day : 07/01/2013 12 results

11:35 PM: Police are searching right now for someone who robbed the Papa John’s pizza shop on California SW north of Brandon. A K-9 team is joining the search too. According to scanner traffic, this happened after closing time – the robber is reported to have broken glass to get in and steal cash. It’s described as a strong-arm robbery, no weapon reported to have been seen. The suspect was described as a white man, 20s to 30s, stocky, dark clothing, possibly carrying some kind of bag. A fire crew is going to the scene too, because one person is reported hurt.

2:01 AM: Just checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says no one’s been arrested, but they might have some evidence: “Officers did locate some clothing in an alley that may or may not have been worn by the suspect.”

11:05 AM: SPD Blotter now has a report on the robbery – no major new details – see it here.

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Admiral Neighborhood Association kicks off 2013 Tuesday night

January 7, 2013 9:46 pm

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| Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Live and/or work in the Admiral area? Start the new year by checking out your community council. David Whiting, newly elected president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, sent word of the agenda for tomorrow night’s 2013 kickoff meeting . The agenda includes discussions of 2013 events – including ANA’s signature Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series – and an upcoming mayoral walking tour in The Admiral District. The group also will discuss recommendations for serving/supporting a local charity. All are welcome – even if you just want to observe; the meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church, California/Hill.

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Gun-buyback program to be announced, with sponsors including Nucor

January 7, 2013 7:47 pm

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| Safety | West Seattle news

A media event is planned tomorrow morning at Mount Zion Baptist Church in the Central District to announce the Seattle-King County Gun Safety Initiative, described as including “a new gun-buyback effort in Seattle and the surrounding region.” The invitation says it’ll be announced by leaders including County Executive Dow Constantine and Mayor Mike McGinn, with four former mayors co-chairing the initiative, including West Seattleite Greg Nickels. Business and community sponsors listed include West Seattle’s Nucor Steel as well as the Seattle Police Foundation, Amazon, and others, with community partners including the Associated Recreation Council (which runs programs at community centers and park facilities around Seattle). This is all from an e-mail invitation sent to media organizations including ours; we’ll add any other details we find. P.S. This won’t be the first one in our area – in 1992, this Seattle Times (WSB partner) story reminds us, more than 1,200 guns were collected in a matter of days. Some of them were “entombed” in a sculpture donated to the city two years later by the group that sponsored the buyback.

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Followup: Shell’s drilling vessel Kulluk anchors in ‘safe harbor’

January 7, 2013 5:26 pm

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| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

That’s U.S. Coast Guard video from flyovers (nighttime until about :50 in) during the towing of the Shell drilling vessel Kulluk, which is now reported to be anchored in a “safe harbor” 30 miles from where it ran aground on Alaska’s Kodiak Island. As reported previously, Kulluk was being towed back to Seattle – where it spent almost a year at Harbor Island’s Vigor Shipyards, before heading to the Arctic ocean for exploratory drilling – when things went very wrong in bad weather, and it eventually drifted loose and grounded. A “Unified Command” was formed to handle the situation, and early this morning, Kulluk was re-floated and towed about 30 miles. It’s now scheduled to be examined and evaluated, before a decision is made what to do next – possibly a resumption of the trip back here. By the way, the oceangoing tugs participating in the operation right now include one from Crowley on Harbor Island, the Ocean Wave.

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Followup: Trial date set for suspect in Morgan Junction murder

January 7, 2013 4:03 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Almost a year after the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Travis Hood alongside Morgan Junction Park, a trial date has just been set for his alleged killer. May 1st is the trial date set for the man arrested at his Gatewood home shortly after the deadly shooting on January 21, 2012. He continues to refuse to confirm that he is Lovett Chambers, the name by which he has been charged; today’s court documents and others preceding them have been signed with an X and a notation that they were signed “by the person alleged to be Lovett Chambers.” Also at this afternoon’s hearing in King County Superior Court, a pre-trial readiness hearing was set for March 24th. Chambers was charged with first-degree murder last year and pleaded not guilty in February 2012. According to investigators, the victim and alleged killer were strangers to each other but had both been in a nearby bar until moments before the shooting, for which no clear motive has been suggested; the reported circumstances were detailed at length in our report on the charge filed against Chambers last year.

