day : 02/11/2016 11 results

BIZNOTES: Raccolto soft-opens Thursday; 3 more food/drink notes; and 8 businesses’ 2-ton achievement

First, four food/drink biznotes:

RACCOLTO SOFT-OPENS THURSDAY: The new Italian restaurant on the north edge of The Junction (4147 California SW) has announced it will soft-open at 5 pm Thursday. We last spoke with proprietor Chef Brian Clevenger, a West Seattleite, in August – here’s what his restaurant will be all about.

SOPRANOS ANTICO: Thanks to Dave for sending this photo taken through the window of the forthcoming Italian restaurant in Admiral:

Here’s our most recent report on Sopranos Antico, coming to the former Zatz Bagels space at 2348 California SW.

WELCOME ROAD WINERY: Thanks to the tipsters who have pointed out that this winery is opening a tasting room at Rally (California/Charlestown). We note they have announced their grand opening, 1-7 pm Saturday, November 19th.

HARRY’S CHICKEN CHANGE: Harry’s Chicken Joint proprietor Bruce Cougan tells WSB they are now closed Tuesdays too, so the hours at Harry’s (6032 California SW) are 4-8 pm Wednesdays through Saturdays.

And one big achievement for eight “rival” businesses, working together:

EIGHT BUSINESSES, TWO-PLUS TONS OF FOOD: Once again this year, physical-therapy businesses around West Seattle teamed up in October for a friendly food-drive competition. Today, we got the results from Judi Yazzolino of the West Seattle Food Bank:

Drum roll, please!! Again this year, congratulations go out to Louise, Molly, and the entire staff & clients at Life in Balance PT & Pilates for winning the challenge again this year with a total of 1943 lbs. It was neck n’ neck between them and Biojunction Sports Therapy until the last pickup yesterday. You guys played serious! Thank you to all of the offices and their clients who participated this year for a total of approx. 4220 lbs. of food (SW Hand Therapy isn’t in yet) and $150. That is over 3 1/2 times last year! You guys ROCK, and we and our clients are incredibly appreciative. Thank you so much. Here are the individual totals:

Life in Balance – 1943 lbs.
Biojunction – 1366 lbs.
Sound PT – 358 lbs.
Highline PT – 186 lbs. + $100
West Seattle Pediatric Therapy – 159 lbs.
Therapeutic Assoc. WS – 118 lbs.
Kinetics PT – 90 lbs.
SW Hand Therapy – TBA

P.S. If your business has a food drive or other donation drive this holiday season, please let us know!

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Meet West Seattle’s next centenarian, Russell Lundwall

November 2, 2016 7:21 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Longtime West Seattle resident Russell Lundwall is about to celebrate a milestone birthday: 100 years old on Friday (November 4th).

Hestill lives in the Westwood-area home he built and lived in with his wife Margaret until her death in 2004, 58 years after they married.

The West Seattle lot they purchased was the last one in the subdivision. You might have thought they would settle in Ballard, with Scandinavian roots – Russ’s mother Alice was of Norwegian descent, and his father John, Swedish. But Margaret’s sister and her husband lived in West Seattle, and the Lundwalls came to visit often.

Russell Lundwall says his mother, meantime, born in 1872, “was way ahead of her time” – he says she “went to high school when women didn’t do that.” She and her first husband and daughter, Lundwall’s half-sister, moved to Minnesota, and after doing something else rare – getting divorced – she stayed there and ran a boarding house for married men working in the mines. In Minnesota, she met John Lundwall, who worked in law enforcement, and together they had Russell.

“I went to the fanciest schools from kindergarten to (the first) two years of college,” Lundwall said. Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Warrant suspect arrested

November 2, 2016 5:56 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | Westwood

(WSB photo)

5:56 PM: If you saw the big police response outside the Westwood Village McDonald’s around 5:15 pm – here’s what it was about: Officers spotted someone they knew had a warrant out for his arrest, related to an armed-robbery case, called for backup, moved in, and arrested him. We don’t have name/case information yet but will be watching the jail register.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Online records show the suspect arrested is 20-year-old Christian Demuth-Hebert. He also was cited for resisting arrest and obstructing police. He is jailed in lieu of $101,000 bail – the $100,000 is for the robbery warrant, which we traced to a case involving shoplifting turned violent at a store in Bellevue, which is also the city listed for his most recent residence. We haven’t found any West Seattle ties so far. The charging documents in that case say his record stretches back to at least 14: “Assault Third Degree and Theft Third Degree (2016, reduced from Robbery 2); Theft Third Degree (2015, reduced from Robbery 2); Vehicle Prowl 2 (2015); Theft Third Degree (2014), Escape Third Degree (2011) and Criminal Trespass (2011, 2010).”

