West Seattle, Washington

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year : 2011 4273 results

West Seattle Crime Watch: Store owner robbed at gunpoint
December 2, 2011 10:15 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

Another West Seattle Crime Watch report this morning: We just confirmed that a police search in the Delridge/Findlay area last night was because of an armed robbery at a local store. Read on for details:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Suspected case of casing
December 2, 2011 9:31 am
|      45 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

As reported here earlier this week, burglars have been busier than usual in West Seattle lately, with a particularly common MO including suspects being seen in “large American cars” and knocking on doors to ascertain no one’s home, then going around/coming back to break in. So we’re publishing this fast: Todd in Westwood just sent news of a POSSIBLE case of casing – could be a coincidence, but just in case:

At 21st and Roxbury this morning I came out to my car to find 3 African American youths sitting in a pearl white, late ’80s Cadillac with license plate starting in ABS*****. Then I saw one knocking on one of my neighbor’s homes and peeking in the front window. They watched me get in my car looking nervous. I let my car warm up while he kept knocking. This seemed strange to me. So I got out (stupid) and told them “it is pretty obvious she is not home” and they got back in and left. So I called 911 and reported it. While on the phone with 911, they cruised past 21st again slowly. Be on the lookout and watch out for your neighbors.

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West Seattle Friday: Open houses, ‘Wonderful Life,’ music, more
December 2, 2011 8:51 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(By Steve Mohundro, from the WSB Flickr group pool; see WS Christmas lights here)
The first big holiday-season weekend begins! You think it’s busy tonight? Wait till tomorrow – browse through the Holiday Events and Info page now! From that page and the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

‘HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS’ AT THE KENNEY: Luncheon & open house/tours at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). Tours begin at 10:30 a.m., Lunch served at 11:45 a.m. RSVP ASAP to 206-938-6941. 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW.

SHOP WITH THE ROTARY: Noon-1:30 pm today, it’s a unique chance to shop for the holidays – the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s purses/wallets/handbags sale and lunch at West Seattle Golf Course. Tickets available at the door; details here.

AFTERNOON BINGO: Friday Afternoon Bingo for cash prizes at the Senior Center of West Seattle, 4217 SW Oregon, 11 am. Buy-in starts at 10:45 am and bingo starts at 11 am. Soup, sandwiches, salads, assorted pastries are available for purchase at nominal cost.

CASCADE DIZZINESS/BALANCE OPEN HOUSE: You’re invited to the Cascade Dizziness and Balance Physical Therapy (WSB sponsor) open house, 4-7 pm, 4828 California SW.

WEST SEATTLE ARTISTS’ STUDIO TOUR: Shop local this holiday season from a wide variety of West Seattle artists featured at local artist studios during the Seattle Sampling Artists Studio Tour Dec 2nd, 3rd and 4th! Visit Penguina Designs Studio (penguinadesigns.com), Brace Point Pottery (bracepointpottery.com), Ken Turner Pottery Studio (kenturnerpottery.com) or Marilyn Moore Studio all without leaving West Seattle! Multiple artists are featured at each studio; full details at seattlesampling.com . Hours are 4 pm-9 pm tonight (and 10-5 both days this weekend).

WYATT’S JEWELERS OPEN HOUSE: Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) Holiday Open House at Westwood Village, 5-8 pm. Drinks, desserts, holiday cheer, check out the new holiday inventory.

OLIO SINGERS AT FIGGY PUDDING DOWNTOWN: It’s the great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition downtown tonight, 5-8:30 pm, and one of the more than 30 participating “teams” is from West Seattle – the Olio Singers, who you’ll find around 4th and Pine. Here’s a map showing who’s caroling where; here’s info about the charity-fundraiser event; more about Olio’s participation (and how to sponsor them).

HUSKY DELI OPEN HOUSE: The Junction’s most famous holiday open house is 6-9 pm tonight at Husky Deli, 4721 California SW.

