day : 21/08/2009 12 results

(WSB photos and video by Christopher Boffoli)
South of The Triangle, Providence Mount St. Vincent took on a “South of the Border” flavor tonight during Summer Concerts at The Mount (WSB sponsor), with Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana performing, and Mexican food on sale for concertgoers. WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli reports a grande turnout:

In case you missed it – or if you did, but want to re-savor it – here’s video:

Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana is a Seattle-based group founded more than 20 years ago.

Next Friday night, it’s the season finale for Summer Concerts at The Mount, with Cheryl Serio and Rat Pack Jazz (6 pm, free).

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Photos: Seniors for Juniors tournament @ West Seattle Golf Course

August 21, 2009 9:22 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(1st four photos by Matt Durham from mattdurhamphotography.com)
A fundraising dinner/auction tonight at West Seattle Golf Course wrapped up the Seniors for Juniors Tournament festivities – hosted by Alberta “Birdie” Griffey, mom to Seattle’s best-known baseball star, pictured above with Robert Woodard, who coordinated the tournament for Fir State Junior Golf. Here are the junior golfers, posing before teeing off:

Then, it was off to play. One of those golfers, 11-year-old Justin Leary-Bigayan, is seen here teeing off at Hole 12:

As for the “senior” golfers – here’s one you’ll likely recognize — former Seattle Mariners player Dave Henderson (1981-1986) teeing off at the 1st hole:

This was the third annual Seniors for Juniors tourney – raising money for the Northwest Senior Games and for young golfers. Dozens participated, as you can see in this photo from Sharonn Meeks:

Each team was co-captained by a junior and “senior” (50+) golfer.

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Developer/owner of West Seattle properties forced into Chapter 7

August 21, 2009 8:03 pm

| 24 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

That unfinished building at 35th/Avalon is owned by developer Michael Mastro, as are several other West Seattle properties, including the LLC holding a stretch of land near the south end of Harbor Ave (once proposed for a development called Aqua Bella) and the parent company of the West Water apartment/condo-conversion complex in Morgan Junction. Tonight seattletimes.com reports that Mastro has agreed to go into Chapter 7 bankruptcy (explained here), after three banks took action attempting to force him to take on that status. What this means to his properties here (and elsewhere) isn’t clear; we had contacted the company a few weeks back to ask for comment on the status of the 35th/Avalon property, but received no reply. The most recent activity on the property involved the boarding up and fencing of its previously open street level (as shown in our photo, taken earlier this week).

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Followup: Skyelar Hailey charged with two counts of burglary

August 21, 2009 3:02 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

19-year-old Skyelar Hailey, arrested after a foot chase in Admiral this past Tuesday (first story here, followup here), is now charged with two counts of residential burglary – the first one involving the West Seattle High School purse theft in the original report, second one involving a home nearby. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed the charges today and is requesting that bail for Hailey remain set at $25,000 because: “The defendant has a prior conviction for Criminal Trespass in the First Degree (2008) as an adult and juvenile adjudications for Theft in the First Degree (2008); Theft in the Second Degree (2008); and Harassment (2007, 2007). The defendant is only nineteen years old and has five misdemeanor or felony resolutions in the past two years. The defendant is likely to fail to appear in response to a summons.” We also have the documents detailing the case against him; we are not uploading the documents themselves because they include victims/witnesses’ names, as well as that of a juvenile who so far is not charged in the case, but we have cut-and-pasted the “probable cause” text (with omissions noted either parenthetically or with ellipses). Read for yourself, just ahead (photo credit, Christopher Boffoli, April 2009):Read More

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Bonanza; Arts-in-Nature; “Cars”…

August 21, 2009 1:36 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Bonanza; Arts-in-Nature; “Cars”…

| Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

A sampling: Learn about the history of Me-Kwa-Mooks during a walk-and-talk presentation by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society Saturday morning, shop The Junction’s “Big Bonanza” multi-merchant sale (deals listed here) on Saturday, wander Camp Long enjoying the Nature Consortium‘s Arts-in-Nature Festival (WSB sponsor) Saturday and/or Sunday, bring your chair/blanket to The Mount for mariachi music at Summer Concerts @ The Mount (WSB sponsor) tonight AND then tote the chair/blanket to the final West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation of the season Saturday night (“Cars,” with FREE burgers/dogs at a preshow barbecue courtesy of West Seattle Christian, starting 7 pm), plus beer fans can suds up at the Washington IPA Challenge on Saturday … all in all, 50-plus events ahead in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup:
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Principal change at Alki Elementary School

