West Seattle, Washington
02 Saturday
Melodie VanHouten and her team at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction are hosting WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” event this summer (Sunday, July 20th) but you don’t have to wait that long to donate diapers for WS Baby – the need is great year-round, and they’re accepting diaper donations at the branch right now. Drop ’em off Mondays-Saturdays at 41st/Alaska.
P.S. According to the WS Baby online wish list, newborn-size diapers and pullups 3T-4T and 4T-5T are what they need most right now.
Just in from SDOT:
Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will work today through Thursday on seasonal maintenance of landscaping under the Southwest Spokane Street Bridge (the lower, swing bridge to West Seattle) along the bike trail. Bicyclists will be required to dismount and walk through areas where the crews are working.
Tomorrow, June 11, crews plan to close one lane on Klickitat Avenue Southwest which provides access to Harbor Island. The closure will allow landscape crews to work safely in roadway medians.
Friends and family of Joe Ceccarelli will gather this Saturday to remember him. They’re sharing this announcement to invite all those who knew him to be there:
Joseph A. Ceccarelli, longtime resident of West Seattle, died unexpectedly of pneumonia on May 7, 2014, at the age of 50. Joe had many friends in the community and will be missed. There will be a memorial service at Arbor Heights Community Church (10213 41st Ave SW) on Saturday, June 14th, at 2 pm.
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(L-R, Raegan Jarvis, LaVera Shields, WSHS music director Ethan Thomas, Chris Newcombe)
Thanks to Elizabeth Shields for sharing the news (and photo):
Congratulations to West Seattle High School sophomores LaVera Shields and Raegan Jarvis, recipients of the Newcombe Foundation Instrument Grant.
The Newcombe Foundation believes every child should have the ability to learn how to play a musical instrument as a tool to foster creativity and extended learning. Chris Newcombe, founder of the Newcombe Foundation, believes the Instrument Grant allows students to benefit from the many intellectual, social, and educational advantages that a background in the arts can provide for them. LaVera Shields is the recipient of a new trumpet and Raegan Jarvis is the recipient of a new viola. Both girls were very excited and honored to receive the brand-new instruments. They are looking forward to playing their new instruments in the upcoming WSHS Band spring concerts at 7:00 p.m. June 11, 2014.
That’s tomorrow! P.S. Read more about Chris Newcombe (a student himself!) and his foundation here.
(FOR COVERAGE OF THE P.M. SOUTHBOUND HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE, PLEASE GO HERE)
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far this morning, the trouble appears to be outside the city – nothing in the way of your in-city commute.
In transportation news, Mike Lindblom at The Seattle Times (WSB partner) follows up on the County Council’s showdown over putting later rounds of Metro cuts on hold. The 5-4 vote delaying or potentially canceling the second through fourth rounds of cuts drew County Executive Dow Constantine‘s first-ever veto almost immediately. Here’s the story. (The deepest West Seattle cuts, deleting four routes, are in the fourth round, originally scheduled for September 2015.)
Congratulations to the West Seattle Girls’ Softball 15U champs, the Cheetahs, who won the division championship last night at Fairmount Playfield, 8-6 over the Tamales. Above, Cheetahs catcher Caitlin crossing home plate; below, that’s Tamales player Sofia (left) waiting to high-five Jaeley as she comes in.
Cheetahs pitcher Kaley:
And Tamales pitcher Erin:
The WSGS league includes some Vashon Island players, and we’re told a group came over from Vashon to see the game. While the WSGS season, which starts in April, is ending this month, registration will start up again early next year for girls 8 through 15 – keep an eye on WestSeattleGirlsSoftball.com. (Thanks to Juan Hernandez for the tip about the big game!)
The City Council approved it, the mayor signed it, but the minimum-wage-raising plan isn’t a done deal yet, with counterproposals aiming at the ballot and at least one opponent aiming for court. It’s the big topic at this Wednesday’s monthly meeting of the 34th District Democrats, with Councilmember Kshama Sawant among the guests. Also on the agenda, another big issue: Gun laws, and whether to endorse the background-check ballot measure, Initiative 594. See the rest of the agenda here; all are welcome at the meeting (though only members can vote), 7 pm Wednesday (June 11th), The Hall at Fauntleroy.
