West Seattle, Washington
31 Saturday
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Around 3:30 Tuesday morning, an officer was on patrol near 12th and SW Holden when he startled two males who were in the middle of removing the wheels and tires from a parked vehicle. The suspects ran through the yards of some neighboring houses and weren’t caught, but their apparent illicit activities might have been curbed just the same: The officer helped himself to the assortment of tools they left behind — a floor jack, lug wrench, crowbar and pry bar — and deposited them in the evidence room.
*An Alki-area man didn’t take a breakup too well. Despite his ex’s demand that he cease contact, he repeatedly called her in the middle of the night. When she didn’t answer, he decided to call 911 early Tuesday and report that she was outside HIS residence, threatening to “kill me and bust in my windows.” What he didn’t know was that an officer was at the woman’s house at that very time, taking her harassment report. The ex-boyfriend ended up being booked into King County Jail for investigation of domestic-violence harassment and false reporting.
Six more summaries after the jump:Read More
Story and photos by Jen Boyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
More than 50 people gathered at West Seattle’s family-owned Alki Tavern to meet stars from the reality TV show Deadliest Catch tonight.
Deckhands Scott Hillstrand of the F/V Time Bandit and Jake Anderson of the F/V Northwestern dropped by to meet fans, sign autographs and promote the upcoming season of the show, which premieres on Discovery Channel April 12.
“We’re really excited that these guys chose our little tavern to start their tour of appearances in promotion of the new season,” said Gill McLynne, manager of the Alki Tavern. “It was all kind of a stroke of luck for us. …”
Spring workshop schedule announced
South Seattle Community College’s WorkSource Center is pleased to announce six free job search workshops this spring. No registration is required, but seating may be limited and is on a first come, first serve basis. For more information please call (206) 934-6822.
Classes are held on Wednesdays from 4:30 – 6 pm on the South Seattle campus, in the WorkSource office located in RSB 79 (at the north end of the campus).
Date Workshop
April 13 The New Job Search in the New Economy
April 27 Effective Resumes
May 11 Job Interview Basics
May 18 The New Job Search in the New Economy
May 25 Online Job Search Basics
June 8 Effective Networking for Employment
South Seattle WorkSource Spring hours:
Monday 8 am – 5 pm
Tuesday 8 am – 5 pm
Wednesday 8 am – 6 pm
Thursday 8 am – 5 pm
Friday 8 am – 4:30 pm
South Seattle Community College is located at 6000-16th Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98106.
Driving directions
For additional information contact South Seattle Community College WorkSource Center at (206) 764-5304.
Chorale from the University of Puget Sound to perform concert in West Seattle
The Chorale from the University of Puget Sound, directed by Dr. Anne Lyman, is proud to present LOVE SONGS at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in West Seattle.
LOVE SONGS features a variety of choral works from all periods. The program opens with Thomas Tallis’s immortal If Ye Love Me, a tender anthem from sixteenth-century England. Erev Shel Shoshanim, a Hebrew love song about an evening garden in bloom, is based on a dance song popular throughout the Middle East. Young love is emphasized in Dello Joio’s Come to Me, My Love, followed by maternal love in Eric Whitacre’s A Seal Lullaby. The choral portion of the concert closes with upbeat pieces such as selections from Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes and Alfven’s folk tune, A Maiden is in a Ring Now. The concert also features a variety of student soloists performing on piano.
Open to the entire University of Puget Sound community, Chorale is a non-auditioned mixed ensemble that meets twice weekly. Through repertoire drawn from a multiplicity of style periods and genres including world choral music, members establish a musical foundation of vocal technique, music theory, and sight singing. Dr. Anne Lyman is conductor of choirs at University of Puget Sound, Artistic Director of the Seattle Bach Choir, and is founder and director of CANONICI: Consort of Voices. She is available for an interview and can be reached at 253-720-5359 or at alyman@pugetsound.edu.
