West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
ORIGINAL REPORT: Just got a phone call about police activity at 24th/Trenton reportedly involving pit bulls. Scanner seems to confirm something happening out there with that particular breed of dog — the caller said it involved the dogs attacking another dog — we’re headed out to check on it. (If this pans out, it would be the third notable pit-bull incident in West Seattle in recent days; there was one in each of our previous two police-report summaries — a man shooting one, and a 9-year-old girl getting bit in the face by one.) 8:44 PM UPDATE: Our person on the scene confirms tons of police and medic activity. No extra details yet, though. Scanner just described original call as a “dogfight.” 8:52 PM UPDATE: Looks like “an older man” is going to be taken away for treatment; our original caller said he’d heard a man had been bitten. 8:59 PM UPDATE: At the scene, the victim’s wife told WSB her husband and their dog were out for a walk when other dogs attacked them; the man is going to the hospital (but is reportedly conscious); police confirm shots were fired but won’t confirm our reader’s report that at least one dog was shot. We’ll have scene video soon. (Side note, for WSB regulars who have previously admitted to being fans of KING 5 breaking-news specialist Jim Forman, our correspondent reports he’s on the scene now.) 9:48 PM ADDITION: Here’s our video clip. Nothing earthshaking – just the medic unit pulling up to a scene already awash in flashing lights.
10:04 PM UPDATE: According to the KING 10 pm report, one of the pit bulls was shot and killed; the dog they attacked was a 7-pound Chihuahua named Rosie. The wife of Rosie’s owner says he was just bitten in the hand, but “he has a bad heart” so he was going to be checked out further. (The online version of their story is here.) 11:02 PM UPDATE: KIRO and KOMO made it out here for their late newscasts. KOMO’s reporter, however, inexplicably proclaimed himself to be in White Center. (Hint: If you are dealing with Seattle Police, you are not in White Center, which is handled by the King County Sheriff’s Office. This part of Westwood is well within the city limits.)
Two nights before the second Design Review Board meeting for the “Spring Hill” mixed-use building at 5020 California, south of The Junction, you can now take a look at its revised design proposal, just posted online. Check it out here; its highlights are three new options (first three drawings below), labeled C2, D, and E:
The courtyard placement in the last two renderings seem to address concerns of neighbors to the east that their back yards (on the alley at the right side of each sketch) would face little more than a big flat wall at Spring Hill’s rear. Compare those to the original three options (angled, California at front, alley behind):
Our coverage of the first DRB meeting for this project is here; Thursday’s meeting is at 8 pm, Denny Middle School Library, after the DRB meets at 6:30 pm for its first look at 9030 35th SW.
This is circulating among Junction businesses — We received it from the folks at Jan’s Beauty Supply (WSB sponsor):
ATTENTION!!!
On Thursday February 21, 2008 at about 4:45 PM, two girls entered the back door to our business. Girl 1 proceeded to the front of the store; girl 2 entered our employee room. We caught girl 2 in the room and she then ran out the back door. She had taken a wallet, check book and digital camera from an employee’s purse. She was chased through Capers, down California Ave. and into Zamboanga where she was cornered. The wallet and check book were retrieved, the camera is still missing. Girl 1 and girl 2 continued north on California Ave.Many merchants said they had seen these girls through the day and a few had the same experience. If you have found anything missing and remember seeing these girls please call the SPD. Please refer to our case number 2008-068225.
Girl 1: Caucasian, early 20’s, 5’8â€, thin build (145lbs.), gap in front teeth, dark brown hair pulled tightly in a pony tail, Black and gold “Baby Phat†hoody and dark “Baby Phat†jeans.
Girl 2: Hispanic-American, early 20’s, 5’6â€, heavy set (165lbs.), thick dark brown or black curly hair pulled into a pony tail, tattoo on the right side of neck, black Northface jacket, distressed light blue jeans, black coach bag.Be on the look out for these girls!!! We can’t let our community go this route!
JAN’S BEAUTY SUPPLY: 206-937-9224
(JAN, SHERI & ALISSA)
First came the plan for a sidewalk along Alki Ave west of the spot shown above – then came concern – then the protest – then word the plan would change (and incorporate some improvements to the 63rd/Alki arterial-turn route) – now (hat tip to AlkiNews.com for first word), the city will send a delegation to Alki on April 2 to show and explain potential alternatives. Larry Carpenter of the Alki Community Council is helping coordinate the meeting; he explains:
SDOT will present several alternative plans at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Alki Community Center. Drawings of the variants will be available on tables or along the walls as early as 6 PM so that people can come in early and familiarize themselves with the plans. Sidewalk program manager Sandra Woods (handles all 16 Seattle projects), Alki project manager Therese Casper, and some project engineers will present the plans and answer questions with the intent of getting consensus. … Alki Council will also have reps on hand to answer any questions on the history of the project (going back to the early ’90s).