After mentioning the Emmy Award won by “Diver Laura” James, we learned another West Seattleite was a winner at Saturday night’s Northwest Emmys event: Double congratulations go to two-Emmy-winner Brian Callanan from Seattle Channel, one for his program-hosting work there, one for Interactivity as part of the team for a SC show about the income-inequality issue (in which he says participants included Jack Miller from Husky Deli). The full list of Saturday night’s winners is here.
Just announced, with one month (plus two days) to go – the West Seattle Summer Fest 2014 music lineup! Here’s the full news release:
Mid-July in The Junction can only mean one thing — it’s time to close the streets for a weekend-long celebration that puts all other Seattle neighborhood parties to shame. West Seattle Summer Fest is pleased to announce The Helio Sequence and The Moondoggies as the headlining musical performances for this year’s festival, taking place Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13 at the junction of California Avenue SW and SW Alaska Street.
Now in its 32nd year, the sidewalk-sale-turned-family-friendly-fest features a diverse musical lineup booked by Cellar Door Management (Shadowland’s Ben Jenkins and Troy Nelson from The Young Evils/KEXP).
In addition to The Helio Sequence and The Moondoggies, this year’s performers include local veterans Carrie Akre and Stag, hearth music combo Squirrel Butter, the mid-century instrumental pop of Rat City Brass, and hard-hitting rock and rollers Hobosexual, Dude York and the Spinning Whips, and the other-worldly synth sounds of Vox Mod.
FRIDAY
1:00 PM – Squirrel Butter
2:00 PM – Rat City Brass
3:00 PM – Sweet Jesus
4:00 PM – Killer Ghost
5:00 PM – Magic Mirrors
6:00 PM – Country Lips
7:00 PM – Hobosexual
8:00 PM – Yada Yada Blues Band
SATURDAY
12:00 PM – Two Story Zori
1:00 PM – Sundae + Mr. Goessel
2:00 PM – Fysah and the Soul Acoustic
3:00 PM – Vaudeville Etiquette
4:00 PM – Charms
5:00 PM – The Fabulous Downey Brothers
6:00 PM – Spinning Whips
7:00 PM – Dude York
7:40 PM – Vox Mod
8:00 PM – The Moondoggies
9:00 PM – Vox Mod
9:30 PM – The Helio Sequence
SUNDAY
2:00 PM – Carrie Akre
3:00 PM – Stag
4:00 PM – The Darci Carlson Band
5:00 PM – The Foghorns
6:00 PM – Billy Dwayne and the Creepers
Summer Fest is presented by the West Seattle Junction Association. WSB is proud to be among the co-sponsors again this year.
After three years, the Irish pub/restaurant mini-chain A Terrible Beauty has closed its West Seattle location at California/Edmunds.
When it opened in spring 2011, it was the second location, following the original A Terrible Beauty in Renton; it was later followed by a Lake Union ATB, and its owners recently announced they are adding a new brand in the same Lake Union building, The Big Country Lakeside Saloon and Kitchen. ATB’s website no longer mentions the West Seattle location, and the WS Facebook page appears to have been deleted; when we looked at it over the weekend, checking out the first reader tip that closure was looming, we noted a mention that ATB-WS had recently cut back on weekday hours, saying that nearby construction was affecting business. The closure was confirmed by someone who came to the door at the shuttered restaurant a short time ago, though he declined further comment.
ATB lasted longer in the corner space than its predecessors Table 35 (10 months) and Ama Ama (21 months). What’s next? We’ll be working to find out.
Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Greenbridge Café, now open for breakfast and lunch 6 days a week. New sponsors get the chance to tell you about themselves, and here’s what the café would like you to know:
Greenbridge Café is owned and operated by Chef Blanca Rodriguez (formerly with the Nordstrom Cafés and current owner of Pimienta Bar & Grill in Federal Way.
Greenbridge Café is a neighborhood gem using fresh, local ingredients for its delicious selection of gourmet sandwiches and soups. They have a wonderful assortment of hot foods, fresh-baked goods, and coffee or tea for breakfast. Lunches include an assortment of fresh gourmet sandwiches on assorted rustic, artisan breads and soups all made with local Northwest ingredients. (See the menu by going here.)
