day : 18/11/2011 12 results

From Kathleen just a short time ago:

It’s 9:43 pm and I just saw two adult coyotes go down Kenyon off 11th S.W. and then down the alley. All small animals better be inside!!! (Highland Park)

Note that they come out in the daytime too – the proof is in our ever-longer archive of coyote sightings (many with photos), which you can scroll through here.

ADDED 12:13 AM: More coyote news – Anna e-mailed to say, “My neighbor and I heard a group of coyotes howling at 9:45 pm tonight, Friday, coming from Schmitz Park. We live on 63rd SW & Beach Drive. I’ve never heard such a loud and long commotion like that before, it was very eerie.”

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Former West Seattle banker Bob Abel dies

November 18, 2011 9:53 pm

| Comments Off on Former West Seattle banker Bob Abel dies

| Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

West Seattleite Maria Federici sent word that her grandfather Robert (Bob) Abel died early today. She says longtime West Seattleites would remember him as vice president of Westside Federal Savings and Loan, which she says was located where Rocksport is now. Today also happened to be the 61st or 62nd anniversary of Mr. Abel’s marriage to wife Jorene, she notes, adding, “Thank you, West Seattle, for providing a lovely home base for my Grandpa.”

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West Seattle schools: Hope/SLHS event exceeded goals

November 18, 2011 8:16 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photo courtesy Hope/Seattle Lutheran)
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, some words of thanks tonight for those who spent last Friday night giving to two local schools:

Last Friday night, on 11-11-11, over 360 people gathered at Hope Lutheran and Seattle Lutheran High Schools to “Light up the Night” for the kids – and Light it up they did! Head auctioneer Graham Crow kept the bidding fast and furious as items ranging from signed Seattle Sounders gear to paradise vacations to handmade gifts were auctioned off. In addition, the schools’ fund-a-need for Smart Boards was met with tremendous generosity, and as a result every classroom will soon be equipped with this technology! Scholarship funds were also funded to help ensure that we can provide assistance to families that need it.

In the end, all the goals for the event were exceeded, and the community surrounding these kids shined brighter than ever. We want to thank everyone that contributed in some way to the event; parents, students, alumni, church members, business owners, etc. It was inspiring to see how everyone came together for the kids.

Thanks
Stephanie Jensen and Myrna Burnett
Hope Lutheran & Seattle Lutheran 2011 Auction Co-Chairs

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Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show starts tonight

November 18, 2011 5:00 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

5-8 pm tonight, it’s your first of three chances to browse and shop this year’s Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show. It’s at Fauntleroy Church, 9140 California SW; we dropped by a bit earlier this afternoon for a quick peek, and spotted the Fauntleroy Y Piecemakers – who are the only participants displaying their work, not selling it. Here’s the list of participants. If you can’t get there tonight, 11 am-3 pm tomorrow and 11 am-1 pm on Sunday.

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Followup: ‘Ex-Westwood Santa’ starts to reveal his plans

November 18, 2011 4:15 pm

| 27 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news

(2008 WSB photo of the former Westwood Santa)
As reported here earlier this week, Westwood Village is changing the way the center does Santa Claus photos. They’re adding days and hours – Santa will be there daily starting right after Thanksgiving. But they’re also changing the procedure, and the person. They are now contracting with Arthur and Associates, a longtime Seattle-based Santa-photo business, which charges for photos – after Westwood Village, for years, offered photos for free, provided you made a food-bank donation. Arthur and Associates told WSB they had asked the longtime WV Santa to work for them this year, but he declined. Then, in WSB discussions, news emerged that the longtime Westwood Santa just might emerge someplace else, and many expressed interest. We finally got a chance to talk with him today – and we have confirmation of at least one place he plans to be:Read More

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DEA-search followup: Warrant returns; U.S. Attorney’s update

November 18, 2011 3:17 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

A few more follow-ups today, three days after the Drug Enforcement Administration searched more than a dozen medical-marijuana operations around Puget Sound, including GAME Collective, owned by a West Seattle man, with a location in West Seattle and a “lounge” in White Center. Last night, Thomas Bates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was at the South Delridge-White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting. He said the regional operation mostly targeted medical-marijuana businesses “with multiple locations” that were suspected of “large-volume drug sales, money-laundering, and other operations.” While he did not address GAME Collective directly, he did mention that the “returns” from the search warrants had started to come in – those are the official documents showing what, if anything, law-enforcement officers found when they conducted the searches for which they had warrants We obtained the first two returns this afternoon. They are for two vehicles – one belonging to the GAME Collective’s owner, and one belonging to another West Seattle man listed in the original search-warrant documents as being associated with GAME. Though the search warrant empowers agents to seize anything found in a broad range of items listed, from drugs to money to recordkeeping books, the search warrant return for the 2007 Mercedes belonging to GAME Collctive’s owner says “no items seized.” For the other man’s 2010 Subaru Outback, the return document lists items seized as:Read More

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26th/Dakota project: ‘Green, welcoming place’ across the street

November 18, 2011 12:50 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

Last Monday, we published an update on the 193-unit apartment project that’s now under construction at 26th/Dakota. Then that night, developer and architect representatives visited the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting to present their newest plan for undeveloped city right-of-way across the street that they see as a neighborhood mini-park with access to Longfellow Creek. They said they are hoping to create a “green, welcoming place” as an asset for not only residents of their building, but others who live in the area.

