day : 03/03/2010 13 results

First note from tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting – a reminder about something first announced at the group’s last meeting: We’re now less than two weeks away from the organizational/planning meeting of a neighborhood council for the Genesee area – which would cover much of the turf currently unrepresented between Alki/Admiral/The Junction. That meeting is still on for 7 pm March 16 at West Seattle PCC (WSB sponsor); SWDC co-chair Chas Redmond has put together a flyer that we’re expecting to get shortly – we’ll add it here (and to this meeting’s entry on the WSB Events calendar) when it arrives. 12:10 AM: Added the map he sent – and here’s the flyer.

Coming to Admiral Theater: “Running the Sahara,” w/ special guest

March 3, 2010 8:15 pm

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| Admiral Theater | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

One week from tonight, there’s a special screening at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater: The documentary “Running the Sahara,” a documentary produced and narrated by actor Matt Damon, directed by Oscar winner James Moll. According to information shared by Dinah Brein McClellan from The Admiral, it’s about three ultra-marathoners’ bid to run the entire length of the Sahara Desert – 4,300 miles, six countries – 50 miles a day. One of the athletes, Charlie Engle, will be at The Admiral for audience Q/A right after the screening. It’s at 6:30 next Wednesday night (March 10), and tickets are available online for $25 – that’s $10 less than the price at the door – here’s where to buy them; the price also includes a DVD of the film.

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Site note: Sorry about the outage

March 3, 2010 7:42 pm

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| West Seattle online

Our server-management company had an outage that apparently affected more than just WSB. First long outage (about 45 minutes) in a very long time – nonetheless, we, and they, work hard to make sure this site is reliable, so we apologize for being unavailable. If you ever have trouble bringing the site up, we do note outages on our other channels – @westseattleblog on Twitter, WS Blog on Facebook – and we’d post breaking news there if necessary (as we do anyway).

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Video: Seattle firefighters train to be ready for quakes, attacks

March 3, 2010 4:41 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Story, video and photos by Christopher Boffoli
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

As powerful aftershocks rumbled through central Chile today, closer to home, Seattle firefighters scrambled over a twisted pile of steel reinforced concrete and mangled cars.

Throughout the month of March, SFD is doing structural collapse training at their Joint Training Facility on Myers Way on the southeastern edge of West Seattle, part of their annual rescue training aimed at providing every city firefighter with the necessary skills to deal with what they may someday have to do here in Seattle.

Dana Vander Houwen, Public Information Officer for the Seattle Fire Department, told me today that even though the SFD actually has an excellent specialized technical rescue team, if a catastrophic event were to occur in Seattle they “would not be able to be everywhere.” So by broadening the training for firefighters, the entire department will have essential rescue skills.

The rubble pile being used this month was designed by Seattle firefighters who have training in engineering a rescue environment. It is reasonably realistic but still is generally structurally sound and safe for firefighters to train in. Though Vander Houwen added that part of the training does involve having the firefighters assess for themselves the structural safety of the scene, adding bracing or support where necessary. Adult and child-sized dummies are placed strategically in the rubble:

During the training, firefighters also must make decisions about locating victims, prioritizing patients based on the severity of injuries and the complexity of extraction, and developing strategies to remove the victims in a way that is safe for rescuers. Throughout the process they will use an arsenal of rescue tools, including various saws, the jaws of life, rescue baskets, ropes, etc. Vander Houwen says that each year the training is varied. But the simulated earthquake theme this year seems particularly relevant after powerful earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, as well as this week’s anniversary of Seattle’s Nisqually earthquake. Vander Houwen says this particular training scenario “is a way for firefighters to get hands-on training for an earthquake scenario or terrorist attack.”

