WestSide Baby’s Annual Benefit Tea is still happening this afternoon. We are looking forward to seeing everyone! All of our staff and volunteers have made it here without incident as arterials are just fine and side streets are melting. A little snow should not keep us from helping local families in need and it will not likely be fun snow play time when the rain hits shortly as predicted.

Today 2-4:30 Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center 17620 International Blvd

We ARE opening up tickets for 30 extra seats for those who want to walk in! We’d love to have you and share a bit of WestSide Baby with you this afternoon. Just come and we’ll get you all signed up here. Tickets are $40.

We hope to see you this afternoon!!

WSB is a co-sponsor of this year’s tea and we also hope to see you there. Traffic cameras show major roads bare and wet around the area – here are some cameras in White Center, for example.

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*Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) – open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day, reopens 6 am Thursday, December 26th

*PCC Natural Market (WSB sponsor) – open until 7 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

*West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) – open until 9 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day, reopens 5 am Thursday, December 26th

*QFC (both West Seattle stores): Open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, open 7 am-4 pm Christmas Day

*Trader Joe’s: Open until 6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

*Safeway (all 3 local stores): Updated – closing 7 pm Christmas Eve, open 8 am-5 pm Christmas Day

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PUBLIC:
Seattle Public Schools: 2 hours late, no Head Start, no AM or PM kindergarten/preschool. Buses on snow routes, no out-of-district transportation. The 1-hour early release plan for today IS still in effect, per district e-mail.
Highline Public Schools: CLOSED today, but offices open
Vashon School District: 2.5 hours late, no AM kindergarten

PRIVATE
Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor): Late start at 10 am
Holy Rosary School: Late start at 10:25 am
Hope Lutheran School CLOSED
Kennedy Catholic High School CLOSED
Our Lady of Guadalupe CLOSED
Seattle Lutheran High School: Late start at 10 am
Shorewood Christian School: Late start at 10 am; no pre-K
West Seattle Montessori: CLOSED
Westside School (WSB sponsor): Late start at 9:30 am

SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: 2 hours late

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(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:01 AM: We’re starting this report off the main page because of the motorcycle crash we’ve been covering since the 3 am hour; our ongoing coverage is here. Traffic/transit effects because of the investigation:
*California is closed from Genesee south to Alaska
*Oregon is closed between 42nd and 44th
*Four bus routes are detouring around that area – 22, 50, 55, 128

8:21 AM UPDATE: Metro says the area has reopened.

BACK TO ORIGINAL REPORT: Meantime, we’re going into a busy 3-day weekend of traffic/transit effects around the area – here’s the full roundup from SDOT, including the northbound Highway 99 closure for the Torchlight Run tomorrow night. And here’s the full bus alert related to that:

Riders should plan ahead and prepare for rerouted bus service and potential delays on Saturday, July 27, from about 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., as Metro Transit shifts 35 bus routes in the Seattle Center, downtown Seattle and Alaskan Way Viaduct areas for the Seafair Torchlight fun runs and parade. Other transit and traffic delays can be expected Saturday as a major event at Key Arena lets out, the Capitol Hill Block Party rocks on and the Mariners are in town.

Ride transit to Torchlight

While most buses that operate on surface streets in the Seattle Center and downtown Seattle areas will be rerouted, riding transit is still the best way to get to these events, as traffic will be congested and parking downtown will be limited. Rerouted buses go to within one or two blocks of the parade route.

Friday-Sunday: Pine Street weekend bus service revisions

Part of the impacts start Friday evening, July 26, when Pine Street bus service is rerouted until midday Sunday due to the grandstand placement at Fourth Avenue.

Saturday evening bus service revisions
While the parade begins at 7:30 p.m., transit service changes begin earlier. From about 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, until the end of the parade, the entire length of Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle will be closed, and nearly all east/west streets will also be blocked at Fourth Avenue. Many buses will be rerouted and there will likely be schedule delays. Delays in one area can cause delays at other points along a bus’s routing.

Buses with reroutes include RapidRide C and D lines, Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 26, 28, 33, 36, 40, 43, 47, 49, 66, 70, 83, 84, 99, 120, 125, 131, 132, and Sound Transit routes 522, 545 and 554. Refer to the posted information for each route to see what stops might be missed.

During the Seafair Torchlight Run events, starting prior to the parade at about 5:30 p.m., the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed for about one hour until the runners clear that area. Northbound Viaduct buses will operate via I-5 during this time. The southbound Viaduct is not affected and will remain open.

