day : 25/05/2010 12 results

Workshops added to West Seattle Tool Library’s grand opening

May 25, 2010 10:48 pm
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 |   Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

(West Seattle Tool Library donations collected on WS Community Garage Sale Day back on May 8th)
Months in the making, the West Seattle Tool Library‘s now just two weeks from opening – and tonight we have a few more details of the grand-opening event, planned for 9 am-2 pm June 12th in the Garden Center area on the north side of South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor). Patrick Dunn from Sustainable West Seattle, which has been working on the Tool Library with the help of a city Neighborhood Matching Fund grant as well as hundreds of tool donations, says there’ll be free workshops – SeaChar and Second Use will offer them throughout the event, “on topics from biochar stoves to window replacement techniques.” And if you’ve got usable, non-gas-powered tools to donate, you can drop them off at the West Seattle Farmers Market on Sundays TFN (10 am-2 pm) as well as at the ReFRESH Southwest festival on June 5th – and then, once it opens, at the Tool Library site itself. Yet more details to come as grand opening gets closer!

West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network, meeting #2

May 25, 2010 10:05 pm
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 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

A few notes from tonight’s second meeting of the newly formed West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network, a community effort to bring together people who are (or want to be) leading Block Watch efforts: About 20 people attended the gathering, held this time at the Southwest Precinct, six weeks after meeting #1. The group is still in its formative stages, and working toward goals such as getting Block Watches in as many West Seattle neighborhoods as possible, so they’re working to figure out which areas have them and which don’t. The more neighborhoods that have Block Watches, the more neighborhoods are available to network and communicate effectively, block to block to block. As for how to efficiently get those groups formed – one idea that gained traction tonight involved organizing a central meeting for those interested in setting up Block Watches, rather than the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow just going out to individual neighborhoods one at a time. He told the group that’s certainly a possibility. In addition to logistics and outreach, participants also discussed neighborhood concerns such as what to do about alley lighting. If you’re interested in joining the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, best thing to do is to start with the group’s Facebook page, where you can network with others and help the group’s efforts move ahead.

(P.S. A Q13 tv crew was there to do a story on the new group; don’t know yet if it’s airing tonight or at a future date.)

Burning for learning, at South Seattle CC’s ‘College Night’

May 25, 2010 9:20 pm
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 |   Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) has gained fame for a variety of academic and vocational programs – and they were all on display to prospective students tonight during “College Night.” The most visual, of course, were from the Culinary programs – flambé above, spun sugar below:

Also showcased, a variety of programs including options for transferring to four-year schools, and options for completing a four-year degree at SSCC. If you’re thinking of enrolling at SSCC, enrollment just opened yesterday for the summer and fall quarters – here’s the calendar, and links to more info. P.S. Earlier today, we interviewed SSCC’s newly announced (2 weeks ago) president Gary Oertli, who’ll be on the job by fall – look for that story tomorrow.

Strong showing: Southwest Youth/Family Services group scores big

Joseph Seia, Pacific Islander Family Advocate at West Seattle’s Southwest Youth and Family Services, shares that photo, with news of the big achievement just scored by the kids who posed for it:

I just wanted to pass on this awesome piece of news! At the “Washington’s Strongest School” competition held last Saturday at Memorial Stadium, the kids from Southwest Youth and Family Services placed second!

This group of South Pacific Islander kids has been working for about a year now in becoming more active, and this illustrates how far they’ve come. It was exciting for them to be competing against schools like Juanita, Garfield and O’dea, and they were really proud of themselves for doing so well.

A little online research about this first-ever competition reveals that West Seattle High School had a team there too. They and SWYFS are among the schools featured in a photo report on the Bulky Boy Clothing Company’s website.

á vie massage: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor

Today we’re welcoming another of our newest WSB sponsors, á vie massage. It’s WSB tradition to offer new sponsors the chance to tell you about their business. Jennifer Giuntini from á vie massage says she became a therapist because, “I like to say that life experience gently guided me to my purpose. I didn’t embrace the path of healing until after the sudden death of my father. My father was a chiropractor. In my eyes, he contributed to society in a big way. He helped heal people and improved their quality of life and I really admired him for that. As a result of his influence and teachings of natural medicine, I developed a strong appreciation for holistic healing and a profound understanding and respect for the human body. My view on life and my feelings about the world around me shifted after he passed away. It was a defining moment in my life; an awakening of spirit. I realized in the months following his death that I wasn’t fulfilled and that I wanted to contribute to society in a much bigger way. I wanted to follow in his footpath of healing people, so I enrolled in massage school.” About her work, Jennifer says: “My massage style integrates a variety of techniques that promote a greater sense of relaxation, healing and body awareness. I work with active and athletic individuals to help bring an end to the chronic health concerns or injuries they’ve been dealing with, so they can feel good again and continue with the activities they enjoy! I provide a massage that is specifically tailored to their needs in order to release muscular and fascial holding patterns and adhesions, thereby relieving pain and healing injury. I also have a growing specialty in belly massage for individuals struggling with chronic digestive issues.” You can read client testimonials at aviemassage.net. On the WSB Coupons page, you will find a “New Client Special” for á vie massage – $20 off your first visit. “á vie massage. The care you need. The results you want.” 2255 Harbor Avenue SW #205, 206-371-7115, aviemassage.net.

We thank á vie massage for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.

State out of the liquor business? Costco backing Initiative 1100

From our regional-news partners at the Seattle Times, word that Costco stores will start collecting signatures next week for Initiative 1100, which would privatize the liquor business in our state. But the Times says it’s not universally supported by those you might think would be behind it – some say large companies would have an unfair advantage. Here’s the official Costco news release about the initiative; here’s the state list of initiatives now in circulation, including this one (it’s not the only one seeking to privatize liquor sales); here’s the full text of I-1100. It’ll need more than 241,000 valid signatures by July 2 to make the November ballot.

