West Seattle, Washington

15 Friday

42℉

month : 02/2016 314 results

West Seattle Crime Watch: Gunfire in Highland Park
February 16, 2016 11:47 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

11:47 PM: Police have confirmed reports of gunfire in Highland Park.

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(WSB photos)

It happened in the parking lot at the 16th and Holden 7-11, where, according to scanner traffic, at least one shell casing has turned up, and officers are looking for others. No reports of injuries or property damage, so far.

12:10 AM: Still just one casing found as of our stop at the scene a few minutes ago. The search is focusing on the east side of the store, along 16th.

casing2

They’re still sorting out the circumstances. Photos added.

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Basketball playoffs: Losses for WSHS boys, SLHS girls
February 16, 2016 11:43 pm
|    Comments Off on Basketball playoffs: Losses for WSHS boys, SLHS girls
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Two more playoff games tonight for local high-school basketball teams:

SEATTLE LUTHERAN GIRLS VS. TULALIP HERITAGE: This game ended with a loss for the Saints, 48-37, in Mount Vernon. The SLHS girls’ next game will be at 6 pm Thursday vs. Neah Bay, at Evergreen Lutheran in Tacoma.

WEST SEATTLE BOYS VS. BELLEVUE: This was a rollercoaster game for the Wildcats, eventually losing 64-57. They went into the locker room down 36-10 at the half but rallied to a one point lead early in the fourth quarter, leading to raucous cheers from the bench:

boyslenzie
(WSB photos)

The defense toughened up in the second half, too, as head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s boys kept battling:

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#22 Yusuf Mohamed was the scoring leader with 14, followed by #4 Chaaka Trahan with 11.

boystrahan

The next game is a must-win – 3 pm Friday vs. Rainier Beach, again at Bellevue College.

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FOLLOWUP: How Liberty the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever did at Westminster
February 16, 2016 9:12 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news

dog1
(WSB photo, February 6)

Back on February 6th, we brought you the story of West Seattleite Marcia Lyons and her Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Liberty, getting ready to head to the legendary Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and the Masters Agility Championship preceding it. We noticed in today’s results that Liberty had received “select” honors in her breed category. So we e-mailed Marcia to ask for an update:

It has been an amazing but incredibly busy time in New York. Here’s a recap of the last couple days and Libby’s exploits at Westminster.

I am crazy proud of my little Liberty and her performance this weekend at Westminster. On Saturday she ran in the Masters Agility Championship. She ran well enough in the two daytime runs to make it into the top 10 of her height class (16″) which meant she made it into the final Championship that night. It was quite the spectacle, as it was televised nationally on Fox Sports. I was also one of the few selected to wear a special wireless microphone as I ran so they could hear everything I was saying to Libby as we ran. In the final round she ran beautifully and one of the fastest times of the evening, but unfortunately we made 2 errors that added time penalties so we didn’t win. But she was a winner in my book, the way she gave her all as she ran and held up through an incredibly crazy busy day.

To cap her agility success, today she displayed the beauty side of things to compliment her athletic achievements. In the dog show she went into the breed ring for Conformation, in the “Best of Breed” class. It was quite thrilling when the judge awarded her the “Select Female” prize, meaning she was his second highest pick out of the females. We are now heading home tired and happy with some lovely ribbons.

It was an amazing weekend for the little Toller from West Seattle.

We almost missed Liberty on the winners’ list because she was listed by her official name: CH Aqueus Let Freedom Ring CD BN RE AX AXJ OF CGC.

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West Seattle schools: ‘Walk-ins’ planned Thursday morning
February 16, 2016 6:25 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(CONTINUING TO UPDATE with additions – scroll down!)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 6:25 PM: Instead of a walkout – it’s a walk-in.

On Thursday morning, teachers, staffers, parents, and community members are gathering outside public schools for a “walk-in” – a show of support, rather than a protest.

