West Seattle, Washington

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year : 2011 4273 results

ARCpoint Labs: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor
December 15, 2011 11:31 am
|    Comments Off on ARCpoint Labs: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor
 |   Health | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, ARCpoint Labs. As is customary with new sponsors, we offer the opportunity for them to tell you about their business, and here’s what ARCpoint wants you to know:

(From left, ARCpoint Labs’ Jay Smith, Larry Rosok, La’chelle Singleton)
“Why ARCpoint? Accurate, Reliable and Confidential – ARCpoint Labs is here in West Seattle, doesn’t make you wait to get service in our clinic, and provides results quickly.

Located just off Delridge Way and SW Andover Street, ARCpoint Labs offers a comprehensive array of high-quality drug, alcohol, DNA, and background screening services to businesses as well as families and individuals seeking screening.

Have you ever wondered if someone is really your child, your brother, your granddaughter? DNA testing can provide those answers. ARCpoint provides DNA testing that provides accurate and conclusive results. Legal DNA results can be used for court cases, immigration purposes or just for your own information.

ARCpoint also conducts drug testing using a variety of specimen types, such as urine, hair, nails and saliva. Often people think that a drug test is a drug test. Not true! For example many people do not realize that the standard drug test does not cover many prescription drugs. ARCpoint will match your needs with the screening that is best for you or your company.

Whether you are an employer looking to reduce risk, reduce absenteeism, or improve safety for your employees and customers or if you are an individual that needs drug testing services, we will work with you to determine the screening that will work best for you.

ARCpoint, for your workplace, your family – your life.” Find ARCpoint Labs online by going here, or call (206) 504-1681.

We thank ARCpoint Labs 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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Scam alert: E-mails that look local and legit, but aren’t – PSE, and now King County
December 15, 2011 10:44 am
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Just got an e-mail pretending to be from “King County Ecommerce” regarding property taxes. We are 100 percent sure – even before we check – that it’s bogus. So we wanted to warn you not to open it, if you get it too! The telltale flaw: It is formatted just like an e-mail we received yesterday pretending to be from “Puget Sound Energy,” which definitely wasn’t, and led to a warning from PSE itself. The dangerous part about these e-mails is the attached zip file. DON’T OPEN IT. Ahead, read the alert that PSE sent out late yesterday (and, ADDED 2:52 PM, a warning from King County about the new one):Read More

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Car bumps building after 35th/Barton hit-run crash
December 15, 2011 9:13 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Busy morning for emergency responders. We checked this out right after the Fauntleroy shed fire. From the scene and the scanner, police believe that this car was hit by another vehicle that left the scene, just hard enough to override the parking brake and send it rolling onto the sidewalk and up to the front of this commercial building just south of 35th/Barton (map).

No injuries and no serious damage – the car hit the mailbox post and took out a few bricks on a planter in front of the business’s front window. (Editor’s note: We’ve blurred the plate on the top photo, per WSB policy on faces/addresses/plate #s.)

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Update: Extension cord blamed for Fauntleroy shed fire
December 15, 2011 8:18 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

8:18 AM: More Seattle Fire units are on their way to the 8600 block of Fauntleroy right now. This started as a call about a “shed fire” and moments ago, crews on the scene called for a “full response” because it’s apparently spread to the house, as well as to a neighbor’s shed. We’ll be on scene shortly. The traffic camera above shows the emergency vehicles, just south of the south Lincoln Park parking lot.

8:33 AM UPDATE: On scene – northbound Fauntleroy Way traffic is blocked, as the “live” traffic-cam image above shows, but some southbound traffic (toward the ferry dock) is getting through. Police are there to help direct traffic. We haven’t seen damage to the house in front of the shed (seconds after we added this, the incident commander confirmed this), but the shed itself is significantly burned.

No report of injuries; investigators are on the way to figure out how it started.

8:51 AM: Traffic moving again. We’ve removed the traffic-cam image since the blockage is gone. We’ll update this later when there’s information about how the fire started; for now, we’ve added a photo from the scene (by WSB’s Patrick Sand), as well as a photo (courtesy Amy) showing the smoke, which was widely visible for a while (we even got one sighting report from Vashon, across the Sound).

9:29 AM: Added new photo atop this story – taken by Kristi while the shed was engulfed in flames.

