day : 13/02/2010 9 results

West Seattle student success: Hope Lutheran, SLHS, Chief Sealth

February 13, 2010 9:55 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle student success: Hope Lutheran, SLHS, Chief Sealth

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Some tales of student success to share tonight: First, Mike Jensen‘s been reporting from Portland via Twitter on the Hope Lutheran School participants in the Lutheran Elementary Schools Tournament. Above is a tweeted photo of 20 Hope students’ curtain call after “Romeo and Juliet“; this afternoon, he tweeted live as the awards were announced. For Hope (excerpts from tweets at @hopeseattle):

Hope’s blue ribbon instrumental from Aaron Abeyta (clarinet) and Garth Ball (sax)

Hope’s blue ribbon piano performances from; Taylor Kuhn, Kasandra Kruhn, Cooper Honeyman and Grant Doerr

Hope’s blue ribbon vocal performances by; Carina Andrews, Devon Fox, Samantha Hood and Kelly Walsh

Hope’s Faith Pressor places 3rd in the 6th grade math competition at LEST

The Hope cheer team places 2nd in the AAA cheer competition.

5/6th grade drill/dance team gets 3rd place in the 7/8th grade competition!

Last, but certainly not least, 8th grader Kayla Searle wins the Champion of Character award

We covered their sendoff rally (including video of cheer and drill performances) on Wednesday. Meantime, sister school Seattle Lutheran High School has some basketball results to report, thanks to Bil Hood:

Saints girls take fourth in league today. Will play at LaConner Thursday in the first game of district tournament. … The Saints boys beat Rainier Christian today 71-65, advancing the Saints to the district tournament. Drew Burza led the Saints with 28 points.

Then, we have a followup from last weekend – right about this time last Saturday, Chief Sealth High School music supporters, student musicians, and special guests like the West Seattle Big Band were sharing a gala dinner/performance experience. Monica Kenny just shared two photos and a recap:

If last Saturday you thought you heard some beautiful night music in the West Seattle air, you weren’t imagining it! February 6th was the Chief Sealth Jazz Band’s Big Band Dinner Dance held at the temporary Boren site. The Jazz Band students spent all day decorating the band stage, dance floor and dinner tables then put on their tuxedos and hit the stage. The event included a spaghetti dinner and free swing dance lessons so there was no excuse not to hit the dance floor. Once the Sealth Jazz Band’s set was compete the ever-popular West Seattle Big Band took the stage, allowing the student musicians the chance to join in on the swing dancing. This popular event is held every February and is lots of fun so mark your calendars for February 2011!

Thanks to everyone who shares school news – from event listings (got a fundraiser or show coming up?) to achievement reports, and more – lots of ways to share the news!

Share This

Update: Car down 48th/Dakota slope, 1 to hospital

February 13, 2010 6:00 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, substituted 6:46 pm for photo that was here since 6:11 pm)
ORIGINAL 6 PM REPORT: Big response for a “heavy rescue” at 48th/Dakota (map). Word from Christopher Boffoli, who’s just gotten to the scene, is that a vehicle’s gone over an embankment and the driver may have to be extricated (which is what “heavy rescue” usually means). (Thanks to Sheri for early word of this.) 6:04 PM: Scanner says one person’s been extricated and will go to the hospital via Medic (unit) 32. Many of the emergency units have been canceled. 6:19 PM: The rest of the emergency units have been cleared to leave. From Katie, who’s been to the scene, the description of the “embankment” is, “steep embankment into someone’s back yard. Sidewalk, then steep drop off into yard and from alley.” Katie also sent this photo:

At the scene, a tow crew’s getting ready to bring the car up the slope. [Added 6:55 pm – this shot from Christopher shows the perspective from the street – you can see how low the aforementioned house sits]

6:28 PM: The car’s up and the area’s open to traffic again. 6:42 PM: Side note – As Denise reminds us via Facebook, this area also had a major crash response a week and a half ago, on the day when West Seattle had 4 notable crashes in the span of 90 minutes (here’s our story from that afternoon). No word so far exactly what led to tonight’s crash, nor do we know the condition of the person taken to the hospital. 7:20 PM: Summary from Christopher, who was at the scene within minutes – this is what he learned from authorities and witnesses:

Single male driver came down Dakota at a high rate of speed. Struck a stationary vehicle. Neighbors heard the crash and ran out to help. One of them happened to be a nurse at HMC. The man was unconscious but the car was still running and in gear. They banged on the window to wake him but he was unresponsive. The car ended up rolling backward across the street and went down a steep embankment. Fire crews tore the roof off the car to extract the still unconscious man who is being transported to HMC.

Share This

Valentine’s Day in the wild: West Seattle eagle lovebirds

February 13, 2010 4:23 pm

| 26 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

If you browse through our Wildlife archive category, you’ll see amazing eagle photos, taken by various West Seattle photographers. These might be the most amazing yet, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Sandy Adams gets the hat tip – while we chatted at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce lunch last Wednesday, she mentioned these photos, taken by Melanie Dixon, showing an eagle couple apparently mating. And at Sandy’s request, Melanie agreed to share the photos. Click ahead to see three more; no, you can’t “see anything,” it’s pretty much PG (as is WSB in general), but they’re undeniably gorgeous (and unusual) pictures of the majestic birds who share our peninsula (by the way – they mate for life):Read More

Share This

From the WSB Forums: City bill made you do a double-take?

February 13, 2010 3:43 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle online

On a slow-ish Saturday afternoon, you can meander over to the WSB Forums if you haven’t already. Among the current discussion – Tigger and others are trying to figure out why their utility bills suddenly jumped. (Also browsable, the 100+ West Seattle-based sites that feed into the Blogs page – their latest entries are linked here.)