The design is above (see an expanded version here); they are asking for comments before they take it to the Seattle Design Commission for review, which is required since it is city right-of-way. (They are not seeking a street vacation, anticipating instead to have an annual permit for use of the area.)

The area connects to a stairway, and also has to provide access for city crews to change lights. Other than that, the project team hopes the improvements will “create some clarity for the space,” which currently isn’t even recognizable as potential public access. They’re suggesting a simple walkway topped with as-yet-undetermined material, “maybe even asphalt”; the dark green you see in the rendering is “grass-crete.” The project team says the trees they hope to plant are no taller than 15 feet, and the shrubbery would be below knee-level. They’re also working to have as little impact on west-side-of-the-street parking as possible. They are proposing a curb-bulb feature to help pedestrians and provide “traffic-calming.”

In addition to paying to create it, the project/ownership/management team (headed at this phase by Legacy Partners and Barrientos LLC) will be accountable for paying for the annual permit and maintenance. They are also extensively landscaping their side of the street (where dozens of pre-existing trees were taken out for the parking-garage excavation) in hopes of “trying to add a lot more lushness to the area,” as Hewitt Architects‘ Kris Snider told the NDNC meeting. If you have comments on the “mini-park,” send them to Steffenie Evans at Legacy Partners, sevans@legacypartners.com.

(As previously reported here, the project team also is gearing up for an extensive art-procurement process targeting local artists; here’s that story from earlier in the week.)

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Relative of Burien man asks for regional help in solving ‘hate crime’

November 18, 2011 11:54 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle news

This story is still developing, but the victim’s family is sending a regional request for help in solving the attack: A developmentally disabled man is in the hospital with major injuries suffered last night – though no one is sure exactly what happened or where. He was found at his Burien home. Here are more details from our partner site White Center Now; our partners at the Seattle Times are covering it too.

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Big news x 2 for WestSide Baby – plus, their holiday wishlist

November 18, 2011 11:02 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

This morning, WestSide Baby is receiving a 100,000-diaper donation from Huggies – we dropped by for photos just as the truck was getting unloaded. But that’s not the only big news at WS Baby: Executive director Nancy Woodland will serve as a founding board member of the brand-new National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN). It’s been launched “with a mission to raise awareness of diaper need and build the capacity of diaper banks,” according to the official announcement, which reminds us all of the problem:

Local families in poverty or crisis are unable to purchase an adequate supply of diapers to properly diaper their babies. At nearly $100 per month per child, families struggling to put food on the table or pay utilities must often choose between food and diapers. Because they are expensive and not covered by food stamps, diapers end up rationed or reused and babies suffer from diaper rash and other serious health issues.

Nancy says one in three American families falls into that category – so NDBN will create “a national network of community partners” to make sure there is a supply of diapers wherever needed to protect those children’s health. Huggies is the founding sponsor of NDBN and is currently on a cross-country “12 Days of Thanks” tour donating 12 million diapers in 12 cities (including Nancy’s childhood hometown, Detroit). Huggies has been donating diapers to WestSide Baby through its “Every Little Bottom” campaign.

But community donations still make up the lion’s share of what they provide to local families in need – and it’s not just diapers. So we asked WestSide Baby to please share its holiday-season wishlist on behalf of those families:

Winter Coats – all sizes
Newborn Diapers
Boy and Girl Pull-Ups : 4T-5T
Car Seats (Combinations seats from 20-80 lbs are most requested)
Hygiene Items (baby wash, diaper cream, lotion)
Baby Wipes
Warm Clothes: Sizes 5T-12
Socks and Underwear : new packages

As always, we accept all diaper sizes but distribute the most 4’s, 5’s and 6’s!

Where and when can you donate, you ask? That information is on the left side of WestSide Baby’s home page. You can donate money, too – here’s how to do that online.

