day : 23/12/2013 14 results

West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 charged in 4 auto thefts

An Audi stolen from Genesee Hill, mentioned in West Seattle Crime Watch 10 days ago, was found a few days after it was taken. We learned this because we discovered its alleged thieves are in jail – charged in connection with four stolen vehicles.

32-year-old Leslie Davis and 42-year-old Bryan Tiedeman were arrested eight days ago, the afternoon of Sunday, December 15th, after crashing a stolen 1996 gray Honda Civic in the 7700 block of Highland Park Way SW.

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ArtsWest launching new theater classes in the new year

For years, youth-education efforts at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) have been focused on its summertime programs. But the new year will bring a new program to West Seattle’s arts hub – a new 10-week series of performing-arts classes for all ages. The classes are:

*Exploratory Drama for 4- and 5-year-olds
*Creative Drama for 1st- through 3rd-graders
*Acting 101: Heroes’ Quest for 3rd- through 5th-graders
*The Pituitary Monologues: Writing Monologues for the Stage for 6th- through 8th-graders
*Beginning Improv for 6th- through 8th-graders
*Intro to Musical Theater for 9th- through 12th-graders
*Adult Introduction to Improv

You can follow the links on each of those class names to find out more, or start on the main page for the new program, which also includes contact information for registration.

West Seattle Christmas Eve-Eve: More holiday-info lists

If you’re planning ahead for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we’ve added more lists. In addition to the restaurant list, we also now have published of where you’ll find coffee, and what hours grocery stores will be open. For Christmas Eve church services, see the WSB Holiday Guide, where New Year’s Eve/Day information can be found too.

Uber: Welcoming a new WSB sponsor, with a deal on your first ride

(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)

Need a ride? Uber has just joined the WSB sponsor team. New sponsors get the chance to share a message with you – and here’s theirs, including a deal:

Hello readers! We here at Team Uber Seattle would like to introduce ourselves and say how very excited we are to be the newest sponsors of the WSB!

What is Uber?
Uber is an app on your smartphone that allows you to request a ride with the push of a button. At the end of the ride, there’s no need to exchange cash or card as the fare is charged directly to your preferred method of payment on file. Plus, as always with Uber, there is no need to tip! Easy-peasy.

ENJOY YOUR 1ST RIDE FREE UP TO $30*!
Download the app, sign up, and enter the promo code SEAWSB for your 1st ride free up to $30!

MORE DETAILS:
Seattle was Uber’s 3rd city to launch. Since then, Uber’s presence has grown to over 60 cities and 20 countries across the world!

Here in Seattle, we have 3 different vehicle choices that you can request:

uberX: Our lower-cost option features mostly hybrids and mid-sized sedans. uberX has the same rates as taxi and as always there is no need to tip (read: cheaper than a taxi.)

UberBLACK: The original Uber. This option features town cars and luxury vehicles, is about 1.5x the cost of a taxi, and is perfect for a night out on the town or getting to/from meetings.

UberSUV: Seats up to 6 people and is great for getting a group of friends from point A to point B. Don’t forget to split the fare with our fare-splitting feature!

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email or tweet.

Cheers!
Team Uber Seattle: Jen, Travis, Brooke, Bryce, Drew, Melissa, Tom, Ryan, Chelsea, and Meg

*Code is good for new users only through 1/31/14

We thank Uber Seattle 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 holiday scene: Illusions Hair Design’s open house

Here’s one place you can shop late tonight: Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) is open until 8:30. And you don’t have to have a hair appointment to stop by – Illusions has purses, jewelry, and scarves, and they’re on sale. Treats too; Illusions is at 5619 California SW. This is, so far as we know, the last West Seattle business holiday open house of the season – we featured many others in the Holiday Guide and here on the news page over the past month or so.

