day : 20/02/2022 7 results

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Shops hit by grab-and-run thieves

Thanks to John for the tip. Emerald Water Anglers (4502 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) was hit by grab-and-run thieves this morning, and it’s at least the second theft of that kind in The Junction in recent days. Matt at EWA tells WSB that it happened around 11:40 am today; two thieves stole $2,700 worth of Patagonia outerwear. He says one “had been in previously and looked at prices of items closest to the door.” As for descriptive information, he says “both male, one about 5’10” and the other about 6′; (they) ran to a running red Dodge 2500 truck without plates left running on the corner outside the shop.” If you have any tips, the SPD case number is 22-043860. This happened three days after what a reader told us was also a grab-and-run theft at West Seattle Optix (4555 California SW) on Thursday; no other details but the case number for that one was 22-041148.

Admiral Church considering three paths to its future, to avert ‘financial crisis’

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

More than three years ago, Admiral Church told community members that “big changes” were in its future.

Planning for those changes was subsequently shelved. But now it’s actively happening again, as the church has flatly declared that a “looming financial crisis” makes the status quo unsustainable.

So, church leaders told a community meeting this afternoon, they’re pursuing three potential paths for the future of the church (4320 SW Hill) and its 27,000-square-feet site:

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BIZNOTE: Lee’s Asian Restaurant has a closing date too

With the redevelopment project at 4508 California SW getting ready for construction, both restaurants on the site now have closing dates. We’ve already reported on the impending closure of Kamei Japanese Restaurant – which set March 15th as the date a few days ago – and now we’ve confirmed the plan for Lee’s Asian Restaurant next door. It, like Kamei, has been in The Junction for 20 years, and Lee’s tells us they’ll be closing at the end of March. (Thanks to Tom for the tip; we went by to confirm today.) The future mixed-use building also includes the vacant storefront that previously held Naked Crepe. The new development finished going through Design Review more than two years ago; it was described at the time as a project with 58 apartments, 12 lodging units, 17 underground parking spaces, and ground-floor retail space. City permit files indicate demolition and construction could start as soon as April. It’ll be the first major construction project on California in the heart of The Junction since Junction 47 and 4730 California were built 7+ years ago. (Image: Google Maps Street View)

CORONAVIRUS: One more weekend for city’s vaccination clinic at Neighborhood House High Point

February 20, 2022 1:38 pm
|    Comments Off on CORONAVIRUS: One more weekend for city’s vaccination clinic at Neighborhood House High Point
 |   Coronavirus | High Point | West Seattle news

As announced earlier this month, the city-supported COVID vaccination clinic in West Seattle – at Neighborhood House High Point – is closing after its next Friday/Saturday sessions. NH, a regional nonprofit, sent this announcement to thank the community:

Next Saturday, February 26, 2022 is the last day of the West Seattle Vaccination Clinic run by the city at Neighborhood House High Point.

Neighborhood House is honored to be have been able to partner with the city to provide this clinic space in our High Point building to connect community members to the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.

Thank you to the West Seattle community – we were so proud to serve you! Since the clinic opened in late October 2021, the Seattle Fire Department along with inaugural health partners Pliable have administered tens of thousands of shots, to children as young as 5 and grandparents and great-grandparents of all ages.

The dates and hours of operation as well as appointments for the High Point clinic can be found at www.seattle.gov/covid-19/vaccinations.

For over 100 years, Neighborhood House has created opportunities for those facing cultural, language, and systemic barriers to live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Learn more about this work throughout King County and Seattle at nhwa.org.

The city-supported COVID testing site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex will remain open.

ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: How can they help?

The question of what to include on its new website led the Alki Community Council to a deeper discussion at its February meeting. We reported on the new website earlier in the week; among other features, it enables people to renew or initiate ACC membership, and ay the nominal annual dues. So why would people want to join – what’s in it for them? one attendee asked. There were no quick answers for that, aside from the fact that it’s a way to get involved in your community. The website, meantime, has infinite possibilities for being helpful, and many ideas were suggested – the volunteer who developed it, Debbie Girard, has already posted community event listings, for example, along with resource links, and is working on community spotlights. Should the website be more topical and newsy, with, for example, community safety/crime alerts? one person asked. That drew mixed reaction. The idea of promoting the Alki area drew more positive reaction. Whatever the direction, the point was made that it can’t all fall on the shoulders of one volunteer, so others will have to help. She’s working on a user manual to make that possible.

The ACC meeting (held in-person and online Thursday night) also got its usual SPD visit from the Southwest Precinct‘s night-shift Lt. David Terry. Attendees’ concerns were dominated by the perennial problems of reckless driving, even in the offseason, and Lt. Terry again explained that the department’s current staffing challenges rule out proactive patroling much of the time. They are “augmenting” – offering extra/overtime shifts to officers – just to be at minimum staffing many nights.

The Alki Community Council meets third Thursdays most months, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) and online. Watch alkicommunitycouncil.org for updates.

Remembering Lois N. Batts, 1930-2022

Family and friends are remembering Lois Norman Batts. Here’s what they are sharing with her community:

Lois Norman Batts entered fully into the presence of the Lord on Saturday, January 8, 2022. She will be greatly missed until family and friends reunite with her, someday, in Heaven.

