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year : 2011 4273 results

West Seattle Christmas lights: Old-school Santa, reindeer, sleigh
December 7, 2011 7:04 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

We’re spotlighting decorated homes (or apartments/condos/businesses/etc. if you have any tips to share!) every night this holiday season. Tonight, it’s not the lights at this house so much as the old-school Santa, reindeer, and sleigh in the front yard. Not inflatable, not plastic, something sturdier. We just spotted this while driving around so we don’t know whose home it is, but it’s worth a visit, on 39th north of Andover (map). We’re listing all the spotlighted displays in the “Christmas Lights” section of the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, and while we’re going out scouting, we also welcome suggestions – we can certainly feature more than one per night!

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Two West Seattle Soccer Club teams in state semifinals
December 7, 2011 5:41 pm
|    Comments Off on Two West Seattle Soccer Club teams in state semifinals
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Congratulations to the girls’ GU-15 West Seattle Crush and boys’ BU-11 West Seattle Crush soccer teams from the West Seattle Soccer Club – they’re both in the state semifinals, the Washington Youth Soccer Recreational Cup, this weekend. The boys play the South Whidbey Islanders at 9 am Saturday on Starfire Sports Complex field #9 in Tukwila, and go to the finals at 2 pm if they win; the girls play the Sun Devils at 10;30 am Sunday on Valley Ridge Field #2 in Seatac, with the finals at 3:30 pm at Starfire field #4 if they win. Full schedule here; good luck!

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DESC in Delridge: Site purchase closes; Design Review tomorrow
December 7, 2011 4:05 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   DESC Delridge project | West Seattle news

Two updates this afternoon on the plan for Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) to build a 75-apartment building in the 5400 block of Delridge to house currently homeless people:

SITE PURCHASE FINALIZED: DESC had said they expected to close the deal to buy the site on December 1st, and agency executive Nicole Macri confirmed to WSB today that it has indeed happened. She also says DESC is continuing to talk with area residents about establishing an “advisory committee of neighborhood stakeholders,” adding, “An ad-hoc committee of the NDNC has come together to begin identifying neighborhood constituency groups and prospective members to fill seats on the committee.” She says the group could start meeting in January. (Creation of the committee was discussed in an informal neighborhood meeting we covered two weeks ago.)

DESIGN REVIEW MEETING TOMORROW: The size and scope of the project requires it to go through the city’s Design Review process, so tomorrow is the first of at least two meetings in which it will go before the Southwest Design Review Board, a city-convened panel of volunteers (“meet” them here). As noted here last month, you can pre-review the “packet” for the meeting, including the options for the building’s “mass” and shape. If you’ve never been to a Design Review meeting before, and/or are still catching up on this project, there’s a wide array of information made available by hard-working citizen volunteers in Delridge – here are documents regarding the process; here’s info about the handy “Community Guide to Design Review”; and if you can just read one bundle of background, this post on the recently revamped North Delridge Neighborhood Council site summarizes last week’s “Design Review 101” briefing, and the design review/permit-seeking process.

Tomorrow night’s meeting is at 6:30 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, public welcome, even if you don’t intend to speak. Meantime, our archive of project coverage dating back to first public word in June can be found here. If the timeline DESC distributed last month holds, construction would start in about a year.

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Downtown traffic alert: Concert at KeyArena tonight
December 7, 2011 3:10 pm
|    Comments Off on Downtown traffic alert: Concert at KeyArena tonight
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle traffic alerts

SDOT sent this out as an alert, so in case you commute through the area – given that we heard multiple reports it was tough going to get there earlier today, maybe this will save you some trouble on the way home:

Today’s Deck the Hall Ball, a sold-out concert at the Key Arena, could impact the afternoon commute. Some 8,000 fans of Mumford and Sons, Death Cab for Cutie and Foster the People, will begin arriving for the concert by mid-afternoon and likely produce heavier traffic than usual between I-5 and the Seattle Center and on surrounding streets in the vicinity. The 107.7 The End’s event, which begins at 4 p.m. wraps up at 11 p.m., will add to the late evening traffic in the area as well.

