day : 05/01/2025 10 results

What do they want to do in Olympia? 34th District Democrats’ Q&A with candidates for one, possibly two, State Legislature openings

(Added Monday: 34th DDs’ video recording of forum)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Five elected officials were among the eight people who participated in an online forum this morning meant to help the 34th District Democrats choose nominees for one, possibly two appointments to state legislative seats.

It’s part of the process launched because Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson chose 34th District State Sen. Joe Nguyễn to become director of the state Commerce Department. The 34th DDs, King County Democrats, and King County Council all have roles in the fast-moving process, which is expected to end with county councilmembers making appointment(s) in a little over two weeks.

The “one or two” is because 34th District Position 1 State Rep. Emily Alvarado is seeking to succeed Nguyễn, so if she does, her State House seat will have to be filled too. She was the only would-be senator to participate this morning. The four elected officials hoping to be her potential successor are King Conservation District Supervisor Csenka Favorini-Csorba, Seattle School Board president Gina Topp, Burien City Councilmember Sarah Moore, and Highline School Board vice president Stephanie Tidholm. The other three candidates participating in the forum – which wasn’t mandatory, so others might surface – were Vashon-residing assistant state Attorney General Ben Carr, West Seattle-residing Mayor’s Office policy/labor adviser Brianna Thomas, and West Seattle-residing software engineer Geoffrey Wukelic.

The 34th itself is due for its every-other-year leadership elections this Wednesday; outgoing chair Graham Murphy introduced this morning’s forum, and chair candidate Jordan Crawley moderated. The format was standard – opening and closing statements, plus questions answered by each candidate. Though the general public doesn’t get a vote in this round, we covered the forum so those who didn’t attend can see what the candidates said, prior to one or two being chosen to represent you at least temporarily in Olympia, with some likely to surface in elections this fall.

Our recounting of the questions and answers are paraphrases/summaries unless the verbiage is between quote marks. Housing, education, and the cost of living were topics surfacing frequently. First, the opening statements:

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UPDATE: Another collision near southwest end of West Seattle Bridge

January 5, 2025 10:39 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

10:39 PM: Police are dealing with another crash toward the Fauntleroy Way end of the West Seattle Bridge right now. Police are reporting the barrier pushed out of alignment again – we’re not sure which side the crash happened on, but the barrier is reported to be a hazard on the eastbound side. The vehicle reported to be involved was described as a Ford Ranger. No injuries reported, as SFD has not been dispatched.

(Image posted by commenter SeaKev)

10:58 PM: If you’re using that end of the bridge any time soon, note that there are short shutdowns as they reset the barrier (again).

11:25 PM: Officers have just told dispatch that all lanes are now open.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Fauntleroy/Alaska Shell robbed again

January 5, 2025 8:12 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news

Another robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska Shell station/mini-mart. It happened early Friday; we saw the robbery on the SPD data map, requested narrative, and just found it in our mailbox though it came in later that day (forgive us the delayed reporting). The narrative says the store was robbed just before 5 am Friday by “two unknown-race males, wearing all dark clothing, with faces covered,” who took money, tobacco products, and beer, then left in separate vehicles. The officer who wrote the report reviewed security video with the station’s manager, subsequently noting:

One vehicle was a white van (unknown make/model). The other vehicle was a small white SUV (unknown make/model). One of the suspects … exited one of the vehicles and entered the store. The suspect acted like he was going to buy a drink and a bag of chips. Next … (the other robber) exited the second vehicle and entered the store. Using a diversionary tactic, (he) grabbed several racks of merchandise and threw them out of the store while the (other robber) rushed behind the counter and grabbed all the cash from the cash register. Although no gun was seen, the suspect behind the counter motioned with his hand in his waistband/hoodie pocket like he had a concealed firearm.

The robbers’ getaway vehicles were last seen taking off northeast (toward the bridge) on Fauntleroy Way.

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BIZNOTE: Three Little Birds moving north again, to new West Seattle location

January 5, 2025 5:19 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(File photo, courtesy Three Little Birds)

Another change ahead in the West Seattle Junction consignment-store scene – Three Little Birds is moving out of 4736 California SW after five years, and moving north to the same South Admiral building where its owner already has other businesses. We contacted proprietor Jennifer Young after commenter Vee mentioned the move in discussion following unrelated Junction biznotes we published last night, and she sent us this statement she says she’s shared with customers:

Our lease expired in Sept. 2024 and after a tremendous amount of thought and discussion, we have made the difficult decision to move our beloved store to a new location in 2025. Some of the factors that went into making this decision were:

*Inability to negotiate new lease terms that made financial sense for our business model.
*Concerns about the safety and maintenance costs of an aging building.
*Questions about the planned light rail extension.
*Rising costs for small businesses in 2025 and an uncertain economic future required thoughtful planning for those expenses to ensure we can remain a viable business moving forward.

