West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
Some came in costume … some just came dressed as, well, runners and walkers. Our video shows the start of this morning’s sixth annual West Seattle Monster Dash at Lincoln Park, with hundreds joining the fun to raise money for West Seattle Cooperative Preschools. It’s an all-ages event:
Costume creativity abounded – here’s a hummingbird:
And a witch:
This guy said he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to be:
The Monster Dash also provided an opportunity for family photos – posing here are the Preedys:
(This year’s West Seattle Monster Dash was graced with much better weather than last year!) Almost 200 participants chose to be timed in the 5K, and you can see the results here.
After Drug Take-Back Day dropoffs filled four bags at the Southwest Precinct, what you see above is the start of the fifth. It’s your chance to get expired, unneeded, and/or unwanted prescription drugs out of your home, safely and securely. No liquids, sprays, gels, inhalers, needles. This is on until 2 pm at 2300 SW Webster.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:
ALKI HIT-RUN: From Russ and Kim:
Our 2002 Volvo S60 was parked on SW Stevens street in front of our house (last night). Around 11 pm we heard a crash outside and saw a pickup truck zooming away. It had clipped the front of our car as it turned right down the alley the leads down to Alki Ave.
The whole front of our car was taken off. Called SPD and they responded quickly and are looking for a pickup — a big one that might be carrying two barrels in its back (according to our neighbor, who caught a brief look).
We are fine. Just an annoying hit-and-run. SPD is on the lookout, but if anyone sees a pickup — probably a larger one — with damage to its front right side, please let us know.
DUMPED ITEMS: The photo and report are from Teresa:
She found the items in the parking lot at 3700 California SW early Friday morning and turned them over to police: “The purse on top still had the wallet, ID and cash inside. I did not look in the rest of the bags but high heels were falling out of a tote. I don’t remember the person’s name but the address on their ID said Marysville.” So contact SPD if you know whose these are.
Thanks to James Bratsanos for the fall colors! First on our highlights list, from the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide (which we’re updating daily through next week):
WEST SEATTLE MONSTER DASH: 6th annual West Seattle Monster Dash in Lincoln Park to benefit South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools. 9:30 am 5K, 10:30 am kids’ dash, 11:30 am awards ceremony and costume contest. Registration info here. (Fauntleroy/Cloverdale)
WEST SEATTLE THRIFTWAY HALLOWEEN PARTY: Annual kids’ Halloween party at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), 11 am-1 pm. Decorate a mini-pumpkin and win a treat bag! (Fauntleroy/Morgan/California)
TIBBETTS UMC HALLOWEEN PARTY: 5-7 pm at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor): “Halloween is coming right up, and it’s time to paint some pumpkins! Tibbetts United Methodist Church extends an open invitation to the public to join us for the Community Halloween Party. We welcome all to this FREE and fun gathering that includes a warm meal, pumpkin painting, a few carnival games, and of course some candy. We will be serving hearty fall soup and savory pumpkin soup. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall.” (NE corner of 41st Ave SW and Andover Street)
HALLOWEEN LIGHT SHOW: Halloween Light Show by the people who bring you West Seattle Yuletide. 6-10 pm nightly through Halloween – probably a little later tonight. (38th SW between Genesee and Dakota)
HAUNTED HOUSE: First of three nights (also Sunday and Tuesday) for Larringtons Ranch Haunted House. 7 pm-10 pm. Suggested for ages 10 and up. Free “but we accept donations of cans toward support of the local food bank.” (Erskine Way/SW Hudson)
‘GHOST GAME XI’: The Cabiri in “Ghost Game XI: Beyond The Veil” dessert theater at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, doors open 7:30 pm. Full details here; buy your ticket(s) here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
‘COME AS YOU AREN’T’: Skylark Café and Club‘s 12th Annual “Come as You Aren’t” battle of the bands, starting at 7:30 pm, $15 cover, 21+ – see the lineup here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
‘WEREWOLF’: Spend the night playing Halloween Werewolf – 8 pm at Meeples Games. Get there early to get signed up. Costume contest during intermission. Recommended for 12+. (3727 California SW)
COSTUME & KARAOKE CONTEST: At Mac’s Triangle Pub in South Delridge, 9:30 pm-1:30 am. (9454 Delridge Way SW)
There’s even more in the Halloween Etc. Guide!
