West Seattle, Washington
04 Monday
ORIGINAL REPORT, 3:52 PM: Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon. First: Stolen cars are sometimes abandoned nearby, sometimes driven many miles, so this could be anywhere. From Kimberly:
I woke up New Year’s morning to find my beloved 1996 Nissan 240SX (lic# AFC7216) stolen from the street along Erskine Way, just west of California Ave, south of the Alaska Junction. The loss of the car is bad enough but it also contained all of my ski gear.
My car is pictured (above), parked outside of Uptown Espresso at Edmunds and California. Mine is the car in front; both cars pictured are Nissan 240SXs (or similar model) and I would like to speak to the owner of the car parked behind mine. That car is a souped-up version which showed up in the neighborhood a week or two ago but which has not been around since. If you see either car please contact me by phone at 2O6-379-6OI4 (voice or txt). The skis are Salomon Siam 10s in a 149cm length, with Salomon Z10 Ti bindings, the boots are translucent orange Tecnica Diablo Race and the poles are a blue Swix Mach Carbon. … There were also other items such as helmet, goggles and gloves.
CAR PROWLS: Meaghan reports, “Up in Pigeon point on 21st Ave Sw, two of our neighbors had their windows smashed on their cars this morning. I’m not sure if anything was stolen.” We also had a comment earlier today from PSPS on the day’s first story, reporting what looked like the aftermath of car prowls on 40th SW north of The Junction; we couldn’t find anything obvious when we went to look, but if you were a victim, please let us know so we can include in Crime Watch coverage, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you.
ADDED 5:57 PM: From Dawn in Highland Park:
Several neighbors report license plate theft on my block. Sometime in the past several nights, someone stole the license plate off my RV parked in my backyard (not fenced to alley access). Some neighbors said they were replacing plates with different plates. Mine was not. 12th & Henderson.
2:09 PM: Thanks to Jamie for the tip – if you’re headed toward I-5 north, it’s slow going just north of the bridge because of a fire Jamie describes as “under the freeway.” Brush fire, according to the SFD 911 log.
ADDED 2:23 PM: Thanks to Cory for the photo, added above.
ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: SFD spokesperson Corey Orvold tells WSB that this remains on the books as a “brush fire” and was not investigated otherwise.
Two reader reports to share – first, from West Seattle Crime Watch, car vandalism:
Vera sent the photo and reports:
Upon leaving Westwood village (Friday night) … this is what I found my car to look like. Someone walked up over the hood onto my roof, footprints visible in the frost. Apparently no one saw this happen??? I was visiting Barnes & Noble on January 1 from eight until 10 PM. I was parked right outside of Barnes & Noble and someone walks up over top of my car and crashed my windshield; I’m wondering if they have any video footage or cameras outside of Barnes & Noble . I parked a mere 12 ft from the entrance.
We suggested checking with the store, for starters – if you have any other ideas, please comment.
Next – a backpack found in the 3400 block of Walnut SW at 7 am today. More often than not, these things turn out to have been stolen from someone somewhere, but as the finder observes, this might also have fallen off a vehicle:
My wife went for a walk early this morning and found a nice black backpack in the middle of our street containing snowboarding items (boots, goggles etc.). The pack was open – in the next block North of us she found a snowboard helmet and clothing. It appears to belong to boy, and must have fallen off the roof of a car…they may be having a very bad day at the slopes :( … If anyone knows who this belongs to, they can contact Brian at 303.396.9273. There is a name on the backpack and other identifying characteristics that we will ask to verify ownership.
(Graphic from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency website)
With another day of stagnant air, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has announced a Stage 1 burn ban for all of King County, in hopes of keeping the air quality from getting any worse. That means: “Use of fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts prohibited. Pellet stoves, EPA certified wood stoves and inserts are allowed. Outdoor burning prohibited.” Find out more here.
12:09 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a major “fire in building” response to the 3800 block of Beach Drive SW. Updates to come.
12:15 PM: It’s a four-story multifamily building, and that’s the reason for the big response, but so far, per scanner, no sign of a fire – aside from one in a fireplace (added: Christmas tree was being burned). The response is being downsized.
Quick notes about West Seattle businesses with extended breaks this post-holiday month (let us know if you’ve heard of others!):
CLICK! DESIGN THAT FITS: You CAN shop at Click! Design That Fits in The Junction (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor) this weekend, but then the shop’s taking an extended break starting January 4th. Read about it on the Click! website.