DATE AND TIME: April 17, 2011 at 3 PM
LOCATION: St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church
3050 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116-3302
206-937-4545
TICKETS: Free-Will Donation
March 31st at the Duwamish Longhouse, (4705 W Marginal Way SW), 6:30-8:00 pm.
Dr. Enfield is grateful to have this opportunity to meet and talk with Native families and community members about the educational issues that matter the most to you and your family. She looks forward to listening to your feedback, concerns, and questions. Free event more information at Brown Paper Tickets.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: After the main story, we have a side note from someone whose life might be saved by a donor found this way. This isn’t someone Marnie pointed out, but someone who was sharing news about it on Facebook. Please be sure to read past the jump for her story.)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
As she nears her 25th birthday, Marnie Devlin has been thinking about ways to make a difference. “My friends seem to have these ‘quarter-life’ crises where they wonder about their (life) directions, and I’ve always laughed and thought they were being silly. But now (turning 25) I think maybe I should do something I can point to as an accomplishment.”
Coming from a family of blood donors, and being an EMT, Marnie is well aware of the need for bone marrow donors, and the importance of getting people signed up with the National Marrow Donor Program. She says, “I realized it how easy it is and I thought if my friends knew how easy it is, most of them would sign up. My original idea was to get 25 people signed up for my 25th birthday. I posted my idea on Facebook and Twitter, where the (Puget Sound) Blood Center saw it and wanted to help.”
Thanks to the collaboration with the Puget Sound Blood Center and a number of local businesses, Marnie is hosting a full-on marrow donor registration event this Sunday (April 3rd) at Alki Arts (2820 Alki Avenue SW.) Owner Diane Venti is donating the space and from 2-6 pm, Marnie will be serving champagne and goodies baked by her family while PSBC registers potential marrow donors for the Be The Match program.
Marnie explains that because people think the registration procedure involves something painful and invasive, they won’t do it. Turns out, that’s wrong.
Till 7 pm, you can go taste “Pan-Seared Halibut with Spicy Tomato Chutney” – and polenta on the side – at Seattle Fish Company in The Junction, with West Seattle chef Erin Coopey (online at culinary-artist.com). The recipe is on the chef’s website; tonight, there’s wine tasting to accompany the fish, too. Then from 7-10 pm in The Junction, Carmilia’s, Clementine, Edie’s, and Sweetie are open for the Spring Fashion Fling – explained here.
Daily update from West Seattle for Japan organizer Dave Montoure of West 5: “$7936.45. Only a couple of checks left to collect! Amazing.”
If somehow you missed it, almost 30 West Seattle businesses participated in last Sunday’s fund-raise-a-thon – which Montoure had announced just a little more than a week earlier – with special items, percentages of proceeds, donation jars, and more. (And $-raising continues – there’s a raffle during a tweetup at West 5 starting tonight at 5:30 pm.)
Today, we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, H.D. Robinson, LLC. New sponsors are offered the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what H.D. Robinson wants you to know:
H.D. Robinson is a small family-owned construction company that specializes in custom new homes and remodels throughout the greater Seattle area with a solid dedication to quality and strong service during your project and after completion. We pride ourselves on working with homeowners and architects to create exceptional homes.
One of our most recent projects includes a cutting-edge modern design by an outstanding local architect, Peter Bocek, with a crisp ability to create exceptional lineal design atop Fauntleroy Hills with a panoramic view from Mt. Rainier to the Northern Olympics. The house and pool are heated by an efficient geothermal system, with an exterior rain-screen system with exceptional interior finishes. The best way to see our projects is to take a look at our website and give us a call to talk about your future project: www.hdrbuilders.com.
We thank H.D. Robinson for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
It’s a West Seattle High School tradition to have a safe/sober “Grad Night” celebration – and this year Chief Sealth International High School is having a “Grad Night” too. Tickets are on sale, $50 through April 15th, then $60 after spring break, but the school notes that the actual cost is more like $150 per student. All the same, in recognition that $50 is still steep for some, the Chief Sealth PTSA has set up a way to “sponsor a senior” by donating all or part of the cost of a ticket through an online purchase. If you’d like to be a sponsor, here’s where to go.
