West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
The beach at Lincoln Park is cleaner tonight thanks to the work of a group from Arbor Heights Elementary. Elise Olson shares the report and photos:
When underwater photographer and author Annie Crawley with Dive Into Your Imagination came to speak to our students a few weeks ago about problems facing our ocean including the proliferation of plastics, which is killing ocean life, 5th graders in Ms. Nall’s class were disturbed by what they learned and set out to do something about it. Today they organized a cleanup at Lincoln Park. 25+ classmates and family members showed up with garbage bags and gloves to collect debris in the park and along the stretch of beach from the waterfront swings to the pool. They found lots of straws, wrappers, bits of Styrofoam, rope, bottles and even a pair of glasses and a shoe!
Elise adds that Ms. Nall “has been a fabulous role model in teaching her kids to move away from just talking and reading about the problems our planet faces and begin to make changes so they become commonplace and be more cognizant of how our actions (AND PURCHASES) have an impact on our world.”
What goes into the Sound can end up inside the wildlife living in its waters – you might recall the Arroyos gray whale as just one example.
(UPDATED 7:27 PM with additional information from Councilmember Herbold)
Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Christopher Boffoli
“Is THAT the clearcut?”
The question came from someone we passed while walking up from the first East Admiral street end where we’d stopped to seek an overview of the city-owned slope where, as first reported by The Seattle Times last night, 100+ trees have been cut illegally.
We were in the wrong place but subsequently found the two street ends where you can see the trees’ remains firsthand: 33rd and City View, where a short trail leads north to an overview of the south end of the area, and the north end of 35th SW, where you can look directly onto the slashed slope. Those areas are below and to the left of the “AW1” designation in the Green Seattle Partnership map we’ve embedded below:
Our photographer says today’s West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) egg hunt brought the biggest turnout he’d seen in going on a decade of covering the annual event. The Easter Bunny, of course, made an appearance:
This time, the store promised 30,000 surprise-filled eggs for the taking:
Even the littlest participants gave it their all:
This year, the store’s celebrating its 28th anniversary.
(LOOKING FOR RESULTS? Go here)
FIRST REPORT, 10:24 AM: The Democratic caucuses are on – and we’re already getting reader reports via Twitter of crowds just about everywhere:
Overflowing at #CSIHS @westseattleblog #WACaucus #LD34 pic.twitter.com/IXIkHR8xlf
— Jana on Occasion (@jana_obscura) March 26, 2016
Over 1,500 so far at Fairmount Elm in West Seattle. Will start at 10:30a @westseattleblog #wacaucus #waelex pic.twitter.com/Wd1ldJtDvg
— Jean-Paul Willynck (@jwillynck) March 26, 2016
Boren STEM K-8 Caucus Site @ 9:50am @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/8pNpPWyZ3a
— Chris Monsos (@ChrisMonsos) March 26, 2016
More to come. We’re about to step inside West Seattle High School to see how it’s going there.
11:05 AM: The initial balloting is over and people are rising, at tables in the WSHS Commons, to argue in favor of their candidate. Here’s how the vote went at one table where we spent some time:
This table at WSHS goes 30 Sanders, 17 Clinton, 2 undecided in first count #WAcaucus #waelex pic.twitter.com/A7nEKgRczg
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 26, 2016
At another table, woman says it's great there's a female candidate but she's for Sanders for his integrity #WAcaucus pic.twitter.com/Ec8EcgeRL2
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 26, 2016
Clinton supporter at next table. Calls her pragmatic. #WAcaucus pic.twitter.com/6q3Ml0CVTz
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 26, 2016
The speeches continue. People can choose to change their votes – so that’s the point of speeches. Again, if you missed the backstory, this is the first step in the process of allotting our state’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention. (Republicans had caucuses but not to support presidential candidates; they’ll do that in the primary vote later this spring.) Here’s a quick Instagram-video circle around the WSHS Commons:
Future voters keeping busy #WAcaucus pic.twitter.com/F4Y55p4xMZ
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 26, 2016
Next, tables are electing delegates to the next level of the process. We’ll have more photos/info later, including official numbers expected this afternoon.
ADDED 12:42 PM: We also stopped at Chief Sealth International High School:
And the Boren Building, home to Louisa Boren K-8 STEM and, until June, Arbor Heights Elementary:
Reminders that the caucuses run on volunteer power – from the 34th District Democrats, chair Marcee Stone-Vekich was at the mic at Boren:
And at Sealth, the 34th DDs’ state committeewoman Lisa Plymate:
Also just in – a photo from Vy Duong, who caucused at Lafayette Elementary:
Vy reports seeing County Executive Dow Constantine, an Admiral resident, there; we noted County Council Chair Joe McDermott, a Morgan-area resident, at Sealth.
