day : 06/11/2018 10 results

SOCCER: West Seattle High School girls’ season ends @ state tournament

Congratulations to the West Seattle High School girls’ soccer team on a great season, heading to the state 3A championships for the first time, in head coach Todd Veenhuizen‘s second season. Tonight they faced the tournament’s #1 seed, Gig Harbor, and lost 3-1. The Wildcats’ Juliet Anawalt scored the WSHS goal, according to The News-Tribune‘s game report. West Seattle wraps the season with a record of 12-3-1.

ELECTION: ‘Incredible’! exults Joe Nguyen, leading 34th District State Senate race

8:10 PM: In the race to see who will take the State Senate seat from which 34th District Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) is retiring, the first results are in:

Joe Nguyen – 27,440 – 57.4%
Shannon Braddock – 20,373 – 42.6%

8:17 PM: Nguyen has already spoken to his jubilant supporters at Drunky’s Two Shoes in White Center; we’ll add the video when we return to HQ. (ADDED– Here’s his reaction right after the results went public:)

9:24 PM: Braddock’s campaign tells us she will have a statement later.

Nguyen’s presumed victory makes history – he will be the state’s first Vietnamese-American legislator and the 34th District’s first legislator of color. He is the son of refugees, born in White Center, raised in Burien, now living in West Seattle, a manager at Microsoft, father of two, husband of a Highline Public Schools teacher. Personal backgrounds were the main differentiating factors between Nguyen and Braddock in the campaign; on the issues, they were nearly identical, both self-described progressive Democrats.

ADDED WEDNESDAY MIDDAY: This statement from Braddock was sent to an e-mail list of supporters and media:

There’s a common saying that you have to ask a woman seven times before she’ll seriously consider running for office. In my experience, it couldn’t be truer. Growing up I was keenly aware that most elected officials were men, and their support staff were women.

When I was asked to run for the State Senate I knew the sacrifices it would mean for me and my family as a single working mom. It had to be a family discussion. When I asked my two sons what they thought they said “sure.” But when I asked my eleven-year old daughter Kate if I should run she became giddy — jumping up and down clapping her hands. Ever since I announced she’s been talking about how she would like to run for office someday too. These are the types of examples we can set for our young girls when we run.

So thank you.

Thank you for knocking on doors, donating, and calling voters in support of our vision of a better Washington. And lastly, thank you for believing in me. We left it all on the field and, in spite of the outcome, I believe we ran an amazing campaign.

While we may have lost this race, last night was still a decisive win for women’s representation across our country.

We saw a record number of women run for office and get elected this year — including 256 women running for Congress in the General Election and countless more in local elections like ours. While I may not have had many women role models in elected leadership when I was growing up, I’m beyond thankful my daughter will. I wish Joe Nguyen the best as he steps into service for the 34th District as our State Senator.

ELECTION RESULTS: Seattle’s Families, Education, Preschool, Promise levy approved; mayor to return to South Seattle College for celebration

8:09 PM: Here are first results for the big city levy on tonight’s ballot – the Families, Education, Preschool, Promise levy, a combination and expansion of two expiring levies:

Yes – 164,083 – 68.5%
No – 75,299 – 31.5%

10:26 PM: Mayor Jenny Durkan has thanked voters for supporting the plan; here’s her statement. In part, the levy passage fulfills a commitment she made in West Seattle on her second day in office (WSB coverage here) – promising to expand what has been the 13th Year Promise program, one year of “free” tuition at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) for graduates from some Seattle public high schools.

(WSB photo, November 2017 at South Seattle College)

And as we wrote this, we learned the mayor will be back at SSC tomorrow morning – with Seattle Colleges Chancellor Shouan Pan and Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau – to celebrate the levy’s passage. We’ll be there.

ELECTION RESULTS: State Initiatives 1631, 1634, 1638, 940

Four statewide initiatives on tonight’s ballot – each is linked to its results page on the Secretary of State website, and the results are coming in:

INITIATIVE 1631 (pollution)

INITIATIVE 1634 (prohibiting some beverage/food taxation)

INITIATIVE 1639 (guns)

INITIATIVE 940 (policing)

HAPPENING NOW: Election Night 2018

5:21 PM: That’s the view from West Seattle as Election Day gives way to Election Night. Before the first local/state returns come in after 8 pm, we’ll have some running coverage of the final hours of voting … and campaigning.

We start with the lone local open seat on the ballot. Above, supporters of 34th District State Senate candidate Joe Nguyen were sign-waving on the Andover overpass before sunset; this morning, candidate Shannon Braddock‘s supporters, including (below left) Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon and County Executive Dow Constantine, were sign-waving a bit further west, at 35th/Fauntleroy:

As noted in our morning highlight list, the candidates are due at Election Night parties in a few hours. Meantime, you have a bit over two and a half hours to vote – here’s the info you need if you haven’t done that yet; we’ll be off to check the scene at the ballot dropboxes in a bit.

6:29 PM: First, a stop at Sound & Fog, which has long been planning an election-night watching event:

Proprietor Justin is projecting election coverage onto one of his shop’s walls, and as our photo shows, more than a few patrons have their own screens. You can stop in any time before 9 pm. Next, we hopped over to the new King County Elections ballot dropbox in The Junction:

An elections staffer who’s here to help said they’ve been getting a steady stream in the past hour or so. There are two special 5-minute parking spots in the lot (behind KeyBank on the south side of SW Alaska west of California) for voters, though some are hopping out of their cars on SW Alaska instead. You can drop your ballot in a county box until 8 pm (here’s the full countywide list – we’re headed next to West Seattle’s other dropbox, in High Point).