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Fire-gutted Alki home torn down, almost 2 years later

March 3, 2010 4:10 pm

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| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(July 2008 photo by David Hutchinson)
That was one of many photos we published the night of July 25, 2008, when flames engulfed a duplex on 56th SW, just off Alki Ave, sending up smoke that was seen for miles around and drew quite a crowd. What was left of the charred building has stood there ever since – till now:

According to city records, a permit was granted in January for “fire damage repair and addition … to existing duplex”; last month, the permit was amended to add “demolition of fire-damaged portions” of the duplex.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car broken into, ransacked

March 3, 2010 3:35 pm

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| Arbor Heights | Crime | West Seattle news

From MCM :

Our car was broken into overnight last night while parked on our driveway in the Arbor Heights neighborhood, close to the intersection of 32nd Ave SW and 104th [map]. The contents of the glove box and console were tossed as well as all of our grocery bags in the back seat. Items taken included a GPS unit, various loose items and a bag of change. Made a police report first thing this morning. We have seen an increase in drug activity and petty theft on the block.

Police have said that GPS units are a target in particular – so if you have one, not only is it important to take it out of the car, but don’t even leave hints (like suction cup/s on the windshield) visible.

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Another update from Olympia: “Jason McKissack Act” to full Senate

March 3, 2010 1:26 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle politics

The “Jason McKissack Act” is EHB 1679, the bill we’ve been following closely, to keep catastrophically injured public-safety personnel from losing health coverage because they can’t work, renamed in honor of the now-former SPD officer attacked in 2008 while on duty in West Seattle. The bill, which stalled in the Legislature last year, already has won full House approval and, after an outpouring of public support, made it out of Senate Ways and Means earlier this week – now, we just got word from law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher that the Senate Rules Committee has sent it on to the floor. Just last night, Jason’s wife Kim McKissack posted a public “thank you” as a comment on an earlier WSB story – read it here.

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Feedback Lounge is open and rockin’, even during sidewalk work

March 3, 2010 1:16 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

By the time the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) celebrates its 1st birthday next month, the sidewalk out front will be brand-new – the city says the work should be done by March 19; . In the meantime, the sidewalk repair/replacement work’s a little daunting to look at – this is the view out the front door (the city’s working to protect the street trees):

But Feedback proprietor Jeff Gilbert says they’re still open, regular hours, regular food and fun (as of a few months ago, they’ve been open for lunch, starting at 11 am, and their online calendar lists the weekly special features, like the now-famous Sunday Ribs) . You just need to go ’round back to get in, till the sidewalk’s done.

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Kiwanis Club of West Seattle honors police as “Everyday Heroes”

March 3, 2010 12:02 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle police

From left, that’s Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler with Michael LaFranchi and West Niver from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, as Kiwanians honored Capt. Kessler and his team as “Everyday Heroes.” The presentation at the precinct this past hour included not just a certificate, but also carrot cake – luckily things were fairly quiet, so some of the precinct leadership and officers were able to take a quick break for the occasion, right after second watch roll-call. (video added 12:35 pm)

Past Kiwanis honorees, as noted in the video, have included West Seattle’s firefighters; West Seattle Kiwanis meets three times a month at Be’s Restaurant in The Junction – 7 am breakfast meetings the 1st and 3rd Wednesday, noon the 2nd Wednesday – and presents special events, like the Charity Motorcycle Run and Car Show coming up May 15 – read all about it here.

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Next Clean and Green event in West Seattle set for March 27

March 3, 2010 10:01 am

| Comments Off on Next Clean and Green event in West Seattle set for March 27

| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Photo from June 2009 Clean and Green event in West Seattle, preparing Genesee P-Patch)
Just got word from Stan Lock, the city’s Southwest District Coordinator for the Department of Neighborhoods, that a Clean and Green event is coming up March 27, 9 am, Fairmount Playground (map). Tree-planting and litter pickup are part of the plan, and the official city flyer says those who are already on board include Rotarians, Boy Scouts and city officials. The city brings the tools; refreshments are provided; just bring yourself, family, friends, neighbors to help “spruce up” the area. Need more info? Ron Harris-White (ron.harris-white@seattle.gov or 206-684-7389)

