West Seattle news 60711 results

Two more quick West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight – From LS:

I just discovered my car was stolen from my driveway in Highland Park (police report was just completed) either last night or this AM. It’s a teal 1993 Honda Civic EX coupe. Please post to the WSB so that if someone sees it they can contact the police.

And from Gretchen:

I found the face of a Mercedes radio/navigation system on the corner of 18th and Thistle. I contacted police and they came to pick it up. Incident number 14-244731.

P.S. Is your block signed up for a street-closing Night Out party? If not, go here. The big night – Tuesday, August 5th – is only a week and a half away.

Share This

There yet? Pizza, photo booth, fashion @ West Seattle Outdoor Movies tonight

| West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

Gates are open for tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies event in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) and a lot is going on, long before “Spice World” hits the screen at dusk.

(WSB photo, substituted for Instagram snap originally posted here Saturday night)
Free slices from Pagliacci (a WSOM sponsor, as are we), free photobooth [above], and after 8 pm, a fashion show. All free. You just bring a chair/blanket and if you can, a few bucks for nonprofit-benefiting raffle items and concessions. 4410 California SW, right next to The Junction’s Post Office.

Share This

Built, or building, a Little Free Library? Consider entering ‘Libraries on the Loose’

July 26, 2014 4:52 pm

| Comments Off on Built, or building, a Little Free Library? Consider entering ‘Libraries on the Loose’

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

We’ve showcased some of West Seattle’s wonderful, and sometimes whimsical, Little Free Libraries in recent years, and we know many more are out there. If you’ve built one or are getting ready to build one, you might be interested in a competition that the local chapter of Architects Without Borders is having – with the entry deadline less than a week away! Find out about “Libraries on the Loose” here. (Yes, you CAN enter an already-built library – we asked John Putre, who pinged us about the contest, and he said, “Submissions can be both existing and new Little Free Libraries, as long as they meet the requirements, which are pretty lenient – located in Seattle, hold at least 20 books, protected from weather.”) Entry fees benefit AWB’s work.

Share This

Happening now: Buy lemonade in Gatewood, help fire victims

July 26, 2014 2:55 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Gatewood | How to help | West Seattle news

2:55 PM: Thanks to Alex for the photo – she says this lemonade and cookie sale at California/Portland in Gatewood (map) is raising money to help the Red Cross help fire victims in our state. (We’re waiting to hear back about how long they’ll be there.)

ADDED: If you didn’t already see the comment – congrats to the lemonade-and-cookie sellers for raising almost $200, which will be multipled by matching donations. If you missed the stand but would like to help, here’s what the Red Cross is doing in the fire zone, and how to donate.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Arrest in Beach Drive indecent-exposure case; Puget Ridge burglary, Gatewood car-prowl reports

July 26, 2014 1:25 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today.

First, police have arrested a suspect in connection with one recent West Seattle indecent-exposure incident. We’d been trying for several days to find out more about this case – the third in less than two weeks – since a reader mentioned it in this comment last Tuesday night. The commenter wrote of giving police license plate/description information after the incident that night on Beach Drive, and that officers said they had matched the information to a sex offender. Finally, after multiple inquiries, we got confirmation of an arrest today; Southwest Precinct commander Captain Steve Wilske confirmed a suspect in that case is in custody. He’s 37 years old and being held for investigation of indecent exposure and failure to register. No charges filed yet – but we’ll be checking first thing Monday, along with trying to find out more about whether he’s suspected in any of the other cases.

(SUNDAY NOTE: According to the jail register, the suspect has posted bond on $50,000 bail and got out of jail Saturday night, after a little more than one day behind bars.)

(back to original Saturday report) Second, Margaret reports her home in the 5200 block of 18th SW (map) on Puget Ridge was broken into during the day on Friday, with two specific stolen items she’s asking you to watch for:

… Sometime between 9:30 am and 7 pm. They smashed the back bedroom window, ransacked the house, and took a Sentry-brand putty-colored fire proof plastic lock box full of irreplaceable family papers, an array of electronics, and a wooden earring box with a leather inset of Raven stealing the sun, about the size of a business envelope and an inch high. It was full of cheap, craft-fair costume jewelry of great sentimental value. They did not get the key to the lockbox and I’m hoping they may not be able to get inside and may dump it. If the lock box or wooden box turn up anywhere, I’d be anxious to hear.