August 21, 2009 1:23 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Kippy Jo for the tip that Alki Elementary will start the school year with a new principal: Seattle Public Schools sent a letter to families this week announcing that principal Joanne Hill is on leave and former Loyal Heights Elementary principal Clover Codd has been appointed as interim principal. Read on for the full text of the letter, which the district provided to us by request:Read More

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“Nickelsville” update: Organizers report another reprieve

August 21, 2009 12:09 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Today was the day by which the Port of Seattle had said it had hoped to use legal action to evict the homeless encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” from its latest location, at Terminal 107 Park in eastern West Seattle. Instead, encampment spokesperson Revel Smith just sent this news release:

ln a last-minute collaborative effort, Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton, Port Commissioner Kurt Beckett, Michael Ramos, Director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, Paul Benz of the Lutheran Public Policy Office, Cecile Hansen, Chairperson of the Duwamish tribe and 4 Nickelodeons met together yesterday at the Duwamish Longhouse to discuss viable options for Nickelsville.

Speaker Frank Chopp asked the Port to work together with them. Speaker Chopp has worked on legislation for the Port before, and said he would introduce legislation clarifying the Port’s concerns so they were legally satisfied. In return, Port Commissioner Tarleton agreed to take a proposal to the rest of the Port Commission allowing extension of Nickelsville’s stay.

If allowed, the proposed agreement would allow Nickelsville to remain at the T-107 Park for an initial two months with a third month safety net. This would give parties who were at the table time to work together to find a permanent site for Nickelsville. The Port of Seattle and Nickelsville would seek a Temporary Use Permit from the City of Seattle for the three month stay at T-107 Park. Signals from the City are that a permit would likely be granted, and city police would comply.

Nickelsville thanks Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp for his advocacy and willingness to introduce clarifying legislation. Nickelsville continues to seek a stable permanent site, as well as sustain responsible stewardship of park land or sites which may become available in the near future.

No formal statement yet from the port. 7:33 PM UPDATE: Port spokesperson Charla Skaggs sent a note saying there’s “incorrect information” in the Nickelsville news release we posted verbatim above:

Speaker Chopp requested, and strongly urged, the port commission to grant an extension. In return for that extension, the members of the encampment would guarantee that they would leave willingly at the end of the extension. The port did not request that Speaker Chopp amend the port’s authority in any way.

The port has continuously stated that it is illegal for port land to be used for housing.

Please note that the commissioners have been asked to consider this request; no decision has been made.

Also, Kurt Beckett is the port’s director of external affairs, not a commissioner.

According to the port’s website, the commission has two meetings next week: a special meeting on Monday, a regular meeting on Tuesday. Agendas for both are linked here.

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Traffic alert: Westbound backup on The Bridge

August 21, 2009 11:42 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Heading back from Mayor Nickels’ news conference at City Hall, WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli sent this photo from a one-car crash that’s backing up westbound traffic on The Bridge. No medic units involved, per 911, so it appears no one was seriously hurt. Note the tow truck in the photo, which means it should clear soon.

Added at 5:39 Here’s a closer shot that more clearly illustrates how the vehicle hit the barrier:

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Bulletin: Mayor Nickels concedes, congratulates Mallahan & McGinn

August 21, 2009 10:04 am

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 10:21 am)
Mayor Nickels has just announced at City Hall, with family at his side, and applause greeting him as he entered, that he’s called Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn to congratulate them on advancing to November’s general election. He is making his statement with a tone of “no regrets” and pride. He says he and city government has “made a difference each and every day” of his two terms. He says, “The Seattle today is stronger, better and kinder than the Seattle of yesterday” and says this is “an amazing place in an amazing time.” He says he will continue working hard for the “131 days left” of his administration. In response to the first question after his statement – why he lost – “I think the people of Seattle have decided it’s time for a new generation of leadership” and then he semi-joked, “I think there are dozens of issues” which caused people to vote against him. He said leadership means making tough decisions and “You get to make everybody unhappy – The Viaduct might be an example of that.” He says he hasn’t decided which candidate he will support in November. And regarding what he’ll do next – he says he has “no idea” yet. 10:19 AM: The mayor’s news conference just wrapped up. (Side note: In our photo above, in addition to family members with the mayor, that’s Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis near the center of his photo, also a West Seattleite, looking on.) ADDED 12:03 PM: Seattle Post-Globe has published a statement from City Council President Richard Conlin (who decided against a mayoral run, going for re-election instead; he faces West Seattleite David Ginsberg in November). ADDED 12:56 PM: You can see some of the humor that the mayor displayed, in this clip published to YouTube by the politics site horsesass.org:

