The group is the brainchild of Mountain to Sound owner Greg Whittaker, who hopes to provide better access to local skiing and snowboarding areas for area youth by arranging group transportation to the Cascades from West Seattle.
Whitaker introduced himself to about a dozen attendees by saying that his participation in a similar program was a formative experience and that he wanted to assure local youth the same opportunities he had. “I’m pretty passionate about it.”
Following up on the High Point stabbing almost three weeks ago: The man who’s been in jail since then, in lieu of $1 million bail, 22-year-old Marcus Combs, was supposed to be in court this morning to enter a plea to the charge of first-degree assault, but instead, his arraignment was postponed until May 26th. According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, “Combs will undergo a 15-day mental evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.” The victim, a 40-year-old woman whom investigators say was attacked randomly while walking with her 9-year-old, has been recovering at home since the day after the attack.
Not all media events are worth mentioning ahead of time. But given the history of the jail-site fight in West Seattle, particularly Highland Park, dating back 2 full years now – we thought some would want to know about a media event announced for tomorrow morning. Here’s the exact wording of the advisory sent to us and other news outlets:
On Thursday, King County Executive Dow Constantine will announce a significant development in the regional jail planning process.
He will be joined by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Shoreline Mayor Keith McGlashan, King County Council Chair Bob Ferguson and Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata.
Shoreline is one of the “North/East” King County cities that banded together a year and a half ago. It’s also home to one of the six sites that the group has been looking at – three are in Seattle (including Highland Park Way/West Marginal Way SW in West Seattle), one in Bellevue, and one in unincorporated King County – though the need for new jail space recently moved further into the future). The announcement is scheduled for 9:15 tomorrow morning at the County Executive’s HQ downtown; it is NOT a public event, but we’ll be there and will bring you details of the announcement immediately.
(video highlights added to the end of this story early Thursday) Right now at The Hall at Fauntleroy, our area’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats, have just started their regular meeting, after a special event – campaign kickoff for State Sen. Joe McDermott‘s King County Council run; he thanked the crowd for their support. He and his fellow 34th District legislators, Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, are scheduled to provide a legislative update during the meeting; the 34th DDs also are scheduled to make one or more endorsements from among the three Democrats running for Rep. Nelson’s seat (she’s running, unopposed so far, for McDermott’s Senate seat). We’ll provide in-progress updates as news happens.
7:25 PM UPDATE: News just happened. One of the three candidates, Mike Heavey, has just withdrawn from the race. The room was clearly shocked – our reporter there says there was an audible gasp. 7:42 PM UPDATE: We talked to Heavey for clarification. He is **NOT** dropping out of the race – but is withdrawing from the endorsement process that’s under way at the meeting right now.
(Photo by Dina Johnson, added Wednesday) 7:47 PM UPDATE: Results of the endorsement vote – Marcee Stone (above) gets the 34th DDs’ members’ endorsement, with 65% of the 120+ votes cast, double what Joe Fitzgibbon received. PCOs are taking a separate vote. 9:04 PM: The meeting’s over. Stone also won the PCO vote, which translates to the party’s official nomination. We’ll add a bit more about the meeting later, including video highlights. 1:37 AM THURSDAY: Those highlights are here, in video shot/edited for WSB by Edgar Riebe of Captive Eye Media:
Thanks to everyone who called/texted about police activity in The Junction just before 6 pm tonight – we happened to be en route to the Triangle Advisory Group meeting steps away and caught the end of it, just after police had cuffed a suspect (iPhone photo above). Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James confirms the original call was about a shoplifter at the liquor store who was suspected of having a gun – that’s why police were in the area looking for him with their guns drawn – Lt. James says the suspect turned out not to be armed. Onlookers lined the sidewalk when we arrived in the area – business staffers as well as shoppers – and one bystander called out to this officer, who was putting away his rifle as he returned to his car, “Good work!”
ADDED 8:14 PM: A few more details from Lt. Ron Smith: “Officer responded to a call of a subject in the liquor store … placing a bottle in his pants pocket. Store employee confronted the subject and advised him that the police were called. The subject denied taking the bottle and was observed removing the bottle and returning the bottle to the shelf. The employee observed what she thought was a handgun in the front of his pants. The subject left the store and was contacted by patrol officers a short distance away. The subject was positively identified by store employees. No weapon was found on the subject, who appeared to be a transient with mental issues. He was transported downtown.”
First Junction note – as the weather warms up even more, another sidewalk café is in progress – driving by Shadowland this afternoon, we noticed work proceeding on its outdoor area. We mentioned the application here in early April. Now, another outdoor project:
(Photo by Donna Ryan Photography)
Second note: Construction work at Junction Plaza Park (northwest corner of 42nd/Alaska) is proceeding full speed ahead – and it’s time to sign up to join the community planting party right after it’s done. According to Friends of Junction Plaza Park, volunteers are needed to plant almost 800 native plants on June 5th – 20 for each of two 4-hour shifts. “Training, materials and refreshments are provided,” says the FoJPP announcement – just bring yourself (and family/friends if available!). RSVP now to susan@wsjunction.org or 206-935-0904 – then after helping with the planting party on June 5, beam with pride at your handiwork as the park is dedicated at 5:30 pm June 29th.
