Need it? Make it! West Seattle woman creates ‘Pill Holder’
An Admiral resident created something she hopes will help people who, like her, need to carry medication around all the time, but would like to have it in something a little more stylish than the typical plastic box. Chris Boerner contacted WSB to share the story of her creation, called, simply enough, the Pill Holder. She explains why:
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, 
Myasthenia Gravis, 18 years ago. I’m lucky enough to be doing really well, but I have to have my medicine with me all the time. Most of the portable pill containers out there aren’t the greatest quality, and they definitely aren’t beautiful. I use my Pill Holder more than almost anything in my daily life, and I want it to be functional and gorgeous! I’m looking forward to bringing that combination to other people who need their pills with them too.
The Pill Holder is made in the USA from stainless steel and comes in two widths, both about 2″ long, both ready to attach to a keychain; right now, she’s selling them online only. They’re also intended to help raise money to eradicate the reasons they’re needed – Boerner says she is setting aside five percent of the Pill Holder’s sales price to donate to researchers working on autoimmune diseases, which she notes affect 16 million people.
You can help! Almost time to launch West Seattle Timebank
Just two nights until you can be part of history – the first-ever West Seattle Timebank orientation! Tamsen Spengler reminds us that it’s happening this Wednesday night (July 24th) at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), with a potluck at 6:30, orientation 7-8 pm. Why would you want to be part of the Timebank? Tamsen shares a story shared at the Timebank table at West Seattle Summer Fest by a woman who now lives on Vashon Island:
“I became a big fan of Timebanks when volunteering after the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand. Because Lyttelton, where the epicenter of the quake was, had New Zealand’s first timebank, we were able to recover much more quickly than any other neighborhood. I became the right-hand person of the timebank coordinator, who had two cell phones going constantly. Because she had been the timebank coordinator for 7 years, she knew everyone, and everyone knew her, and she put people together who could help each other after the quake. Way better than any Red Cross or city or New Zealand government official could possibly do.”
Adds Tamsen: “That’s a powerful testimony. We say, ‘We build community, one hour at a time,’ but this shows it in spades. The network we put together, today, could pay our neighborhood back in many ways we never expected.” Questions before Wednesday’s event? E-mail info@wstb.tbanks.org.
West Seattle biznote: Great Clips coming to Admiral space
The walk-in haircut chain Great Clips is opening a West Seattle outlet, according to that sign we spotted this afternoon in one of the remaining vacant spaces in the California-fronting retail strip built along with Admiral Safeway two years ago. The chain’s website says they have more than 3,000 outlets in the U.S. and Canada, and notes, apropos to this location, “… Our franchise hair salons are conveniently located in high-visibility strip malls …” There already are more than 60 Great Clips locations in the greater Puget Sound metro area. We have an inquiry out to corporate HQ to see when they’re planning to open.
You can help! Seal Sitters benefit mocha, charity shoe-donation collection @ Hotwire
What you see in our photo, next to the trophy Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) won for its entry (see it here) in Saturday’s West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade, is a very special beverage: The official Seal Sitters Coffee, a 12-ounce blueberry and mint dark-chocolate mocha. Hotwire is donating $3 from each and every one sold to Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The donation goes even further, since fundraising helps Seal Sitters qualify for the Neighborhood Matching Fund grant for its Year of the Seal: Sentinels of the Sound project. By the way, volunteer time helps toward the “match” too, and Seal Sitters has a volunteer-training session coming up this Wednesday night – details are in the announcement published here last month, including how to RSVP (to make sure they still have room).
One more charity effort this week at Hotwire – Gently used women’s shoes (or new, if you want to buy something to donate!) are being collected for a silent auction Saturday (July 27) benefiting local nonprofits including Furry Faces Foundation, in connection with the next West Seattle Outdoor Movies screening (“The Devil Wears Prada”) that same night. Drop off shoe donations by noon Saturday; later that afternoon, you’ll be able to preview the auction items – stand by for an update later this week.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Restaurant burglary attempt; 2 car break-ins
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, starting with a burglary attempt at an Admiral District restaurant. Pizzeria 22 proprietor Cary Kemp says it happened last night:
Burglars broke off our back door handle to the restaurant and tried to pry open the door, couldn’t get past deadbolt. Then attempted to enter through small window in front. Broke all the Italian pottery in the windowsill but could not fit through window.
