West Seattle, Washington
27 Wednesday
That was the most serious of two overnight crashes, so far, in this area. Around 12:40 am, that car crashed into a railroad signpole at 11th SW/SW Spokane, just east of the “low bridge,” which was blocked off for a while because of the investigation. Before we got there, firefighters spent at least 15 minutes extricating the driver from the wreckage, according to scanner traffic. He was reported to be unconscious when rushed to Harborview Medical Center, and that’s all the information we have so far. The other crash happened an hour earlier at 40th/Morgan, and led police to block off Morgan for a while, according to nearby residents; early scanner reports on that one said that a parked car had been hit by another vehicle, whose occupant(s) then left the scene. We have a message out to police to see if they were ever found.
SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams says of the 40th/Morgan crash, “The two males that fled the scene did not return, but officers were able to track them down and verify who was involved. The driver, a 16-year-old, was cited. He also received some medical attention for minor injuries he sustained in the crash.”
Just in from the state Ecology Department:
Clumps of what may appear to be jellyfish may be visible on Elliott Bay Saturday morning resulting from a spill of a petroleum distillate product earlier today at Terminal 18 in the Port of Seattle.
The Washington Department of Ecology, Port of Seattle and U.S. Coast Guard responded to the spill earlier today which occurred after a container was punctured during loading onto a ship at the terminal operated by Stevedoring Services of America (SSA).
An unknown quantity of the distillate spilled into the hold of the ship and then into the Duwamish River.
The distillate emulsifies in water and may appear to be jellyfish in the water. The distillate is not recoverable and clumps of it may make their way into Elliott Bay.
Ecology is monitoring the cleanup work by a contractor hired by SSA at the pier where the spill occurred.
Ecology is still assessing the environmental damage caused by the spill.
This webpage for Terminal 18 includes an aerial photo showing its location on Harbor Island.
VENTANA CONSTRUCTION: RapidRide stop construction continues just outside longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction‘s California/Findlay HQ – and now, Ventana proprietor Anne Higuera says, a banner explaining the work is finally up – but the path is still clear from the east to get there for tomorrow’s FREE remodeling/custom homebuilding workshop. Still some room left – it’s at 1:30 pm Saturday: “The basics about remodeling and custom homebuilding: Where to start, how to hire, what to expect. An informative hour and a half with a general contractor and an architect.” RSVP ASAP to 206-932-3009.
Also this weekend:
MOUNTAIN TO SOUND OUTFITTERS EXTENDS SALE: Mountain to Sound Outfitters (also a WSB sponsor) is in clearance mode, says proprietor Greg Whittaker, who says they’re extending their clearance sale through Sunday “for all the procrastinators. We still have a good selection of the best ski and snowboard gear in the region, so stop by if you need the right gear to enjoy the late season snow in the Cascades.” M2SO is in The Triangle, at 3602 SW Alaska.
Also in The Triangle:
ANOTHER WEST SEATTLE TRADER JOE’S SIGN: In case you missed our photo yesterday:
A second sign went up today (top left).
NEW BUSINESS: Carol from Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy says her business, which already had offices in Wallingford and Bellevue, recently opened a West Seattle location in The Junction, 4520 44th SW. She explains that her business “provides a full spectrum of speech therapy services for children ages 0-18, including evaluation and ongoing treatment. Free screenings, and speaking engagements regarding communication development or related topics can also be arranged. In the near future we hope to offer social groups, language enrichment groups, and parent education services.”
The Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project will require two overnight closures next week – westbound this time – according to
(Scroll down for newest info on big outage – mostly OUTSIDE WS – and its effects)
(Photo added 2:24 pm – Spokane/Chelan light, apparently the west edge of the outage)
FIRST REPORT, 1:37 PM: WSB’ers are telling us of a power outage stretching from Georgetown to SODO – but the City Light system-status map isn’t showing anything yet. We’re going to see what we can find out via other methods. Just got a note mentioning Harbor Island’s out, too.
1:43 PM UPDATE: Just talked to Scott Thomsen at Seattle City Light. Their “outage management system” is not letting people in for updates and that’s why the map hasn’t updated – but they apparently have TWO separate feeders out, totalling more than 6,300 customers (homes/businesses). No idea yet what caused it, but crews are being dispatched, Scott says.