10:59 AM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore has information on the fire’s cause and damage:

The renter of the property was not home when the fire began. A Seattle Fire Investigator determined this was an accidental fire that began from an extension cord that ran from the house to the detached shed. Several extension cords were strung together to power a portable heater inside the shed.

An SFD Investigators estimates $17,000 in total damage. The breakdown of the damage estimate is $8,000 to the shed, $5,000 to the contents of the shed and $4,000 to the exterior of the garage.

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West Seattle traffic alert: Emergency response on the bridge
December 15, 2011 8:14 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle traffic alert: Emergency response on the bridge
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Thanks to Dana Rambo, first car behind the roadblock just after 8 am)
If you haven’t left yet, note that traffic is worse than usual right now. Fire units have a medic-response call on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge parallel with Admiral. And at the east end of the bridge, if you are heading to southbound I-5, there might be some distraction from an emergency call on the northbound side right at the bridge exit. (Thanks to everybody who tipped us on this)

8:48 AM: As far as we can tell, the medic units have cleared.

12:36 PM: We asked SFD about the incident. From spokesperson Kyle Moore: “At 7:58 we received a 911 call reporting a female in her late 60’s who was unconscious but breathing. She was inside a black car on the right side of Eastbound West Seattle Freeway in front of the steel plant. At 8:14, Medic 32 transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center.” He didn’t have information on her condition, though.

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Reminder: Overnight traffic alert for Spokane St. Viaduct project
December 14, 2011 11:15 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Spokane St. Viaduct project | West Seattle traffic alerts

11:15 PM: For late-night/early-morning drivers, a reminder that the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project is bringing more closures, starting with one that is happening right now: This is the first of nine consecutive nights in which the westbound SSV – that’s the section of the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – is scheduled to be closed. It’ll reopen by 5 am, SDOT promises. There are also some surface-street closures, tonight involving East Marginal Way – details here. Remember that the SSV closures mean you cannot get onto the West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill.

7:42 AM NOTE: Last night’s closure is over but it happens again tonight (and nightly through next Thursday night, Dec. 22).

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West Seattle Christmas lights: You’re never too old …
December 14, 2011 9:39 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

… to put up Christmas lights. The tipster for this one – TJ, who also shared the photo (thank you!) – says “Brother-in-law is still just a kid at heart. He is 72 and climbs up to the roof to put his lights up.” 7900 block of 32nd SW. Makes us feel guilty for feeling like we exerted ourselves to throw a few strands on the shrubbery! Thanks to everyone who’s been sending tips, with and without photos – editor@westseattleblog.com – meantime, we’ve added the address to our updated-daily clickable/printable Christmas lights map (find it here, or on the West Seattle Holidays page).

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West Seattle businesses: VAIN to semi-open Saturday in The Junction
December 14, 2011 8:12 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Recent photo of in-progress interior work at 4513 California SW, courtesy VAIN)
Behind the under-construction facade in The Junction where the liquor store and train store used to be, new spaces are taking shape – including the future new home of The Beer Junction (which is CURRENTLY STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION on 42nd) and the new West Seattle branch of VAIN at 4513 California SW. We first told you about the latter back in August, and tonight, we have word that its “boutique portion” will open this weekend – noon-8 pm on Saturday and Sunday, “with limited hours till Christmas,” according to the update we received, which continues, “We’ll have some of the top accessories, hats, scarves, bags, and party jewelry from our other two locations, and we’ll have staff onhand to answer questions about VAIN’s hair services. The salon portion will open in early 2012.” (And of course we know you’ll at least be in The Junction on Sunday for the third and final Hometown Holidays Sunday of the season – mule-drawn-carriage rides, DIY Santa photos, and more.)

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By request: West Seattle Restaurant Guide debuts on WSB
December 14, 2011 4:44 pm
|      46 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

This month we’re marking a lot of anniversaries – six years since we launched this site (December 24, 2005), five years (exactly!) since the windstorm that blew WSB toward morphing into a news site (December 14-15, 2006), four years since your editor here left old media to run the site full-time (December 9, 2007), three years since the crazy snow days of December 2008 that brought community collaboration on WSB to a whole new level … But we prefer to look ahead, rather than look back, so it’s time for more milestones. Earlier this year, more than 500 WSB’ers were kind enough to respond to a three-question survey we posted here, with questions including “what’s missing on WSB?” One popular answer was, weather info. Fixed that. Another one: A restaurant section. So today – we finally have one. See it here (note “Restaurants” in the tab navigation atop WSB pages).