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West Seattle holidays: Christmas ship, gingerbread, solstice
December 7, 2011 2:51 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

Three holiday updates this afternoon:

(December 2010 Alki photo by David Hutchinson)
When the Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship and entourage visit Alki this Saturday – one of three stops that night, plus another one on Monday – it’ll be greeted by a roaming “cast of characters representing the Biblical event from the first Christmas,” from Hope Lutheran, according to Mary Welch, who says they also will perform for the crowd at the Alki Bathhouse art studio. As noted on the WSB West Seattle Holiday Events/Info page, the Christmas ship’s schedule this Saturday is 5:15-5:35 pm at Seacrest, 8:50-9:10 at Lowman Beach, 9:40-10 pm at Alki. On Monday, it comes to Don Armeni, 8:40-9 pm.

Coming up this Sunday night – it’s the gingerbreadiest event of this holiday season:

That’s one of our photos from last year’s gingerbread-building competition at West Seattle Christian Church. We recently put out their call for participants, and now WSCC pastor Dan Jacobs says they have 40 teams signed up – they’re inviting you to come be a spectator! 5 pm this Sunday (December 11th) in the WSCC Activity Center along 42nd SW between Genesee and Oregon. Raffle entries and other donations benefit WSCC’s wellbuilding program.

(December 2010 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Last but not least … a winter-solstice event confirmed: From West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador, Alice Enevoldsen:

In light of the Lunar Eclipse this weekend time for the seasonal sunset watch!!

When: December 21, 2011 at 4:05 pm (so come at 3:30 pm)
Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. I added another 5 minutes for the tall trees of Lincoln Park blocking our view. In Autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

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West Seattle businesses: New owners for Stella Ruffington’s
December 7, 2011 11:59 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Just got word that a Morgan Junction business has new owners: Stella Ruffington’s Doggy Playcare. The buyers own a training/boarding facility on Camano Island, and say they “have wanted to enter the Seattle market for quite some time.” Read on for the announcement they sent:Read More

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2 tolling notes: 1st meeting ahead for 99 committee; 520 date
December 7, 2011 11:13 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

Just minutes apart, WSDOT sent two news releases that relate to tolling. The first one is perhaps of the most interest here – the committee that’s going to discuss tolling for the future Highway 99 tunnel, and how to reduce the likelihood it will lead to “diversion” (people using other roads instead), has its first meeting set for tomorrow. The second one – Tolling on the 520 bridge across Lake Washington is now set for December 29th. For full details, here’s the 520-toll-date news release; read on for text of the news release about the 99 tunnel tolling committee:Read More

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Video: Arbor Heights fire briefing @ City Council committee
December 7, 2011 10:20 am
|    Comments Off on Video: Arbor Heights fire briefing @ City Council committee
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(UPDATED EDITOR’S NOTE, 12:11 PM: The archived meeting video is now available, so that’s what you’ll see if you click “play” below. We are working on the wrapup story with new information from the hearing and from followup questions afterward.)

10:20 AM: Click “play” to get the live feed from City Hall, as the City Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee is briefed on the August 27th Arbor Heights house fire near 41st/102nd, and what’s been done, and what is still to come, to fix the water-supply problems it exposed –

We have been following this story since the fire itself, including these stories:
*August 27: The fire (accidental; gutted a house and injured a firefighter)
*August 28: Fire’s cause
*August 29: ‘After-action review’ promised
*Sept. 9: Three followups
*Sept. 15: Hydrant upgrades promised
*November 4th: Hydrant upgrades almost complete
*December 5th: City Council committee briefing planned

Last night, we reviewed the documents available online for this briefing, including something new and major: A plan to upgrade water mains. Here’s our story; we will write a new one with added information after today’s briefing, and we will also make a note here when the briefing is over.

11:02 AM: It’s over. Nothing major beyond what we summarized from last night, though some additional summarizing did emerge – when the water-main upgrades are over in a year-plus, all of Arbor Heights will be within 1000 feet of an 8-inch water main, which is the minimum standard these days, and 87 percent will be within 500 feet. The review of the August fire showed that 2,000 feet of hose had to be rolled out to get to an 8-inch water main supply. More to come!

