West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
(Photo courtesy WestSide Baby)
Today’s the big kickoff drive for WestSide Baby‘s expanded car-seat-recycling effort – and to get ready for that, an army of volunteers descended on their HQ on Friday, according to executive director Nancy Woodland:
WestSide Baby had an amazing crew from Microsoft Office Product Marketing Group here through the United Way Day of Caring. Twenty men and women showed up (Friday) morning and worked like crazy to sort clothes, match bottle pieces, bundle diapers and dismantle car seats for recycling. This is just in time for our big Re-Ride Car Seat Reuse and Recycling event (today), 10 am-2 pm in WestSide Baby’s back yard @ 10032 15th Ave. SW. The “wrecking crew” separated all the car seat parts so that out of about 100 seats, we will send only 1 garbage bag to the landfill. Amazing impact from a great group of people. We can use more volunteers (today) Saturday from 10-2 for all kinds of similar projects if folks have extra time.
Or at least, bring your car seat – no matter what condition – to be recycled. (Here’s our preview from earlier this week.)
(Updated 8:07 pm Saturday with more information from fire investigators)
ORIGINAL 12:16 AM REPORT: A big Seattle Fire response is at 4445 California SW, which maps indicate is home to JF Henry and Company. Scanner traffic says there’s a fire on the exterior of the building but it does not appear to have spread inside. We’re on our way – more to come.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
12:26 AM: The fire is reported “tapped,” with light smoke inside but no sign of interior flames. Some of the fire units have been dismissed from the scene, but several remain, and investigators are on the way.
(Photo courtesy Brad)
No report of any injuries.
12:44 AM: Business owner Tom Henry is at the scene, talking with firefighters. Hard to tell for sure in the dark, but the damage does not appear major – some charring on the back of the building. Firefighters think the “light smoke” they originally detected inside had probably drifted in from the exterior. No word on a cause yet, though.
(Photo by WSB contributor Katie Meyer, damage on southwest [rear] corner of the building)
12:54 AM: WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand has just spoken with Tom Henry, who confirms the interior of the store is OK and he will be open for business as usual today (Saturday). He says he feels “lucky” that the fire was spotted so soon – he isn’t sure yet who called it in, but there were still people at nearby businesses Pagliacci Pizza and Spring Hill. Besides charring on the building, his recycling container was burned.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
He says he found out about it because when firefighters busted through the back door to check for fire “extension,” that set off the burglar alarm, which triggered an instant notification to him.
1:43 AM UPDATE: We just got a call from Tom Henry, after he learned the identity of the hero who caught the fire so fast – Spring Hill chef/co-owner Mark Fuller. Tom says Mark used two extinguishers on the fire before SFD arrived; he wanted to say a public thanks to Mark for being such a good neighbor.
8:07 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says investigators have determined that the fire started in the recycling bin, but have not determined yet what sparked it. Damage is estimated at $10,000.
West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School both played varsity football games on the peninsula tonight – though technically, WSHS was the “visitor” at West Seattle Stadium, facing O’Dea, which plays its home games there. O’Dea defeated WSHS 52-8; at Southwest Athletic Complex, Sealth lost a nailbiter to Cleveland, 20-19. Seattle Lutheran plays Northwest Christian at WS Stadium tomorrow night, 7 pm.
ADDED: Details from the Friday night games:Read More
From Liberty Bell Print and Design‘s Michael Hoffman, organizer of the West Seattle Junction Car Show, which is coming up this Sunday, a change in plan:
Hi there, We will NOT be having cast members from the Deadliest Catch present at the show. We had members from the Time Bandit scheduled. However, they had to replace both engines on the boat and are having complications. They need to have the boat up and running to go out crabbing on the 26th. Therefore, they are unable to make it.
The cars will be there, though – along California SW, which will be closed from Oregon to Edmunds for the occasion, 8 am-4 pm Sunday (and note the parking restrictions – for which signs are up – kick in sooner).
Tomorrow’s Delridge Day and Delridge Skatepark Grand Opening festivities are free – but if you can, be ready to spend some $ on what promises to be one heck of a pro/am bake sale as part of the festival. Among the rookie bakers – the children of Great Start Preschool, whom we photographed this morning as they helped make cookies to contribute to the sale. (Above, that’s Spencer watching Matthew as they do prep work; below, parent volunteer Susan supervises.)
