West Seattle, Washington

08 Friday

52℉

day : 27/05/2009 18 results

Countdown to almost-carless Alki on Sunday: Flyers, activities
May 27, 2009 11:52 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Transportation | West Seattle news

If your car is parked along Alki tonight, you’ll likely find a flyer like that on it by morning. SDOT tells WSB they’re being distributed tonight as part of the outreach to make sure everyone knows about the Seattle Summer Streets Spectacular – sequel to Car-Free Day – on Alki this Sunday. We reported “practical details” last night, including the impending arrival of the no-parking signs, which we confirmed tonight are up now:

A few other notes, counting down to Sunday’s 9 am-5 pm shutdown from Harbor Ave/California Way to Alki Ave/63rd SW:
–The day begins, of course, with the first-ever West Seattle 5K (WSB sponsor; you can still register online)
—Cascade Bicycle Club now has its full schedule of events for the day online (including kids’ bike parades at 1 and 3 pm); see the schedule here.
—Coastal has announced its “Rockin’ Surf Stage” lineup, with a mini skate ramp and live music; see the poster, with band names and times, here.
—CoolMom will have a booth offering face painting and a puppet show
—Sustainable West Seattle will be nearby, with bike-maintenance demos and more
—Full Tilt Ice Cream tells us they’ll have a special bike out and about – one of many small surprises we expect to see on shutdown day
–Informational displays are planned too – including the King County Wastewater Treatment Division planning a display near the site of the 53rd Avenue Pump Project, with updates on how that project is going (now in its second year and scheduled for completion this fall).

We’ll keep the daily updates going through Sunday, at which time we will of course report “live” from the shutdown zone as we did last year. If there’s information you’re looking for and not finding, please write a comment (or e-mail us: editor@westseattleblog.com) – after last night’s report, for example, there was a question about how those with disabilities would be accommodated – here’s the comment, followed by the reply we obtained from the city.

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West Seattle wildlife: Lincoln Park owl-family followup
May 27, 2009 10:59 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Wildlife

After we published Kim‘s photos last weekend of a barred-owl family in Lincoln Park, Minette wrote a comment with a link to her gallery of the same owls. Tonight, she’s sharing two more recent photos, along with word that, as of a couple nights ago, they were spotted again, doing well. The photo above is the male owl and the baby; below, the baby by itself:

Here’s what the Seattle Audubon website BirdWeb has to say about barred owls.

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Door-to-door alert, or Crime Watch? Arbor Heights sighting
May 27, 2009 10:10 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

From Arbor Heights, Suzanne e-mails to share this story – solicitor, or caser? Read on:Read More

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West Seattle scene: “Drive-by” preaching on Alki
May 27, 2009 9:31 pm
|      49 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

Of all the Alki sights and sounds noted and discussed in recent weeks, this is the first report we’ve gotten of “drive-by” street preaching. Ben Hutchinson sent the photo and his account of what he saw from his apartment near Alki Bathhouse, so we’re sharing:

Just a couple minutes ago, there was this guy standing on the back of a pickup truck that went by. He was standing there with a microphone and big amplified speakers (like those used at a rock concert). And it sounded like he was preaching the Christian gospel. Now I’m a Christian myself, but I don’t think it’s right to be so disruptive. The pickup was driving slowly and holding up traffic.

Then he sent a second note, with the photo above:

Well, they came back again, so I was able to get a picture of them on their way back. This time I also was able to see a bit more too (they went right in front of my apartment this time). This time nobody was standing up (all were just sitting), and I was able to see 3 people in the back of the pickup truck this time (probably were there before, but I just had a better view this time, because it looked like only 1 the first time). When they were not preaching they were playing rap music.


Anybody know who this was?

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Wednesday links: More pizza; ReUsies on TV; low-tide gallery
May 27, 2009 5:18 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle businesses | White Center

MORE PIZZA: At partner site White Center Now, one of our fellow contributors, Ricardo from Cafe Rozella, breaks the news of more pizza heading this way: Proletariat Pizza, moving in across the street from Full Tilt Ice Cream, barely a block over the line from West Seattle. (P.S. More late-breaking White Center news: A groundbreaking ceremony is planned tomorrow for the White Center Square shopping-center development.)

