Late-night notes, the almost-Friday edition
HIGH POINT ON TV: Thanks to Marco for the tip – we now know when the PBS show featuring High Point will air – High Point will be featured during “Place Matters,” part of the third episode of the 4-part documentary series “Unnatural Causes,” 11 pm April 16 and 1 pm April 19 on KCTS (channel 9)
WSB ON TV: Your editor here had the privilege of appearing on the Comcast Local Edition “NewsMakers” mini-show for one of the interview segments that air on the Headline News channel. The interviewer is one of my former Q13 FOX co-workers (who you may know from other TV stations too), Tony Ventrella; we spent a grand total of 4 minutes talking about WSB and new media. When I was in TV, 4 minutes was forever for us behind-the-scenes types (sitting in the control room hollering for an anchor or reporter to just wrap up already), but I learned during the “NewsMakers” taping that 4 minutes for the guest feels like the blink of an eye. My 4 minutes will replay 17 times in the next 12 days, including 6:50 am tomorrow (Friday) and 1:50 am Saturday. If anyone really cares about the rest of the schedule, ask and I’ll post it in comments, but I won’t be hurt if you don’t :) Headline News is on Comcast channel 45, by the way.
LAST PITCH FOR VOTES: We mentioned it yesterday and now there are just hours to go in the Metroblogging Seattle “blog tournament,” with WSB in the final three. You can only vote once but if you haven’t already, please consider going here and clicking for WSB. The tournament party is 6:30-8:30 tomorrow (Friday) night at Skylark, and we’ll be there even if Seattle Daily Photo or Accidental Hedonist (who’s featured on our Other Blogs in WS page) comes out on top – join us if you’re out and about!
Satterlee House development fight: Afternoon testimony
The city Landmarks Preservation Board lawyers have called all their witnesses, and now the lawyer for Satterlee House (aka Beach Drive’s “Painted Lady”) owner William Conner is calling his, with testimony continuing before city Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner at 8 am tomorrow and 12:30 pm Tuesday. It’s already gone on for 2 1/2 days (coverage links: testimony from the house’s previous owner/namesake David Satterlee here; first full day, last Monday, wrapup here; this morning’s testimony here) and is attracting a fair level of attention in the historic-preservation and legal communities, since disputes over development involving official city landmarks almost never get to this stage (an appeal argued before the Hearing Examiner). Here’s what happened this afternoon:Read More
Cleanup closes southbound lanes of Delridge’s south section
Thanks to the WSB’er who texted us about this — the other half of the team has just been to the scene and is returning with pix — the southbound lanes of Delridge are closed between Thistle and the Westwood Village turnoff because of some kind of spill involving a Metro bus that started leaking oil in a huge way. Avoid that area for a while. ADDED 9:38 PM: Replaced previous photo of the absorptive stuff put on the street, with video of same, showing just how far it stretched:
Another Crime Watch burglar alert: Upper Fauntleroy attempt
Just out of the inbox, from Joe:
8400 block of 41st Ave.: A black male in a red slicker hopped a fence and pried the screen off a back/side window by our neighbor’s deck facing 42nd Ave. about 10:30am this morning. He was about to break the window with the large rock in his hand when the owner banged on the window and he ran off. Their car was gone at the time and the house may have looked unoccupied. A neighbor saw him vault the front gate and sprint north toward Thistle. Both called police but he was long gone by the time they arrived (semi-quickly… they had to come from Alki).
The Police got two excellent descriptions. In this neck of the woods neighbors are VERY alert and many are home during the day, so this midday boldness (in a bright red slicker, no less) is pretty scary.
Possibly connected: Yesterday, we were canvassed by a young “magazine sales” guy who may have been a friend of the would-be robber who showed up today. I was home at the time and answered the door. He did not present himself well and I asked if he had a Seattle City License as required for door-to-door sales and he did not. I advised him to get lost and he did. All legitimate door-to-door canvassers will have that license and be willing to show it. If they don’t have it call the police… they are likely scouting the neighborhood.
I didn’t. Next time I will.
About the same time this e-mail came in, in fact, we got a message from the Southwest Precinct that they’re asking people to be extra alert about brazen daytime break-ins and attempts like this – we expect some more info from them tomorrow. (Coincidentally, we got this message while at the High Point Neighborhood Association meeting, which we left as they were segueing into a Block Watch organizing gathering. If you don’t have a Block Watch, get one — call crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow at the precinct; his contact info is here.)
