West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, beyond ongoing WSB breaking-news (etc.) coverage:
*The owner of an Alki-area rental vacation home thought it was odd that the renters pulled a rental truck up to the residence on their last day. He dispatched a friend to park in front of the house to see if any items were being stolen. The renters noticed the lookout and left. The owner later discovered miscellaneous items such as DVDs and board games were missing. They also failed to pay for the week’s stay.
Six more summaries ahead:Read More
(Photos by Rick Rasmussen)
2:13 PM: Just got a call from The Whale Trail‘s Donna Sandstrom that orcas are in the vicinity again – west of west-facing West Seattle shores, north of Blake Island, at last report. This is one day after killer whales were seen off Ballard’s Golden Gardens Park (great reader video shared by our friends at MyBallard.com).
ADDED 6:07 PM: Donna explains in a comment: “It was a group of about 10 transients, including 3 males and some juveniles. They were on the far west side of the Sound, but clearly visible with binoculars. They were mostly traveling, with some deep dives and possibly foraging.”
ADDED 9 PM: Thanks to Rick Rasmussen for sharing photos! He says, “We were fortunate enough to have a close encounter with the Orcas today. We were sailing NE of Blake Island and they crossed our path and swam past us heading North. It looked like 3 adults and 2 smaller ones. Amazing!”
Thanks to Kathy Weitz for sharing that photo she took this morning as the US Coast Guard cutter Healy sailed through Elliott Bay on the final leg of its trip home to the downtown Seattle waterfront. According to this Associated Press story published by our partners at the Seattle Times, the Healy has been out on patrol for 254 days. KING 5.com has video from its arrival at Pier 36.
The West Seattle Garden Tour is putting out one last call to local artists – deadline for their contest for the art on this year’s Garden Tour poster is just four weeks away, March 3rd. What they’re looking for: “Artwork content should be an interpretation of the WSGT’s theme ‘The Art of Gardening‘ focusing on color, design and texture in the garden.” The rest of the guidelines, the rules, and the entry form are all on the WSGT website; the winner gets $500, and the top 10 entries will be shown during the May edition of the West Seattle Art Walk. (Speaking of which, this month’s edition is coming up Thursday!) The Garden Tour itself happens this year on July 15th, and WSB is proud to be among the co-sponsors again this year. (Photo from July 2011 WSGT, by Tina Doherty)
From Sunrise Heights, Laura shared the photo and note:
My daughter, Becca (age 8), is selling homemade mini-donuts to raise money for her favorite charity, WestSide Baby, this morning. We are at 34th and Holden across the street from the 37 fire station. We’ll be here until (at least 1 pm) or until the donuts sell out. 3 donuts for one dollar.
12:44 PM UPDATE: Laura mentioned on the WSB Facebook page that they were almost sold out – so if you haven’t gone, probably too late.
1:10 PM UPDATE: Becca raised almost $59, according to her mom.
(Good turnout for Hiawatha pancakes! Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
A few notes for this sunny Super Bowl Sunday in West Seattle:
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE SUPER BOWL: We asked for info on what various venues are up to – and here are the results. A few are closed or curtailing hours; some of course are having Super Bowl parties, or counterprogramming, or afterparties. Anything to add? Let us know. We’ll tweak the list all the way up till gametime.
PANCAKES TILL NOON! Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser continues till noon at Hiawatha Community Center (just north of West Seattle High School). From the announcement: “Come in and eat PANCAKES! All-you-can-eat pancakes with warm maple syrup and melted butter with all you can eat coffee and juice. We will also have ham, sausage, bagels and fruit available in limited portions. All proceeds are applied toward our scholarship fund! $6 (ages 13 and up), $5 (ages 4-12), $4 (ages 65 and up), FREE (3 and under).”
FARMERS’ MARKET: West Seattle Farmers’ Market in The Junction, 44th/Alaska, 10 am-2 pm. Looking for last-minute Super Bowl ideas? Market managers put a great list on their Facebook page – see it here. Also, say hi to Sustainable West Seattle.