She was born to Day and Verna Wallen on February 23, 1930, in Sioux City, Iowa – the youngest of 6 children. Her family moved to the Key Peninsula of Washington State in the early 1940s. As a young woman, she worked as a switchboard operator, long distance operator, and attended some classes at the University of Washington. In the fall of 1956, she met the love of her life, William (Bill) Batts. They were soon engaged, and then married on February 22, 1957, just one day before her 27th birthday. She joked about how she aged a year overnight.

They bought a house and settled down in the Genesee Hill area of West Seattle and raised 3 children there – Ben, Bill, and Janis.

Lois was a stay-at-home mom for many years and involved in the children’s schools. She participated in many ministries and programs at West Side Presbyterian Church during her 62-year membership, including women’s circle groups, Wedded Ring group, Sunday School teaching, VBS teaching/assisting, serving as Deaconess, MOPPETS childcare volunteer, etc… She attended Bible Study Fellowship for many years and volunteered with Friend-to Friend, which is an organization that matches volunteers to elderly folks who need the company of a friend on a regular basis. Lois participated in the West Seattle Hi-Yu parade many summers carrying a banner for Friend-to-Friend which led the vans and buses from local senior-living facilities.

Lois was always putting others first. As a non-skier, she went along on all the family ski trips every other weekend in the winters to Crystal Mountain to provide mothering, warmth, meals, encouragement, and all that it takes to get a family of 5 packed up and provided for. She also supported Bill in his other hobbies of raising & showing dahlias and boating & fishing. During her mother’s last few years of life, Lois cared for her 24 hours/day at home.

When the children were older, Lois went back to work. She started out working in the kitchen at Modern Care Nursing Home and then began to work as an Activities Assistant. She moved on to work at The Kenney Home as an Activities Assistant. Even after she retired from there, she continued for many years, to lead a class for the residents on making Kenney Kards, which were sold to help raise money for The Kenney benevolence fund.

Lois enjoyed traveling with Bill: a road trip around the USA and to Canada, they took many cruises (the Caribbean, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska, Panama Canal), a trip to Europe (France, England, Italy), many October trips to Maui, timeshare weeks to Wapato Point in Chelan. She also enjoyed playing card games and Dominoes with family and friends, making ceramic decorations, watching Mariners games, and spending time with her grandchildren.

In 1997, they sold their house and then moved into The Kenney independent-living apartments. They used to be the young ones there and felt like they were royalty as they looked out from their 4th-floor apartment windows over the beautiful lawn and gardens. In early 2019, they moved into Assisted Living as Lois’s Alzheimer’s worsened; then in October 2019, Lois moved into The Kenney’s memory care, as Bill continued in Assisted Living. For the first time since 1957, they were living apart but able to visit with each other daily. This separation was compounded further in the Spring of 2020, when The Kenney cancelled any visitation to the residents in the building due to COVID, which included any visits between people in the different living areas there. For many months Bill and Lois could only “visit” through a window. Their story was featured in the Seattle Times November issue of The Pacific NW. Fortunately, restrictions were loosened some and they could see each other again in person.

Lois passed away just short of their 65th anniversary and her 92nd birthday. She is preceded in death by her parents and all of her siblings. She is survived by her husband Bill (Mr. Bill, as she would say), son Ben Batts, son Bill Batts (Jen), and daughter Janis Kelly (Tim), grandchildren Taylor Batts (Mikaela), Ruth Sonsteng (David), Julia Foote (Spencer), Kathryn Batts, William Batts, Stephen Kelly, and Victoria Kelly-Hodder (Ben) and six great-grandchildren.

Thank you to the wonderful caregivers at Synergy Home Care Seattle, The Kenney, AMR Paramedics, and Swedish Hospital Cherry Hill.

There will be a private family ceremony on March 3rd.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: 10 notes

(Black-capped Chickadee, photographed by Sage K)

Sunday is here, and spring is exactly four weeks away. What to do while you wait? Here are today’s opportunities:

CHURCHES: Most West Seattle churches are continuing online services, with some gathering in-person too – here’s our weekly update on 20+ churches.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, find fresh food – produce, meat, fish, cheese, beverages, baked goods, and prepared food – at the weekly WSFM (WSB sponsor). (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)

COMMUNITY CLEANUP: 10 am-noon, join in an Admiral community cleanup – supplies provided, all ages welcome. Meet Erik at the Lafayette Elementary (California/Lander) entrance courtyard – more details in our calendar listing.

DONATION DRIVE: Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) is hoping you can drop off donations to help people stay warm and fed, 11 am-3 pm. Our preview has the list of what they’re welcoming.

ADMIRAL CHURCH COMMUNITY MEETING: 2 pm on the church lawn (4320 SW Hill), Admiral Church plans to talk with community members about “a financial crisis which will almost certainly mandate administrative and physical changes to our property as soon as 2023.”

BOOK CLUB: 3 pm, you’re invited to join the West Seattle Classic Novels (and Movies) Book Club at an outdoor table at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW). Organizer Julia says, “Discussion will cover the second half of Charles Dickens, Bleak House (beginning with chapter 29, ‘The Young Man,” to the end).”

‘MONSTERS OF THE AMERICAN CINEMA’: Today’s 3 pm matinee wraps up the play’s run at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor). Read about it here; buy your tickets here.

NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW).

SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 8 pm to 1 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).

SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.

Got an event to list in our calendar and previews? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!