The WSBeat: Pursuits, attacks, sharp-eyed citizens, and more
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 that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?”:
*At 39th and Oregon on the 17th, around 8 pm, a man driving by noticed another citizen being threatened by a man with a gun. He honked his car horn, and the suspect — along with a second man — ran off. The driver picked up the victim and drove him home while the victim called 911. Due to heavy foot traffic in the area, the K9 unit couldn’t pick up a good trail. The man with the gun was described as black, 22-29 years old, around 5’10”, wearing a dark hoodie. The other man (who stole the victim’s cell phone) was described as white, aged 22-29, about 6’2”, wearing dark clothing.
*On the 18th, in the 7300 block of 30th SW, a man found two young men peering into his car, which was warming up in the driveway. He asked, “Did you take something from my car?” In response, one youth turned and punched him four or five times. Officers tracked down two teens matching the description in the restroom at EC Hughes Park. The 15-year-old who threw the punches was booked into the Youth Service Center for investigation of assault and for investigation of marijuana possession. The other, 16, was released to his parents.
Nine more summaries ahead:Read More
West Seattle Cooking Club moving to weekend meetings
One of the clubs whose meetings are regularly featured in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, the West Seattle Cooking Club, is changing its schedule. It has long met mostly on Monday afternoons, but now it’s changing to every other Sunday, we’re told by WSCC’s Jenn Gibson. That starts with this Sunday, 3 pm, at Beveridge Place Pub, when the theme will be “breakfast cereal” – so you’re asked to make and bring something involving a recipe using breakfast cereal. Because of Easter, the next meeting will be three weeks after that (“Foods Inspired by the Movies” on April 14th), and we’ll have the rest of the calendar in ours – or check the WSCC website.
Vibrant Life Guided Wellness Programs: New WSB sponsor
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Vibrant Life Guided Wellness Programs:
West Seattle naturopath Dr. Katherine Oldfield and Bastyr-trained dietitian Michelle Babb have joined
forces to create Vibrant Life Guided Wellness Programs – a whole-foods based, anti-inflammatory program for weight management and optimal cardiovascular health. Dr. Oldfield (right) and Michelle (below right) facilitate and guide each 12-week program, bringing people together with similar challenges to receive professional guidance with the goal of health transformation from the inside out. The groups are purposefully kept small to facilitate sharing and to personalize the program. Most programs involve a three-week hormone-balancing cleanse or an anti-inflammatory cleanse. Michelle and Dr. Oldfield guide the re-introduction of the foods so that each participant learns how to eat a delicious whole-foods diet that optimizes their health, increases energy, reduces joint pain, and promotes long-term weight management. Depending on the program, Katherine and Michelle share their knowledge on topics that range from inflammation to menopause, 
but most importantly they integrate their passion for food and give practical tips that set their program participants up for success. The programs always include cooking demos, guest speakers and hands-on activities.
We all know it’s important to eat more vegetables, cut down on the junk food and get some exercise, but knowing and doing are two different things. Vibrant Life helps people achieve those goals and make lifelong change. “The most rewarding part of this program is seeing people who have been chronic dieters change their relationship with food, lose weight and learn to be truly healthy without dieting,” said Michelle. “And I get to see the evidence of how these changes affect our class participants when labs come back showing better blood sugar control and decreased cholesterol” added Dr Oldfield. The Vibrant Life philosophy is that weight loss is not just a calories-in, calories-out equation. The type of food matters, and there are a multitude of other factors that influence weight including exercise, sleep, hormone imbalance and stress management. All of these factors are addressed in the 12-week programs. Vibrant Life’s co-founders both live and have their individual practices in West Seattle. Dr. Oldfield says “We may not be as intriguing as the story about catamarans with couches, or as riveting as the recent estate sale robbery, but anybody who takes one of our classes can expect to learn a whole new way of eating and approaching health and have fun doing it.”
For more info or to take the quiz and see what program is right for you, visit www.vibrantlifeseattle.com.
We thank Vibrant Life Guided Wellness Programs for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
West Seattle restaurants: Redline WS to open at 3295 Avalon Way
Even before a flurry of inquiries wondering what we knew about that sign on the lower level of The Residences at 3295 – the finally-almost-done building on the southeast corner of 35th/Avalon – we’d been trying to reach the former proprietor of Redline Music and Sports, to ask if it meant his plan to “resurrect” Redline was itself revived. (It was in the works two years ago – till the building changed owners.) Today, we found a partner in the business who says, only in name. A restaurant is indeed opening there under the name Redline WS, Michael Bauer told WSB’s Katie Meyer. And former Redline proprietor Scott Goerig is involved – managing and marketing Redline WS, Bauer says. But otherwise, according to Bauer, it’ll be an all-ages family restaurant with TVs showing sports events all day long, and a menu featuring pizza and burgers, “typical Americana.” In the morning, he says, it will likely have more of a coffee-shop feel because of the major bus stops nearby. Redline WS is targeting a June opening – but things could change, so stay tuned.
