West Seattle, Washington
13 Tuesday
What a sight at Seacrest tonight – Toni shares photos of the All-City Band‘s practice/photo session, with what amounted to a front-row seat. You’ll get to see and hear the All-City Band marching down California SW during Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. The band features musicians from schools around the city, directed by West Seattle’s own Marcus Pimpleton, music leader at Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School. This summer, as noted here previously, ACB has been practicing right across the street from those two schools, at Southwest Athletic Complex. But tonight, they were at Seacrest:
Their first metro-area parades were last weekend, according to the Friends of ACB Facebook page. And along with upcoming parades, you can also catch the All-City Band and other groups Friday, July 26th, performing at 7 pm at SWAC – free! – in the “Band Jam“ tune-up for the next night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade.
Now back to the West Seattle Grand Parade: It starts at 11 am Saturday, proceeding southbound on California from Lander (north end of Hiawatha) to Edmunds in The Junction; remember that the route, and some side streets used for staging, will be a no-parking zone starting earlier that morning (we noticed the signs are now out), even before the street closure kicks in. The ACB isn’t the only marching band you’ll see – the John F. Kennedy Catholic High School Band from nearby Burien is in the lineup too.
(40th SW side of the 4755 Fauntleroy project, from the “packet” from last week’s Design Review meeting)
As reported – and extensively discussed – here on Tuesday, Mayor McGinn has put up a potential roadblock in the permit-seeking path of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way project, by telling SDOT to not recommend approval of the “alley vacation” the plan requires. While continuing to update that story Tuesday afternoon and evening, we sought comment from the development team, Lennar Homes (responsible for the residential component) and Weingarten Realty (handling the commercial component, anchored by a Whole Foods Market). Here’s the statement we received late today:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mayor McGinn’s comments about our mixed-use re-development, located at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW.
Less than two years ago, the City Council adopted, and Mayor McGinn signed, an ordinance creating the West Seattle Triangle Plan. The Plan calls for the vacation of the alley in this block and the creation of a new mid-block connector – goals this project has fully embraced.
Mayor McGinn’s comments are surprising given the Mayor’s past support of developments that add housing and retail along transit lines and bike lanes. In fact, our re-development is designed with alternate modes of transportation in mind.
The statement continues after the jump:
WSDOT has announced another round of expansion-joint work on and along I-5, similar to what was done earlier this year on parts of the Spokane Street interchange:
South of Interstate 90
There will be five weekend-long closures of the northbound and southbound I-5 Corson Avenue South off-ramps, followed by four weekend closures of the northbound off-ramp to West Seattle and South Spokane Street.North of Mercer Street
Bridge joint replacement will require two weekends of multiple-lane closures on mainline northbound I-5 just north of Mercer Street starting in late August.
The work starts this weekend, closing the northbound and southbound off-ramps to Corson from noon Friday to 5 am Monday. According to this project page, the dates for closing the ramp to the West Seattle Bridge have not yet been set; we’ll track this project and let you know when they are.
Big news for Chief Sealth International High School, reported by its academy coordinator Gary Perkins:
This past week (July 9th-12th) in Orlando, Florida, Chief Sealth International High School was recognized as having two of the top career and vocational academies in the country.
The Academy of Business, which includes both an Academy of Finance and Academy of Hospitality & Tourism program, was awarded “Model Status” by the National Academy Foundation (NAF), an award given to only a select number of business academies in the country. NAF is a leader in the movement to prepare young people for college and career success and operates in more than 600 academies across the 50 states. For over 30 years, NAF has refined a proven educational model which included industry-focused curricula, work-based learning experience, and business partner expertise. Employees of more than 2,500 companies volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engaged NAF student in paid internships and serve on local advisory boards.
There are only eight academies in the state of Washington and two of those are located at Sealth. The Academy of Finance and Hospitality & Tourism programs have a long history at Sealth at over 22 and 14 years, respectively but this is the 1st year that Sealth has qualified for the award. In 2013, 100% of approximately 70 seniors that participated in the two academies graduated on time and over 95% have post secondary plans. In addition, more than 40 of those seniors were able to complete paid summer internships their junior year with an economic benefit of approximately $75,000.
In the picture (L-R) are Gary Perkins (teacher), DeAira Handugan (teacher), Pamela Mushen (teacher) and Joanne Patrick (academy director for Seattle Public Schools).
You can find out more about the program by e-mailing Perkins at gaperkins@seattleschools.org. CSIHS’s course catalog for next year and other info is on the school website here.
(June 8th WSB photo)
Five and a half weeks after a hit-run driver or other attacker left a West Seattle woman unconscious and badly hurt by the roadside in Fairmount Ravine – where two Good Samaritans found her (and organized a run on her behalf a week later) – that woman is home from the hospital. This news comes from a friend of hers who has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help with her medical expenses. Ed Lorah worked in hospice services with the victim – whose name we now know is Sarah. He says she has a long road of therapy and recovery ahead before she’ll be going back to work, so he has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her. You’ll recall that Sarah is a runner and was out for an early-morning run when she was hit; so is Ed, who is training for the Chicago Marathon and dedicating his training to her. You can donate via the GoFundMe site here. Meantime, still no word of a break in the case.
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Looking for something new for the kid(s) to try this summer? Today we’re welcoming Serevi Rugby – which is hosting local camps, including one starting next Monday (July 22nd) in West Seattle – as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what they would like you to know:
Rugby? For kids? Isn’t that pretty rough?
No.
