Breathe Hot Yoga: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!
Today, we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Breathe Hot Yoga, which has now added a West Seattle studio in The Triangle, on the north side of Link (also a WSB sponsor). 
As is WSB tradition for new sponsors, Breathe Hot Yoga was invited to share what they would like you to know about their business:
Breathe Hot Yoga was founded by Amber Borgomainerio and Ross Yearsley. Amber is well known as an expert yoga teacher whose greatest passion is sharing the gift of a regular yoga practice with her students. It should be no surprise that Breathe‘s mission is to bring authentic, accessible and affordable yoga to Northwest urbanites hungry for healthy life challenges.
Breathe Hot Yoga opened its doors in South Lake Union in early 2009 and is now excited to announce the opening of our West Seattle location at 3750 SW Alaska (map). Amber is no stranger to West Seattle, having brought hot yoga to West Seattleites as the manager and lead teacher of the West Seattle Yoga Center from 2002-2008. Everyone at Breathe Hot Yoga is excited about being back in West Seattle, and we look forward to reconnecting with the community as well as making new friends! You will love practicing yoga with us at our beautiful new studio! Breathe Hot Yoga is online at breathehotyoga.com, and reachable by phone at 206-659-0092.
We thank Breathe Hot Yoga 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.
80 mph on the West Seattle Bridge, and other recent citations
The Seattle Police SPD Blotter website has just published a couple rounds of highlights from recent activity by the Aggressive Drivers Response Team, including an 80-mph citation on Sunday on the West Seattle Bridge. That’s in this roundup; here’s another new roundup, with activity last week on the bridge and on SW Roxbury (plus a few non-West Seattle spots). P.S. SPD will have some news a bit later this morning; early today, their Twitter feed suddenly morphed into a fast-moving stream of activity, somewhat similar to the Seattle Fire Department’s online 911 log, and they’re explaining it at a media briefing right now.
West Seattle Tuesday: Bridge closure; Frisbee move; more
In case you feel the need for sunshine at some point today – Alison Doyle shared that video compilation of scenes along Alki and environs from our sunny Saturday (accompanied by contemplative piano music). Thanks, Alison! Meantime, here are highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
PARTIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: Traffic alert for late-night/early-morning drivers – TONIGHT is the rescheduled start of four nights during which SDOT plans to close the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct 10 pm-5 am. That’s the section of the WS Bridge that runs from I-5 to Highway 99. This means the I-5 and Beacon Hill ramps to the WS Bridge will be closed. Here’s the most recent SDOT reminder.
LOOKING FOR WORK? Always helps to know you’re not alone. The “Notes from the Job Search” support/networking group continues to meet at 11 am Tuesdays at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW), 11 am.
STORY TIME: All summer long, it is Somali Story Time at the High Point public library (3411 SW Raymond) branch! Bring your children to enjoy stories, rhymes, and fun in Somali, 1:30-2 pm. … Then tonight, Family Story Time at the Seattle Public Library’s Delridge branch, 7 pm
NEW FIELD FOR ULTIMATE FRISBEE: West Seattle Ultimate Frisbee has moved to Fairmount Playfield, and it’s now twice a week – Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm, Sundays 11 am-1 pm.
FREE LEGAL HELP: Community Legal Clinic at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). Appointments start at 7 pm. Call 206-267-7070.
West Seattle restaurant notes: Porterhouse, Spring Hill, Red Star
Three quick notes about local restaurants:
PORTERHOUSE MAKEOVER: Krista Maes, operations director for Porterhouse in the Admiral District, tells WSB they’ll be closing the restaurant/pub tomorrow (Tuesday) “for our own semi-extreme restaurant DIY makeover and re-opening Wednesday July, 27th at about 5 pm for dinner service. The major changes will be seen in styling, menu, and dining room layout and functionality.” Once it’s done, Krista says, “We look forward to any and all critiques,” and will offer “avenues for feedback.”