Third, TJ reports from Gatewood, “Two suspicious males were attempting to open car-door handles for the second night down Holden Street. Police were called at 1:30 am.”

Crime Watch info to report? If it’s breaking news, text or call 206-293-6302; otherwise, editor@westseattleblog.com – but not until after you’ve reported it to police! Thanks!

Share This

Happening now: Volunteer cleanup at Walking on Logs

July 26, 2014 11:58 am

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle news

Thanks to Sharonn Meeks for sharing that scene from the Walking on Logs area along the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. Shown are members of the Chief Sealth International High School Key Club, part of today’s volunteer cleanup crew at the sculpture site, including Sharonn and Nancy Driver from the Fairmount Community Association just east of the nearby Triangle area. (P.S. In case this makes you wonder – to date, no word on the fourth sculpture’s fate.)

Share This

West Seattle Totems updates: 10 team members compete in National Air Rifle Championships; Alec Patajo wins, heads to Legion competition this week

July 26, 2014 11:41 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

West Seattle Totems team member Alec Patajo, 14, goes to Colorado this week to compete for the 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship – weeks after winning another national championship, in his first national final. That’s part of this Totems update from coach Joe Matter (who also provided the photo above):

The West Seattle Totems recently returned from their trip to the National Air Rifle Championships. Ten members of the team travelled to Camp Perry Ohio which is the home of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The CMP hosted two national championships: The Junior Olympic 3 Position Air Rifle Championships and the CMP National 3 Position Air Rifle Championships.

Each Championship consists of a 60 shot qualification process and a final. Team scores are computed using the qualification score. Those individuals who finish in the top 8., compete in a 10 shot final. The scores from the final are added to the qualification score to determine the final placing.

The first competition was the Junior Olympic Championships. The Thunderbird squad of Alec Patajo, Corinne Blair, Sierra Avril, Casey iwamoto and Tanner Venturi finished in 8th place. The Chiefs squad of Katelynn Bacon, Katelynn Brown, Owen Yeasting, Nick Young and Vic Yeasting finished in 36th place. Alec finished in 5th place after the qualification round. Alec shot well in the final and finished in 4th place after the final was completed. This was Alec’s first national final.

The second day of competition was the CMP National Championships. The Thunderbirds improved their scores on the second day and finished in 7th place. the Chiefs finished in 35th place. Alec won the qualification round shooting a 595 out of 600 points. He went into the final with a 2 point lead over the previous days National Champion Sarah Osborne, who has won 6 national championships in the last 2 years.

Alec shot well, but Sarah started closing the distance. By shot number 7, Alec’s 2 point lead was down to 1/10 of a point. Alec 8th shot was critical and he shot a perfect 10.9 while Sarah shot a 10.6. The 9th shot, Alec widened his lead back to a full point and in the 10th and final shot he finished with a 1.7 point lead and won the CMP National Championship.

Alec will be competing in the American Legion National Championships at the end of July. The American Legion match will be held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The rest of the Totems will be back in competition this fall.

The American Legion events begin on Tuesday and offer college-scholarship money to the winners. (Read more about the Ohio competition in this story, which features a photo of Alec.)

Share This

West Seattle (& beyond) Saturday: WS Outdoor Movies get ‘Spice’y; Torchlight night; WSHS Alumni basketball game; more…

July 26, 2014 6:34 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Mid-July low-tide photo by Trileigh Tucker)
Last weekend, it was wall-to-wall events around West Seattle. This weekend, not so much, but Seafair’s big Torchlight Night has West Seattle ramifications too. So we’ll start there:

TORCHLIGHT TRAFFIC ALERT – VIADUCT CLOSURE TONIGHT: We’ve been reminding you for a week; now it’s here – the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct closes 5:30-7:45 pm (times approximate, and we know the SDOT readerboards say until 8 pm) for the Torchlight Run. If you’re going downtown, remember 4th Avenue closes tonight for the parade itself – all the traffic effects are detailed in this citywide roundup.

TORCHLIGHT FANFEST: Starting at noon, you can go to Seattle Center and get an early look at the floats (participants include the award-winning West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival float, of course) starting at noon – details here.

