day : 15/09/2014 12 results

(WSB photos by Katie Meyer)
If one dog playing “fetch” in a pool isn’t cute enough .. how about two?

Tonight was the first of six season-ending sessions in which Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club invites dogs into the pool (which will undergo its annual cleaning before humans go in again next year).

It’s a fundraiser for AHSTC teams. You can buy one-session or all-week admission, 5-7 pm swims nightly through Friday, then 10 am-1 pm Saturday. More info’s in our calendar listing.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followups: 2 cars found, 1 gone

September 15, 2014 9:07 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

First followup: Remember the car stolen Saturday with a bridesmaid’s dress inside, the wedding hours away? WSB’er Patricia spotted it today. We’re not certain whether it was her tip or someone else’s that led police to it, but TW sent this followup:

My girlfriend’s car was found today on 17th and Elmgrove; everything inside was gone, including the bridesmaid’s dress and the car battery, but it’s otherwise in drivable condition, so that’s been a big relief. (And a replacement dress was found for the wedding, which went fine). We appreciate WSB and all its readers for keeping an eye out, and the SPD for being so helpful. Thanks!

Second: Chuck‘s ’94 Civic, stolen from 18th/Barton, also has been found – almost two weeks after it was reported here.

Third: A new stolen car to watch for. It’s a low blow from the criminal(s) who already hit David‘s house once (the burglary mentioned in last night’s Crime Watch):

My car was stolen in the early hours of this morning, Sep 15, from the corner of Hinds and Belvidere. Bright red 2002 Mazda Protégé 5 wagon. 858ZDC plates. Our home nearby was burglarized Sunday evening and this morning saw that the car was gone (extra keys stolen from the house).

If you see David’s car, call 911.

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Memorial next Saturday for ‘Hank’ Ercolini, 1923-2014

September 15, 2014 7:23 pm

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| Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Family and friends will gather this Saturday to celebrate the life of Henry “Hank” Matthew Ercolini, born October 8, 1923 in Seattle, died August 28, 2014 in Salem, Oregon, with many years in West Seattle along the way. Here’s the remembrance we were asked to share:

Hank was the oldest of the 3 boys of Joe and Julia Ercolini, a husband to Gertrude “Gertie” Ercolini for 65 years, a father of 4, father-in-law, devoted grandfather (Pop) and great-grandfather, an uncle, cousin, a devoted friend, a 1941 West Seattle High School graduate, a WWII Marine veteran, a 1948 Willamette University graduate, a math & history teacher, coach, junior high principal, referee, a world traveler, a long-time member of Queen of Peace church, a Beaver and Bearcat fan, a cribbage teacher, a landscaper by hobby, an avid golfer, a Meals on Wheels delivery boy, a favorite neighbor, a Susan G. Komen supporter, and a great friend to many.

He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and the joy he shared with everyone who knew him. He will be dearly missed. He is survived by three of his children and their spouses: Joan Ercolini (Bend, OR), Lisa & Rod Noteboom (Moses Lake, WA), Steve & Betsy Ercolini (Seattle); his four grandchildren: Tom Watson and wife Jodie, Anne Watson, Angela Fernandez and husband Paul, and Daniel Noteboom; his great grandsons Eamon Watson and Eli Fernandez; and Tom and Anne’s father Steve Watson. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Joe and Julia Ercolini, his brothers Edward and James Ercolini, his first daughter Julie Watson, and his wife Gertie.

A celebration of Hank’s life will be held at Capital Manor (in Salem, OR), Saturday, September 20th, at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, or the charity of your choice. Arrangements are by Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service.

(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

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West Seattle businesses: New details of 4480 Fauntleroy changes

September 15, 2014 4:39 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS beverages

More information today about the plans for 4480 Fauntleroy Way SW, where Diva Espresso, Maestro Motors, and Ace 1 Computers lost their leases and cleared out last month (Maestro and Ace 1 have moved about a block west on Fauntleroy; Diva was still looking for a new south-end location last we heard).

