West Seattle, Washington

25 Thursday

47℉

month : 02/2009 315 results

The search for Pogo the missing Papillon: Latest from her family
February 25, 2009 11:52 am
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news

Wanted to be sure you saw what Betsy Hoffmeister posted last night as a comment on the original WSB report about Pogo, her missing Papillon, who bolted after a bath last Friday night and has been the subject of an extraordinary search, which tracked her as far as High Point till the trail grew cold:

I went up to Westcrest Tuesday from 9:30-10:00 and 4:45-6:00 pm at West Crest Off Leash Dog Areas, looking at both the small and large dog areas. I talked to probably 60 people. None of them had seen her. They are all now looking. Volunteers have started to put up signs. Jeanette Fournier of the High Point Neighborhood Association was FABULOUS and spent 1/2 hour with me helping spread the word in the High Point Neighborhood.

I have filed a police report.

According to the Harry Oakes, Jr., of International K9 Search and Rescue Services, who tracked her with his amazing search dog Willow up to the High Point Library in the first place: “If the person who takes possession of your pet refuses or fails to file a found report, this constitutes, “Theft of personal property”. This is a crime. A police officer has the responsibility to take a crime report and investigate the crime.”

I believe that the two families who tried to help her on Friday and Saturday were well intentioned and wanted to do the right thing. For whatever reason they did not follow through. Whether it was just bad timing or what. I’m very disappointed but I believe they were doing their best.

The person who has her now cannot have made an effort to find out if she is a pet or not. If he had taken her to a vet, he would have found out that she is microchipped. Every vet in the area has her information. And, since the microchip company is now alerted that she is missing, if her chip is scanned, I will be alerted, even if she shows up in Cowlitz County or Tallahassee, Florida.

I am willing to give this person the benefit of the doubt that they are somehow taking good care of her and they sincerely think they are doing the right thing. I am willing to keep an open mind. But, at this point, my dog could be considered stolen property.

If you see her, here is what I would ask you to do. First, please call her name. It’s Pogo, as in Pogo stick. She may or may not respond. If she comes to you, pick her up. Call me right away. 206 353 9334. If you feel safe and comfortable talking to the person with her, please do so. If the person is confrontational, please do what you need to do to feel safe. But if you feel confident in doing so, here’s what I would do: please tell the person that you have reason to believe that this is a highly-sought missing dog and you would like to help him do the right thing to return the dog for the rightful reward. I will rush over there.

If things get confrontational, feel free to call 9-1-1. There is an open file on her, all of the officers in West and South Seattle are looking for her. If they’re not off doing something more important, someone may respond.

Most important is your personal safety, but, if you feel safe enough, please, I beg of everyone out there, do not let her get away again. I can’t stand much more of this.

Finally, I want to thank EVERYONE who has sent positive thoughts and wishes. I don’t have room in my space for negativity right now. Please tell absolutely everyone you know about Pogo.

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West Seattle Fashion Show (and fundraiser) in the works!
February 25, 2009 10:50 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

Thanks to everyone who sends in event announcements – their main home on WSB is the West Seattle-wide Events calendar (with listings now stretching on into fall), but as often and possible, when something unusual comes in, we do our best to mention it here too, like this: Here’s an announcement just received for the West Seattle Fashion Show, less than two weeks away:

The historic Sanctuary at Admiral (2656 42nd Avenue SW) will be the
venue for the upcoming West Seattle Fashion Show on Sunday, March 8,
2009 from 2 pm to 5 pm. Light refreshments will be provided.

Admission for this teens-and-older event is $10 plus a donation of
canned or packaged food. Portions of the proceeds and the donated
food will be given to the West Seattle Food Bank. Helping neighbors
during the local economic downturn is the impetus for the fundraising
and the fashion show focus adds a fun element for the attendees.

The event sponsors are West Seattle businesses – Designer Labels
Consignment Boutique, the Sanctuary at Admiral, Clementine (shoe
shop), Elliot Hair Salon, Small Clothes (kids re-sale, Coffee to a Tea
w/ Sugar and Herban Feast Catering.

Clothing for the fashion show will be provided by Designer Labels and
available for purchase. Other shop sponsors will have merchandise for
sale as well.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow “showers” still possible
February 25, 2009 10:41 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow “showers” still possible
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Here’s the latest “forecast discussion” from the National Weather Service, with the possibility of snow showers tomorrow. Weather star Cliff Mass hasn’t posted an update yet today but wasn’t too worried about it last night; he’s speaking at Town Hall downtown tonight, by the way.