TORCHLIGHT PARADE: Starts near Seattle Center at 7:30 pm and heads south on 4th Avenue (till almost the end) – the lineup and map are here. Scheduled West Seattle participants include the aforementioned Hi-Yu float (toward the end of the order) and County Executive Dow Constantine. (Are you in the parade too? Please let us know so we can watch for you – editor@westseattleblog.com)

Now, as for what’s happening in West Seattle today/tonight:

BENEFIT CAR WASH: West Seattle High School‘s 2014-2015 Cheer Squad is washing cars again today at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) 10 am-3 pm to help pay for uniforms and camp. (35th/Webster)

LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Though the tide is not THAT low today, it’s still low enough for exploration – -0.8 at 11:19 – and you’ll find volunteer beach naturalists at Constellation Park and Lincoln Park beaches 10:30 am-1 pm.

CATS ARE LOOKING FOR YOU … at the Friends of the Animals Foundation cat/kitten adoption event, 11:30 am-3:30 pm at Next to Nature in The Junction. (4543 California SW)

WSHS ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAME: The first-ever West Seattle High School alumni basketball game and showcase starts at noon and runs through 5 pm – details in our Friday preview. (3000 California SW)

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Just a few more chances this summer to tour Alki Point Lighthouse – no tours next weekend because of Seafair, so it’s this weekend 1-4 pm both days, and then a scant few weekends in August. (Alki SW/Beach Dr. SW)

SALSA ON ALKI: 5:30 pm lesson, 6:30 pm dance, by Statue of Liberty Plaza; details in the calendar listing. (61st/Alki SW)

WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES, WEEK 2: Spice up your Saturday night with “Spice World” – yes, the Spice Girls‘ mid-’90s movie is feature #2 in this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series! Gates open at 6:30 pm at the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard; preshow fun long before the movie splashes onto the screen at dusk (still 9-ish). Free, but bring a few $ for charity-benefiting raffle and concession if you can. WSB is media sponsor for the series and we’ll see you there! (4410 California SW)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Tonight, Greenstage presents “Love’s Labour’s Lost” in Lincoln Park, 7 pm. Free! (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, look for the signs)

MORE! Just check the calendar directly.

Share This

Watch and/or play: first-ever WSHS Alumni Basketball Game/Showcase on Saturday

July 25, 2014 10:16 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Big afternoon of basketball at West Seattle High School on Saturday – and players are welcome as well as spectators. All the info’s on the flyer above, shared by head coach Keffrey Fazio; basics are that the doors open at noon, shoot-around starts at 12:30 pm, 3-pointer-shooting contest at 1 pm, alumni game’s at 2 pm, food/social event at 3:45 pm. $20 fee for players, with proceeds benefiting the WSHS boys-basketball program.

Share This

Video/photos: Band Jam 2014 fills Southwest Athletic Complex with music, marching, more

July 25, 2014 6:52 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(UPDATED overnight with more photos, video added inline)

6:52 PM: We’re at Southwest Athletic Complex in Westwood, where the Junior All-City Marching Band – seen in our quick video clip above – has just opened this year’s Band Jam, an event that’s continued to grow in the past few years as a tune-up event (and showcase) for some of the marching bands participating in the Seafair Torchlight Parade, which is happening tomorrow night.

Following the Junior All-City Band, the Pacific Northwest Drumline (above & below) has just taken the field.

This is going on for at least another hour and a half, and it’s free (with concessions available, to support music programs) – we’ll have more sounds and sights later, but for now, c’mon down.

7:14 PM: The Sumner High School Marching Band – explained by their announcer as including middle-school musicians too – is on the field now:

These musicians came almost all the way from Mount Rainier, which you can see in a peek view here in the SWAC stands.

P.S. Non-conventional “marching” bands play Band Jam too; the Ten-Man Brass Band followed Sumner (bound for the Capitol Hill Block Party later tonight):

And Chaotic Noise Marching Corps – a punk-ish hit last year – is still to come, as is the host All-City Band, directed by Marcus Pimpleton, who launched Band Jam here five years ago:

(added post-show) Chaotic Noise was wild as ever:

(See video on Facebook.) We noticed some membership overlap between CNMB and Sounders FC’s Sound Wave, which rocked the stadium too:

8:41 PM: And last up, ACB:

(added) Followed by the night-ending jam, with just about everyone joining ACB on the field:

Meantime, it’s less than 24 hours until the Torchlight Parade downtown tomorrow night – we’ll have info in our Saturday morning preview (including the Torchlight Fan Fest starting at noon, where you can go check out floats long before the parade begins).

Share This

17 questions from Councilmember Rasmussen for new SDOT boss Scott Kubly; anything missing?

