West Seattle, Washington

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month : 03/2014 336 results

Making West Seattle safer: New Block Watch = Stairs Watch
March 4, 2014 7:35 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Chris McCall is rounding up some help for a neighborhood problem – and that broken glass is one of the symptoms:

We are starting a block watch because of vandalism and theft that has resulted from teens hanging out on the Hanford St. Stairs one block north of Madison Middle School.

Teens meet there to buy or sell pot, smoke pot, and drink liquor (that is probably stolen from parents, such as the smashed bottle of dragon fruit-infused SKY vodka currently there).

Some neighbors are scared to use the stairs at any time, and little children have to be careful of broken glass.

If you would like to help make these stairs safer and cleaner, please join us for a block watch meeting.

When: Tuesday, March 11th at 7 pm

Where: At the top of the stairs – 4516 SW Hanford St. (map)

Who: Mark Solomon from the Seattle Police Department will meet with us to discuss issues and how to solve them.

After Chris sent the announcement, we asked about a photo – and received the top photo showing broken glass, with the explanation, “Over the weekend, a mother and her young kids cleaned much of the litter as an act of kindness. I also put a broom on the stairs for people to use to clear broken glass.”

Later this afternoon – before we published this – Chris had a new photo to share, and an epilogue:

Walking home from school just now, I see that somebody broke the broom that I put out.

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See SDOT memo on The Whittaker’s alley-vacation request, one week before hearing
March 4, 2014 3:32 pm
|      46 COMMENTS
 |   4755 Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

We are now one week away from the project at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW, now known as The Whittaker (previously nicknamed the Whole Foods project after its anchor tenant), going to the City Council Transportation Committee for a public hearing.

The public hearing, the date for which was set last month, is your chance to comment on the “alley vacation” requested by The Whittaker’s developers – asking for City Council approval of their potential purchase of alley space on the site, for their 370-apartment, 600-parking-space mixed-use project. It includes what some have described as a new private alley, a “midblock connector” through the project. In addition to paying what the city calls fair-market value for the alley space, developers are supposed to include a package of “public benefits” in order to gain approval.

With behind-the-scenes meetings and advocacy campaigns having been long under way, the hearing is shaping up as a showdown between project supporters and opponents; the latter most notably include UFCW Local 21, which funded a campaign called “Getting It Right for West Seattle” focused on raising concerns about the project, from Whole Foods’ pay scale to potential truck traffic. The project team launched a campaign of its own recently, including this website mentioned in postal-mail cards sent to people in proximity of the project.

The Seattle Department of Transportation reviews alley-vacation requests before they go to the City Council. Last July, you might recall, then-Mayor Mike McGinn told then-SDOT director Peter Hahn not to recommend approval of the alley vacation. The SDOT staff review was not complete at that time. It is now, one week in advance of the hearing, and we have just obtained it:

(The table/attachment referenced in the document is here.) In our first quick read of the 22-page document, we note that SDOT concludes that, “Should the City Council choose to support the vacation, it is recommended that the vacation be granted upon the Petitioner meeting” conditions laid out at the end of the document – you can see the long list of those conditions in the embedded document above.

We’ll be adding more to this story later this afternoon, and we’ll have a followup looking more closely at the campaigns focused on this proposal. Next Wednesday’s hearing is at 9:30 am in City Council Chambers at City Hall downtown.

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West Seattle development: ~40 apartments planned at 4439 41st SW
March 4, 2014 11:52 am
|      40 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Another apartment project has surfaced in The Junction. We noticed the site, 4439 41st SW (map), last year, when eight townhouses were in the works (here’s that now-superseded proposal). Now, updated online records describe a different project making its way through the city Department of Planning and Development — a three-stories-plus-basement, ~40-apartment, 5-parking-space building, to replace a century-old home on an 8,600-square-foot lot. The land-use application was just filed Monday, so the formal notice will likely be in the Thursday Land Use Information Bulletin, but the project already has drawn public comments, some centering on its proximity to Hope Lutheran Church/School across the alley to its west, and the major increase in density around the church’s site – it’s kitty-corner from the proposed 50-unit 4505 42nd SW, north of the opening-soon 90-unit Oregon 42 apartments, and east of the proposed 80-unit Junction Flats apartments.