12:12 PM: The archived video is already available – so we have substituted it above. Followup story still in the works.

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West Seattle holidays: Trevor Ras Holiday Show and Food Drive on Sunday at C&P
December 7, 2011 9:06 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Announcements

Just announced for this Sunday:

West Seattle Artists and Businesses Team Up to Benefit the West Seattle Food Bank: The Trevor Ras Holiday Show & Food Drive has something for young and old.

Sunday, December 11 from 3-5pm
C & P Coffee
All Ages, free w/ recommended donation
5612 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98136 | 206.933.3125

The holidays can be a rough time of the year for many in the community as they struggle to put food on the table and provide the essentials for their families.

So come all ye West Seattleites to C&P Coffee Sunday afternoon, December 11th from 3-5pm for the Trevor Ras Holiday Show & Food Drive. With cookies and treats, giveaways for donations, and a mix of upbeat holiday sing-alongs and acoustic music, the event will be a great time for young and old, all for a great cause.

Sponsored by West Seattle’s own Skin Care by Casey, admission is free with a recommended donation of one item from the West Seattle Food Bank’s “Wish List.” At the top of the list: canned proteins, baby food, diapers, baby formula and tuna. And if you need a little incentive:

– Anyone who brings in 4 items on the “Wish List” will receive a voucher worth $15 at Skin Care by Casey and a free copy of Trevor Ras latest CD, Blue Sky.

– Anyone who brings in a package of diapers (especially the larger sizes), will receive one free drink courtesy of C and P Coffee.

The event’s organizers, Trevor and Casey Rasmussen are a West Seattle couple, who came up with the idea to help this fall. “We wanted to find a way to help out our community, even if we impact just one family. With West Seattle’s help, we may be able to make a larger impact.”

For more information about the West Seattle Food Bank visit www.westseattlefoodbank.org or the event’s Facebook page. The West Seattle Food Bank’s “Wish List” includes:

***Canned Proteins (various forms)***
***Tuna***
***Diapers***
***Baby Food***
***Baby Formula***
Canned Beans
Beans (dry)
Canned Fruit
Canned Soup
Canned Vegetables
Cereal
Pasta
Peanut Butter
Rice
Pastries
Snack Foods
Bread
Juice
Pet Food
Soap, Toiletry items

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West Seattle Wednesday: HPAC, + dancing, skating, tree lighting
December 7, 2011 8:25 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

The early bird gets the … flounder? Thanks to Bill Bacon for the photo! Here are today’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events and Holidays calendars:

WINE TASTING: 5:30-9 pm at The Cask (2350 California SW in the Admiral District) with Locati Cellars (details here)

DANCE TIME!: With live music by Lauren Petrie, at the Senior Center of West Seattle. 6 pm – 8:30 pm. Theme: Pearl Harbor Holiday Dance. $5-$7 donation, BYOB; reservations requested, 206-932-4044.

TREE LIGHTING/TOY DRIVE: Christmas celebration at Mars Hill Church-West Seattle (7551 35th SW), and the community is invited, 6:30 pm (indoor tree lighting at 7): “Usher in the holiday season through lights, color and music. There will be seasonal treats, classic carols and the Mars Hill West Seattle Students will be running “Santa’s Workshop”: a Christmas craft area for the kids. Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be joining us and kids can …get pictures with Santa! We will also be collecting toys to bless local children and families.” More info on this Facebook event page.

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING: Tonight is the combined November/December meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee (which otherwise usually meets on 4th Wednesdays), 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden), with the Nickelsville encampment on the agenda again this month (here’s our coverage of the last meeting).

‘EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD’: ArtsWest presents the Seattle premiere of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez. 7:30 pm; ticket info here.

PRIDE SKATE: Tonight’s the monthly Pride Skate at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center, 9-11 pm – this time, the theme is “The ’80s.”