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Another West Seattle “open house” tonight: Sound Transit
February 25, 2009 7:52 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

If you use Sound Transit Route 560 (or other ST express buses), you should know the ST bus system is looking at changes (detailed here) as the first leg of Link light rail comes on board. You can get a closer look at the systemwide changes, and put in your two cents, during an “open house” at the Senior Center of West Seattle tonight, 5-7 pm.

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Followup: Last chance for autism-insurance bill to advance
February 25, 2009 6:07 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle people

Sunday night, we brought you the story of Allison Dennis, a West Seattle mom whose son Jack (photo left) is autistic, campaigning to get a bill mandating insurance coverage of autism treatment — “Shayan’s Law“ — through the Legislature. Allison says the bill is on the brink of death unless action is taken today:

Senator Karen Keiser, chair of the Senate Health Care Committee, has today to call SB5203 up for a vote in an executive session or it dies.

Shayan’s Law (SB5203) offers protection against the prevalent insurance coverage denials of medically necessary treatments for children on the autism spectrum at an identical cost to Washington State as the Neuro-Developmental Therapies (NDT) bill [HB1412] that proposes to do the same, but falls short due to insurance coverage loopholes within the bill. The insurance industry has carefully crafted provisions that render the NDT bill utterly meaningless for all developmentally disabled individuals who need services, not just the ones on the Autism Spectrum. The influence of the insurance industry is allowing the NDT bill to gain traction on the House side.

Ultimately, states pay in cases of untreated or undertreated populations and SB5203 puts the cost of health care back where it belongs. Shayan’s Law will hold insurance companies accountable for covering diagnosis and medically necessary, evidence based treatment of autism. Under Shayan’s Law, insurers will not be able to get out of accepting their share of this devastating medical condition, as they have been for years here in Washington and around the nation.

It is unthinkable that our lawmakers would choose less protection for the same cost to the state (NDT bill), especially in the current economic crisis. Eight states have passed Autism Insurance Reform similar to Shayan’s Law and 32 more have taken it up this year. We want the same protection for our children. Now more than ever, our state needs relief from the societal costs when children don’t get the intervention they need. Now more than ever, our children need these benefits.

As a Washington voter, I expect fiscally responsible decision making that will yield significantly lower societal costs of autism. SB5203 is an opportunity that Washington State lawmakers cannot afford to pass up. I urge anyone similarly concerned to call Karen Keiser and ask that SB5203 be put to an executive session vote. The deadline for a vote is the 25th – today. Please take part in the legislative process. Grassroots efforts do work and voter participation does make a difference! Her number is 360-786-7664.

West Seattle’s 34th District State Senator Joe McDermott is a co-sponsor of SB5203, but this district’s two State Representatives, Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, are supporting the “NDT bill” (HB1412) that Dennis and other autism advocates say has too many loopholes.

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One more good deed by local Girl Scouts: Disease-fighting “kits”
February 25, 2009 1:12 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Following our visit to West Seattle Girl Scouts’ cookie-case-sorting operation on Saturday, we found out a lot more about what the local Scouts are up to (including this). Now there’s one more event we wanted to share with you, because this one could use your help too: Tuesday night at Holy Rosary, more than two dozen Girl Scouts got together to put together AIDS- and malaria-fighting kits to send overseas, as part of the GS “World Thinking Day,” which had as its 2009 goal for “girls worldwide to say ‘we can stop the spread of AIDS, malaria, and other diseases’.” Fifth-grader Caroline Rouse worked to organize the project, as we learned when we met Caroline and her mom at the cookie loading dock; last night, she led her fellow Scouts in a game as part of the event:

The kits (which include items such as malaria-fighting mosquito netting) cost about $30 each to put together. Girl Scouts from all over West Seattle have been chipping in to buy them, but you can help too – some local businesses and other organizations already have — just e-mail kriskrop@msn.com to say you’d like to donate. Meantime, we’re glad to share what YOUR organization – kids OR adults – is up to, whether it’s an event listing or a heads-up about something like this; e-mail WSB at editor@westseattleblog.com any time (or if you’d prefer a different contact method, all of ours are listed here).

