QuickWest Seattle Crime Watch note tonight: Mark sent word that his home at 18th/Brandon (map) was broken into just after 3 pm today. He says, “Fortunately we had an alarm which scared the burglars off but they still made off with my laptop.”
(Checking the city’s police-call map and police-report map – both of which lag several hours and don’t reflect all reports – the only other West Seattle residential burglary we see reported since yesterday morning, so far, is a break-in reported Friday evening in the 4800 block of Delridge.)
Thanks to everyone who continues to share wonderful photographs – particularly of our wildlife, plant life, and other scenery, as well as news events big and small, breaking and not (here’s how to share something, any time) – Top photo, Danny McMillin caught one of West Seattle’s eagles lifting off from a madrona snag on Alki Point today. Next, the sunny scene at Alki this afternoon, photographed by JayDee, who observes that warmth-deprived West Seattleites seemed like crocuses, popping out once the sun appeared:
And from Trileigh, tonight’s golden sunset, viewed from the Lincoln Park bluff:
Its critical look at pressures faced by U.S. students has had a lot of people talking since its release more than a year ago – and they’re still talking. This Thursday night is your next chance to see “Race to Nowhere” with a West Seattle group. The Holy Rosary School Parents’ Club is sponsoring a screening at 6:30 pm Thursday at the Admiral Theater. As the promotional page explains – and as you might guess from watching the trailer above – the movie is “a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.” Tickets cost $5 less if you buy in advance – you can do that online by going here.
On March 13th, Sunday brunch goes green – not because St. Patrick’s Day is ahead – it’s all about the greenspaces around us, the heart of the Nature Consortium‘s work. One week from tomorrow, it’s the West Seattle-based nonprofit’s annual fundraising/awareness-raising brunch, noon-1:30 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. It’s free to register (donations will be requested during the event). Just go here to get your name on the list.
10:59 AM: Thanks to Jake Jaramillo for the photo of the in-progress cleanup of the Thistle Street Stairs near Lincoln Park (stretching from 46th/Thistle up to Northrop/Thistle). Jake says there’s still time to go pitch in – “It’s very well-organized. They can put to work anyone who cares to join!”
3:23 PM: Added that clip produced by Wes Sauer of Cider Press Media, narrated by P.J. Glassey. We checked out the cleanup toward the end and indeed, it seemed all involved had a great time (and cleared away multiple bags of overgrowth, including some that was clogging a small drainage ditch alongside the stairs).
At about 8:45 Friday evening someone knocked on my door posing as an ADP sales agent. He said because of all the recent crimes in our neighborhood his manager wanted him to place signs on our lawns if we’d agree to a consultation. After I gave him the boot he moved on to my next door neighbor with a different story. We are guessing that he was casing our houses to determine who had alarms. My neighbor called the police to report it, I though perhaps the West Seattle Blog might alert some neighbors.
(Added Saturday night – our photo from the Madison/Aki Kurose booth, with Lilien and Joseph)
Peruse the list of exhibitors for the Emerald City Comic Convention, continuing all weekend at the Washington State Convention Center downtown, and you’ll find a distinctly West Seattle name – Madison Middle School. Teacher Greg Hatcher is there with his afterschool cartooning class again this year. Last year, they collected donations to help make sure their program could continue; this year, they’re raising money by selling a book – “Doodle Inc.: The Cartooning Class Reunion Special,” with work by cartooning-class alums. You can see the cover and some of the art here, in a story Hatcher wrote about the project and how it came together. Seattle’s Child magazine featured them too. At the event, look for them in booth 511; if they haven’t sold out yet, the book’s going for just $5, with that entire price supporting the student cartooning program. Emerald City ComiCon is open 10 am-7 pm today, 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, ticket info here (and here’s this year’s celebrity lineup – headlined by William Shatner).
(Pileated woodpecker, photographed in Lincoln Park by Machel Spence)
Ready to be as industrious today as that woodpecker? Today’s the day for the Thistle Street Stairs community-organized cleanup on West Seattle’s longest stairway (meet at 10 am, 46th and Thistle) … if you’re in the early-learning field, the White Center Providers Group is presenting an all-day Early Learning Fair and Conference at WC Heights Elementary (first speaker at 9:15 am, details here) … Play Scrabble and help local nonprofits – new day! Charity Scrabble at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) moves to 3:30 pm Saturdays starting today … Looking to liven up your cooking repertoire? West Seattle-based, nationally acclaimed food writer Kim O’Donnel is at the 4th Avenue Costco today with her “Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook,” 4:30-6 pm … Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) has its 2011 Chili Cookoff tonight, starting at 5:30 (votes by donation), followed by monthly Movie Night (“The Life of Brian” this time), suggested donations $5 person/$12 family, community welcome as well as congregation members … Our Lady of Guadalupe School has its annual fundraising auction tonight (this year’s theme: Beach Party), details here … Today is one of the periodic Free Women’s Health Exam days at West Seattle Community Clinic for women 40-65 who are uninsured or underinsured (call 206-937-9722 to see if any appointments remain, or to get information about next time) … The memorial for longtime West Seattleite Andrew Fife is today; details here. … Check the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for more listings.
The signs of spring just keep stacking up. West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao sends word of WSLL tryouts tomorrow (Sunday), for both minors and majors. The tryouts are at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW, next to West Seattle High School). Check in at the tent alongside the field to get a number; Majors Division check-ins start at 9, with tryouts 9:30-11:30 am; Minors Division check-ins start at 12:30 pm, with tryouts 1-3:30 pm. According to the WSLL calendar, the season officially begins April 4th, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for their new Bar-S Playfield improvements on March 26th.
On March 13th, Sunday brunch goes green – not because St. Patrick’s Day is ahead – it’s all about the greenspaces around us, the heart of the 
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