The agenda for tomorrow night’s Seattle School Board meeting, including the vote on the Denny-Sealth combined-campus project, is now updated on the district website. In the public-comment section at the start of the meeting, 18 people are listed as signed up to speak about the Denny-Sealth proposal (you can see the entire list on the agenda posted online). Also added to the agenda since this morning is the “updated report” on the actual item on which board members will be voting, whether to “transfer” $10 million to the Denny-Sealth project in support of Option 2. Here’s a link to that; its list of the sources for the $10 million is: “$1.5 million from Debt Service Fund, $3.5 million from BEX III Technology, $5 million from BEX III Infrastructure.” Again, the meeting’s at 6 pm tomorrow, district HQ in Sodo; we’ll be there and plan to liveblog it with continuous updates here, start to finish (you can also watch live on cable channel 26).
Within the past half-hour, as promised, several dozen Chief Sealth High School students walked out in protest of the proposal to build a new Denny Middle School on their campus. They walked up Thistle and past Denny, as shown in the clip above. We watched the walkout from their Sealth departure and it appeared orderly; according to an e-mail sent to the CSHS staff by principal John Boyd, any student who missed a class will be marked for an unexcused absence in that class. ADDED 4 PM: Another angle from our video, as the protesters walked uphill on Thistle toward Denny:
Tomorrow night is a particularly important night for Chief Sealth High School principal John Boyd (left). Not just because the Seattle School Board is scheduled to make its final decision on the controversial proposal to build a new Denny Middle School on the CSHS campus — two other events will keep him from being at district headquarters for the vote: A mariachi concert with the CSHS musicians and visitors from California, and a basketball game with the 8th graders he’s coaching (including his son) across the street at Southwest Community Center. This morning, though, not quite as hectic, so he made time to talk with WSB — not just about the much-discussed impending vote, but also about what else is happening at his school:Read More
Thanks to two WSB’ers who e-mailed us to report seeing those semi-new “VIADUCT CLOSED WHEN FLASHING” lights in action this morning — one report at 9 am on The Bridge, one report at 10 am on 35th. Marybeth Turner of SDOT confirms it was a planned test, not a malfunction, and is checking to see if any more testing is planned; good thing they’re checking now, since the next weekend-inspection closure for The Viaduct is just a few weeks away (March 22-23).
Just got sad news from editor Jack Mayne at the West Seattle Herald: Longtime reporter Tim St. Clair, 57, passed away last night after a battle with cancer, through which he continued to work — covering West Seattle issues, events, and people — almost up to the end. The Herald plans to have a story up soon with more details on Mr. St. Clair’s life and work (20 years covering West Seattle); Jack Mayne says, “He will be sorely missed by all of us and by the people he chronicled over the years. Tim was not just a reporter, he was a man who believed strongly in the people of West Seattle.” When the Herald’s obituary for Mr. St. Clair is up, we will link to it here, and will also update you on memorial plans. 11:39 AM UPDATE: The obituary is now posted on the Herald website.
First – just got word that West Seattle Little League is planning a “late registration” event tonight at West Seattle High School, 7-9 pm, room 212. Full details plus forms, at the WSLL website. Also, West Seattle Pee Wee baseball has a few spots left (find out more on their website). And a photo followup to last night’s post about big games this week for WSHS and Seattle Lutheran basketball teams — this morning, Walking on Logs (along the westbound Fauntleroy path off The Bridge) is decked out in honor of SLHS with a banner congratulating the “Sea Lu girls” (sorry we only had the cameraphone in tow so no zoom):
Just in case you haven’t already heard this 2,000,001 other places already, today’s the day that Starbucks is closing its 7,000-plus U.S. stores for three hours of worker training, 5:30-8:30 pm local time. If you’re a SBUX fan looking for alternatives, here’s what you’ll find in West Seattle:
Alki Bakery
Angelia’s Red Cup Espresso
Bakery Nouveau
Bird on a Wire
Bubbles on Alki & on Delridge
Caffe Ladro
C & P
Cafe Rozella
Capers
Coffee to a Tea with Sugar
Cupcake Royale
Diva
Easy Street
Freshy’s
Hotwire (WSB sponsor)
Java Bean
Original Bakery
Revolution
Sleepless (DRIVE-THRU)
Tully’s Alki
Tully’s Morgan Junction
Uptown Delridge
Uptown Junction
Grocery stores not included. (Taken from our annual “where you can get a latte on Thanksgiving morning” compilation.)
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