day : 07/09/2009 6 results

(Photos courtesy Maureen Gillis)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

You’re a beginning runner — say, you’ve been jogging a few miles a few days a week for the past couple of months — and someone asks if you’d like to run a 27-mile marathon through Peruvian peaks to Machu Picchu (map) on one of the most challenging race trails in the world. Would you do it?

If you’re 26-year-old Maureen “Mo” Gillis, the answer is, absolutely!

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West Seattle Weather Watch: NEXT weekend looks promising …

September 7, 2009 3:33 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Alki Beach fire this chilly holiday weekend, photographed by Greg Wright)
The rainiest/windiest/coldest of this storm episode is past, according to the National Weather Service, which dangles the possibility of sunny, 70s-ish weather NEXT weekend in its newest forecast. There was a bit of trouble in the weekend turbulence, though – we heard from Mark in the 6700 block of Beach Drive (map); his 23-foot boat broke free from its buoy – and neighbors reported it as it blew past their homes – it finally stopped about a mile north, where they planned to retrieve it at high tide.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 3 reports – and prevention info

September 7, 2009 1:30 pm

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| Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Before we get to the reports that have come in over the holiday weekend, the prevention info: In the photo, that’s Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow. If you’re interested in setting up a Block Watch, or getting more information about prevention, he’s the guy you contact. We photographed him at a home in the southeastern corner of Gatewood last week; he was there at the request of neighbors who were concerned about burglaries in the area. He stressed that one powerful way to deter crime is for neighbors to know each other; being aware of what’s usual on your block helps you notice more quickly something that’s not. He also walked neighbors through making a map of their block with the names and addresses of residents clearly marked on the map. He said people need to give their neighbors permission to watch each others’ homes. You can contact him, to find out about Block Watch and/or neighborhood presentations, through the info on this page; you can also peruse prevention advice here. Meantime, we have reports of two car break-ins and a scooter theft, from three different West Seattle neighborhoods, ahead:Read More

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West Seattle history: How Alki Point was born

September 7, 2009 11:47 am

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| West Seattle history

The following story originally appeared in the Alki News Beacon in 2002, says writer John Sheirbon, but he asked if we’d be interested in sharing it with you – we didn’t see it first time around and maybe you didn’t either.

(another great aerial photo by Gatewood pilot Long Nguyen – Alki Point at upper right)
By John Sheirbon
Special to West Seattle Blog

Between 900 and 930 AD, the Puget Sound region was shaken by a strong earthquake (of at least magnitude 7) along what is now called the Seattle Fault. While researching this piece, I wondered what it might have been like to experience the event. Herewith, a yarn:

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West Seattle swimming: Final day for Colman Pool’s 2009 season

September 7, 2009 9:31 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Chilly or not, this is the final day of 2009 operations for Colman Pool on the shore in Lincoln Park. It’s on a “holiday” schedule – page 5 of the brochure – which means: Lap swim noon-1:30 pm, public swim 1:45-4:45 pm, half lap swim/half family swim 5-7 pm. (This was also supposed to be the final day of the season for city wading pools, but unlike swimming pools, they don’t open if the forecast doesn’t call for temperatures of at least 70 degrees; you can check the wading-pool hotline at 206-684-7796.)

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West Seattle Labor Day 2009: Changes, closures

September 7, 2009 6:03 am

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| Holidays | West Seattle news

(photo of Sunday afternoon rainbow, courtesy of Babs)
BUSES: Metro is on a Sunday schedule; Sound Transit is also on a Sunday schedule (same for ST light rail, but Sounder trains are NOT running)
KING COUNTY WATER TAXI: West Seattle-downtown route, and its land shuttles, are on a Saturday schedule
STATE FERRIES: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth is on a “holiday weekend” schedule
MAIL DELIVERY? No
TRASH/RECYCLING/YARD WASTE PICKUP? Regular schedule, if you are usually on Mondays
LIBRARIES: Not till tomorrow
LIQUOR STORES: Most are open 11 am-7 pm, including West Seattle and White Center
MOST GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: Closed
FREE STREET PARKING IN PAY STATION/METER ZONES? Yes
COFFEE: Labor Day doesn’t usually have as many closures as the winter holidays so we don’t have a complete list, but we can tell you that the two coffee providers on the WSB sponsor roster are both open: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse 7 am-6 pm, Coffee at the Heights 7 am-2 pm