West Seattle, Washington

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day : 15/06/2015 10 results

Countdown time! Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday – see what’s in store for the kids
June 15, 2015 9:43 pm
|    Comments Off on Countdown time! Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday – see what’s in store for the kids
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Heading into summer-festival season, there’s always something big in view just days away – and this week, it’s the Morgan Junction Community Festival (co-sponsored by WSB), this Saturday in and around Morgan Junction Park, 10:30 am-6 pm. We’re planning daily previews, counting down to the festival – starting with a quick look at what’s planned for the youngest festivalgoers. From the festival committee:

Jennifer Young, owner of My Three Little Birds in south Morgan Junction, is coordinating the children’s activities. Chief entertainment for the kids is Bubbleman, of course. He begins his always-pleasing wild and colorful show at 11:30 in Morgan Junction Park.

(WSB photo from 2014)
Craft activities start at 11:00 and end at 4:00, include beading for older kids; and for the younger ones, making sailboats out of water noodles and paper jellyfish. In addition to the crafts, a face painter will be in the children’s area from 12:30 to 2:00, and LuLu Cakes will offer vegan cupcakes from 2:00 to 3:00.

We’ve already previewed the pet parade and contests you’ll find at the festival (here) and the author readings (here). Lots more to come – watch for the next round of preview info on Tuesday – and make plans to come to Morgan Junction on Saturday!

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Congratulations! Post 160 and Unit 160 sponsor students for summer leadership programs
June 15, 2015 8:25 pm
|    Comments Off on Congratulations! Post 160 and Unit 160 sponsor students for summer leadership programs
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Thanks to Kyle Geraghty from American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle for the report and photo:

Three area students, sponsored by West Seattle’s American Legion Post 160 and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 160, will be attending the Evergreen Boys State and Girls State summer leadership programs.

The students sponsored by Post 160 for Boys State are:

Jess Juanich, Garfield High School
Ryan Okabayashi, Seattle Lutheran

The student sponsored by Unit 160 for Girls State:
Macey Crooks, Seattle Lutheran

They’re in the photo (as listed, L-R) with Post 160 Commander Keith Hughes and Auxiliary Unit 160 president Andrea Geraghty.

Evergreen Boys State & Girls State aim to simulate and emulate Washington State government through a fun and engaging week long summer program. The students will have an opportunity to construct local, county, and state governments.

Activities include running for office, court proceedings, creating and enforcing laws, celebrations, and recreational programs. Students will hone public speaking skills, experience how government works, get inspired by guest speakers, have fun and make new friends for life.
Up to four college credits may be earned by this program, as well as opportunities for college scholarships.

American Legion Post 160 and Auxiliary Unit 160 of West Seattle encourages all upcoming high-school juniors who attend public, private or home school to apply for Boys/Girls State next year. Post/Unit 160 would be honored to sponsor a full West Seattle team next year.

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What was that ‘rainbow’? Alice explains the ‘circumhorizon arc’
June 15, 2015 4:37 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Skies Over West Seattle | West Seattle news


By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

Today a beautiful blue-green iridescent cloud stretched straight across the sky, contrasting impressively with the white clouds behind it. As we watched, more rainbow-spectrum colors showed up in a second partial arc a little further south. The colors persisted for hours, though will be gone by the time you read this article.

(Added Tuesday: West Seattleite Don Brubeck‘s photo of how it looked @ Mt. Rainier NP)
We see many rainbow phenomena regularly here in West Seattle: Rainbows, secondary bow rainbows, supernumeraries, sun pillars, halos, heiligenschein, crepuscular (and anti-crepuscular) rays, and sundogs. This was a new one to me: The circumhorizon arc.

The circumhorizon arc is only visible when the Sun is higher than 58° in the sky. This can be true in Seattle only around noon from early May through mid-August. Like other halo-related visual effects, the arc is formed by sunlight refracting through ice crystals. As you can see in the photos, this arc is visible where there are streaky, filamental cirrus clouds. Those clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that even on hot days ice crystals can form.

