West Seattle community centers’ winter brochure available online
It might be the most fun-packed publication in West Seattle – the quarterly combined brochure for Alki, Delridge, Hiawatha, and High Point Community Centers, Southwest Teen Life Center, and Southwest Pool. And Seattle Parks says the brand-new one, for winter quarter, is now available online – browse it here, and if you’re interested in events/classes/etc. requiring pre-registration, get ready to sign up starting at noon next Tuesday (December 3rd)!
Basketball time! Chief Sealth Jamboree, alumni game days away
Chief Sealth International High School is hosting two big basketball events: Friday night (November 29th), it’s the second annual Nels Enquist Alumni Game, 6 pm at the Sealth gym, admission $5 (12 and under/free). Then on Saturday (November 30th), the 13th annual Sealth Jamboree features 13 varsity and JV teams, including West Seattle High School as well as Sealth. Here’s the full lineup:
Admission for the Jamboree is the same as regular-season admission – $6/adults, $4 students. Varsity games are in the Sealth gym on the southeast side of the campus, 2600 SW Thistle; JV games are in the Denny gym on the north side of the two schools’ shared campus, 2601 SW Kenyon.
West Seattle Weather Watch: New alert for potential wintry weather
4:09 PM: Remember our note yesterday about the possible, potential, maybe, might-happen really cold weather? The National Weather Service has now published a “special weather statement” about it. NWS says the temperatures are expected to drop big time starting Sunday night and says that – while it’s still too early to be certain – “lowland snow” is a possibility. Again, if you’re heading out for the long holiday weekend, check in before you come back!
10:48 PM UPDATE: Renowned weather analyst Cliff Mass has weighed in. He sees the same POTENTIAL – but cautions it’s early.
Followup: $350,000 bail for West Seattle bus-robberies suspect
(WSB photo from Monday night, near California/Raymond)
In a jailhouse courtroom, a King County Superior Court judge has just set bail at $350,000 for the 19-year-old man accused of robbing people on board a RapidRide bus north of Morgan Junction last night until passengers fought back, with one grabbing his gun and others sitting on him until police arrived. (Here’s our Monday night coverage.) The suspect waived his right to be present for the hearing, but a woman identifying herself as his mother cried out in the courtroom, “No! That’s not my son!” and told reporters (including WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand) afterward that she apologizes to Metro and the passengers, that her son is not like that, and she doesn’t understand what happened.
5:38 PM UPDATE: A statement from Metro, via spokesperson Jeff Switzer:
We’re cooperating with Seattle Police in this ongoing investigation. When the fight erupted, our driver followed longstanding procedures designed to keep our riders as safe as possible during a serious incident – he hit his emergency alarm, pulled over the bus and opened the doors to let passengers escape. We’re extremely relieved no one was seriously injured.
The suspect is due back in court next Monday morning.
Not just for recreation: Seattle Parks facilities offer help to teens in crisis
Five of our area’s city-run community center, Teen Life Center, and pool facilities now have a new alter-ego: Safe Place for teens in crisis. This announcement from the city explains:
Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities are the first City of Seattle agencies to become part of the Safe Place network in King County. As of November 1, the start of Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month, 37 Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities, are a Safe Place where youth ages 12-17 can ask for help when in crisis. These facilities include Seattle Parks and Recreation’s 26 community centers, eight indoor pools and three teen life centers.
“We are excited to be part of the Safe Place program. This program is in line with our mission to provide safe, welcoming places for the public,” said Christopher Williams, Seattle Parks and Recreation Acting Superintendent. “Being a Safe Place expands our ability to help youth in our centers.”
Community center doors now bear the distinctive yellow decal that signals to young people that they can find help and safety inside. Facility staff have been trained in the protocol to follow when a young person asks for help: offer the young person a safe and quiet place to wait and rest, and call the Safe Place hotline to notify the Safe Place coordinator of the situation. Within 45 minutes, a Safe Place coordinator will arrive to assess the teen’s needs, helping them either return home or go to a youth shelter, as appropriate.
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West Seattle holidays: WSHS, Sealth bands in Friday’s parade downtown
1:04 PM TUESDAY: Three days until the My Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown – and we have word of at least three local participants to watch for: The Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School marching bands, plus the Salty’s nutcrackers (which are teamed with the WSHS band, according to an announcement from Salty’s [WSB sponsor]). We’re hoping to get the official parade lineup so we can check for other local participants – in the meantime, please let us know if you’re part of it, or know someone from West Seattle who is. The parade starts at 9 am Friday, and runs along the route shown above, from 7th and Pine down to 5th, south on 5th to University, then turning back north on 4th until it ends at, of course, Macy’s.
