day : 07/02/2018 13 results

A disappointing Wednesday night for both West Seattle High School basketball teams. The boys fell to Rainier Beach, 73-43:

(WSB photos)

Beach took the win in their previous meetup last month, but that one was only by four points. This time, the Wildcats were down by seven points after the first quarter, and the deficit widened every quarter thereafter. Top scorer was #23 Anthony Giomi with 14 points.

#24 Simon Harris had 9:

And #5 Abdullahi Mohamed, 8:

The West Seattle boys play Cleveland for Metro third place Thursday night, 7:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). And they’re already guaranteed at least one appearance in the district tournament, which starts Saturday.

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SCHOOL-BUS STRIKE UPDATE: Drivers’ union and employer to meet Thursday

February 7, 2018 9:35 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

As of right now, Thursday will be Day 6 of the drivers’ strike against Seattle Public Schools‘ yellow-bus service provider First Student – but for the first time since the strike began, the two sides will be meeting. The district has posted an update saying a federal mediator is involved, and the drivers’ union Teamsters Local 174 has posted an update saying, “First Student has finally reached out to the Teamsters and a meeting will be taking place tomorrow, February 8, 2018. We are hopeful that this meeting will bring us closer to a resolution to this strike.” This news follows the Seattle Education Association teachers union’s show of support for the drivers this afternoon, with demonstrations around the city including this one in West Seattle.

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UPDATE: 16-year-old boy injured in South Park shooting

February 7, 2018 7:23 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

7:23 PM: Seattle Police are investigating a shooting at 14th Avenue S. and S. Trenton in South Park. They say one victim has been rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and that there is no suspect in custody yet. No other official details except that an officer who left a meeting we’re covering to go to the scene said that it involved “youth in our community.”

7:29 PM: Metro says Route 132 is rerouted off 14th Ave. S. (which is an arterial) because of this.

9:17 PM: 14th Avenue South is still blocked at the scene. SPD now says the victim is 16 years old and that he has a gunshot wound to the head, and that gang detectives are investigating, “processing the scene and interviewing potential witnesses.” If you have any information, call 911.

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Crash on Harbor Avenue SW

February 7, 2018 6:16 pm

| Comments Off on Crash on Harbor Avenue SW

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thanks to David Christensen for the photo and report about a crash in the 3000 block of Harbor Avenue SW less than an hour ago. SFD has since cleared the scene so the road is likely no longer blocked, but he reports that it appeared to be a one-vehicle crash. No major injuries as no SFD medic unit was called.

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BIZNOTE: Virago Gallery moving around the corner to ex-bookstore space

February 7, 2018 5:15 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

A West Seattle Junction business is on the move … but not going far. Virago Gallery is moving from 4306 SW Alaska, the space just west of Easy Street Records, to 4537 California SW, where Merryweather (Leisure) Books recently closed.

But don’t look for Virago in its new space just yet – proprietor Tracy Cilona told us today that the remodeling work is just about to get under way and she’ll be moving in this April or May. Meantime, Virago’s current location remains open – and in fact you’re invited to stop in during West Seattle Art Walk tomorrow night, 6-9 pm, for a trunk show and pop-up by Kate S. Mensah.

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UPDATE: West Seattle rescue response at Seacrest

February 7, 2018 3:57 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(WSB photo of fireboat that was part of the big but short-lived response)

3:57 PM: A Seattle Fire Department rescue response is on the way to Seacrest Park, where there’s a report that a diver “did not surface.” More to come.

4:06 PM: Scanner traffic indicates rescuers believe the diver reported missing is actually OK after having surfaced separately from the rest of his group.

4:19 PM: Our crew at Seacrest has confirmed that all is well and responding crews are being dismissed.

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WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Tonight SW District Council, tomorrow Planning Commission & Stakeholders Group, whose full roster is out

February 7, 2018 3:56 pm

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Tonight SW District Council, tomorrow Planning Commission & Stakeholders Group, whose full roster is out

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Even before we get to next week’s first open house for the Sound Transit West Seattle-Ballard light-rail extension, it will be part of three meetings tonight and tomorrow.

TONIGHT: Added to the Southwest District Council agenda (6:30 pm, Sisson Building/Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon), the Junction Neighborhood Organization‘s presentation on what’s known so far about the “representative alignment” (here’s our coverage of the presentation at last week’s JuNO meeting).

THURSDAY AFTERNOON: The Seattle Planning Commission will be briefed on, and will discuss, the “representative alignment” for the West Seattle-Ballard extension during its 3-5:30 pm meeting in the Boards and Commissions Room at City Hall (600 4th Ave.). Here’s the draft agenda.