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE,’ RADIO STYLE: Opening night for Twelfth Night Productions‘ “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show,” at Kenyon Hall. Based on the classic 1946 Frank Capra film, playwright Joe Landry’s take on “It’s a Wonderful Life” comes to life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. This live radio show will be performed at historic Kenyon Hall, 7904 35th SW. Tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets, and at Kenyon Hall, $15/adults, $12 students & seniors.

HOLIDAY CABARET: Sylvia O’Stayformore and Tor’s Holiday Cabaret at Senior Center of West Seattle. Doors open at 7:00 pm for drinks and snacks. Show is at 8:00 pm. Tickets $8; limited seating, so come early!

BELLS OF THE SOUND: Ring in the holidays with the Bells of the Sound holiday concert. 8 pm, Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW. A suggested donation of $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors will be collected at the door. Children under 8 are free. In addition, please bring toys to donate to Mary’s Place, which helps homeless families.

LIVE MUSIC: Elizabeth Dawson sings tonight at the Salty’s on Alki Café-Bar, 8-10 pm.

MORE LIVE MUSIC: Tito Ramsey will perform live at Skylark Cafe & Club, 3803 Delridge Way SW, with Danny the Street. Doors at 8 pm.

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Reminder: Help ‘stuff the bus’ for Nickelsville residents tomorrow
December 2, 2011 8:19 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Tomorrow is the day that Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) residents are asking your help to “stuff the bus” with items for the people at the Nickelsville encampment – who range in age from kids through seniors. Active Living director Nichole says some donations have been received but nowhere near enough to stuff the bus, and you’re welcome to drop things off today as well as tomorrow during the actual event 10 am-4 pm. We first reported the plan two weeks ago. Nichole says the “giving tree” idea didn’t work out but here are some specifics:

Specific family’s wish list:

11 year old – boys shoes size 10, boys’ shirt large, boys’ coat large …
18 year old – shoes 10 1/2, shirt large, jeans 30/32
Both boys need socks
Portable radio that works with small batteries..
Toys of any kind.. 11 year old is a big fan of Pokemon..

General Needs wish list:

Socks, small pets clothes, cat litter, cat carrier, cooler, batteries, backpack, lots of batteries-double a’s, triple a’s and d’s.. gloves.. shoes … underwear, coats, need winter boots badly sizes 8 1/2 9 10 11 12 … flashlights, sleeping bags.. female products..female-care products.. rubber boots..underwear, hammers, winter clothes

Big Ticket “Mega Wish”
mp3/iPod/ or PlayStation portable/Nintendo DS – they have rechargeable batteries built inside.
Portable DVD player.. DVD movies of any kind, laptops for school

Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights is at 2326 California SW, and you can drop donations off till 8 tonight, as well as 10 am-4 pm tomorrow.

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West Seattle holidays: Chamber celebrates, & says goodbye
December 2, 2011 1:31 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

West Seattle’s first major holiday party of the month rocked the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction on Thursday night: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce gathered not only to celebrate the year’s achievements – and to vie for raffle prizes while enjoying music by Matt the Hoopla – but also to celebrate the woman who’s been at the helm for eight years:

President/CEO Patti Mullen, photographed with Chamber board chair Dave Montoure, is leaving to become President/CEO of the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce, as announced last month. Montoure says he plans to stay on as chair, so the West Seattle Chamber will have some leadership continuity in the new year; he and the transition team have several meetings ahead for the process of finding a new CEO. Also ahead for the Chamber in 2012: The Westside Awards breakfast is set for April 18th, and nominations already are being accepted (deadline: January 31st). P.S. Businesses/entrepreneurs interested in joining the Chamber can find membership info here.

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From the WSB Forums: ‘Beyond heartwarming’ generosity
December 1, 2011 10:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Beyond what’s featured here on the WSB news page day in and day out, stories and opinions, rants and raves, requests and offers, are shared around the clock in the WSB Forums. We just read one that we thought you might like to read, in case you are not a frequent Forums visitor – a gift for a soldier, from a stranger, inside a local store. See it here.