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Update: 53rd Avenue Pump Station work expected to finish early
March 4, 2014 11:37 am
|    Comments Off on Update: 53rd Avenue Pump Station work expected to finish early
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

We just checked with King County Wastewater Treatment regarding today’s work at the 53rd Avenue Pump Station, and spokesperson Annie Kolb-Nelson tells us the crew is expecting to wrap up early. So the work that’s been affecting the sidewalk/trail zone by the pump station will likely be done closer to 1 pm than the originally announced 3 pm.

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West Seattle Tuesday: SSCC open house; WWRHAH Community Council; Mardi Gras ‘Blues to Do’; more
March 4, 2014 10:21 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: SSCC open house; WWRHAH Community Council; Mardi Gras ‘Blues to Do’; more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Somewhere under the rainbow – a home in Gatewood, photographed Monday afternoon by Dawn (thanks for sharing!). Don’t know if this afternoon will bring another break in the rain, but we’re marching on with the preview for today/tonight just the same:

COLLEGE NIGHT AT SSCC: 5:30-7:30 pm, South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) hosts a big open house for everyone from current students to potential future students to community members. Details here; it’s happening in the Brockey Center on the south side of campus. (6000 16th SW)

FAIRMOUNT PARK ELEMENTARY INFO NIGHT: 6-8 pm at Alki Elementary, another chance for prospective FP parents to meet planning principal Julie Breidenbach and find out more about the expanding/reopening school – details in our listing. (3010 59th SW)

WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Agenda for tonight’s WWRHAH meeting, 6:15 pm at the Southwest Branch Library:

6:15-6:20: Introductions & Community News
6:25-6:35: State of the Council; Amanda Kay Helmick
6:35-6:40: Upcoming Elections – Who is Running?
6:40-7:10: SDOT; Jim Curtin- SDOT Update: Feedback on the SW Roxbury safety project; Update on the 35th Ave SW Safety project; Road Vibrations from buses on SW Roxbury and 26th Ave SW; 30th Ave SW Sidewalks; Q&A
7:10-7:40: Committee & Neighborhood Council Updates; What else should we work on this year?
Metro Committee: Amanda Kay Helmick; Transit Hub
Roxhill Bog Committee: Rory Donovan; Process Update
Roxhill Park Committee: Amanda Kay Helmick & Eric Iwamoto; Grant update
DNDC: Pablo
SWDC: Rory or Eric
7:40-7:45: Wrap Up: Breakdown the room; library locks up promptly at 8 pm.

(35th/Henderson)

WEST SEATTLE BOOSTER CLUB: The WS Booster Club is gearing up to help more WSHS sports than ever – but they can’t do it without you. Here’s our story from last weekend. Meeting’s at 7 pm at the West Seattle High School library. (3000 California SW)

FAT TUESDAY! MARDI GRAS EDITION OF ‘BLUES TO DO’: Weekly “Blues to Do” at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) celebrates Mardi Gras with Snake Oil featuring Rod Cook and Mark Riley, plus “a short set of original boogie-woogie piano from award winning songwriter and piano man” Eric “Two Scoops” Moore. 8 pm.(6451 California SW)

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Radio Shack says it’ll close up to 1,100 ‘underperforming’ stores
March 4, 2014 8:55 am
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Troubled times for one of the few national non-food/drink retailers with multiple stores in West Seattle. Radio Shack announced this morning that it’s closing up to 1,100 “underperforming” stores across the country – about a fifth of its locations. The company did not announce which stores it’ll close, so we don’t know whether either local outlet (Junction, Westwood Village) will be affected. The announcement came as Radio Shack announced a sales drop and operating loss last quarter. (Thanks to Bob for the tip.)

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Update: House-fire call in 8000 block 45th SW = furnace trouble
March 4, 2014 7:05 am
|    Comments Off on Update: House-fire call in 8000 block 45th SW = furnace trouble
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

7:05 AM: Busy morning for firefighters. They’re now off to a second house-fire call – this time in the 8000 block of 45th SW (map), just east of central Lincoln Park. Not major, apparently – units still on the way are being told they can slow down. More to come.

7:09 AM: Per scanner, firefighters on scene say it’s just a furnace problem. We’re still en route to check. (Update – Our crew on scene has confirmed it.)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Rainy Tuesday
March 4, 2014 6:46 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Rainy Tuesday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The morning commute is again off to a soggy start, and the forecast suggests the rain might not clear off today the way it did Monday. No traffic-slowing problems currently reported, though.

