West Seattle, Washington

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month : 04/2011 375 results

Final day for the Charlestown Street Café: Open for business
April 3, 2011 7:06 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Charlestown Cafe | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Two people were waiting outside when the Charlestown Street Café opened moments ago for its final day in business after 32 years (and two more followed them in a moment later).

Everything’s up and running despite last night’s power problem. First in line, arriving about 20 minutes before 7, was Mike (photo above), doing a puzzle while he waited; he told us he had just decided he “might as well come here the last day.” We’ll be checking in during the day; the restaurant is scheduled to close its doors for good at 3 pm, with a note on the door sternly warning “last seating at 2:30 pm.” As we first reported one week ago, owner Ron Hanlon says the economy has done what first a development threat and then a fire couldn’t do – force the popular café’s doors to close.

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Westside School celebrates milestone year at ‘Rocketing’ auction
April 3, 2011 6:28 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photos by John McLellan for WSB)
The theme for last night’s annual Westside School (WSB sponsor) dinner and auction was “Rocketing to a Brilliant Future” – with a school year that’s already seen milestones achieved.

The brick walls inside Showbox SODO could have been seen as an echo of the year’s biggest milestone – Westside moved into its own building, the former E.C. Hughes Elementary in Sunrise Heights.

Under head of school Jo Ann Yockey, Westside also is expanding into middle school; she is at left in the photo above as Westside’s board president Mollie Jensen. More photos ahead:Read More

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Preparedness Month, 2nd report: 3 chances for in-person training!
April 3, 2011 4:00 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Preparedness | Safety | West Seattle news

April is Disaster Preparedness Month in our state, and for the second year, WSB is committed to a nightly focus on preparedness, with a particular emphasis on being ready in case of earthquakes, given our area’s history and risk, as well as the heightened awareness and concerns resulting from last month’s quake/tsunami disaster in Japan.

Our first report gave a quick refresher on the Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs that are part of an amazing volunteer-led effort that has given West Seattle the preparedness edge so far – West Seattle Be Prepared. But the relatively small group of volunteers who have come forward to join in the planning and preparation this far won’t be able to do much in case of disaster without backup and help from hundreds, even thousands of others in the community. That’s why your participation in training is vital as part of Preparedness Month – and the good thing is, you don’t have to seek it out on your own. Here are 3 West Seattle opportunities coming up in the next two and a half weeks, all free – you just have to show up!

THIS THURSDAY (APRIL 7TH): West Seattle Be Prepared launches a new training/education series. 6-7:30 pm, be at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction (California/Oregon). An hour and a half is a small investment considering the potentially lifesaving information you get in return – here are full details from WSBP.

APRIL 16TH: Find out about retrofitting your home for earthquake safety, with a free workshop at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library Branch – full details here. (Though the class is free, registration is requested – 206-233-5076.)

APRIL 18TH: WSBP and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network team up for a preparedness-training session, 6-7:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).

Those are all from the West Seattle Be Prepared events calendar, where you will also find a reminder of April 20th – the day for a statewide “drop, cover, and hold” earthquake drill at 9:45 am. More here tomorrow night, and we’re still interested in your suggestions for what you most want to know about earthquake readiness (we’ll be working on the questions raised in last night’s comments!).

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‘Barton’s Web’: New West Seattle P-Patch’s almost-final design
April 2, 2011 9:38 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | West Seattle news | Westwood

(Courtesy Barker Landscape Architects)
That’s the almost-final design for West Seattle’s new Barton Street P-Patch, revealed at Southwest Community Center this afternoon. About 30 people were there for the last of three community design meetings shaping the future of the big parcel at 34th/Barton, once owned by Seattle Public Utilities, long little more than a stretch of lawn, till the Parks and Green Spaces Levy made money available to turn it into a P-Patch.

This design, dubbed “The Web” for obvious reasons, is based on the popular choice among four options shown at the second design meeting, which in turn were crafted from eight concepts roughed out by participants at the first meeting. Its key points include about 50 plots, as well as consideration for having minimal impact on the big birch tree on the site, which is being kept (as we reported 2 weeks ago) because of input from comments made both in person and online (WSB comments were cited as one of the input sources considered) – altogether described as “a community decision.” (To compensate for shade concerns, the largest garden plots have been sited north of the tree.)

