West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
This Wednesday (January 21st), you’re invited to the next edition of the WordsWest Literary Series at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), and with two days to go, there’s been a last-minute change in readers – Jennie Shortridge (above right) will now join Frances McCue (above left). Here’s the updated announcement from the WordsWest curators:
From fad diets to online dating to world peace — this is the exhaustingly inexhaustible material of New Year’s Resolutions. Join us for the perspectives of two amazing local authors as they take a new look at the old tradition of making and breaking our resolve. For the January 21, 2015, edition of WordsWest Literary Series, best-selling novelist Jennie Shortridge and award-winning poet Frances McCue will read their work which invites all of us to explore our ideas, hopes and intentions for the coming year.
This month WordsWest is thankful for support from Poets & Writers.
Frances McCue is a poet, essayist, reviewer and arts instigator. From 1996-2006, she was the founding director of Richard Hugo House in Seattle. Her poetry collection The Bled won the 2011 Washington State Book Award. McCue’s other work includes the essay collection The Car That Brought You Here Still Runs (runner-up for the Washington State Book Award), poetry collection The Stenographer’s Breakfast, and prose in Mary Randlett Portraits.
Jennie Shortridge is the author of five bestselling novels, including Love Water Memory and When She Flew. Her books have been selected as American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next picks, Target Bookmarked picks, and Library Journal’s Editors’ Picks. Three have been optioned for film. An avid volunteer, Jennie is the co-founder of Seattle7Writers, a nonprofit collective of Northwest authors who raise money and awareness for literature and literacy.
Every third Wednesday, 7 pm, at C & P Coffee Company, WordsWest hosts literary events that range from readings by published local and national authors, to craft discussions and guided writing explorations for every experience level. Folks from local, independent businesses share a favorite poem as part of the Favorite Poem Project. On January 21st, Twilight Gallery and Boutique will join us.
WordsWest is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw. Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/WordsWestLiterary. For more information, please contact wordswestliterary@gmail.com or visit WordsWestLiterary.com.
C & P is at 5612 California SW.
(WSCO photo: Wind Symphony in concert, December 2014)
The West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ new Wind Symphony, just launched last fall, is open to new members – and if you’re interested, you can check it out as soon as tomorrow night’s rehearsal, says orchestra manager Mariane Hermanson:
Following the great concert which concluded the fall season, the Wind Symphony of the West Seattle Community Orchestras is jumping into spring season rehearsals.
This group of musicians, including students and adults, is combining talents to perform two concerts this spring, the first at Providence Mount St. Vincent on March 20, 7:00 PM, to which the public is invited!
Anton Coleman, director of the group, has selected a program of wind band classics for the upcoming concert, including Alfred Reed’s “A Festive Overture,” Samuel Barber’s “Commando March,” and a band transcription of the finale from Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
More musicians are welcome to join in the fun and camaraderie of playing in a large ensemble. Woodwind, brass, and percussion players with high school level or above skills may join in; students participate without charge. Rehearsals are at Chief Sealth International High School, Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30. More information at WSCOrchestras.org.
CSIHS is at 2600 SW Thistle.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Soccer Club)
Congratulations to Bill Fry, vice president of administration for West Seattle Soccer Club, honored as national Administrator of the Year award by U.S. Youth Soccer. WSSC’s Tim McMonigle explains, “Over the past year, he had moved up by winning at the club, association, district, state, region, and now the national level. This is a huge honor, and continues our recent successes at the national level with others from our club that have represented our club and association very well.” As the announcement notes, while Fry was WSSC president, the number of registered players nearly doubled.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Should the Fauntleroy Boulevard project include undergrounding utilities – considering that could cost an extra $6 million or so? That’s the question Councilmember Tom Rasmussen raised at this month’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting.
The undergrounding cost was first mentioned publicly a week earlier, at the Southwest District Council meeting (WSB coverage here), with SWDC’s immediate past co-chair Sharonn Meeks reporting on a conversation with Rasmussen. This is the first time he had subsequently discussed it publicly with a West Seattle group. Taking utilities underground, he noted, “can be … transformational,” but the project has to be designed that way, and it’s now at a crossroads, with about two-thirds of the design completed: Should it be designed with underground utilities or not? The councilmember says he’s looking for community feedback. A few points to consider:
3:37 PM: If you are heading toward downtown any time in the next half-hour or so, either northbound or southbound, note that Highway 99 and I-5 are both being affected by protests right now. We’re still trying to get a clear picture of what’s going on by monitoring scanner and Twitter, but we do know for sure that Highway 99 northbound is closed at the Battery Street Tunnel, with traffic being diverted off at Western. More to come.
3:44 PM: Seattle Times (WSB partner) photojournalist Lindsey Wasson is among the journalists on scene:
Three #BlackLivesMatter protesters still lying down on #nb99, #seattle police sawing apart reinforced tubes linking them together
— Lindsey Wasson (@lindseywasson) January 19, 2015
KING 5 reports protesters on Mercer near I-5. Via scanner, police are concerned about protesters getting onto Aurora. Journalists who are tweeting in the area confirm there are two separate groups.
