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Mass, reception next Thursday for Jack Meduna, 1946-2015
April 10, 2015 5:17 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Jack Meduna will be remembered with a Mass at Holy Family and reception at Forest Lawn next Thursday. Here’s the remembrance his family is sharing:

Jack Meduna, 68, of West Seattle, passed away April 2nd after fighting Lung Cancer for almost a year.

He was born in Seattle on December 18th, 1946. At a young age he attended Briscoe Boarding School for boys, then went on to graduate from O’Dea. He began pre-med at the UW but was drafted to Vietnam. Upon his return, he worked on a fishing boat in Alaska until finding his calling as a Seattle Police Officer. For 34 years, Jack absolutely loved his career with SPD and was also a Hostage Negotiator. He loved interacting with the public and all his fellow officers.

In 1986 Jack married for the second time and found the love of his life, Virgie.

They spent 23 years together, often traveling the Oregon Coast and eventually all over Europe before she passed 7 years ago. Jack is survived by his daughters Jill Casillas (husband Shane), Cami Aksdal (husband Todd) and son Clay Johnson (wife Amanda), and by his four grandchildren, Sydney Jaksich, Corbin Jaksich, Georgia Lee Aksdal, and Michael Aksdal and his sisters Vinette Tichi (husband Dennis), Roxanne Roten (partner Scott).

A mass will be held in his honor on Thursday, April 16th at 2 pm at Holy Family Church (9622 20th Ave. SW) followed by a graveside burial at Forest Lawn (6701 30th Ave. SW) with a reception to follow, also at Forest Lawn.

In honor of Jack and his love for pigs, please consider a donation to a place that meant a lot to him – Pigs Peace Sanctuary.

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

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Online petition launched by opponents of 35th SW speed-limit cut, rechannelization
April 10, 2015 2:41 pm
|      114 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

An online petition was part of the community campaign to get the city to make safety improvements on 35th SW.

More than a year later, another online petition is asking the city not to reduce the speed limit or rechannelize 35th – both of which are key parts of the “design alternatives” announced in two March meetings (which begin on page 22 below):

We covered both meetings – March 10th here, and March 12th here – as well as the March 26th West Seattle Transportation Coalition briefing. It all traces back to an announcement by Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen more than a year earlier.

Neel says it goes too far. In feedback to SDOT, he wrote:

35th has been the major West Seattle arterial since West Seattle was platted! Everyone else who depends on it to help them get outta town don’t want it choked with “safety” improvements that, plain and simple, aren’t needed. Your own data shows that there isn’t much of a problem here, except for some concerns for pedestrian crosswalks toward the north end. So go fix that — don’t mess up the whole transportation system to ‘fix’ a problem that doesn’t exist. …

We like 35th just the way it is, but are also open to changes that will improve our throughput while maintaining proper regard for safety. And by this I mean the efficiency of the driver, not the road. I really don’t care how many vehicles per unit time you can accommodate (the road’s efficiency). I only care about the transportation efficiency — covering the maximum distance in the least amount of time. That’s the true measure of productivity: maximizing desired outcome(s) with the fewest resources.

The specific objections – and potential counterproposals – are all in the text of the petition, which you can see here. The city says it will present the final plan in June; in the meantime, comments are being taken by project manager Jim Curtin at jim.curtin@seattle.gov.

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BIZ ANNIVERSARIES: West Seattle Cellars celebrates 20th; Wyatt’s Jewelers has open house, sale for 10th
April 10, 2015 1:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Two momentous West Seattle business anniversaries to note:

20 YEARS FOR WEST SEATTLE CELLARS: Last night during the West Seattle Art Walk, we stopped by West Seattle Cellars (6026 California SW) after hearing the shop is marking its 20th anniversary. Here’s how proprietors Jan Martindale and Tom DiStefano (above) announced it in the WSC newsletter:

20 years ago this month, Matt Mabus founded the shop, which at that time was housed in the little building next door. Some of you may remember that space, part of which is now our back room/office. In 2000 we partnered with Bear Silverstein to buy the shop, and in 2005 we moved into our bigger, airier new digs. And after 20 years (now sadly minus the Bear) we’re still going strong, thanks to all of our wonderful customers who continue to shop local!

WSC has also launched its annual West Seattle Helpline fundraiser, hoping to raise $1,000 for WSH by its Taste of West Seattle event on May 21st:

They’re donating 10 percent of the sales made during their regular (free) Thursday night tastings until then. And while at the shop, you can just make an outright donation to Helpline.