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Rain or shine, West Seattle Soccer Club starts play Sunday
April 2, 2011 8:27 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

West Seattle Soccer Club reps have spent much of the day lining the fields where their spring season opens tomorrow: Madison, Roxhill South, Boren, Fairmount, Alki, E.C. Hughes, Sealth (SWAC), and Denny. So says WSSC’s Tim McMonigle, who adds: “Our season theme this year is Champion’s League, modeled after the popular European tournament, with all the famous names like Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona. We are playing for six weeks (except Easter) and only on Sunday afternoons.” So if you see fields full of kids just about everywhere you go tomorrow – it’s just WSSC spring games, first round.

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No last dinner at Charlestown Café: Closed tonight, no power
April 2, 2011 6:41 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Charlestown Cafe | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

6:41 PM: Tonight, the Charlestown Street Café was to be serving its last dinners, since it’s closing for good at 3 pm tomorrow – but when Dave got there a little while ago, he found that note on its door, saying it’s closed tonight because the power is out, back in the morning at 7 am. (The outage is shown on the City Light map – just one customer, just that spot, “cause unknown.”)

7:59 PM UPDATE: WSB contributor Kathy Mulady, who’s covered the Charlestown’s travails since 2006 and reported the WSB followup after the closure announcement, talked to the Seattle City Light crews that are on scene right now. They told her a transformer blew and they’re waiting for a new one. Oddly, Kathy adds, the outage didn’t affect the big sign out front. It, perhaps defiantly, blazes on.

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Update: Delridge reopens after fire call leads to road closure
April 2, 2011 5:14 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

5:14 PM: A fire call in the 4500 block of Delridge Way SW, just south of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, has traffic blocked off on Delridge in that area right now, so avoid the area if you can. We’re arriving at the scene; some engines are being canceled, but our crew reports a “burned door” visible on this multiplex.

5:40 PM: Added a photo – the building in the background is the one where the fire happened. Our crew at the scene says Delridge has reopened to traffic. No report of any injuries related to the fire.

5:50 PM: Firefighters at the scene tell us the fire was caused by an “unattended dryer.” No one was home at the time except a dog that fire crews rescued. The unit’s residents won’t be able to go back inside tonight, though.

7:07 PM: One more photo added – showing the aforementioned burned door.

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West Seattle businesses: Happy anniversary, Wyatt’s Jewelers!
April 2, 2011 4:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | Westwood

It’s been a day for balloons, punch, cupcakes, the candy jar, and raffling today at Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village, celebrating its 6th anniversary with a sale starting today. We managed to catch co-owner Kirk Keppler this afternoon during a brief break in a busy day. If you see this before 6 pm, there’s still time to drop by and wish them “Happy Anniversary” – they’re closed Sunday/Monday, but the sale lasts all month, resuming next Tuesday.

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West Seattle help for Japan: Shelley’s sale; Anthony’s dog walk
April 2, 2011 3:11 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Both of these events started with one person’s idea, magnified by help from and participation by others: The first day of Shelley Lebert‘s community garage sale for Japan relief at 3014 45th SW was already going full speed when we stopped by this morning. Shelley (holding the sign) was so excited about the team effort that had made it happen, she gathered some of the other volunteers with her when we asked to take a photo. All the while, garage-salers kept pulling up out front; if you go before the end of today, or 9 am-4 pm tomorrow, be sure to note there’s lots of stuff BEHIND the house.

In front, there’s also a fundraising bake sale:

Shelley was thrilled the sun came out this morning and the weather dried out; she told us how hard the volunteers had worked in the midst of the drippy weather yesterday, sorting donations and buying tents just in case. Again, 9 am-4 pm again tomorrow, 3014 45th SW.

Meantime, along Alki this afternoon, you might have spotted the group dog-walk to raise awareness for the plight of pets in the quake/tsunami zone:

CL shared that view across the street from the dog walk’s starting point at Anchor Park; this is the walk that Anthony from Left Coast Dog Service announced yesterday – that’s his trademark green van with a Japanese flag draped on the side. We counted dozens of dogs and people by the time they grouped up and took off; we have a video clip to add later. too:

(If you’d like to donate to those helping animals affected by the Japan disaster – here’s the link on Anthony’s banner.)