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West Seattle Christmas lights: Menashe Family display officially on
December 1, 2011 6:42 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

It’s been a work in progress for days (here’s our report from last Monday), and finishing touches were happening up till the last moment – but as of just before 6 pm, the Menashe Family‘s famous Christmas-light display in the 5600 block of Beach Drive SW is shining bright. As you’ll hear – or not hear! – in our video, there was no countdown, no fanfare, just the pulling of the switch – and on they went. Here’s a closer look at the lights in HD:

(Two years ago, a cable TV crew filmed the lighting for “Invasion of the Christmas Lights 2,” which premiered on TLC last year and will be rerun this Saturday.)

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Traffic alert: Partial Alaskan Way Viaduct closure next week
December 1, 2011 6:28 pm
|    Comments Off on Traffic alert: Partial Alaskan Way Viaduct closure next week
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

The weekly construction update from WSDOT mentions an Alaskan Way Viaduct closure coming up next week – Monday night (December 5th), 10 pm-5 am, all southbound lanes will be closed between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge. There are some ramp closures in SODO coming up, too; here’s the full list.

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West Seattle holiday help: Schmitz Park kids’ benefit crafts
December 1, 2011 4:09 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle holiday help: Schmitz Park kids’ benefit crafts
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

This Saturday, there are bazaars a-plenty around West Seattle (as listed here) – including Schmitz Park Elementary, where a parent shared news that some of the merchandise will help a local nonprofit:

Just wanted to let folks know that the Holiday Bazaar at Schmitz Park Elementary on 12/3 will include an opportunity to shop and give at the same time. The West Seattle Food Bank will be the recipient of proceeds from sales of hand made paper crafts from Ms. Grasel’s 1st grade class. The kids will be selling flowers and picture frames they constructed out of recycled paper, that can be used as gift toppers or ornaments. They will also be collecting food donations for the Food Bank. Of course there will lots of other lovely hand made crafts to purchase there as well.

From left are 1st graders Kian Hufford, Leeia Stroh, Sylvia Lamphere, and Kayley Thom. The bazaar/craft fair runs 10 am-3 pm Saturday (5000 SW Spokane).

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West Seattle Produce now open at new location across the street
December 1, 2011 1:48 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Lots more room inside West Seattle Produce‘s new home across Fauntleroy Way SW. We reported their planned move a month ago and dropped by this morning to see how things look.

Their storefront faces north, so you will only see it from the street when you are driving/riding/walking south (and manager Brian points out it’s a legal left turn – they checked), but you can’t miss the Christmas trees right now ($10/foot):

They’ve still got a few final touches for stocking and setting up, but their non-produce food and beverage stocks include European pastries, with bagels to be added this weekend:

Other merchandise includes teas, spices, seeds, and nuts. Brian told us they got major help from fellow Triangle business Alki Lumber to get everything moved across the street. That’s also where he says they got a great deal on the wood that’s providing a lot of homey, rustic atmosphere inside the new location – with the framework over the central produce island even including old bridge timbers:

And if you look closely at the front counter when you visit, you’ll notice mechanisms hinting at its past incarnation as part of a door – right over corrugated metal that’s been treated to look older than it really is. West Seattle Produce is open 8 am daily, till 7 every night except Sunday (6 pm) .. and if you’re still having trouble placing the location, it’s the old A-1/Hertz Rentals place, immediately south of the new Les Schwab Tires.

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West Seattle holidays: Our Lady of Guadalupe tree-trimming
December 1, 2011 12:25 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

High-level tree-trimming this morning at the highest-elevation Christmas tree in the city! It’s at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and School, 35th and Myrtle, right across the street from the highest point in the city (after which the nearby High Point neighborhood was named) – 512′ at Myrtle Reservoir Park. We spotted the tree-trimming crew in action while driving by a short time ago, so of course we had to pull over for a photo. OLG plans another festive tree-lighting celebration this year, as noted on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page – 7 pm Friday, December 9th, all welcome (caroling too!).