We’ve actually been trying for more than three years to put one together. We didn’t want to just partially launch it and keep adding. But now it’s up, thanks in no small part to WSB contributor Katie Meyer, who did the work that finally got it to the table, so to speak. It’s nothing fancy – meat and potatoes, if you will (tofu and potatoes if you’re meatless), but we believe the pages have the basics for each restaurant, and a place for your comments (please follow the posted rules!). We have pages for more than 120 restaurants, linked from the index page, and we would love you to kick the tires – let us know if we missed someone, if you see an error, etc. If you are a restaurateur or employee and you know the menu/hours are changing, please let us know so we can update the page. Except for a few establishments for which we couldn’t find web pages, we link to restaurants’ own websites, as well as Facebook and/or Twitter. Comments, corrections, etc. are welcome here or to us via e-mail at editor@westseattleblog.com.

(P.S. The guide includes a few White Center restaurants; we’ll be adding more. We also have some of the not-full-fledged-restaurant West Seattle establishments that serve a fair amount of ready-to-eat food items, and are open to suggestions there too.)

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West Seattle notes: Half-price Holy Rosary trees; gift ideas, including school benefits; chowder
December 14, 2011 3:19 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle notes: Half-price Holy Rosary trees; gift ideas, including school benefits; chowder
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Five quick mid-afternoon notes:

HALF-PRICE TREES: Sandy Brown sends word that the Holy Rosary Tree Lot, which closes after this weekend, has now chopped prices:

Christmas trees 50% off now thru the 18th at Holy Rosary (41st and Dakota tree lot). Elves need to prepare for the Big Day and need to sell their stuff quickly. HRS wants to help out everyone this year by providing fresh trees at lower prices so all trees 50% off. Proceeds benefit the school and 15% of the proceeds go to 4 wonderful charities.

BUYING BOOKS? SCHOOL BENEFIT: Arbor Heights Elementary is the latest school to have a bookfair at Barnes and Noble – which usually also means that with a special code, they get a share of sales for a week or so afterward.

Their book fair (parent-provided photo above) was last Friday, so through this Friday, you should be able to use this code: 10612505 with a purchase at Barnes and Noble OR online, and Arbor Heights will benefit. If you’re having an event like this, by the way, please let us know in advance – the further in advance the better so we can get it on the calendar and let others know in advance – editor@westseattleblog.com, any time.

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL ORNAMENT SALE: From WSHS activities coordinator Craig Richardson:

At West Seattle High School, we have wonderful Christmas tree ornaments that are being sold for only $8 … there are only a limited supply of these left, and they would make a great stocking stuffer, or gift for someone during the holidays. If you are interested in purchasing one of these ornaments, e-mail cdrichardson1@seattleschools.org or call (206) 252-8816 – We also have on sale Wreaths with a candle setting for holiday decorations only $12; this is a fundraiser for the WSHS athletics program.

CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GEAR: A new shipment of sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats has arrived at CSIHS, on sale at the ASB office on campus before school and after lunch (visiting adults need a pass from the office) and at the concession stands during this Friday night’s CSIHS-WSHS basketball games.

CHARLESTOWN CHOWDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS? Got a note out of the blue from Larry Mellum, formerly a co-owner of West Seattle’s shuttered-since-spring Charlestown Café. The same chowder the café used to sell has been offered all along at his current ventures, Pike Place Chowder shops at Pike Place and Pacific Place downtown – and now he says, it’s also available at Seattle Fish Company in The Junction (4435 California SW). “We have it available in quart-sized, frozen containers to take home or to ship anywhere in the country.” And he says the chowder recently added another feather to its proverbial cap (or maybe a fin is more appropriate), winning the West Coast Chowder Competition in Monterey, California.

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Seattle Police roll out the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad
December 14, 2011 2:16 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(From a dump-truck crash next to Youngstown Arts Center this time last year)
Commercial-vehicle traffic is particularly big for our area with the Port of Seattle stretching into West Seattle, so this is major news: Seattle Police have announced a new task force to keep an eye on commercial vehicles, after discovering they are involved in a sizable percentage of serious local crashes. Here’s the announcement, from SPD Blotter:

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has partnered up with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to create a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad (CVES). The CVES mission is to improve public safety within the Seattle region by reducing the number of unsafe commercial motor vehicles operating on our roadways through a process of education and enforcement.