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Also happening now: Pet Adoption Stroll; ‘Earth Month’ at CAPERS
April 2, 2011 1:51 pm
|    Comments Off on Also happening now: Pet Adoption Stroll; ‘Earth Month’ at CAPERS
 |   Environment | How to help | Pets | West Seattle news

Scenes from two more West Seattle events happening this afternoon: That’s Sabra from Purrfect Pals with Chantou, a 1-year-old female who is one of three cats (the other two are 1 and 8) brought to Pet Elements in search of “forever homes” during this afternoon’s Morgan Junction Pet Adoption Stroll. You’ll find dogs at Stella Ruffington’s, 7003 California SW. The Pet Adoption Stroll (details in this WSB Forums post) continues till 4 pm. In The Junction, meantime, it’s Earth Month at CAPERS:

Lisa from CAPERS shared that photo – she explains, “CAPERS kicks off earth month with a showcase of products that are ‘Green’ for your home. (Today till 3 it’s) Meyer Wells Reclaimed Wood Furniture, Caldrea Homekeeping, Oecotextiles in the house showcasing the green aspects of design. Don’t miss the BPA-free waterbottles & red wine resistant linens too.” They’re at 4521 California SW.

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Happening now: Kiwanis Club of West Seattle food drive at 5 stores
April 2, 2011 11:57 am
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Kiwanis Club of West Seattle food drive at 5 stores
 |   How to help | Kiwanis Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

Till 3 pm, there are five places you can donate nonperishable food to the West Seattle Food Bank via the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle’s one-day food drive. We caught up with West Seattle Kiwanians and Key Club members outside PCC Natural Markets‘ West Seattle store (WSB sponsor) above, and fellow Kiwanians from Rainier Valley (with help from WSHS Key Club) at Jefferson Square Safeway below:

More information about the food drive, including the full list of stores, is here.

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Southgate Roller Rink update: Here’s the skating schedule
April 2, 2011 10:30 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | White Center | WS & Sports

(COURTESY LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: White Center Mardi Gras Parade 1947 passes Southgate rink)
Here’s an update you just might want to throw a parade for: As first reported here and on partner site White Center Now last weekend, Thursday night is grand-opening night for the newly renovated Southgate Roller Rink in White Center. Southgate’s been publishing updates on Facebook (check out the photo of the 300 newly arrived rental skates!) but now also has updated its website with full details on the skating-session schedule and prices (which include skate rental if needed) – you can see it here (including a beginners’ class on Sundays). Here’s how to find the rink. (And if you missed it – here’s our original February story breaking the news of the rink reopening.)

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West Seattle Saturday: Glad the sun’s out – much to do!
April 2, 2011 7:59 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Saturday: Glad the sun’s out – much to do!
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Scenes from Lincoln Park by West Seattle photographer Machel Spence)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

FOOD DRIVE: Kiwanis Club of West Seattle and Key Club members will be outside five local supermarkets 9 am-3 pm collecting nonperishable-food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank – PCC, Metropolitan Market, West Seattle Thriftway, Jefferson Square Safeway, Junction QFC.

Two events to raise money/awareness as Japan continues recovering from the earthquake/tsunami disaster:

GARAGE SALE FOR JAPAN RELIEF: Admiral Neighborhood garage sale to benefit Japan relief, 9 am-4 pm today and tomorrow, 3014 45th SW. (Original announcement here – map to the sale site is here)

MASS DOG WALK: Everyone, with or without dogs, welcome to join to help call attention to the plight of Japanese pets, post-quake. Meet at Anchor Park at noon and walk westward toward the Alki business district. Full details here.

And a whole lot more going on:

WESTSIDE SCHOOL AUCTION: Westside School (WSB sponsor)’s 22nd annual auction, Showbox SODO, 1700 1st Avenue South, doors open at 5 pm. Full schedule of events in school newsletter.

LAST DESIGN MEETING FOR BARTON STREET P-PATCH: Third and final design meeting for the 34th/Barton P-Patch, 1:30-3:30 pm, Southwest Community Center.

MORGAN JUNCTION PET STROLL: As Furry Faces Foundation says, “Don’t just shop – adopt!” Two locations where you can meet and adopt new furry family members – Pet Elements and Stella Ruffington’s. Noon-4 pm today; full details in this post from the WSB Forums.