It’s one of three FOUR tree lightings this season – The Junction lights its tree at 5 pm this Saturday (December 3rd) in Junction Plaza Park, and Mars Hill Church is inviting the community to its (indoor) tree lighting at 7 pm December 7th. (Added: Just got word the White Center tree lighting at 16th/Roxbury is set for December 11th.)

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Roxhill Park Playground: New castle, climbing dome, and – you?
December 1, 2011 11:06 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

For all the public meetings that participants have characterized as “the (host department/agency/officials) made up their mind before they came to talk to us,” last night’s final design meeting for the Roxhill Park Playground overhaul, like the first two, has worked the other way. The first two meetings yielded such strong sentiments about the current wooden “castle” structure at the park, which is being replaced because Seattle Parks says it’s at the end of its lifespan (that part is not open for debate), that project managers went to its designer to ask about a replacement.

It’s not a replica, and it’s not as big, but the main structure in the resulting proposal by Leathers and Associates won strong support last night for incorporation into the project. The photo above is from one of six layouts – mostly returnees from previous meetings – that Parks brought along. Another feature that was even more strongly favored – a climbing dome:

If you want to get a firsthand look at a similar dome, there’s one at Golden Gardens in Ballard, it was noted. Those in attendance last night just barely made it into the two-digit range – but two children were there, including 8-year-old Gabe, who voiced a vote for this castle alternative (in case the one at the top turns out to be too expensive):

(By the way, the tree stays, also by popular demand.) Speaking of cost, one key may be public involvement. Parks’ Kelly Davidson and Shwu-jen Hwang explained that Leathers and Associates prefers its creations to be “community-built” – as was the current Roxhill castle – but will provide a contractor if needed, adding about $25,000 to the cost. So if their structure makes it into the final design, there may be a campaign to round up 70-80 community volunteers to build it some weekend next summer – though Parks made it clear, that has to be a community-organized campaign. Another possible cost-saving measure: Incorporate “little kid” features to the side of the Leathers-built structure, instead of adding an extra structure off to the side, and reduce concrete features such as “seating walls.”

As for additional features beyond the play structure and dome, that depends on how the numbers crunch out, according to Parks – swings for sure, though. They are taking last night’s input and starting work to come up with a final design proposal – no more meetings are scheduled but you are welcome to send your thoughts (the sooner the better) to kelly.davidson@seattle.gov. (And keep an eye on the project website.) If the schedule proceeds as planned, this would go to bid next spring and be built next summer (along with the neighboring skatespot, whose final design meeting was 2 weeks ago.)

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Another shootdown for parks’ gun ban, but city still fighting
December 1, 2011 9:12 am
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Short-lived gun-ban sign photographed by Hillary at Lincoln Park in 2009)
Remember two years ago, when a man challenged the then-new gun ban at Seattle Parks facilities by trying to enter Southwest Community Center with his concealed weapon (WSB coverage here)? That was just one of the challenges to the ban. The court fight over it has continued all the while – and today, the city has announced that, while an appeals court ruled against the ban last month, it’s now taking the case to the state Supreme Court. From the office of City Attorney Pete Holmes:

Because an appeals court misread earlier holdings of the Washington Supreme Court, the City on Wednesday asked the state’s highest court to reverse a ruling that struck down Seattle’s ban on guns in areas of parks, community centers and other facilities where children are likely to be present.

Attorneys for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, which represents the City on a pro bono basis, told the Supreme Court — in a petition seeking review from Division 1 of the Washington Court of Appeals — that Seattle was seeking a second look not only on behalf of its residents but for all forms of local governments in the state that want authority over their own properties.

The news release continues:Read More

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West Seattle Thursday: Lights, schools, shopping, giving…
December 1, 2011 8:51 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to everybody who’s continuing to share great photos via the WSB Flickr group – that one shows Luna/Anchor Park after last night’s great sunset (other views on Flickr) and it’s by Doug Branch (see a larger version here). Meantime, the new month gets off to a busy start!

