day : 16/04/2012 9 results

100 sales signed up for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!

April 16, 2012 10:45 pm

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| Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

It’s one of our favorite milestones – the 100th sale has now signed up to be part of this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day! 9 am to 3 pm May 12th is the 8th annual edition of WSCGSD – the fifth one coordinated by WSB – and whether you’re a seller or a shopper, it’s a chance to meet your neighbors and engage in one big day of what we like to think of as person-to-person recycling (we invite the rest of the region too, just in case they’d like to come shop our sales, dine and drink in our restaurants/bars, etc.). Nine more days to register – we’ve just set the deadline as 11:59 pm Wednesday night, April 25th. Here’s the form to sign up online! As May 12th gets closer, watch for updates not just here, but also on the WSCGSD website and Facebook page.

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It takes a village … to rescue a West Seattle wildlife raft

April 16, 2012 7:02 pm

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| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(August 2010 photo by Guy Smith)
Another chapter to share in the ongoing saga of Alki’s Joy D. Smith Wildlife Raft, first launched in 2008, first mentioned here when we heard from Joy’s husband Guy Smith in 2009, and the subject of some memorable stories since then. Today, Guy shared another one:

Joy’s raft is in dry dock again after an underwater line broke. That’s nothing new, but the way the raft was rescued is quite a story.

We discovered it had broken loose in the late afternoon on Thursday the 12th and located it drifting along about halfway to Duwamish Head. There wasn’t enough daylight left to get a boat and pull it home, so we crossed our fingers and went to dinner with friends. They volunteered to look for it the next day in their boat, but when we got back home at dusk we couldn’t believe our eyes. The raft was tied to a buoy about halfway between the point and the Alki Promenade. How could this have happened?

As near as we can tell, from listening to all the neighbors’ stories and a little guesswork, the raft and buoy were drifting toward Alki Point at about 7:30 pm, on the strong incoming tide when a neighbor, Zack Singer, jumped into his kayak and set out to rescue it. Zack said he was spurred to action when he, Judy, and Linda were sipping cool ones on the patio and Judy said something like “we can’t let that raft get away; we like watching it too much.”

Zack hooked up to the raft and buoy, but the current was too strong and he found himself being pulled south around the point. Luckily, Jack Miller was heading north in his big boat, the “Baltic Sea,” and responded to Zack’s hail.

(Photo by Kyle Udo, added Tuesday morning, courtesy Kyle’s dad Pat Hogan)
Jack hooked up to what he laughingly described as “a pretty unusual sight” and pulled the whole thing around the Point to the first buoy they came to; one of only 3 left on this stretch of beach where a dozen used to be. Zack said it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride; because when Jack took off, the kayak was being pulled backward. Afraid it would flip, he whipped out his knife and cut the kayak loose (instincts from working on tug boats), nicking his finger in the process.

At the new buoy, rope was needed; so Zack paddled to the beach and borrowed a length from Duff Kennedy’s seemingly endless supply. Jack donated a throw-ring float from the Baltic Sea to keep the lines from sinking and tangling. All this action was watched by neighbors on the beach as they shouted encouragement and advice (happy hour was running late that day).

On Saturday, Jerett Kaplan donated his rowboat for retrieving the raft; and it now sits in dry dock, awaiting new parts and a call to the diver. It’s been a nice marine refuge and people along the beach like to watch the birds and seals. Penny Earnest is a Seal Sitter volunteer and sends in daily seal counts. Thanks go to other neighbors who keep watch on the raft and who helped fill in details – Bette Callan, the Hogans, the Warrens, and others; even the unknown owner of the buoy where the raft was temporarily tied. The biggest thanks go to Zack and Jack for their timely action.

Sharon Kennedy related that on Friday, she had watched a mother seal and her pup circle the spot where the raft normally floats; circling for quite a while before they gave up and left. She laughed when she told that she had almost started yelling and pointing to the new location.

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Opera in the living room! Southwest Youth & Family Services benefit

April 16, 2012 5:54 pm

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| How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

It’s a rare opportunity – enjoy opera music without leaving West Seattle to head for a concert hall downtown. You don’t have to go to a concert hall, period. This Sunday, a unique benefit for Southwest Youth and Family Services is happening at a private home on Fauntleroy Cove, and tickets are available right now.

The performers are The Opera Belles, a lyric soprano, mezzo-soprano, and pianist – all professionals – who will bring you “opera’s greatest hits,” in original arrangements. The 4-6 pm event also includes a cheese and wine reception. You can enjoy it all for a donation of $50 per person – register now online (just go here) while there’s still room. Once you’re signed up, you’ll get the address and directions.

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‘Bashed up,’ NOT closed up: Twilight and neighbors in The Junction

April 16, 2012 4:55 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

The continued work for a RapidRide stop on SW Alaska west of California isn’t moving “rapidly” enough for the businesses stuck behind the backhoes, as first mentioned here a week and a half ago – like Twilight Artist Collective, which currently has the view we photographed through their front window, and which is now into “making lemonade out of lemons” mode: They’ve announced a “Bashed-Up-Street Sale” all week long, 10 percent off if you come in and mention that phrase. Yes, you CAN get into Twilight, Edie’s Shoes, and Rose Nails along the stretch west of Easy Street Records. Twilight is open till 7 tonight. (We’re working to get an update on how much longer this section of the work will take; all along the future RapidRide route, it’s been happening in phases, first the concrete and utilities, then the stop/station shelters, benches, signage depending on what’s scheduled for a certain spot.)