SPRING HILL AND BIN 41 TEAM UP … for monthly “Juice Salon” sessions at Spring Hill, with small bites and local wines, plus winemaker Q/A. First one is just a week away. Read about it on the Spring Hill website.
RED STAR REOPENING: After a six-day closure, Red Star Pizza in Sunrise Heights is set to reopen tomorrow, per notes on both their door and their website.
Be part of history: New round of Fauntleroy Church tiles offered
(One tile names members of a family that influenced Fauntleroy into the 1980s. Photo courtesy Phil Sweetland)
Your name – or some other inscription – can be etched into Fauntleroy history! From Judy Pickens:
What do a state legislator, sculptor, and school office manager have in common? Their names get walked on by more than a thousand people every week in the Fauntleroy Church/YMCA lobby.
That’s because each contributed in an important way to what Fauntleroy is today. Bill Leckenby was a conscientious voice in Olympia for district residents, Frank Evans made fine art as well as very popular “Thora-ware,” and Betty Bogardus Colman greeted children every day at Fauntleroy School.
These names and several dozen others with a past or present in Fauntleroy have graced the church/Y lobby since 1996, when the church initiated the buy-a-tile project. During the building remodel last year, the lobby grew, as did the number of blank 8″ X 8″ tiles. Now 200 are available to capture more of the neighborhood’s flavor for decades to come.
The tax-deductible cost is $100 per tile for up to two lines of lettering, and pretty much anything related to Fauntleroy goes. Buyers might choose to
§ commemorate grandparents
§ honor a special Y coach
§ mark a wedding or baptism
§ list family members
§ recognize a neighborly business
§ credit an influential resident
Deadline to purchase tiles is Nov. 1. Proceeds benefit the church’s Fund for the Future. Order forms are available in the lobby, church office, or at www.fauntleroyucc.org.
King County Council delays Metro-fee decision till August 15th
After about two hours of public testimony and a 40-minute recess to talk, the King County Council has just decided to put off till the last minute its decision on the proposed $20/year car-tab fee that County Executive Dow Constantine says would save Metro from huge cuts. They’ll reconvene on August 15th (as explained here), which is their last chance to get it on the ballot, although Councilmember Julia Patterson suggested there were “other” possibilities to “explore” in the meantime.
P.S. Since they’ve extended their decisionmaking time – if you hadn’t commented yet, here’s how to do it online.
City Council to hear West Seattle Triangle proposals Wednesday
Will The Triangle’s transition from present to future include rezoning – buildings on its west side up to 85 feet, business areas in its central area rezoned to “neighborhood commercial”? The city’s proposals are about to get their first formal City Council review. The Committee on the Built Environment, chaired by Councilmember Sally Clark, meets at 9:30 am Wednesday; the agenda includes links to the documents they’ll review. (The second one is a briefing, featuring a page with some of what The Triangle’s known for – including, as the document labels it next to a photo, the “Infamous ‘Hole’.”) The meeting begins with a public-comment period, if you have anything to tell the committee about The Triangle (or other issues it’s considering).
P.S. Speaking of public comments – DPD is still taking your comments on the proposed Triangle plans/changes till August 4th. And documentation is now available on whether they would have environmental effects – the links (look for SEPA) are on the right side of the city’s Triangle-planning page.
Traffic update: Crash cleared on eastbound West Seattle Bridge
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
2:58 PM: If you’re heading east on The Bridge from the Fauntleroy end any time soon, heads up – a crash is backing up traffic. One of the cameras is pointed at it as of this writing; the 911 log describes it as parallel with Admiral.
3:51 PM: Crash scene cleared, according to that city webcam pic. Adding an image from WSB’s Christopher Boffoli, taken before it cleared.
