West Seattle, Washington

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day : 18/06/2012 11 results

Commencement eve: South Seattle CC Hospitality Management grads-to-be celebrate
June 18, 2012 10:37 pm
|    Comments Off on Commencement eve: South Seattle CC Hospitality Management grads-to-be celebrate
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Tomorrow afternoon, when South Seattle Community College‘s 2012 commencement ceremony at Benaroya Hall honors 930 degree/certificate recipients, that banner will be carried on behalf of 32 of them – those who have earned the four-year Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management degree. (The pineapple, we’re told, is an international symbol of hospitality.) Tonight, the banner was displayed at Salty’s on Alki, during a commencement-eve celebration.

Faculty joined the grads-to-be – below, interim vice president for instruction Donna Miller-Parker, Professional Technical Education executive dean Dr. Malcolm Grothe, and SSCC president Gary Oertli:

According to an SSCC news release about tomorrow’s ceremony, you will recognize the Hospitality Management bachelor’s-degree grads because they’ll be in black caps and gowns with brown stoles. Other new “graduate recognitions” listed in a college news release include red/white/blue cords to be worn by the 41 students who are military veterans, green stoles to be worn by associate-degree recipients with Asian/Pacific Islander emphasis, Kente cloth to be worn by student leaders from Student Life and Diversity & Retention, and black/red cords to be worn by TRiO graduates.

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West Seattle traffic alert update: Tree down on California Way
June 18, 2012 6:54 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Headed back from a story, WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand happened onto this tree blocking California Way midway on the stretch between California and Harbor Avenues – no crew in sight so we’re reporting it (to 911) in case no one else has. Avoid the area for a while.

9:46 PM UPDATE: Probably has long since been clear, but we only just now got a chance to go back to verify – tree’s gone and road’s open

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In The Junction: 4 notes, including Shop Late Thursdays’ return
June 18, 2012 6:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Four news notes from The Junction:

CLEMENTINE SHOE DRIVE EXTENDED: We stopped in to see Linda Walsh at Clementine after she announced that their shoe drive for Jubilee Women’s Center has been so successful, she’d delivered boxes full of shoes and had a new empty collection box ready for more! The drive is now continuing throughout next Sunday. If you take in a donation of gently used women’s shoes, you’re eligible for a discount on new shoes, too. Or just drop them off for the joy of helping. (Clementine is at 4447 California SW.)

A block south:

CURIOUS KIDSTUFF’S CASH-AND-CHECKS DRIVE A HIT: See all those chips? They are tokens of no-plastic purchases made at the Curious Kidstuff toy store. During their anniversary sale two weeks ago, CKS launched the campaign to get customers to use cash or checks, avoiding fees charged by banks for credit-card processing; owner Ann Walker said she’d donate to charity in lieu of those fees, and she shares this update:

Curious Kidstuff wants to thank you for embracing an idea. We have had an overwhelming response to the request for checks and cash instead of credit and debit cards. We can see we will be writing a check to WestSide Baby at the end of June. A loose estimation at this point would be close to $200. “Wow,” what a great and giving community we are when we work as a team. We will give you the exact dollar amount in the beginning of July. I’m so proud of us!

Curious Kidstuff is at 4740 California SW.

SHOP LATE THURSDAYS, STARTING THIS WEEK: Clementine and Curious Kidstuff are both among the participants this summer, listed here – go to The Junction on Thursday night and shop, dine, drink at 20 businesses that will be staying open at least till mid-evening. (The participant list also includes WSB sponsors Click! Design That Fits and Fleurt.)

NEW GALLERY MANAGER AT ARTSWEST: The gallery/playhouse in The Junction announced a new gallery manager today – Susanna Bluhm, described as “an artist, educator and member of SOIL artist-run gallery in Pioneer Square,” has taken over as of last week. She also is a resident of Cooper Artist Housing in North Delridge, and has taught art to all ages as well as showing her work internationally.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 prowling reports
June 18, 2012 4:50 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Gatewood | Highland Park | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch prowling incidents reported today – one house, one car – read on:Read More

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West Seattle traffic alert: Bike-trail work to run 3 days
June 18, 2012 2:22 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

SDOT sends word that the bike-trail work by the “low bridge” will run one extra day – so now it’s continuing 7:30 am-3 pm daily through Wednesday. A reminder for both bike riders and motorized-vehicle users: “Bicyclists will slow down and follow a very brief signed detour at the lower West Seattle Swing Bridge on 11th Ave SW on Harbor Island. To accommodate the landscape workers, vehicle traffic will be reduced to one lane westbound on SW Spokane Street and one lane eastbound on Klickitat Avenue SW in the vicinity of 11th Avenue on Harbor Island.”

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Middle College HS at Boren followup: District letter; SSCC president’s explanation
June 18, 2012 2:05 pm
|      63 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

For those with a stake in Middle College High School having to leave South Seattle Community College after 17 years, and being given a temporary new spot at the Boren Building campus on Delridge – also the temporary home of the new K-5 STEM at Boren elementary – it’s been a busy weekend. We broke the news on Friday and discussions have ensued both in WSB comments and on the K-5 STEM Yahoo! group, as well as in the MCHS community, among other places. We followed up today with SSCC president Gary Oertli, and while we have a few other people to contact, we are publishing the first draft of our followup because the district has just shared the letter it sent to K-5 STEM families, both announcing the campus-sharing and seeking to alleviate concerns about how much contact there might be between the two schools’ populations:Read More

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West Seattle schools: Gatewood Elementary book exchange
June 18, 2012 1:15 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Gatewood | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

With the school year ending this Friday, the campaign is on to make sure kids keep reading during summer vacation – and Gatewood Elementary is busy today with a special way to encourage that: Principal Rhonda Claytor shared the photo and explains, “Students brought in gently used books from home during the month of May, and today we are having a school-wide book exchange to send students into the summer with some new reading materials. Happy summer reading, Gatewood Gators!” (P.S. The Seattle Public Library summer-reading program is now under way too – with info for all ages here.)