TEN YEARS FOR WYATT’S JEWELERS: Family-owned Wyatt’s Jewelers (longtime WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an open house today until 6 pm and again tomorrow (Saturday), 10 am-6 pm – “giveaways, refreshments, store specials, more.” It’s also the only storewide sale of the year, “everything 10 percent to 60 percent off.”

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How much will your water bill go up? Here’s what Seattle Public Utilities is proposing
April 10, 2015 12:49 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

That’s the slide deck the Seattle City Council‘s Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee will see during its meeting at 2 pm next Tuesday (April 14th), as it begins reviewing a water-rate increase proposed by Seattle Public Utilities, which just sent this preview:

In keeping with a strategic business plan approved by City Council last year, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is proposing drinking water rate increases of 1.7 percent for 2016 and 2.7 percent for 2017. The business plan aims at capping average rates for all SPU services — drinking water, sewer, drainage, garbage and recycling — to an annual average of 4.6 percent through the year 2020.

A drainage and wastewater rate proposal will be considered by Council later this year. That proposal also is expected to fit within the 4.6 percent average annual rate cap.

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West Seattle Friday: See the calendar for what’s up today/tonight
April 10, 2015 11:07 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: See the calendar for what’s up today/tonight
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Because of today’s breaking news, we’re referring you directly to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar to see what’s on the schedule today/tonight, rather than publishing a list of highlights. Please also note that it’s the last day of school for Seattle Public Schools before next week’s spring break; for faith-based schools, today is the last day of post-Easter break and they’ll be back in session next week.

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UPDATE: Candles blamed for 2-alarm house fire in 8000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW, 2 people taken to hospital
April 10, 2015 6:58 am
|      84 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(TOPLINES: Fire under investigation. 2 men in hospital. Metro back to regular routing on Fauntleroy)

(WSB photo, added 7:17 am)
6:58 AM: Seattle Fire has a house-fire response on the way to the 8000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW, which is across the street from Lincoln Park. SDOT says Fauntleroy is closed at Monroe, and a traffic cam shows black smoke from blocks away. At least one person is reported to need medical attention. More to come.

7:06 AM: SFD is sending more engines and also notifying Metro it will need to reroute lines that use Fauntleroy in the area.

(This photo and next, by Kam Junejo)
7:17 AM: One person is reported to be on the way to Harborview via SFD medic unit; another medic unit radioed that another person in need of medical attention “just walked up” to their unit at the scene and was “in the fire room.” Our crew on scene says flames are still visible from the second floor.

7:24 AM: SFD is sending a second alarm, so you’ll see/hear more emergency vehicles. Traffic-wise, there is absolutely no access to the Fauntleroy ferry dock from the north – if you have to get there, approach from the south – 35th to Barton, then west on Barton (which becomes California past the schoolhouse and then Wildwood in the Endolyne area) to Fauntleroy. Ideally, avoid the area TFN. P.S. At least one TV helicopter is now overhead.

(WSB photos from this point down)
7:31 AM: This is still a full-on firefight. The house, according to public records, is 106 years old. SFD says the person taken to the hospital is a man in critical condition, suffering from smoke inhalation.

7:50 AM: We’re adding photos from an upslope neighbor showing the extent of the flames. SFD’s Lt. Sue Stangl has just spoken to media on scene; our crew says she told them that multiple neighbors called the fire in. Five people were in the house, all got out, but as we’ve reported above, one man was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. Fire is still not out.

(WSB photo)
One dog was rescued, one other pet’s status is not known. We’ll add video of her briefing when our crew returns to HQ.

8:12 AM: SFD reports the fire is “knocked down” – that still doesn’t mean out, but it’s progress. We also asked Lt. Stangl about whether there was a water-supply problem – one firefighter was heard via radio that they were “out of water,” and lines subsequently were rolled blocks further south, but Stangl says that they had water on the fire from the start and that might just have involved the backup line; they’ll be checking.

8:35 AM: Firefighters are now calling the fire “tapped” – another milestone toward being out – and scaling down operations a bit.

8:50 AM: Crews at the scene say they’re expecting to have one lane of Fauntleroy Way open within a few minutes. Washington State Ferries’ advisory says that “traffic is temporarily single-lane offloading and is being directed to the south when exiting the Fauntleroy terminal.”