(Wednesday morning photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
When yesterday’s SWAT-involved situation at West Seattle’s only motel – the Seattle West Inn and Suites – happened, we already had been working on an update about the renovation plans the motel’s new owners have been working on (here are our previous stories – last December 15th and December 21st). The motel owners’ spokesperson, Lynn Sweeney, tells WSB they have changed their plan (which originally was to stay open during renovations):
Effective Monday, April 4, 2011 the Seattle West Inn and Suites will temporarily close all motel operations.
When we purchased the motel in October, the intent was – and has been – to renovate the space to offer West Seattle a clean, safe and family-friendly place to stay in our community. My family has lived in West Seattle for many, many years, so it’s easy to attest to the fact that the existing site has had a negative aura for quite some time.
Our hope was to be able to keep operations going as the renewal took place, but given unfortunate events such as the S.W.A.T incident from this past Wednesday, we’ve decided to close the doors and reopen once the transformation is in full swing.
When reopened, the site will offer our community a clean, friendly, safe, welcoming and convenient lodging option, somewhat similar (although not exact) to what was done with the former Travel Lodge in Boise, which is now a well-regarded and popular destination, The Modern Hotel (themodernhotel.com). …
We aim to have model guest rooms complete in the next three to four weeks and exterior paint with some landscaping in the same general time frame, weather permitting. In addition to a new guest room product (which includes soundproofing, carpet, paint, tile, counters, window treatments, bed, and fixtures and furniture) a few of the enhancements include a new central security and door lock system, a credit-card-only policy, a non-smoking environment, and complimentary breakfast and WiFi in the lobby.
While we don’t have a soft opening date set as of yet, we anticipate it will be prior to the first of June and in time for the summer season.
A separate followup is in the works regarding the aftermath of yesterday’s incident.
In case you don’t regularly check our partner site White Center Now (whose latest headlines also can be found on the WHITE CENTER tab atop WSB pages), a couple links of note today: First, WCN/WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz has just confirmed what’s believed to be White Center’s first planned medical-marijuana dispensary; also, Seattle City Councilmembers continue to comment after the decision earlier this week to delay WC (etc.) annexation-vote decisionmaking until next year – the two newest stories are atop the WCN annexation archive (as is reaction from the mayor of Burien).
Thanks to the WSB’ers whose texts and calls brought news of this picketing at the Admiral Safeway construction site. You’ve seen similar protests at other project sites (we recall at least three in West Seattle in the past few years) – this time, it’s the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters claiming site subcontractor Marquise Drywall is not paying “area standard” wages, according to their signs and according to what one of the protesters told WSB.
Then we found there was more to the story than the picketing itself: The drums, whistles, and bullhorns the protesters were using had drawn a different kind of protest: Lafayette Elementary, across the street, had called the police. Principal Virginia Turner explained they are not opposed to the protest – but the protesters had been using drums and other noisemakers, and that was disrupting classwork. Much louder than the ongoing construction work, she and office manager Connie Wicklund explained. While we were talking with them in the Lafayette office, SPD Officer Barnes came in to explain that the protesters had agreed to stop using the drums, but, he said, there wasn’t much more police could do than talk to them, which they had done. Turner said she had gone over to talk with the protesters too. If the drums started up again, the officer advised the school administrators, give them a call. (In our video, shot from the Lafayette side of the street, you will see and hear the protesters, minus the drums, and you also see the police who responded to the California/Lander corner.)
Gray day but we’ve seen some colorful sights in the past hour. First, Marguerite Lynch shared the news that her twin sons Sean and Andrew Lynch turned 13 today – and got a flamingo flock courtesy of friends, with the help of the youth group at Admiral Congregational Church (which happens to be right across the street from her house; we recently covered their flocking at Alki Mail and Dispatch). The flamingos are currently gracing Marguerite’s famous planting-strip edible-garden spots, as well as part of the rest of her yard. Meantime, in The Junction:
Jaesee the West Seattle “yarn-bomber” has struck again. We told her story here earlier this week, after her guerrilla knitting project at an Admiral District bike rack; this morning, she announced a new creation, and we photographed it while driving through The Junction (it’s at the southeast corner of Walk All Ways). First word came from WSB contributor Keri DeTore, who reported on the first “yarn-bomb” and got a statement from her – after the jump:Read More
From the team at Neighborhood House in High Point:
Prom, as many of you know is a rite of passage for high school youth in America, and one that many youth/families can not afford. So – help us help our girls.