****
And now, from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar:
DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY: 10 am-2 pm, take your no-longer-needed/usable/etc. prescription drugs to the Southwest Precinct for dropoff, no questions asked. (2300 SW Webster)
HELP BEAUTIFY HIGHLAND PARK: Traffic circles need you! 10 am – 12:30 pm: 10th Ave SW & SW Thistle — remove overgrowth & dead plants; 2 pm – 4:30 pm: 12th Ave SW & SW Kenyon — remove summer annuals.
SOUTHWEST ART SHOWCASE PICKUP: From Southwest Library – it’s time to pick up the art exhibited by community members all month – 95 pieces by 43 neighborhood artists! Here are some of them:
If you’re among the exhibitors, get to the library, 10 am-6 pm today, 1 pm-5 pm Sunday. (9010 35th SW)
‘DISCOVERING SEATTLE PARKS’: 11 am at White Center Library:
Hear about some of the best parks in the city from West Seattle resident Linnea Westerlind, author of the guidebook “Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide” (Mountaineers Books 2017). Linnea has researched and visited every single one of Seattle’s more than 400 public parks, and now she shares the best and most interesting public spaces in this new book. Free slideshow presentation and Q&A. Books available for purchase.
(1409 SW 107th)
FALL WINE RELEASE: Day 2 at Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) – releasing the 2013 BLACK Red Wine Blend, and the 2014 Rhyme & Reason Syrah. Tasting room open 2-7 pm. (5910 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS’ GALA: Doors open 6 pm at Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction for a night of dining, dancing, bidding to help WSCO help youth musicians – featuring the West Seattle Big Band. More details in our most-recent preview. (40th SW/SW Edmunds)
BLUEGRASS & BEYOND: 3-Play Ricochet at Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm. (7904 35th SW)
THE DENNY BLAINE GROUP & THE MOBERLYS: Seattle rock pioneers hit the stage! 9 pm-midnight. $8 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
Sealth's on the board with a little over 5 mins left in 3rd Q. Prep 26, Sealth 8. pic.twitter.com/Nmcd9qZIig
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) October 28, 2017
That video clip follows the one and only touchdown managed by the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks in their first and last playoff game of the year tonight at Memorial Stadium.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
The Seattle Prep Panthers eventually overwhelmed Sealth, 33-8.
The Seahawks came into the season game with a 6-2 record under first-year head coach Ted Rodriguez.
But Prep’s defense kept them scoreless in the first half, which ended with the Seahawks down 24-0 after the Panthers got two TDs in the span of less than half a minute shortly before halftime.
That lone Sealth touchdown came with a little over five minutes left in the third quarter, and a two-point conversion followed. But that’s where the comeback stopped.
The Seahawks’ season isn’t technically over – they have to play one more game to round out a 10-game season, but who and when are not yet settled. What is settled: This was Sealth’s best football season in many years.
High-school baseball season is a few months away, but World Series Game 3 is happening right now, so many have baseball on their mind. Among them, a talented young West Seattle-residing player who is looking ahead not only to spring, but also to college – after making an early commitment.
(Kenji Suzuki. Photo courtesy David Suzuki)
He’s Kenji Suzuki, who was a member of the West Seattle Little League Majors team that won District 7 and went to the state tournament in 2014. Kenji attended Holy Rosary School and Westside School (WSB sponsor) in West Seattle before going to Eastside Catholic High School, and while he’s only in 10th grade, he’s already committed to play college baseball at Clemson University.
His proud dad David Suzuki tells WSB that Kenji, an infielder, had many Division 1 opportunities to choose from: “We had visited 14 D1 campuses, talking to coaches and considering the opportunities and offers that he was blessed to have. His short list included TCU, OSU, University of Oregon, Missouri, UW, Kentucky, Alabama, University of Arizona, and Stanford.”