Organizer Francesca Ennis says they’ll take cash, checks made out to the City of Seattle, and credit cards. Here’s a partial list of the specific treats they expect to have available:
• Bakery Nouveau: classic chocolate cake
• Sugar Rush Baking Co: cupcakes
• Eats Market Cafe: cornbread
• Zatz a Better Bagel: assorted bagels
• C&P Coffee Co: coffeeThe youth programs:
• Great Start Preschool: snickerdoodles
• School Age Care Program: Rice Krispie Treats (includes Froot Loops & Cocoa Krispies)
• Teen Program: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
Other donors include The Original Bakery, Great Harvest, Manderin Cookie Company, Starbucks, Safeway, Metropolitan Market, QFC and PCC. Francesca adds, “If someone is interested in a specific item (such as the chocolate cake) they can contact me to make arrangements ahead of the bake sale.” She can be reached at at keekai@comcast.net. Proceeds of the bake sale are going to youth-scholarship funds.
Again, Delridge Day – organized by the North Delridge Neighborhood Council this year! – is 11 am-3 pm, at and around Delridge Community Center (on Delridge Way SW just south of SW Genesee), and there’s entertainment, vendors, games, all sorts of fun on tap.
The photo is from Mark, who’s asking you to be on the lookout for his kayak, stolen early this morning:
Sometime after midnight (early today), my sea kayak was stolen from the roof rack of my Audi, parked in front of my home on the west end of Alki Ave. In the process of taking the kayak they also scratched my car’s roof and hood as they dragged the kayak off toward the street instead of lifting it off, which would have been far easier, unless they were really weak.
The kayak is a composite Necky Chatham 18 with a blue deck and white hull joined at a yellow stripe. It also has a navigation compass built into the bow. The thief took my blue & yellow tie down straps too so it may be tied down to some other car roof or pickup bed now. If anybody sees an 18 foot kayak show up in a new place in the area, or for sale on some bulletin board, please let me know. There are very few 18′ Chatham’s around so this one should be pretty obvious when they try to sell it. … My contact phone # is 206-937-6308.
And yes, Mark says he has alerted Mountain 2 Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) to be on the lookout too. Another reminder: the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes monthly meetings next Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), all welcome.
Missed our window for the standard morning preview again, but there are a few things tonight you might want to know about if you hadn’t heard yet (and there’s even more on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page):
OUTDOOR MOVIE: The 4th grade class at Schmitz Park Elementary is hosting an outdoor movie night, featuring the movie “Rio” (trailer above), to benefit their trip to Islandwood. On the playground (unless it rains, in which case it’s in the cafeteria) at 5000 SW Spokane, doors at 5:30, movie at dusk around 7:30 pm, $3/person, kids 3/under free. Pizza will be available for purchase by the slice, along with drinks, popcorn and other snacks. All items will cost $2 or less. Bring a blanket, sleeping bag, pillow or something comfortable to sit on and plan to join us for dinner and a movie!
WESTFEST AT HOLY ROSARY: The 2-day festival kicks off with fun 6-10 pm more info here – food, beer garden, bingo, kids’ bouncy rides, entertainment (see the schedule here). 42nd/Genesee.
WINE, WOMEN, AND BIN: Weekly wine tasting at Bin 41 wine shop in The Junction with Mary Tuuri Derby from DaMa Wines, 6-7:30 pm, described by Bin 41 as one of Walla Walla’s “premiere female winemakers.”
GEEK GIRL CON IMPROV: Support Seattle’s upcoming Geek Girl Con with a night of improv theater at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 8 pm – full details here.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Two 7 pm games scheduled, West Seattle HS vs. O’Dea at West Seattle Stadium , Chief Sealth IHS hosting Cleveland at Southwest Athletic Complex.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE FEEDBACK: One of those rare nights for live music at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction, 9 pm.
P.S. ALL WEEKEND – CHEERING THE 3-DAY WALKERS: The Susan G. Komen breast-cancer-fighting 3-Day Walk isn’t going through West Seattle this year, but many West Seattle women are walking, and if you’d like to go to an official “cheering station” to root for them – here’s the list of times and locations.
Several proud members of the West Seattle Community Orchestras e-mailed to share the news that WSCO is featured in a current show on Seattle Channel – and we just got the code for the specific story, so you don’t have to watch the entire program to get to their spotlight. Check it out above (or, here’s a direct link to the entire show). As noted here a few days ago, WSCO’s new season starts next Tuesday – but we just received word of a few changes to the schedule/locations, so if you are a new or returning member, or planning on checking it out for prospective membership, PLEASE click ahead for the new information:Read More
Three rounds of congratulations are in order:
KIWANIS HONORS ‘EVERYDAY HERO’: The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle has given its “Everyday Hero” award to Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller, noting his “significant ongoing support of the West Seattle Community,” including “slicing the ham for the annual Kiwanis Community Pancake Breakfast, set for Saturday, December 3rd, 2011.” (Mark your calendar!) You can read the complete award announcement here.
