month : 12/2015 286 results

Don’t just play games – make them! That’s the invitation Delridge Library has for students 9-13, during an upcoming multi-day special event, December 14-17, involving designing games with the system you see in the demonstration video above:

This 4-day workshop will be taught by the creator of BlockStudio, a new system that lets novices create games and animations rapidly, without using code. Students will learn how to turn their creative ideas into interactive software, and tackle progressively harder challenges each day. The final day will consist of a show-and-tell session, where students will show off their creations to each other. All games and animations created during this workshop will be playable after the workshop is over. For ages 9 – 13.

The library calendar shows the workshop happening 4-5:30 pm each of those four days. It’s free, but registration is required, so call the branch (5423 Delridge Way SW) to find out how – 206-733-9125 it’s open 11 am-6 pm today.

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‘I’m beyond optimistic’: Leslie Harris now your official Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors rep for West Seattle & South Park

December 1, 2015 6:53 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle politics

(WSB video: Harris’s post-oath speech)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Four weeks after her landslide win, Leslie Harris has just officially taken office as the new Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors rep for District 6 – West Seattle and South Park.

At district headquarters, with husband Michael Harris and recent Chief Sealth International High School graduate daughter Monica Harris looking on, Harris was administered the oath of office by retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice Faith Ireland [video].

“She’s a mentor,” Harris explained in a phone interview with WSB this morning.

Mentoring is a priority for Harris, as she mentioned in her victory speech at last month’s 34th District Democrats meeting. Asked to elaborate in our conversation today, she explained, “My hope is that we can work with community members, with organized labor, with parents, and with business, to hook up middle- and high-school students with someone who will help them achieve their goals, that’ll be there to support them, answer questions, coach them … and that’s especially important with (students) who don’t have extensive families and aren’t able to access parts of the system that other privileged people take for granted.”

Harris, a Highland Park resident, has been not just an SPS parent for years – before CSIHS, her daughter attended Pathfinder K-8 – but has also been an advocate and watchdog. “I feel like I’ve been in training, almost like an athlete, you know,” she laughed. And the past few weeks since the election have been even more intense.

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Planning begins for Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial, initiated by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

December 1, 2015 5:01 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | West Seattle politics

On this World AIDS Day, more from West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen about the start of planning for one of his city-budget priorities, a Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial:

Councilmember Tom Rasmussen today announced the City Council has dedicated $75,000 to initiate a planning process to create a Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial. Those funds would be directly matched by a community organization, which would take a leadership role in planning and proposing an appropriate memorial.

Nearly 4,000 Seattleites died in the first two decades of the AIDS epidemic, and a history of both the crisis and the community’s response has not been comprehensively collected, recorded or presented. Councilmember Rasmussen sponsored the memorial proposal after listening to advocates involved in the early days of the epidemic who felt that the history and the stories of the lives that were lost be chronicled.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: 4-car crash on Admiral Way west of California SW

December 1, 2015 3:16 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | WS breaking news

3:16 PM: Thanks to the person who texted us with the tip that a crash reported on Admiral Way just west of California SW involves several cars. So far we’ve heard that no one is hurt but eastbound traffic on Admiral is affected. We’re en route to find out more.

3:36 PM: Our crew sent the photo added above and reports that four cars are involved, right in front of the Bank of America. Eastbound lanes are blocked there while tow trucks are awaited.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: 5-year prison sentence for repeat drunk driver

December 1, 2015 3:00 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

“I’ve suffered from this addiction for a very long time and know I need serious help.” So wrote 32-year-old Christopher T. Martin in a letter to the judge who sentenced him last week for felony DUI and bail-jumping. Martin is the repeat drunk driver who was arrested on the West Seattle Bridge this past June after flipping his car, in which his toddler daughter was riding. Neither was hurt – nor was anyone in the three other cars involved – but police discovered Martin was wanted for failing to appear in connection with a felony DUI case from a downtown incident almost three years earlier. As we reported at the time, and as reiterated in current court documents, he had four DUI arrests in the preceding nine years, which made the 2012 charge, in which he tested with .27 blood alcohol, a felony offense. He’s been jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail since the arrest in June; in September, he pleaded guilty to felony DUI and bail jumping in the 2012 case, as well as pleading guilty to three Municipal Court charges in the West Seattle Bridge case. After several postponements, he was sentenced one week ago to five years in prison, with credit for time served; that was the top of the range, according to court documents.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car leads police to Highland Park holdup suspect

December 1, 2015 12:53 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

An armed-robbery suspect is in jail after police tracked him down in the stolen car they say was used in the robbery. From SPD Blotter:

Officers responded to a convenience store in the the 1600 block of SW Holden St just before 1 AM on Monday after three subjects robbed the store of cash and cigarettes. After killing some time purchasing Scratch lotto tickets and browsing the food aisles, one displayed a handgun and threatened the clerk. The other two acted as lookouts as he went behind the counter and stole cigarettes and cleared out the cash register.