High Point Family Center and YELS are going to host a prom dress ‘clothing fair’ in late April and would love donations of – Prom Dresses (gently used and clean) and Accessories (purses, shawls, hair clips etc). You can drop off your donation at 6400 Sylvan Way SW. … Just remember – your nightmare-inducing mermaid dress just might be a youth’s dream dress!
Optimal times for dropoff times are Monday-Friday 10 am- 4 pm and Saturday 10:30 am-12:30 pm (ask for Aparna or Dena). If you have a question – 206-588-4900, extension 626. (And here’s a map to 6400 Sylvan Way SW.)
Long a luminous name in music coverage, Billboard says it’s “scout(ed) the U.S. to find the most promising unsigned bands,” and in the Northwest, one of their picks includes two West Seattle musicians – Hotels. Now they’re in an online “Battle of the Bands” at the Billboard website, and looking for your vote – the ultimate prize in the competition is a chance to perform live at the Billboard Music Awards. We got a note from Tilly asking us to share news of the contest; watch the Hotels video above, and cast your vote on the right side of this page (no registration required!).
(Photo credit: Jeb the West Seattle pony, by Danny McMillin)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: The Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Event is tonight, starting with a town-hall forum at 6:30, on to a hoedown with live music at 7, details here, West Seattle Christian Church, 4400 42nd SW … Also in The Junction, four shops’ Fashion Spring Fling is tonight, 7-10 pm – shop late! – and Seattle Fish Company (4435 California SW) has a tasting event (fresh halibut and wine!) 5-7 pm … Speaking of fish, meet stars of “The Deadliest Catch” at Alki Tavern tonight, 7:30 pm … And as previewed here, the Community School of West Seattle (9450 22nd Ave SW) is holding a Bake Sale To Benefit Japan, 2:45 – 3:30 pm (and again tomorrow) … The new Bright Horizons child-care center at Link (WSB sponsor; 38th and Alaska) has a hard-hat tour 4-7 pm, drop by any time for a look and to meet the staff … French-Canadian folk trio De Temps Antan, with the Acadian kitchen party music of La Famille Léger, plays Kenyon Hall at 7:30 pm … The final week of “Distracted” at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) in The Junction continues with a 7:30 pm performance tonight – full details here.
A few quick updates tonight – WEST SEATTLE FOR JAPAN: Up to $6,300 from Sunday’s all-day/all-night fundraise-a-thon, per our quick check with organizer Dave Montoure of West 5 late today; more merchant reports to come … LA RUSTICA DINNER FUNDRAISER: The Beach Drive restaurant‘s special Monday night dinner service raised $2,900, according to La Rustica’s Beth McDaniel … BAKE SALE TOMORROW AND FRIDAY: Community School of West Seattle has done the baking; now, you do the buying – details in our story from yesterday.
It was way back in November when we first mentioned the Chief Sealth International High School Honor Choir‘s quest to raise money for a trip to sing at Carnegie Hall – here’s our photo of choir members selling cupcakes at the Southwest Community Center Holiday Bazaar – then, four months later, they were still at it, as shown above in our photo from last Sunday, with their second “rain or shine” car wash on Alki. Tonight they’ve shared an update on those car washes, and their upcoming Eastertime trip of a lifetime:
Dear WSB and West Seattle Community
We wanted to give you an update as to how our fundraising carwashes went. With the community’s support, we raised approximately $2,200. This would not have been possible if John Frank at Alki Auto Repair had not graciously allowed our group to use his location for our events, and if generous people had not shown up and supported us. The excellent coverage from the West Seattle Blog was “game-changing” and certainly had much to do with our success.