DONUT SALE: 34th and Holden – 8-year-old Becca is selling 3 donuts for a dollar, raising money to donate to WestSide Baby. Till approx. 1 pm.
FOOD TRUCK: Snout and Co. (Cuban-influenced) food truck at 35th/Graham, 11 am-3 pm … Contigo at lunchtime in The Junction.
TONIGHT AT SKYLARK: Michael the Blind & the Els from Portland, performing at Skylark Cafe and Club, 7 PM, $5 cover. From their announcement: “The band is comprised of Michael Levasseur who has been playing shows as Michael the Blind for a little over a decade, his wife Rachael Renee’, who rocks the electric autoharp, bass player/wild card Elwood Johncox, and Nathaniel Kees Leigh on drums.” (They have an album due out soon.) (As noted in comments, Skylark is closed because of the Super Bowl – this show rescheduled for April.)
(Photos by WSB editor Tracy Record, added 8:34 am)
7:44 AM: Some residents in the Fauntlee Hills area woke up to water trouble this morning, according to several notes we have received. Greg reports, “Awoke to low water pressure and brown water coming from taps. Called city and they said there was a water emergency in the area and it would be at least 3 hours before water was restored.” Liz, who says she was given that same time frame, says her water service has been out since at least 3 am and that she was told the problem was a water-main break. We’re heading out to check.
8:26 AM: Just back from talking to the crew at the site of the break, which is on 39th SW just a bit north of SW Barton (which is wet for a few blocks downhill – luckily not quite cold enough to freeze). They have already fixed it and are flushing the lines. Just a cold-weather break, they told us, one of the 100-plus water-main breaks in the city every year (about 140, SPU reps told the recent meeting regarding Arbor Heights upgrades). This 12-inch main feeds homes for a 5-block area that zigzags around the spot where the pipe broke. Our photo shows the main and the silver clamp over the spot where it broke; the smaller green line on the right feeds the closest home, whose resident was out looking at the work and saying he’s glad it’s done because he’s overdue for his morning coffee.
Hope you spent lots of time in the sun! It’s supposed to be back tomorrow, and Monday. Five views from today – above, pilot/photographer Long B. Nguyen‘s peninsula overview, always amazing to see (click for a larger view; he shared two others we’re saving for the next day or two). Next, Melanie Dixon says it was so nice, even her “resident owl” had to come out:
In the Alki area, a hot spot for eagles drew a squabbling group today. From the WSB Flickr group pool, Danny McMillin caught this view:
Gary Jones photographed two in a more serene moment:
Back to the WSB Flickr group pool, Eugene Kogan spotted wildlife on a raft, with the frosted Olympics behind:
Thanks to all the photo-sharers in WSB-land … here’s how to share yours.
Christine wonders if anybody saw this happen:
I’m hoping because West Seattle is such a tight community that someone will have witnessed this event. I was driving west from downtown Seattle via Spokane Street at approximately 6:30 p.m. last night. Where the two lanes on Spokane street merge into one for a brief span for construction, a full size white truck merged into the side of my vehicle and then sped off up the Admiral hill. I got a partial license plate number and a hit-and-run report was filed but no one has been caught at this point. If you were a witness to this event or see a full size white truck with red paint down the passenger side and/or running boards, please give me or the SW Precinct any information. My family has called West Seattle home for a long time and we value the integrity and small-town care that is ever present. Thank you for any assistance in this matter.
The partial plate number starts with A4142, according to Christine.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is a hotbed of dance these days. Before too much more time elapses, we wanted to make mention of a big event from last weekend that still has people talking – young local dancers filling the center during a two-day visit by the Manhattan Dance Project, a touring program with professional dancers coming to town to work with youth. Youngstown’s Margaret Way reported, “My rough estimates, there must have been 75 – 100 youth taking classes in everything from ballet to jazz, tap to hip hop. The youth were from all around the area and were mainly connected with various local schools of dance.” One of them was the legendary Kathy’s Studio of Dance in The Junction, whose Miss Kathy shared photos with us (thank you!) – the senior company, above, and a group shot here:
Margaret says the Manhattan Dance Project has “fallen in love with our venue and have already penciled in their dates for their Seattle tour in 2013 right here at Youngstown!”
