West Seattle, Washington
11 Sunday
(December 2008 photo by Jeff Hogan)
This afternoon, Jeff Hogan from West Seattle-based Killer Whale Tales called to say a sizable group of orcas was reported off Point No Point on the Kitsap Peninsula (map) and possibly heading this way. No sightings reported by sundown but Jeff – who provided us with photos and info about West Seattle’s last major orca sighting in December (photo above) – e-mailed this update tonight:
Turns out up to 20 plus killer whales were at the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry and still heading our way. It’s quite possible that they will be off WS in the morning. My scientific colleagues are very interested in getting out on the water to collect both photos and scat samples, especially if the new baby is with them. If any WSB’ers see them, please contact Orca Network at 1.866.ORCANET or they can call me at 206.660.0835. I will let WSB know what is going on as soon as I know something.
Two babies have been sighted/photographed with Puget Sound orcas recently, in fact – photos are on this page at the Orca Network’s website. (9:50 pm note – we just received the Orca Network’s nightly “sightings” newsletter – you can subscribe here – and it includes several sightings of this group, with the last one reported at 5:10 pm, passing Carkeek Park.)
If you are arrested and jailed, there’s usually a three-day window for you to be charged or released. 
With the weekend/holiday, today was the deadline for charges against 21-year-old Dion Fillmore, arrested in connection with the murder of his 70-year-old grandmother Lavon Barrette in her Fauntleroy/Dawson apartment building last weekend. We checked with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells us that while Fillmore has not yet been charged in the killing, he remains jailed because he is charged in a separate case, punching a man in the face so hard a cheekbone was broken, last December 15th. Court documents say the attack happened when Fillmore was walking that night along Fauntleroy Way, not far from his grandmother’s apartment, and encountered the victim walking with Fillmore’s uncle. Fillmore’s bail is set at $100,000 and he is due in court March 5th to answer a charge of second-degree assault. Regarding the murder of Ms. Barrette (detailed in court documents Monday), Donohoe says, “A decision regarding homicide charges will be made at a later date.”
According to our fellow neighborhood-news-site operators at MyBallard.com, when the Church of the Nazarene (42nd/Juneau) agreement with SHARE expires at the end of this month, the group’s small shelter for homeless men will move from that West Seattle church to a building in Ballard. See the My Ballard story here. As we noted in original coverage of the shelter’s arrival a year ago, the church has hosted other shelters, so we’ll be checking to see if another one is taking this one’s place.
(CSS team members, from left: Doug, Justin, Carmela, Tiziana, Carlos)
We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor today: C.S.S. (Computer Service Solutions). Here’s what they’d like you to know about what they can do for you: C.S.S. (Computer Service Solutions LLC) has been serving our local community’s Computer and IT needs for the last eight years, growing at a steady pace. The foundation of C.S.S. success is built into the motto: “Better Technology to Serve You Better.” They recognize the importance of remaining nimble enough to hear what their customers are saying, as well as strong enough to provide the level of support and expertise their customers deserve. Serving both home users and the business community, C.S.S. provides a variety of computer services and IT solutions, including: Computer repairs, general system optimization, point-of-sale customized systems & support, data recovery/backup, upgrades, networking (Virtual Private Network), digital surveillance systems, anti-virus sales & installation, and software configuration. C.S.S. welcomes the opportunity to help you find a solution to your personal or business computer or IT project or problem. The team at C.S.S. is a dedicated group striving to perform their own personal best everyday and to achieve excellence, with the best customer-service possible, and the latest hardware and software technology. C.S.S. is also proud to be part of our community’s effort to recycle unused computers. It’s a free drop-off point for InterConnection, which refurbishes computers for reuse at a low cost while keeping hazardous materials out of our landfills. C.S.S. is located at 6030 California Ave SW, just 2 blocks north of Morgan Junction (map), 206-935-5808, with ample parking in front. We’re glad to have C.S.S. (Computer Service Solutions) join the WSB sponsorship lineup, which you can see in its entirely here (with information on how to become part of it).
These maps were mentioned in the WSB report on last night’s Delridge District Council meeting – and now we’ve obtained an electronic copy of the maps so you can take a closer look: Pages 8-10 of this WSDOT map package show how West Seattleites will be able to access downtown, and points beyond, if the current plan to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s Central Waterfront section with a tunnel is approved. (Got questions? Remember next Tuesday’s “scoping meeting,” WSDOT reps galore, at Madison Middle School, 5:30 pm, which – disclosure – is being advertised on WSB this week to get the word out.)
Remember the strong-arm robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska 76 station weekend before last – in which the robber got away with cash and lottery tickets? (Here’s our followup with full details from the police report.) 
The King County Sheriff’s Office put out a call today for help in identifying a robber with a similar M.O. who’s struck twice in White Center (late January and early February); we posted that announcement on White Center Now but then realized it sounds a lot like the Fauntleroy/Alaska bandit, so we’re mentioning it here too. Checking with investigators to see if that’s the Seattle robbery alluded to in the King County news release; also seeking any available images to post. ADDED 2:26 PM: Image at left is one of several we’ve obtained from KCSO – none is crystal clear but they still may lead to an arrest. This shows the robber hopping the counter in one of the White Center heists. And Sgt. John Urquhart from KCSO confirms it may be the same robber as in the Fauntleroy/Alaska case. Here’s one more – again, small and blurry, but we’re sharing:
That’s Blue 55 playing the Alki Boardwalk last August, one of two Alki summer concerts presented by the Parks Department, and it looks like they’re doing more this year – this announcement just in:
Alki Community Center in West Seattle is planning a series of Music in the Park events for the summer of 2009, and is looking for bands who are interested in playing on dates in July, August, and September 2009.