Kenji was a standout from the start at ECHS, earning a varsity starting position at second base in his freshman year, when he subsequently got an All-Metro Honorable Mention and was voted Rookie of the Year. (Eastside Catholic won the Metro championship last year.) He’s ranked as the #2 player in his class in our state, and he made the All-Tournament Team for the 15U Perfect Game World Series, finishing as an All-Tournament Hitter with a .385 batting average.
At age 15 last year, he was chosen to join the Chaffey 19U travel ball team, “rated as the number one team in Washington State who have seen dozens of D1 and MLB players.” He ended that season with a .371 batting average, 4th best on the team.
And now, as a member of the class of 2020, Kenji is looking ahead to his second season with Eastside Catholic – then college ball in South Carolina down the road.
7:49 PM: Several people are asking about the SFD response in the 5600 block of California SW. It’s on the log as “natural gas leak.” We’re headed that way in hopes of finding out more.
8:07 PM: SFD closed the call shortly before we arrived, so whatever it was, it’s over.
Just yesterday, after a tip from Brad, we went over to Soprano’s Antico in The Admiral District, where the dining room has been under construction for about a year, and were told they hoped to open next week. Tonight, Brad discovered they are open now, and sent the photo: “Very friendly family owners. Interior is very detailed. I got the first pizza out of the wood oven and it is really tasty! 6 good beers on tap. I will be back.” The restaurant is in the ex-Zatz Bagels space at 2348 California SW.
Earlier this week, we reported on what the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network heard from this month’s guest, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. Now, the other part of the meeting – what they heard from police:
(WSB photo)
That sign installed today in The Junction is related to crime-prevention work that police are doing with the West Seattle Junction Association. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis and crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Burbridge talked with WSBWCN about working with WSJA executive director Lora Swift to discuss and address chronic issues. Right now, the precinct’s bicycle patrol is active in The Junction, Capt. Davis said. But the precinct only has a budget to deploy them in the daytime, so requests for nighttime bicycle patrolling might take a while to work on. Capt. Davis also said they’ve made some arrests and written some tickets, so they’re making progress. (Side note – Officer John O’Neil is now the Community Police Team officer assigned to the West Seattle sector that includes The Junction.)
Capt. Davis also talked about the Westwood Village-emphasis area that’s been mentioned at previous community meetings, and said they’re making progress in cleaning up Roxhill Park – via patrols as well as via steps such as locking the restrooms overnight and getting Parks to clear some of the overgrowth. They’ve had a sharp decline in the number of 911 calls about the park.
The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets fourth Thursdays most months – but not November and December – 6:30 pm at the precinct (2300 SW Webster).
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon:
POLICE SEARCH IN SOUTH DELRIDGE: If you’ve seen the officers, including a K-9 team, searching in the South Delridge area (17th/Barton and beyond) in the past hour or so – we’re told it’s related to a theft case that originated on the King County side of the line. That’s all we have so far.
SPEAKING OF CITY/COUNTY CASES: Via SPD Blotter this afternoon, the saga of something we heard a bit about on the scanner last night but couldn’t pursue because it ended downtown: It started with a robbery in White Center just before 11 pm, continued with gunfire in the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW – the robbery suspects allegedly firing at a witness who was pursuing them – and, as police shared information about the suspect vehicle – a Monte Carlo – across precinct lines, officers caught up with the suspects on I-5 near exit 168B. “Officers looked into the vehicle and saw cash and a purse on the floorboards. Officers booked the 19-year-old gunman, the 21-year-old driver, and the 19-year-old passenger into King County Jail for investigation of assault and drive-by shooting,” wrote Det. Patrick Michaud.