WEST SEATTLE PRODUCE COMPANY: No, the shop at 4722 Fauntleroy Way SW is NOT closed permanently, as one reader who contacted us feared. WSP is taking a break until January 16th and still searching for a new location, while awaiting word on when it’ll have to clear out from this one. The CVS drugstore project for the site continues to proceed but doesn’t have final approval yet, as, among other things, it still requires at least one more Southwest Design Review Board meeting (no date set yet). WSP originally opened in April 2010 across the street, where The Whittaker is now under construction.
SPEAKING OF PRODUCE STANDS: Just a reminder that Tony’s Market at 35th and Barton is temporarily closed too, its traditional break after the end of Christmas-tree-selling season. It usually reopens in late winter/early spring (it was later than usual last year because of renovations including parking-lot work).
(Photos above and below are by Mark Wangerin: Double-crested Cormorant with Pacific Staghorn Sculpin)
While we hope you’ll find some time to rest during this post-holiday-season weekend, our calendar does offer some options:
‘WEST SEATTLE GET FIT’ TRAINING RUN: 8 am, meet at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) as this year’s free “couch-to-half-marathon” training program gets going. (2743 California SW)
TREE-CYCLE WITH THE RAINBOW GIRLS: 9 am-2 pm in the parking lot outside the Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction, drop off your tree with the West Seattle Rainbow Girls‘ annual fundraiser, by donation – more info in our preview. (4736 40th SW)
SPECIAL SATURDAY STORY TIME: 11 am, bring the kids to the monthly Saturday family story time at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY REOPENS: 11 am-4 pm, first day for the West Seattle Tool Library after its holiday break. On the NE side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
IVAR EXHIBIT AT LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Noon-4 pm, visit the home of West Seattle’s history, and enjoy the visiting exhibit that spotlights the life and times of West Seattle entrepreneur Ivar Haglund. (61st SW & SW Stevens)
LAST WEEKEND FOR WEST SEATTLE YULETIDE: This just might be the last of the lights for this holiday season. West Seattle Yuletide, music-synched lights, plans to run through this weekend. Schedule’s on the WSY website. (38th between Dakota and Genesee)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.
Another look ahead, now that it’s a brand-new year:
Two months after the election, and one month after recount results were finalized, Lisa Herbold officially becomes the first Seattle City Councilmember for District 1 (West Seattle and South Park) on Monday. As our screengrab at left shows, her official city webpage is already up (though not yet linked from the council’s index page, which we wouldn’t expect before Monday, anyway).
The oath-of-office ceremony for Herbold and other councilmembers is scheduled to start off the afternoon session, and is expected to draw a full house, so early arrival is advised (well before the official 2 pm start). Herbold told us in our post-election interview (published here December 7th) that she has chosen outgoing Councilmember Nick Licata, for whom she has worked more than a decade and a half, to administer her oath. The ceremony’s published order is numerical by district, so she’s up first.
On Monday, the council – with four new members and five returnees, albeit in different roles given the new seven-district-and-two-at-large makeup – also will finalize committee chairs/members. According to the mid-December announcement, Herbold is expected to chair the Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development, and Arts Committee, whose first meeting of 2016 is at 9:30 am January 12. During the campaign, she said she was interested in chairing what will now be the Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee; that role instead is slated for new District 4 (Northeast Seattle) Councilmember Rob Johnson, with its former chair Councilmember Mike O’Brien as vice chair, but Herbold is listed as the committee’s third member. She is also expected to be vice chair of the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods, and Finance Committee, and alternate member of the Sustainability and Transportation Committee. (Each committee has a chair, vice chair, member, and alternate, though any councilmember can show up at a committee meeting to participate.)
BACKSTORY: In case you’re new, or otherwise just tuning in, Herbold, a Highland Park resident, won election by a hand-recount-verified 39-vote margin over Shannon Braddock in the general election, following a nine-candidate primary (with five prospective candidates dropping out before the primary, and one falling just short of the number of petition signatures required to make the ballot in lieu of a $1200 fee). She’ll be one of two West Seattleites on the council, along with Lorena González, elected to at-large (citywide) Position 9.
CONTACTING YOUR NEW COUNCILMEMBER: As seen on Herbold’s webpage, her e-mail address is lisa.herbold@seattle.gov, her office phone number 206-684-8803.
P.S. If you’d like to hear from her in person and/or ask a question, Herbold is also scheduled to be at next Wednesday’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm (January 6th) at the Sisson Building/Senior Center, California/Oregon.