We love our West Seattle and beyond customers and hope you will follow us a little further north. Our new location is at 3270 California Ave. SW. We are excited to offer all of our stores and brands in one large building. Our long-term business goal of creating a one-stop shopping experience for our customers is finally beginning! We plan to re-open in that location by February 2025.

We will celebrate 11 years in business in the spring and we hope to be around for many more. Thank you for your support over all of these years! Keep it coming …. your independent local businesses need you now more than ever!

The other “stores and brands” mentioned in the announcement include Alair and Dylan, which changed ownership at 3270 California two years ago, and Kid Friendly Footwear, which moved from the south end of The Junction to merge into Three Little Birds in 2021. Young’s original Three Little Birds location was south Morgan Junction, at 6959 California SW, from which it moved north to the current Junction spot five years ago, after Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) moved south to 6400 California SW.

As for what’s next in Three Little Birds’ current space, we’re not seeing a public “for lease” listing so far, nor are there any permit applications for that space. It’s next door to the 4730 California space (different building, different ownership) vacated by Sound Credit Union last year, with a Gene Juarez Salon moving in.

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WEEK AHEAD: Schools are back in session tomorrow

January 5, 2025 4:22 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

If you have one or more students in the family, you’re likely well aware that winter break is ending and classes resume tomorrow (Monday, January 6). But if not – here’s your reminder that schools are reopening and that means everybody who needs to get to and from them will be back on the streets, sidewalks, paths, etc.

Key dates for the rest of this school year – from the Seattle Public Schools calendar, which many independent schools mirror – include:

January 20 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 17-21 – Midwinter Break
April 14-18 – Spring Break
May 26 – Memorial Day
June 18 – Last scheduled day of school

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WEST SEATTLE BIRDS: Half-dozen to see

January 5, 2025 2:29 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

Some Sundays, we counter-program the Seahawks game with a bird-photo gallery, if stockpiled reader contributions allow. And we have six today, as the team closes out its season …

The first three are from prolific contributor Jerry Simmons, sent in the past month or so. Above, a Steller’s Jay; below, a Golden-crowned Kinglet:

And here’s a Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Christopher Boffoli photographed a Cormorant on a piling near Seacrest:

Rob Christian found a Barred Owl:

And Jon Anderson sent this Hummingbird close-up:

We also publish readers’ bird photos some mornings with our daily event list, so if you’re a bird fan, be sure to check that too. Meantime, though the Seahawks’ season is ending, we’ll publish bird galleries throughout the year as photo supplies allow, so thanks in advance to everyone who continues to share photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best address!

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WEEK AHEAD: Two days until West Seattle Preschool Fair

January 5, 2025 12:28 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Another reminder that this year’s West Seattle Preschool Fair (WSB sponsor) is coming up Tuesday night – meet reps from 15 local preschools, all in one place, at one time, 5:30 pm-7 pm January 7th at the Hope School Gym (4100 SW Genesee). Here’s the list of schools planning to participate:

Schools Attending:

ARK Preschool
Bloom Preschool
Cometa Playschool
Community School of West Seattle
Fauntleroy Children’s Center
Giddens School
Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School
Holy Rosary Preschool
Hope Lutheran School
Our Lady of Guadalupe Early Learning Center
South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools
Southwest Early Learning Bilingual Preschool
St. Bernadette Early Learning Center
The Cove School
Westside School

The Preschool Fair is a drop-in event, no RSVP necessary. If you’re driving, a parking lot is directly across Genesee from the gym entrance.

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Celebration of Life planned Wednesday for Scott K. Janzen

January 5, 2025 10:21 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

Friends and family will gather Wednesday to celebrate the life of Scott Janzen. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with the community:

Scott Kenneth Janzen, devoted sports fan, consummate PR man, passionate cruiser, and quickest of wit, died on October 21, 2024. He was 69.

Born and raised in West Seattle, he grew up in a modest mid-century home, with a roughly finished basement bedroom perfectly fit for large house spiders and precocious boys. Still, he was able to “sell” his room upstairs to his older sister Sue, not once, but twice. His love for writing and persuasion began in grade school with his first manual typewriter and a regular newspaper he generated about the goings-on in the neighborhood and sports. He was a lifelong sports fan and loved nothing more than to be in the stands or in front of the wide screen rooting for his beloved Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders, Kraken, or Huskies. Even in his final days, he joked, “I always said I wouldn’t go before the Mariners won the World Series.”

