West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Checked The Map yet? Here’s the clickable Google Map version, and here’s the printable PDF version (or a Word doc if you prefer), for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day this Saturday, sales 1-200 (but cross off 105, which had to cancel), all over the peninsula, 9 am-3 pm. So far the weather looks promising! Time for some sneak peeks – first, we have a list from Lora Lewis at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), which again this year is a big group-sale site (#79 on the map), dozens of sellers in the courtyard (and next door at Ginomai). We’ve published the entire list at the official WSCGSD site. Other group/organization sale sites: Highland Park Improvement Club (sale #154), C & P Coffee (sale #107), CoolMom (sale #92) at Cycle U (WSB sponsor). And another reminder: The West Seattle Tool Library is taking donations at four sites, and sending “scavenger teams” out to buy tools. Full details (and list of locations) here.
Thanks to tech instructor Roni Ayalla from the Seattle YMCA for sharing the link to that video, along with the news that the West Seattle High School senior who’s featured, Rey Martinez, created the design that won the “Be the Change” T-shirt contest put on by PugetSoundOff.org and One Soul Revolution. OSR will print and sell Rey’s design; he also won an iPod.
Thanks to everybody who called, e-mailed and sent Facebook messages about the big police response at Admiral and California. Police at the scene confirm the Bank of America on Admiral at 44th has been robbed. No description at this point and no word of any arrest. The bank is closed because of the robbery. 6:34 PM UPDATE: Still no arrest, but Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James has a few more details: “No weapon seen, just a displayed note. The suspect was described as a white male, 35 years old. Witness stated he fled on foot to a waiting bluish/green Honda, driven by a female. Witness got a plate on it that turned out to be stolen plates.”
A followup today to Boeing‘s announcement last night that it’s reached an agreement on cleaning up part of the Duwamish River and restoring habitat. Our regional-news partners at the Seattle Times reported on the deal here. This evening, we have reaction on two fronts: First, we asked the advocacy group Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition for its thoughts – here’s what Thea Levkovitz says:
DRCC congratulates Boeing on being the first out of the gate to address not only the cleanup but the restoration of Habitat due to their polluting activities. We certainly hope that other Polluters will follow suit quickly. What the story did not mention is that habitat restoration is a requirement of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)process of the Superfund Law. There are two parts to Superfund. The first is the cleanup and the second is the restoration of habitat.
There is a lot of work to be done on the river including the draft Feasibility Study (cleanup plan) for the entire river in October, 2010. That will be the opportunity for the residents of West Seattle to weigh in and make sure that we get the best cleanup possible.
Also, we just received a King County news release with reaction from County Executive Dow Constantine – click ahead to read it:Read More
We first talked with Ken Ahroni of Lucky Break Wishbone two years ago, when he notched a pivotal win in his fight against Sears and ad agency Young and Rubicam, over the plastic turkey bones they used in a promotion – which seemed a lot like the ones he had been making and selling. Today, Ahroni e-mailed to say, “After four years, we finally prevailed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.” That federal court just rejected the challenge to the $1.7 million award he had won in a copyright case first filed in early 2006; the ad agency had talked to Ahroni’s company almost a year before that about possibly using his wishbones in a Thanksgiving promotion for Sears – procuring a sample, not striking a deal, then hiring another company to produce plastic wishbones in China. (Lucky Break Wishbones are manufactured in Auburn.) From the Lucky Break news release announcing the decision (you can read it in its entirety here):
“The Ninth Circuit’s decision reaffirms the validity of Lucky Break’s claims and originality in product design,” said (Ahroni’s lawyer). “As business becomes more globalized, it will be critical that U.S. courts uphold intellectual property rights in a manner that continues to encourage innovation and creativity. This case is an excellent example of the principle in action.”
After getting the news release about his court victory, we checked with Ahroni to ask if this is indeed the end of the legal line – he says, yes, case closed. And business is good, he tells WSB – sales of his wishbones were up 10 percent in 2009 over the previous year. If you’d like to read the appeals court’s decision, here it is in its entirety (Ahroni clarifies that “not for publication” does not mean what you’d think – it’s a term referring to the decision’s future uses).
(Photo courtesy King County Department of Transportation)
As reported in previous coverage of the King County plan to close the South Park Bridge on June 30th, they’ve been awaiting one last consultant analysis to confirm their assessment that the bridge is too unsafe to keep open. This afternoon, that report is complete, and the county says it indeed underscores their decision. According to a news release from the county (read it here), the bridge “is in such poor condition it can no longer be safely used by the public.” The county also has posted the full report – you can see it here. Still no funding to replace the bridge, but logistical planning for its closure continues, with two meetings ahead May 11 and 25, as noted in our coverage of last week’s meeting about the “draft closure plan.”
(WSB photo by Edgar Riebe)
Big assembly at Alki Elementary School this afternoon – a player/coach delegation from the Seattle Mariners swept in for a D.R.E.A.M. Team assembly. Alki is one of a half-dozen schools around the region that got these special visits today, the only one in West Seattle, as part of the 13th annual Mariners Education Day. D.R.E.A.M., by the way, stands for “Drug-free, Respect for yourself and others, Education through reading, Attitude, and Motivation to achieve your dreams.” ADDED 6:56 PM: Video – including an allusion to the tough times the M’s have been having on the field – here are the highlights, shot and edited for WSB by Edgar Riebe of Captive Eye Media:
Maybe it’s just a day for news about dates. We just heard from Kat Sparks-Jones, who explains that she’s the new property manager/tenant relations coordinator for the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse:
We are excited about the future and legacy of this great building; We would love to make
the community aware of our purchase celebration scheduled for June 3rd. … We would love to encourage the community to come out and view the building! It will be an open-house style event, with Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes providing treats. The Fauntleroy Community Service Agency founder will be cutting the ribbon.