July 25, 2014 3:11 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

A short time ago, Scott Kubly, Mayor Murray’s choice for SDOT director, tweeted that he’s arrived:

Finally arrived in Seattle after cross country road trip. Excited to get started Monday AM.

— Scott Kubly (@skubly) July 25, 2014

Next month, he faces confirmation hearings before the City Council. The chair of its Transportation Committee, West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, shared with us the questions he wants Kubly to answer. See them here. You’ll note that they include a request for Kubly to review the June 10th five-hour, four-mile Highway 99 crash-investigation-related closure (here’s our most-recent followup) and whether policies should be changed as a result. But that’s just one of 17 questions Rasmussen has asked Kubly to answer by August 5th, in advance of his August 12th hearing. Anything you think he’s missing?

Share This

West Seattle development: Three more teardown plans

July 25, 2014 3:00 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

No new big development proposals have popped up lately. No new Design Review Board meetings on the schedule. But some smaller projects are of note, including these three which if nothing else will be noticeable with demolition activity on arterials:

3923 CALIFORNIA SW: The first demolition-permit application for the multiplexes on the northwest corner of California/Andover (map) is in. The city’s online files say a four-unit rowhouse is proposed (with the address 3925 California) for this side of the site, while the SW Andover side of the site is proposed for three single-family houses and a two-townhouse unit. (We first reported on this site two months ago, when a lot-boundary adjustment was sought.)

4151 CALIFORNIA SW: The same developer (Block II LLC) has been granted a demolition permit for two houses behind the California-fronting Pica Border Grill restaurant (map) on the north end of The Junction. The restaurant building is NOT involved in the project; the two houses behind it are slated to be replaced by a building with one townhouse and one live-work unit.

3036/3038 ALKI SW: Two “residential structures” here (map) are the subject of another demolition-permit application. As noted here last month, a proposal is on file for four townhouses and one single-family home, with a subdivision application to make it possible.

Share This

How local teens spent part of their summer: Rebuilding a custom vintage motorcycle with MISSIONmoto, SW Youth & Family Services

July 25, 2014 1:45 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Program names go by … say, the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative … but we don’t often see/hear the results of activities related to those programs. Here, for a change, is a result. In the photo is Terry, one of the participants in a SYVPI project that led to the teardown and rebuild of that custom vintage motorcycle over the course of a 10-week after-school (etc.) project. He did it with MISSIONmoto, a nonprofit “motorcycle ministry” with garage space near Morgan Junction, which invited youth from the SYVPI program at North Delridge-based Southwest Youth and Family Services to “do a complete teardown and rebuild of a custom vintage motorcycle” – a 1973 Honda CB750K, to be precise. It was a pilot partnership, MISSIONmoto explains; we photographed Terry and the motorcycle at a celebratory barbecue held Thursday afternoon at SWYFS.

Share This

Nine ‘new acres’ of greenbelt restoration in West Seattle

July 25, 2014 12:38 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news

More work to protect West Seattle forest land: Seattle Parks plant ecologist Michael Yadrick sent word of a new round of greenbelt restoration happening now – nine acres in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the city’s largest contiguous forest, some of which is shown in our photo above, looking at the greenbelt behind the Parks facility on West Marginal Way SW.

These are what we call “new acres,” an area that hasn’t been touched for restoration before. This zone is very visible from the West Seattle Bridge. If you ever cruise westbound and look south at the hillside above the river, we are getting into the steep slopes above W Marginal Way. This Andover tract has some of the forests most heavily impacted by invasion of non-native plants, over 80% cover of ivy on the ground (and it was thigh-high when we first went in to survey for the work) and every single tree had ivy climbing up the trunk. The crew removed ivy from over 800 trees! A month or so after the crew completed the “survival rings,” I could actually see the texture of the forest canopy change. Much of that green, pillowy look that you see from the bridge is from ivy foliage that was hanging in the trees, which ultimately contributes to their decline over time. By removing it, we allow more light on the forest floor, which creates conditions more amenable to a healthy, mixed conifer forest.

(As far as we could tell from below, the brown areas in our photo are dead invasives. Yadrick’s explanation continues after the jump, if you’re reading this from the home page:)
Read More

Share This

Name the new Water Taxis, round two: Vote on your favorites from 11 finalists – 6 for West Seattle, 5 for Vashon

July 25, 2014 11:03 am

| 14 COMMENTS

| King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

(Rendering of new vessels – reflecting size/shape/configuration, not final color/paint/trim)
Four weeks after the King County Ferry District invited you to suggest names for the new Water Taxi vessels that are under construction, here comes Round 2 – your chance to choose between 11 finalists. Just out of the WSB inbox:

The process to name the King County Ferry District’s new vessels continues with public voting starting (today) and running through August 15, 2014. To vote, see surveymonkey.com/s/TTPBNZQ or call 206-477-3840.