9:13 AM: Fauntleroy Way has reopened and Metro says buses are back on their regular routing in the area.

9:52 AM: Two men are in the hospital – in addition to the one in critical condition, the other has a “minor burn to the leg,” per SFD, which still has several units at the scene. Meantime, the ferry terminal is back to normal offloading.

10:29 AM: Continuing to await word on the cause. Here’s what the front of the house looked like as of a short time ago:

As discussed in comments, neighbors say the house has a troubled past. What we’ve found so far are multiple complaints to the city regarding junk storage, inoperable cars, and a dormer built without a permit; the online file shows that case was referred to the City Attorney’s Office last year.

11:54 AM: SFD has just announced that the fire was caused by “unattended candles on the main floor.” It also says a neighbor’s house was damaged.

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UPDATE: Man hurt in shooting at Upper Morgan apartment building; police cite ‘dispute over text messages’
April 9, 2015 9:45 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
9:45 PM: Just in case you heard it too – we’re getting texts, and police are reporting multiple calls, of possible gunshots heard in the High Point/Upper Morgan area. No further details yet. As we’ve told texters, if you heard them, please let 911 know – that’ll help them zero in on a location.

9:58 PM: This apparently happened in/from an apartment building in the 6500 block of 35th SW. Police are still arriving – avoid the area. An “assault with weapons” SFD response is headed that way, too, though we don’t know whether police have confirmed any victim(s).

10:12 PM: Police have now confirmed what a neighbor told us – one person shot in the leg.

10:30 PM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli is at the scene. He tells us the victim is a man in his late 30s/early 40s, being taken to the hospital by private ambulance – shot in the foot, not a life-threatening injury.

11:33 PM: New information from Christopher – police are wrapping up at the scene. The suspect is not yet in custody, they told him (though we had heard via scanner earlier that they believe they know who they are looking for). They believe the shooting was deliberate, not an accident (we hadn’t been sure about that) and now clarify that the wound was in the victim’s ankle.

ADDED 8:19 AM: New information this morning via SPD Blotter – police say it was “a dispute over text messages.” Excerpt:

… Police responded to SW Morgan Street and 35th Avenue SW just before 9:45 PM after receiving reports that a man had fired shots from an apartment building, striking a man on the street. Officers evacuated the building and searched for the suspect, but were unable to find him.

The victim of the shooting also called 911 shortly after the incident and said he had been shot in the leg. Officers found the man across the street from the scene of the shooting.

The victim told officers he knew the suspect through a mutual acquaintance — an ex-girlfriend —and had received a series of harassing text messages from the man Thursday evening. When the victim went to the suspect’s apartment building to confront him over the texts, the suspect appeared on a third-floor balcony and opened fire. …

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UPDATE: Fire response in 4700 block Delridge Way SW
April 9, 2015 9:29 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Thanks to Amanda L for the photo)
9:29 PM: A big Seattle Fire response is headed to a reported fire at a house in the 4700 block of Delridge Way SW (map). So far, it’s being described as a kitchen fire.

9:35 PM: Units are reporting the fire’s under control. No word of any injuries. Traffic effects, though, until units leave the area.

9:42 PM: The fire’s now tapped, and firefighters don’t believe it extended into the house’s attic.

9:51 PM: Northbound Delridge is blocked for now at Edmunds.

10:02 PM: Some of the units are being dismissed now.

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Told the city what you think about the transportation levy yet? If not …
April 9, 2015 9:27 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Another transportation note: SDOT is trying to make sure you can’t say you weren’t asked for your thoughts on the draft 9-year, $900 million Transportation Levy to Move Seattle before it’s shaped into a final November ballot measure by the mayor and council. It circulated a reminder tonight about ways you can have a say:

RIGHT NOW: Online survey – take it here

IN PERSON, IN WEST SEATTLE: SDOT director Scott Kubly will be at next Wednesday’s Delridge District Council meeting, 7 pm April 15th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center; SDOT reps will be at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on April 19 and 26, 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska

ONLINE MEETING: Can’t get out to an in-person meeting? SDOT’s trying an online meeting at 6 pm April 20th (sign up right now, here)

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Water Taxi riders & other Seacrest users: Friday parking crunch
April 9, 2015 8:17 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to Carolyn for the heads-up on this: From Seacrest east/southeastward, a sizable stretch of parking on the water side of Harbor Avenue SW (she estimated 25 spaces) will be off-limits tomorrow, 10:30 am-7 pm. The “no parking” signs were up when we went by this afternoon to verify; they list an unnamed “production shoot.” The Water Taxi is of course served by free shuttle buses as well as Metro Route 37; get the bus schedule via a tab on this page.