THURSDAY EVENING: 5-8 pm in the board room at Union Station (401 S. Jackson), it’s the first meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Group that Sound Transit is convening, with members appointed by the Elected Leadership Group. Its mission is explained here. The full list of appointees was made public moments ago; we’ve been awaiting it since hearing earlier today from Deb Barker of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition that she will be a member of the group. Here’s the full roster:

• Abigail Doerr, Transportation Choices Coalition
• Andres Arjona, Community Representative – Ballard
• Becky Asencio, Seattle Public Schools
• Deb Barker, Community Representative – West Seattle
• Brian King, Community Representative – West Seattle
• Bryce Yadon, Futurewise
• Colleen Echohawk, Chief Seattle Club
• Dave Gering, Manufacturing Industrial Council
• Erin Goodman, SODO Business Improvement Area
• Ginny Gilder, Force 10 Hoops/Seattle Storm
• Greg Nickels, Former Mayor of Seattle
• Hamilton Gardiner, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce
• Jon Scholes, Downtown Seattle Association
• Julia Park, Community Representative – Ballard
• Katie Garrow, Martin Luther King Labor Council
• Larry Yok, Community Representative – Chinatown/ID
• Maiko Winkler-Chin, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority
• Mark Nagle, Expedia
• Mike Stewart, Ballard Alliance
• Paul Lambros, Plymouth Housing
• Peter Schrappen, Northwest Marine Trade Association
• Robert Cardona, Community Representative – Uptown
• Ron Sevart, Space Needle
• Savitha Reddy Pathi, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
• Scott Rusch, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• Steve Lewis, Alliance for People with disAbilities
• Walter Reese, Nucor Steel
• Warren Aakervik, Community Representative – Freight
• Willard Brown, Delridge Neighborhood Development Association

All three of the meetings we’ve mentioned above are open to the public.

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HAPPENING NOW: Teachers’ West Seattle show of support for striking bus drivers

February 7, 2018 2:43 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

On day 5 of the drivers’ strike against First Student, which provides yellow-bus service for Seattle Public Schools, teachers are demonstrating right now in a show of support. Our photos are from Fauntleroy and Alaska.

(The teachers, by the way, did NOT walk out of class – Wednesdays are early-release days all year now – they would be in “professional development” time right now.) We even found a show of support for one specific striking driver:

That’s Jackie holding the sign in support of Al, the local driver who’s been sending us updates every morning from the picket line in South Park – here’s the photo he texted early today:

Al reported that the strikers appreciate the show of community support – lots of honking from passersby this morning, for example, he said. Meantime, no new negotiations reported, so at this point it looks likely that tomorrow will be Day 6 of the strike.

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WEST SEATTLE BIZNOTE: ‘Have a Heart’ at Illusions Hair Design, celebrating 40 years!

February 7, 2018 2:11 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Just one week until Valentine’s Day, and Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) just might be the Valentiney-est place in West Seattle. As briefly noted last week, this year, in honor of their 40th anniversary, Illusions has expanded its annual “Have a Heart” community-nonprofit fundraiser to last an entire month. Illusions’ proprietor Sue Lindblom (front and center in our photo) and the team will “sell” you a paper heart at the for a $1, $5, or $20 donation that goes to Southwest Youth and Family Services, while your paper heart goes up on the wall. And whatever you donate goes an extra distance because Illusions is matching donations, up to $1,000! Illusions (which opened in June 1978 and has been a WSB sponsor for 10 of those 40 years!) is at 5619 California SW.

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Property owner? Brace yourself for this year’s tax bill

February 7, 2018 11:54 am

| 75 COMMENTS

| West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

By the end of next week, this year’s property-tax bills will be on the way. And that includes the new education-funding tax increase – $1 for every $1,000 your property’s worth – so the King County Assessor’s Office has sent an alert, in hopes you won’t be too shocked. Here’s the news release:

King County Treasury will begin sending out the annual property tax bills in mid February. King County collects property taxes on behalf of the state, the county, cities, and taxing districts (such as school and fire districts), and distributes the revenue to these local governments.

Voters have approved several property-tax increases that will make much-needed investments in veterans and senior citizen services and fire protection. In some parts of King County, as much as 50 percent of the property tax bill is the result of voter-approved measures.

New levies approved in 2017 for collection this year include:

· Fire protection levies in Maple Valley, Vashon, and Skyway.
· School bonds for Shoreline and Federal Way.
· Renewal of the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services levy in King County.