TRAFFIC ALERT FOR EVENING COMMUTE: As SDOT has warned, there’s a Seahawks game at 5:20 pm, which will affect downtown/SODO traffic. (P.S. Another reminder, the Water Taxi does NOT have late runs for sporting events in the winter season.)

MENASHE FAMILY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: The famous lights of Beach Drive are scheduled to go on at 5 pm at te Menashe Family residence, 5600 block. (Here’s our preview.)

MORE WEST SEATTLE HOLIDAY EVENTS/INFO: Updated multiple times daily on the WSB Holidays page (got something to add? editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!)

MIDDLE SCHOOL INFO NIGHT: Someone in your family entering 5th, 6th or 7th grade next fall? You’re invited to tonight’s information night for Westside School (WSB sponsor), 6-7:30 pm, 7740 34th SW (details here).

SHOP LATE THURSDAYS: Shop Late Thursdays continue in The Junction through the holidays! Till 9 pm; participating merchants (listed here)

AND WHILE YOU’RE SHOPPING … WSB HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE: If you haven’t checked this year’s edition yet – see it here; it includes seven new coupons for local businesses (in addition to the deals on this updated-year-round page).

HOLIDAY GIVING: As previewed here last night, Knows Perfume (4536 California SW) has launched a silent auction to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank – one of many giving opportunities highlighted here.

‘DESIGN REVIEW 101’: This informational session is sponsored by Delridge groups looking ahead to next Thursday’s Design Review meeting about the DESC 75-unit “supportive housing” proposal at 5444 Delridge, but anyone interested in the Design Review process is welcome, 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), more info here.

SANISLO ELEMENTARY PTA: Meets tonight at 6:30 pm in the Sanislo library (1812 SW Myrtle). From the announcement: “We especially encourage new incoming families to check out what Sanislo is about. This will be the last PTA meeting for the year.”

CHIEF SEALTH PTSA: Tonight’s also the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA meeting, 7 pm, Galleria (2600 SW Thistle; here’s the agenda).

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West Seattle Traffic Watch: Foggy morning; other alerts
December 1, 2011 7:21 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

7:21 AM: Commute alerts so far this morning: It’s not on the 911 log (yet?) but we just got a call reporting a crash on northbound 99. And even if you’re not taking 99, be careful in the fog. It’s not foggy at WSB HQ near Lincoln Park, but the traffic cams show fog to the north.

7:34 AM: Russ’s description via Twitter from aboard a bus: “Viaduct is a disaster again this morning.” The cams don’t look as bad as they looked yesterday, though, at this point.

7:51 AM: Russ says things got better once they got on 99. Reminder for tonight’s commute home: Seahawks game at 5:20 pm.

8:42 AM: Mike just tweeted about a stalled car on the right side of the eastbound highrise West Seattle Bridge.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car; 3 more reports
November 30, 2011 10:25 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Be on the lookout for the car at left – stolen, according to the first of three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports we have tonight. Z says it’s a 1991 Nissan Sentra, red, 2-door, black trunk and spoiler, gray interior, license plate # 051UEJ, stolen near 41st and Admiral Way sometime over the holiday weekend while Z was out of town. If you spot it, please call 911.

Ahead – burglary and car-prowl reports, plus a bonus link!Read More

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Be inspirational! Talk about your job at Career Night in High Point
November 30, 2011 10:07 pm
|    Comments Off on Be inspirational! Talk about your job at Career Night in High Point
 |   High Point | How to help | West Seattle news

Can you help out with this – a chance to inspire local youth at Career Night for teens at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center next week? Here are all the details:

What: An opportunity for young people to connect to professionals in all sorts of careers and ask them questions about what they do and how they prepared for their careers.