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VIDEO: Scenes from West Seattle Art Walk, April 2015 edition
April 9, 2015 7:48 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
This month’s West Seattle Art Walk is on until 9 pm – and at one of the stops, Twilight Gallery and Boutique (4306 SW Alaska), you’ll find Rebecca Rose and her wearable sculptures. It’s opening night for her show “The Spinster and the Carpenter.” If you can’t get there tonight, you’ll also find her giving a talk on Saturday night (April 11th), 6-8 pm. The full list of tonight’s Art Walk venues is in our daily preview published this morning; we’ll add scenes from a few more stops soon.

8:28 PM: At Emerald Water Anglers (42nd/Oregon; WSB sponsor), Little Edie‘s performing bluegrass:

At C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Mary McGough‘s show has a story behind its title “True Start“:

As noted in the announcement, it’s her first solo show, decades after she showed art at Seattle Center while in kindergarten!

P.S. Missed tonight’s Art Walk? It’s on the second Thursday of the month, year-round, so make plans to explore venues and meet artists on May 14th. You can also refer to the aforementioned venue list while you’re out and about in the days ahead – many shows stay up for the rest of the month at participating locations.

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GOAT UPDATE: Holden stairway herd expected to leave Friday
April 9, 2015 3:46 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news

We just went back over to the Delridge/20th/Holden stairway to see the progress the Rent-A-Ruminant goats have made – considerable, as our photos show.

They’ve been on the job for two days, munching away at stairway-side brush that was considered a safety threat, especially after a student was robbed in the area in late January, during a series of crimes against students around West Seattle.

But now their work is almost done, and SDOT’s David Allen – who shared first word of the goat plan last week – tells WSB this afternoon that R-a-R’s Tammy Dunakin expects to load up her goats and head out late Friday morning.

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1 month until West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!
April 9, 2015 3:06 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

Quick mid-afternoon note: Exactly one month until the 11th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, 9 am-3 pm on Saturday, May 9th (coordinated by WSB since year four)! Great lineup so far – 100+ sales big and small, east to west, south to north – and registration continues for at least another week and a half (we’ll set and announce the closing date next week). If you’re planning to be part of this big day of “person-to-person recycling” by having a sale, go here to register. If not – just save the date and get ready to be out and about meeting neighbors and friends. More updates ahead!

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VIDEO: City Council District 1 candidates’ forum @ 34th District Democrats, and more
April 9, 2015 1:09 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Photos/video by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog co-publisher

“I think we’re very lucky … to have people like this running to represent us,” 34th District Democrats chair Marcee Stone-Vekich observed after her group’s City Council District 1 candidates’ forum last night.

As we reported right after the meeting, which had standing-room-only turnout at The Hall at Fauntleroy, the 34th DDs took an informal straw poll afterward (see the results here). Their formal endorsement meeting is set for May 20th – five days after filings close, but still two and a half months before the primary that will narrow the field to two.

This was the third major forum of the campaign season (after ours in February and the VIEWS forum in March). Six of the 10 current District 1 candidates were there – Brianna Thomas, Chas Redmond, Lisa Herbold, Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, Tom Koch. The organization extended invitations to all 10. One of the four who did not participate, Amanda Kay Helmick, has said that she chose not to because the 34th DDs asked participants if they were Democrats, but she is running for the non-partisan position as an independent. The other three – David Ishii, George Capestany, Pavel Goberman – have not said why they weren’t there.

Here’s our video of the entire hourlong forum:

Ahead, our notes on most of the Q/A, plus other toplines from the meeting:

Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Teen arrested, under investigation in overnight gunfire
April 9, 2015 11:28 am
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(Reader photo: Car with window damage, near scene of one of last night’s gunfire incidents)
Seattle Police have just announced an arrest following last night’s string of shootings (here’s our original story). This was just posted to SPD Blotter:

A 16-year-old boy arrested this morning for pulling a gun on his family in West Seattle is also under investigation for a series of late-night drive-bys in the neighborhood.