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Vote for ‘Diver Laura’; help Sustainable West Seattle win $
June 18, 2012 11:00 am
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

Congratulations to Laura James, also known as “Diver Laura,” whose underwater adventures and sea/land volunteer work – like “The Great Battery Roundup of 2012” – are often featured here on WSB. She is one of the finalists for this year’s “Cox Conserves Heroes” award, and online voting is open now. Here’s what’s at stake, from the Cox/KIRO TV announcement:

A total of $15,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the finalists. By being a finalist, each individual has secured a $2,500 donation for his or her nonprofit of choice. The finalists are now competing for an additional $7,500 – bringing the total donation on behalf of the winner to $10,000. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote.

Laura’s chosen nonprofit is Sustainable West Seattle. To vote (and to see who she’s up against!), go to kirotv.com/heroes.

(West Seattle has had a finalist once before – Fauntleroy Creek steward Judy Pickens in 2008.)

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West Seattle Women in Charge: New group for business owners
June 18, 2012 10:10 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Just launched: West Seattle Women in Charge.

Diane Venti of Alki Arts hatched the idea of a monthly mixer for local women who own businesses, and she invited a few to a get-together at her beachfront gallery/event venue last week. Five showed up, and now they’re organizing a second meeting and casting a wider net. If you’re interested in being part of it, you’re invited to “like” their new Facebook page, set up by one of the five – Krystal Kelley of Mind Unwind in the Admiral District – with this mission:

We are the women business owners of West Seattle. We believe in symbiotic networking and idea-sharing with good intentions, supporting our wonderful community and the arts in West Seattle, along with having a good time and smiling.

Interested? Next meeting is 9:30 am July 23rd at Mind Unwind (2206 California SW) – and of course there’s a Facebook event page already.

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West Seattle Monday: Green schools; public safety; traffic alerts…
June 18, 2012 8:46 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Took the photo at Anchor Park one sunny morning last week … now it’s at least handy for daydreaming during our soggy Monday morning. (“Clearing” on Wednesday, according to the newest forecast – just in time for the official arrival of summer and West Seattle Solstice Sunset Watch!) Looking ahead to the rest of today and tonight:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are scheduled to be closed 10 pm-5 am, along with additional surface-street closures overnight in SODO (detailed here). Today’s also the first of two days during which daytime bike-trail work near the “low bridge” is under way – explained here. Closures/changes for the rest of the week (through Saturday’s northbound Viaduct/99 closure for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon) are listed here.

GREEN SCHOOLS: Teachers, students, administrators, and parents – as well as other interested community members – are invited to tonight’s Sustainable West Seattle forum, 6 pm at Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) to talk about environmental education/efforts happening now, and plans and hopes for the future.

DELRIDGE PRODUCE COOPERATIVE’S SUMMER PLANS: Everyone’s invited to DPC‘s monthly meeting, 6:30 pm at the Delridge Library, to hear about plans for a summer produce stand, their recent fundraising Trivia Night at Skylark (and what’s next), plus the DPC business plan as they look ahead to a permanent storefront in the future DESC development. Prospective volunteers especially welcome to come check out the group.

PUBLIC SAFETY – A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: Not in West Seattle but a topic affecting us all. And the announcement comes from West Seattleite Susie Tennant of Town Hall Seattle:

Town Hall Seattle staff, members, and board are deeply shaken and disturbed by the events that took place so close to our offices on May 30th. The other shooting the same day, previous incidents in May, and earlier in the year have caused us great concern. Like all of Seattle, we are trying to process the situation and wonder what we as a community can do to address it. As an institution whose purpose is to create a safe place for the expression of ideas, and which has hosted community conversations on topics including education, Occupy Seattle, artist space, the environment, and more, we can think of no more appropriate response than to gather as a community for a constructive conversation about these events which affect us all. A group of city leaders and citizens — including Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Mariko Lockhart, director of Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, and others — will discuss issues of public safety, gun safety, mental illness, gangs, and how a community not only stays safe, but heals itself after such tragedies.

7:30 tonight, free with reservation at brownpapertickets.com. Town Hall is at 1119 8th Ave. downtown.

DJ NIGHT AT WEST 5: Monday night means the “Flat Earth Society” at West 5 in The Junction, with guest DJs and fab vinyl. Tonight, Rosemary Otero of Light in the Attic Records is scheduled, 9 pm.

And there’s more! Check out the calendar.

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Still seeking West Seattle (etc.) summer camp? 19 possibilities
June 18, 2012 1:59 am
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(UPDATED June 25 to add additional camps we’ve heard from)

ORIGINAL JUNE 18th REPORT: This is the last week of classes for Seattle Public Schools and schools that follow the SPS calendar. Some families are still working on the summer plan for the student(s) in their household – so we’ve compiled a list of local camp programs that still have room (at least, as of a few days ago, when we published an invitation for them to send word. Any other WS-based day-camp programs with room? Let us know ASAP – editor@westseattleblog.com – and we’ll add you to this list! Click ahead to see the (updated) NINETEEN programs we have listed so far, arranged by start date, soonest to latest:

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