1:51 PM UPDATE: WSB’ers are mentioning other areas in comments too, such as Beacon Hill. SDOT points out via Twitter that the signals in SODO are out along major streets such as 1st and 4th.
1:54 PM UPDATE: City Light just tweeted that 28,000 homes/businesses are affected:
City Light has suffered a significant outage affecting 28,000 customers.Problem has been ID’d and estimate restore by 5p.m.
— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) March 9, 2012
2:03 PM UPDATE: The City Light map is working now. Screengrab in a minute. It verifies Harbor Island is affected (we have a crew headed that way, too).
2:10 PM UPDATE: Our crew checking out Harbor Island says the intersection by Chelan Café is out, just west of the low bridge. Chelan Cafe itself has closed their restaurant, but the bar is still open. Meantime, if you have kids in schools in the outage zone – which does NOT include any of West Seattle, to our knowledge, beyond the Chelan Cafe area and Harbor Island – Seattle Public Schools has tweeted this:
after-school events cancelled at Mercer, Muir, Beacon H, Cleveland, Maple, Aki Kurose, Kimball, MLK, Dearborn, Franklin, Graham H, Hawthorne
— Seattle Schools (@seapubschools) March 9, 2012
Seattle City Light now says the problem is at the “South Substation” (3839 4th Ave. South, the big SCL facility right off the ramp from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge) and that some might not get their power back till 6 pm.
2:34 PM UPDATE: As many commenters are pointing out, the power’s come back on for most. Scott from City Light tells us about 600 homes/businesses are left to be restored. He says the problem happened when a power line that was being worked on at the South Station touched another piece of equipment and caused a short that led to the outage. Nobody was hurt.
3:01 PM UPDATE: And one last update from City Light via Twitter:
Power has been restored to all but 10 customers.Problem caused by awire tripping a relay at the south substation.
— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) March 9, 2012
When Metro went public last month with its revised proposal for West Seattle (and vicinity) route changes to take effect in September, in conjunction with the launch of RapidRide Line C, some of the loudest voices of concern came from South Seattle Community College and its Puget Ridge neighbors. They were concerned about service levels on the weekends. Today, Metro has published an online update that says they might at least reconfigure for Saturdays:
We are currently considering the possibility of providing some level of service on Saturday when SSCC is in session. However, continuing to provide Saturday Route 125 service would come as a trade-off for other service improvements. We are analyzing these trade-offs as we look to provide the highest quality transit service to the most people.
The Metro updates also reiterates that the next revised proposal – which goes to county leadership for consideration – will be out in mid-April.
Garage/rummage-sale fans converged on West Seattle’s two mega-sales as soon as the doors opened at nine this morning. Above, the wide view of just one of the rooms full of stuff on sale at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW – you’ll also find items like sports gear and furniture outside, including this eye-catching chair:
Tibbetts’ sale continues till 4 pm today, and will run again 9 am-3 pm tomorrow. (If you like to plan ahead, check out the Christmas-decorations table by the stage!)
Just a few blocks away, at 3601 California SW, West Side Presbyterian Church is in full sale swing too:
Theirs also spans multiple rooms – you will be offered a map as you step inside. And as is always the case with rummage/garage sales, you can find “they don’t make ’em like that” type finds – reel-to-reel, anyone?
WSPC’s sale continues till 5 today, and runs 9 am-2 pm tomorrow (it even has its own Facebook page). Be sure to look for the extensive bake-sale area inside the north side of the church.
Side note: Registration for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, presented and coordinated again this year by WSB, will start Monday, April 2nd … more to come. WS Garage Sale Day itself is Saturday, May 12th, 9 am-3 pm.