The SPD squad is made up of four officers from the Traffic Section who completed a three week long commercial vehicle enforcement training course at the WSP Academy. The four CVES officers will devote their time to enforcing commercial vehicle safety regulations and will also be part of a multi-agency commercial vehicle enforcement task force.

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From the WSB Pets page: The saga of Amy and ‘Arlene’
December 14, 2011 12:06 pm
|      54 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news

Our usual home for lost/found pet reports is the WSB Pets page, which marks its fourth anniversary next month as the only one-stop online bulletin board if you have lost or found a pet in this area. Today, we’re spotlighting a special “found pet” report – because it’s quite out of the ordinary.

Amy e-mailed us the photo of Arlene the one-eyed cat. Arlene is what Amy calls her, anyway. And she had two eyes when Amy found her in bad shape near 34th/Holden a month ago: “I think she’d had a run-in with a raccoon or coyote.” Amy’s first note was pretty sparse, so we inquired: You’ve gotten some care for her, then? Yes, Amy replied:

She had her eye removed, along with some teeth, and flea and ear mite medicine. I didn’t post anything earlier because I wasn’t sure she would survive (she had a bad abscess in her jaw that had gone behind her eye, and she was having seizures for a while). There was also a week or two where she had fluid surrounding her heart and in her abdomen, but that’s all gone now. She’s still taking kidney medication and a diuretic. … It did cost a lot but there was no way I could have just left her in the street, so I didn’t mind paying!

(And of course they checked for a chip; there was none.) Amy has grown to love Arlene and can keep her – but says she felt she just had to post a “found cat” notice because, “I know if I lost my cat, I would want to know she was alive.” If you are, or know, this kitty’s (original) owner, you can e-mail Amy at amywms23@yahoo.com.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Crash search; two break-ins
December 14, 2011 10:53 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Happening as of a short time ago in the Admiral District – police are looking for a suspected hit-run driver who apparently took off after hitting a parked car at California/Hill (the red one in our photo) and then a utility pole. We’ll check with police later to see if they ever found the hit-run driver (no description at this point). No serious injuries reported.

Meantime, also in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, two reader reports about recent burglaries – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Wednesday: Bridge alert; political party; Garden Tour; more
December 14, 2011 9:44 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(From left, Brian Lange, Justin Huertas, Nick Edwards; photo courtesy ArtsWest)
“Every Christmas Story Ever Told” continues at ArtsWest in The Junction, 7:30 pm tonight. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar and Holiday Events/Info page, here’s what else is happening:

PARTIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE SCHEDULED TONIGHT: The westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – the bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – is scheduled to be closed overnight each night, starting tonight, through next Friday. That means no West Seattle Bridge access from I-5 or Beacon Hill, though the 99 ramps should be open. Here’s the official alert from SDOT.

CALIFORNIA SW WORK CONTINUES: By day’s end yesterday, the crews resurfacing California SW between Findlay and Graham had scraped the old pavement off the two outer lanes. Their work is scheduled to continue 9 am-5 pm today; lanes remain open but we’d advise avoiding that stretch if you can.

BOOK SIGNING: “At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home”: You can find author Greg Atkinson signing copies: 5-7 pm at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor; 42nd/Admiral).

WINE TASTING: Bin 41 wine tasting, 6-7:30 pm: Walla Walla Winery: Reynvaan Cellars with Mike Reyvaan.

34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ PARTY: Instead of a business meeting, it’s the 34th District Democrats’ holiday party tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 6 pm – details here

JOIN THE GARDEN TOUR! West Seattle Garden Tour Committee Meeting and Potluck, 6:30 pm. The West Seattle Garden Tour Committee is actively seeking new volunteers to join our group. If you are interested in learning more about the WSGT and becoming a volunteer, please contact us at westseattlegt@gmail.com or visit our website westseattlegardentour.com. to learn more. An agenda with meeting location and driving directions will be provided to anyone interested in attending.

