It’s been almost two months since the sudden death of Phoenecia at Alki proprietor Hussein Khazaal (here’s our original report; here’s coverage of his Alki memorial). His family said at the time that they would take a while to decide the fate of the restaurant that he had so lovingly operated for so many years. Now, they’ve made the decision. We talked today with Hussein’s son William Khazaal, after many people had e-mailed us to ask if the exterior work at the restaurant (the photo at right was taken yesterday) was an indication a decision had been made. William says yes – they’ve decided to reopen, so that’s why they’re doing some work, inside as well as outside. He says they spent a lot of time considering what might be the right course of action; they talked about selling the restaurant, but came to the conclusion they just didn’t want to see the space turned into something else. William says the staff remains, and a chef who left a few months back is returning to help out. According to William, he and his sisters plan to be there to manage each night. He says they will bring back the same menu, along with several dishes his dad had been experimenting with in the months before his death. They believe they can provide customers with good food and great service, but the atmosphere will be a bit more casual, he said, and a bit more affordable. Most of all, William told us, they want to thank the hundreds of people who sent e-mail and other messages of sympathy and well-wishes after their father’s death. They currently hope to reopen the restaurant in early December.
In our coverage last night of the Seattle Lutheran High School Homecoming, we included video of the Chief Sealth High School Band‘s appearance and mentioned a WSB’er had reported they brought home a big prize at the Issaquah Salmon Days Parade earlier in the day. Tonight, we have a detailed report from Chief Sealth (and Denny Middle School) band director Marcus Pimpleton, along with the photo above:
Congratulations are in order for the Chief Sealth High School Marching Band for their outstanding performance at the Issaquah Salmon Days Parade on Saturday October 3rd. The band took 1st place in the band division, besting regional favorites Interlake, Skyline, Liberty and Issaquah. The band received an average score of 97 from the three judge panel with one judge commenting “Wow… just wow!” and another commenting “Great! Just great!”. The Seahawk Band was praised for their lines, uniformity, footwork, music choices, intonation, dynamics, and choreography.
Earlier this month the Sealth Band also won the Music Award from the Fiestas Patrias Parade in South Park, and joined forces with students from the Seattle All-City Band to help kick off the Light the Night Walk at Greenlake raising funds to fight blood borne cancers. The Chief Sealth Band is under the direction of Marcus Pimpleton, who is in his first year as band director at Sealth and his eighth year at Denny Middle School. It has been eleven years since the Sealth band has managed to upset the eastside schools at Salmon Days.
Thanks to Gary J and Desiree, who both sent news/photos of that big tree limb down at Alki, on this windy afternoon (that’s Gary’s pic, above). Forecast says we could see wind up to 25 mph at times tonight. ADDED 5:58 PM: One other weather note – Jenny says her family lost a kite, and her 7-year-old thought WSB’ers might be able to help find it:
What a great day to fly a kite, and lose one! My husband and sons were flying kites up on Genesee Hill near 55th and Bradford, and one got loose. It’s rainbow with a fluorescent orange tail. It was last seen headed south around Dakota and 55th. [map] … If they find it, please ask them to call Jenny at 935-7389.
This one, unlike our earlier report about the Junction holdup, comes directly from the business that was hit: Sometime Thursday night/Friday morning, Circa in the Admiral District was burglarized – manager Alphonsine tells us it was sometime after midnight, and it was discovered when the early-shift cook arrived at 7 am, to find a side door had been opened with a crowbar. The burglar/s removed the face of the safe and took cash/receipts – no one’s sure quite how much. This differed, she says, from the January break-in (WSB coverage here), when the safe was virtually empty. Nothing else was damaged this time except the safe, described as “beyond repair”; no arrests reported so far.
At Alki UCC‘s “Blessing of the Animals” service this morning, Rev. Diane Darling ministers to Joe Mitter’s canine companion, while elsewhere in the sanctuary, other prospective bless-ees awaited:
The Order, by the way, has members from around the country, as you can see here, though Brother Wilder is from West Seattle; it’s not a cloistered order. One other photo from the St. John event, as participants milled about in the sunshine:
These events are traditional for many churches on or near the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. In addition to today’s events, Providence Mount St. Vincent welcomed residents’ and visitors’ pets for blessings on Saturday morning.
From SPDBlotter: Police arrested four suspects after a knifepoint holdup in The Junction last night, with the help of not only the victim, but also an alert neighbor who spotted something suspicious. The report says:
… the victim closed up shop in the 4700 block of California Av SW and began to walk to his vehicle parked on 42 Av SW. 4 males who had been hanging around the area came up and grabbed him from behind. The suspects held a knife to the victim’s mid section and robbed him of his daily cash deposit , his personal wallet, and cell phone.
The males walked back to their vehicle parked around the corner. The victim followed the 4 suspects and observed them get into their vehicle and drive away. He called 911 to report the Armed Robbery. At 11:43 p.m., a concerned neighbor saw a burgundy vehicle parked in front of his house. The occupants were throwing items out the window. He called 911 to report the disturbance. Officers quickly arrived and noted the vehicle and occupants matched the descriptions of the Robbery suspects.
The report doesn’t say how far away the suspects were caught (we’ll be checking). The items found on the ground included the victim’s credit cards and driver’s license; one suspect had cash, another had a check from the victim’s business. Police say all four were booked – three are juveniles, so they’re at the Youth Services Center; one is an adult and went to King County Jail. 9:13 PM UPDATE: Det. Renee Witt of the SPD media unit answered our followup note – she says she doesn’t have all the additional details we’re looking for, except that the robbery victim was affiliated with “the teriyaki place in The Junction,” which in the block in question would be Yummy Teriyaki. She promises to get us those additional details when she has access to more documents in the office tomorrow.
It’ll be a really important night for WSHS parents/guardians to come to school, says Carol Viger:
West Seattle High School Curriculum Night 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm [Thursday 10/8]. Visit classrooms, meet your student’s teachers. A Barnes and Noble manager will be present to answer questions regarding the PTSA’s upcoming Bookfair Fundraiser November 27, 28, 29 for PTSA Grad Night 2010, and to show popular college-planning handbooks, resources for December (Holiday) break reading!!! Grad Night will launch ticket sales, take deposits and answer questions. Contact: cviger@comcast.net or 718-2442
Two days after that, a Grad Night fundraiser car wash is planned at the school – 10 am-2 pm Saturday, October 10th.
CROP WALK: Alki UCC is also, as usual, the starting point for the annual Seattle CROP Walk to fight hunger; you will see walkers, many with special vests, some carrying signs, on a route around Alki Point starting around 1:30 pm (if you want to join them, register at 1).
FREE YOGA: It’s in the Freebies/Deals/Sales section of the WSB Forums, too, but if you missed it – SoundYoga (WSB sponsor) is offering one of its periodic Free Sunday Yoga sessions today, 11 am-12:15 pm.
Might just have looked like a big group out for a walk in the Saturday sunshine – but what you see in the start of that video was part of the Holy Rosary centennial celebration, as a group of parishioners walked from the church’s current location to one of its past locations, now home to St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church<. Holy Rosary was on that site 1913-1922. The pilgrimage was greeted by members of St. John’s, including its Rev. Peter DeVeau, and they viewed displays of what the area looked like a century ago:
Members of the two churches held a joint prayer service followed by lunch. The culmination of Holy Rosary’s centennial is next Sunday, when Archbishop Alex Brunett is scheduled to celebrate Mass at 9:30 and 11:30 am at HR, with a parish gathering afterward.
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