West Seattle, Washington
30 Tuesday
Topping our latest review of reports from the Southwest Precinct, quick-thinking workers and fast-responding officers saved the life of an 84-year-old woman at the Daystar center across from Westwood Village. It happened at 2:44 am Thursday morning; the woman’s 46-year-old granddaughter showed up to see her, and things took a terrifying turn very fast. Daystar employees heard screams and called 911. 
Officers say they found the granddaughter holding her grandmother down on a bed with one hand while the other was raised high above her head, holding a claw hammer. They demanded – at gunpoint – that the woman drop the hammer; she didn’t, but she did lower it to her side. They told her again to drop it; though she still didn’t, they managed to get it away from her and arrest her without having to use potentially deadly force. The victim is quoted as telling police afterward, “She was going to kill me — I begged her not to do it — I could tell she wanted to kill me … I thought I was going to die, I didn’t think anyone would help me, I didn’t think you could get here in time.” The suspect has a history of mental illness and drug abuse, and admitted to police she had imbibed a “large quantity of Everclear” that night. She also has a heart problem and had to be taken to the hospital; she was booked into jail later that morning and is still there at this writing, facing possible charges of assault and harassment. Next: Yet another car prowl …Read More
Last night we showed you two of the West Seattle High School students with work on display during the monthly Art Walk. Tonight – thanks to the folks at Schmitz Park Elementary for inviting WSB to drop by and photograph some of the work displayed during the school’s Diversity Fair this afternoon:
Schmitz Park, by the way, is one of many local schools with fundraising auctions coming up in the next few months. All the events we know about are listed on our Events page (along with dozens of other West Seattle, and WS-related, happenings); if you know of one that’s not there, or any other school event of public interest, please send us a note. Last school-related note: Seattle Public Schools are closed all next week for midwinter break; private schools don’t all take the whole week, though everyone’s off next Monday (Presidents Day).
This one came in just before our Friday afternoon visit to the Southwest Precinct, where we verified a police report is filed in the case. Here’s the e-mail from Chris:
I was attacked by a German Shepherd dog yesterday while taking my walk at Lincoln Park (West Seattle) at about 5:45 pm. It happened at the South Side near the Gas station. The dog was not leashed and it came attacking me from my left.
Man, it sure was a powerful dog and brought me down. I am 5ft 9in and 170 lb. I was lying on the sidewalk and could see his white teeth coming at me again and finally the owner came and pulled his dog away.
I got punctured bites on my left calf and thank God the doc said I have my shots updated.
What pisses me off is this:
I asked the owner for help and asking him for his name/info and he said he was getting the dog to his car and promised to come back. He did not come back. I wanted to take his picture on my cell but he ran away and drove off. He is a White (dark skin), crew cut, 5 ft 10’, quite built, no glasses, drove an older Honda or Toyota hatchback.
The police said chances that he lives nearby and not many people own a German Shepherd.
A lady saw him driving away too.
If I had not worn a thick sweat pants, my left calf would be gone!!!
Anyway, you dog lovers, I know most of you are responsible but this one got away!!
The police have an open case on this so if you have any tips, call the non-emergency line @ 625-5011.
Not just rock ‘n’ roll (which you can see at several venues), but the West Seattle Rock Club‘s annual Rock & Gem Show (Saturday & Sunday; WSB sponsor) is also among 29 listings ahead:Read More
Details are few but in case you saw the police/fire/ambulance activity at Chief Sealth HS in the past half-hour — police confirm there was an assault there and 2 suspects were taken into custody. Injuries NOT reported to be major. Police also note they’ve had a stepped-up presence at all area middle/high-school campuses today in the wake of what happened yesterday in Illinois.
Just spotted the listing for 2514 57th SW (map), 9 units, $3,200,000. Here’s the official listing page. If the address doesn’t sound familiar, it’s the condo-conversion building (with failed inspections listed on this city page), right next door to the Shoremont and the adjacent “Mediterranean home” that just changed hands to a different construction company (latest WSB update here). APRIL 7 UPDATE: The owner of The Sidney e-mailed WSB to point out that, as per the same city page in the original report, the building has since passed its inspections. Mackenzie Pinch says one unit in the building has just been purchased, and has a second sale pending, after doing a lot of work on the building: “It was once owned by my late great Uncle Sidney Pinch in the ’70s, bought by my father; now I have purchased it with a business partner. It is with pride and history that I have chosen to keep the name the Sidney there, and I have kept him in mind when making this property hugely improved than the way it was when he passed. I believe he would be proud to see how I have entirely remodeled the building.”
