day : 30/10/2017 11 results

That New York Times video from 2008 tells the story of Fred Beckey, a climbing legend and West Seattle High School alumnus who has died at age 94. (Thanks to James for e-mailing to ensure we had heard.) Mr. Beckey’s obituary published tonight on Outside Online says he is “widely hailed as North America’s most prolific climber and mountaineer” – in the history books for a multitude of “first ascents.” Before he was inducted into the West Seattle High School Hall of Fame in 2014, this bio was written to explain why he should be part of it (he was in the WSHS Class of 1941); it notes there’s even a mountain named after him (Mt. Beckey in Alaska). Mr. Beckey also recently became the subject of a documentary about his lifelong obsession with climbing:

The Seattle Times reports that Mr. Beckey died today at the home of a longtime friend. According to the SeattlePI.com obituary for Mr. Beckey, his many other climbing companions included Lloyd Anderson, who co-founded REI while living in West Seattle. Mr. Beckey was still climbing in recent years, and was a prolific guidebook writer, as noted on the HistoryLink.org page that tells his story.

WEST SEATTLE HALLOWEEN: Skeleton Theatre returns tomorrow & Wednesday

October 30, 2017 8:29 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

We stopped by 36th/Hanford at dusk to say hi to the Skeleton Theatre team, who were working hard to get West Seattle’s most extensive animatronic Halloween extravaganza ready for the next two nights, on, and behind, the front-yard stage:

As noted in the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide, Skeleton Theatre mastermind Chris Walker tells us, “The theme this year is ‘Back to our Roots.’ Through the years people have asked us to do this again, so we’re going to do a show consisting of pop culture clips – like we did for the first two years of Skeleton Theatre a decade ago, with a few new tricks added in. We will end with one original scene: It’s a preview for the new show that we’ll be putting up next year.” The show is set to run continuously 6-9 pm Halloween night and the night after (Tuesday and Wednesday; here’s a map). Free but if you are moved to help the Skeleton crew cover their costs, there’s a donation button on their webpage (where you can also catch up on the backstory – ST has been a tradition since 2006!).

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FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival 2017, by the numbers

October 30, 2017 7:34 pm

| Comments Off on FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival 2017, by the numbers

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(Photo by Leda Costa for WSB)

If you were part of Sunday’s West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival – here are three numbers that reiterate that it rocked:

From Lora Swift at the West Seattle Junction Association – 35 community businesses, groups, and nonprofits donated time and materials for free games and activities. … Almost 300 root-beer floats were served up by The Beer Junction in the first-ever Root Beer Garden … and the biggest number of all is from the Chili Cookoff:

From Judi Yazzolino of the West Seattle Food Bank:

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off to taste the delicious chili at the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival on Sunday. All proceeds went to the West Seattle Food Bank, and what a success – we raised $3,146 from the tastings and $160 from the Beer Junction Root Beer Float Garden tips. We’d really like to extend a special thanks to the nine establishments who not only donated their fabulous chili but their time serving it: Brookdale Senior Living, Duos Catering, Easy Street Café, Elliott Bay Brewery, Fresh Bistro, Girls Gone BBQ, Husky Deli, Pecos Pit, and The Westy. Congratulations to Joshua & Benjamin from Duos Catering for being our 2017 winner by a landslide!

See our as-it-happened festival coverage, with video and photos, here.

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DEVELOPMENT: Early-stage proposal to rezone Fauntleroy site at 9250 45th SW for new 5-story mixed-use building

October 30, 2017 4:59 pm

| 64 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)

New in the city-permit files: An early-stage proposal to rezone a site in Fauntleroy’s Endolyne business district and demolish the building that’s there now, replacing it with a new 5-story mixed-use building. The early documents were filed last week for 9250 45th SW (photo above), the site also known as 4412 Brace Point Drive and bounded by Wildwood Place on the north side, just uphill from the Fauntleroy ferry dock [map]. Notes from an early conference with city reps say the building would be ground-floor “retail,” four floors residential, with 32 units proposed, no offstreet parking. (It’s on the RapidRide C Line.) The site is currently zoned NC (Neighborhood Commercial) 1-30 (for up to three stories), and the owners are proposing a rezone to NC3. Working title for the project, as shown on one early-stage sketch, is “The Fauntleroy.” Again, this has just appeared in city files, no formal application yet, but we’ll be watching for official comment periods and other parts of the process that would be required for rezoning – which ultimately requires City Council approval – as well as redevelopment. (This is the same area where traffic flow was reconfigured a little over a year ago, with the Brace Point Drive side changing to one-way eastbound.)

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Seen this stolen black Honda Civic?

October 30, 2017 3:26 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Just out of the WSB inbox, from Chris:

My wife and I just got back to our Roxbury Street home from a weekend visiting family to find my 1999 Honda Civic stolen (4 door, black, license plate #ASU6838). If anyone finds it abandoned on their street, please let me know.

But first, call 911. (Update – you can refer to SPD incident # 2017-430174.)

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TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Trouble on West Seattle ‘low bridge’ – fixed

October 30, 2017 2:56 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

2:56 PM: SDOT says the “low bridge” is currently closed to vehicle traffic because of mechanical trouble – so avoid it TFN. We’ll update when we get word it’s fixed.

3:06 PM: The live-video camera on the SDOT map shows the gate’s now up, the light’s green, and vehicle traffic is moving across the bridge again.