And a reader report:
STOLEN BACKPACK? If this backpack looks like something taken from you or someone you know…
… Rich is wondering. He sent the photo (which we have cropped), explaining, “Saturday 10/22 around 3:30 pm, there was a suspicious looking young man emptying the contents of a red backpack into the bushes near California and Charlestown … he was very aggressive towards me when I questioned what he was doing. I don’t see on the blog any mention of a lost/stolen backpack, but perhaps you can post the query if this happened to anyone.” Let us know if you recognize it.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Some families who currently live in the Genesee Hill Elementary School attendance area may find themselves in the Lafayette Elementary School attendance area starting next school year.
Boundary changes are being considered for those two schools to take some pressure off GHES, West Seattle’s most-populous elementary, already 10 percent above capacity just one year after opening.
The changes – if any – would take effect next fall, starting in the 2018-2019 year, and could affect some current GH students, depending on what kind of “grandfathering” – if any – the district decides to allow.
All this was discussed at GHES this morning, as principal Gerrit Kischner and district officials led an early-stage briefing for families during a “coffee with the principal” event in the lunchroom.
GH opened in fall 2016, built for a capacity of 650 students, after the program’s years with a village of portables at Schmitz Park Elementary, but it’s already stuffed with more than 710. “We’ve continued to grow and grow even though our boundaries have shrunk,” Kischner noted.
He was joined at the meeting by Lafayette principal Cindy Chaput and, from district HQ, associate superintendent Dr. Flip Herndon and enrollment planning director Ashley Davies.
“We’re already over the capacity of the building” and “there’s no additional space,” Davies began. She showed a slide with Genesee Hill’s “right-size capacity” and current over-enrollment, while Lafayette is underenrolled – “right-size” at 550, currently at 394. (The calculations for “right size” do include Lafayette’s current portables, Davies said in response to a question. Some of those portables are used only part time, principal Chaput said, adding that “we have four empty classrooms” right now and she saw no problem with adding more students – right now.)
If nothing changes, Genesee Hill would grow to 807 by 2021 while Lafayette would still have room, at 437.
So the district reviewed five “potential scenarios” as Davies described them to try to balance things. They’re looking more seriously at three of them, and those are what were shown. Read More
(WSB photo from this afternoon substituted for file photo originally used here)
1:37 PM: Another update from SDOT today about 59th/Admiral, two days after the without-warning end to its almost-two months as an all-ways stop, a change that led to parents from nearby Alki Elementary voicing safety concerns: SDOT communications director Mafara Hobson tells WSB that “We plan to visit the intersection today to do layout for the new decorative curb bulbs, median, and crosswalks. We’ll spray paint outlines for our crews. Pending weather, installation could occur as soon as Nov. 7. Installation will happen during normal working hours.” So if you see new markings – that’s what it’s about. Meantime, changes at other intersections – as first announced four months ago – are still in the works, and SDOT says that they’re tentatively scheduled to work at 61st/Admiral and SW Stevens/Admiral as soon as mid-November. Here’s how those intersections are scheduled to change, according to the SDOT graphics made public in June:
This is all part of the SW Admiral Way Safety Project, which included rechannelization of much of Admiral west of California a year ago.
4:02 PM: Thanks for the tips – we’ve since been back to the area and photographed two things – top photo shows the workers doing what SDOT told us they’d be doing; next photo, apparently Traffic Enforcement officers have been out in the area all day – this is one of two we passed on the uphill side of Admiral not far east of the intersection:
The Traffic Safety Task Force parents are “encouraged to see movement,” says Merkys Gomez.
ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: The TSTF’s official response sent to SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg, related to what transpired earlier this week – read it in its entirety after the jump:
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Kumon, the world’s largest after-school math and reading enrichment program, has opened a new center in West Seattle at 2350 California Ave. SW. Here’s what its local owner would like you to know about her business:
Kumon’s individualized approach helps children progress by ability rather than age or grade. More than 280,000 preschool- to high-school-aged children across the United States are developing their math and reading skills independently and gaining confidence through the Kumon Method of Learning. The Kumon Center of West Seattle joins the more than 1,500 U.S. instructors committed to helping children excel through the self-learning program.