This Saturday, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is putting on its first Charity Motorcycle Poker Run and Bike & Classic Car Show – and they just sent word, they’ve still got room for more cars:
Calling All Cars!
Do you have a cool car, custom ride, monster truck or electric vehicle you want to show off? We have space available for you to join us on Saturday May 15th from 11am to 3pm, at the 1ST ANNUAL CHARITY MOTORCYCLE POKER RUN, BIKE & CLASSIC CAR SHOW.
On May 15, 2010, the Kiwanis of West Seattle will host its first annual Charity Motorcycle Poker Run & Classic Car Show. Proceeds from this event go to the non-profit 21st Century Scholarship Fund that provides education and leadership opportunities for the youth in our community.
Sign-in for the motorcycle poker run starts at 8:30 am at the former Huling Brothers Buick Dealership at 38th Ave SW & Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle. Following the Poker Run, riders, passengers, and the general public is welcome to join us for a BBQ and to view the Classic Cars on display. Poker Run day-of registration is $30 per rider, plus $5 per passenger. The cost of the BBQ for the general public is $10. There is no charge for participants of the Car Show.
Commemorating this special event, T-shirts will be available for sale. Contact the Kiwanis at westseattlekiwanis@yahoo.com with questions or to let us know you are bringing your car to display to the public.
We’ve been keeping an eye on Juneau Street Market (California/Juneau; map) since an apartment fire over the store closed the market eight months ago, watching for signs of reopening. Saw an open door about an hour and a half ago, and dropped in. Owner Binh Nguyen (photo left) was there and said they’re reopening tomorrow, might even “soft-open” tonight. Asked what he did during the long shutdown, he smiled, “Vacation” – adding that the reopening process took so long because of “insurance stuff.” (In a comment following our original coverage of the fire, they had posted that they hoped to reopen in “six to eight weeks.”) The fire in early September was blamed on an extension cord; nobody was hurt. Neighboring Ho-Win Chinese Restaurant was closed immediately after the fire too, but reopened relatively quickly.
Thanks to Shane Marr for that photo of a toppled truck in the Delridge/Spokane/West Marginal SW area (also mentioned by @DAlbrightVideo via Twitter, and James via Facebook.). We’re checking on injuries/circumstances. Here’s another angle from WestSide Baby‘s Nancy Woodland:
12:46 PM: Helen Fitzpatrick of the Seattle Fire Department says nobody was hurt. The truck will have to be righted before it’s towed, so avoid that area of West Marginal TFN (map).
First heard out about this in the WSB Forums – new sand added to Alki Beach by the Parks Department caused problems for beach users, particularly volleyball players. Parks’ Joelle Hammerstad tells WSB they did indeed get many complaints because the sand was “too rough,” so they will “screen” the sand – and will replace if that turns out to be necessary. Read the entire thread in the Forums here.
From last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, the final of four WSB reports from last night’s neighborhood-council meetings around West Seattle (newly expanded Admiral report here; Junction report here; North Delridge here): FCA has weighed in with its views on the Combined Sewer Overflow control controversy. While much of the recent attention has focused on the proposals for controlling overflows from the Murray Pump Station atLowman Beach, north of Lincoln Park, three alternatives for CSO control also are on the table for the basin feeding the Barton Pump Station (county photo above) by the Fauntleroy ferry terminal south of the park, and FCA went public last night with the draft of the letter they want to send the county – including their hope that the Murray controversy will not delay the Barton project. Read ahead for the full text as well as other meeting toplines:Read More
As just forwarded by Delridge’s Neighborhood District CoordinatorRon Angeles, that’s the official poster for ReFRESH Southwest, the umbrella name for the combined Delridge Day/Sustainable West Seattle Festival event set for June 5 at Delridge Community Center. It was an agenda item for the North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s monthly meeting last night; Angeles asked the group for ideas on where to focus cleanup efforts for the Clean and Green event that’s also part of the day. Suggestions included spots where blackberry and ivy vines have overgrown sidewalks, particularly in front of vacant homes; Angeles plans to scout locations with fellow city employee Ron Harris-White. One other NDNC update: Nancy Folsom said the group’s ongoing Adopt-A-Street efforts will soon be recognized with a street sign, location TBA.
North Delridge Neighborhood Council meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month, Youngstown Arts Center, 6:30 pm.
TRIANGLE: The city-convened advisory group looking at possibilities for the future of The Triangle meets again tonight, 6 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). Topics, according to the agenda on the city website, include Fauntleroy Way SW, “existing land uses … and possible future directions,” and RapidRide. And there’s time set aside for public comment.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Tonight’s regular meeting will be preceded by a kickoff event for Sen. Joe McDermott‘s King County Council campaign, 6 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW); then at 7, the 34th DDs’ agenda includes a State Legislature update from Sen. McDermott and Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, plus an endorsement vote in the race to succeed Rep. Nelson in State House Position 2.
WEST SEATTLE SNOWSPORTS COUNCIL: As previewed here Monday, this is the inaugural community meeting to launch a campaign to get West Seattle youth access to the slopes – and more. 6 pm, Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska).
Right now at 
We’ve been keeping an eye on Juneau Street Market (California/Juneau; 
From last night’s 
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