day : 21/01/2013 11 results

First – no arrest so far in this afternoon’s armed robbery. We do have 3 Crime Watch reader reports. First – Melissa asks that you be on the lookout for this stolen car:

My boyfriend’s car was stolen today in Westwood between 2 pm and 7:15 pm. It’s a blue 1991 Toyota Camry with the plate 695-ZHJ. There’s noticeable damage to both the front and back bumper. It’s scratched up and pretty much black on the corners. Nothing valuable inside, just hoping to locate it.

Call 911 if you see it, as advised by SPD via @getyourcarback.

The other two are car prowls. From Amie:

Car was rummaged through. Nothing valuable taken because nothing valuable was in the car, but papers were strew on the seat from the glove box. Seaview neighborhood.

And from Conor:

We live on 47th SW between Charlestown and Spokane and had our car window smashed (early Monday) at 2 am. Cameras show a man and a women team working each side of the street. They wiped the fog off nearly every car on the block looking for stuff.

Cameras are in fact on the agenda for our area’s next crime-fighting meeting: West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets Tuesday night, 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), all welcome, even if you’re not a BW captain or even (yet) in a BW.

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How to achieve high-school enrollment equity? WSHS PTSA dives in

January 21, 2013 7:25 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Chief Sealth International High School 1275, West Seattle High School 968.

It’s no sports score; there’s much more at stake with that tally, the 2012-2013 enrollment stats for our area’s two major public high schools.

That’s why it was on the WSHS PTSA‘s agenda for this month’s meeting, with two high-ranking district reps on hand – the Southwest Region Executive Director of Schools, Carmela Dellino, and the elected School Board director for West Seattle/South Park, Marty McLaren.

Neither was in her current position when district staffers and board members crafted and approved the Student Assignment Plan blamed for the current state of enrollment inequity – something the then-board was warned would happen – and did.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Police search for armed robber

January 21, 2013 4:17 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

4:17 PM: Police are searching right now for someone reported to have held up a business in the strip mall on the northeast corner of 35th and Roxbury. The robber is described in scanner traffic as black, male, about 25 years old, red bandana over his face, 6 feet tall, slender, black beanie, dark puffy jacket. He was reported to be armed with a 9-mm handgun. He was last seen headed northbound on 35th. The address given for the robbery is the smoke shop at 9650 35th; we have a crew en route.

4:52 PM: Adding a photo. Not much additional information at the scene – police confirmed Discount Smoke and Beverage is the store that was robbed; they got conflicting reports about which way the robber was seen running, so they’re searching in all directions. They were also still working to find out what the robber got away with. No injuries reported.

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MLK Day of Service: Bicyclists’ cleanup under the bridge

January 21, 2013 4:07 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Environment | Holidays | West Seattle news

It would have taken an impossibly high tide to carry that crab pot to where it was found during this afternoon’s West Seattle Spokespeople-organized cleanup under the bridge. That’s the most unusual item they’d found when we stopped by midway through the cleanup.

It was a multi-generational cleanup – Theresa and her daughter were among those out along the bike path, photographed near the West Marginal Place access point:

Tools for the cleanup were provided by the West Seattle Tool Library.

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West Seattle-founded Derby Brats’ Galaxy Girls to bout at Southgate

January 21, 2013 12:42 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | White Center | WS & Sports

(Seattle Derby Brats in action; photo by Frank Blau)
So almost everybody’s talking basketball today. But roller derby is making news too – not just because the Rat City Rollergirls‘ season is under way, but because of this big event coming to Southgate Roller Rink on Saturday. Manya shares the news on behalf of the Seattle Derby Brats:

On January 26th, at 5 pm, the Portland Rosebuds and the Seattle Derby Brats Galaxy Girls will bout at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center. They are two of the best junior roller-derby teams in the country, and they are also ranked #1 and #3 in the world.

The Seattle Derby Brats were started by a Rat City Rollergirl at Pathfinder School in West Seattle. The ‘brats’ now number 103 girls, ages 8 to 18, drawn from all areas of the Northwest.

The Galaxy Girls evolved as the competitive travel team that bouts other teams in the state and country. If you would like to read more on this sport, there’s a video at seattlederbybrats.com, the second part shows some of the girls in an actual bout.

If you enjoy great action and athleticism, come join us at Southgate Skate Center on Saturday night!

Southgate is at 9646 17th SW, less than a block south of Roxbury.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: King County burn ban lifted

January 21, 2013 12:00 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news

Just in from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: The burn ban in King County is OVER (here’s the proof) – so no more restrictions TFN. The fog isn’t expected to be around too much longer – the newest forecast projects rain as soon as tomorrow night.

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West Seattle schools: Global Cities educators visit Denny, Sealth

January 21, 2013 11:19 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Global Cities educators visit Denny, Sealth

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Global Cities Education Network visitors in the Sealth library)
On this MLK Day holiday meant for contemplation of understanding, collaboration, and diversity, among other things, we have an update on one way that’s happening across borders, right here in West Seattle. Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark shares news of a delegation that visited Denny and adjacent Chief Sealth International High School last week as part of the Global Cities Education Network‘s meeting.

Clark explains, “The first GCEN meeting took place in Hong Kong on May 10-12, 2012, and included participating cities: Chicago, Denver, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Toronto. Participants identified several common, high-priority problems of practice and agreed to initially focus on two: the need to develop and sustain a high-quality teaching force, and the need to improve educational outcomes for low performing and linguistically and culturally diverse students.” He adds, ““We were very pleased to have the chance to welcome educators from around the globe to see the powerful things happening with our scholars at Denny International. The opportunity to network and discuss global educational issues is important and was insightful.” The visit report includes an observation from Sealth principal Chris Kinsey: “Chief Sealth International High School continues to open its doors to the world. Collaborating with international educators to create new opportunities for our students is a core element of who we are as an International School.” Here’s Sealth teacher Noah Zeichner, involved in many of their internationally focused initiatives (such as World Water Week), with a colleague from Hong Kong:

The visiting educators also checked out John Stanford International School while in Seattle.

