In case you missed it earlier tonight — as part of their coverage of the Nisqually Earthquake’s 10th anniversary tomorrow, our friends at KING 5 News talked to the preparedness gurus behind West Seattle Be Prepared – Cindi Barker, Karen Berge, and Deb Greer (not pictured above, but if you click “play” you’ll see the story). As we often mention, it’s vital that you check out their website and know where your nearest Emergency Communication Hub is – in case of catastrophe, if all other channels of communication go down, you can go there to find out what’s going on and how to get help. Watch the KING 5 story above (and/or read the text here), then check out the Hubs page and the rest of West Seattle Be Prepared. (And if you can get involved in this all-volunteer effort that’s setting an example for the rest of the city as well as for our entire peninsula, please do – they would love more help.)
The WestSide Baby fundraising double-bill (WSB coverage here) gave birth to an Oscar party that’s being enjoyed right now – as WS Baby leader Nancy Woodland explained while sharing photos, “At this year’s Tea, one loyal WestSide Baby Tea Table Captain, Toddy Dyer, won a Oscars Party at Burien’s Tin Theater. She turned it into a diaper drive and a group of 40 women gathered to celebrate the awards and Toddy’s birthday!!” Some of the diaper donations, more priceless to WS Baby than any golden statuette:
WS Baby helps families in West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and elsewhere in south King County – here’s how you can help them, any time!
Peg Prideaux of West Seattle lost her dog Luis(above) this month to what she describes as a rat-borne disease – and says a neighbor’s dog died of the same thing just weeks earlier, so, she says, “I’m on a mission to warn others.”
She says the dogs had never had contact with each other, but both died of what was believed to be leptospirosis. Peg explained in a note to WSB, “Dogs usually contract the disease by coming in contact with rat urine, which can be found in still water such as a backyard rain puddle. In both cases the dogs threw up; then appeared to recover; then later became ill a second time. One of the dogs had killed a rat; the other dog is believed to have come in contact with rat urine in the yard. This disease can fool you. It first appears as a simple, 24-hour ‘doggie flu,’ after which the dog appears to be normal and well while the disease works in the background. Then the dog becomes ill a second time — in my dog’s case, about a week later. At that point he went from seemingly healthy to irrecoverable in just over a day.”
Her dog was euthanized ten days ago. “I’m on a mission to warn others, because when two healthy dogs die within 10 weeks of each other from the same rat-borne illness, it’s a cause for concern in the neighborhood. Also, leptospirosis is said to increase in spring, which is right around the corner.” Just this morning, she says, a dead rat turned up in the same area, near 38th and Graham [map], found by neighbors out walking their dogs.
She suggests pet owners “within a several-block radius of 37th and Juneau [map] to see a
veterinarian immediately if their dogs vomit a meal,” and make sure you point out that two nearby dogs have died of leptospirosis. “Earliest possible detection is essential to saving your pet. Please don’t hesitate about taking your dog in.”
2 quick West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon from Gatewood and Arbor Heights. First, from Justine:
We switched cars with our business partner last Friday night and thought they were driving our car to the airport, it turns out they took a cab and left our car on the street in front of their house at approximately 39th and Southern [map]. When we went back to pick it up tonight, it was gone, and it had not been towed. We’d love it if you could let the neighborhood know, and if anyone spots a black Nissan Maxima with black leather interior, license number 469 UNP, please let the police know.
From an Arbor Heights resident:
A neighbor just came to my door to report that several vehicles on the block of 35th Ave. SW south of SW 102nd St. [map] were car prowled last night. The rear windows were either shot or punched out with a tool, according to police. Unclear if anything was taken, or if this was vandalism.
P.S. As we finished editing this update, we heard the police-radio dispatch for the aforementioned stolen Maxima, which reminds us that Seattle Police continue to keep a list of stolen cars via the Twitter account they launched earlier this winter, @getyourcarback – it’s featured on our Crime Watch page, if you’re not a Twitter member and ever want to check the list.