The Greenbridge Café philosophy is to support the community by providing a warm and friendly atmosphere for our customers. This is the perfect place to get out of the office for lunch with your peers or stop in for some delicious food and catch up with a good friend. Have a business meeting or celebration? Let us know and we’ll reserve seating for you.
Please stop by! We look forward to serving you! Current hours are 8 am-4 pm Mondays-Fridays and 10 am-4 pm Saturdays, at 9901 8th Avenue SW – 206-762-3447.
We thank Greenbridge Café for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
2:09 PM: If you’re noticing a heavy police presence in Highland Park right now, here’s what’s going on (per scanner, though we have a crew arriving in the area): A car reported as stolen crashed through a fence on 11th SW; at least one person ran from the car and was caught by a citizen on 12th SW. Some confusion over the latter location ensued, briefly, but has been resolved.
2:31 PM UPDATE: Adding photo of the crashed car – which, from the plate and appearance, is this one tweeted by SPD just this morning:
DARK BLUE 1994 HONDA ACCORD STATION WAGON, APJ4280 WA ***DO NOT MAKE CONTACT CALL 911***
— Seattle Police (@getyourcarback) June 9, 2014
(No word so far whether it was stolen in WS or elsewhere.)
The suspect was taken to the Southwest Precinct.
We start this round of West Seattle Crime Watch reports with details on a daytime strong-arm robbery last Thursday in the 5200 block of Jacobsen (map). uphill from Beach Drive. Ashley writes:
I have been out of town and while I was gone my housesitter and best friend was walking up Jacobsen and was assaulted.
It was Thursday at 4:30 pm and there were plenty of people around. The car drove by her, and she noticed the girls looking at her. Then they pulled over (which she didn’t notice because she had headphones in). Then one of them grabbed her hand that her phone was in and stole her phone while another one pulled her back by her hair. She tried to fight for her phone and in the struggle she was pretty scratched up.
Then the girls drove away quickly and a few people that were nearby helped my friend by letting her use their phone to call the police, and walking her home.
Ashley says her friend described the car as a tan mid-’90s Pathfinder and got its plate number (starting with AHN). We are checking with police to see if that led them to any suspects.
Ahead: Quick notes on two car thefts, two cases involving lawn mowers, and what we have learned about a weekend Junction incident that several people asked about:
Some site-clearing work is under way today at 4515 41st SW, the official address of three lots proposed for a memory-care facility (last updated here in November), and that led us to check the online files for new information. Indeed, new details are available: The project team, led by Nicholson Kovalchick Architects, has told the city that they’re planning a four-story building with 48 units for 66 residents and 15 underground parking spaces, to be accessible from 41st SW, since the alley to the east is 20 feet higher than the street. The city has told them that the project will require Design Review (no meeting on the schedule yet) and will have to follow the West Seattle design guidelines put into place by the city last December. It’s in a “lowrise” zone but won’t be affected by the future “lowrise code corrections,” which haven’t been finalized yet. Living Care Lifestyles‘ sign is still up at the site, though its website doesn’t mention this project yet.
Want the West Seattle world to see your dynamic dog, majestic mutt, precious pooch, clever canine (we could go one) … ? The Morgan Junction Community Festival (co-sponsored by WSB) on June 21st is the place – because the “Bark of Morgan” dog show and parade is back:
The Morgan Community Association (MoCA) is pleased to announce the return of the “Bark of Morgan” Dog Show at the Morgan Junction Community Festival, set for June 21, 2014.
Leashed dogs and their humans are invited to join in the Pooch Parade and enter up to two of the Dog Contests.
Pooch Parade: To participate in the Pooch Parade, dogs with their humans must line up in the Morgan Junction Park (located at the corner of California Ave SW and SW Eddy Street) by 2:00 pm. We’ll parade through the Morgan Junction Community Festival grounds to the Beveridge Place Pub Main Stage. Costumes are optional.
Dog Contests: At the end of the parade, dog contests will begin at the Beveridge Place Pub Main Stage. Starting at 2:30 pm, the “Bark of Morgan” Master of Ceremonies will announce each contest, and will select the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners based on audience applause. The contests are:
1) Best Voice – Does your dog have that special howl, bark or musical number? Then we want to hear it.
2) Best Dog/Human Look-Alike – Do you and your pooch look similar? Do you dress alike? Well??
