West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
If you shop at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral, you’ve seen courtesy clerk Andrew Borracchini smiling at you from that banner outside the store, and signs inside, for a few months now, following his victory as Washington state’s Best Bagger (as reported here in October). And if he’s helped you with your groceries lately, you might have noticed his custom name badge:
This was Andrew’s last weekend of work before he and an entourage of supporters take off for Las Vegas, where he’ll compete in the national championship at the Mirage Hotel on February 13th, just eight days away.
We talked with Andrew on Saturday morning at the store, where he’s been working weekends for more than a year. In recent weeks, he’s been given an hour to practice during every shift he’s worked. There’s a lot at stake – a $10,000 prize (with cash prizes for 2nd-5th place too) – and he will have a bigtime cheering section: Not only are about 20 members of his family traveling with him for the big event – so are some high-profile supporters from Metropolitan Market, including store general manager Glen Hasstedt and MM ownership. On Saturday, the store allowed Andrew to show us his winning skills – while he explained the keys to good grocery-bagging:
Andrew, by the way, is a junior at O’Dea, and says his sister Angela, who preceded him in Metropolitan Market employment, is the one who taught him the ropes in the bagging world. Last year’s national champ was from the Northeast – will Andrew bring the Golden Grocery Bag Trophy home to the Northwest this year? We’ll find out a week from tomorrow.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, beyond ongoing WSB breaking-news (etc.) coverage:
*The owner of an Alki-area rental vacation home thought it was odd that the renters pulled a rental truck up to the residence on their last day. He dispatched a friend to park in front of the house to see if any items were being stolen. The renters noticed the lookout and left. The owner later discovered miscellaneous items such as DVDs and board games were missing. They also failed to pay for the week’s stay.
Six more summaries ahead:Read More
(Photos by Rick Rasmussen)
2:13 PM: Just got a call from The Whale Trail‘s Donna Sandstrom that orcas are in the vicinity again – west of west-facing West Seattle shores, north of Blake Island, at last report. This is one day after killer whales were seen off Ballard’s Golden Gardens Park (great reader video shared by our friends at MyBallard.com).
ADDED 6:07 PM: Donna explains in a comment: “It was a group of about 10 transients, including 3 males and some juveniles. They were on the far west side of the Sound, but clearly visible with binoculars. They were mostly traveling, with some deep dives and possibly foraging.”
ADDED 9 PM: Thanks to Rick Rasmussen for sharing photos! He says, “We were fortunate enough to have a close encounter with the Orcas today. We were sailing NE of Blake Island and they crossed our path and swam past us heading North. It looked like 3 adults and 2 smaller ones. Amazing!”
Thanks to Kathy Weitz for sharing that photo she took this morning as the US Coast Guard cutter Healy sailed through Elliott Bay on the final leg of its trip home to the downtown Seattle waterfront. According to this Associated Press story published by our partners at the Seattle Times, the Healy has been out on patrol for 254 days. KING 5.com has video from its arrival at Pier 36.
The West Seattle Garden Tour is putting out one last call to local artists – deadline for their contest for the art on this year’s Garden Tour poster is just four weeks away, March 3rd. What they’re looking for: “Artwork content should be an interpretation of the WSGT’s theme ‘The Art of Gardening‘ focusing on color, design and texture in the garden.” The rest of the guidelines, the rules, and the entry form are all on the WSGT website; the winner gets $500, and the top 10 entries will be shown during the May edition of the West Seattle Art Walk. (Speaking of which, this month’s edition is coming up Thursday!) The Garden Tour itself happens this year on July 15th, and WSB is proud to be among the co-sponsors again this year. (Photo from July 2011 WSGT, by Tina Doherty)
From Sunrise Heights, Laura shared the photo and note:
My daughter, Becca (age 8), is selling homemade mini-donuts to raise money for her favorite charity, WestSide Baby, this morning. We are at 34th and Holden across the street from the 37 fire station. We’ll be here until (at least 1 pm) or until the donuts sell out. 3 donuts for one dollar.
12:44 PM UPDATE: Laura mentioned on the WSB Facebook page that they were almost sold out – so if you haven’t gone, probably too late.
1:10 PM UPDATE: Becca raised almost $59, according to her mom.
(Good turnout for Hiawatha pancakes! Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
A few notes for this sunny Super Bowl Sunday in West Seattle:
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE SUPER BOWL: We asked for info on what various venues are up to – and here are the results. A few are closed or curtailing hours; some of course are having Super Bowl parties, or counterprogramming, or afterparties. Anything to add? Let us know. We’ll tweak the list all the way up till gametime.
PANCAKES TILL NOON! Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser continues till noon at Hiawatha Community Center (just north of West Seattle High School). From the announcement: “Come in and eat PANCAKES! All-you-can-eat pancakes with warm maple syrup and melted butter with all you can eat coffee and juice. We will also have ham, sausage, bagels and fruit available in limited portions. All proceeds are applied toward our scholarship fund! $6 (ages 13 and up), $5 (ages 4-12), $4 (ages 65 and up), FREE (3 and under).”
FARMERS’ MARKET: West Seattle Farmers’ Market in The Junction, 44th/Alaska, 10 am-2 pm. Looking for last-minute Super Bowl ideas? Market managers put a great list on their Facebook page – see it here. Also, say hi to Sustainable West Seattle.
DONUT SALE: 34th and Holden – 8-year-old Becca is selling 3 donuts for a dollar, raising money to donate to WestSide Baby. Till approx. 1 pm.
FOOD TRUCK: Snout and Co. (Cuban-influenced) food truck at 35th/Graham, 11 am-3 pm … Contigo at lunchtime in The Junction.
TONIGHT AT SKYLARK: Michael the Blind & the Els from Portland, performing at Skylark Cafe and Club, 7 PM, $5 cover. From their announcement: “The band is comprised of Michael Levasseur who has been playing shows as Michael the Blind for a little over a decade, his wife Rachael Renee’, who rocks the electric autoharp, bass player/wild card Elwood Johncox, and Nathaniel Kees Leigh on drums.” (They have an album due out soon.) (As noted in comments, Skylark is closed because of the Super Bowl – this show rescheduled for April.)
(Photos by WSB editor Tracy Record, added 8:34 am)
7:44 AM: Some residents in the Fauntlee Hills area woke up to water trouble this morning, according to several notes we have received. Greg reports, “Awoke to low water pressure and brown water coming from taps. Called city and they said there was a water emergency in the area and it would be at least 3 hours before water was restored.” Liz, who says she was given that same time frame, says her water service has been out since at least 3 am and that she was told the problem was a water-main break. We’re heading out to check.
8:26 AM: Just back from talking to the crew at the site of the break, which is on 39th SW just a bit north of SW Barton (which is wet for a few blocks downhill – luckily not quite cold enough to freeze). They have already fixed it and are flushing the lines. Just a cold-weather break, they told us, one of the 100-plus water-main breaks in the city every year (about 140, SPU reps told the recent meeting regarding Arbor Heights upgrades). This 12-inch main feeds homes for a 5-block area that zigzags around the spot where the pipe broke. Our photo shows the main and the silver clamp over the spot where it broke; the smaller green line on the right feeds the closest home, whose resident was out looking at the work and saying he’s glad it’s done because he’s overdue for his morning coffee.
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