Since schools start at different times, the walk-ins are happening at different times. We’ve heard from two schools so far. One is West Seattle High School – teacher Jennifer Hall tells us:

At West Seattle High School, we (staff members, parents, community members) will be gathering in front of the building on California Avenue at 7 AM, and then we will WALK IN together between 7:10 and 7:15. We will be serving coffee and donuts, and enjoying conversation about positive hopes and dreams for our school inside, and school will start on time.

We’ve also heard from Gatewood Elementary. From Jena Ingrahm with the PTA:

Supporters will gather in the playground at Gatewood before school starts at 8:15 and then walk in together. The school day starts on time.

Why do a walk in? We are gathering across the country as communities to assert that these are our schools and they must be fully funded. Too many decisions about public education are made outside our communities and without the voice of parents, their children and the educators who know the students best. By standing up together, in our communities and across the country, we send a strong message to policymakers and educational leaders that we all support fully funded and resourced public schools.

All you have to do is show up and wear red!

If your school participating? Please let us know so we can add the info – start time and gathering place – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

ADDED 9:16 PM: Thanks to Angela Powell from the Alki Elementary PTA for sending word they’re participating too. This post on the PTA website has details; participants will gather outside the school at 8:20 am and walk in together.

ADDED 10:24 PM: Concord International in South Park also has a walk-in. Robin Schwartz from the Concord PTA says, “Wear red for ed(ucation), meet out front at 9 am to sign the poster board that will be delivered to Olympia, and walk in together!”

ADDED 7:08 AM WEDNESDAY: Schmitz Park Elementary also is participating, according to teacher Alison Aylesworth, who says the gathering time is 8:20 am: “Meet on the playground, write on the vision board and walk-in at 8:35! Wear red for ed!”

ADDED 10:55 AM WEDNESDAY – TWO MORE: Kayo adds in comments that “Pathfinder is also participating. Wear red and meet by the small playground at 8 am.”

And via e-mail, Sandra Gray tells us Fairmount Park Elementary will do it too – wear red and gather in front of the school along SW Findlay, 8-8:40 am. (UPDATE: They’ll gather along Fauntleroy instead.)

ADDED 3:09 PM WEDNESDAY – THREE MORE: From the Denny International Middle School newsletter:

“Before the Bell” Support for Schools Rally, 7:05 am, Denny Front Entrance

What’s your vision for our Public Schools? Join us “before the bell” on February 18 to stand together and celebrate our schools. Across the country from New York to Los Angeles and more than 20 cities in between, parents, students, teachers, educators and community leaders are gathering “before the bell” to stand together in support of great public schools. We’ll be meeting in the entrance courtyard at Denny as scholars arrive, from 7:05-7:35.

Via e-mail, Holly Briscoe from the Highland Park Elementary PTA says, “HPE will also be participating in the walk-in. We are encouraging families to wear red and to sign the vision board at drop off. Event begins at 8:30.”

And in comments, AJP says Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is in, too – 9 am to 9:30 am.

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High-school basketball playoffs: WSHS girls win
February 16, 2016 4:26 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school basketball playoffs: WSHS girls win
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

bvuturk
(WSB photos: WSHS players from left, #32 Lydia Giomi, #3 Izzy Turk, #21 Gabby Sarver)

4:26 PM: We’re in the gym at Bellevue College, where the West Seattle High School girls have just made it into the district-playoff quarterfinals with a win over Juanita, 73-66. Top scorer: WSHS senior Lydia Giomi, with 32 points. The Wildcats’ next game will be at 3 pm Thursday, against the winner of tonight’s Lakeside-Bellevue game.

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(#30 Lexi Ioane)

5:55 PM: We’re back at HQ now and adding photos.

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The scoring was rounded out by #30 Lexi Ioane with 12, #21 Gabby Sarver with 10, #3 Izzy Turk with 8, #20 Grace Sarver with 6, and #10 Jenna McPhee with 5.

Head coach Darnell Taylor‘s Wildcats led by as many as 20 points during the course of the game, but Juanita kept battling back. At halftime, the Wildcats were up 38-28, and added 7 unanswered points at the start of the second half, with the 50-30 lead not long after that. Juanita then scrapped its way to within five points, 52-47, but WSHS kept fighting and took the win.