New King County Water Taxi boats to be built by All American Marine, but delivered later than originally hoped

(Artist rendering of new vessels’ design)
The King County Ferry District has just announced the shipbuilder chosen for the two new Water Taxi vessels: All American Marine, based in Bellingham. We’ve been reporting on the plans to have two new vessels built; the expected $11.8 million cost of designing and building them, the county says, will be 80 percent footed by the Federal Transit Administration. Each boat will be able to carry up to 250 passengers, more than Rachel Marie and Melissa Ann, leased three years ago, and more than the district-owned Spirit of Kingston, taken over last year, which will stay with the fleet. The new boats also will have wider doors for faster boarding and more bicycle capacity – 26 per boat, up from 18 now. Construction is expected to start in early 2014, with the first vessel delivered by mid-2015, the second one by the end of 2015 – that’s another delay beyond what the county told us about back in August, when the scheduled had slipped to late 2014 for the first boat. The budget also had to be increased earlier this year when no “responsive” bid came in to meet the original $11.1 million budget.

P.S. Speaking of the Water Taxi – neither route runs on Christmas Day.

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Which West Seattle grocery stores are open Christmas and which aren’t?

Compiled from information available online and posted at stores as of December 23, 2013 – please let us know if you discover a change:

*Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) – open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day, reopens 6 am Thursday, December 26th

*PCC Natural Market (WSB sponsor) – open until 7 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

*West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) – open until 9 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day, reopens 5 am Thursday, December 26th

*QFC (both West Seattle stores): Open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, open 7 am-4 pm Christmas Day

*Trader Joe’s: Open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

*Safeway (all 3 local stores): Updated – closing 7 pm Christmas Eve, open 8 am-5 pm Christmas Day

How high is too high for ‘lowrise’ development? You’re invited to citywide meeting January 14th

That’s our section of the official zoning map for the city of Seattle. You can see the city map in its entirety, including the color-coding explanation, by going here. Take note that the olive-green areas are “low-rise multifamily.” What’s allowable in that zoning is an area of interest/concern, literally, in neighborhoods around the city, including ours, as multifamily development intensifies, particularly in that zone, which is often adjacent to single-family areas. So if you share that interest/concern, from whatever viewpoint, you’ll want to make plans to be at a citywide meeting on January 14th, regarding possibly changing the rules.

We first heard about this from the Morgan Community Association, which has been working on development-related education lately as new projects start popping up in its area, mentioned it first. The meeting was sparked by a coalition called Seattle Speaks Up, which petitioned the city about the zoning rules and explains the meeting here.

As for the city Department of Planning and Development, this is from a note DPD sent today:

On January 14th, we’re holding a citywide meeting to talk about the citywide issue of building height limits in Lowrise Multifamily zones. We want to hear from residents and others about how buildings built recently in lowrise zones are fitting into neighborhoods. We’re evaluating possibilities for reductions to allowable building height.The meeting will be held on Capitol Hill at Lowell Elementary School 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.

The city’s full description of the meeting’s purpose is here. An even-fuller description of the potential “code correction” project is here. A map to the meeting site is here.

West Seattle restaurants open on Christmas: The list is up!

If you’re looking for someone else to do the cooking on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day – our annual “West Seattle restaurants open on Christmas” list is now available for your perusal. See it here. Please note the disclaimers – this is compiled via more than 100 phone calls/e-mails over the course of multiple days, and if an establishment changes its plan, we won’t necessarily get notification. But we hope it’s helpful. Also note that it includes New Year’s Eve/Day listings, if available. If a local restaurant is NOT listed here at all, it means either they are closed on all four days we asked about OR that they did not return our phone calls/messages. We’ll continue to add any information that comes in, including changes on the holidays themselves; e-mail is the best way to get information to us – editor@westseattleblog.com. Thanks!