(Circumhorizon arc and halo over West Seattle — with labels: © 2015 Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen)

Although this is not a common event, the circumhorizon arc is not classified as rare for our latitude. Look for it again throughout the summer around noon whenever you see cirrus-type clouds in the sky. This is the same event as a fire rainbow, but “fire rainbow” is not an accepted term, as it is misleading.

Before I go, let me mention noctilucent clouds, because the section of circumhorizon arc we saw today was almost exactly the same color, and now is the time to watch for them. Noctilucent clouds are also visible only in summer, but about 30 minutes to two and a half hours after sunset. They’re high enough in the atmosphere that they are still bathed in sunlight even as the sky darkens through twilight, giving them an ethereal blue glow in the dark sky.

We report a fair number of great new visual cloud and sky events around June. With the Sun reaching its highest altitude (nearly 66° off the horizon here) at solar noon on the summer solstice, the days and weeks around now are when we have the opportunity to see effects that require the Sun to be high.

You can read about many common sun/atmosphere effects we see in West Seattle in this Skies over West Seattle article from two years ago. I would love to discuss this effect and any others at the solstice sunset watch on Saturday.

Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at alicesastroinfo.com.

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West Seattle businesses: Zelda Zonk Consignment opens Tuesday
June 15, 2015 3:28 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

While a long-running business in The Admiral District has just closed – another is about to open.

(Photo courtesy Zelda Zonk Consignment)
Tomorrow is opening day for Zelda Zonk Consignment for Women at 2210 California SW, previously home to West Seattle Fabric Company (which has gone mostly online) and, before that, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor, long since moved to The Junction). Proprietor Carrie Zimney explains, “Zelda Zonk is the name Marilyn Monroe went by when she was incognito so I thought it was very fitting.” Consignment is a form of recycling, and Carrie says, “I’ve been having a ton of fun with renovations and I’m so proud to say that I built my sales counter out of old pallets, and my clothing racks out of tree posts and old pallets. I also constructed my dressing rooms using old doors I purchased at Second Use in SODO.” As for the actual consigning, “Zelda Zonk does not brand-discriminate but we are really looking for current items from brands like Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, J. Crew, Theory, Ann Taylor and BCBGMaxazria. We will also carry special designer items from designers such as Prada, Oscar De La Renta, Burburry, and Chanel.” Starting tomorrow, she plans to be open 10 am-7 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-6 pm Sundays, closed Mondays. If you’re interested in consigning – she says, “I do a 40/60 split or in-store credit of 50%” – call 206-932-0961.

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UPDATE: Rooftop fire at apartment building in The Junction
June 15, 2015 12:17 pm
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Reader photo courtesy Quent)
12:17 PM: Seattle Fire is at an apartment building in the 4700 block of 41st SW after a report of smoke. More to come.

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
12:23 PM UPDATE: SFD says it was a “rooftop fire” but is now “extinguished.”

The address on the SFD log checks to the City Watch Apartments east of Jefferson Square.

12:30 PM: Update via scanner – firefighters have now spotted a “small fire in a planter” on the rooftop.

12:39 PM: They’re calling for another engine and ladder. No word of injuries so far. Thanks to Craig Roberts for video showing the heavy smoke when this all got started:

12:44 PM: One of our crews at the scene talked with WSB reader Sue, who lives at this building and is OK, but quite a scare, as her hallway on the 5th floor was full of smoke. We’ve also talked with the incident commander, who says the fire is now tapped.

They’re still checking the air quality among other things so no word on how soon people will be allowed back into the building.

1:18 PM: Just briefed by SFD public-information officer Kyle Moore – he confirms no one was hurt, and that the fire was confined to the rooftop, but investigators don’t know yet what sparked it.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
People are being allowed back into the building.

ADDED MONDAY EVENING: We checked with Moore just before day’s end: “Cause is accidental, improperly discarded smoking materials onto rooftop deck or planter. The damage estimate is $7,000.”