Bands should play music that families will enjoy. Interested bands should call MaryPat Byington at 206-684-7430 or e-mail her at marypat.byington@seattle.gov by Monday, March 16, 2009.
(photo taken today, added 4:50 pm)
Local neighborhood leaders have been working for months (9/08 WSB report here) to get Morgan Junction’s new park – under construction now and scheduled for dedication at the Morgan Community Festival June 13th – named for the late longtime West Seattle Herald reporter Tim St. Clair, who lost his cancer fight a year ago. The campaign has run into some roadblocks, including Parks Department policy stipulating at least 3 years between a person’s death and a naming honor like this. But supporters aren’t giving up, and now they are asking for your help: Pete Spalding just sent word that he and several other of the aforementioned leaders, including Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, Steve Sindiong, and Chas Redmond, are starting a petition drive, hoping to gather signatures to present to West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Parks Committee, and Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher, who has the final say on park names. Download a copy of the petition here, gather some signatures ASAP, and send them to Pete, whose address is on the form. (Also look for the petition at upcoming community meetings – Pete says signature-gathering began at meetings last night including the Delridge District Council.)
Just back from a media-geared boat tour along the South Park stretch of the Duwamish River with BJ Cummings of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, immediately after her group released its report on a year-in-the-making community-created vision of the Duwamish’s future. The “vision” – she was careful to caution, it’s a vision, not yet a plan – covers the West Seattle side of the Duwamish Valley as well, and we have maps, drawings, and video to show you; we’ll be adding them to this report over the next hour-plus (the map is available online now, as a 29MB zip file or as a smaller, zoomable image). This is all coming out now as the EPA works on the next stage of the cleanup of the waterway that’s so polluted, it’s a Superfund site. But there’s hope for its future, and in fact, perhaps this was a good omen for the tour: A California sea lion surfaced alongside the boat; Cummings said recent sea lion sightings on that section of the river are the first in a long time, though no one’s sure why they’ve come back. A water-taxi route along the river, from the foot of the West Seattle Bridge southward, and aerial gondolas (like the relatively new tram in Portland), are part of the plan, which you can inspect firsthand during an event at the Duwamish Tribe‘s new Longhouse this afternoon, 4-6 pm. 1:47 PM UPDATE: Maybe a water taxi like this? Here’s the one used for this morning’s tour, with Captain Howie Dickerman at the helm:
He does his biggest business in dive charters. And here’s the clip from our second pass under the South Park Bridge (which needs to be replaced, and now federal stimulus money is the best hope) – listen to the eerie sound of traffic going over, as we pass under:
Click ahead to see Cummings explain what the report is for, and describe its toplines (as we continue to add to this story):Read More
Thanks to Keith for e-mailing to share the news that the Natureway vitamin/supplement shop cleared out of its Junction storefront over the past few days – we subsequently found the above-shown sign on its door on California north of Oregon. We had noted when Fresh Vitamins opened last August in Westwood Village that it was owned by the same company, and this sign indeed directs customers to visit that shop instead; if you want to stay in The Junction, of course, Super Supplements is at California/Alaska (though that building is to make way in the future for the Conner Homes development, which as first reported here earlier this week has its next Design Review meeting March 12), and as pointed out in comments, GNC has a branch in Jefferson Square. 9:55 PM UPDATE: Following up on a comment posted below this story, we’ve received confirmation tonight that Funky Jane’s Consignment will be the new tenant in the space vacated by Natureway. We tried to contact the store’s owner today but were unsuccessful; we’ll try again tomorrow, to get more details on their plan. (Their current space, like Super Supplements as mentioned above, is in one of the buildings that will be torn down when the Conner project at California/Alaska/42nd is bulit.)
That long scroll of paper was a prop for SDOT reps to explain the forthcoming Fauntleroy Way “rechannelization” (approved last month) to anyone with questions at last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association-presented “neighborhood meeting” last night at Fauntleroy Church. SDOT was just there for questions – no formal presentation – but updates were presented on three other topics, and the theme for two could be described as “organize” – read on:Read More
INITIATIVE 100 LAUNCH: The signature-gathering effort for a city initiative seeking a vote on whether to build a jail — which could ratchet back the process that already has potential sites identified, including one in West Seattle — starts with a 7:30 am event at Town Hall downtown.
DUWAMISH CLEANUP REPORT AND OPEN HOUSE: What’s ahead for the waterway along easternmost West Seattle? A new report comes out this morning (we’ll be at the official announcement), and then you’re invited to come find out even more firsthand at the Duwamish Longhouse on West Marginal Way, 4-6 pm, followed by another in the series of cultural events at the Longhouse: films by Sandy and Yasu Osawa focusing on the Longhouse at Evergreen State College, 7 pm.
ANOTHER MOVIE: It’s Environmental Film Night at Camp Long Lodge, showing “Broken Limbs” — the clip above is a 3-plus-minute intro to the movie — focusing on the much-changed apple industry in the Wenatchee area, 7 pm.
ORGANIC PRODUCE FOR DELRIDGE? Tonight’s the next Delridge Produce Co-op organizing meeting, Pearls on Delridge, 6:30 pm.
By David Whelan
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
A state/city briefing on the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement/tunnel plan highlighted Wednesday night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting.
Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin was scheduled to speak but didn’t make it to the meeting.
The Viaduct/Tunnel briefing came from Ron Paananen, who’s been a project lead for WSDOT, and Hannah McIntosh from SDOT.
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