3) Smallest Dog – Can your dog fit inside a purse? You may have this contest in the bag!
4) Best Dog Trick – Before you and your dog head off to ‘ America ’s Got Talent,’ here’s the chance to show off your tricks….
The festival is happening in and around Morgan Junction Park on Saturday, June 21st – see the schedule here, and if you can spare some volunteer time, that info is here.
(Osprey and snack/meal, photographed by Chris Frankovich; click image to see larger view)
Happy Monday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
OUTDOOR-MEETING SEASON OPENER: The North Delridge Neighborhood Council started having its summertime meetings outdoors a few years ago, and that’s why you’ll find NDNC at Cottage Grove Park tonight at 6:30, as previewed here. (26th/Brandon)
GOT FOOD? West Seattle Food Bank has a request (via Facebook):
We’re really getting low on canned goods for our Home Delivery Program. We deliver 170 grocery bags weekly to homebound elderly and disabled. If you wish to donate canned food (tuna, soups, canned fruit & vegetables, beans, etc.) please drop off at the food bank, Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm.
(35th/Morgan)
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Two monthly book groups – no previous membership needed! – meet at local libraries tonight at 6:45 pm – at Southwest Branch Library, “The Condition” is this month’s book, group info here; at West Seattle Branch Library, “A Gate at the Stairs” is this month’s book, group info here.
ST. PETERSBURG MEN’S ENSEMBLE: From Russia, with music! This highly regarded group is performing sacred and traditional vocal music at 7 pm at Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood; free-will offering. (39th/Thistle)
NIGHTLIFE! Tonight’s highlights include trivia/pub quiz at multiple locations – see the listings on our calendar.
Big week for soccer, as the World Cup starts Thursday. For local high-school-soccer athletes, the season has ended, but there’s a postscript: Congratulations to the local high-school-soccer players who made the Metro all-conference list this year! The Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School athletes on the list are:
All-Metro Sound Division
FIRST TEAM
M Devin Offord, Sr., Chief Sealth
M Yael Pina, Jr., Chief Sealth
D Lorenzo Waller, Jr., Chief Sealth
GK Sam Orlin, Jr., Chief SealthSECOND TEAM
F Justin Alvarez, Jr., Chief Sealth
F Alazar Gilay, Sr., West Seattle
M Max Sadow, Jr., West Seattle
D Joseph Wally, So., Chief Sealth
D Brian McMonigle, So., West Seattle
D Cole Nofsinger, So., West Seattle
D Riley Germundson, So., Chief Sealth
GK Akil Kasin, Fr., West Seattle.HONORABLE MENTION
Chief Sealth — Daniel Herrera, Carlos Cardoza
West Seattle — Logan Schiller, Conner Elder, Thomas Mensing, Carter Mensing, Johnston Means
(Thanks to Tim McMonigle for sharing the list – see the full conference list on SeattleTimes.com.)
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No problems reported so far, but there’s some rain around the region slowing traffic a bit.
NOTES: Remember that Metro’s June “service change” took effect on Saturday, and that brought some afternoon changes to Route 21. Also re: Metro, today the County Council takes up potential changes to the service-cuts plan, as explained in this Seattle Times (WSB partner) report. … If you drive Highway 99, you’ll notice the southbound lanes’ new configuration south of the elevated section, the result of this past weekend’s closure; a northbound closure is scheduled for the weekend after next. And if you have questions about 99 or other state projects, come to the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, June 10th, 6:30 pm, Neighborhood House’s High Point Center) to hear from state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson.
9:18 AM: If you’re a late-morning commuter and use northbound I-5, emergency crews have been handling a crash in the Ship Canal Bridge/45th vicinity for about 20 minutes now, and it’s closed a couple lanes.
The photo’s from Don Brubeck, president of West Seattle Bike Connections, which mustered more than half a dozen volunteers this weekend to “widen” the bike trail this along Spokane St. east of Avalon/Harbor by cutting back blackberry tangles and other weeds. If you commute by bike, you’ll see their work tomorrow.
Old clothing/towels/other textile items you don’t want/need? Bag them up and get ready to drop them off outside Denny International Middle School next Friday. From the Denny PTSA:
Denny IMS will host its first clothing drive as a fundraiser next Friday, June 13th, with drop off for tied garbage bags of dry items at the main entrance of the school, from 7 am to 4 pm. We are accepting sheets, towels, rags, shoes, purses, throw rugs and any clothing. We will be paid by the pound, so please do your spring cleaning and bring the goods to Denny! Thank you for your support!