PATH WORK PLANNED: Reminder that today is the day the county was planning to do work at the 53rd Avenue Pump Station site on Alki, affecting sidewalk/trail traffic. (We’re checking to see if the rain has affected the plan.)

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Update: Space heater blamed for early-morning fire on 20th SW
March 4, 2014 6:39 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Fire engine on watch in 8400 block of 20th SW; line goes to scene along the alley, out of view)
6:39 AM: Firefighters have been keeping “fire watch” this morning after putting out a fire in in the 8400 block of 20th SW (map). That means they’re guarding the scene to make sure the fire doesn’t re-ignite. No injuries, the crew on scene told us; we’ll add information about the damage and cause when that’s available later this morning.

7:44 AM: Went back for that photo after talking with the battalion chief at another fire-response scene. We’ve learned no one was home at the time of this fire, which did most of its damage in the rear of the house, facing an alley.

9:58 AM: SFD has published an update on the fire, saying a space heater was to blame; damage totals $125,000. SFD’s update includes information about home-heating safety.

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Morgan Junction murder-trial update: Back to the background
March 3, 2014 11:56 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It was back to the background as the Morgan Junction murder trial continued Monday.

With testimony concluding last week from key prosecution witness Jamie Vause, who says he saw defendant Lovett “Cid” Chambers shoot his friend Travis Hood, the lineup of witnesses returned to a focus on public-safety and criminal-justice personnel through whom lawyers wove threads of the story.

Three sections from the timeline of events were involved in Monday’s testimony, all taking place after the shooting on January 21, 2012:

*What happened when Vause brought Hood to Providence Mount St. Vincent, as told by a PMSV receptionist and Seattle Fire Department paramedic

*What happened when the Southwest Precinct Anti-Crime Team went to Chambers’ Gatewood home after he was identified as a suspect, as told by the ACT’s then-leader and two officers

*What happened when evidence was analyzed later, as told by Seattle Police and State Patrol Crime Lab personnel

Here’s our distillation of what the jury heard about all of the above:

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Taste of West Seattle 2014: Restaurant signups, ticket sales on!
March 3, 2014 7:56 pm
|    Comments Off on Taste of West Seattle 2014: Restaurant signups, ticket sales on!
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Local restaurants are officially invited to be part of this year’s Taste of West Seattle, the big annual benefit for the West Seattle Helpline, set for Thursday night, May 15th – here’s where to go to apply. And if you’re just hoping to go sample the best of the West Seattle venues that participate, tickets also are on sale now – $95 VIP with early entry (6 pm), special raffle, and private seating area; $50 for general admission (6:30 pm). 21+. Haven’t been before? Here’s our coverage from last year.

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Followup: $2 million bail for suspect in December High Point murder, ex-boyfriend of victim’s daughter
March 3, 2014 4:17 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | High Point | West Seattle news

Bail is now set at $2 million for the 20-year-old White Center man arrested Saturday (WSB coverage here) on suspicion he killed 46-year-old Nga Nguyen in her High Point home in December. Probable-cause documents identify him as the ex-boyfriend of Nguyen’s daughter, and say he has a history of “stalking” her. He was interviewed shortly after the killing, the documents say, and denied having been in the home recently – but investigators say fingerprints and DNA evidence at the scene matched his. The documents say that after being arrested Saturday and being read his Miranda rights, he confessed to breaking into the Nguyens’ home on High Point Drive on December 14th and killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother, who the Medical Examiner said died of blunt-force head injury and strangulation. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to file charges.

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On ‘reality TV’ tonight: ‘Mystery Diners’ at Zippy’s Giant Burgers
March 3, 2014 2:45 pm
|      49 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Thanks to Lance for the tip – he noticed that Zippy’s Giant Burgers is on the “reality TV” schedule tonight. It’s an episode of the Food Network show “Mystery Diners,” listed as airing at 10:30 pm. Episode synopsis: “Blaine, the owner of Zippy’s Giant Burgers in Seattle, contacts Charles to investigate rumors that his new mascot is misbehaving. Mystery Diners Nadine and John go undercover to discover exactly who is behind the mascot costume.” (Who indeed? We’ll find out tonight.)