Over the next few days, we’ll look ahead at some of what will be making news early in the new year. First – the latest on the West Seattle Mini-Golf project:
Back in fall 2014, we reported on the plan for a miniature-golf course at West Seattle Golf Course, after finding it mentioned in Mayor Murray’s 2015 budget plan. At the time, Seattle Parks described it – in response to our followup inquiry – as “proposed,” though the mayor’s budget said it was expected to be built before the end of 2015, after community discussions.
With 2015 ending, absent community discussions, let alone construction, we followed up again. First, we received a tip that a Parks letter dated October 2015 had been posted on the West Seattle Golf Club website this month. It included a new timeline, projecting that the course will be built next summer, and open by summer’s end. The letter also identified Parks’ Garrett Farrell as senior project manager, so we asked him about the project’s status. Farrell told WSB that the mini-golf project is now “in the planning, permitting, and budgeting stages,” with a community meeting (promised in the letter) getting closer: “Once we get some of the parameters set including schedule, we will post a project sign and hope to schedule the meeting shortly after the New Year.” He adds that a Parks website for the miniature-golf project is under development.
Resolved to get more movement into your life this year? Dance! West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is enrolling now for the winter session, which starts Monday:
We have classes for ages 2 (out of diapers) through adult, and would love for you to join our dance family. While specializing in Classical Ballet, we have added Contemporary and Hip Hop to the curriculum. Call or e-mail to arrange for your free trial class and start the New Year off with a dance in your step. Sign up by January 15th to participate in our June performance of “La Fiesta” and other dances. Visit our website dancewestseattle.com or call 206-938-3062 for more information!
DWS is headquartered in the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
(Video/photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand, unless otherwise credited)
Clear sky, 33-degree air, 50-degree water, and hundreds of cheery participants combined for this year’s West Seattle Polar Bear Swim at Alki Beach this morning. Here’s the leader of the countdown you hear in the video, organizer Mark Ufkes:
He went in wearing his “I (Heart) White Center” T-shirt. As usual, the crowd was peppered with costumes and uniforms – and it’s not a Polar Bear Swim without the softball umpires:
Another group went prehistoric:
The most popular “costume” generally involved head/face gear of some kind:
(This photo and next one by Scott Nelson)
The Olympics provided a beautiful backdrop:
To get the internal temperature back up afterward, free chowder courtesy of Duke’s (right across the street from the gathering spot for the “swim”):
Can’t guarantee the sunshine but the day and time are locked in – so mark your calendar for New Year’s Day 2017!
P.S. Our clip from the sidewalk gives you more of an idea of how many people were on the beach before, during, and after:
Past years’ WSB coverage:
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
(Reviewing our links, you might be surprised to see it’s been sunny on NYD more often than not!)
(The Olympics on New Year’s Eve, by Monica Zaborac – you can soak in the same view today)
Welcome to 2016! Here’s what you need to know on this first day of the new year:
GETTING AROUND: Metro‘s on a Sunday schedule; the Water Taxi is not running; Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is on a regular weekday schedule.
RESTAURANTS: Our annual list of holiday hours has info for West Seattle restaurants that told us they’d be open today/tonight – but please note the disclaimer.
COFFEE: See the West Seattle Holiday Guide for shops that told us they’d be open today.
GROCERY STORES: The only one closed today is Trader Joe’s.
NYD WALKS: Emerald City Wanderers invite you to walk into 2016, with 5- and 10-kilometer routes you can start any time between 9 am and noon from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. (3050 California SW)
POLAR BEAR SWIM: 10 am on Alki Beach, across from Duke’s (which provides clam chowder for the hardy “swimmers”) – info in our preview. As we write this, the air temperature is 25 degrees, water temperature 50 degrees, so consider it a way to warm up! (58th SW & Alki SW)
SPECIAL YOGA WORKSHOP: 10 am at Sound Yoga (WSB sponsor) – start the new year by finding your true path via Dharma Yoga. More info here. (5639 California SW)
SPECIAL CLASS: 10 am at the Center for Movement and Healing, with meditation, dance, and more. Info here. (7901 35th SW)
LABYRINTH WALK: Our Lady of Guadalupe hosts its first New Year’s Day Labyrinth Walk – visit any time between 11 am and 1 pm; details here. (35th SW & SW Myrtle)
ORIGINAL FRIDAY REPORT: Thanks to West Seattle photographer Craig Young for sharing views of the Space Needle fireworks that launched the new year.