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One more day to have your say on new ‘fitness zones’
June 15, 2015 12:15 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

As first reported here a month ago, new outdoor “fitness zones” are coming to Delridge and Hiawatha Community Centers‘ parks, and if you haven’t already told Seattle Parks what you want to see in these free workout spots for teens and adults – you have one more day to have a say! For Delridge input, go here; for Hiawatha input, go here. Both surveys close at noon tomorrow.

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West Seattle Monday: Beach, books, benefit, and more…
June 15, 2015 9:45 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Monday: Beach, books, benefit, and more…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(West Seattle flowers, by Yel0Rose, via the WSB Flickr group)

SECOND-TO-LAST DAY OF SCHOOL … for Seattle Public Schools students, some of whom you might see out on the beach today for field trips because of the following:

LOW TIDE, WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Tide’s out to -2.3 feet at 10:42 this morning; Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are out at Constellation and Lincoln Parks until 1 pm today. (P.S. Have you seen this West Seattle octopus video yet?)

HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Could be another hot day. Just reminding you that while it’s not wading-pool season yet, the Highland Park Spraypark continues to be open daily, 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)

AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: 2-3 pm, this month’s Afternoon Book Group meets at Southwest Branch Library. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Ernest Hemingway is this month’s book. (35th/Henderson)

BENEFIT FOR WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS: 3-10 pm, dine at Talarico’s in The Junction and 30 percent of the proceeds go to the WSHS cheer program to help with camp and uniform costs. (4718 California SW)

DELRIDGE GROCERY CO-OP CONVERSATION: 6-7:45 pm at Delridge Branch Library, stop by to talk about everything from the co-op’s progress toward opening, to its summer farmstand, to food access in general – details here. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

AND MORE … for today/tonight/beyond, if you hop over to our calendar!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates
June 15, 2015 7:31 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

7:31 AM: While covering the Polar Pioneer departure, we’ve also been keeping an eye on traffic as always. Keeping this short unless there’s an incident to report – you’ll find the cameras here; please also remember the Beach Drive/Lincoln Park Way/48th SW alert starting today.

8:19 AM: Just went through the aforementioned area – the street-cutting work hasn’t started yet, no sign of staging, either, just a couple concrete trucks on the south end of Beach Drive.

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REPORT #2: Shell’s Polar Pioneer leaves West Seattle; 24 ‘detained’ in kayak-blockade attempt
June 15, 2015 6:27 am
|      43 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

6:27 AM: Picking up from our all-night coverage – right now, Foss tugs are pulling the Polar Pioneer out of the west mouth of the Duwamish River, a month after its arrival, and a kayak blockade is trying to stop it.

Heavy police and Coast Guard presence in the area, on sea and in the air, plus we’ve seen police bicycle officers at Terminal 5 in the wake of the rig’s pullout.

6:32 AM: The rig and tugs are fully out in the bay now and the blockade appears to be moving along with them.

6:35 AM: The tugs and rig briefly stopped but are now moving, very slowly, again. Commenters in our earlier coverage asked why protesters are trying to stop it from leaving, since they didn’t want it here in the first place.

They have said that the point is to try to keep it from getting to the Arctic in its relatively short summer window, to stop it from drilling.

6:47 AM: The group continues to advance toward Duwamish Head, tugs, Polar Pioneer, kayakers and all. The Lindsey Foss and Garth Foss are pulling the Polar Pioneer while the Andrew Foss and Henry Foss are behind. The first three also were among the tugs that brought it into Seattle from Port Angeles on May 14th.

7:10 AM: We’ve moved over to Don Armeni, which has been protest HQ for some days now. Red flags are set up on the shore.

7:19 AM: The protest group says there have been “several arrests.” No further details or confirmation so far.