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West Seattle Weather Watch: That 4-letter word resurfaces
February 24, 2009 9:29 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thursday’s forecast includes the possibility of snow. Just thought you’d want to know.

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West Seattle-residing county assessor under investigation for crash
February 24, 2009 9:09 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Thanks to Jules for e-mailing to say citywide media have been staking out the Beach Drive home of King County Assessor Scott Noble since word came out that he is under investigation for possible charges in connection with a head-on freeway crash last month (P-I report here; Times report here, which includes a statement from Noble’s lawyer saying he has been “recovering from injuries” since “an automobile accident in mid-January”). Noble is in his fifth term as county assessor; here’s his biography on the county website.

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Update: Viaduct/tunnel open house at Madison MS
February 24, 2009 6:57 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

We’re at Madison Middle School for the “scoping” open house that’s offering information and taking comments on the proposal to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s “mile in the middle” Central Waterfront section with a “deep-bore tunnel.” Organizers say they’re pleased with the turnout so far – as of 6:30 pm, halfway through, about 120 people had signed in. The photo above, taken from the landing overlooking the area where the meeting’s happening, shows the layout – more or less traditional open house, easels with maps and lists of informational points, not just about the tunnel plan, but also about the funding, the timeline, and related projects such as Seattle Streetcar expansion, Metro RapidRide, and the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening work — project manager Stuart Goldsmith is here on behalf of the SSV and he tells WSB the “notice to proceed” was just issued today by SDOT for the next major part of the project, the new ramp to 4th Ave So. from the eastbound side (aka “express route to Costco”), so you’ll see equipment start arriving for that in the weeks ahead.

We also have a CD with the images that are being displayed around the room here, so we will post selections from that a bit later – in the meantime, if you see this before 7:30, there’s still time to come down and get questions answered from top-level experts (all the folks who delivered the official briefings on the project all along the way are here, including Ron Paananen from WSDOT and Bob Powers from SDOT).

8:24 PM: Almost everybody arrived in the first hour – final attendee total was about 130.

ADDED 10:03 PM: The rest of the story, including links to some of the handouts and infoboards made available tonight:Read More

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Junction Association recaps 2008 successes, sets 2009 priorities
February 24, 2009 5:43 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Meet the members of the West Seattle Junction Association Board of Directors who were elected/re-elected this morning at a breakfast meeting, and shown above as they posed for the WSB camera afterward with board president Dave Montoure (West 5) — from left, Brandon Nicholson (Nicholson Kovalchick Architects), Lora Lewis (Hotwire Coffee, WSB sponsor), Heather Leaman (Bakery Nouveau), Michael Hoffman (Liberty Bell Printing), Montoure, Doug Baldwin (Windermere Real Estate). The vote was part of an annual meeting that not only recapped the Junction Association’s 2008 successes, but also looked ahead to this year’s priorities — read on for details:Read More

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Vacant city-owned lot in Westwood: Thoughts about its future?
February 24, 2009 4:22 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Westwood


View Larger Map

Neighboring property owners apparently got notice of this a few weeks ago, but it just crossed our desk: The vacant site shown above at 34th/Barton (map), just east of the Exxon station, has been deemed “excess to the needs of Seattle Public Utilities,” and the city’s looking for public input before recommending to the City Council what should be done with it: Sell, lease, or hand over to another city department. The comment period closes this Friday; here’s a city document with more details about the site (which is more than 12,000 square feet, zoned single-family 5000), and if you have comments about what should be done with it, contact Richard Gholaghong at 206-684-0621 or richard.gholaghong@seattle.gov. By the way, this is just one property on a long list of city properties under review, and other sites on the list are in West Seattle; see the complete list here – it includes this site along Admiral just north of The Bridge, most notable for a huge redwood tree – its status is “pending council review of public-involvement plan.”

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Yo, SODO workers: New neighborhood website
February 24, 2009 3:24 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

We know more than a few WSBers work in SODO – so you might be interested to hear about a new neighborhood-news/info website we were just tipped to: SODO Agogo (sodoagogo.com). Co-founder Sean tells WSB he and his co-site operators all work at Year of the Monkey but are determined to promote other area businesses and to report on “pretty much anything happening down here, so we can get the information out in front of people, whether it be neighborhood sales, city meetings, transit reroutes, or whatever else.”