This doorhanger lists more of what they’ll take (and won’t). Denny is at 2601 SW Kenyon.
Long report, but not because of a sudden crime wave – the reports have come in over the past several days. We start with information on crime prevention; the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network has published notes from the auto-theft discussion, featuring a guest from SPD, at its most recent meeting. You might be surprised to see how the Southwest Precinct’s auto-theft trends compare to other parts of the city, for example. It’s all on the WSBWCN site here.
That brings us to an attempted car theft reported by Nathaniel on Saturday:
Just wanted to let you know of an attempted auto theft of a 1994 Honda Accord from the 8500 block of 37th Ave Sw. They destroyed the ignition, couldn’t get it started, then ripped out the battery. Thankfully they left the beer in the backseat so it isn’t all bad!
Next – a stolen bicycle to watch for. John says it was stolen from his front porch on May 29th:
It’s a black Townie Electra with a leather “tank” bag. Contact police if you see it.
Two car break-ins to report. Dawn says hers was broken into Friday night in the 6700 block of 41st, “nothing major stolen” but she “wanted neighbors to keep an eye out and make sure doors are locked and alarms are on.” We also had a break-in report from earlier in the week in a Westwood carport:
I have an older Honda Civic and they popped my window out of the track and unlocked my doors to get in. I didn’t have anything valuable in my car. As far as I can tell nothing is missing… (but) They managed to drop their lighter in my backseat though so they must’ve really tried looking for something.
Missing a safe?
Might even be the one reported stolen recently in the 29th/Trenton vicinity, reports Kezia, who read about that burglary and wondered if the safe found at 26th/Trenton was the same one. It was reported to police and eventually disappeared, though the finder isn’t sure if it was taken away by officers or someone else.
And from Matthew, who wondered if this happened to anyone else this weekend:
(Friday night) at about 10:55 pm whilst watching a movie, my fiancé & I heard two strange thuds and turned our movie on mute to run outside & see what caused the noise. It appears someone egged our home (3 eggs total, from what I can tell). We live at the 3200 block of Walnut Ave SW, just a block from WS High School.
The sun’s appearance in time for this afternoon’s 10th-anniversary celebration at the High Point Branch Library is appropriate, since it graced the Miller Hayashi Architects-designed library’s dedication in June 2004 too, according to the Seattle Times (WSB partner) archives. On that day, this became the third location in 62 years to hold High Point’s public library.
Even if you aren’t interested in borrowing library materials, you can check out the branch for events such as story times (our top photo, in fact, shows a story time of sorts – when we stopped by a few minutes ago, library staff and patrons were sharing memories); they’re usually on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar as well as the library’s online calendar of events. This afternoon’s celebration, meantime, continues at the branch (35th/Raymond) until 3:30 pm. (And when you visit, don’t miss the art!)
As previewed here earlier in the week, two food debuts in West Seattle this weekend:
Not even open yet and already a line for @tatstruck soft opening at Hans in West Seattle! @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/1AoehbUITU
— SeattleFoodTruck.com (@seattlefoodtrk) June 8, 2014
The truck spinoff from Tat’s Deli in Pioneer Square is scheduled to be open until 2 pm at 35th/Graham – that’s after a momentary scare, when the generator acted up right at 11 am, per a subsequent tweet from SeattleFoodTruck.com – which subsequently tweeted (and thanks also to the person who texted us) that it was fixed and all’s well now. For today, the truck’s in the Hans VW spot where other food trucks have held court over the years (including Marination’s “Big Blue” long before it opened Ma kai [WSB sponsor] at Seacrest). (Added a few minutes later – someone just texted to say the line’s about 20 people long, and the operators came out to say thanks to those who’d shown up.)
And at 9061 Delridge Way … Burger Boss opened Saturday afternoon as announced:
We stopped by about an hour after its opening; their walkup windows were busy. And thanks to Christina for sending images of the menu – here and here. We’ll be adding BB to the WSB West Seattle Restaurant Guide within a day or two (you are welcome to add mini-review-type comments to the ~100 entries there any time).
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