ADDED 2:06 PM: Covering the announcement for WSB, Christopher Boffoli provides this transcript of what Mayor Nickels said this morning, including the questions that followed from the assembled media:Read More

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Whole Foods’ current stance on West Seattle’s “Hole Foods” site

August 21, 2009 9:58 am

| 57 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

We’ve been working on an overall update regarding what’s up – or not up – with the excavated-then-stalled site many West Seattleites have nicknamed “Hole Foods.” We’d hoped to wait to nail down a few more aspects of the story before publishing what Whole Foods itself is saying about it these days, but since a couple people (thanks!) have already e-mailed us about a short item at seattletimes.com today, we’d better just go ahead and share what WF’s regional spokesperson Vicki Foley told us yesterday afternoon, regarding whether they are still committed to that stalled site or possibly looking elsewhere:

We are watching the Fauntleroy Place project closely as the developer appears to have a number of obstacles to overcome, if he is to deliver the space to us by the deadlines in the lease.

Our original inquiry to WF earlier this week had been regarding whether there is a certain point at which they are no longer committed to the site (whose permit history is listed here); according to Foley, their commitment currently extends into next year. Meantime, WF announced earlier this week that its Interbay store is set to open October 14, and in other West Seattle grocery news, two sources (including this WSB Forums post) say the new QFC at Capco Plaza will open September 16th (10:31 am update: QFC spokesperson Kristin Maas confirms to WSB, “that’s the date we’re shooting for”). Our last Whole Foods WS site report was a month ago, when we broke the news that a West Seattle investor who’d hoped to buy the site was no longer pursuing a purchase. The financial firm that now owns the site has not yet responded to our requests for an update; there are currently four legal actions pending related to this project.

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Alki’s long-empty Shoremont now subject of “emergency order”

August 21, 2009 9:02 am

| 16 COMMENTS

| West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2008)
It’s been almost a year since a demolition permit was issued for the 86-year-old Shoremont Apartments on Alki (map), with a new development planned at the site. Since then, as the development climate has cooled, they have sat empty, somewhat battered and “forlorn,” the word used by “S” in tipping us that the city DPD has posted an “emergency order” at the Shoremont after finding it in violation of city codes by being “open to entry” – see the complaint/violation history here. The Shoremont last changed hands in early 2008; we last heard from its owner/developers in October and will seek them out again for comment on this.

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Happening today/tonight: Mayor, Mobile Market, “Music Man”…

August 21, 2009 8:23 am

| Comments Off on Happening today/tonight: Mayor, Mobile Market, “Music Man”…

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | WS culture/arts

MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT: WSB will be at City Hall with the rest of the media at 10 am today to cover Mayor Greg Nickels‘ first news briefing since Election Night. Widespread speculation is that he will concede; after three days of vote-counting, he remains in third place, behind Joe Mallahan and Mike McGinn, though thousands of ballots remain to be counted.

DELRIDGE PRODUCE CO-OP MOBILE MARKET, WEEK 2: Lots of buzz about Week 1 of this experiment in making more fresh food available in Delridge. Today, this month-long pilot project starts its second week – a different location for each of four consecutive days (the same 4 each week). Find them today at Watts Electric, 9050 Delridge (map), 3:30-7:30 pm.

“THE MUSIC MAN”: Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) is now in the final weekend of this exuberant production (our video from last Saturday shows why we use that adjective!) – and since they had sellout crowds last weekend, you’ll want to buy tickets early (they’re available online). 7:30 pm tonight and Saturday, 3 pm Sunday, West Seattle High School Theater.

LAYNE STALEY TRIBUTE PRE-SHOW PARTY: Tonight, 7 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), there are “giveaways, raffles, a silent auction, rare video footage and a night of music from the late Seattle singer” one night before the downtown tribute concert raising money for heroin recovery in memory of the late rocker. More at the Feedback Lounge website.

That’s just part of what’s happening today/tonight – check the WSB Events calendar, and the coming-up-later-this-morning West Seattle Weekend Lineup, for more.

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