West Seattle Weather Watch: Icy shower
2:52 PM: We’ve heard that other parts of West Seattle have had off-on hail/graupel/sleet etc. this afternoon, and it’s finally arrived here in Upper Fauntleroy. Ground-covering, even! Photo in a moment.
2:58 PM: And now … it’s sunny!
3:34 PM NOTE: This might not be the end of the unstable weather – the National Weather Service renewed the alert just before that icy shower hit. (Still sunny as we write, though.)
Allstar Fitness bankruptcy: Hearing tomorrow; new court filings – and a warning
(UPDATED THURSDAY EVENING with new comments from prospective club buyer Sam Adams, and another “response” document – both updates added at end of story)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Continuing our coverage of Allstar Fitness‘s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, there are new developments as the proposed sale of the 
club’s assets goes before a federal judge downtown tomorrow morning:
More than 50 responses and/or objections to the sale motion have been filed, according to our most recent check of the online docket. We haven’t read all of them yet; most appear to be from individuals, with one exception: GRE 509 Olive LLC.
Its objection involves both the sale and the purchase. You can read it in its entirety here; while we’ve been working on this story, a response has been filed as well – a response saying that if the sale is not approved, the bankruptcy will go to Chapter 7 and the club will close, and had already been on the brink of closing in January.
First, excerpts from the objection:
Read More
Fairmount Ravine cleanup sequel this Saturday: Can you help?
(March 10 WSB photo by Nick Adams)
Can you help Fairmount Ravine neighbors finish what they started almost two weeks ago? As you might have seen in our coverage of their annual cleanup, they had so much to handle, from encampments to weeds, that they decided to follow up – so at 8:30 am this Saturday (March 23), they and anyone else who cares to help will meet again at Fairmount and Forest south of the ravine (map) for another couple hours of cleanup. John Lang tells WSB, “If enough people show up, we will clean the Admiral bridge sidewalk too. We did this 2 years ago and cleared off decades of leaf mulch and garbage. This is a heavily used pedestrian walkway to Admiral Junction.”
Next Whale Trail event set: ‘Harbor Porpoises in the Salish Sea’
(Photo courtesy John Calambokidis)
Your next chance to join The Whale Trail and friends in learning about local marine life is one week from tonight. From TWT’s Donna Sandstrom:
Harbor porpoises were once commonly seen throughout the Salish Sea. After falling to record lows, sightings are on the increase. Is the population coming back? Scientists recently gathered to discuss what we know – and don’t know – about these elusive animals. What is their range? What do they eat? Like their cousins the orcas, harbor porpoise are an indicator species for the health of Puget Sound. How are they doing?
Join us for on March 28 at C & P Coffee for the next Orca Talk, featuring John Calambokidis, founder and director of Cascadia Research. John and his colleague Jessie Huggins are leaders in the transboundary effort to assess and monitor the health of the harbor porpoise population in the Salish Sea. John is a renowned biologist who directs long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales. In 2010, John conducted the necropsy on the gray whale that stranded on Arroyo Beach in West Seattle.
The event is scheduled 6:30-9 pm, $5 suggested donation, tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Along with the guest speaker and The Whale Trail, Donna adds, “The event also features updates from Robin Lindsey (Seal Sitters), and ‘Diver Laura’ James (tox-ick.org and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance), and photography and art from Judy Lane and Mike Russell.”
Public hearing set April 24 for city’s marijuana-zoning proposal
In recent months, City Council President Sally Clark and Councilmember Nick Licata have made the rounds of neighborhood meetings to talk about the proposed city zoning restrictions for marijuana growing/selling/etc. (Here’s our video of Clark’s briefing at the Southwest District Council last November.) Today, the city has announced 2 pm April 24 as a City Council committee’s public-hearing date for its proposals – here’s the notice that just arrived with the biweekly Land Use Information Bulletin. You can read the newest revision of the proposed ordinance (dated two days ago) by going here, and/or reading the summary here; one topline for potential West Seattle effects – it would limit marijuana business/growing activity in single-family and multi-family residential zones, and in Neighborhood Commercial 1 zones. The city also created an “informal” map earlier this year with an overlay of proposed city and state rules. Today’s hearing notice also explains how to comment in writing if you can’t be there in person.
West Seattle Women’s Golf Club would love to see you on the links
Even this morning’s chill can’t chase away the spring daydreams – like getting out and golfing. Ruthi Winter shares the annual invitation from the West Seattle Women’s Golf Club for prospective new members:
Dust off your clubs! It’s time to get ready for the 2013 Golf Season!