Everybody has a specialty. One of Mark Bourne‘s specialties is spotting appearances of The Grouchos – the mysteriously appearing and disappearing Groucho Marx likenesses seen alongside the West Seattle Bridge over (at least) the last five years. He just spotted them somewhere they haven’t been seen before, and writes about it here.
Three major topics at this week’s monthly meeting of the Southwest District Council, comprised of reps from neighborhood groups and organizations, mostly around western West Seattle – Metro‘s first community discussion of its newly revised route-restructuring plan; Councilmember Sally Bagshaw talking about her priorities now that the committee she chairs is about neighborhoods as well as parks; and the first Gathering of Neighbors since 2010, with new coordinators this year. Details on all three topics, ahead:Read More
(Photos courtesy Bruno Cross)
He’s the Denny International Middle School music director, he’s the Chief Sealth International High School band director, Seattle’s All-City Band director – and he’s now officially a Golden Apple Award winner: Last night was the big event for Marcus Pimpleton, and we’ve received photos from the ceremony at the Intiman Theatre downtown. Sealth Jazz Band musicians were there:
And so were colleagues – with the honoree in the next photo, Alki Elementary principal Chanda Oatis (former Denny assistant principal) and Denny principal Jeff Clark, who notes, “Mr. Pimpleton does incredible things with our scholars every day — he richly deserves this prestigious honor”:
This is the 20th round of Golden Apple Awards presented by KCTS 9; we published first word three months ago. Here’s the official news release with the full list of statewide honorees.
The seniors playing basketball for West Seattle High School were honored last night during a busy night at the WSHS gym, with Eastside Catholic visiting. Though both varsity teams lost, it was an occasion to pay tribute to the hard work this season and the achievements of the departing players – we have the seniors’ photos, plus game recaps, ahead:Read More
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
(Refresh for latest “live” view of the eastbound WS Bridge)
*NO* BRIDGE CLOSURES SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND: Just to reiterate that! Next ones don’t start till 9 pm Monday. (P.S. This WSB report from last night contains SDOT’s report on last weekend’s informational shortcomings – and what will be done to prevent future reruns.)
KIDS’ CLOTHING AND TOY SALE: 9 am to 3 pm in the Social Hall of West Seattle Christian Church. From the announcement: “Come support our young families and find some great clothing, toys, and equipment. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Water Well Drilling Team for 2012. The Water Well Drilling Team will have an informational table at the sale.”
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF WEST SEATTLE OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-2 pm, 9450 22nd SW. More info on the CSWS home page. (CSWS is having one 10 am-2 pm next Saturday, Feb. 11, too.)
GRAND OPENING WEEKEND: Festivities today (and tomorrow!) at Pink Gorilla Games, 6053 California SW, 11 am-7 pm – snacks, raffle prizes, more. (Read about Pink Gorilla’s WS expansion here.)
CRAFT SALE #1: Freshy’s Coffee is hosting another “Homemade Brigade” craft sale from 10 am until 4 pm. From the announcement: “Local artists, with items ranging from jewelry, knits, prints, soaps, trinkets & such.”
OPEN HOUSE: Open house at Cometa Playschool, 3212 California SW, 10 am-noon – details on the Cometa website.
B & N STORYTIME: Storytime at Westwood Village Barnes and Noble bookstore on Saturdays at 11 am. From the announcement: “We usually do 2-3 stories, and offer treats for the kids. All ages are welcome!”
OCCUPY WEST SEATTLE: Per the announcement published here earlier this week, you’re invited to its meeting 2-5 pm at Alki UCC.
