Election ’08: West Seattle notes with 3 days to go

November 1, 2008 10:44 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

ART TO RAISE $ FOR OBAMA CAMPAIGN: When the West Seattle Farmers’ Market opens at 10 am tomorrow, Fairmount resident Nancy Driver will be there to sell what you see above – and is expecting it to go fast. She explains in e-mail, “I and a couple of friends from the clay studio I work in very belatedly decided to make some ceramic items to raise money for the Obama/Biden campaign. We have some very cool and very colorful, original artwork, Obama fridge magnets, coasters and hot plates for sale. The prices will be: fridge magnets – two sizes for $5 and $6.50; 3-7/16″ coasters – $10; 6″ hot plates – $15. All of the money will go to the Obama campaign – we should end up with around $400.” Nancy says she’ll be “hanging out behind Key Bank” but as soon as the items – fewer than 50 left – are gone, she’s gone, so if you’re interested, be there at 10.

LOOKING FOR VOTES, ONE DOORBELL, ONE PHONE AT A TIME: You may have gotten a visit or a call already this weekend – both sides are canvassing West Seattle. The 34th District Republicans fanned out from Westwood Village this morning, and it was a big day of work for volunteers from the 34th District Democrats (advertising their sample ballot via WSB), who will be on the streets again tomorrow after a citywide rally on Beacon Hill with state, local, and national Democratic Party leaders.

ELECTION DAY BAZAAR, BAKE SALE: This may be the last major election with in-person voting in King County, which originally had hoped to go all-mail by now. Toward that end, local groups are going to strike while the iron — or the ballot — is hot, with bake sales and bazaars on Election Day. Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) is having its traditional Fall Bazaar, 8 am-7 pm, selling baked goods and crafts, and offering a “hearty soup lunch” 11:30 am-1:30 pm. And outside Alki Community Center, you will find neighboring Alki Elementary School‘s PTA selling baked goods on Election Day.

BALLOT DROPBOX A SMASH HIT: Saw a TV mention tonight that the ballot drop-off box at Delridge Neighborhood Service Center, one of only two in the city, was overflowing for a while earlier today, but has since been emptied. For in-person voters, the county Elections Department is trying to get the word out that you shouldn’t be worried about long lines on Election Day – according to this update, it’s staffing polling places for the possibility of “100 percent turnout” but notes that two-thirds of all county voters cast ballots by mail (p.s. as of 8 pm Saturday, HALF those ballots have been returned, per twitter.com/kcvotes). If you haven’t made up your mind on everything yet, remember we have links to pro/con/neutral info on all major races and ballot measures on the WSB Election page, which also has continuously updated election headlines from citywide news sources and major state political blogs.

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Boeing Machinists going back to work

November 1, 2008 10:03 pm

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| Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

In case you haven’t already heard – the votes have been counted, the contract deal is ratified, and the almost-two-month-long strike’s over. A now ex-striker in WSB-land points us to the official announcement on the union website. Some workers go back to work tomorrow.

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Fresh info about West Seattle restaurant-to-be Fresh Bistro

November 1, 2008 5:34 pm

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| Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

There’s a lot going on in The Junction — not just, oh, say, visits from the governor, but also, a thriving business district gearing up for the holidays. In fact, the West Seattle Junction Association just rejoined WSB as a sponsor to launch its “Live Local” campaign (more about that here, and in a WSB shopping-season preview tomorrow). Then, there’s the movement to “Eat Local,” and that’s where today’s story comes in. The photo above shows the ground floor of Harbor Properties‘ Mural, on 42nd SW across from Jefferson Square. That particular space, the northeast quadrant of its first floor, will become the home next year of Fresh Bistro, a new restaurant from the folks behind West Seattle-based caterers Herban Feast. A few months after news of the new restaurant emerged, we met with proprietor BJ Duft at the site recently to get the newest details about what’s in the works — from the food (with a chef from legendary Canlis!) to the hours (good news for night owls) to the innovative plan for takeout:Read More

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Happening today/tonight: Catsino, Skeleton Theatre, more

November 1, 2008 3:28 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | How to help | WS culture/arts

Reminder that just ’cause Halloween’s over, the fun isn’t. Right now, till 6 pm, Furry Faces Foundation invites you to go play casino-style recreational games at Beveridge Place Pub, which has been transformed into Catsino for the occasion (animal-advocacy fundraising). And Skeleton Theatre (see our clip in this Halloween roundup from last night) has encore performances tonight between 6 and 9 pm. Plus – live theater, anyone? “Black Gold” is at ArtsWest, 7:30 tonight, 3 pm tomorrow – here’s a production photo by Matt Durham, followed by a plot synopsis:

“Black Gold,” which is in its world-premiere run at AW, is described as: “What happens when an African-American man in Detroit buys an oil rig on eBay and discovers oil right under his own backyard? Will the poor get rich or will the rich just get richer? Six actors play over 80 roles in this fast-paced, political satire of class, race and government-gone-berserk.” Many more entertainment opportunities for today/tonight/tomorrow on our West Seattle Weekend Lineup list.