“At Kumon, we believe children have unlimited potential to succeed,” said instructor-owner Avanti Prahlad. “My goal is to help each child develop a love for learning and the confidence to excel beyond the classroom, while developing foundational academic skills.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, American students were significantly outperformed by 29 nations in mathematics. America’s stagnant performance is rooted in a lack of advanced math or reading curriculum in classrooms, which impacts the country’s future growth. Avanti cares deeply about helping West Seattle students achieve academic success. Many Kumon students study advanced math, which includes materials two to three years above their grade level.
Avanti comes from a Kumon family. Avanti’s mother enrolled her in the Kumon Program to improve her math skills and self-confidence when she was in first grade. Her mother was so happy with the results that she decided to open a Kumon Center in New York and has successfully delivered the Kumon Program to students for close to 30 years. “I have seen the program’s impact both from personal experience and from working with many students at my mother’s center over the years. Aside from mastering fundamental skills in math and reading, I have seen children gain the most invaluable skill of self-learning – a primary skill I hope to help cultivate in children so that they can succeed in any challenge they take on in life,” says Avanti. She holds a Mathematics degree from Columbia University in New York and an MBA from INSEAD in France.
Kumon Center of West Seattle’s class hours are Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:30 to 7:00 p.m. Students study for approximately 30 minutes per subject and have daily assignments to complete at home. For more information, or to schedule a free placement test, please call 206-258-8313 or email avantiprahlad@ikumon.com.
About Kumon Math & Reading Centers:
Kumon is an after-school math and reading enrichment program that unlocks the potential of children, so they can achieve more on their own. As a comprehensive program, Kumon serves children in preschool through high school. Founded in Japan in 1958, the learning method uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. Through daily practice and mastery of materials, students increase confidence, improve concentration, and develop better study skills. Kumon has over four million students enrolled in nearly 25,000 learning centers in 50 countries and regions.
We thank Kumon Math and Reading Center of West Seattle 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.
Thanks to Andy for the tip! After a week and a half, the West Seattle Junction Post Office‘s drive-up/ride-up mailbox is back in business. You might recall that its return in August followed a seven-month-plus absence, so some were worried about another long outage.
(WSB photos)
What are the challenges and concerns facing businesses in West Seattle, and what resources are available to deal with them?
That’s the subject of a project on which our area’s two biggest business-related organizations, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and West Seattle Junction Association, are teaming up. As part of it, a roundtable-discussion event was held last night in The Triangle.
Consultant Allison Carney talked about some of what she’s seen in the data gathered over 30 meetings with people involved with the local business community. Concerns include:
*Parking (self-explanatory)
*Availability of commercial space – with businesspeople worried about what happens if the building where they are a tenant is sold, what happens if their rent is raised beyond affordability – is there anywhere else in West Seattle where they can go?
*Transients in business areas – how that relates to feeling safe/unsafe
*The cost of doing business – including new city regulations about wages and leave
Speaking of the city, Carney said she heard overall concerns about relationships with it – West Seattle businesses feel neglected, and some see the city as an adversary, while there’s a general feeling of helplessness: Nothing you can do, your voice can’t be heard.
And there are concerns about whether the new residents in West Seattle care about WS. Are they patronizing local businesses or otherwise participating in the community? How to best reach out and get them involved?
Carney said that between the people she’s interviewed and those at the roundtable event, it’s clear that collaboration, using each other’s skills and knowledge, can overcome many of the challenges.
After small-group discussions, tables reported what they had talked about.
Keeping the business areas clean was a major topic. Better lighting, too. And several people suggested that local business proprietors get more involved in existing community groups – for example, taking crime/safety concerns to at least one of the two monthly community meetings at the Southwest Precinct (which are the WS Crime Prevention Council at 7 pm third Tuesdays and the WS Block Watch Captains Network at 6:30 pm fourth Tuesdays, both meetings always open to everyone).