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GREEN SEATTLE DAY: 3 West Seattle greenspaces that would love to see you Saturday

October 30, 2017 2:34 pm

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| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Before we get too much further into fall, it’s still prime time for planting, and that’s what Green Seattle Day is all about next Saturday (November 4th). If you can help out 9 am-noon, three West Seattle spots would appreciate your tree-planting TLC, including:

Westcrest Park in Highland Park – get details and RSVP here

Duwamish Head Greenbelt in East Admiral – get details and RSVP here

Me-Kwa-Mooks along Beach Drive – get details and RSVP here

All ages welcome – tools (and more) provided.

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FOLLOWUP: Falconridge Farm hasn’t galloped into the sunset – yet

October 30, 2017 12:58 pm

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| Highland Park | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from September report – covered riding arena at Falconridge Farm)

By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Dr. Jean Nokes, her beloved mare Cielo, and Luna, the three-legged cat who used to ride Cielo in her heyday, are still holding the fort down at Falconridge Farm, the 4.2 acre oasis in Highland Park.

As West Seattle Blog first reported in early September, Nokes and her husband Milt Ghivizzani put the horse farm up for sale because Nokes, an experienced equestrian, is no longer riding. We checked back on its status after the topic came up at last week’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting.

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West Seattle Monday: Halloween Eve haunts, and other happenings

October 30, 2017 11:02 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo courtesy of the ‘haunted pumpkin patch’ creator)

Starting highlights for today/tonight – we’ve continued adding to the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide, especially spookily decorated houses that you’ve kindly let us know about, like the one above!

‘HAUNTED PUMPKIN PATCH’ ON ALKI: Just got word of this last night. An Alki resident who “has worked in the Halloween Industry for 20 years” decided it’s time to “bring the Halloween spirit to Alki,” so tonight and tomorrow, 7:30-10:30 pm, “visitors are welcome to walk through the haunted pumpkin patch in our front yard, full of carved pumpkins, skeletons, zombies, and giant spiders.” (2130 Alki Ave SW)

COSTUME STORY TIME: 6:30 pm at High Point Library: “It is story time at the High Point Branch! Bring your preschoolers and toddlers in their favorite costumes to enjoy not-so-spooky stories and fun with our children’s librarian.” (35th SW/SW Raymond)

HALLOWEEN LIGHT SHOW: Continuing through Halloween night, see animated lights and characters from the team behind West Seattle Yuletide. 6-10 pm nightly. (38th SW between Genesee and Dakota)

(Saturday night’s sunset, photographed by a reader who wished to be anonymous)

And from our year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

VOTER REGISTRATION: New arrival or, for another reason, never before registered in this state? You can still register to vote in the November 7 election if you do so in person by end of the day. Nearest place is downtown.

ART ON THE iPAD: That’s the theme of today’s free interactive Tinkerlab activity at Delridge Library, 4-5:30 pm, all ages. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

FREE BARRE CLASSES: Barre Bohemian in Upper Morgan has three free classes each day this week, morning and afternoon – next one at 4:30 pm – sign up here. (6531 35th SW)

MONDAY MEDITATION: 7 pm at SoundYoga (WSB sponsor), “The Three Root Delusions” wraps up this series of Monday night meditation sessions. All welcome. Class fee $12. (5639 Californai SW)

MONDAY QUIZ: 7:30 pm at The Skylark, no cover, all ages, prizes! (3803 Delridge Way SW)

FULL LIST FOR TODAY/TONIGHT … is on our complete calendar.

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From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: About the dead sea lion at Seacrest

October 30, 2017 9:26 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

Several people asked us on Sunday – and another one, just as we started writing this – about a dead marine mammal at Seacrest, near the West Seattle Water Taxi dock (that’s part of it in the foreground of the photo above, taken last night). As always, we referred inquiries to Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network (206-905-SEAL) and then asked the group ourselves. Here’s what Robin Lindsey from Seal Sitters tells WSB:

It is an adult California sea lion. There is rope tied around the body which indicates that someone unsuccessfully tried to sink the dead animal. At this point, there is no apparent indication of foul play or entanglement.

We have documented the condition of the carcass and contacted our regional NOAA stranding coordinator. The EPA recently changed requirements for towing and/or sinking marine mammals (not only large whales, but sea lion carcasses) and Seal Sitters MMSN has begun the process to secure any required permit from the government agency in order to handle the floating, decomposing seal lion. Unfortunately, that process may not be terribly expedient.

Robin is hoping to hear from NOAA today; we’ll add an update here when she does. Whatever happens won’t be easy, she warns: “I might add that weighting and sinking a large animal is not the easiest task – nor is disposal or burial of such a large, heavy animal should he drift onto shore.”

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates

October 30, 2017 7:02 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

7:02 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.

WATER TAXI SCHEDULE CHANGE: Another reminder, today is the start of the West Seattle Water Taxi’s fall/winter schedule.

That’s 5 days a week, am/pm commute times only – find the schedule here.

LAST WEEK OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: This Saturday night/Sunday morning, we “fall back” an hour into standard time.

8:01 AM: No details but there’s an SFD medical response to the EB bridge exit to NB I-5. (Added) WSDOT says it’s a crash partly blocking the ramp.

8:32 AM: SDOT reports a collision on 35th SW near Kenyon.

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