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West Seattle salmon: Longfellow Creek sighting

November 2, 2016 4:21 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | Wildlife

The photo is just in from John, who says, “Although it is hard to see them in the murky water, the salmon have returned to Longfellow Creek! Just thought you should share the good news.”

John reports seeing them under the fishbone bridge, which is near Dragonfly Pavilion. This gives us another chance to remind you that you are invited to meet Puget Soundkeeper volunteers there on Saturday and join them for a creekside walk in search of salmon, dead or alive – details here.

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FOLLOWUP: How Gatewood Elementary’s ‘green schoolyard’ plan is going, and growing

November 2, 2016 2:02 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Gardening | Gatewood | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Back in August, we published an invitation for you to get involved with Gatewood Elementary‘s quest for a “green schoolyard.” It’s moving ahead, despite a recent setback, and your involvement is still heartily welcomed, says Sandy Lennon:

We’ve posted the final permaculture design proposal for a Gatewood learning garden/outdoor classroom (here). Take a look! We are currently soliciting feedback on the design from our school staff, community, and the school district.

· If you’re interested in the Gatewood project, or generally interested in green schoolyards, learning gardens, or permaculture in schools, you can sign up to follow our conversation at: gatewoodgreenschoolyard.org

· We learned recently that we were unfortunately not awarded a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant for green playground design work in this round of funding. We will be meeting this week on Thursday, November 3, 5:00-6:30 pm in the school library, to de-brief on City feedback, review the 2006 Gatewood conceptual master plan, discuss our current vision and possible staging of work, and determine next steps for both the playground and garden. Our principal, PTA leadership, and a representative from the school district will be participating. Gatewood families and interested neighbors are encouraged to join us.

Gatewood Elementary is at 4320 SW Myrtle.

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LAST CALL: Ever use(d) Lowman Beach Park? Survey for you!

November 2, 2016 12:55 pm

| 22 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle parks

(2012 Lowman Beach aerial photo – pre-Murray CSO Project – by Long Bach Nguyen)

If you missed it in our coverage of the latest Morgan Community Association meeting: Seattle Parks has a short survey for Lowman Beach Park fans, and it’s about to close. The questions are about how, and how often, you use the park – or, how often you did before all the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Project work. Results will help them determine the fate of Lowman Beach’s tennis court, among other things, when final decisions are made about the park’s compromised seawall. Find the survey here.

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Emmick Family Funeral Services: Welcome, new WSB sponsor

November 2, 2016 11:22 am

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Emmick Family Funeral Services. Here’s what they would like you to know about what their business can do for you:

(Craig Emmick, Michael Emmick, Gayle Emmick)

Emmick Family Funeral Services is a fully licensed provider, specializing in cremation and burial services. Personalized service is what sets them apart – your loved one never leaves their care, as there is no part of the process that’s outsourced. They can help with any request, whether a full formal funeral or a small service – you can trust them to give their full attention to every detail of every burial or cremation.

Since Emmick Family Funeral Services is a small, local, family-owned company, their costs are lower, and they invite you to contact them for funeral planning. In our state, funeral plans and services are transferrable, so even if your loved one passes away in another part of the state, they can work with you here to take care of all the arrangements.

The Emmicks have deep West Seattle ties. Craig and Gayle, who grew up in Burien, have raised their kids here. Craig Emmick has been in this business for more than 30 years and is past president of the King County Funeral Directors Association. Michael worked for Howden-Kennedy before he and his dad opened Emmick Family Funeral Services. Craig and Michael are members of the West Seattle Lions Club and volunteers for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society; Emmick Family Funeral Services also belongs to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. They know West Seattle well and believe they are positioned to provide the best care when the time comes for it.

Emmick Family Funeral Services is at 3243 California SW, 206-935-2207, and online at emmickfunerals.com.