ANOTHER AWARD FOR DENNY’S CHANDA OATIS: Last February, we shared the news that Denny International Middle School assistant principal Chanda Oatis was honored by the Principals Association of Seattle Schools as Middle School/K-8 Assistant Principal of the Year. Today, there’s word that she’s won a statewide award – the Association of Washington Middle Level Principals has chosen her as the Washington State Assistant Principal of the Year.
ROXHILL’S “HERO IN THE CLASSROOM”: Roxhill Elementary principal Carmela Dellino sent word that 4th-grade teacher Teresa Klein has been chosen as a Symetra Hero in the Classroom. Prizes include 2 tickets to a Seahawks game, and a celebratory visit to the school, plus classroom supplies. The principal included the nomination letter she sent – read on:Read More
Bryce Huber, found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2009 West Seattle shooting death of 26-year-old Steve Bushaw (right), was sentenced this morning. Our partners at the Seattle Times report that King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque ordered a 31-year sentence – the high end of the sentencing range – for Huber, who testimony indicated had coordinated the plan to get Bushaw to Talarico’s that night and to lure him outside, where two other men shot him. Those men, John Sylve and Danny O’Neal, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and are to be sentenced on September 30th. The jury that found Huber guilty in a trial that took most of last month (our coverage archive is here) were not able to reach a verdict for Brandon Chaney, the alleged getaway driver; the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has not announced yet whether it plans to seek a new trial for Chaney. The murder motive involved a belief that Bushaw had planned a home-invasion robbery targeting a friend of Huber’s, but neither he (nor anyone else) was ever arrested, charged, or publicly described as a suspect.
If you have driven by the South Transfer Station project just southeast of West Seattle, and wondered why it looks like it’s being taken apart – you’re not seeing things. After tips via e-mail and Twitter, we checked this morning with Seattle Public Utilities, and spokesperson Susan Stoltzfus acknowledges, yes, “there is some disassembly.” She explains that a more-durable paint was found during construction – after some of the framework had already been painted – and, “once we found we could save $3 million in maintenance costs over the life of the structure, we decided it was worth the upgrade.” She says the overall project will still be finished on time and within its budget, and they are “using three different paint shops” to accelerate the process of sandblasting off the original paint and applying the new paint. The reason paint matters so much, she says, is because the transfer station is considered a “wet environment.” (Our photo at right is from this July story; we plan to go by this morning to see how much “disassembly” is visible.)
It’s been years in the making … and is now just a day away from opening. A drive by Delridge Skatepark very early this morning revealed that the fences are down (except for a section on the south side). We got a quick tour the other day, as crews continued to put finishing touches on areas including the viewing zone to the east (above, with art by youth from the Service Board) and rolled out the sod, getting ready for the 11 am-3 pm grand-opening celebration on Saturday (concurrent with the Delridge Day festival). Click ahead for not just a closer look before the skaters permanently move in, but also, if you don’t skate, a bit of a primer as to what you’re looking at:Read More
More details to come on all of these, but some quick notes before the night’s out:
NEW COFFEE SHOP IN ADMIRAL: Looks like North Seattle-headquartered Caffé Fiore is indeed the coffee shop that’s been rumored to be on the way to the new live/work/townhouse building just north of West Seattle Fabric Company (WSB sponsor) in the 2200 block of California SW. We saw the business name in DPD records a couple weeks ago and have been seeking comment ever since; haven’t received the requested comment – but tipster Jeff says a sign has gone up. (We’re heading out for a photo shortly Late-late-night photo added.)
LUMPIA WORLD COMING TO HIGHLAND PARK: They had a short-lived stint in the south-of-Junction Rite Aid parking lot, and now Lumpia World is headed back to West Seattle – not just for the already-announced appearance at Mobile Chowdown in The Junction on October 2nd. According to the LW Facebook page announcement tonight, they’ll be setting up regularly in the Highland Park Improvement Club parking lot (12th/Holden) starting on October 8th.
PAN AFRICA GRILL OPENING DATE: WSB contributor Bill “Hutch” Hutchison has been working on another followup regarding the restaurant moving into the former Ho-Win Chinese Restaurant spot at California/Juneau (here’s his original story from May). They had told him they were hoping to open next week. Extra confirmation of that apparent plan came today when an online “deal” circulated for Pan Africa, listing September 20th as the expected West Seattle opening date. They’ve just painted the front of the restaurant, too, with patterns over the distinctive “rock” siding.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A new development late today, related to allegations made last night by the 34th District Democrats, who passed a motion asking for city and state investigations into a purported youth-arts publication that they alleged was instead political-attack literature – funded by a $1,000 city grant.