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West Seattle scene: The wave of the future?

January 7, 2013 2:03 pm

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| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Wind from the west-southwest combined with high tide earlier this afternoon to send waves crashing over the seawall, fence, and road along Constellation Park south of Alki Point. We stopped for a photo to go with a reminder that another round of “king tides” is on the way – today’s high tide just before noon was just short of 12 feet, and the afternoon high tide is on the wane, but the morning high tide is on the rise, heading for a peak of 13.1 feet at 7:01 am next Monday (January 14th). You’ll recall that the highest “king tide” a month earlier (WSB 12/17/12 coverage here) combined with a storm surge to make history with the city’s highest high-water level ever – inundating many homes along Beach Drive. Too soon to say for sure, but, while Tuesday night and Wednesday look windy, the peak-tide period days later doesn’t look too bad so far. P.S. You can find the tide chart any time on the WSB Weather page.

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MLK Day of Service: Spend it in the forest with Nature Consortium

January 7, 2013 12:01 pm

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| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Nature Consortium)
Two weeks till Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day – which has become more than a holiday; it’s become the MLK Day of Service. We are often asked in the days leading up to it “where in West Seattle can I volunteer that day?” – and this year, we have an early heads-up from WS-based Nature Consortium, including the preceding Saturday. Here’s the NC announcement:

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Nature Consortium will host a Weekend of Service with two opportunities to volunteer in Seattle’s largest remaining forest, the West Duwamish Greenbelt. The events commemorate Dr. King’s life and legacy as the father of environmental justice. On Saturday, January 19 and Monday, January 21, volunteers can spend “a day on, not a day off” as part of an ongoing effort to restore the forest to healthy condition.

Nationwide, minority communities are disproportionately affected by pollution, and Seattle is no exception. The Duwamish River is a toxic waste site impacting thousands of residents in South Seattle, the majority of whom are people of color. Philip Pantaleo, a South Park resident and Nature Consortium volunteer, describes how environmental injustice has affected his diverse community.

“The soil in South Park was so contaminated with pollutants introduced by local industry that it was not safe to grow food in our front yards,” says Pantaleo. He volunteers in the West Duwamish Greenbelt to help improve environmental health in his neighborhood.

Extending over 500 acres in West Seattle, the West Duwamish Greenbelt plays a critical role in filtering the air and water pollution in the Duwamish River corridor created by urban runoff and industrial waste. Nature Consortium’s work in the West Duwamish Greenbelt will aid the restoration of the watershed, creating a healthier environment for South Seattle and allowing more equal access to its natural resources.

On MLK Weekend, Nature Consortium and volunteers will plant trees and other native plants in an area of the greenbelt known as the Soundway site, 32 acres of land the City of Seattle had intended to sell to developers. Community members including Nature Consortium banded together in 2004 to save the property from development and have since worked year round to restore the urban habitat.

In the spirit of Nature Consortium’s mission to “connect people, arts, and nature,” these outdoor events will also feature live musicians to entertain volunteers while they work. Saturday’s event will also offer free chair massage for volunteers provided by Essence of the Sun Bodywork and Massage as a show of gratitude for their hard work.

For more information or to register for a volunteer event, visit www.naturec.org.

Any other MLK Day service opportunities in West Seattle/White Center/South Park? Please let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – so we can help get the word out. Thank you!