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Seattle NBA deal: County Executive Constantine looking forward to ‘Welcome home, Sonics!’; Councilmember McDermott ‘thrilled’

January 21, 2013 9:44 am

| 61 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

The big citywide story today is the deal to bring NBA basketball back to Seattle – and elected officials from West Seattle are hailing the deal. From King County Executive Dow Constantine:

The return of our hometown team is now within reach. I was a high school kid in the spring of 1979 when I joined 300,000 fellow fans on the streets of downtown Seattle to celebrate our Supersonics winning the NBA Championship. Those were great days for our community.

Thanks to Chris Hansen and his investment partners Steve Ballmer, Peter and Erik Nordstrom, and the strength of regional partnerships and our collective can-do spirit, we can now look forward to celebrating the day we can say, ‘Welcome home, Sonics!’

ADDED 10:23 AM: From another West Seattle-residing elected official, County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who chairs the council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee:

I’m thrilled Mr. Hansen and his partners acquired a team. We are closer than ever to having the Sonics play in Seattle again.

Yet, this is just one step in many left before the new arena will be built. As we agreed last year, an economic impact analysis and a full environmental review must be completed before the arena deal is finalized. The County, City and Mr. Hansen will continue to work together until the opening tip-off.

More to come.

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TRANSIT/TRAFFIC TODAY: King Day Monday

January 21, 2013 6:03 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
We know this isn’t a day off for everyone, so here’s the transit and traffic tracker, with a few notes:

METRO: Reduced-weekday service
WATER TAXI: No service
SOUND TRANSIT: Regular service
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES: Regular service

Tonight’s traffic alert: Southbound 99 is closed from Battery St. Tunnel to West Seattle Bridge for four nights again this week, 10 pm-5 am, tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday nights.

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Seal Sitters updates: ‘Year of the Seal,’ and a bittersweet find

January 21, 2013 2:07 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Seal Sitters photos by David Hutchinson)
From Robin Lindsey @ Seal Sitters:

Every year, Seal Sitters’ hotline (206-905-7325) receives hundreds of calls. Most are local, but many others come from surrounding areas of Puget Sound. As part of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Seal Sitters responds to all reports of marine mammals on the beaches of West Seattle – both live and dead. Usually, the calls concern vulnerable harbor seal pups resting and warming up on shore. However, with a 50% mortality rate their first year, Seal Sitters deals with many dead pups annually.

Saturday afternoon, we responded to our first mortality of 2013. The hotline received a report of a “sick” pup at Lowman Beach Park, being watched over by a young girl until volunteers could arrive. Responders discovered that the pup was in fact dead. As is the norm in these cases, the location was noted, photo ID taken, a brief visual examination was made, and the length was recorded (35 ½ inches).

Because the dead pup was in such good condition and a prime candidate for necropsy, a call was made to WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations. The pup was bagged and removed from the beach. Transport will be made to the WDFW lab in Lakewood, in hopes that the cause of death can be determined. Thanks to Schmitz Park Elementary student Lunabella who called the hotline.

Seal Sitters recently received an award from Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods matching fund program to implement our project for 2013, “Year of the Seal.” To receive and expend these funds, our volunteers are required to put in an equivalent number of matching hours of work on the educational project, culminating with the installation at Alki Beach of a bronze sculpture depicting a harbor seal mom and pup. The most numerous marine mammals in Puget Sound, harbor seals are the most likely to be encountered on our beaches, as they spend about half of their lives on shore. Harbor seals do not migrate. Seals born in our area stay year-round their entire lives. For this reason, they are considered to be an “indicator species” of the health of our waters. Throughout the year, Seal Sitters will be placing an emphasis on educational outreach to inform local school children and the public about important issues regarding our fragile marine ecosystem.

In the coming months, public meetings co-sponsored by Seattle Parks & Recreation, will be held to present our Year of the Seal sculpture concept and site location and will welcome your input. Stay tuned for further details. Read more about the project on the Seal Sitters website.

If you are interested in getting a look at some of our local pinnipeds, you might visit Jack Block Park. Quite a number of harbor seals have been hauling out there since mid-December.

(That’s where the top photo was taken.)

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Also on Tuesday: Sustainable West Seattle’s annual meeting

January 21, 2013 12:50 am

| Comments Off on Also on Tuesday: Sustainable West Seattle’s annual meeting

| Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

In honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday, today is the MLK Day of Service – but tomorrow (Tuesday) you have multiple opportunities to carry on that spirit of service, by participating in community meetings. Here’s one more from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar that we’re making sure you see ahead of time:

Sustainable West Seattle‘s annual membership meeting is Tuesday, January 22nd from 7 – 9 pm at the West Seattle Senior Center.

You’ll hear about SWS programs for 2013 and ways that you can get involved as a volunteer. We’ll be introducing our new and returning board members plus appreciating our outgoing board colleagues.

You will also learn about the kick-off of our 2013 SWS Green Project Incubator Grant with $1000 generously donated from the CoHo Team of Windermere Agents. SWS will offer this grant to a West Seattle resident who applies with an idea to foster sustainability in our neighborhood. Come to the meeting for more details.

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