6:54 PM: At High Point with a little over an hour to go:

Here, a sheriff’s deputy as well as KC Elections workers. And portable lighting, which we noticed during an afternoon stop:

This box is next to the library (3411 SW Raymond) parking lot but you can also pull up curbside on eastbound Raymond. The full list of dropboxes countywide is here. After the voting ends at 8 pm, the county is expected to release its first and only round of election-night results around 8:15 pm, and we will have separate stories on those.

7:55 PM: Just awaiting the returns. One more ballot-box photo from about an hour ago:

The crew at High Point really wanted to be sure everyone was aware of the time!

First look at potential ‘end-to-end’ options for Sound Transit light rail from West Seattle to Ballard

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“You have all officially made it through two levels of screening.”

That was the welcome last night for Sound Transit‘s West Seattle-Ballard light rail Stakeholder Advisory Group members at their last scheduled meeting of the year.

The big headline from this meeting: The first look at three “end-to-end” route possibilities drafted by ST staff. Until now, potential routing/station locations have been discussed segment by segment. The three were crafted from feedback in the first two levels of screening, which are recapped in the meeting’s full slide deck (PDF). ST’s Cathal Ridge went through that recap last night, noting major concerns voiced during that phase – including, for West Seattle, an interest in ensuring the Delridge station is a good transfer point between bus and light rail, that a location south of Andover be considered for it, and also that the Junction station be oriented north-south, possibly on 42nd or 44th. Here’s the list of what the three are being called for now, followed by maps and highlights of each:

Read More

West Seattle Tuesday: Election Day/Night highlights and more!

It’s Election Day! So we’re starting the highlights for today/tonight with the election-related list:

(Photo courtesy Taproot School, whose students were out by the Fauntleroy ferry dock)

VOTE! If you haven’t done it yet, here’s the info you need – where, when, how.

WATCH PARTIES: Want to watch the national (and then local/regional) results? Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW) welcomes you, 4-10 pm; Sound and Fog (4735 40th SW) welcomes you, 5-9 pm.

CANDIDATES’ PARTIES: Want to hang out with the 34th District State Senate candidate of your choice? Shannon Braddock and supporters will be in West Seattle, at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); Joe Nguyen and supporters will be in White Center, at Drunky’s Two Shoes BBQ (9655 16th SW).

Now, a few non-election highlights:

SANISLO ELEMENTARY PTA: 6 pm meeting in the school library. All welcome! Door prizes! (1812 SW Myrtle)

WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COALITION: 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, or arrive early! The agenda:

6 pm: Light refreshments/Room setup
6:15 pm: Community Introductions
Lt Steve Strand – SPD: Crime stats, discussion of Community Concerns
Community Announcements
WWRHAH’s focus & goals for 2019?
Community Speakers for 2019?
Open Floor for other items

(9010 35th SW)

STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS: As previewed here last night, the West Seattle High School girls’ soccer team is playing in the state championships! They’re visiting Gig Harbor High School at 7 pm. (14105 Purdy Dr. NW, Gig Harbor)

MEDITATE! If you need to re-center after the national results, and/or can’t stand the suspense waiting for state/local results, check out Tuesday night meditation at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 7 pm. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

West Seattle holidays: Looking for bazaar vendors!

November 6, 2018 10:39 am
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 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

As noted, we’re working on this year’s West Seattle Holiday Guide, with the first big weekend of the season just days away, including several bazaars. One December event, however, is still looking for vendors. The announcement:

We’re looking for vendors of any type to join us for a Holiday Bazaar hosted by The Community School of West Seattle, Saturday, December 1st from 12-4 pm.

If interested, please email office@cswsplay.org for more information and to nab a spot!

CSWS is at 22nd/Roxbury.

P.S. While we work on the Holiday Guide, here are all the holiday listings that are already in our regular calendar (more added last night and more to come)

West Seattle High School students organizing for winter ski bus

November 6, 2018 9:58 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Snow season is here, as the live WSDOT camera from Stevens Pass verifies. West Seattle High School students want to make sure they can make a “ski bus” happen this winter, so they asked if we would post this to reach more parents:

West Seattle High School parents! We will be joining other high schools this year in finally running a Friday night ski bus! The bus will run for 6 weeks starting Jan 11th. We will be holding an informational meeting in the WSHS library this coming Thursday, Nov 8th, from 6:30-8(ish). We’re a bit behind on the bandwagon, as other schools have already closed registration. If you have any interest, please attend the meeting, as there’s so much to pass along & we’ll need to fast-track registration! This is offered through a non-profit organization & scholarships are available.

If you can not attend the meeting & have any questions, please contact Dany Tomlinson at fridaynightskibus@gmail.com or go to skimohan.com & search for West Seattle

Let it snow!!

Direct link is here.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Election Day Tuesday watch

November 6, 2018 6:59 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Election Day Tuesday watch
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

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

6:59 AM: Good morning! No traffic incidents or transit alerts so far in or from West Seattle.