Where: High Point Center Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW)

When: Tuesday, Dec. 6th 4-6 pm

Why: Young people can benefit from talking to adults who are already doing the things they aspire to do about what it takes to get there! We want to give the youth a chance to ask questions and hear about what certain careers are like and for adults to see themselves as resources for youth.

Help us make our career night a success for our youth! We are looking for more professionals from areas of work in Media, Natural Science, Social Science, Medicine, Business, Architectural Studies and Engineering to briefly talk about the work that they do and answer career-specific questions from teens. If you work in a field that was not mentioned or are self employed and would like to share your experience, please also contact Khatsini, YELS (Youth Empowered With Leadership Strengths) program coordinator, at khatsinis@nhwa.org or 206 588 4900 x.627 for further steps.

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Congrats, West Seattle In Motion ‘Staycation’ winner Lillian Dabney
November 30, 2011 9:18 pm
|    Comments Off on Congrats, West Seattle In Motion ‘Staycation’ winner Lillian Dabney
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(Photo by Darcy Edmunds: From left, Jessica Lynn, The CoHo Team; Lillian Dabney, InMotion Winner; Peter Wolf, The CoHo Team; Carol Cooper, King County Metro; Cara Mohammadian, The CoHo Team; Lisa Quinn, Feet First)
This summer and fall, WSB was proud to be a co-sponsor of West Seattle In Motion – encouraging people to try alternate ways of getting around now and then, such as walking, bicycling, or taking the bus. One incentive, besides a healthier environment and healthier you, was a chance to win the In Motion Staycation Prize Package, which has just been awarded, according to Lisa Quinn from Feet First:

Drumroll, please….We are delighted to announce the winner of the ULTIMATE West Seattle STAYCATION: Lillian Dabney. Lillian will enjoy two relaxing nights at the Wildwood B&B, a visit to Head to Toe Day Spa, an Alki Kayak Tours adventure, dinner at Spring Hill Restaurant, tickets to ArtsWest, and more! Thanks to The CoHo Team for generously donating this amazing grand prize valued at $1,000!

Lillian wasn’t the only winner. West Seattle, over the last four months 1,200 of you joined together to made a real difference to the community and the atmosphere.

While the official West Seattle In Motion program ended on October 31st and registration is now closed, we still need your help to find out what you liked about In Motion, or how we can improve the program. If you participated in the West Seattle In Motion Program, please take the wrap up survey ASAP by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/s/westseattle. … Want to stay engaged and keep earning rewards for traveling smarter? Check out the Seattle Walk Bike Ride Challenge!

From Lillian: “Riding the bus, I feel like I am a part of the world.” P.S. Along with WSB and The CoHo Team (which is also a WSB sponsor), WS In Motion was co-sponsored by Sustainable West Seattle.

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West Seattle help for the holidays: Knows Perfume silent auction
November 30, 2011 8:08 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

Tomorrow is Shop Late Thursday in The Junction (till 9 pm) – and there’s a bonus reason to stop at Knows Perfume (4536 California SW): A fundraising silent auction of wreaths and birdhouses. From proprietor Christen Cottam:

Come check out the amazing wreaths and birdhouses on display at Knows Perfume. All are up for auction, and the proceeds will go to the West Seattle Food Bank. If you see one you like, come in and place a bid. On Sunday, the 11th of December, the auction will conclude. Knows Perfume will then notify you to pay and pick up your winning item. What an excellent way to find something lovely for your home and do something kind for a great organization like the West Seattle Food Bank. Please contact Christen at Knows if you have any questions. (206) 397-3141

We’re adding this to the BE A HOLIDAY HELPER list on the WSB West Seattle Holiday Events and Info page – we’ll keep adding as the season goes on (editor@westseattleblog.com if you have an event, donation drive, or something else holiday-related happening).