7:47 AM: We’re still at Don Armeni, but about to move on; the rig is out of sight, and some kayakers continue returning to the ramp here. Most of the citywide media has left. We asked if anyone knows how long the Solar Pioneer barge will stay; no info on that yet. (As we reported last night, a cleanup is scheduled today at the spot near Seacrest where its cables and blocks did damage before it moved west.)

8:28 AM: We’re back at HQ and will be adding/replacing some photos. If any new information emerges later, regarding arrests or anything else related to today’s departure, we’ll update this story. A couple points in the meantime:

*Polar Pioneer is headed first to Dutch Harbor, AK, a 12-day trip, according to this Houston Chronicle story we linked and explained in our overnight report

*Foss has a 2-year lease with the Port of Seattle for part of Terminal 5, and the plan has been for Shell to return here after Arctic-drilling season. In the meantime, though, the permit fight will play out, with a city hearing set for July 23rd. As we first reported over the weekend, maritime companies are seeking to join that fight, in a group calling itself the “T-5 Intervenors.”

10:10 AM: No arrests confirmed but the Coast Guard has tweeted that 24 people were detained:

City Councilmember Mike O’Brien is reported to have been among the detainees.

11:48 AM: What the protesters couldn’t do, the tide apparently did – the Shell No group texted about an hour ago – right around the lowest tide of the day, almost the lowest of the month – that Polar Pioneer was “beached” off Bainbridge Island. We were away from HQ but tweeted it and then noted that it was indeed still visible in the distance from Alki. As of right now, MarineTraffic.com still shows it and its accompanying vessels – plus Coast Guard and police – in the same spot off north Bainbridge Island.

11:54 AM: Foss spokesperson Paul Queary says it’s not stuck – it’s a planned change of tugs.

4:45 PM: The Polar Pioneer is currently passing between North Kitsap and South Whidbey. West Seattle pilot/photographer Cuyler Binion shared this aerial view from earlier:

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REPORT #1: Shell departing Terminal 5; sea blockade attempt under way
June 15, 2015 12:21 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

(SCROLL DOWN for updates)

(WSB photo, Sunday @ Don Armeni Boat Ramp)
12:21 AM: Hours after the latest anti-Shell rally at Don Armeni Park – this time, led by Native activists (WSB photo above) – the “Shell No” group says it believes Polar Pioneer will try to depart from Terminal 5 today.

(WSB photo, Sunday from Jack Block Park)
It’s put out a call for people to be ready to join a flotilla blockade, potentially departing from Don Armeni Boat Ramp, where the protest coalition has been headquartered. It’s been exactly a month since the platform leased by Shell for Arctic drilling arrived in West Seattle. The Noble Discoverer drillship, which Shell also plans to deploy, has remained moored in Everett rather than coming to T-5 as once expected.

1:38 AM: A Coast Guard cutter, Blue Shark, is patroling near T-5; in all our watching of maritime comings and goings, we haven’t seen that lately. A Port police boat remains in the area too. And the tug Garth Foss, one of the Foss tugs that brought Polar Pioneer to Seattle from Port Angeles a month ago, arrived in the area not long ago and is stopped offshore northwest of Jack Block Park. Meantime, for a look inside Polar Pioneer and details of exactly where it’s being sent and why, read this in-depth Houston Chronicle story (link tweeted by Stranger reporter Sydney Brownstone).

3:10 AM: Two more of the 4 Foss tugs that brought Polar Pioneer here last month are either in Elliott Bay now (Andrew Foss) or almost here (Lindsey Foss).

4:20 AM: Text alert from the ShellNo Action Council says kayakers have formed “a human blockade to stop Shell from leaving Seattle.” Meantime, tugs are gathering at T-5, MarineTraffic.com shows.

5:31 AM: The activity continues to intensify; more Coast Guard and police vessels are in the area, and one texter tells us a USCG helicopter is up too. We’re heading out for a firsthand look, now that it’s light.

6:16 AM: We’re at Jack Block and Polar Pioneer is definitely pulling out. It’s approaching a water blockade. We’ll be updating in a separate report.

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