(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
More than 100 people joined in the “Bite of West Seattle” event – potluck dinner and cultural performances – presented by West Seattle High School‘s Diversity Club last night. So reports WSHS student Nathaniel Solis, who shared photos from the event – we stopped by in the early going and caught the locally based Au Lac Vovinam Lion Dance Team warming up; Nathaniel caught them in action:
(This and subsequent photos by Nathaniel Solis)
Three more of Nathaniel’s photos, ahead:Read More
(Salamander eggs at Camp Long, by Flickr member mriggen, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
LAST DAY OF OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: If you’ve been meaning to register but haven’t yet, last call – info here.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE NEARING FOR WEST SEATTLE GIRLS’ SOFTBALL: Sunday is the last day to register for WS Girls Softball (practices start the week of 3/26; the season opens 4/23). Sign up at westseattlegirlssoftball.com. The WSGS Board is looking for new volunteers, too – please contact president Shawn Herrera at wssshawnp@yahoo.com.
TIBBETTS RUMMAGE SALE, DAY 1: Big rummage sale at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 9 am-4 pm today and 9 am-3 pm Saturday (preview here).
WEST SIDE RUMMAGE SALE: And it’s also time for the big rummage sale at West Side Presbyterian Church, 9 am-5 pm today and 9 am-2 pm tomorrow.
WINE TASTING AT METROPOLITAN MARKET: Washington wines at Metropolitan Market/Admiral (WSB sponsor), 5-7 pm
GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY AUCTION: Tonight is Gatewood Elementary‘s “Bid for Kids” at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 5:30-9 pm (here’s our preview).
LIVE MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: Steve and Kristi Nebel perform tonight at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm.
LIVE MUSIC AT SALTY’S: Elizabeth Dawson and Victor Janusz perform at Salty’s on Alki, 7-10 pm (Facebook event here)
CONTINUING AT ARTSWEST: At ArtsWest in The Junction, “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” by Jim Cartwright, directed by Christopher Zinovitch, 7:30 pm.
They showed up at Lee’s Martial Arts in West Seattle last night, not just to lend a hand to the soon-to-debut online comedy series “The Collectibles,” but to lend a leg too:
The occasion was “Girls’ Fight Night Out,” centered on martial-arts work with Lee’s co-owner Lisa Skvarla, who is a professional actor as well as a nationally renowned martial-arts expert – and a cast member (as superhero “Ultrafemme”) for “The Collectibles,” which premieres at Emerald City Comicon next month. Also involved with the production, our tipsters for this event, Raechelle Downing and Todd Downing – Todd is co-writer/co-director/producer, while Raechelle is a line producer:
If you want to help “The Collectibles” finish raising $ to complete its first round of 10 webisodes, you can donate through the button on the right sidebar of the show’s website.
Meantime, a side note: You might remember reading about Todd here when he asked two nights ago for WSB’ers to join in the push to save the Washington film industry’s incentive program. Citizen campaigning is credited with helping the bill get passed by the State House 92-6 last night (with “yes” votes including local Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon), not long before the Legislature’s regular session ended, and it now awaits Gov. Gregoire‘s signature.
Our photos are courtesy of diver/photographer Laura James, who was there as Sustainable West Seattle‘s toxic-runoff-fighting Tox-Ick Monster presentation brought in a big crowd at Sanislo Elementary on Thursday night – beating, Laura says, the 50-person goal, which means that an environmental project at Sanislo gets a $1,000 donation. Everybody who came was a winner – free pizza, free native plants:
And you can join the fight too – next chance, 7 pm March 22nd at West Seattle High School, which also gets a $1,000 grant if at least 50 adult community members turn out for the presentation!
Quick topline as a 3 3/4-hour Southwest Design Review Board meeting wraps up: DESC‘s Delridge Supportive Housing project won a unanimous board vote recommending design approval, with a variety of conditions; the first project on the night’s agenda, what turns out to be a 2-phase, 43-unit-total project on 20th SW in South Delridge, will advance from Early Design Guidance to the second round.
ADDED: The 20th SW recap:Read More
Thanks to Cheryl Nellis for sharing her photo of the full moon rising tonight. If you’ve been keeping an eye on the sky because of the predictions of aurora visibility – Spaceweather.com explains tonight why that didn’t happen last night, but might still be in the cards (that link includes an amazing photo from Iceland).
The latest weekly roundup of upcoming traffic alerts (see it here) brings us first word of plans for the next weekend-long closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It says Highway 99 will be closed from 6 am Saturday, March 24, till 5 am, Monday, March 26, “in both directions around the clock for the bi-annual Alaskan Way Viaduct Maintenance Inspection.”