When West Seattle’s first big construction crane in years started taking shape on New Year’s Eve at Capco Plaza (along Alaska between 41st and 42nd), it was a big deal with reader photos and all sorts of hoopla. Today (photo above), we happened onto West Seattle’s SECOND big construction crane in years taking shape one block south at Mural (aka “the former Petco parking lot”) and while there were a few spectators, pretty much zero hoopla. (Although now we do recall a Harbor Properties exec saying at the West Seattle Chamber lunch the other day that excavation at the Mural site had almost “bottomed out.”) Anyway, for crane fans, we’re making note of the occasion; here’s another pic:
We were actually in The Junction to take a look at this site on the SW corner of 41st and Edmunds (kitty-corner from the south side of Jefferson Square):
An application’s just been filed this week to tear down that house and build a 5-unit townhouse project.
Just out of the inbox from Seattle City Light, a warning about a new scam – somebody who might try to make an appointment to get into your house:Read More
Just out of the WSB inbox from Jeremy M, who’s on 51st in the Charlestown Hill/Schmitz Park area (map), and offers a clue that might lead to the culprit(s):
My Land Cruiser was broken into early this morning. Silly really. The “thieves” traded my car stereo faceplate and some really crappy speakers for a “Bombay Gin” swiss army style knife and a small flashlight. While I believe I got the better end of the deal, it was a bit of a bummer that they left my door open and the dome light on. I’ll have to jump my truck to get it going now and that’s always a pain in the butt. Seems that we were the last of three on our street (51st SW near Avalon) to get broken into. You’ll notice that I mentioned that they stole the faceplate of the stereo. The funny thing is that I did such a crappy job installing my stereo (there was cardboard wedging it into the dash!) that when they tried to steal the body of the stereo, they managed to push it further into the dash and couldn’t get it out! I can just imagine a couple of big kneed, baggy pant kids sitting in my front seats laughing nervously while getting more and more frustrated as they try to retrieve the stereo from deep inside the dash. Something must have spooked them as they left in a hurry, leaving the above-mentioned “Bombay Gin” Swiss army style knife and a little red flashlight (the flashlight might have actually been mine, I really can’t remember).
So, if your son/daughter/cousin/neighbor or other person you might know had a silver “Bombay Gin” Swiss army knife, or maybe you had one and you’re missing it, ask a few questions. I’m not looking to get my stuff back but in the interest of safety it might be a good idea to nip this in the bud as the police aren’t as understanding as I am and these “thieves” aren’t all that slick. They will eventually get caught.
You know our pitch – be sure you report everything to the police – if it’s not happening right this moment or a matter of safety, 625-5011 is the non-emergency number. Here’s a page with the official Seattle Police advice on preventing “car prowls” (the term for break-ins like this).
Thanks to Jerry from JetCityOrange for that photo of the Luna Park Cafe-branded Smart car he just spotted yesterday. They get about 40 mpg, according to this page on the Smart website. One more note about driving with a bit more environmental sensibility – biodiesel users will want to check out some local-availability updates in this topic on the WSB Forums.
April 15 is exactly two months away, and if you’ve got a refund coming this year, you’re probably gathering your paperwork already. 
This morning we welcome a new WSB sponsor from the tax-preparation business — the local H&R Block offices on California, on Delridge, and in White Center, owned by Christopher Price, CFP. Christopher tells us the West Seattle office was the first H&R Block in the state of Washington, opened in 1963, and also one of the first in the country. Its founder, Harold Orr, lived over the office at 4828 California SW and according to Christopher, eventually opened more than 100 Block offices in the state. When he decided to sell off some of his offices, Christopher bought the ones in West Seattle and White Center in 1991. Before that, Christopher founded and operated the H&R Block in West Berlin. The hours and phone numbers of his three offices here are in the H&R Block ad on the right sidebar, and you’ll be able to find them there all the way through Tax Day in 2 months. Thanks to Christopher for supporting WSB, and thanks to our other sponsors, all listed on this page along with info on how you can find out about joining them.