Serevi Rugby is unique in that we run non-contact youth rugby camps for children ages 4 and up, including summer camps for boys and girls ages 7 – 12. The summer-camp curriculum is a blend of “traditional sports,” activities played in PE, and touch rugby. The twist, for all activities, is that kids use a rugby ball. For example, soccer becomes rugby soccer. Ultimate Frisbee becomes Ultimate Rugby. Sharks and Minnows becomes, well, Sharks and Minnows, but participants run with a rugby ball to practice evasive running. All the activities and games played develop not only rugby skills, but skills for common sport the athlete will play throughout the year.
The common terms you’ll hear from kids is that Serevi Rugby camps are fun, active and safe. These are the core components of all our activities, along with teamwork and sportsmanship.
What is rugby?
Rugby blends the passing of basketball, the evasive running of football, the accurate kicking of soccer, and the speed of track to form an incredibly fun and engaging team sport. The ultimate sport, rugby rejoins the Summer Olympic Games in 2016.
Serevi Rugby camps are ideal for kids who enjoy soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse, ultimate Frisbee, track, or for those who enjoy being active and trying something new.
Rugby is a game played across the nation and around the world. Nearly every culture and every country has embraced rugby. Like soccer, rugby is a global game that is ideal for our local youth.
Serevi Rugby has camps around the area – including one next week here in West Seattle. Scroll down this page for details.
We thank Serevi Rugby 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.
Another business is moving to Morgan Junction:
Thanks to a tip from Sue, we’ve learned who’s taking over the storefront at 6701 California SW that’s been vacant since Pet Elements‘ recent move to a new, larger location (6511 California). Be Pilates is heading south from its current Charlestown-area location. E-mail to clients says that Be Pilates expects to open in the new location in early August.
Ballots for the August 6th primary go out today. If you would rather drop yours off than mail it, you’ll have a second “drop van” option 
in this area this time around. In addition to the ballot-dropoff van that will again be stationed on the driveway of West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), King County Elections has added one in White Center – at Greenbridge Library (9720 8th SW), right across Roxbury from the south edge of Highland Park. Here’s the map showing all drop vans and 24-hour dropboxes around the county. The county says the drop vans will be available on Saturday, August 3rd, and Monday, August 5th, 10 am-5 pm, and on Election Day, Tuesday, August 6th, 10 am-8 pm; the 24-hour dropboxes will be available starting tomorrow.
Thanks to Rachel for sharing this morning’s sunrise view via Twitter! On with the day, and night. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND, WEEK 2: 4-7 pm, go buy fresh organic produce just steps from where it was grown, at the weekly Farm Stand for the High Point Market Garden (part of the P-Patch program). (32nd/Juneau)
ALKI ‘ROWHOUSE’ DEVELOPMENT MEETING: 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, it’s the resident-requested meeting about an 11-unit development proposal at 2414 55th SW that’s raised environmental, traffic, and other issues, as explained here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION’S QUARTERLY MEETING: 7 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor); see our calendar listing for the full agenda as shared by president Deb Barker. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL’S MONTHLY MEETING: 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, with an agenda including updates on local proposals for city street and park grants as well as events including August 17’s Delridge Day. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
UNPLUGGED! From 7-9 pm, C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) and the Seattle Classic Guitar Society host an open-mike session for classical guitarists and other unplugged musicians; more info here. (5612 California SW)
JUBILEE DAYS FIREWORKS (AND CARNIVAL): We’re mentioning tonight’s White Center Jubilee Days fireworks mostly so you’re not startled to hear explosions in the distance – but everyone’s welcome if you want to go see them in person too. Also note that Steve Cox Memorial Park is the site of the Jubilee Days carnival, which starts at 3 pm today. (15th/102nd)
6:58 AM: Police are on the scene of what they describe as a vehicular assault in Highland Park, in the 9400 block of 11th SW. They say they’re looking for a woman who “allegedly intentionally struck a male victim with a car and fled.” We’re en route to find out more.
7:11 AM UPDATE: This is on 11th SW just north of Roxbury, but our crew at the scene says Roxbury is not affected. Two police units are still on scene and they tell us that little end of 11th will be blocked off for a while, though, because the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is coming out.
7:24 AM UPDATE: Police say the victim is in his 20s and has been taken to Harborview Medical Center, and they say the suspect is “known,” though not yet in custody.
11:55 AM UPDATE: We’re awaiting official confirmation, but it sounds like the suspect might have been found – along with the vehicle – in south King County.
12:14 PM UPDATE: Police have now confirmed the arrest. Here’s their update, in full, from SPD Blotter:
Detectives are investigating a strange call that occurred early this morning in Highland Park involving a stolen car, vehicular assault and eventual arrest of the suspect.
Just after 6:00 this morning, Southwest Precinct officers responded to a report of a hit and run to a man in the 9400 Block of 11th Avenue SW. Witnesses stated that a woman known to the male victim stole his 2007 Cadillac and struck him with the car as he attempted to stop her from leaving. The 24-year-old victim sustained injuries to his head and body and was transported to Harborview Medical Center by the Seattle Fire Department.
Officers interviewed witnesses at the scene who provided information on the female suspect and possible locations for her. A stolen vehicle report was completed for the Cadillac and that information was broadcast to officers in several jurisdictions.
Officers attempted to locate the 23-year-old suspect in the Federal Way and Des Moines area, but she was not at any of the locations they checked. Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) responded to the collision scene and began their investigation.
Within the past hour the suspect was located with the stolen Cadillac and taken into custody in SeaTac. The car was impounded and taken to the processing room and the female suspect will be booked into the King County Jail. Officers and detectives are still conducting their investigation.
(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:52 AM: Off and running on a cloudy commmute.
8:10 AM: Now that it’s Wednesday, it’s time to look ahead to the weekend. Bus riders should note there will be reroutes from Saturday morning into early afternoon because of the West Seattle Grand Parade; on Sunday, there will be White Center-area reroutes for the Jubilee Days Parade. It’s all linked now from this page on the Metro Transit website.
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