CLOSING NIGHT FOR ‘DISTRACTED’: Last chance to see ‘Distracted‘ at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), 7:30 pm (tickets available online)

SECOND-TO-LAST SHOW FOR ‘RUMORS’: Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) presents Neil Simon’s “Rumors” again tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 7:30 pm (tickets available online)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, WYATT’S JEWELERS: Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) is kicking off their 6th Anniversary with an Open House Celebration 10 am to 6 pm. Refreshments, balloons, and free jewelry cleaning! Their anniversary sale continues for the entire month of April (center of Westwood Village)

NATIVE PLANT SALE: Go Natives! will have a Native Plant Sale at 3225 47th Ave SW (follow the signs), 10 am – 3 pm. You can request specific plants from their inventory such as some nice Trillium and lots of other stuff. If you can’t make it over till after 3 pm please call 206.542.1275 by early Saturday morning to make other arrangements.

SLAGS AT SKYLARK The Slags (opening for The Resets) at Skylark Cafe & Club (WSB sponsor), 3803 Delridge Way SW. 10 pm, $5 cover.

DIGITAL BOOK ROADSHOW: Seattle Public Library presents the “Digital Book Roadshow” at the West Seattle Branch (2306 42nd Avenue SW), 2-4 pm. Want to learn more about e-books and e-book readers? Come to this event where they will provide an overview of Library e-books and let you test drive various e-book readers. Presentations at 2 and 3 pm, hands-on tryouts after each.

FAUNTLEROY CLEANUP: The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s annual “Spring Clean” work party will be Saturday, April 2, 9 AM – noon in Cove Park (adjacent to the ferry terminal). Bring gloves and your favorite gardening tools for a general spruce-up. Children old enough to work safely and independently are especially welcome.

LINCOLN PARK CLEANUP: The forests of Lincoln Park are turning green and the trillium are up. It’s a great time to be in the woods, and here’s your chance. Join the Friends of Lincoln Park as we restore the Lincoln Park forests by removing invasive plants and planting natives. Today from 9 am to noon. Meet at the kiosk in the north parking lot, across Fauntleroy Way SW from SW Rose St. Bring garden gloves and hand clippers, or we’ll have extras.

MOVIE NIGHT AT TIBBETTS: “Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the park.”. If your allergies are kicking up, we know springtime has arrived. We also know it means time to oil up your mitts, bust out the “M’s” ballcap and get ready for a season of America’s Favorite Pastimes. Baseball, Eating and Movies! It’s also a great time to join Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor, 3940 41st Ave SW) for “Baseball Movie Night.” With the M’s first home stand fast approaching, now is a great time to slide into the season. Beginning at 6 pm, we pay homage to baseball food! “Slider” hamburgers and other ballpark favorites. After dinner, stick around and watch our featured movie “A League of Their Own.”

CAKES, CHAMPAGNE, PERFUME: New commercial bakery Baked. is having a Marie Antoinette-inspired cake tasting at Knows Perfume (4536 California SW) from 6 to 9 p.m. All cakes will be decorated in a grand style befitting a queen, so whether you’re looking for a wedding or special occasion cake (or just love cake), come sample Red Velvet, Lavender, Tiramisu, and Dark Chocolate while sipping champagne and sniffing the gorgeous perfumes carried by Knows. Baked. and Knows will be holding raffles for $50 gift certificates towards cakes and perfume.

WII BOWLING: From Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor): We will be having a Wii bowling tournament from 10 am to 2 pm at our Admiral Heights Location. The competition will be fierce between the seniors at Admiral Heights, Northgate, and Northgate Plaza. The winner of this tournament will go on for the grand prize.

‘ROCKY HORROR’ NIGHT: At midnight: The Rocky Horror Picture Show complete with shadow casting is presented at The Admiral Theater on the first Saturday of each month – that means tonight!

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Preparedness Month, first report: West Seattle Be Prepared
April 2, 2011 1:36 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Preparedness | West Seattle news


View West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs in a larger map

Once again this year, WSB is taking time every night in April – proclaimed Disaster Preparedness Month in our state – for at least a tidbit of special coverage (sometimes more) to help you get closer to the goal of being ready for anything. This time, we are going to focus specifically on earthquake preparedness, still so top-of-mind following the recent Japan megaquake/tsunami disaster, preceded by the New Zealand quake. But first out of the gate, the most important thing we can do is make sure you are tapped into West Seattle Be Prepared, a volunteer-led effort with online and offline components. The biggest one is the designation and mapping of “Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs” around the peninsula. As explained on this page of the West Seattle Be Prepared website, the hubs are “emergency community gathering sites in case a major disaster occurs that makes it impossible to get information and help in the usual ways.” Check the map (above, and here, with a downloadable/printable version here). Know your nearest hub. If you don’t see one near your neighborhood – that’s only because volunteers haven’t come forward yet to designate and plan one (maybe you can help?). Hub or no hub, bookmark and browse West Seattle Be Prepared; also check out its new blog-format site, with more-topical information, like a newly launched events calendar; join the WSBP group on Facebook; and “follow” @wsbeprepared on Twitter. Saturday night, we’ll start getting down to quake-preparedness specifics. If there’s anything specific about earthquake preparedness or earthquake risks you’ve long wondered about, leave a comment or e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com, and we’ll be sure to find experts to address it during our month of coverage.