REUSIES ON TV: You may have heard about ReUsies, cloth sandwich bags invented by West Seattle moms, now making a splash nationwide. KING5 has a story about them today – and the story notes that ReUsies are selling so well, they’ve “hired a manufacturer in Tukwila to help them keep up with demand.”

LOW-TIDE SIGHTS: Though the tide wasn’t as low today as yesterday, there were still sights to be seen, as evidenced by the Flickr gallery that Carrie e-mailed to share – check it out here. (She took her photos near the Alki Point lighthouse.)

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Morgan Junction graffiti case not being prosecuted as hate crime
May 27, 2009 3:27 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

As promised, we followed up with the City Attorney’s Office regarding the status of Ryan Joshua Cox, the 31-year-old man arrested last week in connection with the anti-gay graffiti that had appeared in several spots around West Seattle, most notably and repeatedly a Morgan Junction couple’s garage door. Assistant city attorney Beth Gappert, who prosecutes cases in this area from her base at the Southwest Precinct, confirms that Cox is charged with six misdemeanor cases of property destruction-graffiti. He will not be prosecuted for malicious harassment, the felony that would indicate a hate crime; Gappert tells WSB, “The detective assigned to the case and I reviewed the evidence that was gathered as part of this incident. Based upon that, we determined the evidence was insufficient to prove that Mr. Cox acted ‘because of his perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap’ per RCW 9A.36.080 (the Malicious Harassment statute).” So the case was not referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Cox is still jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail (upped last week, as reported here), according to the King County Jail Register. The Municipal Court website indicates another hearing is scheduled in his case tomorrow.

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West Seattle gets another Alaskan Way Viaduct/Tunnel meeting
May 27, 2009 2:55 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you want to know more about what’s happening with the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Tunnel project – and/or if you’ve got something to say about the way things are going – mark June 10th on your calendar. That’s just been announced as the date for the next “scoping” meeting for the project in West Seattle, 6-8 pm 6/10 at the Madison Middle School commons. The specific purpose of the meeting is explained as follows: “(Y)ou will be able to ask questions and share your thoughts on what environmental elements and mitigation measures should be studied in the supplemental draft environmental impact statement on the proposed bored tunnel alternative.” If you can’t go, SDEIS2ScopingComments@wsdot.wa.gov is the place to e-mail your comments.

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Delridge playground designs unveiled: 3 to choose from
May 27, 2009 2:48 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Betsy Hoffmeister from the North Delridge Neighborhood Council has just shared these three designs from which the new Delridge Community Center playground (recent WSB coverage here) will be chosen. She also says community fundraising that’s needed for the project only has $350 to go. Here’s the full specs for the design above; here are the full specs for the design below:

And here are the specs for this next one:

We’re checking on the proper pathway for public feedback; meantime, feel free to comment here for starters! And remember there’s a plant-sale fundraiser for the playground project at Delridge Day, Youngstown Arts Center this Saturday (WSB story here – by the way, we’ll be reporting live from Delridge Day throughout the event, so hope to see you there!). ADDED 9:09 PM: More info on what happens next, sent by Holli:

Cast your design vote – you can e-mail helpdelridgeplay@gmail.com with your pick, or attend a public meeting at the Delridge Community Center on Monday, June 1 from 7:30pm-8:30pm. The designs will also be on display this Saturday, at Youngstown Arts Center as part of Delridge Day which runs from 11 am-5 pm.

We’re looking for all the help we can get to build the playground on July 17th. We’ll have the equipment, breakfast, lunch, water and free exercise! Registration starts at 7:45 am, building begins at 8:30 am and ends around 2:30 pm for some fun.

Anyone interested in being a Build Captain on Build Day needs to attend an orientation on Prep Day, July 15th. All are welcome to help on Prep Day.

Food Committee: We also need someone to lead the Food Committee! A few volunteers are doing double-duty on the Food Committee and have done some preparations, but we need a leader.

To volunteer contact Chris via email at helpdelridgeplay@gmail.com or call (206) 499-3733.