More to come! Photos welcome at editor@westseattleblog.com.
2:47 PM: Statewide and county-by-county results, by the way, are being updated here – big lead for Sanders so far. We hope to have local-level results at some point too. Another photo to share, from an anonymous reader – Madison Middle School:
9:33 PM: Most of the results are in at the state-party site and it shows Sanders winning the state with 73 percent to Clinton’s 27 percent.
10:18 AM: Huge morning for egg hunts. The community centers’ 10 am hunts are over in minutes, and we were at Hiawatha to catch what’s usually West Seattle’s biggest crowd. Our Instagram video above (mouse over the image to bring up the “play” button) shows you just part of it. More photos to come (plus separate coverage of the huge Thriftway event) – and if you were at a community-center hunt, we’d love to use your photo – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
7:21 PM: Our photos from Hiawatha – where the kids are split into age groups, and then led off to different parts of the grounds, from the tennis courts to, in this case, the east lawn and wading pool areas:
Then, they line up until it’s time to dash for the eggs:
And they’re off!
Collection boxes were out in hopes of recycling as many of the plastic eggs as possible, once they were emptied:
With hundreds of people caucusing at West Seattle High School next door, and Lafayette Elementary nearby, the area was more congested than usual today – won’t be the case next year, of course.
(Great Blue Heron, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Big Saturday around West Seattle and beyond. For today/tonight, we’re breaking the list into three parts – first, local Democrats’ caucuses, the first step toward choosing delegates for the presidential nominating convention:
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES: They start at 10 am – more than a dozen locations around West Seattle alone. Get there early. Your location is determined by which precinct you live in; if you don’t already know where you’re going, here’s all the info, as published here Friday. The caucuses are the first step toward delegate selection for our state’s representation at the nominating convention; there’s a presidential primary vote later this spring but that will not figure into the Democrats’ process.
Now, egg hunts and more as we start Easter weekend:
THRIFTWAY EGG HUNT: The famous egg hunt at West Seattle Thriftway, for ages 1-10, promising 30,000 eggs filled with fun. 9 am; get there early. (California/Fauntleroy)
COMMUNITY CENTER EGG HUNTS: 10 am is the start time – be there by 9:45 – for the city’s community-center egg hunts, at Alki Community Center, Delridge Community Center, Hiawatha Community Center, High Point Community Center, Southwest Teen Life Center/Southwest Pool.
EASTRIDGE EGG HUNT: Another annual tradition – Eastridge Church‘s egg hunt with 10,000 candy-filled eggs, pictures with the Easter Bunny, face painting, inflatables, prizes, more, at south meadow of Lincoln Park, 11 am. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
LABYRINTH WALKING: Last chance to contemplate while walking the labyrinth set up in Adams Hall at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor); hours today are noon-3 pm. (3940 41st SW)
EASTER-EGG DECORATING: Drop by Mind Unwind/Treehouse Lounge in The Admiral District, 3-8 pm – all supplies provided. Cost and other info here.
PURIM SHPIEL: One more Purim celebration for Kol HaNeshamah is happening tonight – 7 pm at Kenyon Hall, everyone is invited to “Shushan Abbey, the Motown Musical.” (7904 35th SW)
And from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more):
METRO ‘SERVICE CHANGE’: Remember, this is the day that Metro’s next round of service changes take effect. The big one for West Seattle: Rapid Ride C Line has now split from Rapid Ride D, and the C Line goes to South Lake Union. All the info’s here.
SEAFAIR COMMODORES BOWL-A-THON: Join the Seattle Seafair Commodores at West Seattle Bowl – there might still be room for individual bowlers to join their fundraising event for the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women. Registration at 9 am; bowling starts shortly thereafter. Think summer! Details in our listing. (39th SW/SW Oregon)
‘FOOD CHAINS,’ FREE SCREENING: 3 pm, join the Delridge Grocery Co-op at Delridge Library for this film in honor of Farmworker Awareness Week. Details in our listing. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
‘DRAWING THE TIGER,’ FREE SCREENING: 4 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, see the award-winning documentary produced by West Seattleites Amy Benson and Scott Squire, who will be there for Q/A afterward. More info in our preview. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
SOUND HEALING: An evening of breath work and a sound-healing concert at Cuddle Club Seattle in Morgan Junction, 6 pm. Info, including how to register, is in our listing. (6417 California SW)
SUE QUIGLEY: Singer-songwriter Sue Quigley performs live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
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