Next step in the project will be an official report laying out concerns, challenges, and potential solutions – that’s due out by the end of November. After the jump, you’ll see highlights of the consultant’s notes from her conversations, as prepared for last night’s discussion – starting with “what’s special” about our area, and including some quotes on the topics mentioned above:
Now that we’re in the heart of Halloween (etc.) season, you might be interested in safety advice – which goes far beyond trick-or-treating! It’s from the Southwest Precinct, whose Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Burbridge shares what you can read below (or here, in PDF):
(Our guide to local activities for all ages, running through next Wednesday, is here.)
(Steller’s Jay, who needs no Halloween costume! Photographed by Mark Wangerin)
It’s Hallo-weekend! So we begin with highlights from the WSB Halloween (Etc.) Guide:
PRESCHOOL TRICK OR TREATING: 10-11:30 am at Holy Rosary School: “We are inviting all children age 5 and under with an adult to come trick or treat INSIDE at our Holy Rosary classrooms! We will have a mix of candy and non-candy items.” (42nd SW/SW Genesee)
SPOOKY CARNIVAL: 5:30-7:30 pm at Alki Community Center, ages 11 and younger: “Spooky fun for the whole family! Carnival games and prizes and a Spooky Haunted Scream Room for brave trick or treaters.” $0.25/ticket or $5/unlimited bracelet. (5817 SW Stevens)
FALL FESTIVAL: 5:30-7:30 pm, at High Point Community Center. All ages, free. “Join High Point Community Center staff and enjoy a family evening of fun. We will have Halloween games, booths, face painting, art and craft activities, and snacks. Fun for all ages. Come one, come all!” (6920 34th SW)
HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL: 6-8 pm at Hiawatha Community Center. “Start your Halloween off with a frighteningly fun-filled evening for the family! Wear your costumes and enjoy carnival games, crafts, and spooktacular activities.” Ages 2-12. $5/child. (2700 California SW)
HALLOWEEN LIGHT SHOW: Tonight’s the first night of the Halloween Light Show by the folks who bring you West Seattle Yuletide. 6-10 pm nightly through Halloween – probably a little later on October 28th and 31st. (38th SW between Genesee and Dakota)
HALLOWEEN FAMILY SWIM: Free swim 7-8 pm at Southwest Pool! “We will have music and prizes for all the goblins, creatures, and superheroes of the night. Space is limited to 125 people. Anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied in the water by an adult.” (2801 SW Thistle)
THE CABIRI’S ANNUAL SHOW, OPENING NIGHT: The Cabiri in “Ghost Game XI: Beyond The Veil” dessert theater at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, doors open 7:30 pm. Full details here; buy your ticket(s) here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
And from the year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: 10:30 am-2 pm, you’re invited to all or part of the meeting – details in our calendar listing. At Daystar. (2615 SW Barton)
PEEL & PRESS’S 3RD ANNIVERSARY: 3 pm to 1 am, dine and drink at Peel & Press (WSB sponsor) in honor of their third anniversary – 10 percent of the proceeds are going to buy turkeys and chickens for the West Seattle Food Bank this holiday season! (6503 California SW)
FALL WINE RELEASE AT VISCON CELLARS: 5-9 pm at the Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) tasting room, stop in to try the newly released fall wines: “We are releasing the 2013 BLACK Red Wine Blend, always a favorite with our customers. The new 2013 BLACK will be sure to live up to the legacy of its predecessors. Also releasing a new wine to our lineup, the 2014 Rhyme & Reason Syrah.” (5910 California SW)
SHNIT SHORT-FILM FESTIVAL: It’s back! 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. 21+. Details in our calendar listing. (1116 SW Holden)
ALAN EHRLICH: “Insightful, original songs” at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
POWER POP ROCK: With The Riffbrokers, The Cheap Cassettes, Llama at Parliament Tavern, 9 pm-midnight. $5 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
Family and friends will gather November 11 to remember Steve Hutchison (Hutch). Here’s the remembrance that’s being shared with the community:
In loving memory of Steven Hutchison. Steve passed away on September 23rd at Virginia Mason Medical Center from complications related to Multiple Myeloma.