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Spirited Junction fundraiser #2: Beer Church @ West 5
April 2, 2011 12:26 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | WS beverages

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
And the second spirited Friday night fundraiser in The Junction – At West 5, the West Seattle-based Beer Church released its new batch of Pale Ale, brewed with Schooner Exact Brewing. Because fundraising is as embedded in Beer Church’s DNA as the beer itself, there is of course a beneficiary – Pints for Prostates, described on the Beer Church website as “a grassroots campaign to increase awareness among men about the need for regular health screenings and PSA testing.” At the event, right to left, Beer Church’s Kendall Jones and Kim Sharpe-Jones and “members” Dave Hutchinson and Matt McClung:

WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen reports that Beer Church Pale Ale 2 – featuring (updated) FOUR different hops and FOUR different malts – was distributed to Beveridge Place Pub and Elliott Bay Brewing as well as to West 5 (very limited quantity, so hurry!) Donated ingredients, labor and expertise came from not only Schooner Exact but also Larry’s Brewing Supply, Yakima Chief Inc. and Snipes Mountain Brewing.

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Spirited Junction fundraiser #1: Bin 41’s anniversary party
April 1, 2011 11:39 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS beverages

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Their official first anniversary – as noted here – was two weeks back, but tonight was the night the owners of Bin 41 wine shop in The Junction set aside for the party, and they welcomed plenty of guests. Bin 41 owners T. Frick and Jon McNamara also donated the night’s $5 tasting fee – as they have done the past several tastings – to Japan quake/tsunami relief.

Guest winemakers tonight were from West Seattle – from left in the photo above, winemaker Chris Gorman, Bin 41’s Jon McNamara, winemaker Darby English, Bin 41’s T. Frick McNamara. Surprises were promised – and those turned out to include raffles, with prizes including the Argentinian wine boxes Jon holds below:

The guest winemakers were pouring Cabernets and Syrahs, WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen reports: Gorman poured his “Pixie,” 100% Syrah, and “Zachary’s Ladder,” which is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petit Verdot mix, named after his son. Darby poured from his original line, but his main feature was an unveiling of his new line “Live Wire”; he poured a Cabernet Franc and a Syrah from Live Wire.

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Alki Homestead review déja vu: Restoration? Reconstruction?
April 1, 2011 8:26 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 1/16/2011)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It’s come up before, and now it’s come up again:

To reopen the city-landmarked Alki Homestead (originally the Fir Lodge), will it take restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or some combination of all of the above? The scope of the proposal came up this morning downtown as owner Tom Lin and his architect team from Alloy Design Group returned to the Architectural Review Committee of the city Landmarks Preservation Board for a third review, with historic-preservation advocates watching from the sidelines.

The same question arose when Lin and a different architect brought a different proposal to the committee a year and a half ago, as reported here. Back then, they were proposing adding “other uses” to the site – a bar, maybe a bed-and-breakfast – but that plan was scrapped, and the new plan is all about bringing the Homestead back as a restaurant and banquet facility.

But how can it be done, when it needs a new foundation and a new roof – and some degree of replacement inbetween? “Tricky” is one word that was used.

Read More

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Spring colors, the feathered version: ‘Bright little birds’
April 1, 2011 6:33 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

A little more relief from the relentless gray: “Bright little birds,” as Trileigh Tucker describes them. She shared the photos while reporting:

The first Rufous Hummingbird of the season showed up at my feeder on Monday! These gorgeous little aerial jewels show up in early spring after migrating an incredibly long distance – all the way from Texas and Mexico. If readers are interested, there’s a migration map available … along with a link you can click to animate the migration. Such a tiny bird flying such a long way to come visit us during the spring and summer!

I’m also attaching a photo of one of our resident birds, only slightly larger than a hummingbird – a golden-crowned kinglet. They stay with us all winter long and provide a bright spot in the rainy woods!