RAISING LANTERNS: Fundraiser at the Seattle Chinese Garden on the north side of South Seattle Community College, 3-6 pm, $20/person at the door.
POETRY WORKSHOP: “The Poetry of Place: Witness the Wise Words of White Center” with Seattle’s Poet Populist and SSCC creative writing teacher Mike Hickey, reading from his new book “A Dress Walked By With a Woman Inside,” as well as conducting a Q-&-A session and leading a workshop in which participants will create their own poetry! 2 pm at White Center Library.
(Photo courtesy Camp Fire; Wolverines members making Valentines for wounded warriors)
CAMP FIRE CANDY SALES CONTINUE: The Wolverines Camp Fire group from Westside School (WSB sponsor) will be selling candy 2-4 pm at West Seattle Thriftway. (Any other groups selling candy in WS this weekend? Let us know and we’ll add your location.)
CRAFT SALE #2: Crafts and Draughts craft/art bazaar at Skylark Café and Club, 4-7 pm, see Facebook invite here.
OWL PROWL: Look for Lincoln Park’s owls with naturalist Stewart Wechsler, 4:30 pm – full details here.
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: Free admission! “Monsters vs. Aliens” will be shown on 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Pathfinder K-8, 1901 SW Genesee. Pizza and other concessions available for purchase; proceeds go to the Pathfinder World Travel Program. Donations also accepted. Bring your own chair/blanket.
‘WONDERLAND’: This is described as a belly-dance version of Alice In Wonderland, 7-9 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Tickets $18/door, kids 12 and under are $10, 5 and uner are free.
FOOD HANDLER’S PERMIT CLASS FOR TEENS: Need a job? Already have one, but need a food handler’s permit? Southwest Teen Life Center has you covered! Every first Saturday of the month Southwest Teen Life Center is hosting (in partnership with Power of Place Programs) food handler’s classes! Free for teens 13-19, 7 pm. For more information stop into the Southwest Teen Life Center! 2801 SW Thistle St.
LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT: Announcement we received from the folks playing Skylark Café and Club:
We get the engines runnin’ with the folksy smokey alt-country talent of STACEY UNCK (9:00)
Then we fire things up with the soulful, fiery, and eclectic styles of CHRISTA SAYS YAY (10:00)
And…just when you think you can’t take the heat, you will blast off to another world with the vibrant, mesmerizing, melodic, space-age rock of
JULIA MASSEY & THE FIVE FINGER DISCOUNT (11:00)http://www.sonicbids.com/ChristaSaysYay
http://www.sonicbids.com/JuliaMassey
http://www.sonicbids.com/StaceyUnck
LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! Monthly “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” shadow casting and all, at Admiral Theater, Saturday night/Sunday morning at midnight.
Story and photos by Randall G. Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Spirit Week at Seattle Lutheran High School came to a happy conclusion tonight as the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams celebrated “Senior Night” with comfortable victories.
Surrendering no more than a baker’s dozen points defensively will generally translate into victory for a basketball team. This was the case for the Lady Saints, who managed 13 points in the first quarter alone on their way to a 43-13 win over the Lady Eagles of Evergreen Lutheran.
If you had to leave West Seattle for points eastward during the daytime last Saturday, you probably remember the bridge backup caused by what was supposed to be a weekend-long closure of the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct. The city had put out the word in advance, but not loudly and boldly enough, and worst of all in many eyes, there were no warning signs as you approached the bridge. After a deluge of complaints – and questions from us – SDOT promised a review of what went wrong with getting the word out and how that would be fixed for future closures. They also promised us the resulting report. We received it this evening; we’ll be writing a followup story, but there’s no point in you having to wait till then to read the report if you’re interested. It identifies 7 “issues” and how they’ll be addressed. Here’s the 2 1/2-page report, in memo form (PDF).
P.S. **No West Seattle Bridge closures scheduled this weekend**, once tonight’s eastbound SSV and Fauntleroy Expressway closures end by 5 am (the nighttime closures continue next week).