If you haven’t been out yet – there’s still half an hour to join in West Seattle Art Walk – check wsartwalk.com for a participating venue near you. Above, Charles Smith was painting “live” at Mind Unwind in the Admiral District (2208 California SW), so new it’s not on the list yet. We made some other stops and will add to this later!
ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: You’ll usually find live music at several stops on Art Walk night –
Jada and Wes were performing with The Five Buck Band at Windermere West Seattle. Across the street at CAPERS, we found mixed-media fine artist Susan Mulligan:
Starheadboy was at Sugar Rush Baking Company:
Eva Funderburgh is curator of the “Chimeras” ceramics exhibit now open at Twilight Artist Collective:
And circling back to Mind Unwind, muralist Glenn Case (who you might know for his Easy Street work) was on hand too:
Many venues keep the art on display for the entire month, so when you’re out shopping in The Junction or Admiral (and beyond!) in the weeks ahead, check the walls (etc.) and appreciate, maybe even consider purchasing, local art! Meantime, next month’s Art Walk will be the first of the spring quarter, and there’s usually some rotation of venues, so watch for a new list of places to explore – it’ll be on April 14th, second Thursday as usual.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tonight (8 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle), the Southwest Design Review Board takes its second, and possibly final, look at DESC’s Delridge Supportive Housing Project, a proposed 66-unit housing complex for homeless people living with challenges such as mental illness and/or substance abuse.
It’s the second community meeting this week related to the project. On Tuesday night, the project’s Advisory Committee met for the second time. During that meeting, DESC distributed a printed list of its answers to community questions about the project, which have since been published online (see them here).
One section of note, since the topic has come up in multiple discussions:
DESC runs a criminal background check on all potential tenants prior to offering an apartment, but they are not prohibited from being housed due to a criminal background, including sex offenses. We do screen out those whose criminal histories indicate that they would be a threat to vulnerable people. Even though sex offenses are not prevalent among DESC’s target population, contrary public perception is so strong that DESC has informed Delridge neighbors that we will exclude sex offenders from living at our Delridge location if such a request is made to DESC by the organized neighborhood group. So far, that request has not been made.
The FAQ wasn’t discussed during the meeting, but many other topics were. Read on:Read More
We’re welcoming The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro (4521 California SW in The Junction) as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what proprietor Aimee Pellegrini would like you to know:
The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro is a completely unique dining experience right in West Seattle. There is really nothing like it in the city. Our staff is totally passionate about what we offer and strives to make every visit a special experience for our guests. We just love working together, have a real team mentality, are all local, care about each other and our community, and really enjoy sharing the experience. As a restaurateur, I couldn’t ask for a more dedicated and caring staff, and I believe that makes the difference. At heart, we are just a neighborhood bistro serving honest, clean, and unique cuisine.
The most common comments we hear are,”But I don’t want to leave yet!” and,”We didn’t realize you had such an amazing menu!” and, “The name threw us off! Have you thought about changing it?” (Yes, all the time! LOL!) and “We will be back soon and will tell all of our friends!”
Our guests are really incredible. The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro usually has a strong effect on people. We have guests who come for 30-year intimate lunch reunions, dinner birthday parties, romantic evening dates, bridal showers, family dinners, and no reason at all. The common thread I see that really makes it so rewarding is that they are all really connecting. There is something about the whole experience that helps people slow down, relax, and enjoy each other. It’s a beautiful thing. I think this is what people come for and why they return with their friends. A lot of our clientele is from West Seattle but also from beyond. In some ways it seems that West Seattle is still discovering us. I always smile when a local asks,”How long have you been HERE?! I’ve 
never seen you before! Wow!” And it’s true; we have been quietly building our service by word of mouth. People try us and they come back; that’s all you can ask for!
Also – I’d like to introduce our Sunday Jazz Brunch, with Loren Temkin on piano and Dune Butler on standup bass every Sunday. Our Eggs Benedict al Rustico with Dungeness crab, saffron-hollandaise and pesto over our toasted parmesan country bread is a standout that is causing a stir!