Ever wonder what goes into planning the show? GeekWire talked to the “architect” of the show since its start 20+ years ago, Alberto Navarro.
You can watch video of the entire eight-minute display at KING5.com.
ADDED SATURDAY: Two more photos, above and below this line, shot by Bill Morgan from Hamilton Viewpoint Park in North Admiral:
(WSB video and photos by Patrick Sand)
If you weren’t part of it, watch the video to see and hear the boisterous Not-So-Silent Night Parade as it headed out from Highland Park Improvement Club tonight, to kick off HPIC’s three-part New Year’s Eve celebration. Noisemakers, costumes, and lights were the order of the night.
The parade crossed SW Holden at the newly enhanced crosswalk just east of HPIC, walking and rolling along several blocks before returning to the historic community center – note the flashing beacons at left in the next photo:
Immediately afterward, everyone gathered in the parking lot for the Sage Comet Performance, a fiery farewell to the old year. First, torchbearers stood at the ready to light the sage:
Then, the mesmerizing twirling and whirling began – see it in our video:
And then, everyone headed inside for an early edition of HPIC’s popular monthly Corner Bar, usually on the first Friday night of the month.
The youngest revelers had a space of their own.
DJs and a costume contest are part of the fun, which is continuing into 2016.
Along with the monthly Corner Bar, HPIC also hosts activities including free Movie Nights, community meetings, classes, and more – it’s where we presented West Seattle’s first candidate forum in the District 1 City Council race back in February. Info’s at hpic1919.org.
Police and fire units are at a home in the 5900 block of Fauntleroy Way SW. While the 911 log labels it an “assault with weapons,” there’s no confirmation so far of a victim. Information monitored via scanner suggested someone had called 911 to report a possible stabbing attempt. (One minute after publishing) We’ve just heard police tell the dispatcher, “nobody was stabbed.” So the SFD units will be dismissed.
Stopped by Admiral Bird‘s kid-friendly New Year’s Eve party around 7:30 pm – moving toward watching the East Coast ball-drop at 9 pm our time – and it was already shoulder-to-shoulder, at kid height and adult height. Kind of like the Times Square experience! We ducked back out quickly so as not to take up space that could be used by the would-be partiers who were still showing up at the door. More West Seattle NYE coverage to come.
Story and photos by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
“Welcome to Taradise.”
That’s the greeting you’ll see when entering our area’s newest restaurant/bar.
“Tara” is for proprietor Tara Scott, who’s celebrating the grand opening today for her Taradise Café in what used to be Marv’s Broiler at 9808 16th SW in downtown White Center.
Here’s the special attraction for West Seattleites:
If you miss the Charlestown Café – which closed 4 1/2 years ago at the site where the Rally townhouse development is going up – you’ll find some of its legacy at Taradise.
Tara herself, for one, is a Charlestown alum, and has several others on staff.
She tells WSB she’s really excited to have the permission to use some of the Charlestown’s recipes. Her permanent menu is still being finalized, so we don’t have the full lineup, but she mentioned the curried chicken salad, the pancakes, and the clam chowder, for openers.
We asked about the Montana Potatoes, by the way, and she said she has plans for them too – likely under the name Idaho Potatoes, since that’s where she’s from. The restaurant will serve breakfast all day as well as a full lunch menu and rotating dinner menu.
While Taradise Café has a bar – and two pool tables! as well as darts and TVs for sports-viewing – the restaurant is open to all ages. The hours for starters will be 6 am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, then 6 am to 2 am Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Family factored into Tara’s decision to open a restaurant now. She explained that she has wanted to do it for a while but needed to wait until she could devote more time and attention to it – one key factor, her youngest child is now at an age where some self-sufficiency is starting to emerge.
So if you’re looking for some place to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the grand-opening/NYE Party is on until 2 am at Taradise. This date holds significance for the location, the proprietor adds, because Marv’s Broiler opened on New Year’s Day in 1976.