Tonight’s West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk made history – with 20 venues, including the first time out for the northernmost participant, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District. In The Junction, we checked out West Seattle High School students’ self-portraits on display at Georgia Blu (next to KeyBank on California just south of Alaska) – and two of the artists happened to stop in while we were there. We asked Nichole Mustello how long hers took to create:
We also talked with CJ Abe about his self-portrait:
Nichole and CJ are both seniors @ WSHS. Next art walk: March 13.
From WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham: A Jack Russell Terrier waits plaintively for its owner, outside Elliott Bay Brewery & Pub in The Junction. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
(Still Valentine night, so we have to keep the “love” theme going …) To recap, Ercolini Park is now the official name for this under-construction park along Alaska west of The Junction, and work is well under way:
Months ago, we told you about the campaign to get money and commitments of volunteer time. Now it’s time to get ready to make good on the time commitment: Bill Barna, Ercolini volunteer (and WSB sponsor), says those who promised that time are asked to save the weekends of April 19-20 and 26-27, because that’s when the just-ordered play equipment is likely to be installed. Bill says they’ll need help with tasks including volunteer registration, bringing/distributing refreshments, distributing foundation materials, and of course, putting up the play structures. More details to come as April gets closer.
When former Skylark manager Matthew Darling left that North Delridge hotspot, we asked him to let us know where he wound up next. This week, he and friend Tracy Dart (both pictured at left) are launching a new events/PR firm called The West Seattle Scene; they’ve got an event happening tonight, in fact, and it’s not too late to get in on it, Matthew says:
The Valentines Day Bitter Hearts Junction Bar Crawl
Thursday Feb 14th 2008
All are welcome…singles…couples…group scenes (eww)!
We’re gonna crawl up and down the Alaska junction hitting all the bars we can. There will be a set crawl map available at the first bar, and many of the bars will offer a drink special to help us celebrate.
The ultra cool west seattle tattoo logo t-shirt will be available!!!
Please rsvp to westseattlescene@gmail.com
You will be sent a confirmation email with all the details and disclaimers!
That’s also the address where you can find out more about Matthew and Tracy’s new company … as well as the “ultra-cool West Seattle tattoo logo T-shirt” he mentions – logo shown at right. (And of course, as we’ve already said a dozen times today, the West Seattle Art Walk is happening in The Junction tonight as well … should be a wild night.)
Valentine hearts grace Salty’s on Alki. Got special plans for tonight you care to share?
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Bree:
Last night someone broke into my neighbor’s car. The only thing they took was the $20 in her glove box and the change in her ashtray. They didn’t take anything else, not even CDs. I live (in the 3400 block of) California Ave SW, which is directly across from Swedish Physicians. Our cars are parked in a back alley, which is dimly lit. I would highly advise everyone to lock their cars and be on the lookout.
And we add, as always, be sure you report everything to the police as soon as possible – if it’s hours later, the non-emergency SPD number is 625-5011, always available on our Crime Watch page.
Finally got word of results from the bicycle-donation drive at PCC last Saturday (weekend coverage here) — 182 bikes donated (and a lot of bike parts), all going to help kids in Africa. WTG! One other weekend postscript — the cat-adoption event at Kitty Harbor (which was featured in this WSB report last fall) was a roaring success, according to KH’s Delyn Kosbab — new homes for all 60 of the cats and kittens that were available for adoption.
If you drove through The Junction between about 6 and 9 this morning, you probably saw that TV truck outside Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor). As mentioned earlier this week, KING 5 decided to send its morning feature reporter Tim Robinson down to hang out and talk about the Meet Your Sweetheart matchmaking that’s been going on at Hotwire (with the big party coming up Saturday night). As you probably know, Hotwire is a cozy space, and it was fun squeezing in to get a little video of, well, the other video crew doing its thing, talking to proprietor Lora Lewis and then moving on to check out the decorated bags on the wall where people are leaving Valentines for “sweeties” whose photos catch their fancy (see some of them online here):
Hotwire is one of the 20 hot spots tonight for the Valentine’s night Art Walk – biggest Art Walk yet. For the first time in a while, looks like good weather – venues, a map, and a list of “specials” are all on the flyer.
