day : 19/03/2011 9 results

(Photo by David Rosen from SlickPix Photography)
Thanks to the photographers who shared their views of tonight’s “supermoon” moonrise (explained here – the closest-to-Earth point in its orbit). We were out watching it too, but these photos are all better than ours.

((Photo by Mike Scharer)
Though the moon was first visible coming up from behind the Cascades if you were looking east from the southern half of West Seattle, it eventually was visible from further north:

(Photo by R.C. Eng)
This is the crowd on Hamilton Viewpoint. We spotted gatherings like this in many places, especially along east Alki.

(Photo by R.C. Eng)
Next natural phenomenon: Very high tide, early tomorrow morning (12.3 feet at 5:45 am, highest tide of the month).

ADDED 11:38 PM: More just came in (thank you!):

(Photo by Patrick McCaffrey)
As that one demonstrates – as the moon rose, it took on something resembling its normal coloration (an hour after we watched the moonrise from Sunrise Heights, with reddish hue like most of these photos show, we saw it again over the hill that’s southeast of central Alki, and by then, it was a more normal silvery-white) –

(Photo by Jim Clark)
But the early view remains the most striking:

(Photo by Kai McNichols)

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Candlelight vigil on Alki for Japan quake/tsunami survivors, victims

March 19, 2011 10:40 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Even if you weren’t close enough to the beach to see the luminarias, if you traveled along Alki tonight, you probably saw the TV trucks there to cover a vigil for the survivors and victims of the Japan earthquake/tsunami: “Our Hearts Send Hope.” Dozens of people gathered along a stretch of the beach east of the Bathhouse; the three-hour event, announced via Facebook, is scheduled to wrap up shortly. (added) Our video is more notable for the sound than the sights – a lone drumbeat; the steady waves:

Here is the text of one handout from a vigil participant, one of several on a piece of paper headed HOPE, with the “O” replaced by the red circle (sun) of the Japanese flag:

Thay’s Prayer for Japan
Sending love and compassion to the people of Japan

Dear friends in Japan,

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died.

The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what’s most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best we can do for those who have died; we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.

Here in Seattle and at our (faith) centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant (pray) for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.

Thich Nhat Hanh

ADDED 12:50 AM: Two photos by David Rosen of SlickPix Photography:

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 3 arrested in dispensary robbery

March 19, 2011 7:49 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

(SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Police have just posted their account – we’ve added it)

(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
7:49 PM: We finally have a bit of information about the big police response that’s drawn tips and questions the past hour and a half. The first tipster thought they were seeing something “undercover” around California/Juneau, so we headed out and saw police at two scenes, the tense “guns-drawn” situation in the photo above (which we photographed with a zoom lens), just north of California-Brandon, where someone was ordered out of a car and then cuffed:

Further south, there were multiple cars outside the building that is home to a medical-marijuana dispensary, and while you can’t see it from this angle, police were inside – the door is set back from the street (the building is not in our angle either, it’s immediately south) – talking with people:

Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams tells WSB that since officers are still out, full details aren’t available yet but it is reported to have been a robbery or attempted robbery; three people are in custody (according to later scanner traffic, two are juveniles, one is an adult), and up to two more suspects may still be at large. Lt. Williams says robbery and CSI detectives are responding to investigate now. There is no indication anyone is hurt, and no information yet about whether anything was taken.

10:28 PM UPDATE: More information from Lt. Williams, now confirming it was a robbery: “The suspects’ did take some property of the dispensary and personal property of at least one person inside. At least some of the property taken was recovered by officers. The detectives are continuing their investigation.” (We just drove past the scene, on our way back from two other stories, and saw two police cars still parked outside the building on California.)

SUNDAY MORNING, 9:17 AM: SPD Blotter has just posted a summary of what they say happened:

On March 19th, shortly after 6:00 PM, three suspects entered a licensed medical marijuana dispensary located in the 5400 Block of California Avenue SW. Also inside the business were three employees and two customers. The three suspects were asked by employees to leave, as they were not there to purchase anything. At that point, the suspects pulled out handguns and proceeded to restrain everyone in the store and rob them. The suspects then fled the store on foot. The employees of the business were able to free themselves and gave chase. They managed to catch two of the suspects a few blocks away. In his haste to get away, one of the suspects dropped his handgun and some stolen items in the alley. Responding officers arrested the two suspects and then located and arrested the third suspect a short distance away. In all, two handguns, the victim’s wallets and money and stolen marijuana were all recovered. Robbery and CSI detectives responded to the location to process the scene. All of the suspects were interviewed by detectives. The 24 year old male was later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery. The other suspects, ages 16 and 17, were booked into the Youth Services Center for Investigation of Robbery. Robbery detectives will have the responsibility for the continuing investigation.

