day : 01/09/2010 9 results

Video: ‘Sneak peek’ inside renovated Chief Sealth

(Photos by Cliff DesPeaux)
One week from tonight, Chief Sealth International High School students and staff – and their respective families! – will be resting up after the first day of classes inside the newly renovated school. Tonight, CSIHS principal John Boyd showed off his school’s shiny new digs to those who signed up for a “sneak peek” behind-the-scenes tour, benefiting the Friends of Sealth scholarship fund:

Photojournalist Cliff DesPeaux covered the tour for WSB, to capture the sights and sounds as the tour wound its way through areas including the spiffed-up gym:

He’s working on video right now that we’ll add when it’s ready, with an expanded look at what tourgoers saw.

You can read more about the two-year renovation project on the Seattle Public Schools website here – and our coverage archive, newest to oldest, is here. (The new Denny International Middle School, sharing the Sealth campus, remains under construction, with that move planned next year.)

Here is Cliff’s video:

Tentative deal confirmed for Seattle Public Schools teachers

Seattle Public Schools confirmed late today that the district has reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract with its teachers union, the Seattle Education Association, whose members are scheduled to vote at 4:30 pm tomorrow. Here’s the latest from our partners at the Seattle Times.

Preview: Final 2010 ANA Hiawatha concert tomorrow, with WSBB

September 1, 2010 6:58 pm
|    Comments Off on Preview: Final 2010 ANA Hiawatha concert tomorrow, with WSBB
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s successful Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, which wraps up its 2010 season with local favorites the West Seattle Big Band tomorrow night. WSBB played at Hiawatha earlier this summer prior to the “official” start of the concert series (video clip below), and tomorrow is your chance to enjoy them again.

As usual, start time is 6:30 pm and admission is free – bring a blanket, some food & drink, and the whole family.

SEPTEMBER 2 UPDATE: Thanks to ANA president Katy Walum for letting us know that “Admiral apparel” will be on sale at a discount tonight: $10 kids’ shirts, $15 adults’ shirts, and $40 track jackets. The PCC truck with food samples for the kids will also be there, and likely the “Icecycle” folks with Full Tilt ice cream and treats in tow.

Update: Dick’s Drive-In in West Seattle?

We reported on Monday that legendary local burger chain Dick’s had announced it would be building its first new store in decades, and had launched an online poll to let customers decide where.  (The poll is still active here; there had been some problems with it because of the crush of traffic it received – more than 32,000 votes – but it’s fine now.)

We received more than 150 comments about that story, and another 35+ comments on Facebook, along with heavy activity on Twitter. WSB readers certainly have their opinions about the famous eatery!

In the poll, West Seattle is lumped into the “South” group with other locales, and is currently running 2nd in the polling:

Where would you locate the new Dick’s Drive-In?

RESULTS:
North (Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Edmonds, South Everett) – 42% (13781 votes)
South (West Seattle, South Seattle, Renton, Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila) – 30% (9836 votes)
East (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Bothell, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Sammamish) – 26% (8618 votes)

Total Votes: 32,235

SEPTEMBER 2 UPDATE: Many thanks to those who commented and e-mailed to let us know about the news reports (including this one, from partner KING 5) that the Dick’s vote had been “hacked.” Voting is still open, and Dick’s says they’re “scrubbing the numbers” now.

Primary Election 2010: Final results are in

We brought you the first round of King County’s primary election results back on August 17, and today comes official word that the county’s results have been finalized. (We confirmed this with County communications specialist Katie Gilliam.)

The top two finishers in each race advance to the November 2 general election, which means Joe Fitzgibbon and Mike Heavey for 34th District House Rep #2, and  Joe McDermott and Diana Toledo for King County Council District 8.  

For the local race results, the only official change from primary night’s results is that Joe Fitzgibbon has inched ahead of Mike Heavey, by an oh-so-slim margin (we reported on August 20 that this shift was starting to happen).