Scott considered his dad Ken Janzen (deceased) his best friend, who with the help of Scott’s eldest sister, Sandy, helped to raise him after his mother Marion’s death when Scott was 13. He was deeply affected by her passing. Scott married Cris Benson in November 1999 and for 12 years they made their home in Magnolia with their kittens Sammy and Tater. He adored his nieces Kim and Tammy and his nephew Aaron. While obtaining his degree in Journalism from Seattle University, he wrote for the school newspaper. (of course) Scott was close to his family and made his famous crock pot meatball appetizers on request.

Scott loved all things Seattle. He got excited for every festival that came to town, every street fair and The Bite, which may partly explain why he lived in lover Queen Anne for so many years-close to the Seattle Center, his second home. One of his first PR jobs was with the Pacific Science Center, where he created the “Edible Chair Contest” , garnering international media coverage and his first real street cred as a hot PR talent. One of Scott’s mentors, Ron Elgin of Elgin Syferd, said, “Scott ‘Janbo” Janzen was probably the most creative PR professional in the long history of our company. On top of that, EVERYONE in the agency and our clients absolutely loved him. Hell of a guy: hell of a longtime friend. I miss him a lot.”

For several years in the ’80s and ’90s, he and his buddy Tom hosted an Argosy Cruise “Bop Till You Drop” dance cruise, the hottest ticket in town. That’s about the time his love for cruising began. He sailed nearly 30 cruises, all over the world, and would have sailed more if his disability hadn’t restricted his mobility. He particularly loved sailing to Alaska with friends.

Scott mentored many young people entering the industry and made time to help them out throughout his career. His friends and colleagues thought of him as just easy to be around. “Smart, funny, kind , and brimming with amazing ideas. He made whatever space he was in better.”

Scott died after a long battle with inclusion body myositis (IBM), a rare degenerative muscle disease that slowly stole his ability to enjoy the life he loved so much. Scott would still be cracking jokes today and wanted much laughter when remembering him.

A celebration of his life will be Wednesday, January 8, 2025, from 4 pm-7 pm at Steelheads Alley (formerly Pyramid Brewing) 1201 1st Avenue South, Seattle. He had a close group of friends who are raising funds to host this event, so as not to burden Scott’s family. Whether or not you think you might attend, your generosity in any amount will be greatly appreciated.

If you wish to contribute, please send to Tom’s Venmo (@Tom-Phillips-6) or Zelle (Tomphillips1001@outlook.com)

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

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UPDATE: Fire on 24th SW (investigation results added)

January 5, 2025 8:35 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: Photo sent by Sean)

8:35 AM: Thanks for the tip. Seattle Fire has a “full response” at the scene of a house fire in the 6500 block of 24th SW [map].

8:38 AM: Firefighters just told dispatch they have the fire under control.

8:43 AM: And they’ve now called the fire “tapped” (out). They’re dismissing some of the responding units. No report of injuries so far.

9:31 AM: SFD’s investigator is at the scene to try to deduce what caused the fire. As the first tip reminded us, this is on city-owned property (records show the sale in 2022), in an area near Longfellow Creek that’s drawn attention for drainage issues and development controversies over the years.

ADDED MONDAY: SFD tells us their investigation ruled the fire’s cause “undetermined.”

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The list for 2025’s first West Seattle Sunday

January 5, 2025 6:12 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Ferry in Saturday’s murk, photographed by Jerry Simmons)

Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s happening today:

WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet for today’s run at 9 am at Top Pot Doughnuts (4709 California SW).

HIGH TIDE: 12.8-foot “king tide” at 9:05 am.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open 10 am-2 pm, with winter produce (root vegetables! greens! cabbage!), plus beverages, flowers, cheese, fish, meat, prepared food, nuts, candy, condiments, more. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)

CANDIDATE FORUM: 10 am online forum organized by the 34th District Democrats as part of the process to fill at least one legislative vacancy – link and participant info here.

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool to make your project happen, or to assemble a holiday gift? Borrow it from the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

MUSICIANS FOR THE WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK: Monthly music in support of the WSFB (bring cash and/or nonperishable food to donate), 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), this month: Misha Yolleck and Michael Partington.

DRIFTWOOD’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY: As previewed here, Driftwood (2722 Alki SW) turns two today, and is celebrating with a 4-8 pm open house-style party – get your ticket(s) here.

ASTRA LUMINA: Celestially inspired light show on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, 5 pm and later admission times. Tickets and info here.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Sunday night music with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW) – 8-10 pm.

Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring – and/or in our Holiday Guide (which runs through New Year’s Day)? Please email us the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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