‘West Seattle: We Have That!’ How your support of local businesses translates to support for local schools, nonprofits

EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier this year, WSB started a series of stories about independent local businesses and why they matter more to a community like ours than you might realize. Then, the West Seattle: We Have That” campaign launched at midsummer. Now, we’re continuing to publish stories as part of the series – and inviting you into the conversation. Many of the reports are being underwritten by the West Seattle Junction Association, but not as ads – it’s their contribution to an issue of importance from Sunrise Heights to Seaview, Highland Park to High Point, Luna Park to Brace Point, and all over WS.

By Keith Creighton
Special to West Seattle Blog

As part of our ongoing series about the impact that independently owned businesses have on the West Seattle economy and quality of life, we asked a selection of local schools, PTAs and retailers to share firsthand accounts of how sponsorships and partnerships affect area students.

Dwindling state and federal funds are forcing local schools to get creative with the support they seek from area businesses. While the “mom & pop” shops don’t have the resources to fully bridge the gap, their contributions certainly make a difference. When you compare prices between local boutiques and giant online and big box retailers this holiday season, keep in mind where those extra few dollars are going.

Q: What type of contributions do local businesses make to your school?

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Daytime car-prowler alert

Unlike burglars, car prowlers tend to work at night. But not the one Susan wants to warn you about. Just out of the WSB inbox:

My car was prowled between 9:02 a.m. and 9:18 a.m. this morning parked just off California between Graham and Raymond. The suspect was a white male driving a white Honda civic or a white Acura. He has a beard, is wearing a camouflage jacket and has glasses. We filed a police report, but wanted to warn people to lock their cars if they haven’t already done so.

She’s still checking to see what’s missing and has noted the thief took “some papers from the glove box”; he was scared away when someone pulled up.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Winter’s first Monday

December 23, 2013 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Winter’s first Monday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(More area traffic cams on the WSB Traffic page)
First commute of winter, which arrived on Saturday. Two notes, to begin: If you’ll be driving late tonight or early morning, remember the northbound I-5 closure at Dearborn, just north of I-90, 9 tonight through 4:30 am Tuesday. If you are a Metro rider, the holiday schedule changes begin tomorrow – as outlined here.

Memorial planned December 30 for Richard Joseph Kord, 1926-2013

A funeral Mass is planned one week from today – next Monday, December 30th – at Holy Rosary for Richard Joseph Kord, whose family shares this remembrance:

Richard “Dick” Kord passed away Saturday, December 14, 2013, at the age of 87. Born in Tacoma, he was 6 when his family settled in West Seattle permanently. Dick attended Holy Rosary and O’Dea High School, met his wife “Dottie” of 64 years, and enrolled in summer school to graduate early so he could sign up for service in the US Military Transport in the Pacific during the war, alongside his lifelong friend “Mick.” He then graduated from Seattle University while working at Sears part-time. This led to his 42-year beloved and dedicated career with Sears, where he established cherished friendships as well. Retirement allowed him more time to spend with his wife, family, friends, working on his home and pursuing his love for boating.

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Congratulations, West Seattle Eagle Scout Dylan Moorleghen

The historian for West Seattle’s Troop 282, Reece Schulz, has shared another Eagle Scout announcement – this time about Dylan Moorleghen:

On June 5, 2007, Dylan Moorleghen joined the life of Scouting, and started on the road to earning his Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank in Scouting. On October 24, 2013, Dylan finally reached his goal of earning Eagle, and has given to the community in many ways.

Throughout Scouting, Dylan has hosted five service projects and has contributed more than 85 service hours.

Dylan has hiked 108 miles, which is a phenomenal feat in Scouting that not many have accomplished. On June 21, 2013, Dylan hosted his Eagle Scout service project. The project they performed was building a bridge over a drainage ditch at Camp Long that floods in the summer. He also served as a camp staff member for Camp Parsons.

Today, Dylan is a senior at Seattle Prep and is on the President’s List, the captain of Prep’s lacrosse team, president of the National Honor Society, and has earned the National Service Award. Over the years, Dylan has contributed a lot to his community, and looks forward to helping out even more with our city.