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West Seattle traffic alert: New ID rules may bring port-area delays
February 24, 2009 3:20 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

This just in from SDOT:

New Requirements for Worker Credentials in Port Areas May Impact Seattle Traffic

SEATTLE -Seattle drivers may encounter traffic backups on arterial
streets near entries to
several waterfront terminals at the beginning of the work week, on
March 2 and 3. Seattle
Department of Transportation (SDOT) traffic managers anticipate the
terminal sites with the
greatest potential for traffic impacts are:
● Terminal 5 (in West Seattle off of SW Spokane Street),
● Terminal 18 (Harbor Island off of SW Spokane Street), and
● Terminal 46 (off of Alaskan Way S at S Atlantic Street).

Starting Saturday, February 28, the U S Coast Guard will begin enforcing federal requirements for new identification credentials for all truck drivers and other workers entering secured port areas. While the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credentials) card requirement has been widely publicized, it is difficult to estimate how many drivers might arrive on Monday without the card.

Agencies and terminal operators have been working together for several months to prepare for these new regulations. SDOT Commercial Vehicle enforcement officers,
Port of Seattle Police, and terminal managers will be partnering to minimize any traffic disruptions.

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Fat Tuesday in West Seattle: Paczki mania at Metropolitan Market
February 24, 2009 2:04 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Meet “paczkis” (pronounced “POONCH-keys”). They’re a Polish donut, traditional on Fat Tuesday as Polish Catholic homes’ kitchens were cleaned out of all the bad gluttonous stuff you’re not supposed to have around for Lent. They’re also on sale at Metropolitan Market – and a big crazy event was staged late this morning at the Admiral store to start a new Fat Tuesday tradition. It was supposed to be a paczki-carrying race around the store, and eating contest, but the morning rain forced a change in plan – eating contest only. Competitors came from all around the locally based Metropolitan Market chain; when they were done stuffing their faces, there was a tie, so there had to be an “eat-off” featuring the coaches who’d been cheering the original paczki-eaters on – here’s the entire one and a half minute “eat-off” (the guys in referee shirts, by the way, are Metro Market top brass):

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

The winners: The team from Queen Anne’s Metropolitan Market. Admiral’s home team came in second (led by Preston, whose campaign-style sign you can see in this photo):

P.S. If you’re looking for other signs of Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras spirit, Talani at Stor-More (WSB sponsor) on Yancy east of Avalon sends word via Facebook that you can stop by for free beads (and candy!).

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Longer or shorter hours at your favorite park? Changes proposed
February 24, 2009 1:13 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

As mentioned briefly toward the end of our report on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi year-round Seacrest dock briefing coming up at this Thursday’s city Parks Board meeting, the board is to be briefed about another notable item: A proposal to change operating hours at many of the city’s parks. Right now, 4 am-11:30 pm is the “standard” for most city parks, but as the briefing paper (see it here) notes, “several dozen exceptions” have been made over the years, and that’s led to some confusion, among the other problems listed in the document’s explanation of why park hours are now under review:

The purpose of this review is to consider 1) standardizing park operating hours so there is less opportunity for confusion about what the operating hours are, 2) alleviating actual and perceived safety issues – alcohol use, graffiti, and noise, 3) demonstrating Parks intention to be good neighbors by limiting negative impacts on our park neighbors, and 4) providing Seattle Police an additional tool for resolving issues in parks. Parks has an ongoing interest in being good neighbors and alleviating late night problems in our parks. Operating hours is one tool available to us and Seattle Police to address issues of noise, graffiti, and alcohol use.

The proposal suggests these hours:

Regional* (Alki and Lincoln Park included) – 4 am –11:30 pm year round
Neighborhood / Pocket – One hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
Downtown – One hour before sunrise –10:00 pm year round**
Parks with Indoor Facilities (Pools, community centers, ELC’s) – Parking lot hours would coincide with facility operation hours or surrounding park hours, whichever is later.
Boat ramps, Boulevards – Open 24 hours a day
Lighted Athletic Complexes – Governed by lighting / scheduling protocols

To compare the proposed hours with current park-hours exceptions, take a look at the briefing paper, starting on page 5. Among the potential changes under the proposal, Alki, as a “regional park,” would have earlier and later hours in summertime, moving to 4 am-11:30 pm year-round; right now, that’s when it’s open Oct. 2-April 14th, with the hours 6 am-11 pm the rest of the year. According to the briefing paper, public meetings will be scheduled around the city in March and April to talk about the proposed changes; then a public hearing is expected before the Parks Board on May 14th, and a vote on May 28th.