Steve was surrounded by his loving family and friends. He leaves behind his wife Edwina, daughter Jennifer, son Tyler, and five grandchildren: Andres, Mariana, Marcelino, Alonzo, and Natalia.
Steve was born and raised in West Seattle, where he lived for most of his life. He graduated from West Seattle High School in 1973. Steve was an active member of the West Seattle Community. He enjoyed coaching boys’ baseball from 1994 to 1999 and boys’ basketball from 1997 to 2000.
Steve really enjoyed and looked forward to his annual vacation to Maui, which was his home away from home. He would say he never felt better than when he was there.
Please join us to celebrate and honor Steve’s life on Saturday, November 11th, from 4 pm to 8 pm at Dakota Place Park. The address is 4304 SW Dakota Street. Everyone is welcome to come and share their stories and memories of Steve.
If you wish to honor Steve’s memory, please consider donating to The American Cancer Society.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! So far, no incidents on the major outbound routes in/from West Seattle. But we have weekend alerts:
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION HARVEST FESTIVAL: On Sunday, from early morning through about 4 pm, California will be closed to traffic between Alaska and Edmunds as well as the usual Farmers’ Market closure between Oregon and Alaska. The festival (full details here) runs 10 am-2 pm.
SW EDMUNDS CLOSURE AT 40TH SW: SDOT plans to continue its paving work starting Saturday morning and potentially continuing through Sunday afternoon.
I-5 REPAIRS TONIGHT: 11 pm tonight through 6 am Saturday, repair work will close three lanes of NB I-5 through downtown, between Yesler Way and Seneca Street.
7:37 AM UPDATE: After-the-fact transit alert:
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave 61st Av SW & Alki Av SW at 7:19 AM did not operate this morning.
— King County Metr🎃🍂 (@kcmetrobus) October 27, 2017
9:34 AM: WSDOT says tonight’s I-5 lane closures (mentioned above) are canceled. Meantime, we forgot to mention that this is the last weekend for the West Seattle Water Taxi’s seven-day-a-week schedule – next Monday, it starts the five-day-a-week schedule, which also means no midday trips.
It’s division-championship time for high-school swimmers including the girls that West Seattleite Brent Lindblom e-mailed to tell us all about, in case you want to go cheer them on Friday and Saturday:
Though Kennedy Catholic High School is located in Burien, West Seattle has many students attending the school.
The Kennedy girls’ swim and dive team is heading to the WCD III 4A Swimming and Diving Championships being held at Curtis Aquatic Center (8805 40th St W, University Place).
Congratulations to the Lancer girls moving on to Division Championships:
Front: Madelline Kalenius, Lauren Hofford, Anita Shields, Catlin Mazzuca, Krista Markle, Shala Markle, Lynn Nguyen
Back: Jacqueline Southwell, Chloe Dahleen, Elena Stoll
Not pictured: Audrey Porter, Bronte Shirley
Swimming Prelims: Friday, October 27th
Warm-up: 3:30 pm
Meet Start: 4:30 pmSwimming Finals: Saturday, October 28th
Warm-up: 3:30
Meet Start: 4:30The top 7 fastest times/scores from each event (finals night only) will be allocated to the State meet.
If you’re going – there’s an admission charge for everyone except kids 5 and under. It’s cash only, $8 adults, $6 students with ASB ID and senior citizens, $4 elementary students.
Got your ticket(s) yet? Saturday’s the night you can masquerade in the spirit of the season, while also dining, dancing, and bidding to help the West Seattle Community Orchestras support student music. The reminder from WSCO:
Come dance to the great sounds of the West Seattle Big Band and listen to topnotch musicians of the West Seattle Community Orchestras (WSCO) as they get you in the swing of things at this year’s annual gala!