Since WSB is more about “what’s happening now” and “what’s happening next” than “what happened,” we don’t do much looking back at the end of each year – except for what’s become a tradition: The top 10 “most-commented” stories. As we always note, the number of comments isn’t an indicator of how many people care about a story, how many people read a story, etc. – in some cases, there’s just nothing to say – but it’s a point of curiosity, so here we go with this year’s edition. It’s actually a top 11, since we had a tie at #8:
#10: ZATZ A BETTER BAGEL CLOSING, June 12th, 102 comments
#9: PORT TRUCK BACKUPS, September 15th, 106 comments
#8 (tie): SEATTLE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES STRIKE, September 8th, 108 comments
#8 (tie): SDOT TO REDUCE SPEED LIMITS, February 13th, 108 comments
#7: PETITION DRIVE LAUNCHED BY OPPONENTS OF 35TH SW RECHANNELIZATION, April 10th, 114 comments
#6: 116 SDOT’S FIRST ROUND OF POST-RECHANNELIZATION STATS, October 13th, 116 comments
Coyote walking up Spokane St just now. So nonchalant we barely noticed. @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/F83kDPg4PW
— Dave Stockman (@dbstock) December 31, 2015
ORIGINAL REPORT, 1:07 PM: That’s video just tweeted by Dave from SW Spokane Street, another midday sighting. We’ve published several reports recently (archived with seven-plus years of coyote news on WSB), but video is relatively rare, even in this time of ubiquitous video capability. Our customary link: What you should know about coyotes, including how to increase the chances we and they can keep a healthy distance from each other. And if you want it a bit more bluntly – here’s our 2013 story on what a federal wildlife agent wants you to know.
P.S. Coyote reports often inspire us to check around online to see what’s happening in other cities. We just found this notable report from Los Angeles, where a federal researcher – described, however, as “unfunded” – has been using GPS collars to track urban coyotes.
ADDED 9:45 PM: Another clip – this time from Ted Johnson, recorded at a bluffside home in west Admiral at sunset:
11:14 AM: Just got a text from Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales that orcas are reported northbound between Lincoln Park and Alki Point – and per Ron‘s tweet, below, they are apparently toward the north end of that range:
Orcas NB just spotted north of the buoy between lighthouse and Bainbridge. @westseattleblog @orcanetwork Viewed from Gatewood balcony
— Ron Creel (@roncreel) December 31, 2015
Sometimes they change direction, stop or slow – let us know if you see them on this beautiful sunny last day of 2015! (206-293-6302, text or voice, is always the best way to reach us when something is happening *now*.)
11:42 AM: Update from Jeff – the aforementioned area is where he’s seeing them, between Alki Point and Bainbridge, headed north. But he advises viewing from a higher elevation; he’s been watching from the blufftop spot at Seattle/Sunset in North Admiral.
Before we get to the event list – the mountains, putting on another show as 2015 wraps up! Above, Wednesday evening’s sunset glow on the Cascades, from Monica Zaborac; below, this morning’s sunrise glow on the Olympics, first one from Chris Kanit:
And from G. Adams:
Thank you to everyone who’s contributed to another awesome year of community photography! Now, highlights for your West Seattle New Year’s Eve, from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide (which includes New Year’s Day events too):
WHICH RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN? Here are the ones that answered our calls for information about New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day hours.
LAST SWIMS OF THE YEAR: At Southwest Pool, two sessions today – adult/senior swim at noon, senior water exercise at 1:30 pm. (2801 SW Thistle)
NEW YEAR’S EVE WALK: From Emerald City Wanderers:
Walk with us to bid adieu to 2014 and welcome 2015! It’s a great way to enjoy New Year’s Eve and Day, walking with family, friends and other kindred spirits. We’ll have 5 and 10 kilometer walks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, different routes each day. And there’ll be hot soup to chase away any chills.