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Senior Center updates: Next Rainbow Bingo set; store help needed

November 1, 2008 2:56 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

If you weren’t already aware of this – the Senior Center of West Seattle is lots livelier than the senior centers of yesteryear. Take a look at that photo shared by Cindy Gwinn – that’s the sold-out crowd that jammed the SC for Halloween Rainbow Bingo a week ago. Cindy tells us the next bingo session will be in February – we’ll let you know when the date is finalized. Meantime, we’ve mentioned before that the Stop ‘n’ Shop store on the center’s ground floor is closed for remodeling; a grand reopening party is planned for November 15th, and before then, Cindy says: “We are looking for helpers! We need people to help assemble shelving this coming weekend, the 8th and 9th of November. We are also looking for volunteers to work in the store. Anyone that can help or that would like to volunteer, please call 206 915-5595.”

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Cottage Grove playground update: See the site plan; pitch in!

November 1, 2008 1:31 pm

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| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

We’ve reported before about North Delridge neighbors banding together to add play equipment for younger kids to Cottage Grove Park. Today, we have an update from Betsy Hoffmeister with the North Delridge Neighborhood Council — who sent the newly released site plan (click the image to see a larger version, with the full legend) and this message to the community:

Dear neighbors and concerned citizens,

The North Delridge Neighborhood Council would like to seek your input on proposed additions to the Cottage Grove Park Playground. We are contacting you directly because you previously attended a meeting or gave comments on projects around Longfellow Creek, Cottage Grove Park, or Greg Davis Park. Many of you put a great deal of effort into creating the beautiful green spaces the neighborhood enjoys today and we are grateful for the thousands of hours you have all put into this work.

Since Cottage Grove Park was conceived of and built, neighborhood demographics have shifted a little bit. Along with conceiving of a park, many neighbors conceived babies and we now have a baby boom in the area! We have two sets of twins on 26th Avenue alone. Many of the parents of young children in the neighborhood have expressed a wish for a play space appropriate for children under the age of five. The current play structure is brilliant for older kids, but impossible for younger children to use, forcing caregivers to shuttle younger children to other area play spaces. As a consequence, the existing playground may be underused.

A group of interested parents and grandparents under the auspices of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council brought forth the idea of a small addition to the current playground, to include at bare minimum a swing set with toddler and big kid swings, a small climber, and some rocking toys. We had a series of public meetings, posted on West Seattle Blog, and met repeatedly with the Parks Department and the Department of Neighborhoods. Children in the neighborhood were enthusiastic about the idea. A Landscape Architect created a site plan, which is attached.

Based on community input, we raised $16,000 in in-kind donations and cash, and received a $15,000 matching grant from the City. Before we proceed, however, we want to make sure that stakeholders have had a chance to comment on the proposed site design.

If any of you are so excited about this idea that you would like to participate, that would be fantastic. The landscape architect estimates the total cost of the project at around $42,000, although the parks department figures it will be quite a bit more than that, meaning we have a long way to go before we can dig dirt. So any experienced fundraisers out there would be dearly welcomed!

If you have already commented, it would still be great to hear back from you. I am grateful for any responses.

Sincerely,
Betsy Hoffmeister
Co-Vice President, North Delridge Neighborhood Council

E-mail Betsy at: northdelridge@gmail.com. Meantime, NDNC’s next monthly meeting is 6:30 pm Wednesday at Delridge Library.

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Update: 3 divers taken to hospital after rescue near Seacrest

November 1, 2008 11:28 am

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| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(photo added 12:01 pm — investigators from multiple agencies including SPD Harbor Patrol)
ORIGINAL 11:28 AM REPORT: Major fire/medic response for a “water rescue” in the 1700 block of Harbor, just west of Seacrest. Scanner says a diver is being brought to the hospital. On our way to the scene to find out more about what happened. 11:52 AM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick is at the scene and reports the Fire Department incident commander on the scene says three divers were brought to the surface by fellow divers because of some kind of trouble. What went wrong, and what condition they’re in, we don’t know yet – a public-information officer is on the way and we expect more information then. This happened between Seacrest and Salty’s. Will update when info comes in. (Side note – Our archives show the last major incidents involving divers in the Seacrest area were the death of Joshua Magee last January, five months after 43-year-old Wayne Hernandez died in July 2007. 12:26 PM UPDATE: An update from Seattle Fire spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen: They got a call around 11 about a missing diver. When a fireboat arrived, two divers had brought that “missing diver” – a 25-year-old man – to the surface. Firefighters began CPR and took the 25-year-old to shore. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center. The other two were transported as a “precautionary measure” because of possible effects of making a rapid ascent. Vander Houwen says they were diving about 100 feet from shore and about 100 feet down. Another source at the scene tells WSB these three were part of a group of six diving in and around a “wreck” (here’s a dive map of that general area). 2:49 PM UPDATE: The Police Department has not updated its report on the investigation — divers returned to the scene to see what they could find out; we shot this video as they went into the water from the patrol boat:

Click pic to play video

However, we just checked with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to see if they had been called in (which would be the case if anyone had died) – they say no. That’s the closest we can come right now to finding out any information on the condition of the rescued diver, since privacy laws have long since made it impossible for media to call a hospital and inquire about someone if you don’t have their name. We’ll keep checking with authorities for updates.