Seattle police first received reports of gunfire around 8 pm Wednesday in the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW. Officer did not find any damage, injuries or shell casings at the scene..

Later, around 10:45 PM, police again received numerous reports of shooting, this time near 17th Ave SW and Delridge Way SW, where officers found several shell casings. Witnesses told officers a red four-door car had fled the scene, and police began searching the neighborhood for the vehicle.

As police continued their search for the gunman and red vehicle throughout the night, officers received a third report of a shooting around 11:30 PM at 23 Ave SW and SW Findlay St. Again, police found shell casings and were told a red car had sped away from the scene.

Half an hour later, at midnight, police received another report that the a red four-door car had pulled alongside another vehicle at Olson Pl SW and 4 Ave SW and fired two shots striking, the other car twice. No one was injured.

Gang Unit detectives joined patrol officers in the investigation and search for the suspect in the red car.

Finally, at 2 AM, police received a report of a domestic disturbance involving a firearm at a home in the 7700 block of 12th Avenue SW.

Officers arrived and learned a 16-year-old boy had pulled a gun on his family members. The teen reportedly pointed the gun at one victim’s head and pulled the trigger. The gun was not loaded at the time.

Police arrested the teen and seized the gun, which matched the caliber of shell casings recovered Wednesday night at several of the West Seattle shooting scenes. Officers also impounded a red Honda civic found parked near the teen’s home.

Police booked the 16-year-old into the King County Youth Service Center for investigation of domestic violence harassment. Detectives are still investigating the teen in connection with the four shootings. Police have not received any reports of injuries in any of the incidents.

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West Seattle Thursday, featuring April Art Walk highlights & more
April 9, 2015 10:30 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Thursday, featuring April Art Walk highlights & more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Don Brubeck for the sunrise view from the Alki Trail. A beautiful Thursday is under way…

TODDLER STORY TIME: 11:30 am at High Point Library. Free! Details here. (35th/Raymond)

GET OUT IN THE ORCHARD: 4-6 pm today and every Thursday in season, visit the Community Orchard of West Seattle and help out with urban gardening and orchard maintenance. Learn while you’re there, as explained here. North end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. (6000 16th SW)

Then tonight:

FIRST WEST SEATTLE ART WALK OF SPRING! While The Junction is the heart of the Art Walk, you’ll find participating venues in other neighborhoods too – including Gatewood, Sunrise Heights, and White Center. Here’s the map/venue list:


In addition to the previews you can find on the official Art Walk website, here are announcements we’ve received:

*5:30-8 pm, 20th anniversary of West Seattle Wine Cellars (6026 California SW), free tasting of French wines tonight
*6 pm, The ProletariYacht Club opens at The Building (4316 SW Othello)
*6 pm, Wallflower Custom Framing and Shooting Gallery (4735 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) features photographer Marlin Greene with Landscapes & Wildlife of Eastern Oregon and Washington
*6 pm, Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) hosts artist Ginny Gensler
*6 pm at Merryweather Books (4537 California SW), book signing with Theresa McCormick
*6:30 pm at Emerald Water Anglers (4502 42nd SW; WSB sponsor), Little Edie performs, plus Writers on the Fly
*7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Mary McGough opening reception

Also tonight:

SECOND THURSDAY OUT! 6 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, LGBTQ event with no-host happy hour and movie (“Sordid Lives“). All welcome; no membership or RSVP required. (Oregon/California)

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: The West Seattle/South Park rep on the School Board, Marty McLaren, has her next informal “community conversation” meeting at 6 pm tonight, West Seattle (Admiral) Library.

‘STAR TREK’ NIGHT TO BENEFIT DELRIDGE GROCERY: 7 pm at Skylark Café and Club – details here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

‘PAJAMA GAME’ AT WSHS: The West Seattle High School Drama Club‘s current production – second-to-last chance to see it! 7:30 pm curtain time at the school theater. (3000 California SW)

MORE! on our calendar.