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Memorial service January 21 for Cheryl Colehour, 1966-2011
December 7, 2011 3:45 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

The family of West Seattleite Cheryl Colehour, who died a week ago at just 45, shares this remembrance, and news of her memorial service:

On November 30, 2011, West Seattle and the rest of the world lost Cheryl Colehour. She fought hard for the preceding 13 months against breast cancer, which ultimately metastasized to her liver.

Cheryl was a beautiful, talented, loving, fierce woman. Her strength and grace were exceeded only by her loving nature.

Cheryl was born and raised in Bellevue, attended college at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, and spent her adult years in Seattle – Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, and ultimately in West Seattle for the last 12 years. Cheryl studied film and video in college and parlayed those skills into a career as an Instructional Designer. She was a skilled fiber artist as well, often gifting friends and family with her exquisite knitting and sewing projects.

Cheryl is survived by her husband Tom Humphreys and their two children, Clara Humphreys (10) and August Humphreys (3); her father and stepmother, Jeff and Beth Colehour; her sister, Julie Colehour (Mitchell), husband Don and children Jessica and Jeremy; her sister, Janelle Urfer, husband Scott and children Owen and Emma. She is preceded in death by her mother Vernal Colehour (Harkness).

Cheryl was unfortunate to have inherited the BRCA1 gene mutation, which creates an astronomical risk for cancer of the breast and ovaries. Her mother and grandmother succumbed to these cancers as well. Her aunt is a breast-cancer survivor. Cheryl was always willing to participate in whatever studies she could to increase medical understanding of these conditions. In that spirit, if you are moved to contribute in her memory, please consider the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance or The University of Washington Medical Center or Gilda’s Club Seattle.

A memorial will be held for Cheryl on January 21st, 2012, at 1:00 pm, Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7141 California Ave SW. We will re-announce the memorial at a closer date as well.

Cheryl’s husband Tom also shares the link for this online memorial, which includes a guestbook.

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Water-main improvements proposed for Arbor Heights, post-fire
December 6, 2011 10:04 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

As we reported previously, the City Council‘s Public Safety and Education Committee is scheduled to be briefed tomorrow on the big Arbor Heights fire from last August 27th.

(WSB video from 8/27/2011)
House fires don’t usually lead to council briefings, but in this case, multiple fire hydrants near the home were unable to adequately supply firefighters, who as a result could not get a handle on it quickly. Three documents are linked from the City Council agenda tonight, looking ahead to the briefing by Seattle Fire and Public Utilities leaders. While the first two focus on the fire response and what went wrong (as well as what went right), the third lays out a schedule for proposed water-main improvements to be built next year.

The tale of what went wrong at the fire scene is complex, going beyond the water-supply problems, though they are described in detail. The hydrants nearest the home were described as “dead” and “frozen” in the first document: “A sufficient water source had still not been located 12 minutes after the first unit arrived on scene.” And then: “32 minutes into the response, despite efforts to supply them from three different directions, E32 still didn’t have a viable water supply.” It wasn’t just the hydrants – they called for the “hose wagon,” but it turned out to be unavailable; they looked for the “hydrant main map book,” but discovered it was “no longer carried on the Chiefs’ apparatus.” Finally, after laying hose all the way to 35th SW – almost half a mile of hose, says the document – “35 minutes after the first rig arrived on scene, a positive water supply was established.” Ultimately, says the second document, “105 firefighters, officers and medics” were involved in the response.

The third document outlines the water-main-improvement plan; as we have reported in followups since August, in some cases SPU was able to put larger hydrants atop water mains that could provide better pressure with better equipment, but in some cases, the water mains themselves are too small – and have been since before the city annexed the area more than half a century ago. Per the briefing document, the process for the water-main improvements will begin with a community meeting next month. We will find out more when the council committee is briefed toward the end of its 9:30 am meeting tomorrow (if you can’t go, you can watch via the Seattle Channel, cable channel 21 or seattlechannel.org online – we’ll stream it here when this agenda item comes up).

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High-school sports: Overtime win for Sealth boys’ basketball
December 6, 2011 9:30 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school sports: Overtime win for Sealth boys’ basketball
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

9:30 PM: Thriller at Chief Sealth International High School tonight – the boys’ varsity basketball team beat Nathan Hale in overtime, 71-69.