HOLIDAY SHOW AT ARTSWEST: 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 plus Sunday 3 pm matinees; ticket info here.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS? CHRISTMAS TREES? One more reminder, check the WSB West Seattle Holidays page. And keep sending your events if they’re not already on the page (including Hanukkah/Christmas services, business hours for Christmas/New Year’s, etc.) – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

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DESC Delridge project: ‘Alliance’ advisory-group plan laid out at North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting
December 14, 2011 7:57 am
|    Comments Off on DESC Delridge project: ‘Alliance’ advisory-group plan laid out at North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting
 |   Delridge | DESC Delridge project | West Seattle news

By Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The agenda at Monday evening’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council (NDNC) monthly meeting focused primarily on discussion of the DESC project (the Downtown Emergency Service Center‘s 75-unit “supportive housing” project at 5444 Delridge Way).

Parie Hines, new co-chair of NDNC, led this major segment of the meeting. She explained potential next steps as she walked the group through 2 flipchart pages — which defined a new structure and process for moving forward that integrates feedback from earlier discussions and meetings.

The basis of the proposed process is the formation of a separate advisory group, the “Delridge Alliance,” described as an advisory group of stakeholders organized to gather input and synthesize the community’s concerns regarding the DESC project; to help the community envision priorities for the DESC space; and to actively work with key decision-makers to represent the community’s needs throughout the DESC project timeline.

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Metro changing its proposed changes, planner tells Admiral Neighborhood Association
December 13, 2011 10:38 pm
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Admiral won’t lose as much Metro bus service as the first draft of the transit service’s “restructuring” plan proposed.

That’s what lead planner Jack Lattemann told the Admiral Neighborhood Association tonight, in the first public update on what’s happening since the public-comment period for that draft plan closed. The “restructuring” is planned in connection with next fall’s debut of RapidRide service in West Seattle (which will replace the 54).

And they got plenty of public comments, he said: 3,000 people took the online questionnaire; another 1,000 people provided non-online written comments. As an Admiral-specific result, he said, “I can assure you that we are going to submit a revised proposal that will include some level of bus service on California 7 days a week all the way as far north as Atlantic Street … it looks like that is going to be feasible,” said Lattemann. “We’ll have a second round of proposals out in about a month.”

That round will include another series of community meetings, he said, likely in the first two weeks of February. He says other “concepts” from the draft circulated online and at public open houses (including two in West Seattle) are being revised in response to public comments, too.

One option for that could be extending Route 128, Lattemann said, and that route already is up for an extension with service at least until midnight – California and Admiral both will be served at least that late, he said. (It also, he said, is up for the addition of two afternoon trips to help with the student load at those times.)

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Helping the neighbors: Ola fundraiser for Transitional Resources
December 13, 2011 9:50 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Luna Park | West Seattle news

At Ola Salon in the Luna Park business district tonight, that’s Tiann Stubberfield with the tweezers and Transitional Resources‘ Darcell Slovek-Walker (reclining) and Yemaya St. Clair. Ola and TR are neighbors – TR, which provides housing and other services to people living with “severe and persistent” mental illness, is headquartered just a few blocks south on Avalon Way. Tonight, Ola held a fundraiser for TR, including donating the proceeds from certain services as well as raffle tickets. Treats too, plus live music from West Seattle’s own Sid Law:

If you missed tonight’s event – here’s how to help Transitional Resources. Meantime, still lots of chances for you to reach out and give this holiday season – we’ve got a special section, with both fundraisers and direct donation opportunities, on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page.

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West Seattle Christmas lights, including a lit roof Santa can’t miss
December 13, 2011 8:13 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

Our nightly spotlights continue: Tonight’s photo is courtesy of the McKean Family, whose lights are shining at 3431 48th SW, near Schmitz Park. Thanks for including the photo! We appreciate photos if you have them to go with Christmas-lights reports – but it’s not mandatory, just let us know where you’ve seen lights others might want to know about! We’re continuing to add them to the clickable/printable Google Map you will find on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page (along with lots of other holiday info and event listing).

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West Seattle scene: FEEST volunteers hit the street
December 13, 2011 5:20 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Health | Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news

Following up on Monday’s story about John’s Corner Deli joining the Healthy Foods Here program – we stopped by for a photo as the FEEST (Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team) volunteers got ready to visit the surrounding neighborhoods with info about, and coupons for, the store’s new offerings. From left in our photo are Leoma, Katt, Dureti, Matthew, Celina, and Megan. (They wanted to get John’s owner David Ji in the shot too – but he was too busy with customers, and for a store, that’s a GOOD thing!)