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West Seattle development: New Design Review dates for projects at Alki Tavern, Charlestown Café sites, & 4505 42nd SW
March 3, 2014 1:53 pm
|      34 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

If you’re tracking local development projects – one or more of these might be of note for your calendar. Newly added to the list of upcoming Southwest Design Review Board meetings (all of which are scheduled to happen at the Senior Center of West Seattle at Oregon/California):

(One of three early ‘massing’ – just height, shape, etc. – options proposed for 1307 Harbor)
1307 HARBOR AVENUE SW (FORMER ALKI TAVERN SITE), APRIL 3: We’ve been watching for signs of activity ever since the tavern closed a year ago (you’ll recall, its closing party was on St. Patrick’s Day of 2013). Finally, a project description has turned up on the city website:

… 6-story, 19-unit residential structure with 3,400 for restaurant and 7,000 sq.ft. of retail at ground floor. 12,000 sq.ft. of office will be located at the south end of the building. Parking for 40 vehicles to located below grade. Existing structures (residential and retail) to be demolished.

This project is tentatively set for its first SW Design Review Board meeting at 8 pm April 3rd, after the already-announced 6:30 pm fifth review of 3210 California SW.

3824 CALIFORNIA SW (FORMER CHARLESTOWN CAFE SITE), APRIL 17: When this 30-unit (townhouses and live/work) project went before the board a month ago for its first Early Design Guidance session, they asked the project team to try again (WSB coverage here). Now the date for the second presentation is set – 6:30 pm April 17th.

4505 42ND SW, APRIL 17: A second project is set for that night too – and it’s also a second round of Early Design Guidance (here’s our coverage of its first review in January). It’s 4505 42nd SW, on the southwest corner of 42nd and Oregon, 7 stories and 50 residential units.

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You can help! Give to White Center Food Bank, West Seattle Food Bank right now, and your gift goes further
March 3, 2014 12:29 pm
|    Comments Off on You can help! Give to White Center Food Bank, West Seattle Food Bank right now, and your gift goes further
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Every March and April, local food banks participate in the Feinstein Foundation‘s annual challenge – whatever they raise during those two months qualifies them for a share of $1 million the foundation is giving to nonprofit hunger-fighting organizations. So the White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank both are hoping you will dig a little deeper through the end of next month. Here’s a message directly from the foundation’s founder, Alan Feinstein:

WHATEVER YOU DONATE TO THIS AGENCY, I WILL ADD MONEY TO IT. THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE OF MY $1 MILLION THEY’LL GET—THANKS TO YOU!

Why am I doing this? Because I believe each of us was put here on earth to do what we can to help those in need. … we feel that YOU believe that, too.

My money started this campaign but it is YOU who will help decide how many needy people in your city or town will be fed this year.

This has become the greatest grass roots campaign ever to fight hunger in our country. Your donation makes you a partner in it with me!

So how can you help? One simple way – give money online. Direct links for the food banks’ online-donation pages:

*West Seattle Food Bank
*White Center Food Bank

It’s also a great time to organize a donation drive to get more people involved, via your school, workplace, neighborhood. Local food banks say this helps them in many ways, not just because of the Challenge, but because this is usually a time of year when donations slow way down – so hungry people in our community REALLY need your help.

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West Seattle Summer Fest 2014 set for July 11-13 – application time!
March 3, 2014 10:57 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)
Just in from the West Seattle Junction Association – official word of West Seattle Summer Fest dates for this year, July 11-13, 2014. And if you want to be part of it, it’s time to start applying:

Local businesses, artists, restaurants, and non-profits are invited to participate. Our neighborhood consistently expresses interest in seeing local vendors and businesses at Summer Fest, and applying to have a booth at the festival is the first step. Please visit www.westseattlefestival.com for the application – and tell a friend!

For information on becoming a West Seattle Summer Fest sponsor, please contact WSJA Director Susan Melrose at susan@wsjunction.org.

