day : 19/03/2014 13 results

Longtime local educator John Boyd headed to Central Washington

March 19, 2014 11:01 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Three years after leaving Chief Sealth International High School, where he had been principal for seven years, John Boyd has a new job in Central Washington – superintendent of the Quincy School District near Wenatchee. Boyd has spent the last three years, since leaving Sealth, as an executive director in the Highline Public Schools district immediately south of Seattle. According to an online report about Boyd’s selection, his new district has about 2,700 students; its current superintendent is retiring after seven years.

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‘Keep High Point Green’ update: More community volunteers!

March 19, 2014 10:29 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| High Point | West Seattle news

(Volunteers Asha, Anab, and Rhoda, dealing with dandelions)
Our story earlier tonight about the upcoming 2nd annual West Seattle Bee Festival mentioned Keep High Point Green. Tonight we have another update on community members of all ages getting involved with that project – courtesy of Deborah Vandermar, High Point Neighborhood Association president:

Volunteers worked all weekend weeding and mulching in High Point as part of the Keep High Point Green Project: Saturday at Bataan Park with Garden Mentor Amy Hughes and Sunday at Commons Park (in the rain) with Garden Mentor Kimberley Leeper of Mariposa Naturescapes.

Members of the FC Juba soccer team worked both days!

(Garden Mentor Lori Leberer coaching FC Juba soccer-team members on how to spread mulch)
They helped put up the tent, weeded and mulched. They also gathered kids from High Point Mosque’s Religious Studies class and helped them learn how to do edging and weeding . Everyone enjoyed the great tools provided by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund grant.

As Deborah explained in this report two weeks ago, KHPG “evolved last year as a community response to High Point’s need for weed control and its commitment to sending only clean water to Longfellow creek by avoiding the use of herbicides.”

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Update: Fire call in Fauntleroy blamed on electrical problem

March 19, 2014 9:51 pm

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| Fauntleroy | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

9:51 PM: Seattle Fire has a fire response in the 4500 block of SW Director Place (map). The building is described in county records as a four-plex.

9:59 PM: Electrical problem, crews on the scene tell us. All over now.

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Return of the West Seattle Bee Festival! 2nd one set for May 4th

March 19, 2014 7:12 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy West Seattle Bee Festival)
Were you part of history at the first-ever West Seattle Bee Festival last year? Whatever your answer, you are invited to be part of the SECOND-ever WS Bee Festival – now that the date is set for May 4th! Lauren Englund shares the news:

The West Seattle Bee Garden and High Point Neighborhood Association are hosting the Second Annual West Seattle Bee Festival, complete with a Picnic and Parade!

Date: Sunday May 4th, 2014
Time: 11 am-3 pm
Location: High Point Commons Park

Please share with your school and groups – everyone is invited to join!

Also, great news! We were awarded a Department of Neighborhoods grant this year to fund the event! Want to put something fun together for the parade (bike decoration party, costumes etc)? Or host a game at the festival? Let us know, because we can fund it! Please get back to us by April 4th if you are interested in hosting a craft/game.

More Details:
Parade Start Location: West Seattle Elementary parking lot (6760 34th Ave SW)
Parade Start Time: 11 am (location opens at 10 am to gather; we recommend coming early for face painting and to make a craft!)
Festival Location and Parade End: Commons Park (31st Ave SW and SW Graham St)

Want to bring a big group? Awesome, please let us know in advance so that we can be prepared: e-mail Lauren at lcenglund@yahoo.com

Small groups, want to just show up? That is fine, look for people with a ballon to help answer your questions.

Want to craft something in advance, or organize a parade prep party? Fantastic! Please email Lauren at lcenglund@yahoo.com or call 616-502-3182 to get in touch. We will happily help coordinate and can pay for the materials.

Website where updates will be posted: www.westseattlebeegarden.com

Festival will include:
Music
Crafts
Food
Face Painting
Vendors

Proudly working with Keep High Point Green, and the bees love it! Come see what’s new at the bee garden this year!

WHY?
Because it’s fun and builds community – with the added benefit of supporting bees, pollinators and our environment (and why not come craft something to give Mom for Mother’s Day – wink!).

We hope to see you there!

-The West Seattle Bee Garden Team and High Point Neighborhood Association

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County now says South Park Bridge won’t be open until summer

March 19, 2014 3:26 pm

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| South Park | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new South Park Bridge, looks like the wait is going to be a bit longer. The projected opening timeframe for the bridge has been “spring 2014” for a while … but today, the county’s detailed invitation to next week’s South Park slideshow presentation on bridge construction says it won’t open until sometime this summer, after extensive wiring work. A cached copy of the project webpage shows it displaying “Anticipated Opening: Spring 2014” as recently as last Sunday.