Share This

Happy Lunar New Year! Lion dance in White Center

February 13, 2010 12:40 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Holidays | White Center

We took a few dozen photos at the Lunar New Year lion dance in White Center, outside Pho My Loi restaurant (10439 16th SW), this morning, and while you can also see half a dozen of them inline at partner site White Center Now, we’re sharing them here too as a slideshow from the West Seattle Blog Flickr group. Starting tomorrow, it’s the lunar Year of the Tiger.

Share This

Seattle city parks not likely to become tobacco-free zones after all

February 13, 2010 9:18 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Compared to the semi-uproar that erupted when a new draft Code of Conduct for Seattle Parks was presented to the Parks Board a month ago, there wasn’t much attention when the board voted on a revised code this past Thursday night. We couldn’t make the meeting but checked in with Alki-residing board chair Jackie Ramels on Friday to ask what happened. First, she points out, 80% of the code – “25 existing rules and regulations pertaining to parks” – is from the Seattle Municipal Code, Revised Code of Washington, or current Parks Policy and Procedures. Six new rules/regulations were added. And there were some changes from the last revision of the draft code. Ramels says:

The proposed Code of Conduct passed, with some changes; these are pertaining to new rules:

1. we re-worded and shortened the bathroom one (improper use of restrooms)

2. smoking and use of tobacco products we recommended for playgrounds, playfields and beaches within 25 ft. of another person, rather than ALL parks

3. the other new proposed rules, we passed

She adds, “We made some additional recommendations pertaining to existing rules” – including expanding the language about dog owners cleaning up after their pets, “owner carry scoop equipment AND USE IT,” and recommending that Parks “coordinate with other city departments to address homelessness — a topic that came up several times during the public hearing two weeks earlier, which also saw passionate testimony for and against a total smoking ban. Final say on the Code of Conduct rests with the City Council; it’ll show up first in the Parks Committee, which has its next meeting Thursday, 9:30 am (though its agenda for that meeting isn’t online yet). The committee’s chair, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, was at the Thursday night Parks Board meeting. Parks Board side note from Ramels: “Last week the board had a nice breakfast with most of the living former board chairs (there are seven total). Of the five who attended, two are from West Seattle: Bruce Bentley and Margaret Ceis.”

Editor’s note postscript – As pointed out later in comments, this does NOT go to the City Council – it’s an administrative rule.

Share This

Today/tonight: West Seattle Valentine’s weekend, Day 1

February 13, 2010 8:00 am

| Comments Off on Today/tonight: West Seattle Valentine’s weekend, Day 1

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(Thanks to Kurt for the photo of a Friday rainbow over Mural [WSB sponsor] in The Junction)
First – our West Seattle Valentine’s Dining Guide has info for tonight as well as tomorrow, if you haven’t checked it out yet – see it here. Next, highlights from the West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Sima Martial Arts (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is offering a free couples’ kickboxing class at 12:30 today — this WSB Forums post has details (plus free couples’ yoga at co-located Limber Yoga tomorrow); another WSB sponsor, Mountain to Sound Outfitters, invites you to a free Olympics-kickoff barbecue at noon today (3602 SW Alaska; details here). (Find other West Seattle freebies for today and beyond by going here.) Radio Disney’s at West Seattle Thriftway for a free Valentine show 10:30 am-noon today; two movie notes – West Seattle Film Forum screens and discusses “500 Days of Summer” at Southwest Library, 10:30 am (free), while Admiral Theater has one more round of the “Twilight”/”New Moon” double bill, 4 pm. Three special events tonight – Family Game Night, supper included, 4:30-7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California SW), Parents’ Night Out at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), 5:30-10 pm (registration required – call to check on openings), and the West Seattle Sweetheart Community Dance at Hiawatha Community Center – swing dance lesson for beginners at 7, then dance to waltz, blues, more, as well as swing, 8-10 pm. Lots of live music too; the full Saturday list (and Sunday) is here!

Share This

Followup: Rebuilding resumes at burned Beach Drive home

February 13, 2010 1:25 am

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

We received this last weekend and realized we hadn’t shared it. The photo above came with just a few lines:

The house on Beach Drive that had a fire the day before Thanksgiving, has started rebuilding again. After a long wait with the Insurance investigator, we finally have the go ahead.

Thanks to all who have given us support.

The Joyce Family

That fire was ruled accidental, with damage around a quarter-million dollars, as we reported the day it happened..

Share This

West Seattle wildlife: Coyote (?) sighting near Jack Block Park

February 13, 2010 1:13 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Margaret sent this report Thursday night – as she notes, area animal-walkers might need to know, among others:

As I was walking my dog on Harbor Avenue today, I saw a wolf or a coyote dash across the street, from the harbor side to the wooded ravine. This occurred between Salty’s and the entrance to Jack Block Park. I think the animal may have been disturbed by someone driving a piece of heavy machinery pushing gravel around in the vacant lot next to Salty’s. The animal was almost hit by two cars as it crossed the street — one moving in each direction. It was about 12:30, in broad daylight. There was another witness (besides the drivers of the cars, who swerved to miss the animal) — a man walking toward Salty’s. He thought it was a wolf; I thought it was a coyote. In any case, it was not a loose dog. Perhaps people walking small animals in that area need to know. There is also a house … with goats in the back, on the hillside. I would hate to see carnage.

Wolf, pretty unlikely; coyote, much more likely. In fact, it’s been a little over a year since the case of the stranded coyote at Jack Block.

Share This