Just a few hours after Seattle Lutheran High Schoolwon the state championship in 2B baseball, the jubilant players were welcomed home just after 10:30 tonight – our first clip shows the honks, whoops and cheers as their bus rolled up outside the gym, where they, their coaches, and a spirited group of family and friends celebrated. They beat Colfax 10-6 in a late-afternoon game in Yakima. ADDED 12:51 AM: As the players joined well-wishers and coaches inside the SLHS gym, they first gathered for “one last prayer as a team,” before another burst of exuberance:
And a few words from the coaching/athletics team (Steve Meehan speaking, with – from left – Dan Imori, William Clowney, Mike Hay):
Bil Hood of SLHS tells WSB that two players also won individual sportsmanship awards over the past two days – Jordan Webb on Friday, Mike Register on Saturday. This is the school’s first baseball championship and its first state championship in 12 years – they have a boys’ soccer championship from 1990, boys and girls cross-country championships in 1992, and boys track in 1998.
From our regional-news partners at the Seattle Times: West Seattle High School‘s boys’ track team took second in the state championships with 53 points, two behind defending state champ North Central. WSHS won the 400-meter relay, and Markeem Adams won the 100-meter race. (Detailed results here.)
Several people have e-mailed to ask about a case that two TV stations are reporting: A 15-year-old says he was beaten up early Tuesday in Highland Park by attackers with a racist motive, near a staircase at 14th/Holden (map). This first appeared last night on Q13 (here’s their story). They reported that the boy was walking home at 2 am Tuesday when someone asked him for a light; he walked toward the person, and was jumped; the reports say the victim said his attackers told them they were beating him because he’s white. We have no independent information on this so far – police reports aren’t available over the weekend, this incident didn’t appear on the SPD Blotter log of noteworthy cases – so the best we can do, until we get more info (and we do have requests out), is point you to the TV stories: Q13 here, KOMO here.
(Photo added 8:11 pm, sent by Bil Hood of SLHS)
Congratulations to the Seattle Lutheran High School Saints baseball team – within the past half hour, according to the @seattlelutheran Twitter feed, the team won the 2B state championship, beating Colfax 10-6. The game was played in Yakima. More details later!
By early afternoon, the team at Dignity Memorial-Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery (WSB sponsor) had finished the job that volunteer Scouts had helped with the day before – placing about 1,300 flags atop the graves of veterans buried there. Tonight and tomorrow night, starting at 6, a bagpiper will play; we’ll add video of that later. (added 8:41 pm – here’s bagpiper Tyrone Heade)
People who stop by this weekend to honor someone’s memory also will find a hospitality table with coffee/tea, plus maps if they have trouble finding a specific gravesite, and Monday at 2 pm, the annual West Seattle Memorial Day Service, co-presented by American Legion Post 160, will be held near the flagpole on the cemetery’s south-central side.
2:52 PM ORIGINAL REPORT: From the state Department of Ecology, word of an oil spill in the Duwamish River:
The Washington Department of Ecology and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the source of an oil spill on the Duwamish River about one half mile north of the South Park Bridge.
A sheen and diesel odor were reported to Ecology at 8:30 a.m. today and spill responders found an unknown amount of recoverable diesel oil in an inlet on private property at 7400 Eighth Ave. S. next to Boeing property.
A cleanup contractor called by Ecology and the Coast Guard has arrived at the scene and will begin work on recovering the diesel oil this afternoon. Further information will be released when it becomes available.
4:12 PM UPDATE: New information from Dan Partridge of Ecology:
There is no cleanup contractor working on site. A contractor hired by the Coast Guard arrived earlier and was about to begin work when the tide shifted. The diesel spill that was thought to be recoverable no longer was recoverable with the shifting of the tide so the contractor has left the site. There’s 100-by-3 foot sheen visible on the water but it’s expected to dissipate with the shifting of the tide. We still have not determined the source of the spill but Ecology will continue to investigate.