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Update: Arbor Heights Elementary burglarized again

January 7, 2013 10:04 am

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| Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

FIRST REPORT, 10:04 AM: For the second time in two months, Arbor Heights Elementary has been burglarized. Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson tells WSB the break-in was discovered after an alarm went off around 5 am; officers found a door, hinge pins removed, propped open on the south side of the school, and started searching. Though the final report isn’t in yet, so far, it appears that one classroom was broken into and “a couple computers removed,” according to Det. Jamieson. That’s also what happened at the school two months ago, as reported here November 6th, though we don’t know yet if it was the same classroom. We have an inquiry in with Seattle Public Schools, seeking more details. (Thanks to the WSB’er who tipped us to this by reporting police were seen at the school early today.)

11:50 AM UPDATE: District spokesperson Teresa Wippel says this is not the same classroom as the November break-in mentioned above. So far, they know “at least two Apple computers” were taken this time. The alarm tripped at 4:52 am, and the call got to police within minutes, but the burglar(s) were gone.

4:29 PM UPDATE: More information from SPS’s Wippel: Four computers were stolen today, worth $1,800 each – $7,200 total – “And no budget to replace them. The four stolen last November weren’t replaced either. (Principal) Christy Collins said the kids ‘feel violated’.”

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West Seattle Monday: What’s happening today/tonight

January 7, 2013 8:59 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

It’s back-to-school day for Seattle Public Schools – the last to return from holiday break. Stormy weather’s moving in. And the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar is back in gear too. Among the events listed for today/tonight as the new year gets down to business:

WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: 3 pm today at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW), with the theme “$5 Dishes” – cook one without spending more, and bring it to share. Details in the calendar listing.

COAL MOVIE: 6:30 tonight at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Pastoral Center (35th and Myrtle), “Dirty Coal: The Toxic Addiction” will be screened. Details in the calendar listing.

FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at the High Point branch of the Seattle Public Library (35th and Raymond) – which, as of yesterday, is one of the branches open on Sundays, and SPL is looking for your opinion on Sunday programming – take the survey here.

PUB QUIZ: On an otherwise quiet night for nightlife, Monday night pub quiz is a staple on the Shadowland calendar, 8 pm.

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West Seattle Community Orchestras welcome new members as rehearsals resume

January 7, 2013 8:57 am

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| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Tomorrow night, the West Seattle Community Orchestras start their new year, and as always, they’re open to new members. (The clip above is from one of the orchestras, the West Seattle Symphony, recorded at its holiday concert December 5th.) Here’s the official announcement:

Registration is open and ready for you for the Winter and Spring sessions of the West Seattle Community Orchestras. From our Debut Orchestra to Intermediate, full Symphony, and adult beginner groups, WSCO has a spot for anyone – from young student through experienced adult – interested in orchestral music.

First rehearsal of Winter session is Tuesday, January 8, at Chief Sealth International High School, and registration can be completed via our website, by e-mail or in person at the first rehearsal. For full details (rehearsal times and concert schedules) on each group, including Adult Beginning Strings Class, Adult Beginning Winds and Percussion Class, and the Debut, Intermediate and Symphony Orchestras, visit wscorchestras.org.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Back-to-school Monday

January 7, 2013 6:03 am

| 15 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:03 AM: The last of the post-winter-break back-to-school days is here – Seattle Public Schools classes resume today after two weeks off.

Also of note: If you drive/ride/bike/walk along Delridge, get ready for the repaving project that begins Thursday in the Phase 1 zone (between Trenton and Henderson) – it’ll mean slower going and southbound detours (here’s the latest).

And an alert for those who travel through SODO – some work on Spokane Street today and tomorrow.

Have a safe day, and share the news when you can if something of note happens along the way.

7:37 AM UPDATE: Still quiet.

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Watch college basketball, and help Special Olympics athletes

January 7, 2013 2:14 am

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| How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Local Special Olympics athletes are getting a helping hand from Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Knights of Columbus – and just by going to see a college-basketball game, you’ll be pitching in. SO benefits from half the ticket sales in a special promotion for this Thursday’s Seattle University basketball game vs. New Mexico (7 pm) – and some of its athletes will play at halftime. To get in on the special ticket deal, use this link and the code word “unified.”

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