Just got word that the woman hit by a car near Westwood Village last Friday night has died. (We reported briefly on the crash in this post, with updated info in the comments – police believe it was truly an accident, someone in dark clothes crossing outside a crosswalk on a dark, rainy night; the driver apparently never saw her.) We don’t have her name at this point, though. By our accounts, this is the first fatal pedestrian accident in West Seattle since 85-year-old Oswald Clement was hit and killed at 35th/Othello last October.
That’s an architect rendering of Neighborhood House, the new social-services center to be built in High Point starting this fall. 80% of the money for it already has been raised – now the “Heart of High Point” campaign wants to get the word out about this major West Seattle project, and invites you to a gathering next Monday night. Here’s what Cathy Cooper e-mailed WSB about it:
This “Heart of High Point” Neighborhood Center will be a Gold LEED certified
Green building, with solar panels, water filtration systems, a deep-well based heating/cooling system … all set in the environmentally sensitive and award winning High Point community. This building will be a real-life example of how to create sustainable spaces for delivering social services, combating poverty, and building a stronger community.The HPNC will provide vital community services and support programs to more than 4,000 residents and their families annually. It will provide access to critical support services to 700 low-income families living in the redeveloped public housing in the High Point mixed income community.
The center will also demonstrate how cultures all over the world view environmental stewardship, and how immigrants from these cultures can teach us all lessons about caring for our shared planet.
To help spread the word about this exciting new development in our own backyard, a group of West Seattle-connected volunteers are meeting at Mission (2325 California Ave SW) at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18. We’re focused on how to raise awareness about the “Heart of High Point” campaignand let West Seattelites know what this new building is all about. We’d like to invite our neighbors to join us. For more information, contact me at cooper1513@comcast.net.
Valentine’s night may belong to restaurants – but Valentine’s morning is crunch time for flower shops. Thanks to the folks at Linda’s Flowers and Gifts in the Admiral District for letting us drop in this morning while they worked frenetically to prepare hundreds of bouquets. Owner Linda Harader reveals how many – plus who prefers which color of roses:
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ RESOLUTION: A comment under our report from last night mentioned the 34th DDs voted last night to support the Westwood Neighborhood Council and Denny/Sealth school staff in pursuing an “authentic” public process. We received a copy of the resolution this morning; you can see it here.
SPEAKING OF PUBLIC PROCESS: West Seattle’s school-board rep Steve Sundquist asked district staffers last night about reported discrepancies and omissions in the information that’s posted on the district website as answers to the public questions from last week’s meeting. District staff acknowledged some “confusion.” One point of ongoing dispute/confusion that was not addressed clearly last night — board member Harium Martin-Morris wanted clarification about the oft-repeated complaint that the language on the ballot did not mention the shared campus. He didn’t get a complete answer to that during the public meeting we observed last night (and it’s not fully answered in the district Q/A, either; see Question 14 under Pink Room on this page); fellow members Sherry Carr and Peter Maier talked again about the pamphlet mailed to all 45,000-ish households with Seattle Public Schools students, which did talk about the shared campus, but what was left out was the indisputable fact – whether or not you think it matters – that the actual text seen in the official King County Voters’ Pamphlet by voters casting ballots in the February 2007 election (direct link here) explaining what the money would go for, was this:
Section 2. Authorization of Construction and Modernization Improvements. The District shall modernize and expand its school facilities through the following programs:
(1) Middle /K-8 school improvements including full renovation of Hamilton, and replacement of South Shore and Denny.
(2) High School improvements including renovation of Chief Sealth and Nathan Hale, addition at Ingraham and modernization of Rainier Beach Career and Technology facilities.
(3) Infrastructure improvements for water piping, indoor air quality and synthetic sports turf, including contributions to Hiawatha Playfield with Seattle Parks for conversion to synthetic turf.
(4) Technology equipment and training.
On the ballot itself, before checking approve or reject, voters saw this:
The Board of Directors of Seattle School District No. 1 adopted Resolution No. 2006/07-3 concerning this proposition for bonds. This proposition approves a program to renovate or replace four high schools, two middle schools and one K-8 school and make other capital improvements, to issue $490,000,000 in general obligation bonds with a maximum term of seven years; and to levy excess property taxes to repay the bonds and to replace the expiring capital levy, not to exceed $81,666,667 annually for six years.
Just for the record, since this keeps coming up. There certainly was coverage, on our site and elsewhere, before the election, talking about the shared campus — but the official voters’ pamphlet and the actual ballot did not include that point, as project critics frequently note.
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