The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro is also involved in community charity work, most recently as a proud sponsor of the wildly successful WestSide Baby Tea. You’ll find them online at thetuscantearoom.com (find the menus here), on Facebook here, and by phone at 206-906-9914.
We thank The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro 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.
For the second time today, Seattle Police have published an Aggressive Driver Response Team roundup – and this one is topped by a double-the-limit speeder reported on the Admiral Way hill. See the list here. (The highlight of today’s earlier list: 71 mph on The Bridge.)
The store’s actual 4th anniversary was four years and one month ago today – we covered the opening of Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama on February 8th, 2008. But who’s counting? Kent Sadow (pictured) and Parris Sadow finally get a chance to celebrate their retro-toys-and-candy store’s milestone this Saturday (March 10), and they’re inviting you:
Atomic Boys is celebrating its 4th Birthday.
Join us for drawings for cool stuff, food, and all-day fun!
Stop in anytime, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, to help us celebrate another great year.
Thanks to all of you, of course!!!
Atomic Boys (named after the Sadows’ sons) is at 4311 SW Admiral Way.
As of today, you can bid on the right to sell liquor, when privatization kicks in June 1st, at (or near) the sites of existing state stores, including the two in West Seattle. The auction listings also include some interesting facts about those stores. Example: Here’s the bidding page for the Westwood Village store, less than two years old. It mentions that the store’s gross sales totaled $3.5 million last year. And here’s the bidding page for the new “premier” store in The Junction, not open long enough for a full year of sales stats. Exactly what does the winning bidder get? Kind of complicated, but explained here.
(Photo by WSB editor Tracy Record)
Eight days ago, we showed you the first “signage sighting” at the soon-to-open West Seattle Trader Joe’s, as banners appeared on the construction fence, including “Now Hiring.” (Our February 29th story includes info on how to apply.) Driving past the site at 4545 Fauntleroy in The Triangle a few minutes ago, we spotted crews putting up the permanent signage. Projected opening date remains April 13th (no official corporate HQ announcement yet, so there’s always a chance it might change.)
SATURDAY NOTE: We have since photographed the second and third signs – you’ll find them on the WSB Facebook page.
9:47 AM: Police are rushing to the California/Charlestown 7-11, after a report it was robbed by a man with a gun. Seattle Police media relations Officer Renée Witt confirms the robbery report and says they got the call at 9:41 am. Also using information via the scanner, we’ve heard a partial, early description of the robber – black, male, wearing a cap, braids, gray sweatpants, 5’9″, no facial hair, last seen headed east on Charlestown; his gun had been in his right jacket pocket. We’re headed to the scene and will have more from there shortly.
10:25 AM UPDATE: Added a photo. Police at the scene weren’t commenting. No word of an arrest.
11:58 AM UPDATE: There’s been a discussion in the comment section about area schools. We verified with Seattle Public Schools that there were NO lockdowns – the robber was running AWAY from the schools, not toward them (and the schools are about a half-mile away), so there was no danger.
12:51 PM UPDATE: Seattle Parks confirms, as discussed in comments, that Hiawatha was on lockdown for a while as a precautionary measure (though it too was not in the direction the robber was going). They reopened the doors shortly after noon, according to Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter.
3:09 PM UPDATE: Just talked with police. No arrest reported so far.
(With Ina, from left, her great-granddaughter Ali, granddaughter Rachel, son Huntley)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When Ina Mann was born on December 21, 1907, West Seattle had only been part of the city of Seattle for five months.
Of course, we should note she wasn’t here at the time – she was born in England. But the 104-year-old has been here long enough to merit honorary Seattle native status.
We met Ina and members of three generations of her family recently at Arbor Heights Adult Family Home. Ina has lived there for about five years and it’s clear the caregivers dote on her, as of course do her family members.
Caregiver Penny Nemoede: “When she moved in, she was 99 and we thought she was going to be here short-term. She just keeps going, like the Energizer Bunny!”
Penny was our interpreter, of sorts, during our interview – Ina is hearing-challenged, so Penny relayed our questions with a sort of hug given while delivering them, loudly, into her left ear.
Centenarians aren’t just admired these days, they are also studied for clues and secrets. One thing Ina has, we’re told, is apparently fairly common to people who live that long:
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