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West Seattle Friday: Shop, dance, look, listen, garden…

November 18, 2011 9:15 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Max for the photo looking out over downtown late last night. The clouds haven’t brought those rumored snowflakes so far, but the chance remains in the forecast. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: Monthly meeting, 10 AM to 2 PM at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor), 2615 SW Barton St., Building #1. Registration and social time first, then business and the morning study program at 10:30 AM, Julie Gramm will share a collection of Basket Weaving Projects made by her mother Barbara Gramm. Commentary on the design and horticulture exhibits will follow. Lunch is at noon, brown bag with dessert and beverage provided by the club. It will be “Coming up Roses” for the afternoon program at 1 PM, when “consulting rosarian” Margaret Harris shares her love of roses. She will also touch on “Shakespeare in the Garden”. Visitors are welcome. Donation $5.

AFTERNOON DANCE: Dance to the music of Lauren Petrie at Delridge Community Center, 1:30-3:30 pm

MENASHE AND SONS JEWELERS’ EVENING EVENT: Event at Menashe and Sons Jewelers (WSB sponsor) tonight. You’re invited into their Junction store (4532 California SW) in for hors d’oeuvres, bubbly, and Bakery Nouveau cake, 5-9 pm.

FAUNTLEROY ART/GIFT FAIR BEGINS: The 2011 Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Fair takes over Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Avenue SW) for the weekend with something for everyone by West Seattle artists. 5-8 pm tonight (continuing tomorrow and Sunday); more details here.

STORYTELLING: Storytelling event at White Center Cultural Center (9421 18th Avenue SW), 5:30 pm, “Stories from a Filipino Life” with Chris Genese, an organizer with Washington Citizen Action Network.

TASTE SPANISH WINES: Bin 41 weekly wine tasting: Spanish wines from Frontaura y Victoria.

3 MORE CHANCES TO SEE ‘BEAN’: The original musical “Bean: The Musical Fruit” – for kids of all ages! – continues at 7 pm tonight, and 2 and 6 pm tomorrow, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Come early to meet, and take photos with, the characters!

MUDPIES AND LULLABIES: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, 7904 35th Ave SW: (trio) lexicon presents — Mudpies and Lullabies: a guide to growing up. (trio) lexicon is a collaboration between Madeline and Richard Bersamina (vocalists) and Christina Bach (piano). Drawing on songs by Leonard Bernstein, Mozart, Mister Rogers and Sesame Street and poetry by Shel Silverstein and Lewis Carroll, this evening of singing and stories chronicles childhood and coming of age.

DONKEY BASKETBALL: Fundraiser tonight at West Seattle High School gym, 7 pm, adults $9/students $7, kids (K-6) $5. Teacher team vs. student team.

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Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights to ‘stuff the bus’ for Nickelsville

November 18, 2011 7:47 am

| 19 COMMENTS

| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

(October photo of Nickelsville, by Kevin McClintic)
On a cold morning, with possible snow showers looming, people are still sleeping outdoors all over the city – including more than 100 in the West Seattle encampment that calls itself Nickelsville. Nichole, the Active Living Director at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor), says residents choose a community service project this time of year, and they’ve chosen to adopt Nickelsville, but they need YOUR help to really make it big. She is planning an event to gather donations – with collections starting immediately, and a “Stuff the Bus” day on December 3rd, 10 am-4 pm. She toured the encampment this week and has this list of needs so far:

Tarps
Tents
Firewood
Wool socks
Female hygiene supplies
Blankets
Camp Stoves
Propane for Camp Stoves
Canned food

Before the actual “stuff the bus” event, you can still drop off items 7 days a week, 8 am-8 pm. Nichole also hopes to put up a giving tree, so that on December 3rd, you can pick up a tag and bring back a gift. She says, “My residents are 100% behind this and very excited to have a project where they can make an impact on the homeless community.” She’s still collecting information about other needs at the camp, and we’ll add it when available. Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights is at 2326 California SW.

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Update: 2 cars set on fire in 2 hours in West Seattle

November 18, 2011 2:05 am

| 21 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

2:05 AM: That’s the aftermath of the second of two car fires in two hours in eastern West Seattle tonight. There’s no official information on the two fires, not even whether they’re potentially related, but we do know that police and fire investigators were sent to both scenes. Our photo is from 28th/Brandon, an undeveloped street north of eastern High Point, where the burning car was found after midnight. About two hours earlier, another car fire was investigated at 18th and Myrtle, a mile and a half away (as this map shows). We hope to find out later this morning if arson is suspected in either or both.

9:37 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says their investigator determined both fires to be arson: “There are no witnesses and no suspects. It is under investigation whether the two car fires are related or not.”

2:48 PM UPDATE: More information just in from SFD’s Moore: The 18th/Myrtle fire involved a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee and did $6,500 in damage. The 28th/Brandon fire (as shown in our photo above) involved a 2005 BMW, with damage estimated at $16,000. Both fires are currently under investigation by SPD.

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