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Traffic update: Alaskan Way Viaduct open, closes again Sunday

March 19, 2011 5:43 pm

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| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

After a day of closure for inspection, maintenance, and testing those new in-case-of-quake gates, the Alaskan Way Viaduct reopened at 5:30 pm, WSDOT just announced. It’s scheduled for 6 am-6 pm closure again tomorrow (if it reopens early as usual on Sundays during these weekends, we’ll publish an update) – remember that traffic out of West Seattle can be brutal, as it was at times today (here’s one pic from Twitter), so allow yourself extra time.

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‘Zumbathon’ Sunday for West Seattle YMCA Partners With Youth

March 19, 2011 4:46 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

The West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) is working right now to raise money for its Partners With Youth program – which supports an amazing array of youth-geared offerings around the community. Tomorrow night, you can pitch in by Zumba’ing with the Y – here are the details just shared by Tish:

Zumbathon event to benefit West Seattle & Fauntleroy Y Partners with Youth – 5 pm – 7 pm Sunday
________________________________
West Seattle Family YMCA (GYM)
4515 36th Ave. SW

$20 minimum donation. All money raised goes to seving youth in the West Seattle community.

Everyone is invited to JOIN THE PARTY – dance, sweat, laugh, move and help our community’s families live healthy and well lives… Stay for as little or as long as you like (you are not required to move for 2 solid hours! ha!)

It’s been said, You are never so Tall as when you stoop to help a child. Let’s see what happens when you dance to help a child?!

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Beautiful day to beautify West Seattle (etc.): Cleanup updates

March 19, 2011 4:02 pm

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| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Midway through the first “Keep Seattle Beautiful” cleanup – offshoot of the campaign whose founder Mike Merta wrote an open letter, published here – we caught up with King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who was with other volunteers along the Olson Place/1st Avenue South hill between Highway 509 and the West Seattle/White Center line (cleanup participants fanned out after meeting up at Waste Management, a short distance north).

McDermott later noted on his Facebook page that the cleanup had netted “six yards of trash” even before it officially ended at 2 pm.

Meantime, Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum reported that one of the biggest Adopt-A-Street turnouts in some time, 21 people, showed up to join ANA’s cleanup this morning – we’ll update this with any more aftermath information we find.

And we’re also waiting to hear from the Fairmount Ravine cleanup team, who were scheduled to head out for their annual event this morning, not just cleaning up the much-traveled canyon, but also helping save its forest by removing ivy and other invasives. Congratulations to everyone who’s out there making our area a cleaner and better place! Keep an eye on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for news of future cleanups (we usually announce them here on the main page too, along with one last reminder on the morning of an event).

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‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sealth’? Band at Pacific Science Center

March 19, 2011 11:34 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Not that they don’t have a tough-enough leader in Marcus Pimpleton already, but … imagine the pressure of hitting the right notes when Darth Vader is wielding the baton! The Chief Sealth International High School Band had a surprise guest conductor for a few minutes during their mini-concert this morning at the Pacific Science Center grand opening of “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination.” We reported on Thursday about the band’s downtown gig to celebrate the Science Center opening the doors for the first ticketholders to the new exhibit; after they played a medley of key themes from the entire “Star Wars” movie series, an entourage of familiar characters made their entrance, including Lord Vader. (They’re from the 501st Legion – explained here; right after the opening event with the Sealth band, they paraded over to the new exhibit, posing for photos – which their leader had explained is part of the deal in exchange for the costuming help they get from Lucasfilm!)

ADDED 2:04 PM: The band’s performance of the “Star Wars” medley, WITHOUT Darth Vader. That’s above; click ahead, and after the jump you will find the section of the encore that featured the Dark Lord of the Sith, plus a few more photos from this morning’s event:Read More

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West Seattle Saturday: Viaduct closure, 3 cleanups, book sale…

March 19, 2011 7:30 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Low-tide sights from Machel Spence earlier this week – “Super Moon” rises 7:30 tonight)
VERY busy Saturday! Here are some highlights of things to do/places to go, starting with a traffic alert – all from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

VIADUCT CLOSURE: The Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed till 6 pm tonight, scheduled for closure again 6 am-6 pm Sunday, for inspection/maintenance/quake-gate testing.

RAVINE CLEANUP: Fairmount Ravine Preservation Group will sponsor the 19th Annual Spring Cleanup and Reforestation of Fairmount Ravine. Gather at 8:30 for delicious Tully’s coffee and hot cocoa along with donuts. Cleanup is usually completed within two hours. Meet your friends and neighbors at the top of the ravine Forest St. and Fairmount Ave., just east of Hiawatha Park). Beware that currently there is utility construction at this intersection. You can walk through intersection but need to park nearby. Wear boots and gloves. Bring a pruning saw if interested in removing ivy from trees. We extend a special invitation to those who use the ravine to access the waterfront; please donate an hour of your time to keep this greenbelt healthy and pristine.