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West Seattle Monday: See what’s up for today/tonight
March 3, 2014 9:45 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Thanks to Hedi for the photo of Harbor Avenue’s Canada goose family out exploring)
Relatively quiet day/night, as we check highlights on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OPEN ENROLLMENT, WEEK 2: The second and final week of the Seattle Public Schools open-enrollment period – for those who “want to request a different school or program assignment for the 2014-15 school year” or haven’t yet registered their incoming kindergartener or otherwise new student – ends at 4 pm Friday, March 7th. If your student(s) already are assigned for next year, you should have received a confirmation letter, and you do NOT need to take any action now. If you DO need to apply – all the info’s here.

TODDLER INDOOR GYM: New times for the indoor gyms at West Seattle community centers; 1 pm is the Monday start for drop-in Delridge Community Center sessions. (4501 Delridge Way SW)

LEARN OIL PAINTING: A new six-week series of classes starts tonight at Alki Bathhouse, 6 pm. (60th/Alki)

WEST SEATTLE HI-YU MEETING: Come help the volunteers working to make this year’s West Seattle Hi-Yu community events and parade float happen! 7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. (California/Hanford)

TRIVIA/PUB QUIZ NIGHT: Three venues in our calendar with Monday night events – 7 pm at Christo’s on Alki, 7:30 at Outwest Bar, 8 pm at Shadowland.

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Extra time to buy your ticket for Arbor Heights Elementary auction
March 3, 2014 9:04 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Since they know you’re busy, organizers of this year’s Arbor Heights Elementary School auction have extended the ticket-buying deadline to this Friday (March 7th). The auction is at The Hall at Fauntleroy on Friday, March 14th – doors open and bidding begins at 5:30 pm, dinner at 7 pm; see the official flyer here. This year’s “raise the paddle” direct donations are helping buy science equipment! You can buy your ticket(s) right now online, here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates; Water Taxi’s new fares
March 3, 2014 6:07 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Monday! Notes as we start our first daily traffic watch for the first full week of March:

WATER-TAXI FARE REMINDER: As reported here a week ago, King County Water Taxi fares have just gone up. If you use pre-paid-fare media such as an ORCA card, you’ll pay $4 one way on the West Seattle Water Taxi, up from $3.50; if you pay cash, it’s up to $4.75 from $4.

NEXT ROAD-WORK REMINDER: Next weekend, the I-5 expansion-joint work resumes; this time, they’ll close up to 3 northbound collector-distributor lanes downtown from Friday night until Monday morning. The James and Madison exits will remain open, WSDOT says.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME STARTS SUNDAY: Almost time for a time change, already. Next Sunday morning at 2 am (call it Saturday night if you prefer), we spring forward an hour as Daylight Saving Time begins.

TALES OF A TEMPORARY COMMUTER: Continuing our almost-daily notes on joining the morning exodus from West Seattle temporarily while covering the Morgan Junction murder trial downtown – today was the longest yet, but the bridge wasn’t the biggest challenge; 4th Avenue S. was clogged. It’s the most direct route from the bridge to the courthouse parking garage we’ve been using (the courthouse is between 3rd and 4th on the south end of downtown), but today, it was a wait through multiple cycles at just about every light, for no obvious reason aside from me and the other commuters just filling the street. Left the house at 8:15, got to the garage at 8:50 (still not much to complain about, we’ll admit).

12:58 PM: Thanks to Keri for mentioning trouble with a semi-truck on the bridge offramp to northbound I-5. Checking cams in the area, we don’t see any sign of a backup, so it might be clear by now.

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Fire Station 32 rebuild: Temporary home chosen on 40th SW
March 2, 2014 9:40 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle news

Saturday’s open house at Seattle Fire Station 32 in The Triangle was intended mostly to display the final design of the $15 million FS 32 rebuild, but there was other news – the station’s temporary during-construction home has been chosen. David Kunselman, administrator of the city’s Fire Facilities & Emergency Response Levy program, says it will be set up on the 40th SW site the city has purchased for a future park.

Construction of the new FS 32, he said, could start by the end of this year – so the station might be moved by then. The temporary site is flanked by the sites of development plans – 4745 40th SW to the south, 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW across 40th to the east/northeast – where construction might be under way by then.