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VIDEO: Mayor’s State of the City promises include more police
February 16, 2016 4:11 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

When the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network met three weeks ago, police staffing turned to be the hottest topic of the meeting. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis said he’d like to have more officers, but hiring citywide wasn’t going very quickly.

Maybe it will now – in his State of the City speech this afternoon, Mayor Ed Murray doubled his promise of new officers to be hired before his first term is up – saying he’ll now commit to hiring 200 more officers, above and beyond ongoing attrition.

Acknowledging that while violent crime in Seattle is low, property crime is not, he said SPD is forming a “dedicated team” working on reducing it.

He announced a Commercial Affordability Advisory Committee to, as the news release about his speech describes it, “identify issues that lead to displacement of small businesses in growing Urban Villages and recommend actions that support affordable commercial spaces.”

He spoke of renewed commitment for transportation projects including Sound Transit light rail to West Seattle and the Lander Street overpass in SODO, which was named in the Move Seattle levy. And he said the Vision Zero safety campaign – which has cut speed limits and rechannelized streets, including parts of 35th and Roxbury in West Seattle – is working, with traffic deaths down 25 percent, at an all-time low.

He also announced that all Seattle Public Schools campuses will be designated “Safe Places.”

Read more highlights here.

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Get ready to sell and shop! Kids’ sale to benefit West Seattle Co-Op Preschools
February 16, 2016 2:42 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photo from 2015 sale)

It’s a sale – it’s a benefit – and it’s earlier this year – March instead of April:

The West Seattle Co-op Preschool system is very excited to be hosting another kids’ consignment sale on March 5 from 9 – 1 p.m. at the West Seattle VFW Hall to help fund scholarships for families in need.

Anyone from the community can consign at this sale. Consigners can set their own prices, and guidance and information about how to register to be a consigner are available online.

This sale will be a great way for families to make some money with their gently used baby/kids gear, spring/summer clothing, toys, and books. Sellers will make 65 percent of the asking price and the preschool scholarship fund will retain 35 percent. The consigners will be paid for the sold items via a check, which will be mailed the week following the sale.

Anyone is welcome to shop for low cost, good quality items for their kids the day of the sale. All proceeds from the sale benefit the coop scholarship program to help families in need.

The sale page will have sneak peeks as the event gets closer.

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Another pump-station project about to start in West Seattle
February 16, 2016 12:52 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

We mentioned this briefly in coverage of last week’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, and today we have full details as Seattle Public Utilities is sending notice to neighbors of its next pump-station project, which will affect Fauntleroy ferry-dock users too, and drivers who use the electric-vehicle-charging stations at the dock.

Next month, SPU will start what could be up to four months of work at its pump station on the south side of the ferry dock:

It’s replacing “a sewer mainline through an underground horizontal drilling operation located along the pedestrian pathway and vehicle-lane area” as well as removing and replacing “mechanical and electrical pump-station components.” It’s a ~$400,000 project, according to online documents from the bidding process.

The project will close the King County Metro-managed parking lot on the southeast side of the dock, which means the five electric-vehicle charging stations in that lot, among the few publicly available in West Seattle, will be unavailable during the project. SPU says they are usually available to the public Mondays-Fridays, 7 am-3 pm. The vehicles that usually use the parking lot, vanpool vans, “will be relocated to designated street parking on Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Wildwood Place,” according to the SPU notice. The southbound bus stop by the lot is to remain open.

The ultimate goal of the upgrade, according to SPU, is to reduce sewer overflows into Puget Sound. We’ve asked a followup question about how many overflows this station, officially known as Pump Station 70, has had. This is a city project/facility, and so it’s separate from the county-owned Barton Pump Station on the other side of the dock, which just finished a multi-year upgrade project last year, and the county’s Murray Pump Station north of nearby Lincoln Park, which is getting upgrades while the combined-sewer-overflow-control facility is built across the street from Lowman Beach.