5:36 PM: Ecology estimates the spill at no more than 25 gallons. We went looking for, but didn’t find, any publicly visible sign of it.
Memorial Day weekend means barbecues, clouds or no clouds. They’re grilling at Southwest Community Center right now, as Southwest Family Fest continues till 5 pm. And for another taste of summer – how about palm trees:
A little quiet when we dropped in – c’mon, it’s guaranteed indoor fun if the little ones are bouncing off the walls, bring them down to bounce off the inflatables instead. Outside, some of the car-showcase participants left early, but we caught a few on cam:
Southwest Community Center is at 2801 SW Thistle (map). The festival’s presented by the Late-Night Teen Programs but it’s for all ages.
The Art Lending Library will be open for one night. Come check it out! Thursday, June 10th. 6 pm to 9 pm.
Reminder: The Library is based on a first come first serve basis. The earlier you arrive the more choices you will have. Also, all artwork that is checked out will be delivered at a later date by the Librarians.
Haven’t heard of the Art Lending Library before? It’s explained here; the concept first debuted two years ago during Delridge Day (which is coming up a week from today as part of the ReFRESH Southwest festival; the Art Lending Library opening isn’t till five days after that, though).
2 reports to share (and a few more are in queue for another report later today): As noted on Twitter during a busy early Friday morning – an Alki resident reported that his car was broken into by someone who then tried to run him over. The victim posted a few details in a comment thread on another Crime Watch story, and we invited him to send more info. It happened around 12:30 am Friday in the Stevens Crest Apartments parking garage (61st/Stevens). He describes the culprits as a black male driving a gray Chevy Malibu, license plate 855-S**, and white male “who was in my car at the time I found them – approximately 5’10”-6′, wearing a white T-shirt, black baseball cap with white pinstriping. Most notable feature were his eyebrows for some reason – they were rather thick. Tattoos (gray and black scale, no colors) on his arms.” He says he confronted the two, and they “tried to run me over in the … garage.” Here’s what he says they stole:
2 Tama Tom drums 12 and 13 inch.
5 Zildjian Cymbals (in a DW bag)
1 Pork Pie metal snare drum
DW Stick bag with multiple sets of sticks
A Camelback bag (backpack) with gym clothes
iPod Video (Black)
Mackie 16 ch Mixing Console
Mixed monitor cables and Guitar cords
Meantime, there’s a long report from Westwood from someone who watched a suspicious pair Friday afternoon – read on:Read More
Want to grow your own food but don’t know where to start?
We can help!
Garden Helpers is a new program from Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. Experienced gardeners, trained by Seattle Tilth, can provide you with free, in-person advice to design, install, or maintain your own vegetable garden. Whether you have a backyard garden, P-Patch, or container garden, Garden Helpers are mentors who can help you get started on a garden, choose the right plants, and answer all of your questions about growing your own vegetables.
If you live in West Seattle or White Center and would like help from a Garden Helpers volunteer, call us at (206) 762-0604 or send us an e-mail at info@gleanit.org. For more information, here are the Garden Helpers Frequently Asked Questions>. This program is funded by a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
The West Seattle Weekend Lineup, published last night, has indoor options as well as outdoor, if you just don’t feel like getting a little soggy. But the forecast suggests it might lighten from “showery” to “cloudy” later, so all hope of umbrellalessness is not lost. The annual Family Fest and Car Showcase at Southwest Community Center will run 11 am-5 pm, including a free swim at adjacent Southwest Pool 1-2 pm, and if you like the warm water/brisk air effect, Day 1 at Colman Pool (starting with lap swims at noon) is the place to be. Then tonight, two special entertainment options – final performance of “Once Upon a Mattress” by student actors and musicians at West Seattle High School Theater, and the first of two “Zen Tales” performances by UMO Ensemble at ArtsWest. Also – next door in White Center, there’s an ice-cream social/hip-hop show at Full Tilt, noon-5 pm, with posters promising free scoops (see it on the FT website).
2 reports to share (and a few more are in queue for another report later today): 
Aviva at
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