The West Seattle Women’s Golf Club is welcoming new members for the 2013 season. Applications may be found on the West Seattle Women’s Golf Club Website.
Our organization began in the 1940s and has been in continuous operation since then. On this well established and beautiful course, you will enjoy breath-taking views of downtown Seattle, Mt. Rainier, and even Mt. Baker on occasion.
Our organization is made up of women of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced golfers from all areas within Seattle and the surrounding communities. We offer weekly competitions as well as other special tournaments that are free to all members. This is a great group of women who love to play golf and socialize fter a rousing game at our outdoor café, rated by Golf Digest as one of the 50 best 19th holes in the country.
We’d love to have you join us for the 2013 season at the West Seattle Golf Course, one of the best public courses in the Northwest. For more information, please contact Ruthi Winter, West Seattle Women’s Golf Club New Member Chair, at 206 251 2031 or ruthi.winter@gmail.com.
West Seattle Thursday: Businesses; buses; benefit; more…
(Salmonberry blossom shared by “Old Desolate” via the WSB Flickr group)
First full day of spring, and many more flowers to come! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, some of what’s up today/tonight:
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCH: Hear the secrets of business success from local entrepreneurs (including WSB sponsor Ventana Construction) during today’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce lunch, 11:30 am at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way; WSB sponsor).
NEED AN ORCA CARD? You can get one at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon; WSB sponsor) today at 12:15 pm – details in our calendar listing.
PROTEST MARCH: Supporters of the Idle No More movement is planning a protest march from downtown to the SSA HQ on Harbor Island, to oppose the Whatcom County coal-terminal proposal. Here’s the Facebook event with timeline and route map; this could affect low-bridge users in late afternoon.
NATURE CONSORTIUM GALA: Tonight’s the night for the Nature Consortium‘s new-format gala, “Deep Roots,” at West Seattleite-owned Herban Feast’s SODO Park, with WSB among the event sponsors. 6 pm – details and map in our calendar listing. (Just before publishing this, we checked with Lindsay at NC, and there are a few tickets left – call her at 206-229-5984 ASAP if you are interested.)
ASK AN EXPERT: WSB sponsor LD Arch Design is one of tonight’s experts at the West Seattle Tool Library – from the Facebook event page, tonight’s experts and topics, available for free consultation:
Sustainable Home Renovations | Mighty House Construction
Edible Gardening + Urban Farms | Gray Sky Farm
Architecture and Interior Design | LC Arch Design
ATE runs 6-8 pm – just drop in.
ALSO AT THE TOOL LIBRARY – ARE YOU SHOVEL-READY? The Fixers’ Collective can help you get ready for shoveling season – 6-9 pm at the West Seattle Tool Library (northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW.
NIGHTLIFE – MUSIC AND COMEDY: Check out the individual performance/venues’ listings on the calendar page!
TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Chilly Thursday
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
A weather alert for possible snow showers remains in effect this morning – more likely around the North Seattle/south Snohomish County “convergence zone,” but you’re now forewarned in case it happens further south. Road work reminders: It’s day 2 of Phase 2 work on the Delridge Way repaving project; Delridge is now closed in the southbound direction between Thistle and Trenton. And this weekend, you’ll find ramp closures Friday night through Monday morning because of the I-5 Spokane St. Interchange Special Bridge Repair Project: From the West Seattle Bridge, you won’t be able to get to northbound I-5 or to Beacon Hill.
DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC ALERT THIS MORNING: Police are investigating a shooting on the south end of downtown – the 911 log puts it at 2nd Avenue Ext. and S. Main; SPD, via Twitter, says 3rd/Washington (they’re both in the same triangle area shown on this map). The investigation is likely to affect traffic in that area for hours.
8:29 AM UPDATE: KING 5‘s traffic reporter Tracy Taylor tweets that the investigation scene has cleared.
8:55 AM NOTE: Thanks to Leeann for letting us know about a protest planned on Harbor Island this afternoon. We will write a separate story about it later but in the meantime, for commute purposes, here’s what it’s about, the indigenous/tribal movement Idle No More protesting the Northwest Washington coal-terminal proposal – always tough to figure out in advance whether a protest will attract dozens or hundreds, but some plan to march from Westlake to the SSA terminal on Harbor Island.
High-school soccer: Chief Sealth boys’ breezy battle
Photos by Nick Adams for WSB
(Sealth’s Elijah Lazo and Roosevelt’s Charlie Spurr fight for ball control)
On the first afternoon of spring, a wintry wind blew as Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-varsity soccer team hosted Roosevelt on Wednesday afternoon. They fought to a scoreless tie – which gives them a 3-1-1 record after the first five games of the season.
(Sealth’s Anthony Masundire drives down the field)
More of WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams‘ scenes from the game, ahead:
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