(Click for larger image)
With our recent traffic woes, more than a few West Seattleites might have wondered how things are going with the new South Park Bridge. Gatewood photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen answers the question by sharing these two views from over the project. What’s left of the old bridge – closed a year and a half ago, its drawspan removed – is right next to where the new one is being built; the squares you see in the water are the “main bascule piers” for the new bridge, according to its official county webpage. It’s expected to open in mid-2013. Here’s the view from directly overhead:
P.S. If you’re interested in ground photos, King County Road Services is working with a photographer to document the progress – you’ll find plenty of photos, including some from just two weeks ago, here.
Last night, a reader sent us this Craigslist link listing Avalon, the year-old restaurant in Luna Park, for lease. We asked its owners for comment – and just received this, from co-owner Deb Breuler:
We have decided to close. We had an OK year, but it’s just not enough to warrant going further into debt. We tried to renegotiate our rent to no avail. We had awesome guests and they made it worthwhile.
She added, “Today was our last day” (added) and just confirmed in response to our followup question, the closure has already taken effect. Avalon opened in January 2011, a few months after the shutdown of Café Revo (which had been in operation a year and a half); before that, the space had been home to a furnishings store.
(Stairway at 61st/Spokane, which will connect to another one above it as a result of this project)
From SDOT: Work starts Monday on a 2-month project to build a new staircase and path in the South Alki/Beach Drive area, at 61st/60th/Spokane (map). Read on for the full announcement:Read More
3:32 PM: A worker at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island died after a 100-foot fall this afternoon, according to this KING5.com report. The Seattle Fire 911 log shows a medic “7-per response,” generally an indication of a major injury or medical situation, to Vigor’s address on 16th SW at 12:19 pm. We’re seeking more information.
ADDED 3:53 PM: Our partners at the Seattle Times say workplace-safety investigators are on the scene.
ADDED 4:26 PM: Steve Hirsh, Vigor spokesperson, tells WSB: “A Vigor Shipyards employee was fatally injured shortly after noon today while at work on the drill rig ‘Kulluk.’ Vigor immediately instituted a safety stand-down at all of our facilities while we and safety officials thoroughly investigate the tragic accident.” The Kulluk has been at Vigor for work since midsummer.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog/White Center Now editor
White Center is where Justin Cline and Ann Magyar launched Full Tilt Ice Cream, and it’s where they’re adding an additional business space to facilitate more growth.
We were there two hours ago when Justin got the keys (from broker Mary K. Wynn, left) to the 16th SW space on the south block of downtown White Center that was briefly known as GAME Lounge, before that the Hang Around and The Wall, among other identities – like a fancy restaurant called Epicure.
But he has one other motivation besides more room to facilitate growth: Read More
The Gathering of Neighbors returns this year, with a new group of community volunteers leading the way, and, as Michael Taylor-Judd told the Southwest District Council night before last, they can use your help to make it happen! Here’s the official announcement:
Come be a part of the Gathering of Neighbors: Businesses and Community organizations from across the West Seattle Peninsula, all together, one day, one place, as “one community”.
April 21st, 2012 marks the return of the Gathering of Neighbors, this year sponsored by Visualizing Increased Engagement West Seattle(VIEWS) and SW Youth and Family Services. The combination of both community and businesses participants promises to have Chief Sealth High School bursting at the seams with booths full of information.
Attendees will experience, in one place and time, the tremendous wealth of services and goods available to them in their own neighborhoods right here in West Seattle. Entertainment and refreshments will be part of the celebration.
Part of our celebration will be appreciation for the artistic side of West Seattle, and we will be featuring a photo, logo, and essay contest. There were will be suggested topics and submission categories on the website, with prizes presented to the top selections the day of the event.
Are you part of a group or business who would want to participate? Download applications and more info at viewswestseattle.org or contact Rafael Garcia, rafa.les.gar@gmail.com , (206) 380-2066
Gathering Of Neighbors:
Date: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Chief Sealth International High School,
2600 SW Thistle St
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