Start any time between 4 and 7 pm, from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church; no fee, noncompetitive. Bring a flashlight. (3050 California SW)
NOT-SO-SILENT-NIGHT PARADE: You’re invited to join in the classic neighborhood parade, starting at Highland Park Improvement Club at 6 pm. “Assemble in the parking lot at 6 pm. Bring noisemakers, flashlights, lanterns – whatever is necessary! Parade starts when everyone is ready!” Followed by the Sage Comet Performance in the HPIC parking lot. (12th SW & SW Holden)
AFTER THE PARADE – CORNER BAR, COSTUME CONTEST, MORE: Continuing at HPIC, “DJ Doctor Lehl and DJ Evan will host The Dance Extravaganza from 8 pm until 2016, administering to our needs. 9 PM Costume Contest! We encourage everyone to dress up or come in costume. There will be cash prizes ( for the best costumes: 1st Place: $100, 2nd Place: $50 and 3rd Place: $25! Results to be determined by our unimpeachable judges and popular acclaim. We are doing this early enough so that the kids can also participate. Keepsake photos by RL Carroll. Your favorite local beer on tap, wine by the glass and a Champagne Bar with liqueurs and fresh fruit. Non-alcoholic drinks also available.” (12th SW & SW Holden)
KID-FRIENDLY NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY: 7 pm-9 pm, ending with the East Coast ball drop, at Admiral Bird – details in our listing. (California/Admiral)
NEW YEAR’S EVE SERVICE: At Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Gatewood: New Year’s Eve Burning Bowl Service, 7 pm. “As the year draws to a close, we invite you to join in the long-celebrated ceremony of the Burning Bowl; an opportunity to come together in community, to release the closing year, and to set intention and create open space to welcome the New Year. A spiritual ceremony involving fire as a cleansing ritual, this service incorporates letting go of the negative and unnecessary while clearing space for new possibilities in our lives. The burning bowl ceremony will be held in a quiet, contemplative setting encircled with music, readings, silence, and chanting. Everyone is welcome!” (7141 California SW)
BAR PARTIES: We’ve heard from two venues (anyplace else? comment!)
The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
9 pm: Hostile Makeover, Smashing Flannel
21+
Buy your ticket here
Parliament Tavern (4210 SW Admiral Way)
NYE Spectacular with Parliamentality House Band, 9 pm, 21+. Ring in 2016 with the Parliamentality House Band featuring Bobby Heinemann (bass), Colin Higgins (guitar), Marc Fendel (alto sax), Kevin Nortness (tenor sax) and Olli Klomp (cosmic dust collector). They’ll be dropping the funk all night long as we welcome the New Year. No cover! Champagne toast included!
LAST NIGHT FOR WEST SEATTLE LIGHTS: Final night of this year’s schedule for the now-legendary music-synched lights. On until midnight! Don’t forget a nonperishable-food item to drop in the bin in front of the house for the West Seattle Food Bank – or go to the WSL website to see how to help. (3908 SW Charlestown)
AND ABOUT THE FIREWORKS … of course you have many spots in West Seattle with great views of the Space Needle fireworks across the bay. Just don’t wait until the last moment to go look, especially if you’re thinking of a sea-level spot … it can be gridlock on the road and shoulder-to-shoulder on the shore as midnight gets closer.
Family and friends will gather on Sunday to celebrate the life of Margaret “Margy” Fitzpatrick. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing:
Margaret Ann (Hull) Fitzpatrick
Margy passed away on December 23, 2015, age 68, following a courageous battle with melanoma. Her tenacity and positive attitude throughout her illness were inspirational to those around her.
A native Seattleite, Margy attended Holy Names Academy and earned a BA in nutrition from Fort Wright College. Her company, Fitzpatrick’s Interiors and Upholstery, has been an established and very successful business in West Seattle for more than 40 years, and will continue to operate under the leadership of her daughter Tricia.
Margy was an avid skier, swimmer, and triathlete who loved the opera and Bernese Mountain Dogs. She was always looking for the next exciting life experience, and took full advantage of all opportunities presented to her. She is survived by her brother Bob (Lou) Hull; sister Kathy (Ron) Coulter; her four children, Bill (Christine), Tricia, Bridgett, John; grandson Spencer; dog Annie and cat Ally.
There will be a celebration of Margy’s life on Sunday, January 3. For more information, please contact Tricia Fitzpatrick, fitzpatricksupholstery@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Holy Names Academy Class of 1965 Endowment, 728 21st Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98112.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:25 AM: Happy New Year’s Eve! After another below-freezing night, be mindful of icy spots on some roads, as well as the potential need for windshield-scraping.
ANOTHER TRANSIT REMINDER: Metro continues on a “reduced weekday” schedule for one final day; tomorrow, New Year’s Day, it’ll be on a Sunday schedule. No Water Taxi tomorrow, either.
8:50 AM: WSDOT is using the quiet time to remind everyone of the Highway 99 closures that start in mid-January, north of the Battery Street Tunnel but likely to affect things on this side too. Details are here.
11:49 AM: Via e-mail, Chuck says, “Heads up, there is a motorcycle cop doing traffic enforcement right now on the Admiral Way hill from the WS bridge to the viewpoint park.”
12:33 PM: Beware of icy hills! We’ve been on Admiral and Highland Park Way hills in the past couple hours, still very frosty, and not likely to change much before nightfall, so avoid them tonight too.
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