day : 20/09/2011 15 results

To end the day with one more wildlife visual – after Trileigh‘s owl and Laura‘s jellyfish – we have Bill‘s shorebird. Bill Bacon shared the photo, writing, “I’d really appreciate it if someone could authoritatively tell me what these shorebirds are that frequent our shorelines year-around. This picture was taken near the old Luna Park Natatorium area.”

West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: How to avoid ID theft

September 20, 2011 10:06 pm

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| Crime | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news

From tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting:

CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis described it as an “up-and-down-type summer,” with burglary “spikes” at times. He said Community Police Team officers (including Ken Mazzuca and Kevin McDaniel, who were also at the meeting) were tasked with helping solve the puzzle, and that led to “very, very favorable arrests” of the “more prolific individuals out there in the West Seattle community” that put a “big dent” in burglaries, car prowls, and similar crimes – including suspects he says were to blame for more than half the burglaries.

He says there were no particular neighborhoods being hit harder than others – it would differ widely “as if a salt shaker were sprinkled all over (the map)” – and so crime analysis was done over and over again, yielding “fantastic arrests.”

As for specific types of crime, Lt. Davis said that car thefts are currently running “a few up from our norm,” which is 10/month, currently running at 13. Burglaries? “They’ve gone way down and we’re particularly happy about that.” Lt. Davis thanked alert community members and advice from Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, “which has paid off greatly … we’ve gotten some fantastic tips” from people who provided helpful information that assisted them in arresting suspects. He says they’re also working to link suspects to more cases, if applicable, so they can be prosecuted under the Repeat Burglary Initiative and potentially get tougher sentences.

IDENTITY THEFT: Angela Kaake, senior deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, was the meeting’s special guest, with a presentation featuring lots of data about its prevalence, as well as advice on prevention and protection, plus a window into what it takes for successful prosecution. (She’s also on the Greater Puget Sound Financial Fraud and Identity Theft Task Force.)

Want to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft? She had specific advice – for prevention and for what to do if it happens anyway – read on:Read More

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Admiral businesses look ahead, with Admiral Neighborhood Association, West Seattle Chamber cheering them on

September 20, 2011 9:34 pm

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

To know where you’re going, you have to figure out where you are.

Toward that end, surveys were a big theme of Monday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association– and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-facilitated meetup for Admiral business owners.

One survey’s already complete – ANA unveiled results of the survey it circulated among more than 100 business owners/merchants in the greater Admiral area, from the northernmost commercial building on California SW, to California/Charlestown.

The second is about to begin – a city rep talked about a new citywide survey launching tomorrow in six business districts, including Admiral – which may find you approached by a survey-taker on the street.

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Followup: Potter Construction’s pencil, permanently poised

September 20, 2011 8:03 pm

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

West Seattle artist Stephen Rock‘s 13 1/2-foot-tall megapencil is now poised right outside the offices of Potter Construction (WSB sponsor). We previewed this last night. Check it out next time you’re in the 5600 block of California SW! (The folks at nearby Illusions Hair Design, also a WSB sponsor, tweeted this photo of Gary Potter with his new, artistic addition.)

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Update: ‘Exterior’ fire at home over Beach Drive

September 20, 2011 4:48 pm

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| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

4:48 PM: A full house-fire response is at a home in the 3800 block of Boyd Place SW. According to scanner traffic, it’s an exterior fire, no one’s home, and some of the initially dispatched units are being dismissed. We’re en route to take a look.

5:08 PM: Our crew is there; this is a few blocks uphill from Cormorant Cove, south of Alki Point. Firefighters are on the deck of the home. Lots of fans are in use – usually used to ventilate after smoky fires. Earlier scanner traffic had said nobody was home.

5:31 PM: Whatever damage was done, wasn’t major, and wasn’t visible from the street. The house is habitable, we’re told. Investigators are working to figure out what started the fire.

7:03 PM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says investigators blame the fire on spontaneous combustion of paint rags, with damage totaling $12,000.