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West Seattle Bee Festival returns May 16! Honey Run, parade, more
April 9, 2015 9:13 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Bee Festival returns May 16! Honey Run, parade, more
 |   High Point | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

The West Seattle Bee Festival will be back this year! It’s the third year for the celebration surrounding the WS Bee Garden in High Point, and we just received the official flyer (above) as well as this list of highlights for the festival on Saturday, May 16th:

*The Honey Run starts at 9 am at High Point Pond, SW Juneau & 30th (no registration necessary, just show up)

*Come to Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW) at 10 am and make your own bee or flower costume (materials and help provided) so you can march in the Kids and Pet Parade in High Point Commons Park at 11 am

*Learn about Bee-Friendly gardening, food, books and activities at the Information Fair from 11:30 am-2 pm

*Taste healthy, delicious, easy-to-prepare food at the Lunchbox Cook Off from 11:30-1:30

*Take a tour of the West Seattle Bee Enclosure (SW Graham and Lanham Pl. SW) and Garden from 11:30-2 pm, where you can buy honey from the Puget Sound Bee Keepers Association

*Kids can participate in the Bee-Ball Tournament or Field Games in Commons Park

*Music by DA Productions will fill the park. Text your request to 57682 on the day

*Crafts, henna, face painting and more…..

The first festival in 2013 launched the garden, whose backstory is here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday watch, and a look back
April 9, 2015 6:16 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We’re on watch for Thursday. But first, our weekly feature:

THROWBACK THURSDAY, ROAD EDITION: Thanks to Alan in Highland Park for digging up more historic road views from the Municipal Archives, where we’ve been going lately to get this report into the “Throwback Thursday” online meme. Here’s what part of 9th SW in HPark looked like in 1932:

Click the image to see the page with the largest image of that scene. Alan believes it’s near SW Trenton, looking south, and points to this distinctive house as part of the evidence.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Gunfire in South Delridge & beyond
April 8, 2015 11:04 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

11:04 PM: If you’re in the South Delridge area and thought you heard gunfire … police report finding at least one shell casing in the area of the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW. No reports of any injuries so far. (Thanks to the person who texted the tip.)

11:15 PM: Via the scanner, we’ve heard police report also finding casings near 17th/Barton, and now officers think they are hearing shots in the distance to the southwest, possibly closer to 13th/Roxbury, where people are calling in about it. They’ve also found a car window shot out – we’ve just received a photo we’re adding atop this story.

11:42 PM: Also, reports shots were heard near Delridge and Juneau.

12:01 AM: And now in the Olson vicinity, east end of Roxbury, near Arrowhead Gardens. Helicopter alert: You might also hear Guardian One joining the search.

12:14 AM: The car they’re looking for is described (again, via scanner) as a red older 4-door Honda, possibly loud exhaust, 3-5 male teens/young adults inside. If you have any tips, call 911.

11:48 AM: Police report the overnight arrest of a 16-year-old who’s under investigation in connection with all this – we’ve published a separate update.

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Election 2015: 34th Democrats’ City Council District 1 forum followed by straw vote won by Shannon Braddock
April 8, 2015 9:10 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The 34th District Democrats‘ meeting is wrapping up, with more than half the time devoted to a candidates’ forum in the City Council District 1 race. Six of the 10 current candidates participated. We recorded it all on video and will add it along with notes later. But first: It was followed by a secret-ballot straw poll, won by Shannon Braddock with 31 cards, followed by Lisa Herbold with 17, Chas Redmond with 10, Tom Koch with 9, Brianna Thomas with 8, Phillip Tavel with 3. That is just an unofficial temperature-taking, though – the 34th DDs’ official endorsement meeting is May 20th, after filing closes.

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From the ‘in case you wonder’ file: Ship at Terminal 5 tonight
April 8, 2015 7:19 pm
|    Comments Off on From the ‘in case you wonder’ file: Ship at Terminal 5 tonight
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

The Port of Seattle says you will see a container ship at closed-since-last-summer Terminal 5 in West Seattle starting tonight. But it has nothing to do with the Foss lease/Shell/etc. According to an FYI note we received from spokesperson Peter McGraw: “The Hanjin Copenhagen will be at T-5 starting this evening for the next few days to address a Coast Guard requirement before leaving port.” According to MarineTraffic.com, the ship is crossing the bay right now, so should be docking at T-5 soon.

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Neighborhood Conservation Districts? Many questions, few answers
April 8, 2015 3:54 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Will the city make Neighborhood Conservation Districts available as a tool for interested neighborhoods to use if they choose to preserve their “character”?

City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has been exploring the idea for a while, presenting a briefing on a study last September, and convened a discussion at the High Point Community Center last night, the second of three around the city (the third and final one is on Phinney Ridge tonight).