West Seattle summer fun: Printable list of big-event dates

We made this for the West Seattle 5K participant goodie bags – sponsors got the chance to include collateral – but we wanted to share it here for anybody to print. It’s a one-page 8 1/2 x 11 list, printable, of dates for key summer events around here. By no means all-inclusive – we keep adding to the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page all the time, and that page has MANY more listed – but what most would consider “the biggest” are here. Here’s the 1-page PDF.

1 more festival note: Sign up for GreenLife at Summer Fest

May 25, 2010 10:41 am
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 |   Environment | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

The folks at West Seattle Nursery have just announced a new West Seattle Summer Fest event they are co-sponsoring with Sustainable West Seattle: It’s called GreenLife at Summer Fest. GreenLife is a sustainability and gardening expo to be set up in the Diamond lot south of the Chase drive-thru at Edmunds/44th (map) throughout West Seattle Summer Fest’s entire 3-day run (July 9-10-11). As the brand-new info sheet for the event says:

We are looking for local businesses to showcase merchandise, products and services related to the goal of this new special area – to raise awareness and equip our community with tools, knowledge and capabilities to create a more sustainable West Seattle.

There’s also room for organizations to showcase info/demonstrations/products on gardens, composting, permaculture, beekeeping, backyard chicken-raising, community fruit harvesting, and local waterways including Puget Sound and West Seattle’s creeks. Here’s the full info-sheet on the WSN website. Whether you’re a business or nonprofit, the deadline’s coming up fast: You must sign up by June 15th. Get the application here.

West Seattle festival notes: Walk to ReFRESH; schedule for Morgan

May 25, 2010 10:15 am
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 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

No big festivals in West Seattle next weekend since it’s Memorial Day – but here are updates on the first two in June:

WALK TO ReFRESH SOUTHWEST (DELRIDGE DAY/SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FESTIVAL), JUNE 5: The festival itself (info here) is 1 pm-5 pm, but other activities precede it, including a contest to encourage you to walk to Delridge Community Center to join the fun. Neighborhood District Coordinator Ron Angeles has forwarded the info:

You can win $50 and other giveaway items by forming a group to walk to the festival … It’s simple. Five categories to win:

Group with the largest number of walkers
Group taking the nicest photo of the Delridge area
Group taking photo of most distressed area needing special attention
Group that picks up the most litter on their journey to the event (we”ll provide bags and grabbers)
Group that visits the most Delridge “Points of Interest” (we’ll provide you with a location map, and bus passes if needed)
Bus passes will also be provided to participants to return to their original starting points.

You can sign your group up right now by going here (and you can sign up as an individual, too). Then, one week after ReFRESH …

MORGAN JUNCTION COMMUNITY FESTIVAL, JUNE 12: The schedule of major events is out, from bands to Bubbleman (he’ll be there 5:15-5:45; the festival itself runs 11 am-7 pm). Here’s the full flyer/poster; the start times for all the bands are listed on the MoCA website. Another popular feature returns, too – the Bite of Morgan, with neighborhood eateries participating. It’s all headquartered at and around Morgan Junction Park, which was dedicated before last year’s festival. (Here’s some of our coverage of last year’s event.)

West Seattle coyotes: The latest sighting reports

A couple to share this morning. Again, we don’t publish these reports (see our archive here, with some past photos, too) to promote hysteria, but rather to make sure you’re well aware that coyotes are among us (it’s pup season, too). First, from Karl:

This morning my wife chased a coyote away from the neighbor’s cat which was hiding in a fender well of a car. We live on 37th between Andover and Dakota [map]. I’m offering this to alert homeowners who let their cats (and dogs) outside and aren’t aware that we do have coyotes in northern West Seattle. This is the second time the coyote was seen in our neighborhood.

Further south, Scott C reported a double sighting last Wednesday:

… this morning at 2:45 AM I opened my front door and saw a couple of -large- Coyotes running down 36th Ave and turned down the hill on Othello [map]. They were both very quiet, and running very fast. Take appropriate measures given what I’ve seen. As they say, don’t leave food for animals outside. The two were large, which means well-fed.

Here’s the most valuable link we’ve ever seen on the topic: Coexisting With Coyotes.

West Seattle Tuesday: ‘College Night’ at SSCC; Blockwatch Captains…

(Photo by David Hutchinson, taken during Sunday’s ever-changing weather)
Among tonight’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: It’s College Night at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor), your chance to find out anything you want to know – from its “career-ready programs” to its partner programs in which you can finish a four-year degree on campus to college prep. 5:30-7:30 pm in Brockey Center (here’s a campus map). … The West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network meets for the second time, 6:30 pm at Southwest Precinct (Facebook event page here, and here’s a map to the precinct); this new group is working to promote communication and cooperation between neighborhoods, toward the goal of a safer, stronger West Seattle … The final closure plan for the South Park Bridge – what will happen after it shuts down June 30th, from bus routes to business support – starts at 6 pm at the IAM Local 751 Hall in SP (full details here, and here’s a map) … And regular Tuesday night diversions are on the calendar too, including open turntables at Skylark Café and Club at 6 pm (see the calendar here) and rock trivia at Feedback Lounge at 8 pm (both establishments are WSB sponsors). The full calendar’s here.

WSB late-night extra: JP Patches and the pugs

For all the Patches Pals – and pug fans – in WSB-land, one more photo from Saturday’s Westwood Village Street Fair, shared by Karen. She says, “My friend Kristi worked the Seattle Pug Rescue booth at Westwood Street Fair on Saturday. She got JP to pose with her pugs Viola and Suzy.”