The saying “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice” is certainly true. When we sent in our application, we had high hopes of getting selected to perform. Once invited, choir groups must coordinate everything through the official travel agency for Carnegie Hall and there is no negotiating travel costs. At $1,800 per performer and chaperone, the total seemed insurmountable. So in some ways the route to Carnegie Hall became “fundraise, fundraise, fundraise” for us. Our students determined that they did not want anyone prevented from participating due to cost. Each family would commit what they could pay and then the group would fundraise together to pay the remaining balance. No members knew how much any of the other members were paying, we just knew the total we needed to raise.
Thinking back to our first meeting for this trip, there was a real sense of dread at the sum we were committing to raise. Fundraising is difficult, and with a fragile economy it is even more so. Thankfully, this is a very motivated group, and their enthusiasm has been infectious especially at times where it would have been easier to give up.
We wanted you to know how much your support has meant to us. Every dollar and kind word given to us has been very much appreciated. Over six months of work, we have had hundreds of people behind us, telling us we could do it and wishing success for us. This kind of experience is life-altering and greatly empowering. Certainly the full weight of this will hit each of us when we are on stage at Carnegie Hall. Thank you for your role in this.
With Gratitude,
The Chief Sealth Honor Choir
SPD calls out a West Seattle speeding ticket yet again – this time, more than double the school-zone speed near Holy Family on SW Roxbury.
(WSHS’s three FCCLA medalists)
From Sarah Orton at West Seattle High School:
As you may or may not know, we have some FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) state winners among us in the West Seattle area!
Our West Seattle High School FCCLA chapter went to Wenatchee last Wednesday-Friday and were amazing.
Ms. Henry and I could not have asked for a better group of students; they were Irvette Taruc, Phi Huong, and Chris Nguyen who helped facilitate STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Events and our chapter had three STAR Event competitors as well:
Silbee Sanchez and Phuc Nguyen competed in National Programs in Action and received a GOLD medal!!
Steven Nguyen competed in Job Interview and received the highest GOLD and will be representing Washington State at the NATIONAL FCCLA CONFERENCE in ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA this summer!!!
Steven is our first student to make it to Nationals for FCCLA and we are super proud and excited for this experience.
Please congratulate these students for a job well done, they represented West Seattle well.
Sarah Orton & Danielle Henry
Family and Consumer Science Department
West Seattle High School
(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB, swapped at 6:46 pm for previous camphone photo by Celeste)
4:05 PM: We’re on our way to 35th and Avalon, where a heavy-rescue response – many fire and police units – is reportedly answering a call about a car hitting a building. More in a moment.
4:15 PM: WSB contributor Katie Meyer arrived on scene first and says it’s The Bridge, the new bar/restaurant, which has some damage to repair but this has been downgraded from a major response.
4:20 PM: Just talked with The Bridge’s co-owner Trevor Garand, who says nobody inside was hurt and they ARE open. “Karaoke night is ON!” he told WSB’s Patrick Sand. They’re already making plans for repairs. I
The 24/7 line (206-293-6302) rang this morning with a common question this time of year: When does registration start for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day? Here’s the answer: Next Monday! This will be our fourth year organizing/presenting the peninsula-wide event – not one big garage sale (though big ones have and undoubtedly will be part of it), but many sales all over West Seattle. Every year there are more – last year’s total passed 200! You can scroll through some of the highlights at westseattlegaragesale.com; next Monday morning, we’ll publish a link here for signing up your sale – individual, business, block/group, etc. We also have a West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day page on Facebook (“like” it here – and if you haven’t already, check out the new main WSB page on FB). Oh, the important part – Saturday, May 14th is Community Garage Sale Day, 9 am-3 pm. You sign up, we make the map and promote it regionally, then come May 14th, it’s a fun opportunity not only to “recycle” items via the tried-and-true yard-sale method, but also to get out and meet friends and neighbors old and new, whether they go to your sale or you go to theirs.
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