One challenge: The legislation to be brought up for a council vote hasn’t been written yet. So while those in attendance had many questions, few answers were available. Here’s the slide deck that was shown:

The first round of meetings is being held primarily to gauge community interest. One point made clear: These districts couldn’t be created to stop development projects already on the drawing board. Questions focused on what would or would not be allowed in a district, and how that might affect property owners’ rights, given that in theory, one could be implemented without unanimous approval of affected owners. Would it come down to something simple like, what kind of fence you could put up? Answer: If there are guidelines for that, yes. Wouldn’t that make this something like a homeowners’ association? another attendee asked. And what about people moving into the district long after it was created?

Other questions: What disclosure will there be for property owners regarding the costs of these districts? What’s the final cost to the city, considering that if an area can be as small as a block, hundreds could spring up. (Rasmussen’s legislative assistant Evan Clifthorne said he expected this to start slowly.) Which city department would run the program? Probably the Department of Neighborhoods – but nothing’s finalized yet.

Again, lots of questions – the answers will depend on what’s in the official proposal. We asked Councilmember Rasmussen afterward about the likelihood of this making it to the finish line before, or after, he leaves office; his view is that if the council sees enough interest from citizens, they’ll carry it through, and public meetings like this one are one way to do that. (Our informal count last night was around 20.)

If you’re interested in the topic and can get to north Seattle, tonight’s meeting is at 6 pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Avenue N.

SIDE NOTE: Speaking of centers, we noted that several people were confused about last night’s location (including our crew!). So many meetings are held at Neighborhood House‘s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way, not a city-run facility) that any mention of a “center” in High Point seems to send people there. The site of last night’s meeting is officially called High Point Community Center, a Seattle Parks-operated facility at 6920 34th SW.

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No ‘Summer Streets’/car-free festival on Alki this year, city says, unless you want to organize one
April 8, 2015 1:57 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2011 ‘Summer Streets’ on Alki)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After seven years, it’s the end of the road – at least for now – for the city-presented “SDOT Summer Streets” event on Alki.

We have just confirmed that with SDOT, after noticing that no announcements or sponsorship solicitations had been circulating, though it’s just a little more than a month until the West Seattle 5K Walk/Run, which “Summer Streets” has followed since 2009.

The street festival (part of a series around the city) debuted in 2008 as “Car-Free Day” – a program announced by then-Mayor Greg Nickels and then-SDOT director Grace Crunican as part of the city’s climate-change-awareness campaign. The two West Seattleites even came to the WS waterfront to make the announcement.

carfreefirst.jpg

(WSB photo of ‘Car-Free Day’ announcement, July 30, 2008)

That year, the city closed almost the entirety of Alki and Harbor Avenues for the first “Car-Free Day,” noon-6 on September 7th, a warm, sunny day, as is so often the case in late summer. It drew reactions from controversy to giddiness:

carfreeguy.jpg

(WSB photo, September 7, 2008)
The next year, 2009, the city renamed the program “Summer Streets” and moved it to May 31st to follow the WS High School PTSA-presented West Seattle 5K, which already was closing much of the beachfront route for the first few hours of the morning. May, however, is seldom truly summery, as evidenced in our photo of street art during the 2012 Summer Streets event:

That’s been typical of Summer Streets weather – no all-out-sunny days since the September 2008 “Car-Free Day.” Nonetheless, community organizations have soldiered on with activities and festivities each year, and bundled-up community members have come to the beach to join in.

In 2011, the city shortened the no-motorized-vehicles zone to between 56th and 63rd, recognizing that few activities had been happening east of the Alki business district anyway.

Flash forward to this year. Two months ago, the Summer Streets Facebook page featured the cryptic status: “Sorry for the radio silence. Summer Streets is undergoing some changes this year – please stay tuned for our event schedule and a big announcement.”

No announcement has ensued over those two months, so we pinged SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner, who replied today, “SDOT is redesigning the Summer Streets program. While SDOT will still continue to support and sponsor the West Seattle 5k, we will no longer be organizing the street festival that has traditionally followed the race. If a West Seattle community group would like to sponsor a Summer Streets event this summer, we are willing to assist. SDOT’s new Summer Streets program is being developed, not quite ready for a public announcement.”

Again, the WS 5K is still on (we’re a co-sponsor again this year), and that will still close the beachfront road until about 11 am on race day, Sunday, May 17th. But after that – for the first time in 7 years – you’re on your own.

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