Shortly after we confirmed this would become the West Seattle location that Rudy’s Barbershop had been seeking for at least two years, a city document also mentioned “coffee shop,” as pointed out by commenter Jason. Today, Caffé Vita confirmed to WSB that it’s the coffee shop moving in, as part of its ongoing partnership with Rudy’s, which has led to other co-locations in multiple states. But aside from saying they’re “excited,” a company spokesperson had no other comment except that they expect to open sometime in 2015.

We did, however, find a new document added to the city’s online files for the project today, with a bit of information about the building’s new configuration: While it had been split roughly 1500 sf coffee, 900 sf “service,” 300 sf “retail,” the project’s cover sheet says it’ll be reconfigured to 2200 sf barber shop, 537 sf coffee shop. This is a remodeling project only – the one-story building is not being torn down, despite 65-foot zoning at that spot.

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Video: New partnership plan saves Greenbridge clinic, moves West Seattle Planned Parenthood clinic

September 15, 2014 4:07 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

At the surface, what brought King County Executive Dow Constantine, County Councilmember Joe McDermott, Public Health acting director Patty Hayes, Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest CEO Chris Charbonneau, and others to White Center’s Greenbridge Plaza at noontime was news that a nearby county health clinic won’t have to close.

Their remarks are all featured in our video of the event, above, as well as what a clinic staffer and client had to say about the importance of saving the clinic. But what they explained in the media briefing wasn’t quite that simple:

*Mayor Murray’s proposed budget will include money for Greenbridge clinic operations (this was mentioned briefly in his Friday announcement about human-services and public-safety spending – the $ mentioned in that news release differs from what’s in today’s county news release, so we’re trying to verify which is correct)

*Planned Parenthood of the Great NW will take over family-planning services at the clinic, meaning layoffs for county-employed family-planning staffers unless they find jobs with PP

*As a result, PP will close its current West Seattle clinic (9641 28th SW) and merge its services into the Greenbridge location (9942 8th SW)

*County employees at the clinic will continue providing other services such as maternity support and Women/Infant/Children (WIC) nutrition support

Though Greenbridge is across the city/county line, it serves many Seattle residents, Constantine said, so city funding is appropriate. (The clinic relocated two years ago from its previous site about a mile south.) His plan for the clinic’s future will be in the budget proposal he presents one week from today.

P.S. The full county news release is part of coverage on our partner site White Center Now.

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Scott Kubly confirmed as SDOT director, due back in West Seattle at Wednesday’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting

September 15, 2014 3:02 pm

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| Delridge District Council | Transportation | West Seattle news

Scott Kubly has just been officially confirmed as the new Seattle Department of Transportation director. He’s made two official West Seattle appearances already, both covered here – last week’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting (link includes our video) and the September 3rd Southwest District Council meeting. If you have a question or suggestion for Kubly, you have one more near-future chance in West Seattle: He’s scheduled to be at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting this Wednesday (September 17, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at 4408 Delridge Way SW).

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West Seattle development: Beach Drive house to make way for 9 apartments

September 15, 2014 1:44 pm

| 23 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

We noticed that new land-use sign while walking just south of Weather Watch Park over the weekend. It announces that the century-old house behind it, at 4134 Beach Drive, is to be demolished, making way for a 3-story, 9-unit, 9-underground-parking-space apartment building. So far, this hasn’t appeared in the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin, so the official comment period does not appear to have a deadline yet. But it’s the first new multi-family building we’ve seen proposed on Beach Drive for a while; the house already is sandwiched between multi-family buildings, and is on a 5,000-square-foot site zoned Lowrise-2.

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Video: ‘Surprise!’ Crowdfunding-seeking teachers get Google gift, revealed at Highland Park Elementary

September 15, 2014 11:42 am

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Almost 300 teachers who had nearly 400 crowdfunding projects listed on the website Donors Choose as of this morning got a big surprise that was revealed at West Seattle’s Highland Park Elementary: Google just “flash-funded” all King, Pierce, and Snohomish County teachers’ projects on the site.