Jury selection delayed till Wednesday in Bushaw murder trial
We’re at the King County Courthouse, where jury selection was supposed to start right about now for the two remaining defendants on trial for the murder of Steve Bushaw two and a half years ago, after a week of final pre-trial motions and discussion. But jury selection has just been delayed till Wednesday because of a tangled set of circumstances that made it safer, for the case’s chances of surviving any later challenges, to wait for a new pool of jurors to arrive at the courthouse. Key among the challenges today, the fact that some members of today’s overall courthouse jury pool, while waiting to go into another courtroom, might have seen deputies bringing cuffed defendants Brandon Chaney and Bryce Huber down the hall, a sight that might prejudice them if they were then “recycled” into this jury pool. So Wednesday morning at 9:15, everyone will reconvene. Prosecutor Jeff Baird proposed opening statements then be set for next Monday morning, and no one objected.
Next ‘Mobile Chowdown’ may be in the West Seattle Junction
11:25 AM: It’s not a done deal yet, but the periodic multiple-food-truck extravaganza Mobile Chowdown is looking to come to the West Seattle Junction this fall. First word came from Lumpia World, which mentioned this on its Facebook page last night; then we found a listing on the city’s Special Events Calendar for “Mobile Chowdown” October 2nd – a Sunday – saying that from 11 am to 6 pm, “California Ave SW will be closed to vehicle traffic between SW Alaska St and SW Edmunds St for a mobile food truck event. Event includes a beer garden and amplified music.” And finally, we’ve just talked with Susan Melrose at the West Seattle Junction Association, who says they’re excited about the possibility and have had meetings with organizers, but haven’t received final word yet. The official Mobile Chowdown site says only that the next one is coming in October. We have a request out for comment from the PR agency that co-sponsors the Mobile Chowdowns, Suzuki + Chou Communimedia, and we’ll let you know when we hear back from them. Past sites have included Safeco Field and Seattle Center.
12:27 PM UPDATE: Michi Suzuki from Suzuki + Chou says the plan for the next Chowdown won’t be final till mid-August but, “We always look for new and cool venues and because it’s MOBILE Chowdown, we can take it anywhere. We really liked the “neighborhood” feel of doing it along the main corridor of the Junction. We’re looking at 22-25 trucks.” She also says they’re proposing it for two blocks of California, Oregon to Edmunds.
Lost or loot? Medals, jewelry found in West Seattle
If you have lost or found something that’s not a pet (they have their own page), we usually point you to the WSB Forums to report it. But this is an especially unusual find: Amber discovered a bag of wrestling medals and jewelry “thrown in the bushes in front of my apartment building. I found the items after two people that had been loitering around left. … The medals are labeled and I thought their owner might be missing them.” Her building is south of The Junction, and, yes, she’s reporting it to the police. If you have an idea whose they are, e-mail Amber via comm-9cvhw-2512029556@craigslist.org – click ahead for two more photos:Read More
West Seattle Monday: Last $20-for-Metro comment chance
(Bald eagle looking to be in a Monday mood, though WSB’s Patrick Sand photographed it last Tuesday)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
COUNTY COUNCIL TAKES UP $20-FOR-METRO: The “congestion reduction charge,” aka “$20/year for car tabs to stave off Metro Transit cuts,” is on the King County Council agenda today. They’ll take one last round of public comment, starting around 3 pm in the council chambers at the County Courthouse downtown. You can sign up starting at 1 pm in the park just south of the courthouse, and you’ll get a card; the process is explained here.
WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: This week’s theme is Condiments: Chutneys, Salsas, Relish, Dipping Sauces, Aioli …. whatever folks create. Meeting is at 2 pm at Beveridge Place Pub.
‘SNAKES: FRIEND OR FOE?’ 3 pm, free program at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond Street).
DUWAMISH TRIBE HOSTS HISTORIC SEATTLE:At Duwamish Longhouse (4705 W. Marginal Way SW), 5:30 – 7 pm, A short quarterly business meeting of Historic Seattle precedes program about learning from historic sites (free/donation).
NIGHTLIFE: Trivia with Tom Hutyler at Christo’s on Alki, 7 pm … Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 9 pm.