10:47 AM WEDNESDAY: Thanks to Trisha for this update: “Just wanted to add that Evergreen City Ballet will also be participating with Salty’s and the bands. The ballerinas will be wearing Nutcracker costumes and marching in the parade. My daughter is a sophomore at CSIHS and will be one of them!” (Added) Also from comments, at least one West Seattle girl, a WSHS student, will be marching with the La Señoritas Sabers drill team.
Who wants a marijuana license in West Seattle? State’s first applicant list
As the state gets closer to granting its first marijuana-selling licenses, it’s just published its first list of who’s seeking them. Reviewing the list for local applicants, here’s what we found: So far, no West Seattle applicants for a marijuana-retailer license; no West Seattle applicants for a marijuana-processor license, though there’s one in nearby Shorewood (Going Green, 2525 SW 102nd Lane); one West Seattle applicant for a marijuana-producer license, Evergreen Herbal, in the Riverside area at 3601 W. Marginal Way SW, seeking a Tier 3 license – described as “10,000 to 30,000 square feet of plant canopy.” The state says it will update this list weekly during the one-month application period, which ends on December 19th (more info here).
West Seattle Crime Watch: Suspected flasher arrested
In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning: Besides more followup on last night’s RapidRide-robber-rousting (updated coverage here), 
we’ve obtained another noteworthy report from Seattle Police: The arrest of an indecent-exposure suspect in The Triangle.
Two WSB readers messaged us about the incident, which happened early yesterday outside Link at 38th/Alaska. Two women using the on-site gym on the east side of the building called police after seeing a man standing in the alley outside, looking into its window while exposing himself and masturbating. Police found the 38-year-old suspect “in a doorway alcove just south of the apartment gym” and say they “smell(ed) a strong odor of intoxicants on (his) breath.” He was booked into King County Jail, where the register shows he is still being held, in lieu of $500 bail.
In case you wondered, this suspect is NOT the one arrested in the similar Westwood Village case a month ago. Municipal Court records show this suspect, however, was arrested for indecent exposure in August of 2012, but the charge eventually was dropped for “lack of a prosecuting witness.” (We haven’t yet found details of that incident.) He’s due in court shortly; we’ll update the story later with information on his status.
Quick calendar notes for your West Seattle Tuesday
(Sunday’s sunset over the Duwamish, shared in the WSB Flickr group by Ilona Berzups)
News is stacking up fast, so this morning we have to be really quick with the calendar previews:
TURKEY DONATIONS: Can you get a turkey or two (or …) to one or both local food banks? Times/locations here.
OTHER HOLIDAY INFO: We’re updating the WSB West Seattle Holiday Events and Info Guide again this morning. Right now, it starts with a long list of Thanksgiving information – including free community dinners and which restaurants/grocery stores/coffee shops are open on the holiday itself – and holiday info all the way through New Year’s follows. (Find it any time from its tab under the header on all WSB pages, the one lettered in red as HOLIDAYS.)
OWLING/TOURING LINCOLN PARK AT DUSK: A non-holiday highlight on the calendar for tonight – 6:30 pm, go owling and touring with naturalist Stewart Wechsler at Lincoln Park; more details here.
OTHER NON-HOLIDAY EVENTS TODAY/TONIGHT (AND BEYOND): Browse the frequently updated WSB West Seattle Event Calendar whenever you have a minute to spare. Mouse over the right side of any line and click the plus sign to open a preview, then click “read more” for the full entry, usually including a map.
TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Foggy Tuesday
(East-facing camera on the West Seattle Bridge; see other cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Foggier this morning than Monday … be extra-careful out there, whether you’re driving, walking, or bicycling on slick roads/sidewalks. No other advisories at the moment. But here again is our holiday reminder:
HOLIDAY TRANSIT CHANGES THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Metro runs a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, “reduced weekday/no UW” on Friday. West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis are out of service both days. (And even if you don’t use transit, if you have to go downtown Friday morning, remember the holiday parade, which closes off a chunk of central downtown until about 10 am.)
7:04 AM UPDATE: Washington State Ferries texts, “All three vessels on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route are delayed and estimated 10-15 minutes due to heavy fog.” The Vashon Water Taxi is delayed too.
8:10 AM UPDATE: Mike Jensen tweets about bridge trouble, on the incline near the Delridge onramp:
5:45 PM: Crash at Fauntleroy/Alaska is leading to trouble in The Triangle:
Thanks to Brian Presser from TouchTech Systems for the pic.
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