day : 03/05/2012 11 results

Before we all go summer-crazed in another month or so, there are multiple chances to have fun while fun(draising). Three quick reminders tonight:

WHITE CENTER JUBILEE DAYS GALA AND AUCTION: The folks working hard to make this year’s WC Jubilee Days the liveliest ever are coming to West Seattle on Saturday night to celebrate and round up some $ toward their cause. Small plates, cash bar, music, and bidding! You are invited – 6:30 pm May 5th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center; you can buy tickets online here.

WESTSIDE BABY BENEFIT – THE ‘SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL’ COCKTAIL PARTY: Just two weeks till The Hall at Fauntleroy rocks for WestSide Baby, 7 pm May 18th – Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) sends award-winning cocktail creator Matt Johnson to do the drinks, The Mountain’s Marty Riemer is emcee, Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering provides the appetizers, Not Dead Yet plays the music, and the auction items include a Walla Walla wine getaway and a Palm Desert spring break getaway. You have to buy tickets in advance – click TICKETS near the top of this page.

LAST CHANCE FOR WEST SEATTLE 5K EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT: Tonight’s your last chance to save $5 on signing up for the 4th annual West Seattle 5K, which is just two weeks away – Sunday, May 20th, along Alki, the kickoff to “car-free” Seattle Summer Streets as usual. The walk/run is a benefit for the West Seattle High School PTSA (and again this year, WSB is among the co-sponsors). Register online here.

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Transportation questions dominate mayor’s West Seattle Town Hall

May 3, 2012 6:13 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Mayor McGinn has just wrapped up a two-hour visit to West Seattle, starting with a walking tour that began at Mountain to Sound Outfitters in The Triangle…

… and then moving on to an hour-long Town Hall Q/A session at the Senior Center of West Seattle. We’ll be adding more photos, but first, here’s our as-it-happened highlights from the Q and A:

QUESTION: Dick Hurley said he’s lived in West Seattle more than 30 years and sees lots of transportation expenditures “while my alley has fallen apart – it’s so bad that cars will bottom out, just in my alley.” He wondered why Local Improvement Districts to fix things like that are no longer available.

MAYOR: “It’s news to me … I’ve always thought we should make it easier to form those, because if people want to tax themselves, we should make it easier to form one.” He talked about his history in the Greenwood neighborhood and getting sidewalks put in to alleviate pedestrian challenges. He went on to acknowledge that the city has been neglecting road problems, though he is “blowing away pothole records set by previous administrations” – though he would just as soon not have the potholes there in need of filling. And he wishes he could find more funding for street and right-of-way improvements/repairs: “That’s what makes this special down here, how it feels on the street.”

QUESTION: From Sam with Standup America: “I spoke to you at another town hall last week about the salary gap” – he meant the mayor’s salary: “You’re talking about money you can’t get for roadways, but you’re giving yourself an annual increase … Why do you think it’s right that your income continually grows while (others’ income doesn’t)?” An audience member asks where Sam lives; “Capitol Hill” he replies.

Much more ahead, including news of a major paving project for Delridge Way:Read More

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Update: Final defendant in Steve Bushaw murder pleads guilty to manslaughter

May 3, 2012 4:34 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

The last defendant in the case of the February 2009 murder of lifelong West Seattleite Steve Bushaw (right) will NOT be going to trial after all – he pleaded guilty today. A status hearing was scheduled for Brandon Chaney, the only one of four original defendants who had not either pleaded guilty or been convicted (a jury deadlocked on his fate during the double trial last summer that resulted in Bryce Huber‘s conviction). We just checked on the court files, and there’s a document filed that says:

This cause comes before the Court for change of plea.

State’s motion to amend information to Count I, Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree with Firearm, and Count II, Felony Rendering Criminal Assistance in the 1st Degree.

Motion is granted.

The Court signs Order Permitting Filing of Amended Information. The Second Amended Information is filed.

Defendant is arraigned on Second Amended Information, and enters a plea of guilty. The Court inquires of Defendant, and accepts the plea. Statement of Defendant on Plea of Guilty is executed. Sentencing date is set for May 10, 2012 at 8:45 a.m.

Chaney was described as the getaway driver; he was tried last summer along with Huber, who was described as the person who planned the murder. The two men who shot at Bushaw in The Junction the night he was killed, John Sylve and Danny O’Neal, both pleaded guilty to murder. More to come.

10:26 PM NOTE: No further documents in the case have been available tonight, but we’re hoping to get them tomorrow, to find out more about the recommended sentence, for starters. (Huber was sentenced to 31 years; O’Neal, to 15 years; Sylve, to 20 years.) We’ll publish a separate followup when we know more.

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB they’re asking for a 70-month sentence for Chaney – that’s five years and 10 months. KCPAO also provided a court document that was not available online when we published our first report last night – it includes Chaney’s statement that “I caused the death of Steve Bushaw, by criminal negligence, I was failing to be aware of the substantial risk that death may occur because of the others’ actions and words. They were armed with pistols … Also I prevented/hindered/delayed the discovery and/or apprehension of the others – whom I knew had committed murder … by transporting them and concealing weapons.”