12:38 AM: The full story:

Story and video by Randall G. Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Chief Sealth junior point guard Bronte Corbray scored 21 points in his team’s 71-69 overtime victory over Nathan Hale, including two from a pull-up jumper with 7 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Seahawks even with the visiting Raiders:

In overtime, it was senior Pepe Hernandez doing the honors with consecutive field goals in less than a minute late in the overtime to take his team from down 62-60 to a 64-62 lead.

Read More

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West Seattle holidays: Tonight’s featured lights; painting in progress
December 6, 2011 9:11 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

Holiday scenes to share tonight:

First, our nightly featured Christmas lights – these are on 50th north of Hudson/south of Edmunds (map); we were out scouting last night and spotted them. We’ve added them to the ongoing list on the WSB West Seattle Holiday Events and Info page, where we’ll have a map soon with all the featured locations; let us know if you have a suggestion! Also tonight, seen in The Junction:

Tipster Joe says this scene on Puerto Vallarta‘s window is so fresh, the Sign Savant crew was still painting the one next to it:

(Last year, we showed you “Santa Extremoso” gracing the same windows.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Casing/package-prowling alert
December 6, 2011 7:44 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Just out of the WSB inbox, from Rene, who says it happened near the Fauntleroy ferry dock:

After dark 6:20 tonight while outside my house with my dog I noted a middle-aged Caucasian woman prowling around my neighbor’s house with headlamp, and trying out their doors. I called across to her, and she said she was trying to deliver a package. I asked to whom, and she quoted a different house number, and quickly took off on foot south on 48th. There was no delivery van in sight, nor was this person wearing a uniform. I walked over to the house and found a package labeled with another address, and clearly tampered with. Called neighbors (away at the time), met with their family on site, contacted police, etc.

Be careful when you leave your home to put on lamp timers, switch up your routine, and have your Good Samaritan friends and neighbors stop by and/or keep an eye on the place. In this holiday season, please be wary of “false delivery” prowlers!

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You be the judge! West Seattle High School students need you
December 6, 2011 7:36 pm
|    Comments Off on You be the judge! West Seattle High School students need you
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

From West Seattle High School teacher Michelle Sloan:

The West Seattle High School Marketing Club and class needs your help judging the annual regional marketing competition.

Where: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington, (Parking included for judges)
When: January 11th, 2012, 8:45am- 1:30 pm (Snacks and coffee included)

What exactly do I have to do?: You will be listening to Marketing students “pitch” their marketing plans to you. Students will have approximately 7 minutes to explain their Marketing Plan and then you will score their presentation based on the scoring rubrics we will provide you. You will have a 5 minute break between presentations to score their performances. You will also have a break in the morning and a snack break.

How is this helpful?: Judges have a very important job of helping Marketing students take their presentation skill more seriously. It helps students to work harder knowing they will have to present their ideas to you. Working on presentation skill will help students in many areas of school and life.

Who is hosting this event: Washington DECA Marketing Club
Parking: We pay for your parking in the Meydenbauer

If you can help out please contact:
Michelle Sloan, West Seattle High School Ceramics/Marketing/Photography Teacher, masloan@seattleschools.org

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Seacrest Boathouse update: Alki Crab and Fish sends protest; Marination says, ‘We are not pushing (them) out of business’
December 6, 2011 3:51 pm
|      95 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A few notes today, following up on our reports the past two days about the city Parks and Recreation Department changing concessionaires at Seacrest Boathouse – awarding the contract to Marination, whose proposal, the city says, outscored the one submitted by longtime operator Alki Crab and Fish.

First: Information we’d been pursuing since yesterday, when we asked Parks what happens next, and whether there’s any place for public comment in the official process. Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter sent the official policy – see it here – and adds:

Parks followed the steps in our policy and went beyond that by meeting with both of the top two proposers. These meetings did not change the scores or the outcome.