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West Seattle history: Why the Nucor water tower is coming down
February 16, 2016 10:37 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

watertower1
(1st & last photos, by WSB: This one’s from SW Yancy; look closely and you’ll see ‘Bethlehem,’ the plant’s 1930-1985 owner)

Thanks for the texted tip! Another change for the West Seattle skyline – the water tower at the Nucor Steel plant in North Delridge is coming down.

We called the plant to find out why; here’s what environmental manager Pat Jablonski told us:

The water tower hadn’t been used in decades. It’s being decommissioned and removed as part of construction/renovation work for a two-story office building at the plant. They’re not sure exactly how old it was but believe it dates back to the 1920s-1930s (the plant itself is more than a century old), built to hold an emergency water supply “before this part of Seattle had a reliable water system,” Jablonski explained.

Nucor Seattle water tower decommisioning
(Added: Photo by Jon Owen)

Perhaps the tower’s most noticeable feature, catching eyes in the holiday season, has been its illuminated star (featured here in 2007). Jablonski says they’re keeping it, “upgrading it to LEDs,” and relocating it somewhere else at the plant, though they haven’t decided where yet.

As for the steel that comprises most of the tower – yes, it’ll be recycled at Nucor.

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P.S. New here and not sure exactly what happens at the plant? Here’s a magazine story published by The Seattle Times in 2014. And for a historical perspective, check out Seattle Then and Now.

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West Seattle Tuesday: From crime prevention to crocheting
February 16, 2016 9:18 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: From crime prevention to crocheting
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Don Brubeck)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: Seattle Public Library branches are back open today after the holiday and people with babies up to 1 year old are invited to bring them to the Southwest Library for story time, 10:30-11 am. (35th SW/SW Henderson)

TONIGHT’S MUSIC: Justin Kausal-Hayes is live at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct, hear from SPD about current crime trends, and take advantage of a chance to ask police about your neighborhood concerns. Tonight’s guest speaker is from Alert Seattle, the city’s new-ish emergency-alert program. (2300 SW Webster)

CROCHETERS AND KNITTERS … you’re welcome, whatever your skill level, to the West Seattle Crochet and Knit Circle, 7 pm at Uptown Espresso in The Junction. (California/Erskine/Edmunds)

TONIGHT’S TRIVIA: 8 pm at Parliament Tavern. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

WEST SEATTLE YMCA SWIM LESSON SIGNUPS … start today for the next session, as previewed here on Monday. Family memberships now include free parent/child swim lessons. (4515 36th SW)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-holiday Tuesday
February 16, 2016 6:33 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:33 AM: We start with Viaduct trouble – a reported car fire has closed northbound 99 at the Battery Street Tunnel.

6:40 AM: Whatever it was, it was short-lived – a WSB tipster confirms what SDOT has just tweeted, that the tunnel is already back open.

6:44 AM: One reminder for today – it’s the second and final day of Seattle Public Schools‘ abbreviated mid-winter break.

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High-school basketball playoffs: Seattle Lutheran boys win; Tuesday schedule
February 15, 2016 11:47 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school basketball playoffs: Seattle Lutheran boys win; Tuesday schedule
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

The Seattle Lutheran High School boys are in the Tri-District basketball championship game. That’s after a 76-65 victory tonight vs. Neah Bay at Mount Vernon Christian (thanks to Mike Jensen for the updates). The Saints will face crosstown rival Shorewood Christian in the championship game next Saturday (February 20th), 7:15 pm, at Lummi Nation High School in Bellingham.

TOMORROW’S PLAYOFF GAMES: The SLHS girls play Tulalip Heritage, 6:15 pm in Mount Vernon. And both West Seattle High School teams play district games at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE) on Tuesday – the girls at 3 pm vs. Juanita and the boys at 8:15 pm vs. Bellevue.

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… and another stolen West Seattle car to look for
February 15, 2016 10:09 pm
|    Comments Off on … and another stolen West Seattle car to look for
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Tonight’s previous report featured a car stolen in Westwood and found by a WSB reader on Puget Ridge. Maybe you can help find this one: Ann just e-mailed that her 2000 white Volvo wagon was stolen overnight from her residence in the 10000 block of 51st SW (map). License plate ARP2096. As the @getyourcarback tweet says, call 911 if you see it.