We thank Emmick Family Funeral Services for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Brazen burglary

November 2, 2016 9:31 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Big police response this morning to a house northeast of The Junction where a burglar broke in while someone was home. It happened near 38th and Genesee. A quick 911 call led to an extensive search, including a K-9 team, but so far, they haven’t found the burglar. The partial description we heard via scanner was that it was a white man believed to be in his mid-30s, about 5-8, unkempt brown hair, light clothing, possibly barefoot when he fled. No harm to the person or people inside the house, police told us.

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West Seattle Wednesday: SW District Council, Office Junction meetup, WSHS play, more…

November 2, 2016 9:04 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Hummingbird colors with a backdrop of fall colors in Fauntlee Hills – photo by Jamie Kinney)

Happy Wednesday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: 11:30-noon at High Point Library, for babies 4-12 months old. (35th SW/SW Raymond)

LUNCHTIME MEETUP: Noon-1:15 pm at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor), whether you’re a solopreneur, telecommuter, coffee-shop denizen, and/or aspiring coworker, come to our area’s only coworking center for a free lunchtime meetup and see who else shows up! (6040 California SW)

‘THE GREATEST MOVIES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF’: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle, with free popcorn! This week, 1984’s “Secret Honor” with Philip Baker Hall. (4217 SW Oregon)

SOMALI STORY TIME: 5 pm at High Point Library, stories and songs in Somali. (35th SW/SW Raymond)

KENNEDY OPEN HOUSE: John F. Kennedy Catholic High School (WSB sponsor) in Burien invites all interested students and their families to tonight’s Open House to meet faculty and find out about the school. (140 S. 140th)

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building/Senior Center, with an agenda including “continued discussion about the district council moving forward, a short visit from Metro Transit Planner Dale Cummings, and a conversation about the history of local murals.” Also, nominations for next year’s SWDC executive committee. All welcome. (4217 SW Oregon)

‘A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY’: Third-to-last chance to see the West Seattle High School Drama Club production:

(Photo courtesy WSHS Drama)

Curtain time in the WSHS Theater is 7:30 pm. Full details on the Westside Drama website. (3000 California SW)

BILLY JOE AND THE RC’S: Live music at Parliament Tavern, 8 pm. No cover; 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday updates and alerts

November 2, 2016 6:59 am

| 25 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

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

6:59 AM: Another rainy morning, with traffic trouble in multiple places. We start with word of a stalled vehicle blocking the right lane on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, before Delridge, and a crash on the NB 1st Avenue South Bridge. About the latter, a texter says, “Traffic backed up Olson Place/Myers Way to Roxbury. Alternate routes completely advised.”

7:14 AM: WSDOT says the 1st Avenue S. Bridge crash has cleared but as always, backups will linger. As for the West Seattle Bridge, looks like a tow truck has arrived.

7:28 AM: At Delridge/Kenyon, police are responding to a 120 bus with someone reported to be harassing the driver. Haven’t heard whether NB or SB.

7:44 AM: High-bridge stall has cleared – backup of course will take a while – and low bridge is up. Wait a while before leaving if you can.

7:47 AM: This won’t help the bridge – now there’s a problem on NB I-5 just south of the I-90 exit.

7:57 AM: The low bridge has reopened.

8:24 AM: Still getting reports that most paths to the West Seattle Bridge remain backed up. Seems to be a multitude of incidents, earlier and current, affecting things – now there’s yet another NB I-5 problem on the south side of downtown, a stalled vehicle near Seneca Street.

8:44 AM: And another crash on the West Seattle Bridge, per scanner.

8:56 AM: Also via scanner – that’s now clear.

9:03 AM: New one from the scanner – stalled vehicle NB at Olson/Myers.

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ELECTION COUNTDOWN: Chief Sealth IHS students’ hands-on election lesson

November 2, 2016 6:52 am

| Comments Off on ELECTION COUNTDOWN: Chief Sealth IHS students’ hands-on election lesson

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | West Seattle schools

Here’s a ray of hope in the midst of what has been a disheartening election season, with six days to go until the vote-counting begins: Future voters learning that they have more choices that it seems, despite hearing so much this time around about only two parties and two candidates.

That’s what students at Chief Sealth International High School were learning as they voted in a mock election on Tuesday, according to senior Lilian Soto, assisting social-studies teacher Noah Zeichner with the project:

Results are expected on Friday afternoon.

P.S. Also related to the election, Zeichner told us, a group of 12th-grade students are working on a “virtual-reality documentary” finding out how their schoolmates feel about the presidential contest.

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