Starting at 6 p.m., while the Seattle Center area is affected by parade activities, Metro will operate a Route 4 shuttle about every 20 minutes to and from Nob Hill Avenue. At Seattle Center board the Route 4 shuttle northbound on First Avenue North, just south of Republican Street. It will serve all regularly posted bus stops along its route.

Also starting at 6 p.m. – and until traffic and crowds clear afterward – Metro bus routes 120, 124, 125, 131 and 132 will serve a temporary bus stop southbound on Third Avenue between Pike and Union streets, instead of their usual stop between Pine and Pike streets. South of Union Street they will serve their regularly posted stops along Third Avenue.

Most transit service will return to its regular routing and stops at 10:30 p.m., except Pine Street service will remain rerouted until about midday Sunday when the parade grandstand is removed.

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An open letter,

My name is Dan Mullins and I live in Highland Park in West Seattle and Im the former Chair of the Highland Park Action Committee.

The neighbors in our area have worked for years to keep our little community a clean and safe place for kids and families.

I have always felt compassion for the folks in the giant homeless encampment named Nicklesville, less than 1/2 mile from my home, but things have gotten out of hand and something needs to change sooner than later.

It’s been a steady progression for 2 years now, from the little pink tents and muddy conditions to what we have now.

Stacks of pallets, plywood shacks and gates with guards, rats, urine, litter, its like a post apocalyptic novel down there.

While I sat at the stoplight recently I observed people unloading plywood and construction supplies and there were young girls with signs, begging for money at 3 of the 4 corners of E. Marginal and Highland Park Way.

The 4th corner had 4 or 5 young men sitting on the ground smoking and waiting.

My neighborhood is filled with people who don’t take the bus to work anymore, because of the rough, intimidating crowd constantly coming and going from Nickelsville.

I’m told that If you do drugs you can’t stay there, and I commend them for that, but where do you go if you are a trouble maker or a meth head and get kicked out by the Nickelsville bosses?

They go across the street, and into the woods, adjacent to our backyards, where our kids play.

Recently three of my neighbors had their cars vandalized, two with smashed windows and numerous neighbors homes have been burglarized.

I have heard normally rational people talk crazy about taking action into their own hands and vigilante justice.

I imagine them to be idle threats but it demonstrates how angry people are getting in this community.

I know it’s a complicated situation and a public relations nightmare for the city, but it’s reaching a point where our elected officials need to act.

This self governed community can only last so long before it self destructs and I feel that the inhabitants of Nickelsville and the neighbors will all lose.

My fear is that the solution will only come when there is a murder or a young woman is raped.

It has gotten so bad that, in my work as a real estate agent, I have heard people say, they will not look at homes in Highland Park because of the Nickelsville problem.

This blue collar neighborhood has always been compassionate and open minded and we have invited Nickelsville organizers to speak at community meetings, I have personally donated food and bathroom supplies, but people here are past their breaking point.

Something needs to be done about this illegal population and they need your help to move to somewhere safe for them but with less impact on their surrounding community.

There are mentally ill and chronically homeless, runaway kids, substance abusers and all manner of folks on the fringe who need help, but their leaders have created a private City-State, with their own hammer wielding police force, deciding who can stay and who needs to go, and if necessary they will punish all of the individuals by withholding toilet facilities for the sins of the few.

I was passing by today as I do every day and I know they are scrambling to clean the place up because they are aware of all the bad press about them lately and their leaders are gearing up for a fight.

I feel that the City’s lack of conviction to do something serious about finding a real solution for Nickelsville is mainly because it lays between two of Seattle’s poorest neighborhoods, South Park and Highland Park, and that makes it seem easy to sweep this illegal community under the carpet.
Let’s be honest, this would never be allowed in Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Ballard, anywhere else than a lower income community.

When I talk to people in those other neighborhoods, they don’t even know about Nickelsville.

I understand that Food Lifeline, a service that helps thousands of marginalized folks yearly by distributing food to the needy, wants to buy the WA State and DOT owned property for their new facility but the illegal encampment has become a major roadblock in their plans.

The city must not let this opportunity slip away.

All people deserve a little humanity, clean water and a place to lay their head and that is one of the reasons we vote and pay our taxes to build roads and schools and public assistance for those who need it.

But this illegal community, which is bound to swell in size as the warmer weather approaches must go and it must go now.