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Remember, no more Elliott Bay Water Taxi — till 2009

November 1, 2008 8:32 am

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| Elliott Bay Water Taxi | Transportation | West Seattle news

Click pic to play video

Click that picture to play the video clip — and a few seconds in, you’ll hear the captain’s farewell, as she sailed the Elliott Bay Water Taxi away from West Seattle for the last time at 11 pm last night. (We were at Seacrest for the WT’s first arrival of the year on 4/27/08, so it seemed only right to see it off for the season finale.) Twelve hours earlier, we were on the EBWT as a prelude to County Councilmember Dow Constantine’s media briefing — we shared most of the information (and some pix) in this earlier report, but here’s one more loose end – his reiteration of the importance of going to the King County Ferry District public hearing Monday afternoon to let other board members know you support the WT as they get ready to decide whether to reauthorize the Ferry District levy (or e-mailing your support):

Click pic to play video

That hearing, again, is 1:30 pm Monday at the Council Chambers in the King County Courthouse downtown. (And if you just can’t be there, e-mail your thoughts about the Water Taxi to info@kingcountyferries.org) Meantime, one last tidbit of video — one of those clips that would wind up on the cutting-room floor but the Internet is infinite, so we’re tacking it on for those who like to see behind the scenes too – following the Moose and Councilmember Constantine over to the boat next door for the media briefing:Read More

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Exonerated Alki 18-year-old out of jail after a year

November 1, 2008 5:26 am

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| West Seattle news

As we reported from the courthouse Friday afternoon, the three-week trial of an Alki 18-year-old came to a dramatic conclusion with a King County Superior Court jury finding him not guilty on all counts stemming from the deadly shooting 10/13/07 inside a car at 59th/Admiral. Three hours after the verdict, records show, he was released from county jail — where he had spent more than one year and two weeks. Ahead, our wrapup of this case — what’s next — and video reaction from the lawyer who took the teenager’s case for free, and won:Read More

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Details: West Seattle High’s 1st ’08 football loss

November 1, 2008 2:49 am

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

They didn’t win the league title, but the West Seattle High School Wildcats have no time to dwell on that – now it’s on to the playoffs, after last night’s loss to Eastside Catholic. Here’s our full report, including a video interview with the coach:Read More

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West Seattle Halloween ’08, report #3

November 1, 2008 1:03 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Holidays | West Seattle people | West Seattle video

Click pic to play video

That’s our quick clip from Skeleton Theatre, staged annually with “talking” skeletons in the yard at 36th/Hanford (here’s a map; here’s the preview we published Thursday). Big crowd when we stopped by in the 8 pm hour last night; they’ll do it all again tonight, 6-9 pm (be prepared to park and walk a couple blocks). Not far from there, Todd spotted a landlocked Jaws – and says he heard the movie theme music playing in the background:

Next, some real animals — 2 costumed dogs. First, Emily sent this photo of Fiona:

And Lisa wanted to share this pic of her puggle pup Biffy:

We’ve got a cute human to show you too — Jamie‘s son Owen in “Mr. Roboto” mode:

A few more jack-o-lanterns … Debbie in Morgan Junction sent these (and gives a shoutout to zombiepumpkins.com as a “great site for pumpkin patterns”):

And from Jeff Gilbert of Feedback Lounge (also in M-Junction) fame says someone “anonymously sent this (to him) claiming (it’s) a West Seattle pumpkin”:

Ready to move on to the winter holidays now? Admiral Church has a holiday bazaar today, 9 am-3 pm! And one more bridge between the holidays – this photo came in on Halloween, but was from the Kiwanis Halloween Carnival a week earlier at Hiawatha:

West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival vice president Deena Mahn sent the photo with this info:

The WS Hi-Yu 08-09 Junior Court, Princesses Elyse Mitchell and Anna Fuller, along with Queen Zoe Mahn, struck a ‘glam’ pose at the Hiawatha Community Center Halloween Carnival on Friday, Oct 24th. The royalty trio greeted tykes to teens and passed out participant ribbons to ghouls, witches, and other costumed participants at their first official event. Look for the Royalty Court at the upcoming annual Kiwanis Breakfast on Saturday, Dec 6th, Masonic Temple. They will be selling hand-blown glass holiday ornaments ($25) and ‘new style’ Hi-Yu collector pins ($5).

WSB covered the Junior Court’s crowning last July 18 (and the Senior Court’s crowning a few days later).

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