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: If you haven’t checked out the comment discussion – Justine found her car, thanks to Gary.
As the RapidRide “C” Line bus service gets closer to its West Seattle debut, currently set for September of next year, Metro is locking in the details for stops, stations, bus lanes, and the rest of the accompanying “facilities,” working in tandem with SDOT, since the facilities are on city streets and sidewalks. We have been reporting here on the concerns that two business districts along the route have had regarding street parking that will be removed for bus lanes. While Triangle business owners along SW Alaska had most of their concerns quelled (as reported here), Luna Park business owners (whose concerns we first detailed last December) have just received final word of the plan for their area. It’s largely unchanged from the proposal that was discussed again at their most recent merchants’ meeting.
There is one potential change: Desmond and Hahn write that “… with this letter, we commit to reassessing whether an additional RapidRide stop at the existing northbound (bus) stop at SW Charlestown Street [map] would be warranted to meet the needs of more riders.” Luna Park business owners had taken the previous proposal as adding insult to injury, as there was no RapidRide stop planned in the business district, or anywhere north of SW Yancy, a few blocks uphill.
We’re checking on how soon the decision on that potential stop will be made; work along Avalon Way might start as soon as “late spring,” according to the letter (again, you can read it in its entirety here).
That one-minute video is the work of Bonnie Levin and 20 of her preschoolers at West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor). They have entered it in Verity Credit Union‘s “Cartwheel for a Cause” contest – and it just needs your vote, to have a chance to win – Bonnie explains:
It was a chance to teach my 3 year old students about service, community and those less fortunate. We made this video in honor of First Place School in the Central District. If you’re not familiar with First Place, it is a program for families living with, or at risk of, homelessness. They provide education and, in most cases, housing for the *entire *family. It’s a fantastic program that is in need of extra funding. If we win this contest, we plan on donating the entire sum to this organization. …
(Male Anna’s hummingbird, photographed by Danny McMillin through his Alki living-room window!)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for today/tonight: The westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (the bridge straightaway between I-5 and Highway 99) closes tonight (and tomorrow night), 10 pm-5 am, as part of the ongoing construction project … If you drive the 520 Bridge, you’re going to need a “Good to Go” electronic-tolling pass soon (or else you’ll pay higher tolls billed by mail), and you can buy one today at WSDOT’s booth at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm (44th/Alaska) … Enjoy organ music? A benefit recital is planned at 3 pm today at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, 4105 California Ave SW, by Paul Richard Olson, organist/choirmaster at Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights, New York (suggested $15 donation for Lutheran World Relief) … West Seattle Rainbow Girls invite girls 9-13 to an afternoon of “royal treatment” – dressup, arts/crafts, and games – 2:30-4:30 pm at Alki Masonic Hall, 40th/Edmunds (more info? call Jan, 206-849-7906) … P.S. Haven’t heard of any big public Oscar parties in West Seattle but if you have, let us know!
(2009 photo of the Joy D. Smith Wildlife Raft hosting a visitor)
If you have a lost/found item, we’ll usually direct you to the WSB Forums (or to the WSB Pets page if it’s a pet). But then there are the occasional very unusual items that turn up or go missing … like the Joy D. Smith Wildlife Raftoff west Alki. Joy’s husband Guy Smith sent word last night that, 2 days after he reported it missing, it’s been found, thanks to helpful Beach Drive residents Trish and Dawnie, who he wanted to thank publicly for being good neighbors: “They spotted the buoy and raft moving north, and when it got close enough they disconnected the buoy and anchor lines and hauled that part up to their bulkhead. They tried to drag the raft higher, but it is too heavy. We hauled away the easy part, but left the raft tethered to a rock until we get help to move it. Here’s hoping it stays in place.” Rafts like this – vulnerable to the elements no matter what their owners do – are considered valuable as a place for seals and other wildlife to rest, away from the potential dangers on shore.
As the 
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