The city says that today it asked for, and got, the money back.
Here’s our story, as it developed late last night and into the morning, including a scanned copy of the “2011 Youth Arts Compendium” publication, created with a grant received by West Seattle-based Unified Outreach, whose director David Toledo is campaign manager for King County Council candidate Diana Toledo, who was promoted in several of the publication’s articles.
Answering our request for comment right after the 34th DDs’ vote, Unified Outreach sent a statement saying in part “… We at Unified Outreach are confused by the allegations. As all stories were written by youth with no intentional biases or promotion of one candidate over another. There was NO input from ANY campaigns or political figures and no copies of the paper were released prior to printing..”
This morning, we sent several questions to the city Department of Neighborhoods, which issued the Small Sparks grant to Unified Outreach.
Another followup today on the water-pressure/access problems that hampered firefighters in the early going on August 27th, when flames gutted an Arbor Heights home, sending black smoke so high into the sky that it could be seen for miles around. We have reported that Seattle Public Utilities, which is accountable for hydrants and water service, plans an “after-action review” with the Seattle Fire Department. And today, we just got word that SPU plans to take two steps for starters:
First, SPU spokesperson Susan Stoltzfus tells WSB, eleven hydrants in the area will be replaced with larger hydrants – she says those hydrants are attached to some of the area’s larger water mains, and could be upgraded to provide better water pressure. (Those 11 do not include the two hydrants that firefighters first tried to use on August 27, she says, because they are connected to smaller mains and just enlarging the hydrants wouldn’t do any good.) Second, she says SPU and SFD will decide on a way to make it obvious to firefighters which are the lower-pressure hydrants and which are the higher-pressure hydrants. These are not the only steps they’re going to take – that review is still ahead – but she says this is something they can do relatively quickly (within three months) to help.
(The family who rented the home, you may recall, was out of town when the fire happened; as we reported last week, they are continuing to get back on their feet.)
Congratulations to Chief Sealth International High School student Brian Griffith – he is one of just 32 students in Seattle Public Schools who have made it into the semifinals for this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program. Nationwide, 16,000 students are in the running, with high scores on last year’s Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. He’s the only one this year from schools in our area. Next spring, more than half of them will get scholarships with a total value of about $34 million.
If you missed the last deadline to get in on the city’s new “opt-out” program for stopping phone-book deliveries, Seattle Public Utilities reminds you today that another deadline looms – September 23rd is the last day to “opt-out” before the next major round of deliveries. SPU’s “At Your Service” site explains how you can do that, online or by phone.
1:16 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a “full response” – multiple engines and trucks, medic unit, etc. – to a fire reported in the 8600 block of 25th SW (map). The first crews to arrive saw smoke. We have a crew on the way.
1:21 PM: Via scanner, we’re hearing crews report they’re putting water on this fire through a hole they cut in the roof. The fire is just about two blocks south of the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus. It doesn’t sound like a major fire, though – they’re canceling some of the units.
1:34 PM: Just talked with the incident commander on scene. This was a second-floor apartment, nobody home, no injuries. They’re still checking the extent of damage, and investigating the cause. (added) The fire was between the rafters and the roof, and SFD says the unit itself was the only one involved, and was not heavily damaged.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: We checked back with SFD re: the cause and damage, and spokesperson Kyle Moore provided this info: “A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the cause of the fire as an electrical short in the attic. The damage estimate is $14,000 to the structure and $1,000 to the contents.”
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
12:32 PM: Thanks to multiple tipsters who say the SWAT team’s in the 7900 block of 18th SW and the road’s blocked off. We’re on the way. It started as a domestic dispute, according to SPD’s Officer Renee Witt, just before noon. They’re looking for someone accused of sending death threats to a relative via text message, and possibly also vandalizing the house with an ax, but Officer Witt says they don’t know if the suspect is in the house they’re responding to – the call came from a house nearby.
(Photos showing officers were added after incident ended)
1:03 PM: Adding photo of police blocking 18th SW down the street (since it is a SWAT situation, we are not publishing any images that would show the positions of the officers around the house). As is usual in potentially volatile situations like this, our crew is being kept fairly far back. We are also monitoring the scanner here at HQ.
2:02 PM: We’re back at the scene after a side trip to the Westwood apartment fire. The situation hasn’t changed much; police are talking with the suspect, who can be heard yelling. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen was at the scene for a while. So was a TV helicopter that police asked to back off because of noise interference. We’re adding a few more photos.
2:16 PM: Police have gone in; suspect is reported to be in custody, and is being taken to the precinct.