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Speaking of the Legislature: PTA’s education rally is Thursday
February 24, 2009 12:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Speaking of the Legislature: PTA’s education rally is Thursday
 |   West Seattle politics | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Mary for e-mailing WSB to share the agenda for Thursday’s Washington State PTA “Focus Day” in Olympia tomorrow – as her note reminds us all, school money isn’t a neighborhood-specific issue, it affects the entire state, and we’ve heard districts such as Seattle Public Schools point out often that, whatever other problems you see in the system, there’s no question that the way school funding works – or doesn’t – is broken. So in case you are interested in participating, here’s the agenda for Thursday, including a noon rally, and a “brown bag” afterward to get briefed on the status of the major education-related bills that are now pending.

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Update: Federal money for Spokane Street Viaduct widening?
February 24, 2009 12:26 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Spokane St. Viaduct project | Transportation | West Seattle news

widerspokane.jpg

ORIGINAL 12:26 PM REPORT: According to citywide reports today, the mayor says that when legislative leaders announce this afternoon which projects they plan to earmark for distribution of federal “stimulus” money, the list will NOT include two major city projects – including $25 million sought for the Spokane Street Viaduct widening project adding more lanes to, and changing the ramp configuration of, the stretch of the West Seattle Bridge between 99 and I-5. We have a message out to the mayor’s office to ask where the money is supposed to come from otherwise, or if this would put completion of the project in doubt (early stages have already begun, with the work along lower Spokane St.); the other project that’s reportedly being aced out of stimulus $ is the “Mercer corridor” work planned for the south end of downtown. ADDED 2:41 PM: The mayor’s official statement on the Legislature’s announcement – AND FOLLOWING IT, A 4:06 PM ADDITION: Now there’s a statement that the mayor’s gotten some hope from the governor: AND FOLLOWING THAT, A 5:34 PM ADDITION FROM TWO COUNCILMEMBERS WHO ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE MAYOR’S REVELATION EARLIER:Read More

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Happening tonight: Viaduct/tunnel, Healthy Youth, Little League
February 24, 2009 10:42 am
|    Comments Off on Happening tonight: Viaduct/tunnel, Healthy Youth, Little League
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

VIADUCT/TUNNEL: Tonight’s the open house at Madison Middle School – drop by any time between 5:30 and 7:30 pm, express your opinion, ask questions, and get a closer look at exactly how it’s envisioned that traffic flow between West Seattle and downtown (and points beyond) will work under the current proposal. (A similar open house happened in Ballard last night; here’s coverage from our fellow neighborhood-news site MyBallard.com; disclosure, WSDOT has an ad running here through tonight to promote the open house.)

HEALTHY YOUTH PARTNERSHIP: At left, coordinator Renae Gaines and chair Phil Tavel, in a photo we took at the last meeting of the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership, which works to make sure West Seattle-area kids and families have the information they need to grow up safely — in particular, to stay away from alcohol use and abuse. As we reported before the last meeting, the group conducted a West Seattle-wide survey (results here) that turned up some interesting discoveries, including the fact that anti-drinking messages also need to be targeted at families with elementary-age children — before they get into middle school, where peer pressure and alcohol availability can intensify. Tonight’s meeting is at 7 pm at Madison Middle School, and the more people-power they can get to help spread their message throughout the community, the better.

WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE: There’s another opportunity for in-person registration tonight – thanks to Cami MacNamara for sharing the news:

West Seattle Little League will be holding the LAST in person registration this evening from 7–9 PM at West Seattle High School , Room 212 ( 3000 California Ave SW ). Please visit http://westseattlelittleleague.com/registration.html for registration forms and payment information. If you are mailing in your registration, all registrations MUST be postmarked by today, February 24th, 2009!

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Happening this morning: Generation BIG; Fat Tuesday “race”
February 24, 2009 8:10 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

GENERATION BIG: A new program aiming to get more adults, especially seniors, involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is offering info and taking signups this morning at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction, 10 am. Hundreds of kids are waiting to be matched with “Bigs,” and this program makes it easier than ever to help out with a small time commitment each week. See the flyer here.