We also have two car-break-in reports – first, from Jeff:
Our minivan was the subject [of a break-in], at 39th Ave SW and SW Austin Street in the Gatewood neighborhood. It seems the the prowlers were looking for items of value, rather than to steal the vehicle. The glove box had been emptied onto the passenger seat, and other things had been moved around enough for us to notice. Missing is our CD case, containing about $500 worth of music. Fortunately most of the CDs were copies; however, there were enough originals in there to make us pretty mad. A police report has been filed.
And from Mia:
My SUV was broken into Friday night around 7:45 pm at Lincoln Park’s south end lot. Please don’t leave valuables in the car even if they are covered. Although it is a busy parking lot, there are prowlers sitting in cars waiting for you to make that one mistake. Please be more vigilant, as my family and I learned the hard way. We came back to find a smashed window and two hidden purses with wallets gone.
SIDE NOTE: Just two more weeks till Night Out (Tuesday, August 6th) – registered your block party yet? P.S. – if you’re having one and are OK with us stopping by, please let us know – every year Team WSB hits the road for “as-it-happens” coverage, and we appreciate having a list of potential stops all over the peninsula – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
West Seattle and North Highline groups ask city, county to study how to make SW Roxbury safer
(May 2013 WSB photo from Roxbury/14th crash that sent 2 to hospital)
Three local neighborhood groups – the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council, Highland Park Action Committee, and North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – are asking the city and county for a safety study of the busy West Seattle/White Center road they share: SW Roxbury. More than 140 people have been hurt in crashes on or along Roxbury in the past four years alone, according to statistics the groups compiled for this letter they’re sending today:
Letter to city, county from WWRHAH, HPAC, NHUAC requesting Roxbury safety study
(If you can’t read the embedded letter, go here to see it as a PDF.)
As reported here last month, the city of Seattle plans two new school-zone speed cameras for Roxbury, near Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School, but the groups say speeding isn’t the only issue along the busiest stretch of Roxbury, where they would like the study focused – between 35th SW on the west and 8th SW (the main entrance to the Greenbridge community) on the east. They also raise concerns about safety near the third school on Roxbury, the Community School of West Seattle.
The groups’ announcement is published in full on the WWRHAH website. As noted there, they are inviting other groups, as well as businesses and “representative(s) of the area,” to endorse their request by contacting WWRHAH at contact@wwrhah.org.
ADDED 9:44 AM: WWRHAH secretary Joe Szilagyi tells WSB says they’ve already received one reply, from SDOT, “saying they would respond to each concern within 60 days.”
West Seattle Monday: In the wake of a busy weekend…
Thanks to Eileen for the photo; she was among the West Seattleites in attendance at Saturday’s sendoff for “Bertha,” the Highway 99 tunneling megamachine, which the state plans to launch soon. Her photo shows visitors signing part of the tunnel liner, which will be installed behind “Bertha” as the machine proceeds. On to today; from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LOW-LOW TIDE: Tide’s out! Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are scheduled to be out at Constellation and Lincoln Parks 10 am-1:30 pm. The tide will bottom out at 11:03 am, at -3.1 feet. It was almost that low on Sunday, when we shared this photo via Instagram:
If the photo doesn’t show for you, go here. P.S. You can check tides any time on the WSB Weather page.
SET-BUILDING HELP: If you missed the volunteer-seeking announcement Friday, Twelfth Night Productions is building sets for its upcoming “Guys and Dolls” at West Seattle High School all week long and would appreciate volunteer help; they’re starting work at 10 am. (3000 California SW)
SPECIAL STORYTIME: Melissa at Westwood Village Barnes and Noble, which usually has storytime on Saturdays, sends word of a special one at 11 am today: “We’ll be reading ‘The Day the Crayons Quit,’ a story about what happens when one’s crayons feel unappreciated or overworked. We’ll also be having some treats and some fun with crayons, of course!”
TONIGHT’S NIGHTLIFE: Even on Monday night, there’s something going on; we have three trivia/quiz listings on the calendar.
TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Murky Monday morning
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:15 AM: Heading toward the heart of the commute, nothing out of the ordinary right now. The weather is again expected to clear later in the day.
7:54 AM: Not sure if it’ll still be there when you see this, but we noticed the west-facing camera was turned toward the low bridge. And the east-facing camera on the high bridge is back. So we moved the latter to the top, and the former here:
8:01 AM: In comments, STB says an empty Metro Route 57 bus is stalled and slowing things a bit on the northbound 99 ramp.
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