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From West Seattle to the world: Omilero benefit at OutWest
December 13, 2011 3:50 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Jim Loder)
Thursday night, OutWest Bar is hosting a benefit that will help save lives on the other side of the world. Starting at 6 pm Thursday, an auction and proceeds from drink specials, plus a share of the night’s bar proceeds, will go to Omilero, an organization whose director of development Jim Loder is a West Seattle resident. Omilero is working on a sustainable way to provide Nigerian families with safer drinking water through the use of clay water-filtration pots. Loder provided the photo, showing families using water filters provided in their first phase. Regarding Thursday, he explains, “This event is in support of our next phase, now that we’re confident the local populations want and will use the filters, where we will bring in filters to serve an additional 10,000 people. We expect that to be in place by February 2012. We hope our next phase will be to build a ceramic studio in country where local potters will learn the process and will then be able to build the filter locally. That investment will be about another $50,000 to complete the construction, siting, and training of local potters. Our end goal is to establish a sustainable, locally run enterprise that will support clean water and promote economic development.” Wondering about the name? According to Omilero’s website, it means “Water is the cure,” in the Yoruba language. And the problem it’s curing is a deadly one – Omilero says disease spread through contaminated water kills at least 10 Nigerian children each day.

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New rules for street trees: Proposal discussed in West Seattle
December 13, 2011 1:30 pm
|      49 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

What can you – and can’t you – do with, and about, street trees by your home?

The answers may soon change in Seattle. City Arborist Nolan Rundquist (pictured) shared the city’s proposed Street Tree Ordinance with an audience last night at High Point Community Center.

A “Street Tree” is any tree located in a city right-of-way such as parking strips (or “planting strips”) in front of homes and businesses, or traffic circles. These trees, though on city property, are required by law to be maintained by the property owner. While there currently are laws dictating how trees should be maintained and protected, they aren’t particularly clear, or enforceable. Since then-Mayor Greg Nickels introduced his Urban Forestry Management Plan in 2007, the city has been looking at ways to better maintain, and even increase the tree count in Seattle.

The city is asking for the public’s input for the new ordinances being drafted now. If you have a home with trees on the parking strip, or on a city right-of-way, let the city know what you need to keep your trees healthy and maintained.

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West Seattle businesses: Stroller Strides owner wins national award
December 13, 2011 1:07 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Athena Frederick)
Congratulations to Athena Frederick, whose Fit Family, LLC, is the Stroller Strides fitness program’s franchisee in West Seattle (and 7 other parts of the city) . She’s been chosen as Stroller Strides Franchisee of the Year, out of almost 300 nationwide. Judging criteria, according to the Stroller Strides news release: “Business acumen, her successful fitness program and enthusiasm, and involvement in the community.” Frederick’s franchise has supported nonprofits from the Salvation Army’s domestic-violence programs to WestSide Baby to Autism Speaks to well-building. We featured Stroller Strides when it first offered classes here in 2008; it’s a group-fitness program that new moms can do with their babies.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Decoration thefts; stolen mail found
December 13, 2011 11:20 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

‘Tis the season for holiday crime as well as holiday joy, holiday giving, holiday celebrations … We have two reports of decoration theft in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup. Linda e-mailed to say that “outside Christmas lights and lighted candy canes (were) stolen from the 4800 block on 49th Ave SW.” Molly (35th/Trenton/Henderson) reported a similar theft in this WSB Forums post, with another member adding a mention of a Fauntlee Hills theft later in the thread.

On a non-holiday note, from Carolyn:

I just wanted to let people in the Highland Park area know that this morning we found mail that belonged to a house about 2 block away in the road. There was an envelope with pictures that had been opened and an offer from a credit card company also opened, but the mail containing bills were left unopened. The mail was found at the corner of 8th Ave SW and SW Elmgrove St. We took the mail to the house it belonged to, but nobody answered, so we left the mail on the door step. Just a reminder for people to be extra vigilant during the holiday season. We will continue to keep a close eye out for any other suspicious activity.

Seasonal crime-prevention advice is in the latest SPD crime-prevention newsletter, by the way.

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