2:48 PM: Added photo of suspect being cuffed – we’ve blurred his face; he’s in the tank top. He was last heard observing loudly that “20,000” police cars were in the neighborhood.
Sorry, no full-size West Seattle Thursday preview today – you can always check the Events calendar page – but there is one community meeting you might want a heads-up about: Alki Community Council meets tonight, 7 pm at Alki UCC Church (62nd/Hinds). A sure sign of fall is on the agenda – city reps talking about landslide mitigation. Also on the agenda, the “street end improvements” for the shoreline at Bronson (east of Salty’s; seattle.gov photo at left) and emergency preparedness. Full agenda here; all welcome.
It’s still technically summer, and around the city, there’s a busy slate of festivities over the next four days. SDOT is already out with its weekend traffic-alert roundup. Note that this ONLY includes events they believe might affect traffic. As such, the only West Seattle event mentioned is the WS Junction Car Show, 8 am-4 pm on Sunday, since it’s closing California SW in The Junction between SW Oregon and SW Edmunds (which means some bus re-routing, too). Read on for the entire citywide list:Read More
Josh Stepherson was the busiest man in West Seattle on Tuesday night. He is a consultant for the city, getting information out about the upcoming Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project. We reported on his Southwest District Council briefing last week; this week, he had three community councils to visit in one night – Junction Neighborhood Organization, Admiral Neighborhood Association, and Fauntleroy Community Association.
Because of the detours that will be involved during certain phases of the work, Admiral is arguably affected the most – and along with receiving new information, they also had some requests – read on:Read More
(BREAKING, 4:59 PM: The Department of Neighborhoods just sent a reply to our inquiries from this morning. Included was this: They asked Unified Outreach for the $1,000 back, and received it. Separate story to come.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
We’re at The Hall at Fauntleroy, where the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting has just wrapped up. Two toplines tonight:
*First, this one came toward the end of the meeting: The group is calling for a state and city investigation into a “newspaper” published by an organization called Unified Outreach, with a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Small Sparks grant.
Unified Outreach’s director David Toledo is campaign manager for King County Council candidate Diana Toledo, and the 34th DDs allege that the group’s “Youth Arts Compendium” is “a piece of campaign literature supporting one candidate, Diana Toledo, and attempting to discredit another, [incumbent] Joe McDermott, in the King County Council District 8 race.” (Note that McDermott is a member of the 34th DDs, which has endorsed him.)
The 10-page “newspaper” includes articles headlined “Diana Toledo’s innovative plan to bring Arts back to Public Schools,” “Artist Community stands with Diana Toledo- Says fund Public School Arts,” “Senior Outrage! Candidate ‘misled us’ says senior community” (regarding an unattributed claim that “seniors” voted for McDermott because they had him confused with believed he was the son of U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott), and “Scandal at the 34th District Democrats Mid-Summer Classic” (the alleged “scandal” is which includes a claim that Joe McDermott left the group’s softball game early and was replaced by David Toledo).
(added 1 am) The publication also addresses politics with a cover story noting that all but 3 of 32 “executive-level decision-makers” in state/county/city government are white, and highlighting two issues in the County Council district in which Toledo and McDermott are running, the South Park Bridge and the Maury Island gravel mine.
The entire back page is devoted to the Toledo-McDermott race, topped with three paragraphs about the 11th District Democrats’ dual endorsement of the candidates, and also including information on the Municipal League’s rating of both candidates, with a quote about each candidate but not including the actual rating (“good” for Toledo, “very good” for McDermott), while noting in the last paragraph “It should be noted that both Candidates were also rated by the Municipal League in 2010. Candidate Diana Toledo has remained consistent in her evaluation, with no change in her rating. However, after one year in office, Joe McDermott has received a lower ranking in 2011 than he did in 2010.” (Their 2010 ratings, according to the Muni League site, were “good” for Toledo and “outstanding” for McDermott.)
The two also were mentioned in a story titled “How the Deep Bore Tunnel will destroy us,” in a list at the end of the story, with CANDIDATES FOR THE TUNNEL (Boo!) followed by eight names including Joe McDermott, and CANDIDATES AGAINST THE TUNNEL (YAY!) followed by four names including Diana Toledo. Above the list is a cartoon depicting the tunnel as a toothed hole, with caricatures of five politicians including McDermott, the only one whose full name is used in the cartoon’s dialogue (“Uh oh, Sally, we’re almost out of tax dollars!” “And the tunnel is still hungry! What else can we feed it?” “Hey Tom, you and Joe McDermott hustle us up some seniors!” “We’re on it!”).
*The rest of the story, including the scanned copy of the publication, is now after this jump*Read More
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