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West Seattle’s new school-board rep Marty McLaren takes office
November 30, 2011 6:48 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photos courtesy Seattle Public Schools)
After the official swearing-in ceremony this afternoon – Puget Ridge resident and retired teacher Marty McLaren is now the District 6 (West Seattle and vicinity) representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors. That’s Diann Shope (left) administering the oath. Also sworn in for four-year terms today, new board member Sharon Peaslee and returnees Harium Martin-Morris and Sherry Carr. Here’s the full board afterward:

Final election results were certified yesterday (see the four school-board races’ results here). We profiled McLaren in this story published last Sunday.

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West Seattle scene: Headed north, partly visible … not an orca
November 30, 2011 4:07 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Some of the folks out looking for the reported orcas at noontime today saw this instead – one of the submarines visible from Alki (and vicinity) from time to time. Thanks to David Hutchinson for sharing his photo! The nearest sub base is Naval Base Kitsap, with operations in Bangor (where the subs are based) and Bremerton.

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West Seattle schools: Westside students track Lewis & Clark
November 30, 2011 3:26 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photo courtesy Westside School)
Field trips come in all sizes. This one for Westside School (WSB sponsor) was pretty big, providing students a chance to follow in explorers Lewis and Clark‘s foosteps:

Recently, twenty 5th-grade Westside School middle-school students went on an overnight field trip to Fort Clatsop, in Astoria Oregon, to enhance their understanding of Lewis and Clark’s Corps. of Discovery. Their social studies unit focused on the Louisiana Purchase and Thomas Jefferson’s desire to explore a water route to the Pacific.

After leaving school at 8 am on Thursday and arriving in Astoria by lunchtime, students visited the fort and completed a tour and research session. Later that evening, the group took a stroll on the beach and experienced the sun setting, over the Pacific Ocean. Teacher Glyn Jenkins observed two of his students sitting on a log with their eyes closed. He was curious and asked about their thoughts. “We are listening to the waves, wind, and bird sounds, just like Lewis & Clark must have,” they said, and closed their eyes again and smiled. Later the 5th graders conducted a group reflection activity, where they explained what they appreciated most about the Lewis and Clark expedition. On Friday morning, the trip continued to the Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment, where the students completed a fact finding mission, which provided information for a play that they wrote, upon returning to school. The play will be performed at the end of the winter term.

Families interested in Westside are invited to an “Information Night” tomorrow (6-7:30 pm Thursday 12/1) for students entering 5th, 6th, and 7th grade next school year. Besides Q/A time, students will participate in an interactive activity to demonstrate Westside’s experiential curriculum. (7740 34th Ave SW); if you have questions, you’re welcome to contact Westside’s Director of Admission David Bergler at davidb@westsideschool.org or (206) 932-2511.

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South Park sighting leads to Seattle Marathon recycling vow
November 30, 2011 3:06 pm
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | South Park | West Seattle news

So how did we wind up inquiring about Seattle Marathon recycling practices? It all has to do with that photo, taken Sunday at the South Transfer Station in South Park, where WSB’er Shellie was disturbed by what she and her husband saw: “2 large Penske trucks showed up and dumped SEVERAL cases of bottled water, unopened with plastic still wrapped around cases, into the large waste hole instead of recycling them.” She said her husband was told they were from the marathon earlier in the day. After she sent us the photo and note on Monday, we inquired with marathon management, which replied yesterday, promising to look into it, and then forwarded this response from the course cleanup coordinator today:

I recycle every day at home and at work but with the marathon this year it was almost impossible to separate the recycling from the garbage. Your reader did see plastic bottles still in the plastic wrapper which is not recyclable but they were all empty. That is how the water stations open and leave the bottles. They definitely were all empty as I was the one at the transfer station.

For next year my recommendation will be to have all water stations separate recyclables and garbage. We would need clear plastic bags to know the difference. We use two trucks now so one could be garbage and one could be recycle. It definitely bothered me also to not recycle but once it was all mixed I just didn¹t have any choice but to dump everything so that we could get the trucks back to memorial stadium for equipment pick up.

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the management to make this happen. I am confident we can do a better job next year without incurring a lot of extra costs with the separation of waste and recycling at each and every water station.

Mark Hendricks

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