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Today/tonight: Police award; library future; SW District Council …

March 3, 2010 6:03 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Eric Bell from fridgefoto.biz)
From the WSB Events calendar: 11 am, join the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle at the Southwest Precinct as they present the Everyday Hero Award (explained here) to Captain Joe Kessler on behalf of all the SPD personnel who serve West Seattle. Carrot cake is promised too. … 4-6 pm at High Point Library, come join the conversation about the Seattle Public Library‘s future. Read more here … 7 pm, two events – West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen guests at the Southwest District Council’s monthly meeting (board room at South Seattle Community College), and our energy future is the focus of CoolMom‘s monthly meeting at C & P Coffee. … REMINDERS: Don Armeni Boat Ramp (including the parking lot) is scheduled to close this afternoon and stay closed for two days for paving work … Today’s an early-dismissal day for Seattle Public Schools.

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Your vote can help West Seattle contenders in Neuro Film Festival

March 3, 2010 2:44 am

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| Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

That short film – 7 minutes – is by two West Seattleites, Max Larkin and Emily Boardway, and if you can spare the time to watch and rate it, you could help them keep advancing the film’s mission: Telling the story of Young Onset Dementia. The short film, “The Music in Hugh: A Look at Young Onset Dementia,” shows Max taking care of – and sharing music and laughter with – his father, a practicing physician until stricken by YOD a few years ago at age 56. The film is entered in the 2010 Neuro Film Festival, launched by the American Academy of Neurology Foundation. If Max and Emily win, the prize will go toward their project Spoke Your Mind, not just raising awareness about Young Onset Dementia but also gathering support for the children of those with it. There are three prizes in the festival, including Fan Favorite, which is where your vote comes in – after you watch the video (or before), click through to its page on the YouTube site and rate it – you need a YouTube or Google log-in for that. The voting deadline is 3/17 (two weeks from today).

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New show at Twilight Artist Collective: “10 and Change”

March 3, 2010 12:58 am

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| Announcements

From Twilight, in The Junction:

SHOW: 10 and Change, curated by Kate Protage

WHERE: TwAC Gallery / WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION

WHEN: Opening Reception during the West Seattle Art Walk Thursday, March 11, from 6 to 9 PM

In a time when many people are scaling back on luxuries, how do we keep the momentum and interest in collecting art going? How about by making it so irresistible that it’s a necessity?

TwAC artist Kate Protage is on a mission: to give people more opportunities to collect art that speaks to them, that’s also affordable and accessible. She challenged ten notable Seattle artists to “think big by creating small.” How do their concepts and styles translate to a small-scale format? Join us in March and see.

10 and Change features a 10″ x 10″ piece plus other brand new work by:

Michelle Anderst
Sharon Arnold
James Caudle
RobRoy Chalmers
Chris Crites
Cristin Ford
Zanetka Gawronski
Ryan Molenkamp
Cheryl Robinson
Chris Sheridan

Show runs from Thursday, 3/07 to Monday, 4/05.

ABOUT TWILIGHT:

TWILIGHT ARTIST COLLECTIVE “TwAC” is an eclectic group of more than 60 contemporary artists, who are largely based in Seattle. We are focused on providing the venue for ourselves and others to share inspiration, expose people to original ideas through art, and build a sustainable artist community. We are committed to making art a part of our everyday lives, and strive to be the catalyst for a greater collection, exhibition and appreciation of fine art.

In addition to exhibiting throughout the region, the Twilight Artist Collective operates a brick and mortar store in the West Seattle Junction where we show and sell work from all the artists in the collective. The store offers fine art in a variety of mediums including: painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, clothing and much more. Please visit www.twilightart.net or our store for more information about the collective, joining and our unique art from local artists.

Twilight in the Junction is located at: 4306 SW Alaska St. Seattle, WA. 98116