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Tomorrow night from 4-7:00 at the West Seattle PCC, Garfield High School will sell tickets for their Tesla Sedan raffle. That is right! We are only selling 1,650 tickets for a chance to win a Tesla sedan! The 2013 car of the year. All electric, it can go 300 miles on one charge. $100 will get you a ticket. The winner will be drawn at Garfield’s auction on Friday, March 1st. You need not be present to win. Proceeds from the raffle go towards hiring a counselor in the High School & Beyond Career Center.

You can read more about the raffle on the Garfield website.

ADDED MONDAY: Frpm Phil Sherburne of the Garfield PTSA, in an exchange when we asked a few followup questions: “This raffle just shows to what extent parents need to go to raise money to make up for state cuts in important programs at the high school. (Last year) the raffle prize was a Nissan Leaf electric car. We chose electric cars because they speak to the future which is what education is also about. This year the prize is the Tesla S Sedan–300 mile range. This is a spectacular car–a real breakthrough. The car costs us $85,000. Tesla reserves the car for us. We don’t have to pay for it until after the raffle. This was important because we want the winner to be the first owner of the car. That way there is no sales tax on the car and the winner is eligible for a $7500 tax credit. Last year we cleared $40,000 for the school and with this year’s raffle we will clear $80,000 if we sell all the tickets.”

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WSHS 1st Annual Big Band Dance:

The West Seattle High School Music Department invites you to dust off your dancing shoes and join us for a night of live music and dancing on Friday, February 1st in the WSHS Commons. There will be a swing dance lesson with a local instructor from 6:30 to 7 pm. The dance is from 7:00 to 9:00 pm with music by the West Seattle High School Jazz Ensemble and the West Seattle Big Band. Light refreshments will be available for sale.

Tickets are available: $12 in advance or $15 at the door and can be purchased from students in the Music Department or by sending an email to: wshsmusicdept@gmail.com. See you there!

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Grow Plant Starts for The Community Orchard of West Seattle (COWS)!

The Orchard is located at South Seattle Community College North Entrance, 6000 16th Ave SW

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The U.S. Civil Rights Movement will be explored in a fascinating, four-course, non-credit series of classes offered by South Seattle Community College’s Continuing Education department.

South instructor Allen Stowers facilitates this exploration of the social justice movement from the early colonies to present day struggles. In-depth conversation and study of the formation of strategies, efforts and outcomes of the movement will be highlighted by specific focuses on Native American, Latino American, Asian American and African American struggles. Guest speakers, all former civil rights workers, will add their personal and historical perspectives to each session.

Classes may be taken separately or as a series. Each class meets from 9 am – 12 pm Saturday, on the South Seattle Community College campus. Cost for the four-class series is $99; taken individually, cost is $29 per class.

Saturday, February 25 Native American Civil Rights Movement
Saturday, March 3 Latino American Rights Movement
Saturday, March 10 Asian American Civil Rights Movement
Saturday, March 17 African American Civil Rights Movement
Register online at www.LearnAtSouth.org, or call (260) 934-5339 for more information.

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Japanese American Day of Remembrance
Events mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
11 am – 1 pm, Brockey Student Center

Japanese American Day of Remembrance observes the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It authorized the evacuation and incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, most of whom were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents

In Washington state, nearly 13,000 people of Japanese descent were ultimately sent to detention centers. Most Seattleites ended up at Camp Minidoka near Hunt, Idaho, while the majority of rural Western Washington evacuees were sent to Tule Lake in California.

South Seattle Community College is holding a series of events to recognize this historic date.

Wednesday, February 15
*11 – 11:50 am – Mary Matsuda Gruenewald will discuss her memoir, Looking Like the Enemy, and share her story of living in several Incarceration Camps
*12 – 1 pm – Mark Mitsui, South’s former vice president of Student Services and current president of North Seattle Community College will discuss the significance of this Day of Remembrance with author, Mary Matsuda Greunewald.

Monday, February 13 – Friday, February 18 Photographs by Teresa Tamura
Photographer Teresa Tamura created a series of black and white images that record the remains of the Minidoka Relocation Center, as a means of affirming the spirit and resilience of those who lived through the incarceration. The collection will be on display in the South Seattle Community College library. Ms. Tamura’s photos have been displayed at Whitman College, Missoula Art Museum, and published in the Seattle Times.

The public is invited to remember and learn more about this period in our history through the words and experiences of these special guests. The events are free and open to the public. Driving directions: www.southseattle.edu/campus/map.htm#sscc.

This program is part of the learning series From Prejudice to Genocide, sponsored by the Office of Diversity & Retention at South Seattle Community College.

