From the follow-up files: 37th/Findlay murder, 1 year later
March 2007 was a news-laden month in West Seattle; going through the archives (which you can access month-by-month, dating back to the 12/05 start of WSB, from the list toward the bottom of the right sidebar), we note that yesterday marked exactly a year since the deadly shooting at 37th/Findlay, one of three murders in West Seattle last year. 
The victim was 35-year-old Dewayne West, who had spent time in prison for killing someone when he was 16 and lived in the house outside which he was killed. The suspect, 29-year-old Jabarie Phillips, whose criminal record dated back to age 14, has been in jail since 3/16/07, two days after the shooting, charged with second-degree murder, bail set at $1,000,000. The docket in case shows his trial date, postponed several times (not unusual in these cases), is now tentatively set for May 6. The last round of court documents we reviewed didn’t note a clear motive, but the suspect and victim were described as having known each other a long time.
Road reminders
As noted here, The Viaduct will be closed northbound tomorrow morning, 8-10:30 am, for the St. Patrick’s Day Dash. And next weekend’s the big inspection-closure weekend — currently scheduled to be closed in both directions, 6 am-6 pm Saturday & 6 am-6 pm Sunday, with the Battery Street Tunnel closed continuously 6 am Saturday-6 pm Sunday. Another road note: Looks like the Alki Avenue paving didn’t get finished in the expected window – we drove that stretch earlier today and there’s clearly work yet to be done, but we don’t have an advisory from SDOT on when it will resume and how long it will take, so we’ll check Monday.
High-climbing cleanup in Fairmount Ravine
“Be sure to get a picture of the teenagers!” we were told, shortly after we showed up to check on this morning’s Fairmount Ravine cleanup under the Admiral/Fairmount bridge. Here’s a wider perspective shot to show you how high up they went to help with the cleanup:
And that was just the team under the bridge’s east end – more cleanup volunteers were up under its west end:
We weren’t brave enough to get any closer than street level, where John Lang — who’s lived near the ravine for 19 years — told us about 10 people showed up to help with the annual cleanup, but more work might have to be done next weekend. Neighbors have been doing this every year since 1993, and tend to find unusual items like this car door:
John said they pulled some ivy too – a problem about on the magnitude with the graffiti you see all over the concrete under the bridge, which is a magnet for not only vandalism, but also drinking, resulting in the debris that filled dozens of blue bags today. But the volunteers were in good spirits when we dropped by – and also thankful for free beverages and treats, donated by Tully’s and Metropolitan Market.
Happening right now: Get your car washed, help a team
Not only is sale season (as noted earlier this morning) under way, so is fundraising-car-wash season. Above, you see a quick snap of the Seattle Rainiers 14U team‘s car wash that’s happening till 4 pm today at Complete Auto Repair on the west side of 35th at Holden (map here, but you can’t miss ’em; stretched out over about 2 blocks in both directions are some of the most enthusiastic sign-wavers we’ve ever seen). And the sun’s out just in time!
Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: IBuySeattleHomes.com
This morning, we’re sending out the traditional welcome to a sponsor who joined WSB this week — real-estate investor Brent Fosso, a West Seattle resident, of IBuySeattleHomes.com. 
Here’s what Brent wants you to know about himself and his business: “Brent Fosso and family: West Seattle – Here I stay. Being native to Seattle, I grew up in the Ballard area. But in 1984 I purchased my first fixer upper home, and it was right here in West Seattle. I commuted over to West Seattle everyday to work on the place, and it did need a LOT of work. It’s funny thinking about the price nowadays. It was just a few blocks from what is now The Charlestown Cafe. I bought it for $26,000. That was a lot of money back then, but a reasonable price for a fixer. I spent the summer remodeling the home with a new kitchen and bath. I was only 24 years old in 1984 (you can do the math), and I didn’t have any money. So I convinced my landlord to go in partners with me. We used his money and my labor. We sold it on a hot August day to a nice couple. So I decided to move to the part of town I grew to love, and have been here ever since. I kept purchasing fixer-uppers and have watched the Seattle housing market take off, wishing a bit that I had held on to some of those homes I bought for now what seems like so little. But the times keep moving forward. Technology has changed real estate investing quite a bit. My website IBuySeattleHomes.com has been a place for many years now where people can learn more about what kinds of real estate I purchase and how to get in touch with me. Now my wife, two daughters and I have deep roots here. I love West Seattle.” In addition to reaching Brent through his website, you can call him at 206/935-5000. (Want to join Brent and the 20 other West Seattle businesses currently sponsoring WSB? Start here!)
beyond what we’re covering here on the WSB main page) — we find 
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