the hearings for her teenage attacker (here’s our final report from last April), but wasn’t sure if she would ever return to work. We learned the other day that she had decided to return; today is her first day. She shared some of her thoughts via e-mail:
Yes, it’s true. I am “attempting” to go back. I will be on a limited schedule at first. I was pleasantly surprised that my driving skills were 100% intact so less pressure there. As far as the rest, well, here’s my thoughts:
January 22, 2010 changed me and my family’s life forever. It has been a rough journey. Physically I recovered quite well, except for a small scar. I didn’t really know what post-traumatic-stress disorder was until this. Boy, I do now! I will always carry that night with me, and I have accepted that. The day of the sentencing I forgave the boys and that is when the healing began, and to this day I cannot harbor hate or anger. I needed to gain enough confidence that I could safely drive the bus without “freaking out” while there were passengers on board. I believe I have now reached that point. I am able to work my way through the “rough spots,” whereas a year ago I wouldn’t have even considered going back.
I believe that my mission is now to turn what has happened to me into something positive. In the coming months, and perhaps years, my focus will be on doing my job, creating some sort of program to reach out to our youth, loving my family and hugging my Shiba Inu. When I look into her eyes, as strange as it sounds, I see the big picture. And the big picture is Japan. I am just a speck in the universe compared to this tragedy. I will survive. I will move on. I want to thank the much love and encouragement from literally everyone who has helped me get through this, including King County Metro. My future looks bright. Thank you, and prayer for Japan.
Spring may have officially arrived, but that doesn’t magically dry out the fields, so another announcement has come in from West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao:
Due to the record-setting rain in Seattle, the fields are not ready at Bar-S Playground, which has forced West Seattle Little League to push the season-starting Jamboree back to April 2, 2011.
Last Friday, WSLL announced the postponement, with weather also a factor, of the ribboncutting festivities for its Bar-S improvements – no new date is set for that yet.
Think global, act local. You’ve heard it a million times. That’s what the students of Chief Sealth International High School are setting out to do this week – with some of their local action potentially having global benefits. Their five-day World Water Week “local ideas festival” is finally here, and they need YOU to help kick it off in a big way.
The main event: 7 pm tonight, “Unquenchable” author Robert Glennon speaks in the Sealth auditorium (west side of campus), talking about America’s water crisis — not to alarm you, but to explain what’s happening and what to do about it. Glennon will be introduced by Congressmember Jay Inslee (whose father was a coach at Sealth). And there’ll be a special video message from Alexandra Cousteau (granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Cousteau – read about her here).
Come early to see what the students have arranged, through months of hard work, for a resource fair, starting at 6:15 pm (refreshments too). And get a preview of the big night earlier this morning – at 10 am, Glennon will be interviewed live on KUOW Radio (94.9 FM, or live online) along with Molly Freed, the Sealth senior who’s leading the World Water Week project with social-studies teacher Noah Zeichner (pictured with her recently along one of West Seattle’s fragile waterways, Longfellow Creek):
(Photo by Camille Burke)
Lots more information about World Water Week @ Sealth is perusable here.
ADDED 1:43 PM: You can listen to the radio show from this morning by going here. And a photo of Molly and Glennon, courtesy of teacher Zeichner, is here:
“We’re 8 for 8!” was the cheery declaration at 7:22 pm last night, as, for the eighth consecutive equinox-or-solstice-sunset-viewing event at West Seattle’s Solstice Park (uphill from the Lincoln Park tennis courts and P-Patch), the sun failed to appear . That didn’t faze Alice Enevoldsen(photo center, just past blue scarf), an official NASA Solar System Ambassador, jovially checking the time till the first (technical) sunset of spring, while explaining equinoxes/solstices to the crowd (with the help of a young assistant):
Sun or no sun, Alice hopes to be back at Solstice Park for summer solstice in three months, toting the daughter she’s expecting in a few weeks; the solstice/equinox crowds just keep getting bigger – we counted more than 50 people this time! Long after the actual moment the sun set somewhere behind all those clouds, Alice stayed, answering questions, including one about the previous night’s so-called “supermoon.” No, it wasn’t really that big a deal, she explained, it was only a little closer that night than on previous nights (that was a relief to the people who asked the question, since apparently they hadn’t been able to join the “supermoon”-gazers the night before).
(If you missed the “supermoon,” by the way, here’s a video that WSB’er Coleman shared, including the subsequent moonset:)
We shared local photographers’ “supermoon” photos late Saturday night, too – see them here.
Congratulations to Bill Schrier of West Seattle, an acclaimed tech visionary just reconfirmed as Chief Technology Officer and Director of the Department of Information Technology for the City of Seattle, a department he has led for eight years (and now will lead for at least another four). The announcement from the council, after the jump:
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