Here’s the general plan:
6:00-7:15: Doors open, cocktail reception, silent auctions, entertainment by WSCO musicians
7:15: Buffet dinner served
7:55-8:40: Live auction, raise the paddle, dessert dash
8:40++: Dancing to the West Seattle Big Band!Generous supporters have donated very special items for our silent and live auctions:
Tray of WSCO “Masquerade Fantasie” Drinks
Alaska Junction Pack (ArtsWest, Matador, Husky Deli, Cupcake Royale)
Canlis and Seattle Symphony
Conducting Opportunity (you’ve always wanted to lead an orchestra!)
Wine Cellar
Dinner and a Play (10 Mercer and Seattle Shakespeare Company)
Coffee, Tea & Chocolate Pack (Ampersand Cafe, C&P Coffee, Caffe Ladro)
Paradise in Cabo!There are many, many more fabulous items to bid on. Here’s a partial list of donors:
Bartells Drug Store | Bakery Nouveau | Seattle Shakespeare Company
Heavy Restaurant Group | Boehms Candy | C&P Coffee | MoPOP | West5 | Fresh Flours | ACT Theater | Pagliacci Pizza | MOHAI | Northwest Symphony Orchestra | Trader Joe’s | Seattle Theater Group | Seattle Symphony | Alki Spud | MarketSpice | Puzzle Break | Philharmonia Northwest | Seattle Thunderbirds |
Photography by Chris Leavitt | Jet City Improv | Emerald Downs | Museum of Flight | 5th Avenue Theatre |
Great Harvest | Grand Central Bakery | Seattle Theatre Group |10 Mercer | Ampersand Cafe | Seattle Seahawks | Elegant Electrolysis | Lake Union Civic Orchestra | Plus Friends of the Orchestras!Your support will help WSCO continue to provide FREE participation and instruction in orchestral and band music for our student musicians.
Hope to see you there: Saturday, October 28, 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Alki Masonic Lodge, 4736 40th Ave. SW. Tickets are on sale online now or at the door ($35 adults 18+, $20 students and seniors):
Oh, yes! This year’s theme is Masquerade for Musicians: A mysterious night benefiting student music in West Seattle. Diners are encouraged to contribute to the fun by donning a costume — Halloween-themed or otherwise. Wear a costume—or not!—but don’t forget your dancing shoes!
(WSB photos and video by Patrick Sand)
One week after their first general-election-campaign forum in West Seattle, the women running for mayor, Cary Moon and Jenny Durkan, returned this afternoon. This time, they answered questions during the West Seattle Democratic Women‘s monthly meeting. Chair Rachel Glass described the race as “compelling and intriguing” in her introduction.
Above is our full unedited video of the forum; the text below represents highlights, not full transcriptions – to see/hear the candidates’ full answers, you’ll have to watch the video. The ground rules, set out by Glass – “this forum is not about anything negative … I want you to see the best of these candidates.” They had two minutes each for an opening statement, for each of four prepared questions, then time for each candidate to ask her opponent a question, then a few audience questions, and two-minute closing statements.
Moon won the coin-flip to give her opening statement first. She says she believes she started as the least-known candidate. She says she came to the campaign with a “list of solutions” for problems including the “heartbreaking” homelessness crisis. “In the past mayoral administration, I don’t think anyone knew where we were headed.”
Durkan opens by saying her staff told her she and Moon have done 85 forums, 50 since the primary. She says three things put her on track to run for mayor, something that a year ago she couldn’t have envisioned herself doing. First thing she mentions – election of President Trump. She says we’re not getting “anything good” out of “the other Washington” right now.
(Both made a point of mentioning they’re moms – Moon with two teenagers and two grown stepkids, Durkan with children 21 and 16.)
Then, the questions:
When we reported in September 2016 on the plan for Soprano’s Antico to open in the ex-Zatz Bagels space in Admiral, they were aiming for “early November.” Looks like the restaurant might make that target – a year later. After a tip from Brad today that the paper was finally off the windows, we stopped by this afternoon in search of information. Crews working inside told us they’re hoping to finally open for sit-down service next week – the restaurant’s been delivering pizza a while, according to its website.
| 1 COMMENT