Also, we’d love to put the spotlight on some local musical talent to entertain our volunteers at a closing ceremony that afternoon around 3pm, and at a grand opening the following week. Please contact Holli Margell via e-mail at holli.margell@gmail.com if you would like to perform.

Design note: We can only chose from these three designs. Changing any element is no longer an option – it is too far along in the process.

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Safe Routes to School Month winds up with Sanislo kids’ cleanup
May 27, 2009 2:13 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Feet First for sharing photos from this morning’s trash pickup involving Sanislo Elementary School students who gathered at the Southwest Precinct for a special-mission walk to school – part of the Go! Project, a Safe Routes to School Program funded by the state Department of Transportation and facilitated by Feet First. We took you along earlier this month during another special Safe Routes to School event with Sanislo families (here’s our coverage) and they’ve been doing something special every week all month long.

Lisa Quinn from Feet First tells WSB they picked up 20 pounds of trash this morning!

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Burned up about the burnout backlog? Mayor’s street-light plan
May 27, 2009 2:03 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

We reported earlier this year on the big backlog at Seattle City Light – report a burned-out street light, wait weeks, maybe months, for it to get fixed. The mayor says he’ll take that on – news release ahead:Read More

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Port of Seattle candidates’ forum in South Park June 3rd
May 27, 2009 1:28 pm
|    Comments Off on Port of Seattle candidates’ forum in South Park June 3rd
 |   Announcements

Just out of the WSB inbox:

Port of Seattle Commission Candidate Forum
Wednesday, June 3rd, 7-9pm
South Park Community Center
8319 8th Ave South
Map
Facebook page
Moderated by: Kristen Young, former Seattle PI reporter

Q: What do Burien’s jet ghettos, Duwamish River PCBs, cruise ship dumping in Puget
Sound, Georgetown’s diesel truck pollution, development of Ballard’s Fisherman’s
Terminal, and audit investigations in Olympia have in common?
A: Your elected commissioners at the Port of Seattle.

Q: What do rental car parking garages, SODO’s industrial lands development, Lora
Lake apartments, religious profiling, truck traffic on Marginal Way, and the people
serving lunch at the airport have in common?
A: Your elected commissioners at the Port of Seattle.

Q: Who will you vote for Port Commissioner on August 18th?
A: Inform your decision by attending the biggest port candidate forum of the year,
as two dozen community, environmental, and labor organizations combine efforts to
educate voters about port issues and the candidates.

Sponsored by: ACORN of King County * Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion * Council on
American-Islamic Relations-WA * Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports * Community
Coalition for Environmental Justice * Equal Rights Washington * Friends of the Earth
* FUSE * Georgetown Community Council * LELO- A Legacy of Equality, Leadership and
Organizing * King County Conservation Voters * Martin Luther King County Labor
Council * Minority Executive Directors Coalition * Municipal League of King County *
Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans * Puget Sound Harvesters Association *
Puget Sound Ports Council * Puget Sound SAGE * Real Change * Sierra Club * South
Park Neighborhood Association * Teamsters Local 174 * Teamsters Joint Council 28 *
UFCW 21 * Unite Here Local 8 * and more…

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Seattle Lutheran HS closes for rest of the week; flu precaution
May 27, 2009 12:54 pm
|    Comments Off on Seattle Lutheran HS closes for rest of the week; flu precaution
 |   Swine flu | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Andrea and Tamara for the tip, which we subsequently found confirmed on the Seattle Lutheran High School website:

**We are sending the students home immediately. We had a student that roomed with someone that has a confirmed case of the swine flu. The school will be closed the remainder of the week, we will reopen on Monday.***

We are calling the school – if anyone’s in the offices – to find out more. 1:03 PM UPDATE: Just talked with Jenny in the SLHS office. The school was closed Friday anyway, because of the trip to the state softball tournament (as reported here), so in the “better safe than sorry mode,” they decided to just shut down now. Jenny says the “rooming” mentioned in the online announcement was during a trip that student took. And she says that school personnel who aren’t making phone calls right now are busy cleaning, just as a precaution.

