West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
In a cozy century-old ex-carriage house on the north edge of The Junction, Lora Swift and her Hotwire Online Coffeehouse team are celebrating 10 years in business. If you’ve been there, you know it’s not just a coffee shop/Internet café with tasty drinks and eats – it’s a nerve center, a touchstone, a launch pad. (As our first sponsor, Hotwire helped WSB get off the ground!) Lora launched herself out of a corporate career to get Hotwire started in 2002, and over the years has become involved in much more than beverage purveyorship – to name just one offshoot, there’s the annual West Seattle Outdoor Movies series in the adjacent courtyard. The crowd on this year’s finale night (August 25th) was wall-to-wall:
If you weren’t at Hotwire today to say “happy 10th,” no worries, the party continues. You even might check on the availability of the T-shirt Lora designed to honor the occasion – see it here – and to celebrate the community she enriches.
(Photo courtesy Dave Nichols)
“An astounding 2.5 billion people around the world still use crude open fires fueled by coal, wood and charcoal to cook meals,” says Vashon-based Burn Design Lab. Reducing that number, they add, will save people’s lives (as well as reduce deforestation). So they’re working on cook-stove technology. BDL founder Peter Scott is in the photo above, speaking today to the Rotary Club of West Seattle about the organization and its work.
Continuing the trend of founded-elsewhere-in-Seattle mini-chains finding their way to West Seattle, we’ve confirmed that Rudy’s Barbershop is planning a West Seattle location. Since getting asked about that “rumor” this morning, we confirmed with a company spokesperson that – as is noted on this page of the Rudy’s website – a West Seattle shop is on the way. But she said she couldn’t release any other details yet – maybe before month’s end. The “rumor” question mentioned one possible location, so we checked with its owner, who told us he couldn’t discuss forthcoming plans for his space, either. The 10-minute video above (found on their website but coded for embedding anywhere) tells the tale of Rudy’s, founded on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s by three guys – none named Rudy – now with 16 of its funky/quirky walk-in shops in four states, and the 17th to open later this month in Redmond (where a news story cites January 2013 as the WS opening date). More info as we get it!
(Part of the tunneling machine, being assembled now in Japan – photo courtesy WSDOT)
If you use Highway 99 or adjacent roads through Pioneer Square/SODO, you drive by it all the time – so maybe you’d be interested in a close-up look at the tunnel work zone. If so, WSDOT invites you to join a walking tour this Thursday night – read on for the details:Read More
Somebody out there needs blood … and in order for them to get it, somebody needs to donate it. If you’re able to do that before 4 pm today, that’s how much longer the Puget Sound Blood Center bloodmobile will be outside the Southwest Precinct at Delridge/Webster. We previewed the drive here last week.
(Thanks to our tipster for the photo from the search/arrest scene)
If you’re seeing police in the Admiral District – they’re investigating a robbery at Luciano’s Pizza next to the Admiral Theater. A suspect is in custody, according to Seattle Police Det. Mark Jamieson, but they’re searching for the money he reportedly says he dropped in somebody’s yard near the north end of Hiawatha Community Center‘s park. The robbery happened just after 1 pm; they don’t know if the robber was armed, but police say no weapon was seen. (Thanks to the person who texted us about the search, which in turn tipped us to the robbery – 206-293-6302 any time.)
Just after updating the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar with word that Skylark Café had tech troubles canceling Thursday night’s Democratic National Convention watch party, we got word of a new location – Howie Martin says the party’s been moved. New location: Heartland Café (4210 SW Admiral Way), 5-8:30 pm Thursday (September 6), with President Obama‘s acceptance speech expected between 6:30-7:30 pm. (As reported here over the weekend, our area has a sizable delegation at the convention.)
Over the holiday weekend, we reported on the Seattle towing/impound-fee-limit proposal that has just been made public in its entirety, one month after Mayor McGinn and Councilmember Nick Licata announced it was in the works. Today, a quick followup: Nate Van Duzer from the office of Councilmember Tim Burgess tells WSB that the committee with first jurisdiction over the proposal, Government Performance and Finance, has a special extra meeting this week, and a briefing/discussion is scheduled then: 2 pm Thursday (September 6th) at City Hall, agenda here.
On September 24th, Mayor McGinn will announce his budget proposal for next year. Today, he announced that the revenue picture isn’t quite as bleak as it had looked – of interest given the development boom here in West Seattle, apartment construction is mentioned as one factor. Here’s the city news release with the full announcement:Read More
Before we get to the Crime Watch reader reports, we have finally been able to get details on a Friday-afternoon incident some have asked about, a street robbery in Delridge. 
Det. Renée Witt in Seattle Police media relations says, according to the report, the victim was washing a car in the 2600 block of Brandon when a 4-door silver Buick drove by, parked, then left – and came back. When the car returned, it pulled up near the victim, stopped in the middle of the street, and two passengers got out of the back and walked up to the victim. One (described only as a black man in his late teens/mid-20s, about 6 feet tall and medium build) showed a silver handgun and said, “Empty your pockets.” The victim complied; the robber got back in the car, which left southbound on 26th. According to Det. Witt, the victim reported being so focused on the man with the gun that he couldn’t describe what the others looked like or were doing.
Meantime, as is unfortunately somewhat frequent, there were scattered “sounds like gunshots” reports over the weekend, but – in case you wondered about one near you – none has resulted in a finalized police report of actual gunfire – which only means no one was shot, no casings found, no property damage. (EARLY WEDNESDAY UPDATE: One incident has now turned up on the police-report list, but didn’t show until late in the day Tuesday – listing a “weapons-discharge” call in the 8600 block of 14th SW around 3 am. No details in the report, but now that there is a report #, we can check with police later today.)
Now, to the reader reports – scooter theft (stolen from kids who had bought them with their birthday money!) and indecent exposure – times two:Read More
Thanks to Dan for sharing the photo of 12-year-old Cameron, 10-year-old Elena, 7-year-old Elliot, going back to school today at Holy Rosary, one of the local parochial schools where it’s the first day of class. That’s all part of what’s on the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar for today:
SCHOOLS WHERE CLASSES START TODAY: As reported here last night, Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Hope Lutheran, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Seattle Lutheran.
OTHER BACK-TO-SCHOOL EVENTS include:
*”Welcome Back Day” at Chief Sealth International High School, 8 am-2 pm
*New-family orientation at Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), 10 am-noon
*Ice-cream social for new 6th graders at Madison Middle School, 6:30 pm
*Meet-and-greet at Arbor Heights Elementary, 2-3 pm
*New-student orientation at Schmitz Park Elementary, 2-3 pm
*Welcome dinner/open house at Westside School, 4 pm
*Meet-and-greet for families at the new K-5 STEM at Boren school, 5 pm
*Back-to-school barbecue at Pathfinder K-8, 5-7 pm
(Most of the above were gleaned from school calendars. If we missed anything, please let us know!)
BLOOD DRIVE AT SW PRECINCT: 10 am-4 pm, the bloodmobile is at the Southwest Precinct (SW Webster west of Delridge) – details here.
‘SAVE THE RIDE-FREE AREA’ MEETING: Not in West Seattle, but before Metro changes including the elimination of the downtown ride-free area kick in, a group is circulating a petition to save it and inviting interested parties from around the city to a 6 pm gathering at the Capitol Hill library – details/map here.
NIGHTLIFE: Trivia That Rocks at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … Baby Ketten Karaoke at Skylark Café and Club, 9 pm … Starlight showcase at Shadowland, 9 pm.
More on the calendar!
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