According to court documents, Chaney was present during the home-invasion robbery two weeks before the murder that was central to the murder motive. The victim sold marijuana, in addition to working as a longshoreman, and the home-invasion robbery happened at the home of his supplier. The robbers were said to have been on the phone with someone during the robbery, and the robbery victim believed it was Bushaw, and that he had orchestrated the home-invasion robbery. However, he was never arrested or charged, and as the case unfolded – the arrests came 10 months after the murder – police said Bushaw had not even been a suspect.

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West Seattle fire followup: Neighborhood benefit for victims

May 3, 2012 4:28 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Tuesday photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Just in from Lisa, via WSB comments following our coverage of the Tuesday night fire on 20th SW:

Hi everyone, just want to get the word out that as neighbors and friends of the family, we are having a fundraiser hot dog & lemonade sale for the family this Saturday. Our front lawn at 8442 20th Ave SW, just three doors down. My husband will be grilling hot dogs from noon-5 pm for a minimum donation of $2 and my daughter will be selling lemonade for donations. We have been in contact with the granddaughter and we will be giving all monies to her to give to Martha and her son. Martha was always very involved in the community and we hope that same community will come by and show their support.

Lisa says Martha’s community involvement included being a longtime member of Highland Park Improvement Club: “We know she lost everything, so hopefully with the money we make she can go out and get some basic necessities. More than anything we want to show our support as neighbors and give back to a very wonderful person who has given so much to her community.”

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West Seattle traffic alerts: Next all-weekend Viaduct closure, and more

May 3, 2012 3:33 pm

| 15 COMMENTS

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thursday afternoon is when WSDOT and SDOT usually send out the next round of major closure alerts – and here are the biggies for our area for the next few weeks, highlighted by an all-weekend Alaskan Way Viaduct closure in two weeks:

– May 7-10, the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed nightly at SR 99. All westbound traffic will exit at Harbor Island and be detoured via the lower Spokane St roadway/low bridge to West Seattle. The southbound SR 99 ramp to West Seattle will remain open. [This starts at 9 pm each night.]

– Beginning May 9 at 7 PM, expect changes on the Alaskan Way waterfront overnight. Traffic will be moved off of Alaskan Way and will be relocated underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct between S King St and Madison St. On the night of May 9th, S Washington St, Yesler Way, Columbia St and Madison St will be closed. Officers will be on-hand Thursday morning to assist traffic with the new road network and traffic patterns.

– May 18-21, the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) will be closed between Denny Way and S Spokane St in both directions Friday night through Monday morning. All on- and off-ramps will also be closed.

The May 9 mention is the one that goes with the ferry-terminal-reroute video we’ve been featuring here – the big change will kick in the morning of May 10th. Other areas of the city have various smaller closures too, and you can see the complete grid for what’s in the works by going here.

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Amber Alert out for 2 girls missing from Shoreline

May 3, 2012 2:50 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

Just in case you haven’t seen this on regional news outlets: An Amber Alert is out for two little girls and their mother missing from Shoreline; the mother is suspected of stabbing their father, who is at a hospital in critical condition. An associated vehicle has already been found, but not the girls nor the suspect – our friends at KING5.com have the latest, including a photo of one girl. Here’s the webpage for the alert itself (but again, the vehicle’s been found).

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Video: West Seattle kids’ Hop-a-Thon to fight muscle disease

May 3, 2012 12:48 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

It’s never too soon to teach kids a great “habit” – helping others. That’s the lesson Jena‘s students are learning at Tiny Tribe Preschool, which brought wee ones to Junction Plaza Park this morning for a Hop-A-Thon, an activity the Muscular Dystrophy Association is encouraging not only as a fundraiser, but also to teach kids about disabilities – “awareness, acceptance, assistance.” Tiny Tribe has already raised $600; we video’d the kids hopping in the chilly rain for two heartwarming minutes:

You can donate online to help the Tiny Tribe kids reach their goal – just go here.

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West Seattle wildlife: Mystery of ‘sea lion with a number’ solved

May 3, 2012 11:55 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

A week and a half ago, we published that photo taken by Tom Foley while out on the Duwamish River. We thought it was a Steller sea lion; turns out it’s a California sea lion – and known to researchers. LG saw Tom’s photo here and sent the information to NOAA, which she says “got excited about it, and e-mails were quickly sent around between people at NOAA and the Alaska Fish and Game Department’s Steller Sea Lion program trying to identify the animal. Apparently Alaska Fish and Game has an extensive photo database specifically for identifying branded sea lions.” She then received e-mail from NOAA’s Sharon Melin, who told her it was OK for us to publish the e-mail, which follows:

Thank you for reporting the sighting of the California sea lion #8727. He was branded as a 4 month old pup in September 2006 at San Miguel Island, California. At the time, he weighed 23.0 kg and was large for his age. He has been seen regularly in Washington during the winters and at San Miguel Island during the summer breeding season but still is too young and small to be breeding.