Back to the new Station 32 itself (read project details here) – images of the design by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson were displayed around the bays of the station during the open house:

That’s the side facing 38th SW, same side that currently looks like this:

Looking southeastward toward the SW Alaska side:

And southwestward:

The rebuilt Station 32 will be headquarters to the area’s Battalion Chief (B7), currently based at Fire Station 29 in Admiral, which also had a design open house Saturday. FS 29 has a $3.5 million project on the way, mostly seismic upgrades (details here). When that begins in about a year, its temporary home will be the one where Station 36 is now – at Harbor SW/SW Florida. A similar upgrade is also on the way for Highland Park’s Station 11, but it will not have to leave its 16th/Holden site during the $2.7 million project, which Kunselman says is currently out to bid.

ADDED: Here’s the PDF with a clearer look at the renderings shown above.

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West Seattle Booster Club: Going to bat for WSHS teams’ needs
March 2, 2014 7:06 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

A group of West Seattle High School parents, alumni, and faculty is “working to upgrade the West Seattle Booster Club to a membership-based organization for the first time” – and they are ready now to ask you to be part of the upgrade.

A commenter wondered about the Booster Club in the discussion following this WSB story a week ago about a crowdfunding drive by the WSHS tennis coach, who said she had virtually no budget. The club uncloaked and announced they had pitched in.

On behalf of the WS Booster Club, Donna Veenhuizen shared this open message to the community, including word of a brand-new website:

The Club’s goal is to assist all of athletic programs at the high school with uniforms, equipment, and needs the school budget cannot cover, and we would love to have you join us. We are very new (just started getting organized last spring), and have already been able to help the girls’ soccer team, swim team, and tennis team.

Check us out at westseattleboosterclub.org and please share with everyone you know! Membership and participation are keys to our success, so the more people that know about us and get involved, the more we can help. You can donate to the Booster Club on our website, and 50% of your annual membership dues goes toward the sport of your choice.

We also have “West Seattle Athletic Department” t-shirts and sweatshirts for sale (photo at right; please e-mail us for more info) and a fan gear website. All proceeds benefit the students at West Seattle High School!

There’s another way you can get involved: In person. The West Seattle Booster Club’s next meeting is this Tuesday (March 4), 7 pm in the school library. Veenhuizen says they’re also welcoming questions and ideas at westseattleboosterclub@gmail.com.

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Delridge ‘Food Hub’? One recommendation of a new city report
March 2, 2014 3:33 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Health | West Seattle news

A new city report reiterates that access to healthy food in Delridge is abysmal, especially for low-income families. The report follows surveys and focus groups of women in the Delridge area, and was presented to the City Council in a briefing this past week; thanks to Councilmember Tom Rasmussen for pointing it out. The report was inspired, it says, by the Seattle Women’s Commission and Councilmember Mike O’Brien looking into a Delridge community member’s concerns of how difficult it was to find healthy food in the area, even if she took transit to the store, complicated by the logistics of bringing along young children. The report’s executive summary is here, with recommendations from creating a Food Hub – maybe even with a Farmers’ Market-type produce stand – to transportation improvements, to supporting the Delridge Grocery co-op startup that’s aiming to open its market later this year. Here’s the slide deck shown at the briefing.

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West Seattleite still working to help Philippines typhoon victims, four months later
March 2, 2014 2:56 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Dave Nichols)
Four months later, you aren’t hearing much (if anything) about it, but temporary shelter and permanent homes are still needed for typhoon victims in the Philippines, according to an update this past week from the United Nations. Those helping with the former include West Seattleite Dave Nichols, at left in the photo above. He works with a disaster-relief nonprofit called ShelterBox, as noted here in this November report. Since then, Dave has gone to the Philippines to help, and after he returned home, he resumed making presentations everywhere he can get someone to listen. He tells this story, to make sure you and others are still aware that help is needed:

I am an American who volunteers for a British disaster relief agency called ShelterBox. Our goal is to deploy aid in the form of a box containing a fairly large tent, blankets and ground cover, cooking utensils, Mosquito nets and a family water purification. We do this fairly quickly thanks to the generosity of our donors. Our two person teams of volunteers are typically on the ground doing assessments 48-72 hours following a disaster.

I returned from the Philippines, where a devastating typhoon wiped whole villages off the islands. It also killed north of 6,000 people. When did this happen? November 8th. There are 7010 islands in the Philippines many quite large, and the typhoon went right through the middle of these islands. My deployment started on January 10th, and I first went with a teammate to an island named Bohol, which was struck by a 7.4 earthquake in October flattening whole towns.

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