West Seattle, Washington
17 Wednesday
The life of longtime West Seattleite Phyllis Evangeline High will be celebrated this Saturday, and tonight, her family shares this remembrance:
Phyllis was born on August 2, 1923 in Taunton, Minnesota, to Casper & Lily Ningen. After she graduated from high school in 1941, her older brother drove Phyllis and her sister to Seattle to give them the opportunities available in a big city. She found employment at Associated Shipbuilders and there met the love of her life, Jack High, Jr. They married on April 22, 1944, and a few short months later Jack shipped out to serve in WWII, returning in 1946.
For the next thirty years, Phyllis kept busy as a stay-at-home mom to her three children, Jacki, Meredith and Jeffery. In 1977 she joined the workforce again and worked her way up to being a License Enforcement Inspector for the City of Seattle, retiring in 1989. She was a member of Teamsters Local #763, Washington State Investigators Association, and carried Badge #327, Special Police Officer.
Phyllis was a member of Hope Lutheran Church and loved singing in the choir there.
A news release just in from Seattle Public Schools reports that the School Board elected new officers tonight – with a bit of a fight over the presidency. According to the news release, Kay Smith-Blum was elected the new board president in a 4-3 vote – her backers were West Seattle’s board rep Marty McLaren as well as Sharon Peaslee (who, like McLaren, defeated an incumbent to win election to the board last year) and Betty Patu. The three who voted against Smith-Blum had supported Sherry Carr for president instead – outgoing president Michael DeBell, Harium Martin-Morris, and Carr herself. Also elected tonight, this time unanimously, were Patu as vice president and Peaslee as executive committee member-at-large.
Thanks to Nicole for sharing the photo of bright Christmas lights at 1315 SW Trenton (map) in Highland Park. We’re working tonight to build our traditional annual map of West Seattle’s dazzling decorations, as the peak time for light-viewing approaches. Also in the spotlight: A great collection of photos by High Point resident Wendy Hughes-Jelen, who is again photographing the light-decked porches in HP – you can see more than 50 photos in her album on Facebook; find it here.
If you have a Christmas-lights photo to share – here are all the ways to get it to us. Or, if you’ve seen or heard of cool lights in West Seattle, White Center or South Park, but don’t have a photo, please e-mail us the address (or even add it here as a comment) – editor@westseattleblog.com!
Car break-ins are part of a sadly predictable holiday-season trend – and tonight we have two more reports. First, from Tish:
Sometime between 11 pm 12/11 and 9 am 12/12 someone entered our driveway, broke out the back window of our Sable wagon and stole two leafblowers. Police report has been submitted. We are located in the 9600 block of Marine View Drive SW [map].
And from KB:
I was parked behind the businesses (west side) on California and Oregon in the Junction lot for about 30 minutes (Tuesday) and returned to my car and someone had smashed the passenger side window and took a plastic bag with the medical boot I wear for my fractured foot and a canvas bag with a library book and some personal papers. They had also gone through the glove compartment. I went through the dumpsters in the alley hoping they would dump the bags, but couldn’t find them. Now I have to take the day off to go to the doctor and have the glass guy come out and replace my window. What I learned? Do NOT leave bags in car even if they don’t contain goods of great monetary value! Put your belongings in trunk! Also – it is very dark in that lot even at 4:30 pm. I wouldn’t park there again in the late afternoon or evening.
Here again is the official SPD car-prowl-prevention advice.
We’re continuing to add holiday-season giving opportunities to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide – including these two just in today. First, from Audrey at White Center Food Bank (whose jurisdiction includes West Seattle from Myrtle southward):
Do you have time next week to pass out food to clients at the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Ave SW? We need volunteers on the following shifts to help pass out holiday food:
Wednesday, December 19 (9:00 – 12:30 & 12:30 – 3:30)
Thursday, November 20 (9:30-12:30 &, 12:30-3:30)We also need people who are able to lift 35 pounds to help with inventory Monday, Dec. 31 from 9:00 am until done. We’ll be weighing everything in the warehouse.
If you can help, contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 762-2848. Families and kids welcome.
Second, a clothing drive that’s under way till a January 3rd distribution. From Clarke at Neighborhood House‘s High Point Center:
The YELS program (Youth Empowered with Leadership Strengths), in conjunction with Neighborhood House, is sponsoring a winter clothing drive.