4 PM: This is truly a fast-changing situation, but again, right now, avoiding downtown, especially the South Lake Union vicinity, is fairly solid advice. And 99.
pics from #skyking have the protest on both directions of HWY 99 – all lanes in both directions are blocked
— King5TracyT (@King5TracyT) January 19, 2015
.@SeattlePD arresting protesters on SR 99. NB lanes blocked. SB lanes are moving at the moment. pic.twitter.com/EFDmX52DSM
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) January 20, 2015
4:21 PM: Police are hoping to be able to reopen 99 soon but the situation remains in flux, especially in the South Lake Union area.
4:23 PM: Per scanner, 99 has just been reopened. The I-5 ramps that were affected by the protest are open again too. But some protesters are still in action on surface streets, police are saying, on Fairview and on Dexter.
(WSB photo from 2014 WSGS season)
Play ball! Registration is open for the 2015 spring season of West Seattle Girls Softball. From the official announcement sent to us:
WSGS is a local nonprofit organization and is fueled by its dedicated volunteers. WSGS goals are to ensure that its players have the best possible experience playing fast-pitch softball. We hope to build both team sportsmanship and individual sportsmanship, all while having fun. We teach the basics and build skills as players continue with the program. WSGS looks forward to giving all girls ages 6-15 who are interested in learning the game a chance to build self-esteem and learn about sportsmanship. We try to place players onto teams that will be most beneficial to their needs. No previous experience necessary. Registration is open through February. Please go to westseattlegirlssoftball.com for more information.
The WSGS season starts with practices in March and runs through June.
(First two photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Nature Consortium‘s new executive director Merica Whitehall (above right) been on the job just a few weeks, and today she’s out with a legion of volunteers, including Deputy Mayor Kate Joncas (above left), for NC’s MLK Day of Service event in the West Duwamish Greenbelt east of Riverview Playfield. Mayor Ed Murray was on the way after a big MLK Day event at Garfield High School. Here’s another VIP we caught on her way up from the work site:
If you don’t know her already, that’s newly crowned Miss Seattle Taryn Smith, a West Seattle High School senior. The West Duwamish Greenbelt, Seattle’s largest contiguous forest, is the focus of Nature Consortium’s restoration work, planting trees and removing tree-killing invasives so that the forest can survive and thrive into the future. We expect to add a few more photos later.
1:56 PM: From the NC Instagram feed – first, a short video clip including something they’re famous for, providing music while volunteers work:
If you didn’t get to sign up for today’s event – Nature Consortium has many others, at least once a week – check naturec.org for opportunities.
You’ve seen Mark Wangerin‘s wildlife photos here on WSB (here, here, here, here, more). Maybe you were lucky enough to be able to buy one of the education-fundraising 2015 West Seattle Wildlife Calendars featuring some of them. Today, Laura Robb from Mark House Publishing shares the final results of the calendar fundraiser:
Congratulations to these West Seattle students who sold Mark House-published calendars to raise money for environmental education! Above, photographer Mark Wangerin (left) presents proceeds from the sale of the 2015 West Seattle Wildlife Calendar to Chief Sealth International High School students and teacher Noah Zeichner (right), who will use the donation of more than $1,200 for the 2015 Washington State Global Issues Network (WAGIN) Conference. You can support the event here: firstgiving.com/fundraiser/WAGIN/2015
That link also has more information about the conference, the first-ever WAGIN, to be held at Sealth in March.
(WSB photo taken this morning: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center mural, painted and dedicated last summer)
Make a difference in your own quiet way, this MLK Day. City park facilities and libraries are closed, but we do have suggestions/possibilities for today/tonight:
GROWING GARDENERS’ WORKSHOP: West Seattle Nursery offers a free activity for students on no-school days – today, planting! 1-2 pm, must be accompanied by an adult, but most importantly, call to see if there’s room. Details on the WSN calendar. (California/Brandon)
DONATE TO WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK VIA SBG: Less than 2 weeks to go in the Straight Blast Gym (WSB sponsor) donation drive for the West Seattle Food Bank, and dropping off donations today is a simple way to honor the holiday with a bit of community service. We wrote about it last week, here. (5050 Delridge Way SW)
VISIT THE DUWAMISH LONGHOUSE CULTURAL CENTER: Ever been to the Duwamish Longhouse, which opened six years ago this month? Maybe today is the day. Free admission (goodwill donations accepted), free parking. Open Mondays-Saturdays, 10 am-5 pm. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW) (Our apologies: Commenters report it’s closed)
LEARN, VOLUNTEER, JOIN WITH SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: 6:30 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), as previewed here last night, you can get involved with your community and the planet’s future by checking out Sustainable West Seattle‘s annual meeting. They’ll provide dessert and inspiration. (5612 California SW)
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:23 AM: No traffic trouble spots so far on this holiday Monday. A few reminders – Metro is on the “reduced weekday” schedule; King County Water Taxis are not running (West Seattle or Vashon); schools are closed. If you are driving downtown or to another neighborhood with on-street city pay stations today, you don’t have to pay for parking. Two of West Seattle’s transit services are on regular schedules today: Sound Transit Route 560 and Washington State Ferries (all routes).
8:03 AM: From SDOT’s Traffic Management Center via Twitter:
Traffic is now light to moderate on major routes pic.twitter.com/plzjsd2uYQ
— seattledot (@seattledot) January 19, 2015
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