One of those teachers, HPES kindergarten teacher Amanda Burke, got a visit from Mayor Murray, reps from DC and Google, and news-media reps, as part of the surprise announcement – here’s our video capturing the moment:

The “flash-funding” totaled $338,000. Part of it fulfilled Ms. Burke’s $1,769 request to buy four ChromeBooks and one Surface Tablet for her students. Every project included in Google’s $338,000 “flash-funding” donation around the region now has a message posted on its page, declaring it’s funded. Google has done this in more than half a dozen other cities too, including San Francisco and L.A.
.

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PARKing Day parklet Friday by Husky, Mashiko in The Junction

September 15, 2014 10:56 am

| Comments Off on PARKing Day parklet Friday by Husky, Mashiko in The Junction

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

This year’s PARKing Day – when temporary mini-parks are set up in streets around the country – is this Friday, September 19th, 9 am-3 pm. We know of at least one parklet planned for our area that day; Kathy Dunn says West Seattle Bike Connections is sponsoring it in front of Husky Deli and Mashiko: “There will be games and activities with a bicycle/ice cream-oriented theme. We hope the word gets out so that lots of West Seattleites can come and enjoy the parklet!” (Anybody else with a PARKing Day parklet this year in West Seattle/White Center? Please let us know!)

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West Seattle Monday: ‘School Your Parents’; pooches in the pool; Roxhill Elementary PTA; more…

September 15, 2014 10:26 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts | WS miscellaneous

(Pan of paella, photographed by Paul Brannan at Senior Center’s ‘Night in Spain‘ last Thursday)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, and our inbox, here are highlights for the rest of this late-summer Monday:

CLOSED TODAY: Elliott Bay Brewery in The Junction sends word that they’re closed today for some maintenance work. They expect to reopen tomorrow (Tuesday, September 16th).

‘DOG DAYS OF SUMMER’ POOCHES IN THE POOL: Today is the first of six days in which dogs are welcome to swim in the closed-to-humans-until-next-year Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club pool (one day added since we mentioned this on the main page). It’s a fundraiser for youth at the club; details here. Today’s session is 5-7 pm. (11003 31st SW)

‘SCHOOL YOUR PARENTS’! 5:30-7:30 pm, families are welcome at the Delridge Branch Library to find out how Seattle Public Library supports scholars – more in our calendar listing. (5423 Delridge Way)

ROXHILL ELEMENTARY PTA: 6 pm tonight at Roxhill Elementary, first PTA meeting of the year. (30th/Roxbury)

PERSONAL SAFETY NETS: Free presentation 7-9 pm at the Fauntleroy YMCA, to “teach you how to find the tools, knowledge & resources which will prepare and organize you for life’s upcoming challenges and changes.”

NIGHTLIFE! See the listings here.

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Get ready! Next Recycle Roundup in Fauntleroy, six days away

September 15, 2014 9:28 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Environment | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Feels like endless summer at the moment. But fall’s a week away. And on the eve of its arrival, it’s your next chance to clear out no-longer-needed items, without just throwing them away. Sunday (September 21st) is the fall edition of the twice-annual Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. Here’s the list of 1 Green Planet will accept at the event, free (and a few specific mentions of what they will NOT take). Just bring the recyclables to the church parking lot at 9140 California SW that day, 9 am-3 pm.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Mid-September Monday

September 15, 2014 6:12 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No traffic alerts at the moment, so we start the week with a look ahead:

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURES: Every night this week, some stretch of 99 north of the West Seattle Bridge will be partly or fully closed. Tonight (Monday night-Tuesday morning), lane closures are expected between here and Atlantic St. in the stadium zone, both directions, 9 pm-5 am, and the exit to 99 from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge will also be closed.

EAST MARGINAL WAY PAVING THIS WEEK: In case you missed the announcement toward the end of last week, work on this stretch north of the West Seattle Bridge is expected Wednesday-Thursday.

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