In response to the protest letter, which Parks received late yesterday, Parks will take these steps:

• Respond to the protest letter.
• Develop criteria, based on the business objectives outlined in the request for proposals, for evaluating the protest.
• Create a review panel of people (different from the original proposal reviewers), comprised of a representative of the Department of Neighborhoods, a representative of the Board of Park Commissioners, and the Acting Parks and Recreation Superintendent.
• Set up time for the review panel to evaluate the protest based on the established criteria.
• Set up a meeting with Alki Fish and Crab to go over their findings and decision.
• Ensure the review panel has all of the input received up to the date of their meeting.

It’s important to note that this is a business process for Parks and Recreation based on business objectives (included in the Request for Proposals) designed to meet Parks’ business needs and based on City law and policy.

So bottom line, no. The contract does require final approval by the City Council, though.

If you are just catching up, Alki Crab and Fish’s contract with the city expired last summer. The city put out a “request for proposals” (RFP), and the result was a decision to award the contract to Marination, which came to fame two and a half years ago with its food truck, and has since also opened a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Capitol Hill. We have numerous details in our report from yesterday, including links to both companies’ proposal documents. Supporters of both also have started online petitions – the one for Alki Crab and Fish fans is here, Marination fans here – and ACF supporters in the diving community, which uses Seacrest extensively, are planning a low-key rally this Saturday at noon between Seacrest and Salty’s, according to local diver Laura James, who says they are trying hard not to tie up traffic or cause trouble near the boathouse, so they are asking participants to park either south of Salty’s or up around Duwamish Head.

And a new development – just as we were finishing this story, we received e-mail from Marination, with whom we had exchanged notes previously for a short comment published in yesterday’s story. They sent a statement that follows, explaining their intent, and their surprise at how this has unfolded:Read More

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‘Blowouts + Brows’ Transitional Resources fundraiser December 13 at Ola Salon
December 6, 2011 2:59 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Announcements

One week from tonight, you’re invited! Here’s the announcement sent by Ola; Transitional Resources is a neighbor of theirs, with its headquarters just a few blocks south on Avalon Way:

On Tuesday, December 13 from 5:00-8:00 pm, West Seattle-based Ola Salon is offering blowouts and brow waxes for a suggested donation of $20, with all proceeds benefiting Transitional Resources, a neighborhood mental health center. Ola is located at 2942 Avalon Way SW, 206-933-6702.

Considered the best hair salon in West Seattle, Ola Salon is famous city-wide for its impeccable service and creative environment. Ola’s medical esthetician and stylists will be available for consultations throughout the event, in addition to providing blowouts and brow waxes. Salon owner Rachel Karlin annually organizes salon events to benefit local non-profit organizations, and this month’s Blowouts + Brows event is especially festive: Avalon restaurant will provide complimentary hors d’oeuvres and mimosas, and other local businesses will provide an assortment of goodies to raffle off throughout the night. Proceeds from the salon service donations and raffle ticket sales will benefit Transitional Resources.

Transitional Resources has been providing innovative and respective mental health care to residents of King County for 35 years. With a specialization in serving individuals with the most serious and persistent forms of mental illness, Transitional Resources offers a continuum of care that includes case management, crisis intervention, affordable housing, and vocational services.

As winter settles in and the days get shorter and colder, it is especially important that Transitional Resources have the support of its community, ensuring that clients have shelter during the cold months, along with the support they need to be successful. The Blowouts + Brows benefit will help make it possible for Transitional Resources to continue providing respectful, optimistic, and highly personalized care to those most in need. Without these services, people living with severe mental illness frequently end up in jail, back in the hospital, or on the streets. Transitional Resources offers them hope, opportunity, and recovery.

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Rambo Total Pest Control: New West Seattle Blog sponsor
December 6, 2011 2:38 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Rambo Total Pest Control, whose owner Luke Rambo is a fourth-generation West Seattleite and a 1999 graduate of West Seattle High. (While his business is based in Puyallup, they serve his hometown, and he spends so much time here that when he walks into Sub Shop #9 in Morgan Junction, they know his order on sight.) Here’s what he wants you to know about how Rambo does its job:

Rambo Total Pest Control knows the area, climate, styles of construction, conducive conditions and biological requirements of our local pest species. Rambo can offer you a secure and targeted approach toward living pest-free while protecting your family, pets, homes, and businesses.