P.S. We asked Ann if it has any distinguishing features, in case the plates are gone or switched: “It does have a long gash below the back-seat door on the passenger side, and my granddaughter’s car seat.”

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CAR FOUND: West Seattle Crime Watch followup
February 15, 2016 7:32 pm
|    Comments Off on CAR FOUND: West Seattle Crime Watch followup
 |   Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | Westwood

A WSB reader found the stolen car reported here last Friday. Mel reported her cousin’s green 2000 Honda CR-V was taken from the Westwood Village parking lot at 25th/Barton; today JH called police to report spotting it less than two miles away at 17th/Myrtle, and then e-mailed us with the news, adding that it’s not the first stolen car dumped there.

Mel confirms police have since contacted her cousin, who has the car back, “few damages” but some things stolen including “random CDs” and her daughter’s booster seat, but not her son’s car-seat base. Plus: “My back seats were down so it looked like they needed to take something someplace and needed a big enough car for it.” She says big thanks to JH for finding it.

We hope it’ll never happen to you, but if you do lose a car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. to a thief – once you’ve reported it to police, please let us know so people all over West Seattle can watch for it – editor@westseattleblog.com – or 206-293-6302 for breaking news.

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CONGRATULATIONS! WSHS swimmer to state
February 15, 2016 6:04 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Another local swimmer to cheer for in state competition starting later this week! Thanks to West Seattle High School head swim coach Blake Hurd for the report:

This last weekend a West Seattle Junior, Seryozha Dahl, completed in the Boys Swimming 3A District 2 Championship Meet on Mercer Island at Mary Wayte Pool. Entering the meet, Seryozha was ranked 3rd in the 200 Individual Freestyle for session #2 with a time of 1:48.26, ranked 6th overall amongst the entire meet. Seryozha finished the 2-day meet with a time of 1:48.96 for a 9th place overall.

Seryozha’s best performance, however, was in the 500 Individual Freestyle. Again entering the swim meet highly ranked, 1st not only in session #2 but in the entire meet with his best time of 4:52.51, finished prelims on Friday with a new personal best of 4:49.00. Even with his best time, Seryozha finished prelims in 3rd place going into finals, with only .16th of a second behind prelims first place time of 4:48.84. Seryozha dug deep again and in the third race in a row in 2 weeks achieved another personal best time of 4:48.04 in the 500 Freestyle, taking 1st at Boys Swimming 3A District Campionship.

Seryozha Dahl advances into Boys Swimming 3A State Championship Meet next Friday and Saturday in Federal Way at King County Aquatic Center. He’s ranked 9th overall in the 200 Individual Freestyle and 1st overall in the 500 Individual Freestyle. Good Luck Seryozha!

Honorable mentions for West Seattle Swim Team: Senior Jimmy Nguyen competed in both the 50 Individual Freestyle and 100 Individual Backstroke. Freshman Jackson Espeut competed in the 100 Individual Freestyle. After a year of absence, West Seattle had 2 Relay teams competing in the District Championship Meet. The Relays consisted of Freshmen Jackson Espeut and Cameron John, Sophomore Kit Lui and Senior Jimmy Nguyen for the 200 Medley Relay, and Junior Seryozha Dahl joind Cameron, Jackson, and Kit for the 200 Freestyle Relay. Go, Wildcats!

As noted in this morning’s reader report on other local swimmers headed to state, the competition starts Friday at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Any other local athletes headed to state competition? editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

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Got your own ‘Lake Pothole’? Here’s what to do about it
February 15, 2016 3:12 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Every round of wet weather seems to reveal – and/or deepen – another round of potholes.

lake-pot-hole-4-copy

After one recent storm, C. Johnston had had it with a nearby pothole. With the help of the grandkids, the scenes in the photos above and below emerged (in an alley – nobody was playing in the street!), and CJ sent us the photos. They seemed appropriate for illustrating a reminder about how to report potholes to the city.

lake-pot-hole-2-copy

This city-generated map is where to start. You can configure it to show pending requests, for example (blue dots). Right this moment, we’re not seeing any in West Seattle, unless we’re not zooming in closely enough. We DO see dozens of potholes come up as filled in the past 90 days, if you check the box that brings them into view (green dots). Here’s a screengrab of one cross-section:


The map doesn’t have a “live” embeddable option but on the city website, click any of those green dots, and you’ll get details on the right side of the map – when it was reported, when it was filled. Some dots represent more than one pothole.