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Grocery shopping tomorrow? Get extra for West Seattle Kiwanis food drive
April 1, 2011 4:54 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Kiwanis Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

Five West Seattle grocery stores, six hours, one day of service for the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle – tomorrow, 9 am-3 pm, Kiwanis and Key Club members will be collecting nonperishable food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank, outside Metropolitan Market and PCC West Seattle (both WSB sponsors) as well as West Seattle Thriftway, Junction QFC, and Jefferson Square Safeway. (And this is still that time of spring when donations to food banks count extra – as explained here.)

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West Seattle schools: Seattle Lutheran’s new football coach
April 1, 2011 3:33 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Just in from Seattle Lutheran High School principal Mark Henderson: A new football coach is on board for SLHS. Jim Wright most recently was on the coaching staff at Eastside Catholic High School. Read on for Seattle Lutheran’s full announcement:Read More

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New concept in court fight over The Hole: How about talking it out?
April 1, 2011 3:21 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Triangle | West Seattle news

(WSB photo of ‘The Hole,’ taken in February)
How much time, how much money, and how much work do you put into court fights over a complicated (as most parties describe it) case, before just saying, “Can we sit down and talk this out?” This afternoon — after the end of yet another court hearing in the ongoing legal fight over issues related to the stalled project that has left The Hole in the heart of West Seattle instead of the once-envisioned apartments/Whole Foods/Hancock Fabrics project — King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead asked the question: “Have you (lawyers) started talking about mediation yet?” Not really, they said, but it might not be a bad idea, several of them allowed – unofficially, of course, since they have to consult their clients. (And the parties who were not represented in court today, since the afternoon’s proceedings didn’t involve everyone in the case.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Package theft; SWAT aftermath
April 1, 2011 1:45 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: Package theft; SWAT aftermath
 |   Crime | Highland Park | Triangle | West Seattle news

Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. First, from Jeff:

For the 2nd time in the past 3 months we have had packages stolen off our front door that were delivered by UPS (w/online confirmation of delivery). We live (in the 900 block of) SW Austin Street [map] and the our front door can only be seen if someone is coming from the East of SW Austin (i.e. someone coming from the apartments on the corner of Holden & Highland Park). I spoke to a UPS driver the other day and mentioned that there have been reports of packages stolen from previous posting on the blog but, he wasn’t aware of any recent incidents.

Meantime, a followup on Wednesday’s SWAT standoff at the Seattle West Inn (which will temporarily close as of Monday, as reported here yesterday) on Wednesday.

Police responded to our request for more information with the narrative from their report. It includes new information, including a mention of something we had heard on the scanner but not had confirmed till now – that the man has a record. Read on:Read More

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Think summer: Suggestion time for West Seattle Outdoor Movies
April 1, 2011 11:33 am
|      50 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

(WSB photo from 7/18/2010, biggest opening-night crowd ever for WS Outdoor Movies)
Drippy, murky weather, and just one easy antidote (unless you have a private plane you can take to the tropics at a moment’s notice) – dream of summer. Here’s one way to do it: Suggest a movie for this summer’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies (with WSB again among the sponsors)! If you are a new arrival, here’s the backstory: Every summer, the parking courtyard alongside Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction turns into an outdoor moviehouse for six consecutive Saturday nights – concessions are sold as fundraisers, there’s always some kind of wacky pre-movie entertainment, you bring the chairs and blankets. And when spring arrives, you suggest the movies! Every year there are some licensing-terms constraints, so even if something seems like the absolute popular choice hands-down, there might be an obstacle, but don’t let that get in your way – if there’s something you would love to enjoy under the stars (and one night last year, hardy souls even stayed through some rain), suggest it now! (If you’re worried about being redundant, here’s last year’s lineup.)

P.S. Two more Hotwire notes, while we’re at it – the Peeps drinks are back (there’s another way to beat the gray-sky blues) – read more about them in the latest Hotwire newsletter – and Hotwire is offering table space for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (May 14th, 9 am-3 pm, sales all over West Seattle – 200 last year! – registration opens Monday). If you don’t have room for your own sale, e-mail Lora to reserve a free courtyard spot: info@hotwirecoffee.com. (And if you use Facebook, you can “like” the WSCGSD page for updates and for the chance to post wall info about your own sale when May 14th gets closer!)

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