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ORGANIZATIONS/FACILITIES
West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor):

West Seattle Y Facility is open.
Fauntleroy Y Facility is open.
Some classes running at each locations.
Expect Family Programs 9am – Noon at West Seattle.

West Seattle Golf Course closed

BUSINESSES:
Young At Art in The Junction opening at 10 am
Giannoni’s Pizza in Westwood opening at noon and will offer a free cheese slice with food purchases
The Little Gym of West Seattle closed
Fleurt closed

SERVICES
No Seattle Public Utilities trash (etc.) pickup. Otherwise, they’re on one-day delay – if you have Friday pickup, put yours out TOMORROW.

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Here’s the list of school closures/changes announced for today (please note that this story has been updated over the past three days so many of the comments are from earlier this week):

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Seattle Public Schools closed Fri.
Vashon Island School District closed Fri.
Highline Public Schools closed Fri.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Westside School closed Fri.
Hope Lutheran School closed Fri.
Explorer West Middle School closed Fri.
West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy closed Fri.
Holy Rosary School closed Fri.
Our Lady of Guadalupe School closed Fri.
Holy Famliy School closed Fri.
Seattle Lutheran High School closed Fri.
Community School of West Seattle closed Fri.
Shorewood Christian School closed Fri.
Kennedy High School (Burien) closed Fri.

**Tilden School is again “open if you can get there safely.”**

PRESCHOOLS
A Child Becomes Preschool closed Fri.
The Cove School closed Fri.

COLLEGES
South Seattle Community College closed Fri.
University of Washington (Seattle) closed Fri.

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FACILITIES/AGENCIES:
Seattle Public Library system closed
Seattle Parks facilities (community centers, pools, etc.) closed
West Seattle Food Bank closed
White Center Food Bank closed
King County Government delayed till 10 am
Seattle Chinese Garden (which is at South Seattle CC) closed

SERVICES:
Seattle Public Utilities says NO residential pickup, limited commercial pickup

BUSINESSES:
Little Gym of West Seattle closed
Bird on a Wire Espresso closed
West Seattle YMCA: Morning Family Programs closed at both locations
Head to Toe Day Spa open 11 am-5 pm
West Seattle Natural Medicine open reduced hours
Dr. Suzanne Fiala‘s office, closed
Avalon Restaurant, closed
Clementine in The Junction, closed (but you can shop online)
Service Dog Academy, closed
Young At Art in The Junction, closed
ArtsWest canceling tonight’s ‘All Through the Night,’ exchange tickets for any other night of run
Illusions Hair Design closing at 2:30 pm
Salty’s on Alki, closed
JaK’s Grill (all locations), closed
The Wash Dog, closed
Twilight Artist Collective, closed
Spring Hill, closed
Eats Market Café open till 4 pm
Zippy’s Giant Burgers “open as long as (they) can hold out”

EVENT CHANGES:
Alki Community Council meeting canceled
Chief Sealth Int’l High School band concert postponed
Teri Ensley/Furry Faces benefits postponed till this Sunday, January 22nd
Chief Sealth tour for the 20th for Madison/Pathfinder families is POSTPONED

We have deleted the Wednesday list to avoid conFusion, and are starting fresh here.

Other closures/changes? We’ll keep adding as we hear about them. editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302

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UPDATED 8:44 AM WEDNESDAY:

ANNOUNCED FOR WEDNESDAY 1/18/12:
Seattle Public Schools closed Wed.
Explorer West Middle School closed Wed.
Westside School closed Wed.
Holy Family School closed Wed.
Hope Lutheran School closed Wed.
Vashon Public Schools closed Wed.
Highline Public Schools closed Wed.
Seattle Lutheran High School closed Wed.
Our Lady of Guadalupe closed Wed.
Holy Rosary School closed Wed.
West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy closed Wed.
Community School of West Seattle closed Wed.
A Child Becomes Preschool closed Wed.
Bright Horizons-West Seattle closed Wed.
Kennedy High School (Burien) closed Wed.
South Seattle Community College closed Wed.
University of Washington-Seattle closed Wed.
Seattle University closed Wed.

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West Seattle Polar Bear Club

Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 10 am at Alki Beach in front of Duke’s Restaurant and Christo’s Restaurant. Both restaurants are strong supporters of this event.

Bring water shoes, a towel, a change of warm clothes and your friends and family. Over 100 folks will hold hands in a line and run into Puget Sound together. Hot chocolate will be provided.

This is a great way to wash away the complexities of 2011, and celebrate the new opportunities and challenges that await in 2012.

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