Decision in for 2310 California
The city’s latest Land Use Information Bulletin is out, with decisions including the one that will allow a new 4-story building — ground-floor retail, 12 apartments above — to move forward on the site shown above, 2310 California, north of Admiral. City project page is here; our coverage of the final Design Review meeting last August is here.
Garage-sale season starts!
The official start of spring is still a week away, but garage-sale season gets off to a running start tomorrow and Saturday, with two megasales at West Seattle churches: One is at West Side Presbyterian Church (3601 California SW). 9 am to 5 pm Friday and 9 am-2 pm Saturday, church members are selling linens, books/CD’s/records, antiques/collectables, clothing, vintage and better labels, craft/holiday decorations, garden items, tools, furniture, household goods, salesman samples from the kitchen and home industry. Photos have just been posted – here’s a big collection. Also, Tibbetts Church is having its semi-annual rummage sale, 9 am to 4 pm Friday and 9 am-3 pm Saturday, with clothing, books, linens, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, yard and lawn tools, furniture, and collectables, 41st SW/SW Andover. This also gives us the opportunity to remind you that WSB is sponsoring this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, Saturday, May 10; we will soon announce the dates for and other details of registration — and we’ve got the stirrings of a website going at westseattlegaragesale.com. Hope you’ll be able to join the fun!
Satterlee House development fight: This morning’s testimony
Looks like today will be the second full day of testimony in the case of Satterlee House/Beach Drive “Painted Lady” owner William Conner vs. the city Landmarks Board — it originally was set for a half-day but as we mentioned in our previous reports, the case has been taking so long, the city Hearing Examiner had to add extra time to the calendar. Backstory: Conner has owned the house since 2000. After a previous development proposal went nowhere in the early ’00s, nothing happened for a while, till he filed to subdivide the house’s huge front lawn into three separate lots. That was granted; but before anyone could build on those three lots, the city Landmarks Board had to grant a Certificate of Approval, since the house and site comprise an official city landmark. Conner took a proposal for three homes, about 3,000 square feet each, to the board, and it said no. His appeal of that decision is what is being argued now, courtroom-style, before the city Hearing Examiner, in her hearing room on the 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown. This morning’s testimony included revelations about how much Conner has spent so far — in legal fees as well as on the property — among other things:Read More
Happening tonight: Art Walk, theater, High Point safety
ART WALK: The West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk hits new heights again tonight – with a record 23 participants, stretching from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) 
in Admiral, to artist Steve Klinkel on Beach Drive (4150 Beach Dr #202, “stairs around back” per Steve, here’s his website), to venues south of The Junction including C and P Coffee and West Seattle Nursery. A major centerpiece tonight is the Clementine/Sweetie/Carmilia’s fashion show at Twilight Art (just west of Easy Street) — among what you’ll see there are new I (Heart) West Seattle T-shirts by designer Todd Karam (photo left courtesy design:toddkaram.com; as you’ll see on his site, there’s a black version too). Art Walk, 6-9 tonight, list of participants here, map here.
THEATER: “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” is in its final week at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) — with shows tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday night (here’s a full list of showtimes). Read more about it here; shown below in a scene from “Sweetest Swing,” Dana (Heather Hawkins, far right) defends her art to Karen Nelsen and Kelly Kitchens (ArtsWest photo by WSB contributor Matt Durham):
HIGH POINT SAFETY: If you live or work in the High Point vicinity and want to get involved with your neighborhood, you’ll want to be at the High Point Neighborhood Association meeting tonight, 6-7:30 pm @ High Point Library (that still leaves time for Art Walk-ing afterward!). The agenda includes Block Watch info – a vital way to help your neighborhood stay safe.
New website for Nicholas Francisco search, 1 month later
Not really a West Seattle story any more, but Nicholas Francisco‘s wife just announced the new website in a comment posted on this WSB item (don’t know where else she announced it; nothing comes up in blogsearch or news search so far), so for those wondering “what ever happened …” (some people asked us about it just yesterday) we’re mentioning it: It’s been one month today since he vanished, and with no obvious evidence of “foul play,” police have long since pulled back on an active search. (There’s backstory in this article from last weekend.) The new site is findnicholasfrancisco.com.
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