YELS is a youth leadership program for at-risk middle school and high school students living in low-income housing in High Point. Our program fosters leadership skills through environmental activism, community organizing and mentorship.
Between now and Jan. 3rd, we are collecting new or gently used winter clothing (i.e. hats, scarves, gloves, coats, socks, sweaters etc.) for the residents of High Point low-income housing. Clothes can be dropped off at our location (6400 Sylvan Way) or at Kol HaNeshamah/Alki UCC, 6115 SW Hinds/blockquote>
The Holiday Guide’s “Giving Opportunities” section also includes giving trees, toy drives, and more – most of which end some days before Christmas since time needs to be allowed for processing and distribution – please let us know if there are others to add!
There’s a tale of heroism, and a happy ending, behind the most-recent “found dog” notice on the WSB Pets page. Beach Drive-area resident Debra sent us the photo early this morning with news that firefighters and police had helped get the dog off the rocks at Emma Schmitz Overlook – and that the dog had been taken to Lien Animal Clinic. We later asked Seattle Fire Department public-information officer Kyle Moore if he could dig up details, and he tells WSB that Ladder 11 was called to the 4000 block of Beach Drive at 5:17 am “to assist SPD with an animal rescue”:
A bystander heard the yelps of a dog coming from the rocks below the Beach Drive walkway. The dog had somehow crawled into a hole inbetween the rocks of a 12-foot high seawall and was taking shelter. The tide was low but was coming, in threatening the safety of the scared animal. The bystander and two firefighters were able to lure the dog out of the rocks. A Ladder 11 firefighter then cradle carried the dog up to safety.
The dog was cold, scared and shaking but had no signs of injuries. Firefighters were able to walk to the dog and warm him up. The ladder company then drove the dog up to a nearby animal clinic where they met a Seattle Police Officer.
Since then, Dawnie, one of the neighbors who got the rescue in motion while spotting the dog during an early bike ride (and, it turns out, took the photo), tells WSB that its owners have been found: “A big sigh of relief, for such a sweet dog.”
Author, advocate, and historian Clay Eals will make history at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society as its first executive director. Here’s the announcement from SWSHS:
The board of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society has hired veteran heritage advocate Clay Eals as the organization’s first executive director.
Eals is perhaps best known locally as editor of the “West Side Story” history book about the Duwamish peninsula and a leader of the successful drive to secure city landmark status for the Admiral Theater. He will begin work in the new half-time position on Jan. 1, 2013.
As part of oversight of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s programs and projects, including the Log House Museum, Eals will be responsible for volunteer recruitment, fundraising and outreach. The organization also plans to retain the part-time position of museum manager, which reports to the executive director.
West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen is not only preparing for her quarterly event at Solstice Park – this time, it’s the Winter Solstice Sunset Watch on December 21st, her 15th seasonal sunset watch – but she’s also doing a lot of myth-debunking regarding that same day. (2010 winter-solstice photo of Alice, at right, by Jason Gift Enevoldsen)
Alice notes that she is ready to answer, and has been answering, “any and all questions about the world-ending/planets aligning 12/2012 nonsense.” She’s written about it already on her Alice’s Astro Info website: About 2012 (with debunking of the world-ending myth), here; about planetary ailgnment, here. In fact, she notes with some surprise that the four-year-old post on planetary alignment is her most-read post of all time.
Alice summarizes: “No, the world isn’t ending, the planets aren’t aligning, gravity isn’t shifting. Go donate to your favorite science education or critical thinking organization in solidarity with scientific thinking.” And come join her at 3:45 pm on Friday, December 21st, for solstice-sunset watch – though the official sunset time is 4:20 pm, she notes that sunsets at Solstice Park are consistently at least 10 minutes earlier than official time. If you’re keeping track, the actual solstice moment is 3:12 am that day, but her events are always for the first SUNSET after the solstice/equinox. Here’s how to find Solstice Park.
He’s a hometown music hero most often seen and heard live in the summertime, at West Seattle Summer Fest and Summer Concerts @ Hiawatha – but last night, Caspar Babypants brought his summery sound to the brink of winter, taking the stage at Easy Street Records in The Junction. The occasion – a chance to get the new CB album “I Found You” before it officially goes on sale via iTunes next Tuesday.