Local results: 

34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE, POSITION 2
(Rep. Sharon Nelson isn’t running for re-election – she’s unopposed for State Senate in LD #34)
Fitzgibbon first 34%, Heavey second 32%,  McElroy third 18%, Stone fourth 14%

(Note: Early returns on primary night had showed Heavey at 34% and Fitzgibbon at 33%)

KING COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 8 (nonpartisan)
(Councilmember Jan Drago isn’t running for the seat to which she was appointed early this year)
McDermott first 60%, Toledo second 19%, McEvoy third 13%, Fahey fourth 7%

In another LD #34 race of note, Eileen Cody captured 81% of the vote against 18% for Ray Carter.

Full results are here.

West Seattle business news: Solar Epiphany’s new storefront

Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Eric Thomas’ Red Cup Espresso (which he co-owns with his wife Tricia DiBernardo) has come to be known by many as the “hybrid” coffee shop, because of its rooftop array of photovoltaic panels.

But he isn’t just a solar customer — he also owns Solar Epiphany which provides education on solar energy, and installs professional-grade solar energy systems.

Thanks to a WSB’er tip about the newly painted shop window (photo at left), we discovered that Thomas is expanding his solar enterprise into the former site of Puget Sound Key & Lock at 6016 California SW. The space will be an educational showroom where potential customers will not only see solar panels and learn how they work, but they’ll also be able to learn about government incentives that make going solar more affordable.

Thomas has been installing solar electrical and water-heating systems for three years, for both residential and commercial customers. He says, “The biggest obstacle to installing solar is that people don’t know how it works or how much it will cost.”

Thomas hopes to have his new storefront open the weekend after Labor Day. They plan to be open by appointment during the week and open to the public on weekends.

The Wax Bar in West Seattle: Welcome, new WSB sponsor

This morning, we’re welcoming the Wax Bar, which recently expanded to West Seattle, as our newest WSB sponsor. Here’s what they’d like you to know about their business and services: The Wax Bar is located at the corner of 37th and Fauntleroy, between West Seattle Brake Service and the shoe-repair shop. The Wax Bar is a skin-care lounge that offers full-service spa treatments and head-to-toe waxing. Any waxing service or facial will have you feeling smooth and refreshed when you leave —but we want you to feel that way every day! At the Wax Bar we offer three different skin-care lines to cater to all skin types: Aveda, Dermalogica, and Somme. Veteran wax specialists Lynaia (West Seattle local), Bevan, and Sarah are here to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. With the Wax Bar lounge now open, come sip one of our raspberry beers or a specialty beer before your service. “Relax and get waxed,” owner Karen Jahn often says. In keeping with the bar theme, come visit during our “happy hour” specials from 1 pm-3 pm Tuesday through Friday. Find us online at thewaxbarseattle.com, in person at 4462 37th Ave. SW, or by phone at 206-935-4990.

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

West Seattle Wednesday: SW District Council; Sealth tour…

September 1, 2010 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Wednesday: SW District Council; Sealth tour…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Welcome to September! Here are some of the highlights for today and tonight from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: The local community-council/organization leaders who comprise the Southwest District Council meet tonight at 7 in the South Seattle Community College board room, with an agenda including a presentation about the West Seattle Junction Neighborhood Plan … Tonight’s the night for a sneak-preview tour of Chief Sealth International High School renovations, one week before classes start, as a fundraiser for the Friends of Sealth scholarship fund – details here, starts 6 pm … The final certification of King County primary election results is scheduled today, and then it’s on to November … As previewed last night, lane closures are planned on the Admiral Way Bridge today … Tonight in The Junction, WSB sponsor Bin 41 plans the first of two consecutive nights of tastings – this time it’s Spanish wines, 5:30-7 pm (more details here) … See the calendar for more!

From Community Harvest: Fruit – and orchard-design help – needed!

Two items from Aviva at Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle: First, she says, “It really has been an off year for the fruit trees here in West Seattle. We have only harvested about 300 pounds of fruit and it seems that none of the Italian Plums have fruit. We could use … Asian pears, pears, and apples.” Contact info’s at gleanit.org if you have tree fruit to donate – you donate, they pick! Second – the new Community Orchard at South Seattle Community College, funded by a city grant, is getting off the ground with the Design Group’s first meeting ahead, and Aviva says, “We’d love to get (more of the) community involved in this cool new project.” Read on to see how you can be part of it!Read More