The suspects fled the scene in a white Honda Accord that was stolen the previous day from South Seattle.

Just after 9 PM last night, Officers Brandon McDougald and Nick Evans spotted the stolen vehicle used in the robbery that morning. The driver, and sole occupant, was placed under arrest. Officers found methamphetamine in his pockets as well as the scratch tickets he likely bought just before the robbery. The 40-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail for robbery, auto theft, and narcotics.

We followed up with SPD to ask where the vehicle was spotted, since it’s not in the SPDB post: 20th SW/SW Henderson. (added) We checked on the suspect’s background; he does not appear to have a felony record.

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Plant a poster for next year’s West Seattle Garden Tour!

December 1, 2015 12:00 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Gardening | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo from one stop on this year’s WSGT)
While this is the dormant season for many gardens, it’s a busy time of planning for the next West Seattle Garden Tour, which is now inviting artists to get ready to enter next year’s poster contest:

The West Seattle Garden Tour provides an opportunity for local artists to showcase their original artwork on marketing materials, including the cover of the WSGT ticket book and promotional poster. The winning artist also receives a $500 cash award. Winning and honorable mention artworks will be featured during the June 2016 West Seattle Art Walk.

Please accept this invitation to submit your original artwork to the annual WSGT Poster Competition. Submission rules and entry form are available on our website.

The West Seattle Garden Tour (WSGT) is one of the premier garden tours in the Northwest, as well as a fundraiser for local non-profits promoting horticulture, education or the arts. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized by a group of dedicated volunteers. Since its inception in 1995, the WSGT has donated nearly a half million dollars to local beneficiaries.

Entries are due in early February.

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West Seattle Tuesday: From Neighborhoods to nightlife, & more…

December 1, 2015 10:35 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: From Neighborhoods to nightlife, & more…

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Near Hamilton Viewpoint, sun through the fog. Photo by David Hutchinson)

Happy December! Today’s big events are from our regular year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, so we’re starting there:

NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TAKES OFFICE: West Seattleite Leslie Harris was elected to the School Board with 75% of the vote last month; she will represent the WS/South Park area. Today, she and the three other new board members take office in a 5 pm ceremony at district headquarters in SODO, all welcome. (3rd S. & S. Lander)

WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: If someone says “city department” to you, you might think of City Light, Public Utilities, Police, Fire, even Planning and Development … but the Department of Neighborhoods might not immediately come to mind. It should. Its programs range from P-Patch gardens to community grants large and small that anyone can apply for. Be at tonight’s Westwood-Arbor Heights-Roxhill Community Council meeting to find out more, as previewed here. 6:15 pm in the upstairs meeting room at Southwest Library. (35th SW & SW Henderson)

DRINKING LIBERALLY: 6 pm at Pizzeria 22, as explained here. (California SW & SW College)

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank – look ahead to 2016 priorities. Even if you can’t be there in person, you can help – see the meeting listing on the WSBC website to find out how. (41st SW & SW Alaska)

FAMILY STORY TIME: Tonight’s edition is at 7 pm at Delridge Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

NIGHTLIFE: Trivia, karaoke, and live music! See the listings here.

We also have one item from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide (LOTS added to it lately, by the way!):

CAUSETOWN SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA: “Giving Tuesday” is the perfect day for the finale of this special promotion at The General Store Seattle (WSB sponsor):

Simply mention Causetown when making a purchase, and The General Store Seattle will donate 5% of your purchase to ANY school or charity in the country you choose! Nonprofits can also schedule group fundraisers through our Causetown profile page. Get your holiday shopping done AND donate to your favorite charities at the same time!! Valid until December 1st at 10 pm. All in-store and online sales qualify!

(3400 Harbor Ave. SW or online)

Something to share with your 100,000 neighbors via our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? editor@westseattleblog.com, the earlier, the better!

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Want to try classes/programs at Seattle Parks community centers/pools? Winter signups start today

December 1, 2015 9:09 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Swimming lessons, sports leagues, art classes, field trips, cooking, dancing, workouts … it’s all in the next round of registration for Seattle Parks facilities, starting today. If you haven’t browsed the all-in-one brochure for our area’s five city-run community centers, one Teen Life Center, and Southwest Pool, where it’s all listed – you’ll find it here. And if you think it’s all kid stuff, wrong! All ages, up to “lifelong.”

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; ferry trouble

December 1, 2015 7:23 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; ferry trouble

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:23 AM: No incidents on the roads through/from West Seattle so far this morning, but the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route has one big problem – M/V Issaquah is now out of service for repairs, which means some cancellations – track them here.

7:32 AM: And some good news – no worries about icy roads, paths, sidewalks, or windshields this morning, as it’s well above freezing.

10:44 AM: WSF says M/V Tillikum will replace Issaquah this afternoon, so they can get back to the 3-boat schedule. Remember, though, it’s smaller.

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