San Miguel Island is the northern limit of the California sea lion breeding range and is the westernmost island in the Channel Islands chain off the coast of California. Each year, a population of about 100,000 California sea lions returns to the island to breed and pup. Pups are born in late May and June and are usually weaned in March or April of the following year. Each year we tag and brand 500 pups out of about 23,000 born and conduct long-term observation studies throughout the lives of tagged individuals.

The tagging program for seals and sea lions on San Miguel Island was initiated in 1975. We have had tag recoveries from as far south as Pta Colnette (Punta Colonet), Mexico and as far north as Southeast Alaska. The tagging program provides information for long-term studies on migration, movements, survival, reproductive success, and annual cycles of individual animals. Studies such as these help us to effectively monitor marine mammal populations.

Tag returns are an extremely important part of our studies and they provide valuable information required to understand the biology and status of marine mammal populations. Thank you for taking time to participate in our research effort.

Here’s a map showing San Miguel Island, which is off Santa Barbara, California – more than 1,000 miles away!

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day countdown: 9 days

May 3, 2012 11:30 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

Nine days till West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2012, with 250 sales of all sizes all over the peninsula, north to south, east to west! The image at left is just **part** of the online version of the map (don’t draw any conclusions – it’s a work in progress!), which along with the printable version is now in the final stages of production, so we can keep our annual promise of making the map available one week in advance … among other reasons, so that sellers know their numbers and can promote their sales, and so shoppers can plan their routes and preview the listings. Not only will you find classic garage-sale highlights, you will also find sellers offering hot dogs, lemonade, bake sales, and other surprises. The clickable online map (from which the screengrab at left is taken) will likely be available slightly sooner than the printable map this Saturday, so check here, and/or the official WSCGSD website, the WSCGSD Facebook page – where sellers are welcome to post photos and other sale notes in the days before the sale, if interested! – and the WSB Facebook page. So don’t forget – tell your friends; non-West Seattleites welcome to come shop too! – 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 12th, meet neighbors and new friends as you engage in the timeless tradition of person-to-person recycling, Alki to the Arroyos, Pigeon Point to Greenbridge, and beyond.

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West Seattle schools: K-5 STEM at Boren ‘weeding party’

May 3, 2012 10:39 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The home of West Seattle’s newest public school needs a little TLC, and a community-organized cleanup is set for this Saturday. The invitation:

Join us this Saturday, May 5 from 1-5 for the first K-5 STEM at Boren WEEDING PARTY!

Community members, STEM families, students, friends – come play in the dirt and meet other families coming to STEM!

SPS grounds crew will be there with supplies to support weeding out the planters facing the parking lot and facing Delridge. Feelfree to bring your own tools, gloves, water, sunscreen & snacks.

This event will be cancelled in event of rain.

The Boren building is in the 5900 block of Delridge Way SW.

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West Seattle Thursday: Roxhill meeting; mayor returns; Style ’12

May 3, 2012 8:44 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

West Seattle-based Captive Eye Media produced that short promotional video for one of tonight’s big events, cancer-fighting fashion show “Style ’12” – part of our highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

STYLE ’12: West Seattleite-led Northwest Hope and Healing‘s annual fashion show to raise money to help breast-cancer patients. West Seattle businesses participating too! Survivors take to the runway to model spring fashion – and you’ll hear inspiring stories, too, including that of keynote speaker, West Seattle three-time survivor Tracy Dart. Tickets available at the door – more info on the NWHH site. It’s at 7 pm at Showbox SODO (1700 1st Avenue S.).

Also today/tonight:

HOPPING TO FIGHT M.D.: The kids from Tiny Tribe Preschool plan a hop-a-thon at Junction Plaza Park this morning around 10:30 “to raise money and awareness about muscular dystrophy.”

MAYOR’S TOWN HALL: For the second time in less than two months, Mayor Mike McGinn is holding a Town Hall in West Seattle. This time, it’s at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon), 5-6 pm; here’s our original preview.

ALKI ELEMENTARY ART SHOWCASE: You’re invited to Alki Elementary tonight, 6-8 pm (3010 59th SW) – our calendar-listing page has details on what you’ll see.

ROXHILL ELEMENTARY MEETING ABOUT BEX-IV: It’s at Roxhill Elementary, but the entire community’s invited to come talk about West Seattle’s priorities for the BEX-IV Seattle Public Schools levy – which so far has included a potential proposal to close Roxhill and “merge” it into Arbor Heights Elementary, among other proposals. West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren will be there, among others. 6:30-8 pm, 30th/Roxbury; details here.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: The annual observance by Alki’s Statue of Liberty Plaza is planned for 6:30-8 pm; details on the calendar-listing page.

JOE CROOKSTON IN CONCERT: Tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 7:30 pm.

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