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West Seattle businesses: Windermere leaving Morgan Junction

September 20, 2011 4:23 pm

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

When team members from West Seattle’s two Windermere Real Estate offices join forces to help build High Point’s new playground this Friday, it will be a sort of preview of things to come. The Morgan Junction office (WRE-Fauntleroy; photo above) will soon close, and its staff will move into the office in The Junction. Both branches are owned by Janet Haberbush, with whom we talked today, after a tipster pointed us to this listing showing that the Fauntleroy space (between Abbondanza Pizza and Subway) is up for lease. She says the consolidation is partly driven by the fact their lease was up on the Morgan Junction space, but also will enable operating efficiencies, and will take advantage of some space they added in The Junction a while back. There’s no hard-and-fast date yet for them to be completely moved out of Morgan Junction; right now, according to Haberbush, they’re modifying the Junction space to accommodate the enlarged team, which she says will include more than 60 agents/brokers. (The move is somewhat reminiscent of what another major player in West Seattle real estate, Prudential Northwest, did in 2009, when it closed its Admiral offices and moved everyone into Jefferson Square.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Genesee training; burglary; auto theft

September 20, 2011 3:39 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two notes this afternoon: First, the explanation for an alarming sight at the closed Genesee Hill Elementary campus last night. We got calls, e-mails, and tweets from people who saw police tape, cars, and even what one person thought was a body. Absent any other indications of an actual crime, we were fairly sure it was training, which happens there from time to time, and finally, we got confirmation from Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Rasmussen that it was indeed a “training class.” We’ve received advance alerts before but didn’t this time. Meantime, we have a burglary report today – read on (also, added 4:31 pm, a vehicle-theft report):Read More

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Video: Mid-afternoon wildlife break, from West Seattle waters

September 20, 2011 2:41 pm

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| West Seattle news | Wildlife

Unless you are jellyfish-phobic, the video is so tranquil, it seems as if it could be a screensaver. Diver/photographer Laura James watched that lion’s-mane jellyfish north of Alki Point last night, and shared the video early today. We recently featured some of her other work – chronicling the outfall pipes off West Seattle shores, which provides a visual reminder of the importance of the runoff-reducing Tox-Ick campaign.

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West Seattle toplines from Viaduct briefing: Early installation of Avalon bus lane; Water Taxi parking; more

September 20, 2011 12:36 pm

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| Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

WSDOT and King County Metro both had news for West Seattle commuters during the “one month till the 9-day closure” briefing that just wrapped up in the shadow of a soon-to-be-demolished Alaskan Way Viaduct section.

The toplines (per executives who happen also to be West Seattleites – Matt Preedy, deputy program director for WSDOT [photo right], and Christina O’Claire, senior transportation planner for Metro):

*The Avalon Way northbound bus lane through the Luna Park business district, expected to be installed sometime in the next few months as the county prepared for next year’s RapidRide debut, may be in place early – before the 9-day Viaduct closure. And that won’t be temporary – that would be permanent, even though RapidRide isn’t scheduled to start in West Seattle until fall of next year.

Seven more key points for West Seattle commuters, ahead:Read More

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West Seattle road work: California, Avalon ‘spot paving’ delayed

September 20, 2011 12:21 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle road work: California, Avalon ‘spot paving’ delayed

| Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

SDOT has just sent word that the “spot paving” work originally scheduled for the rest of this week on California SW south of The Junction and on Avalon Way through the Luna Park business district is now delayed at least a day from the original schedule because of equipment challenges. So California SW is not expected to start before tomorrow; Avalon, not before Friday.

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Video: Rethinking the economy @ Sustainable West Seattle forum

September 20, 2011 11:22 am

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| Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

The economy and its troubles affect us all. Will it get fixed? Or should it be radically reinvented? Two hours of wide-ranging discussion comprised last night’s Sustainable West Seattle community forum, titled “Sustainable Alternatives to Growth Economics,” and in case you weren’t able to go, we got it all on video. (That’s SWS’s past president Bill Reiswig with the introduction, as the video begins. Background info is here.)

P.S. Next up for SWS, another round of teaching you to tackle Tox-Ick, this Saturday, with prizes! Details here.

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West Seattle Hi-Yu Scholarship Program: It’s time to apply!

September 20, 2011 9:31 am

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| West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from July 2011 West Seattle Hi-Yu Community Breakfast)
Who will succeed Queen Kelsey and Princesses Victoria and Rosemarie? The first milepost on the newly rescheduled road to the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival Senior Court selection is here: It’s application time. Hi-Yu members decided back in May (as reported here) to reboot the calendar and reschedule the process, with applications in the fall and coronation in spring. Now the application is ready to go, and most of the process is online – it starts here. Candidates must be high-school seniors or college students who live, work, and/or attend school in West Seattle. New this year: Hi-Yu has two informational sessions planned during the application process, so that prospective candidates can talk with board members and past royalty. Both have Facebook event pages: 2 pm October 2nd at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, and 6:30 pm October 6th at Prudential Northwest Realty. Applications have to be in by November 1st.