P.S. Twilight and Edie’s also are part of this Saturday’s “Tax-Free Day for All” daylong Junction-wide sale – participants listed here

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Seattle Lutheran senior Matt Haggerty finishes Boston Marathon (and a fundraiser)

April 16, 2012 2:40 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | WS & Sports

As young runners go, Seattle Lutheran High School senior Matt Haggerty is one busy guy. First, we found out this morning (via a tip from John) that Matt ran the famous Boston Marathon this morning – finishing 227th out of 27,000 runners, in under 2 hours, 51 minutes! (Tipster John notes that “it was 74 degrees at the start of the race.”) Here at home, Matthew has turned his love for running into community-minded efforts; last fall, we reported on his “Ritual Running” senior project (in our first story, in fact, he mentioned his Boston Marathon plans), and earlier this month, we talked to him at West Seattle Stadium as he led other SLHS students on a fundraising/awareness-raising preview to the recent “Day Without Shoes.”

As part of Ritual Running, he has been collecting shoe and money donations for Haiti via One World Running. Here’s a video he recently shared about what his project’s covered so far (including last fall’s Ritual Running 10K, which Matt says raised more than $1,100 plus 250 pounds of shoes):

Ritual Running, Matt tells us, still does group runs twice a week from the Alki Bathhouse – you can contact him to get on the list and join in – ritualrunning@gmail.com – and congrats again on the Boston Marathon achievement. (According to the SLHS Twitter feed, he was the youngest runner!)

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West Seattle schools: 226 assigned to K-5 STEM at Boren

April 16, 2012 11:29 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Today is the day that Seattle Public Schools families officially find out students’ assignments for next year, and while there’s no suspense for those returning to their “neighborhood school,” those who applied for out-of-neighborhood schools or “option schools” have been awaiting the news. This also means there’s an official number for the first wave of enrollment at West Seattle’s new option school, K-5 STEM at Boren, opening this fall, so we asked SPS what that number turned out to be and whether there’s room for more. Here’s the reply from enrollment manager Dr. Tracy Libros:

There are 226 students assigned to K-5 STEM at Boren, with a short waiting list at kindergarten and 1st grade. If families are interested, they are encouraged to apply soon to let us know if we should consider adding another class.

If someone in your family is awaiting word of an assignment, here’s the district webpage you can use to get the information (provided you have their student ID number handy). Meantime, the school’s Design Team, including community reps, continues to meet (minutes are linked online, from the right side of this page); they’ve been meeting at district HQ in downtown but minutes from last Tuesday’s meeting indicate they’ll be switching to a West Seattle site, the Madison Middle School library.

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West Seattle Monday: Here’s what else is up today/tonight

April 16, 2012 10:43 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

In addition to the Metro-changes hearing tonight – previewed here earlier this morning – here are tonight’s other highlights from the WSB West Seattle (and vicinity) Events calendar:

SOUTHWEST POOL REOPENS: Though the grand opening/reopening celebration for the newly co-located Southwest Neighborhood Service Center/Southwest Pool/Southwest Teen Life Center, all in the former SW Community Center, isn’t until tomorrow, the pool is scheduled to reopen TODAY at noon (here’s its ongoing schedule) after three weeks of maintenance work, which included installation of the brand-new sign out front (2801 SW Thistle).

WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: Today’s ingredient – roots! The WS Cooking Club invites you to bring your favorite dish incorporating them to the meeting @ Beveridge Place Pub, 3 pm today (6413 California SW).

NATIONAL HEALTH-CARE DECISIONS DAY: Providence Hospice of Seattle is sponsoring a conversation, with an elder-law attorney on hand, at the West Seattle (Admiral District) Library branch at 6 tonight – details in the event-calendar listing (2306 42nd SW).

DELRIDGE PRODUCE COOPERATIVE: As previewed here over the weekend, DPC invites the community to tonight’s meeting as it gears up for potentially opening a “greengrocer”-style food store in the to-be-built DESC Delridge Supportive Housing apartment building – about 2 years away, but there is much to be done in the meantime. 6:30 pm, Delridge Library (Delridge/Brandon)

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FOCUSES ON FARMING: A movie, a panel discussion, and a seed sale are all part of tonight’s Community Forum, as detailed on the SWS website. 7 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).

More on the calendar!

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West Seattle Little League: Jacob Terao’s 18-strikeout perfect game

April 16, 2012 10:33 am

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| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Photo courtesy Mark Terao)
West Seattle Little League president Brian Pare just sent word of an amazing accomplishment by a WSLL player:

On Thursday April 12th, 2012, 12-year-old West Seattle Little Leaguer Jacob Terao accomplished one of the rarest feats in baseball by pitching a perfect game. During a West Seattle Little League majors game at Bar-S Playfield, Terao struck out all 18 batters from the opposing team: No walks, no runs, and no one on base. With a combination of 2- and 4-seam fastballs, Terao threw 54 strikes and 27 balls for a total of 81 pitches leading his team, the WSLL Rays, to a 4-0 win over the WSLL Braves.

Read on for the full pitching summary!Read More

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Something to say about September Metro changes? Tell County Councilmembers tonight

April 16, 2012 5:41 am

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

(Click to see entire map, full size, via Metro’s site; click here for the “peak” version)
After six months and two previous drafts, Metro‘s final recommendations for September route changes – mostly affecting West Seattle and vicinity because the RapidRide launch is the catalyst – has gone to the County Council. And tonight, two weeks after that final proposal was made public, you can tell councilmembers what you think of it. The council’s Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee – with West Seattle’s Councilmember Joe McDermott among its members – has a public hearing tonight on Metro’s September plan. It’s NOT in the council’s usual meeting place, though – they will meet at 6:30 pm in the Sound Transit board room at Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St. (map), after a 6 pm open house. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the county’s summary of West Seattle changes. If you want to flash back to October for a refresher on what was in the first draft, here’s our original story.)