To report one that you know is open right now but not showing on the map, use this form – or call 206-684-ROAD, and press “1.”

P.S. As pointed out by “Pothole Reporter” in comments, the city’s Find It Fix It app also can be used to report potholes, among other problems.

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Killer Whale Tales has an invitation for you!
February 15, 2016 12:51 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

(WSB file photo of Jeff Hogan presenting Killer Whale Tales at a local school)

Want to know more about our local orcas? Here’s your chance. Jeff Hogan from West Seattle-headquartered Killer Whale Tales – who is often the first to share the word when orcas are visiting – has an invitation for you:

West Seattle residents – you’re invited to a special night out with Killer Whale Tales, a grassroots nonprofit that’s been hard at work for 12 years right here in our neighborhood of West Seattle.

Killer Whale Tales is empowering youth to protect Puget Sound by educating them about our beloved orca population. Our program brings environmental science directly into the classroom, at no cost to schools. In the past 10 years we’ve reached 100,000 students!

Join us Saturday, February 27, from 7 to 9 p.m. at C & P Coffee for a unique opportunity as an adult to immerse yourself in the same experience our kids have in the program! Founder Jeff Hogan will deliver his interactive presentation and guests are invited to learn about and identify the Southern Resident killer whales that call Puget Sound home. It’s an exciting time to talk about our orcas – as our local pod has welcomed eight babies this year!

Come relax, have a drink and connect with your neighbors! Event is free but donations are welcomed. RSVP at this link.

If you want a Facebook reminder, here’s the event page.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Swimmers headed to state
February 15, 2016 12:16 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

While their school’s in Burien, these swimmers all live in West Seattle, says Brent Lindblom, who sent the photo with word they’re all headed for state competition:

Congratulation to the Kennedy Catholic High School Varsity Swim Team members advancing to the WIAA Boys State HS Swim/Dive Championship:

From left to right: Coach Sean Prethero; Junior Ian Olufson, swimming the 200 Free Style, 500 Free Style and 400 Free Style Relay; Senior Jeff Kasahara, swimming the 100 Breast Stroke and 400 Free Style Relay; Freshman Ty Lindblom, swimming the 500 Free Style and 400 Relay; Ben Kinerk, swimming the 400 relay. Assistant Coach Marley Prethero.

Championships are next Friday and Saturday, February 19th and 20th, at King County Aquatic Center at 650 SW Campus Dr., Federal Way, beginning at 12:00 Friday. There is a cost of admission and program fee. GO, LANCERS!!!!

Anybody else from this area headed to state competition? We’d be happy to share that news too – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

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At the West Seattle Y: Indoor soccer, Kids Night In, clothing donations, free swim lessons
February 15, 2016 9:56 am
|    Comments Off on At the West Seattle Y: Indoor soccer, Kids Night In, clothing donations, free swim lessons
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

While city-run community centers, pools, libraries, and other facilities are closed for the holiday, the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) is open regular hours today. Here are four current/upcoming events/programs they’re spotlighting:

YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER SIGNUPS: For ages 3 to 8, registration is under way for both members and community participants for this year’s youth indoor soccer season, which starts with practices the week of February 29th, games the week of March 19th, last day of the season April 23rd. You can sign up in person or online.

KIDS’ NIGHT IN: For ages 4-10, a “splendid slumber party” at the Y, 6:30 pm Saturday (February 20th) to 8 am Sunday. Games, tumbling, dancing, scavenger hunt, movie, snacks, light breakfast … for members and community participants. Sign up online.