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West Seattle Tuesday: Roads; school; Scouts; crimefighting…

September 20, 2011 6:30 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Recent WSDOT aerial of the south-end Viaduct Replacement Project, from the WSB Flickr group pool; click for larger view)
With one month and one day to go till the dreaded 9-day Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, WSDOT plans another media briefing today. (We previewed bus changes here last night.) That’s one of the stories we’ll be covering today. And a smaller round of road work is among the other highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

TRAFFIC ALERT: “Spot paving” work is scheduled to start today on a block of California SW south of Edmunds in The Junction and continue tomorrow, throughout the day both days. Full details in city’s announcement here.

MEET THE PRINCIPAL: West Seattle High School PTSA invites the school community to an informal chat with Principal Ruth Medsker. She will be hosting informal coffee chats throughout the year. 9-10:15 am in the main office conference room.

END-OF-SUMMER BARBECUE: Super Deli Mart at 35th/Barton invites the community to its “end of summer” barbecue, 3 pm-7 pm, no purchases required. Super Deli Mart’s owner says, “We will be roasting corn and serving hot dogs in addition to chips and drinks. This will be a lot like our birthday party, but more low key.”

RETURN OF THE ORCHESTRAS: West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ new season begins, with rehearsals starting at 5:30 pm (read this carefully for the latest information on who, when, and where, plus how to join).

RETURN OF THE WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: After its summer hiatus, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council returns to its monthly public meetings, and you’re invited to join them tonight at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 7 pm. In addition to crime-trend updates, this month’s spotlighted topic is Identity Theft, with Angie Kaake from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

SKY POLLUTION: Organizers of Bigsplash Seattle say “aviation emissions” a toxic threat too few people are paying attention to, and they’re planning to change that, starting with an event at Café Rozella tonight, including live music by the popular Haggis Brothers – details on this Facebook event page.

CUB SCOUT PACK 282 KICKOFF/INFORMATION EVENT: Please join Cub Scout Pack 282 for our annual Kickoff meeting, 7-8 pm, at West Side Presbyterian Church, 3601 California Ave SW. We will enjoy games, popcorn, door prizes, Pinewood Derby races and an opportunity for interested boys between grades 1 – 5 to learn more about our fun activities and how to get involved. For more information, please call Steve Shelver at 206-938-8614 or e-mail shelvers@wwdb.org.

BELLY DANCING: The monthly Alauda belly-dance showcase shimmies its way through Skylark Café and Club, 7:30 pm.

TRUMPET/GUITAR DUO: West Seattle jazz trumpet player Chad McCullough e-mailed to share word he’s playing with Portland-based guitarist Storm Nilson at Locöl tonight, 7:30 pm.

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West Seattle schools: Arbor Heights gets a win at Safeco Field!

September 20, 2011 3:54 am

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| Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Arbor Heights Elementary put a team on the field at The Safe on Saturday, as part of the celebration for AH winning the first-ever Mariners-Nikon Earth Day Program. The school was recognized for its “green” initiatives, led by teacher Angie Nall (in the teal shirt), including composting and “upcycling” (as featured here previously). The moment in the spotlight before the Saturday night game – chronicled above – was part of the prize, as were new Nikon D3100 cameras. And even a pose with The Moose!

Thanks to everybody who sent tips about this, including the parent volunteer who provided the photo and video. (Got school news? Let us know so we can share it!)

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West Seattle wildlife: Lincoln Park’s barred owls, seen again

September 20, 2011 2:38 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Wildlife

That’s one of two owls that wildlife watcher/writer/photographer Trileigh Tucker has just seen for the first time in a while:

It’s been quite a few weeks since I’ve seen the Lincoln Park Barred Owl pair, but (Monday) morning (thanks to the loud cacophony of Steller’s Jays announcing them) I saw both owls of the pair, not too far apart. Thought you might like to know they’re here and doing fine!

Trileigh continues to chronicle wildlife sightings/thoughts on her “Natural Presence” website.

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