P.S. Per the show list on the Caspar Babypants website, another wintertime West Seattle show is coming up Saturday, January 19th, 10:30 am, at High Point Community Center – check with the center for advance discount tickets.
(Photo by “old desolate” via the WSB Flickr group)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and ongoing West Seattle Holiday Guide:
‘EARLY DAYS’ SUPPORT GROUP: Noon-2 pm, drop-in support group for new moms at Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor), 4746 44th SW.
‘KING TIDES’ WEEK: The tidal extremes continue – today, it’s 12.2 feet at 2:42 pm, and -3.4 feet tonight at 9:54 pm. (Here’s the chart.) And remember that the state is interested in your photos from the high tides – add them to this Flickr group (and if they’re from West Seattle, we’d love to see them in the WSB Flickr group, too!).
TUNNEL TOLLING COMMITTEE: The advisory committee talking about tolling for the Highway 99 tunnel, and related traffic-management matters, meets at 3 pm today, Puget Sound Regional Council HQ, 1011 Western in Pioneer Square.
HANUKKAH: Tonight is the fifth of eight nights.
FINAL DAY FOR PIZZERIA 22 COAT DRIVE: The annual Pizza for Parkas coat drive with the Atlantic Street Center. Donate a children’s jacket, ages infant to adult, and Pizzeria 22 (in The Admiral District) will give away a coupon for a free Margherita pizza.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ HOLIDAY PARTY/TOY DRIVE: 6 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy, no business meeting – holiday potluck and toy drive – details here.
HOPE LUTHERAN CHRISTMAS CONCERT: 7 pm at Hope Lutheran School (42nd/Oregon), with the Bell Choir, Chapel Band, Glee Club, Vocal Choir and Seattle Lutheran High School Band.
‘WINTER WONDERETTES’: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest – this year’s holiday musical!
More for today/tonight on our regular (non-holiday) calendar! And ongoing holiday activities (such as Christmas tree lots) are in the Holiday Guide.
If you’re in north West Seattle, grab those binoculars – Dan e-mailed to report orcas, sighted “mid-channel, northbound,” seen from North Admiral.
(Live view from the only WS Bridge camera currently in operation; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:06 AM: Rain showers are the only commute complication as this morning gets going.
6:59 AM: Via Twitter, Dave just reported a crash on the eastbound bridge. It’s not on the 911 log. But in a comment here, Kimberley has a few more details – “There’s a fender bender in the right lane just before the crest of the bridge.”
7:44 AM: Don’t let the camera fool you – the crash scene(s – commenters report 2) are BEFORE the view you see on the cam. Very slow going.
8:35 AM: West Seattle Bridge is better, we’re told, but 509 (1st Avenue South) is backed up. Nothing on the 911 log – so either it’s a fender-bender/stall, or spillover from earlier WS Bridge problems.
First of two notes from Tuesday night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: The date’s set for a big FCA community meeting about Lincoln Park – April 23, 2013. When the board talked about it last month, they were focusing on something earlier in the year, but last night, president Bruce Butterfield pointed out that since they hope to follow up the meeting with a park tour a week or so later, April would be better than February. The board has formed a committee to plan the agenda, with presentations by Parks, animal control – given ongoing concerns about off-leash dogs, also discussed last month – and nature groups suggested, along with park history. (Update #2 later today will include the latest on the schoolhouse renovations.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Almost five months after early word of what will be West Seattle’s biggest development to date, 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW has a long way to go till construction – but is moving along the path.
One big step came last month when the mixed-use megaproject passed the Early Design Guidance phase of the city’s design-review process, on the second try.
That in turn paved the way for what the project team did yesterday (Tuesday, December 11th) – formally meeting with the city Department of Planning and Development to apply for the Master Use Permit (explained here), according to Lance Sherwood of retail specialists Weingarten, one of the project’s developers, along with housing specialists Lennar, and Seattle architects Fuller Sears.
They also confirm they are continuing to meet with community members who are watching the project closely and still concerned about some of its fundamental design elements, while preparing for another Design Review meeting that could come as soon as next month.
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