Luke explains, “Our clients enjoy the personal commitment we display toward resolving their complicated pest-control problems. They want a problem fixed right the first time, not excuses. We promise to provide a customized ‘shelter’ from the unwanted, disease-carrying, wood-destroying pests that threaten our clients’ peace of mind. If our clients feel that control has not been achieved, we will return free of charge until the problem is resolved. Another compliment we hear frequently is that our communication is excellent. We do our best to educate our clients on what our strategy will be, when to expect initial control to be established, what things they can do to help, etc. It is also company policy to call a day or two before scheduling our preventive-maintenance services. This adds a considerable amount of time to our days, but it truly sets us apart from our competition.”

Rambo Total Pest Control has an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau and a 5-star rating on Yelp.com; we are members of the Washington State Pest Management Association and National Pest Management Association (Quality Pro-certified), as well as the Entomological Society of America, through which Luke Rambo earned the title “Associate Certified Entomologist.” Rambo Total Pest Control is online at rambopest.com, or call 253-848-6000; get a deal on your first service by using the coupon on the WSB Coupons page.

We thank Rambo Total Pest Control 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.

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Election 2011: How West Seattle voted on liquor initiative
December 6, 2011 1:17 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | WS beverages

Our partners at the Seattle Times have just made maps breaking out the vote around the region on the two most-discussed statewide initiatives in last month’s elections, liquor privatization (I-1183) and tolling (I-1125). The graphic above is taken from one of the maps published by the Times – green areas supported I-1183 (the darker the green, the stronger the support), red/pink areas did not. See both initiative breakouts here. P.S. The transition to privatized liquor sales gets into high gear this Thursday, when 1183 becomes law and would-be sellers can start applying.

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West Seattle Reservoir Park design resumes after $ snag solved
December 6, 2011 12:49 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

More money is being moved to the West Seattle Reservoir Park project, which is creating new park space adjacent to Westcrest Park in Highland Park after the formerly open-air WS Reservoir was covered (top photo). But that does NOT mean more features – in fact, it means fewer feature reductions than the project had been facing because of an expensive, unanticipated twist, and it means, as Parks’ senior capital-projects coordinator Virginia Hassinger puts it, they now can “get back going on the park design” since they figured out how to cover the costs for street improvements:Read More

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Where’s the ferry? WSF offers new ETA feature online
December 6, 2011 11:59 am
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 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

If you use Washington State Ferries, from Fauntleroy or anyplace else, you probably know about Vessel Watch – the GPS-enabled online feature that shows you where any given ferry is at any time. WSF just announced it’s added a feature to Vessel Watch: The estimated time of arrival (ETA) for whatever ferry you’re keeping an eye on. Read on for the details:Read More

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Followup: Merrill Gardens-Admiral bus ‘stuffed’ for Nickelsville
December 6, 2011 11:26 am
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 |   How to help | Nickelsville encampment | West Seattle news

Followup from Nichole at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) – residents and other community members succeeded in “stuffing the bus” with donations for Nickelsville residents of all ages last Saturday. We brought you an in-progress update here; Nichole sent followup photos today, including the “stuffed bus” above and this next pic of someone who also deserves a nod – resident council leader Richard Matteo, who played a big organization role too and was out that cold morning collecting cash donations at the coffee/cocoa/cookies table:

Right after they finished collecting at 4 pm, as it was already getting dark, they drove the bus down to the encampment (West Marginal Way SW/Highland Park Way) and unloaded everything that had been donated:

(P.S. The neighborhood closest to Nickelsville will be talking about it tomorrow night – Highland Park Action Committee has Nickelsville on the agenda again, 7 pm Wednesday at the Highland Park Improvement Club building, 12th/Holden.) Meantime – tons of holiday giving going on all over West Seattle this season – hooray for everyone’s generosity! We’ve listed some of the opportunities on the Holidays page, and there’s more in the pipeline – please let us know if you have a drive going on, or a request to share.

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