The bridge originally was projected to open in fall 2013; as first reported on WSB and partner site The South Park News in fall 2012, that changed because foundation work took longer than planned. We have a request out to the county for comment on what has caused the latest change. The old bridge was closed June 30, 2010, after being deemed unsafe; funding for a replacement wasn’t certain by that point, but was eventually secured, and the new bridge’s groundbreaking was in May 2011.

4:09 PM UPDATE: County Transportation Department spokesperson Rochelle Ogershok says this isn’t the result of a new problem, but rather the re-evaluation of the timeline. Her response, ahead:
Read More

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Highway 99 update: No closure tonight; work south of West Seattle Bridge now planned for Saturday

March 19, 2014 2:20 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

Update on Highway 99 work: No closure tonight, per WSDOT‘s Kris Olsen, nor any night for the rest of this week. They’re now planning to do the striping work on the new Spokane Street Overcrossing south of the West Seattle Bridge on Saturday, while the rest of 99 (in this area) will be closed anyway for the Alaskan Way Viaduct followup inspection.

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Video: Dakota Place Park expansion site gets City Council committee OK

March 19, 2014 1:21 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

The city’s deal to buy 5,750 square feet of land to expand Dakota Place Park is one vote away from being final.

On Tuesday, the City Council’s Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries, and Gender Pay Equity Committee, chaired by Councilmember Jean Godden, gave the purchase its unanimous approval. Before getting to the action item, the committee heard from two West Seattleites voicing support, including Lafayette Elementary student Ethan Jones, who said that since he is on the student council, “I know what it’s like to make hard decisions, but fortunately, this isn’t one.” It’s all right at the start of the video above, which features the entire meeting of the committee (whose members include West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who first told us about Ethan’s appearance). Six minutes into the video, the presentation/discussion begins.

We first reported the deal a month ago. Parks staffers reviewed the history, saying they had been in negotiation with the owner before, then turned their focus to other Junction-area sites – purchasing two on 40th SW – and then, the owner sold this to a developer. When they were talking to that developer about another site in Ballard, it was explained, he told them he’d be willing to sell the city this one. The purchase, funded by the passed-by-voters-in-2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy, is expected to close in early April. The city expects to tear down the three unoccupied cottages on the site as soon as possible, but the commercial building will remain until there’s a plan for developing that part of the site, which will take “some creativity,” Parks acknowledged, since the purchase hadn’t happened by the time they factored “land-banked sites” into the next park-funding proposal.

The purchase price of $715,000 is more than the original owner had sought (and more than the current owner paid less than a year ago, as we reported here) and that was the subject of some questioning by City Councilmembers. “How do we know it’s a good price?” asked Councilmember Bruce Harrell. They had two appraisals and it was within that value, said Parks. They also said the previous negotiations had involved a “pre-2007 value.”

WHAT’S NEXT: The full council is expected to vote next Monday (March 24).

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Have you seen a purse like this? Followup in 26th/Roxbury attack

March 19, 2014 11:31 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | White Center

That’s a photo of a purse like the one stolen in the 26th/Roxbury attack reported here March 7th – mentioned later by a commenter. We asked the King County Sheriff’s Office for followup information this week, and the photo above came in with this response in the form of a news release from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:

King County Sheriff’s detectives are trying to locate a purse that was stolen from a woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted near White Center earlier this month.

On Friday, March 7th just after midnight the victim was walking eastbound on the south side of Roxbury near 24th Ave. She was approached by a black male who asked her for a cigarette. The victim gave the suspect a cigarette when the suspect suddenly dragged her to a nearby lot where he punched her repeatedly then sexually assaulted her.

After the assault the (attacker) fled, taking the victim’s purse with him. The purse was never located and may have been discarded nearby or possibly given to an associate of the suspect. The suspect was described as a younger black male, early 20’s, about 5’9”, medium build, wearing a dark colored hoodie and jeans. The suspect may have injuries to his hands due to the violent assault on the victim.

If you have information about this assault or the missing purse please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours).

You can also be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

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2 more registered sex offenders move to West Seattle, SPD reports

March 19, 2014 10:49 am

| 34 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Just in from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, one of his periodic e-mails with word of Level 3 sex offenders moving into West Seattle. We have added links to the pages on the sex-offender-info website where you’ll find these men’s photos and other additional information:

In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have moved into Southwest Precinct neighborhoods in recent weeks.

· Richard Blick, a 61 year-old White male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 5600 block of 42nd Avenue Southwest. Mr. Blick is currently under Department of Corrections supervision. [More info, photo here]

· Muche Whidby, a 63 year-old African American male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 6000 block of Lanham Place Southwest. Mr. Whidby is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision. [More info, photo here]

Detective Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information.

To learn more about these offenders and to see their photos, please visit the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website and search by their names. You will also find personal safety tips and resources on this site. icrimewatch.net/index.php?AgencyID=54473&disc

If you have further questions about these offenders, contact Michelle McRae of the Seattle Police Sex Offender Detail at 206-684-5581 or e-mail at michelle.mcrae@seattle.gov.