‘STREET SCRAMBLE’: Alki Street Scramble, registration starts 8;30 am 62nd/Alki, details here

ADMIRAL CLEANUP: Admiral Neighborhood Association Adopt-A-Street cleanup, meet at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), 9 am (breakfast snacks/beverages and sack lunch provided, tools and vests too)

BUY BOOKS, HELP STUDENTS: Sanislo Elementary‘s 4th Grade Used Book Sale, 10 am-2 pm (Facebook event page here), raising money for their camp fund.

ATOMIC BOYS’ ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: Atomic Boys in the Admiral District celebrating its third anniversary: Food, Fun & Games! Nifty drawings for kids of all ages! (yes, grown-ups too) Wear your Atomic Boys shirt for something neat-o! (10 am-6 pm)

WEST SEATTLE NESTFEST: Remodeling workshop including WSB sponsors Ventana Construction and WEDesign, Senior Center of West Seattle presenting information about remodeling with family needs in mind, 10 am (registration information here)

‘KEEP SEATTLE BEAUTIFUL’ CLEANUP: This one started as the “Clean Up Your Act, Seattle” cleanup, meet 8111 First Avenue South, 10 am, with King County Councilmember Joe McDermott joining in and Waste Management (whose HQ is at the meeting site) providing free breakfast.

FUNDRAISER CAR WASH: Rainbow Girls of West Seattle are holding a car wash on Saturday, March 19, 2011 from Noon to 3:00 pm at the Alki Masonic Hall – 4736 40th SW. Donations are gladly accepted. Rainbow is a service organization for girls between the ages of 11 and 20.

BOOK SIGNING: Barnes & Noble is proud to welcome members of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society to our West Seattle store for a book signing event on March 19th. Society members will be signing copies of their latest “Images of America” series book, about West Seattle, 1-3 pm

CELEBRATE PURIM: Kol HaNeshamah welcomes the community to its Purim celebration Saturday evening, March 19. We will have a child-oriented Celebration and Megilla Reading from 6:00-6:45: come hear the story of Purim told with the help of puppets!!! At 7:00 p.m. come see “Shushan on the Roof” as our congregants retell the story of Purim in costume and set to the music of the famous musical. Dress in costume (there will be prizes) and bring Hamantashen to share if you like (there will be more prizes for the most original or unusual!). For those who would like to help transform the Purim celebration into a force for good, bring small change to go into our tzedakah grogger! Kol HaNeshamah shares space with the Alki UCC and is located at 6115 SW Hinds St.

SCRABBLE FOR CHARITY: Play Scrabble, raise money for nonprofits, weekly tournament at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 3:30 pm

FREE BOAT SAFETY CHECKS: Coast Guard Auxiliary boat safety checks at Don Armeni boat ramp, 3-5 pm

And that’s not even everything – check the calendar for more.

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Donate to local food banks 2 ways through Scouting For Food

March 19, 2011 7:11 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Troop 282)
Remember that this month and next, donations to your local food banks count for extra because of the Feinstein Challenge (explained here) – and one way you can give is via a door-to-door drive that local Boy Scouts are conducting the next two Saturdays, plus a Cub Scout collection site today. First – if you get info about Scouting For Food left at your door today, consider putting out a donation next Saturday. Rick McMinn with Troop 282 explains:

Boy Scouts of America teaches the value of community service and the importance of helping others in all of its programs. “Doing a good turn daily” is a cornerstone of the Scouting program.

For the next two Saturdays boys from West Seattle will be in the neighborhood “Scouting for Food”. “Scouting for Food” is a program of the Boy Scouts of America in conjunction with local food banks conducted throughout the country each year. Scouts will be distributing door hangers this Saturday, March 19 and returning next Saturday, March 26th to collect food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank. Non perishable food donations such as peanut butter, baby formula, packaged meals and canned goods (especially tuna, soups, stews, meats, fruits and vegetables) would be greatly appreciated. Simply take the door hanger and use it to remind yourself to dig out of your cupboards or shop for the above items and put them out for the scouts to collect in the morning on March 26th.

Second, here’s a way to drop off donations this morning:

Cub Scouts from Den 7, Pack 284 will be at West Seattle Morgan Street Thriftway from 8:30-10:30 Saturday morning collecting food as part of their annual Scouting for Food. All proceeds and food will benefit West Seattle Food Bank. Our goal is to stuff a pickup truck full to overflowing. Anyone missing this time slot but still want to donate can contact me and I’ll make arrangements to get donations picked up. 206.383.2352

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