In addition to approved local measures, the Washington State legislature passed an additional property tax to increase funding of education. Previously, the State Supreme Court ruled that the state must make new investments into public education; as a result the legislature added $1.01 per thousand dollars of assessed value, in King County, to their portion of property tax collection in order to fund the mandate (this is known as the McCleary Plan).

“Communities in our region are thankful to voters for approving new funding for essential services, but we know that property taxes can be especially tough for those on fixed incomes,” said King County Assessor John Wilson. “That’s why we’ve been aggressively reaching out to seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners with the property tax exemption program. Additionally, I’ve been working with Executive Constantine to create more tools for transparency around property taxes,” Wilson continued.

Low-income seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners may qualify for a property-tax exemption offered by King County. Information on how to apply for an exemption, along with other property-assessment-related information, can be found at kingcounty.gov/assessor. Property taxes vary depending upon location, the assessed value of the property, and the number of jurisdictions levying taxes (such as state, city, county, school district, port, fire district, etc).

With property taxes going up 16.92 percent on average, that means countywide property tax billings will be $5.6 billion in 2018, up from $ 4.8 billion last year. Aggregate property values in King County increased by 13.41 percent, going from $471.5 billion in 2017 to $534.7 billion in 2018.

“Without doubt voters are going to see a property tax increase due to the funding model the legislature has passed to fund education. So at a local level we are building more tools and supporting more legislation to increase transparency and fairness around the property tax. It is a work in progress and we will continue working on behalf of King County taxpayers,” said Wilson.

To avoid interest and penalties, the first-half property taxes must be paid or postmarked by April 30, 2018. The second-half property taxes must be paid or postmarked by Oct. 31, 2018.

If you haven’t received a notice by February 16th, that’s the date you can see your bill online via the King County Parcel Viewer. You also can sign up here to get your notice electronically instead of by postal mail.

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West Seattle Wednesday: Suicide prevention; school safety; SW District Council; much more!

February 7, 2018 10:39 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Varied thrush, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Midway through the week! Here’s our list of WSB West Seattle Event Calendar highlights for the rest of today/tonight:

BABY STORY TIME: 11:30 am at High Point Library, geared to wee ones up to one year old. (35th SW/SW Raymond)

HOT TOPICS: The discussion series at Southwest Library continues at noon today with “Cooking Without Waste” – info in our calendar listing. (9010 35th SW)

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle. Today: “Will There Really Be a Morning? Part 2.” (4217 SW Oregon)

WEST SEATTLE HS SUICIDE-PREVENTION TRAINING: For parents and guardians, 6-8 pm, “to help empower individuals to play a role in recognizing peers, friends, and family who might be having thoughts of suicide, and to know how and where we can refer those individuals to keep them safe.” (3000 California SW)

CHIEF SEALTH IHS PTSA SAFETY MEETING: Annual meeting focused on campus safety and procedures, with school and public-safety officials. All welcome. 6:30 pm – note the off-campus location – Neighborhood House High Point. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)

ALKI ELEMENTARY PTA: 6:30 pm meeting. (3010 59th SW)

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building/Senior Center. Agenda includes

6:45 pm – Kathryn Murdock & Thomas Fawthrop – SPU Drainage and Wastewater South Operations Center Outreach Team
● 4500 W Marginal Way SW – SPU Drainage & Wastewater South Operations Center site

7:15 pm – Andres Mantilla – Director of External Relations and Outreach, Office of the Mayor
● Overview – Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Agenda
● Discussion – Future engagement with DC’s and Neighborhood Organizations

(4217 SW Oregon)

BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: Both West Seattle High School teams have Metro League playoff games tonight, both at Seattle Pacific University. The girls play Cleveland at 7 pm; the boys play Rainier Beach at 8:30 pm. (3307 3rd Ave. W.; map)

JIM PAGE: Singer-songwriter at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

TRIANGULAR JAZZTET: Live music at Whisky West in Morgan Junction, 7 pm. No cover. 21+. (6451 California SW)

OPEN MICROPHONE: At Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction, hosted by Alan Sobel. Sign up at 7, performances start at 7:30 pm. All ages. (4752 California SW)

PRIDE SKATE SEATTLE: Monthly event for LGBTQIA community at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center, 8:30 pm, $8 – includes skates if needed – 21+. (9646 17th SW)

AND THERE’S MORE … on our complete-calendar page!

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Car fire in Chief Sealth IHS parking lot

February 7, 2018 9:21 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tip – Seattle Fire was called to the parking lot at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle) for a car fire. The fire is out, no injuries, no other cars damaged. They called for police to respond because they initially couldn’t find the car’s owner – who our crew has learned has just been found, and is a student.

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