FAT TUESDAY “RACE”: Metropolitan Market in Admiral is scheduled to be the site of Fat Tuesday fun this morning at 11 am — involving a treat called paczkis, an eating contest, and a run around the building. You’re invited; full details on the market’s events calendar.

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Pogo’s odyssey: A lost-dog search takes a wrenching turn
February 24, 2009 1:51 am
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | High Point | How to help | Pets | West Seattle news

The Hoffmeister family of North Delridge is searching for Pogo, their Papillon, so relentlessly and creatively, they’ve already traced her trail … to a new dead end.

Of all the pets we’ve posted to the Lost/Found section of the WSB Pets page, Pogo’s odyssey is the most agonizing one since the theft and recovery of Butch the Shiba Inu three weeks ago (original WSB report here; followup here).

And according to what Betsy Hoffmeister and family have discovered since Pogo disappeared Friday night, Pogo and Butch seem to have something in common …Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car-prowl confession, and much more
February 23, 2009 10:25 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

We’ve just gone through the last week’s worth of West Seattle police reports from the Southwest Precinct, so we can bring you summaries of notable incidents. We start with the arrest of a teenager who confessed to car prowling (described by local police recently as the most serious current crime trend): Early Friday morning, police answered a call about two suspicious males leaving a driveway at 32nd and 97th. When they got close to the area, they saw two people take off running as soon as the patrol car was within sight; the two, ages 18 and 14, were stopped behind Roxbury Lanes/Casino. As an officer patted down the older suspect for weapons, he felt various items which the suspect said was change he’d taken out of a gray SUV a few blocks away. A wallet also turned up, and the suspect said that had been taken from a vehicle. After being placed under arrest, the 18-year-old told police he had gone into five vehicles in all, but said that the 14-year-old had not gone into any of them. The 18-year-old was booked into the King County Jail for theft. (The jail register says he got out 36 hours later, with bail having been set at $475; it also lists a two-day jail stay for the same suspect less than two weeks earlier, for investigation of car prowl.) Ahead – car prowls that did NOT result in arrests (so far), a purse-snatch attempt in Morgan Junction, a 50 mph drunk-driving suspect in a 30 zone, a fence-jumping shoplifting suspect who needed medical attention, and much more:Read More

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West Seattle Wildlife Watch: Young eagle again? Or?
February 23, 2009 8:45 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

Thanks to Eric and Maria for sharing that photo – they say their kids spotted the bird in their Admiral backyard earlier today, and they’re wondering what it is. Their first guess was peregrine falcon; we’re thinking maybe it’s one of the young eagles (as featured in a recent WSB photo — second one in this story — and also as seen today on Beach Drive Blog) … thoughts?

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“Cookies do good work”: West Seattle Scouts’ Bronze Star project
February 23, 2009 7:47 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(Members of Troop 2092 outside Rainier House, with some of what they donated)
Over the weekend, we showed you West Seattle Girl Scouts getting ready for their annual cookie sales, and some WSB’ers joked about the calories. Local Girl Scout mom Tracie Luthi e-mailed WSB to make sure everyone knows cookies are about a lot more than indulgence and calories – the sales are the main fundraiser for local troops, and they do some amazing things with the money, including this one that Tracie tells us about:

West Seattle Girl Scout Troop 2092 has been working on their Bronze Star award, which is the highest award a Junior troop can earn. These Fifth and Sixth graders chose furnishing an apartment at the new Rainier House as their project. The Rainier House is housing through the Downtown Emergency Service Center, which helps vulnerable mentally ill homeless people transition to apartment living.

The apartments are opening this week on Rainier Ave. I believe there is an opening ceremony (today) for the building as a whole, and on Tuesday 50 new residents move in. The troop set up the apartment (Sunday) afternoon with items they purchased with their proceeds from last year’s cookie sales. Cookies do good work!

You can read more about Rainier House in this Times article published today; as reported in our cookie-arrival story Saturday, cookie sales start this Friday (if you want to buy some and have trouble finding them, this webpage can help). Plus, you’ll hear a bit more about what local Girl Scouts are up to, after we cover a “World Thinking Day” event tomorrow night during which the Scouts will be taking action to help improve the health of people half a world away.

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