(updated) TODAY’S FORECAST: Mostly cloudy, chance of showers/thundershowers, high in low- to-mid-70s.
Guilty plea in last September’s Roxhill Park murder case
(Memorial in Roxhill Park paying tribute to murder victim Bernard Martin, September 2010)
The 22-year-old man jailed for beating another man to death in Roxhill Park last September has pleaded guilty. We discovered this on a routine check of court records this weekend. Chatri Thip was charged with killing 40-year-old Bernard Martin by jumping onto him and smashing a shopping cart against him. This past week in King County Superior Court, Thip pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, the original charge against him. His written statement blames an “aggression-laden environment” at the park the night it happened, starting, he claimed, after a group upset he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant – including her half-brothers – attacked him. The murder victim was not part of that attack, Thip wrote. The original charging documents had said Thip had six beers that night – stolen from the nearby Safeway – and told police he experiences rage when he drinks, and lashed out when Martin came up to him in the park and asked for a beer. Court documents indicate prosecutors will recommend the lower end of the standard sentencing range, 11 years and 2 months in prison (the high end is just under 20 years). Thip is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Susan Craighead at 1 pm September 23rd.
Red Cross helping apartment-fire victims at West Seattle church
(ADDED MONDAY MORNING: South Park donation dropoff spot to help fire victims)
If you’re among those wondering how to help the victims of this afternoon’s huge apartment fire in unincorporated South King County southeast of South Park, here’s the first answer: Donate to the local American Red Cross. We just found out they are setting up an emergency shelter for fire victims at Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood. Volunteers are setting it all up right now with the help of Amanda Rudd from the Red Cross; she told us outside the church that the latest count indicates 41 people are without a home tonight, from the 19 units gutted by the fire. They’re planning to shelter and feed about a dozen of them at Peace Lutheran. The Red Cross stresses that it cannot accept donated items, though, just money to fund operations like this; you can donate here – and we’ll let you know about any donation drives we find out about. (Thanks to Anne-Marie for the tip, e-mailing us after spotting the Red Cross vehicles at the church.)
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: From the South Park Yahoo! e-mail group, another way to help fire victims:
Providence Regina House and the South Park Neighborhood Center will be the drop off for donations to support the families who were burned out of their homes yesterday, many with only the clothing on their backs.
Here is what they need the most:
Men’s clothing (WE HAVE VERY LITTLE OF MEN’S CLOTHING AND SHOES HERE)
Full size toiletry items
Furniture for smaller apartments
Gift cards for food and stores such as Target and Fred Meyer
Non-perishable food
Bath linens
Bed linens (twin & full)
Mattresses & box springs (twin, full, queen)
Housewares of all sorts
Shoes for men, women, and children
WE HAVE LOTS OF NON PERISHABLE FOOD and women’s clothing, and some hygiene items, but could use the other things!! WE ALSO COULD REALLY USE lunch/snack friendly foods, such as applesauce cups, snacky foods, etc…so these hungry/stressed folks can snack, too.
I’m here now (address below) and will be here all day….and tomorrow….and until there is no more need!!
Paige Collins, Manager
Providence Regina House
8201 10th Ave. South, Seattle,WA 98108
206-763-9204
www.providencereginahouse.org
Update: Des Moines Memorial Drive apartment fire, visible from West Seattle
3:25 PM: We’ve been getting calls and text messages asking about the column of black smoke that’s been visible for about an hour. The smoke is from a two-story structure fire in the unincorporated area about a mile south of South Park. The Seattle Fire Department has sent a ladder truck and an engine to assist. Our pictures were taken from as close as we could get to the scene. KING5.com has the details here on what turned out to be a three-alarm apartment-building fire.
5:51 PM: Our partners at the Seattle Times say SFD was one of eight fire departments that responded to help fight the fire. At least two people were hurt, but no major injuries are reported.
Handy info whether you love them or you hate them: 
| 2 COMMENTS