Kat says more details will be available next week. The purchase of the schoolhouse and some of the surrounding property, previously owned by Seattle Public Schools, was completed in February, as reported here.
Three dates to share for The Junction: First, as shared by Friends of Junction Plaza Park, June 5 is set for the start of a community planting party after construction concludes at the new park at 42nd/Alaska – and June 29th is the date currently set for the park to be dedicated. From West Seattle Junction Association‘s Susan Melrose:
We’ve decided to have it on a weekday evening to make it easy to attend – after work, before dinner, and not interfering with weekend plans. The gathering will commence at 5:30; we’ll have some speakers, officially open the park and enjoy what we hope will be a lovely summer evening.
The park is slated to be complete weeks prior, but we’ll allow time for the concrete to cure and fresh roots to take hold. The grass area will remain closed beyond the park’s dedication to ensure a strong lawn, but will be open for Summer Fest on July 9, 10 and 11.
We’re also having a community planting day on Saturday, June 5 and maybe 6th. We have almost 800 native plants to install in the park and we anticipate having two planting shifts on the 5th. About 40 volunteers will be needed and if you’d like to sign up or have questions, please email susan@wsjunction.org.
Also, a new event’s planned in The Junction – WSJA is presenting a Health Fair on June 13th, 10 am-2 pm – you’ll get to meet Junction health-care providers including Westside Dermatology (WSB sponsor); more details to come.
Remember the Junction KeyBank heist one month ago today? It’s believed the robber has struck again – and as this release from the King County Sheriff’s Office notes, they’re definitely thinking it might be a man disguising himself as a woman:
The Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police, and the FBI are looking for what is possibly a male bank robber who disguises himself as a woman to rob banks—at least two so far.
The first robbery attributed to this suspect was on April 5th at the KeyBank, 4701 California Ave SW. The robber gave the teller demand note. No weapon was seen.
The second robbery was on April 28th at the Sterling Savings Bank in Burien, 224 SW 152nd. This time a note was also handed to the teller. But then the robber said there were “men who will hurt me” and that “she had kids”.
The teller did not hand over any money and believed the suspect was a woman. However detectives viewed surveillance video and came to the conclusion most likely “she” is actually a “he”.
The suspect is about 5’ 5” and 135 lbs. perhaps 40 to 50 years old. At the Sterling Bank his face appeared “bruised”. He/she wore a black hat, with a brim, yellow scarf, dark blazer jacket, black shirt, and black gloves.
Here’s a shot from the Burien heist.
Compare to a shot from April 5th in West Seattle:
Call 911 if you have any information about the robber – or, from our report last month: “Contact the FBI by telephone at (206) 622-0460, or e-mail at seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov.”
(Tuesday photo by David Hutchinson, taken from Don Armeni)
Tonight – Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark is scheduled to visit the Southwest District Council‘s regular meeting, where you’ll also get an update on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project – now with a week and a half to go till the 1st Avenue South onramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge closes. The SWDC series of neighborhood-plan presentations continues as well, with council co-chair Chas Redmond presenting the Morgan Junction Neighborhood Plan (see the full original plan here). SWDC meets in the board room at South Seattle Community College (map), 7 pm … Also tonight, CoolMom‘s monthly meeting focuses on edible gardening, 7 pm at C & P Coffee at 5612 California SW (and remember, CoolMom’s got a big group sale on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day this Saturday at Cycle University [WSB sponsor], sale #92 on the map). … And tonight, you’ll find Cinco de Mayo specials all over the peninsula – Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) has a drink special on its website (which also reveals when they’ll debut the new drink menu discussed in our recent story about their 1st birthday), and in the Admiral District, Mission‘s planning a bash including giveaways and DJs.
11:34 PM UPDATE: Southwest District coordinator Stan Lock has just sent word that Councilmember Clark is sick and won’t be at this meeting, but will reschedule for a later date.
That’s one side of the T-shirt that West Seattle student Michelle Baker and her group from Seattle University is selling to raise money for a trip to Nicaragua next month – there, they’ll build safer cooking stoves. Here’s a photo from a student trip last year:
Michelle explains:
This is an amazing opportunity for us as students working towards a just and humane world. Our team is officially named Friends of Nicaragua and we are a student-led group that will go for two weeks at the end of June to work with a local (to Nicaragua) non-profit organization based in Managua. The non-profit is El Porvenir (meaning The Future in Spanish) and rural Nicaraguan communities come to them with proposals for work that needs to be done in their individual community. This can be anything, from building stoves in their houses so they aren’t living in smoke-filled huts when cooking, to wells for water sanitation, to planting trees to make stable ground and to sell the wood ten years later.
They’re running short of money to make the trip, though, and that’s why they’re selling T-shirts, $10 each – send checks to 2731 44th SW, Seattle 98116. If you have questions, you can e-mail her: bakerm1@seattleu.edu
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