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This weekend: West Seattle Rock Club’s Gem and Mineral Show
May 27, 2009 11:42 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

Video thumbnail. Click to play.
Click To Play

Just about time to look ahead to next weekend, so in that spirit: For the second consecutive year, the West Seattle Rock Club has joined WSB as a sponsor to help get the word out about its ever-bigger annual Rock and Gem Show. 10 am-5 pm both days this weekend, at the Alki Masonic Hall (4736 40th SW: map), you’ll see not only rock displays, but also demonstrations of jewelry and lapidary techniques (as shown in our video clip above, from the 2008 show). Vendors will sell rocks, minerals and jewelry; kids’ activities include “make your own gem tree” and a “hands-on rock table.” And something new this year – come to the show on Saturday for details on how to join a free guided rockhounding field trip Sunday hunting for agates and jasper. Did we mention, admission to the show itself is free too? You can see past photos on the club photo page; full show details here.

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Jill St. Onge death investigation: Two updates
May 27, 2009 11:05 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

3 weeks after the death of 27-year-old West Seattle resident Jill St. Onge in Thailand (first reported here), there are new reports about the investigation into what killed her: The Phuket Gazette reported this week (scroll about two-thirds of the way down this page) that “microbial infection” possibly linked to food poisoning has turned up in “preliminary tests” of both Ms. St. Onge and the other tourist who died during a stay at the same guest house, 22-year-old Julie Bergheim of Norway. (You may recall, a very early report suggested food poisoning.) However, two days before that story appeared, the family/friends-maintained “About Jill” site had a post reading in part, “Also we DID get the tissue samples this week and they are now in the proper hands. I won’t go into much detail as everything is still extremely preliminary, but the very very early results do seem to coincide with something affecting the lungs.” As the writer points out, that’s what Ms. St. Onge’s fiance Ryan Kells had wondered about (here’s his story from earlier in the month). Kells is now with his family in California, according to this Los Altos account from a week ago.

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Seattle School Board: Cheryl Chow won’t run again
May 27, 2009 10:13 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

She doesn’t represent the “district” including West Seattle — Steve Sundquist does – but in the general election, all board seats are voted on citywide, so this is notable: Cheryl Chow just announced she’s not running for re-election to the Seattle School Board. (She’s also a former city councilmember.) One candidate who’s already announced for that seat is Charlie Mas, who we know has some West Seattle ties (former Lafayette Elementary parent, for one). He already has the stirrings of a campaign website here.

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Washington State Ferries’ future: Community meetings planned
May 27, 2009 10:02 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Washington State Ferries just announced a round of community meetings – in case you want to attend, the closest one to the Fauntleroy terminal will be June 3 on Vashon – read on for the announcement and list:Read More

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Delridge demolition: “Problem property” now pile of debris
May 27, 2009 9:49 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Thanks to North Delridge Neighborhood Council’s Mike Dady for sending word that 4117 Delridge (map) is no more. It’s one of the five sites he included on the “Delridge problem properties” tour that drew two City Council members and a delegation of other high-ranking city reps a month and a half ago (WSB coverage is here and here). We reported 11 days ago that its demolition permit had been granted, to close a city-violation “unfit premises” case; also in that report, we noted that one of the councilmembers who attended the tour, Sally Clark, is taking comment on the concept of making it easier for houses like this to be demolished even if the owner doesn’t have a replacement plan.

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Today/tonight: Conservation, libraries, green jobs, health …
May 27, 2009 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on Today/tonight: Conservation, libraries, green jobs, health …
 |   Environment | Health | High Point | West Seattle news

Hot topics all over West Seattle (and beyond) today/tonight. First, three events in High Point: 7:30 am, hard-hat/sturdy-shoe construction-site tour of the LEED-Gold-to-be Neighborhood Center (more here); 4 pm, you can tour High Point neighborhoods with a focus on “how green energy initiatives create jobs, better communities, and a safer world.” More here. 6 pm at High Point Library, the King Conservation District wants to hear from you; here’s why. Speaking of libraries, at the big one downtown, the Seattle Library Board considers those behavior-policy changes, 4:30 pm (details here). And at 7 pm, be at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) to talk about universal health care after watching the documentary “Sick Around the World.” More events for today/tonight/beyond here.

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