“The public’s participation in this process has been incredible – we have received 326 different name nominations. People in this region really value this service,” said King County Ferry District Chair Joe McDermott.

Share This

West Seattle Friday: Band Jam, Delridge farmstand, Pencil Me In For Kids, Shakespeare in the Park, more …

July 25, 2014 10:57 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for today/tonight:

VOTE UNTIL 1 PM: The Major League Soccer Community MVP voting continues until 1 our time today, and West Seattle Cup organizer Terry Kegel remains in the running. Our previous story includes the link.

PENCIL ME IN FOR KIDS DONATION DRIVE: PMIFK collects and buys school supplies to help kids in need, and even though it’s the middle of summer, donations are needed now to make sure everyone’s set for next school year. 3-6 pm today, you can donate supplies and/or cash to Rotary Club of West Seattle volunteers who will be at QFC in The Junction; details in our calendar listing. (42nd/Alaska)

FRIDAY FARMSTAND: Delridge Grocery‘s second weekly farmstand is set for 4:30-7:30 pm today (here’s our coverage of last week’s launch). Here’s what DG’s update says will be available:

Strawberries
Peaches
Nectarines
Raspberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Apricots
Beets
Kale
Collards
Salad mix
Cabbage
Spring onions
Chard
Zucchini

The stand is right next to the sidewalk at 5435 Delridge Way SW.

BAND JAM: As previewed here earlier this week, more than half a dozen marching bands participating in tomorrow night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade will be tuning up with the free-and-open-to-the-public Band Jam tonight at Southwest Athletic Complex, 6:30 pm. (2801 SW Thistle)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Tonight, Greenstage presents “Othello” at Lincoln Park – free! 7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)

LIVE MUSIC: Salty’s, C & P Coffee, The Cask, Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsors), Skylark Café and Club, Benbow Room all have listings for tonight – see them by going directly to our calendar.

Share This

West Seattle power outage: Crow vs. transformer again

July 25, 2014 10:11 am

| 10 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

City Light says 10 homes are still out of power northeast of The Junction as part of an earlier outage that at one point was reported to be up to 90. According to a photo texted to us, this was another case of crow vs. transformer, with the bird making deadly contact at 38th/Dakota. The current estimate for repair completion is around 12:30 pm.

Share This

Another traffic heads-up: Underground work ahead on Spokane @ Beach Dr.

July 25, 2014 9:54 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Though King County says the timeline’s not set yet, it’s circulating an alert about work that will dig up a section of road south of Alki Point soon. The alert begins:

Beginning later this month, a contractor working for King County will be making repairs to the County’s Alki Regulator Gate. This below-ground structure is located in Southwest Spokane St., near the corner of Beach Dr. Southwest. (see attached map). This facility is part of the County’s regional wastewater system; it helps to regulate wastewater flows going to the County’s West Seattle tunnel and pump station. These repairs are important to help avoid wastewater overflows into Puget Sound during times of high wastewater flows in the system.

See the full alert here (PDF, including a map). It says the work will last up to two weeks, with traffic-flagging for the duration, and that other projects are ahead, including improvements to the pump station in the area and installation of a “flow meter” near Spokane/62nd.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates; looking ahead

July 25, 2014 7:26 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Sunshine’s back, in time for a busy summer weekend. First – today’s commute. OK so far. (The I-90 westbound lane closures ended early today, by the way.) So here are the looking-ahead notes:

SATURDAY NIGHT VIADUCT CLOSURE: Tomorrow night, the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct closes 5:30-7:45 pm for the Seafair Torchlight Run – this SDOT roundup has details on that and other citywide weekend traffic alerts.

MONDAY NIGHT NOTE: The West Seattle Water Taxi will run late Monday night (July 28) for the Sounders match.

BLUE ANGELS-RELATED I-90 CLOSURES NEXT WEEK: Looking way ahead to Thursday 7/31 through Sunday 8/3 – here’s the schedule for that.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Early-morning investigation; wheelchair-theft attempt; bicycle found

July 25, 2014 1:31 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes: First, this is developing – Seattle Police are investigating another possible strong-arm robbery in the Roxhill Park area. Seattle Fire medics were sent to check out someone found unconscious in the bushes by the bus stop on the south side of SW Barton, reported as a possible victim of a robbery/assault. We’ll follow up later this morning to see what police determined.