CLOTHES FOR THE CAUSE: The Y’s Tween Thursday program is teaming with C4TC on a clothing and textile drive that’s under way now. Surplus clothing/household linens? Drop them off at the West Seattle or Fauntleroy YMCA through February 28th (when the drive ends with the Clothes for the Cause truck on site 1-3 pm). More info, and a list of what they can and can’t accept, is here.

FREE PARENT CHILD SWIM LESSONS are now included in family memberships, starting at 6 months old, continuing through 35 months. Registration opens tomorrow (Tuesday, February 16th) for members, for the next session, March 1st-April 23rd. Online signups will be here.

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UPDATE: Comcast trouble wasn’t just in West Seattle
February 15, 2016 8:31 am
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

8:31 AM: No official acknowledgment yet but reports of a Comcast outage are increasingly widespread. First we heard from A. south of Admiral, then from Cami on Alki, Teresa in Gatewood, Noodle in Morgan, and we’re having trouble in Upper Fauntleroy. Anybody else?

8:50 AM: Comcast is responding to multiple complaints (not just in this region) via its @comcastcares account, to which its @comcastwa account is referring people. The basic reply line: “We are working on restoring this as fast as possible.”

8:56 AM: Maybe a relatively short outage, though widespread (usually they’re fairly localized) – some are reporting it’s back.

ADDED 7:54 PM: As suggested in comments, seems the trouble was in multiple areas around the country, not just here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Presidents Day
February 15, 2016 6:03 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:03 AM: It’s Presidents Day, which means some changes:

–Seattle Public Schools are closed today and tomorrow (and most others)

–Metro is on a “reduced weekday” schedule

–No Water Taxi

–Most government facilities – including Seattle Parks and Seattle Public Library branches – are closed

10:18 AM: Crash on northbound 99 by the Battery Street Tunnel, blocking all lanes at last report.

5:43 PM: The onramp to the eastbound bridge from lower Spokane, by Fire Station 36, has been blocked for about two hours now, with what’s described only as a “fuel spill.” The nearby Delridge onramp remains open, though.

6:22 PM: The ramp mentioned above is open again.

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If you notice City Light activity in Morgan Junction …
February 15, 2016 2:29 am
|    Comments Off on If you notice City Light activity in Morgan Junction …
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

2:29 AM: … this is likely why:

Along eastbound Fauntleroy, just east of California, west of the West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) entrance, a car hit the streetlight pole you see leaning in our photo. No injuries reported, but Seattle City Light was summoned to come out and check on the pole, which is in a precarious position, to say the least, given the traffic that goes by that spot. We’ll check on it in a few hours. Police, meantime, were investigating the possibility of DUI.

8:37 AM: Just went back to check. Car’s gone, pole still leaning.

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PHOTOS/VIDEO: Celebrating Tết at Vietnamese Cultural Center
February 14, 2016 9:36 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

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(WSB photos)

Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, is officially here, as of this afternoon’s celebration at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle. The rain lifted in time for more than 50 people to gather on the VCC’s plaza of temples and statues, with the Lion Dance Team from the Van Hanh Temple Buddhist Youth Group.
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Firecrackers and drums provided the soundtrack for the dance:

The celebration began with flag salutes and anthems, as Viet Tran raised the Vietnam Heritage and Freedom Flag alongside the Stars and Stripes:

The event was emceed by Bao Van Nguyen (below right) with participants including Col. Yen Len Hua (below left) offering the Tết greeting and New Year’s wishes, as well as the colonel’s fellow VCC board elders Hung Manh Dinh and Khai Dinh Tran presenting the history of King Quang Trung and a traditional New Year’s Wish reading.

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The celebration continued inside one of the VCC temples, with a commemorative photo first:

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Though last Monday marked the official arrival of the New Year, Tết is a multi-day celebration, and today was the conclusion.

By the way, you don’t have to wait for a holiday to visit the Vietnamese Cultural Center, led by director Lee Bui – it’s open to the public most Saturdays, noon-3 pm, at 2236 SW Orchard, on Metro Route 128, with parking out front.

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