To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to (this) link.

After the jump (if you’re seeing this from the WSB home page), Solomon’s e-mail continues with information explaining “Level 3” and how best to protect children:

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West Seattle Wednesday: Delridge District Council; Alki ES dine-out benefit; guitar music; stand-up comedy; more…

March 19, 2014 10:03 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Monday morning moonset by Chris Frankovich)
What’s up? All this and more:

DINE OUT TO BENEFIT ALKI ELEMENTARY: Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) is donating part of its proceeds today to Alki Elementary. (9261 45th SW)

‘GET CIVIC’ WITH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Haven’t been to a community meeting lately? Q/A with City Councilmember Sally Clark, and presentations about grant applications for neighborhood street/park improvements, are two big reasons why. Chair Mat McBride presents other reasons in his personal invite to you to be there tonight and “get civic.” Meeting’s at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

SEATTLE CLASSIC GUITAR SOCIETY: Open mike at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm. (5612 California SW)

‘THIRD’: Final week for ArtsWest‘s production of Wendy Wasserstein‘s play; curtain time, 7:30 pm. (4711 California SW)

COMEDY AT THE FEEDBACK: 8 pm, Emmett Montgomery headlines the next comedy night at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), hosted by West Seattle comic Mona Concepcion – details in our calendar listing. (6451 California SW)

EVEN MORE … happening, so go browse our calendar!

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Bowl with Seafair Commodores in West Seattle on Saturday!

March 19, 2014 9:00 am

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| Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

You don’t have to wait until summer for a taste of Seafair – you’ll find it at West Seattle Bowl this Saturday, according to Seafair Commodores chief of staff Kathryn Bohot:

Looking for a little Saturday morning fun? Look no further! The Seattle Seafair Commodores will host their 22nd Annual Seattle Seafair Bowl-A-Thon on Saturday, March 22, at the West Seattle Bowl. This event is our yearly fundraiser to secure funds for the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women.

Whether you are an avid bowler or the gutter-ball king or queen, this event is for everyone! It’s always a great time and provides you a chance to support those who want to further their education.
Here’s the details!
o Contribution: $50 per bowler or $250 for a team of 5. Children 12 and under $25.
o What’s Included: Shoes, ball and games (Scores are calculated on your first 2 games)
• When: Saturday, March 22nd
• Time: 9:30 am until Noon
• Where: West Seattle Bowl 4505 39th Avenue SW

To register in advance, contact Kathryn Bohot, Chief of Staff, at chiefofstaff@seattlecommodores.com or call 817-994-6898. We’ll see you on Saturday!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday updates; closures ahead

March 19, 2014 6:57 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. Roads are OK so far. So here we go with today’s notes:

SEATTLE CENTER-AREA ROADS OPEN AGAIN: As of 7 pm last night, Broad St. was open again after the wreckage from the helicopter/cars was cleared; 5th had reopened earlier.

OLSON PLACE PAVEMENT REPAIR: If this project is on track, this will be day 2 for pavement-repair work around the east end of SW Roxbury.

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: Highway 99 between East Marginal and Atlantic is likely to close tonight, 9 pm-5 am, for more of the Spokane St. Overcrossing project’s finishing touches just south of the West Seattle Bridge.

SATURDAY ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT CLOSURE: 4:30 am-7 pm Saturday is the scheduled closure window for the followup inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

1:20 PM UPDATE: No Highway 99 closure tonight or for the rest of the week. The Spokane St. Overcrossing striping work is now planned for Saturday, during the Viaduct closure, per WSDOT.

3:36 PM UPDATE: If you see crews on northbound Fauntleroy Way this afternoon, take note – from SDOT:

SDOT is closing the northbound, curb lane on Fauntleroy SW at SW Webster Street starting approx. 4 or 4:30 p.m. today, as soon as barricades arrive. There is a four-inch depression in the pavement. Crews are investigating the cause before determining how to repair.

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High-school baseball: West Seattle HS hosts Garfield

March 19, 2014 6:50 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(Bobby Swami singles to drive in a run)
The Garfield High School baseball team’s local tour moved on Tuesday to West Seattle High School, where the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats 6-4. Thanks to Greg Slader for the photos above and below and this summary:

Kevin Cuddy pitched three solid innings, holding Garfield to one un-earned run and a 1-1 tie through three. Unfortunately, a five-run fourth inning would prove too much for West Seattle as they suffered the loss 4-6. The team is still working on coming together, but with six seniors, a junior and two sophomores starting the game, positions seem to be set for defense.

(Spencer Elder making the play at second base)
As noted in our report on Garfield’s game against Chief Sealth a day earlier, the GHS roster includes West Seattleites who have been past West Seattle Little League (and other organizations) teammates of boys on the home teams, so there were people in the stands cheering for everybody.