Meantime, Creighton reports two incidents in Admiral:

Both incidents happened in front of my house during the daytime at 37th Ave SW and Admiral, just north of Belvedere Viewpoint Park.

Wednesday morning after breakfast, between 9 am and 11 am, someone started to steal my visiting-from-out-of-town handicapped father’s wheelchair from the side of my house, where it was placed to stay dry and out of the hard rain. Upon searching the neighborhood, we found it one house south of ours, stashed in the bushes. It looked like they started to steal it, but either decided it was too big to toss in their vehicle, or I’m hoping had a change of heart and realized it was bad karma to steal a handicapped man’s wheelchair.

Did they come back and try again later that day? Later that same day, after dinner (between 6 pm and 8 pm) I went out to clean my wife’s late-model MDX and discovered all of the contents of the glovebox (registration, manual, etc), center console and change dish were missing. We’re pretty sure we locked the doors, but there was no sign of forced entry to the car so we’re scratching our heads. Both incidents have been reported to the Seattle PD using the CORP online reporting tool.

Finally, Brian found this bike in Highland Park:

Brian describes it as a “Univega bike with Anacortes Cycle sticker.” If it’s yours, contact police and refer to case 14-242562.

Share This

Skies Over West Seattle, midsummer edition: Meteors on the way

July 24, 2014 7:33 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Skies Over West Seattle | West Seattle news

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ever wish for advance alert of an upcoming meteor shower/eclipse/etc. – and/or wonder “What’s that bright ‘star’ up there?” This should help. It’s our periodic feature by West Seattle’s own Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen, famed for her solstice/equinox sunset watches, among other things.

By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

Happy summer, everyone! I, like many, did not enjoy our recent heat wave. I’m Seattleite to my bones, and temperatures outside 50-80°F send me searching desperately for relief. Lucky us, hot days make for comfortable stargazing nights. You’ll often hear me advocate for the winter skies, because they’re so pristine (whenever we can see the stars through the clouds), and the long nights give you lots of things to see. The benefit to summer skies is that you don’t have to bundle up, and you’re probably thrilled to spend an hour or two with an excuse to just relax in the cool night air, and we do (believe it or not) have more clear nights in summer.

Hey, what’s that?

Mars and Spica — This pair, a star and a planet, have been giving us quite a show every night in the West as soon as it begins to get dark, around 10 pm. If you’ve seen something in the sky and wondered what it was, I’m betting it is these two. Spica is a brilliant white, and Mars has a blush of a tan or salmon color to it.

You may be inexperienced at noticing the different colors of the stars, so this is a perfect chance to push yourself a little further. Go out tonight – if we get a break in the clouds – and look at this pairing. First, just try to decide if they appear to be the same color or different colors. Then, keep observing and start thinking about what you would name those two different colors. Try looking away at some other stars and then bringing your eyes back.

Another major difference to watch for in the pair is that Spica will twinkle, and Mars will not. Planets don’t twinkle (an easy way to remember this is that the song doesn’t go “Twinkle, twinkle little planet …”).

Share This

Summer Concerts at Hiawatha update: Tonight’s show is a go!

July 24, 2014 6:25 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The clouds have lifted and Eclectic Approach is playing outdoors as scheduled on the east lawn at Hiawatha in this year’s first concert of the Admiral Neighborhood Association-sponsored series, reports ANA president David Whiting. Metropolitan Market (a series sponsor, as are we, and a WSB sponsor) is there with brownies, he adds. Official start at 6:30, music at least until 8, have fun!

Share This

After 2+ years, new monorail initiative reported to be ballot-bound

July 24, 2014 5:20 pm

| 43 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

In spring 2012, we reported on activist Elizabeth Campbell‘s proposal for a new monorail company, to be called the Century Transportation Authority, CenTran for short, with a line running from Ballard to West Seattle, like the last monorail proposal. Haven’t heard much about it in the interim, but today, PubliCola reports that Campbell has gathered enough valid signatures – just under 4,600 – to get this on the Seattle ballot in November. If voters say yes, CenTran’s website says, it would start out with a $5 license-tab tax to raise money to plan the monorail system.

Share This