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Happening now: Signup party for West Seattle 5K
March 31, 2012 12:47 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Drop by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor; California and Charlestown) before 2 pm, sign up for this year’s West Seattle 5K (May 20th, with co-sponsors including WSB), and get some extras! Sure, you can sign up online, but you’ll miss the extras, like a drawing for new running shoes, discounts, AND the cool people. The 5K is a benefit run/walk, by the way, and again this year, it precedes this year’s “car-free day” (Seattle Summer Streets) activities on Alki.

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The WSBeat: Pilferer at the party; surprise surrender; more
March 31, 2012 10:03 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | WSBeat

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

*If you and your significant other are tying the knot and collecting gifts in a public place, assign someone to guard the checks-and-gift-cards pile. Last week, a suspicious person was seen wandering around a local reception, wearing what looked like a homemade dark blue sweater with a “security” patch sewn on it. Someone later tried to use gift cards from this wedding at a Westwood Village store. The suspect was described as white, male, age 22-29, about 5’8”, with a slim build and light brown hair.

*Just after 2 a.m. Friday, officers were on routine patrol in an alley in the 3000 block of SW Avalon, when a man spotted their car, raised his hands in the air, and walked toward them. He twice provided false names but finally came clean, admitting he was wanted on a warrant ($15,000 for residential burglary). Officers confiscated two knives, two wallets (not his), a key chain with keys for several cars, gloves, and spark plugs (commonly used to break car windows). The SeaTac resident was booked into King County Jail for the warrant.

10 more summaries ahead:Read More

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West Seattle Saturday: Check out the calendar!
March 31, 2012 8:54 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Over the past month-plus, we’ve been somewhat laboriously converting the WSB West Seattle Events calendar to a new format – instead of the old cluttered page of text, it’s, well, a real online event calendar. Today, with 22 events on the list from 9 am to 9 pm, we invite you to check out the page for yourself. Same address as always – westseattleblog.com/events – but each listing leads to its own page; mouse over any line on the page, look for the plus sign, click it to expand that line for the basics on that event, and to see the listing in its entirety, click “read more.” Those links will each take you to an event’s standalone page, usually including a map, and when possible, the entirety of the original announcement. So this enables us to bring you many more details about what’s happening. We’ll still publish daily highlights roundups here on the home page most days, but this morning, time is short, and the list is long, so we invite you to take a minute and explore. Have a great Saturday!

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West Seattle schools: Young Authors’ Day at Alki Elementary
March 31, 2012 5:41 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Young Authors’ Day at Alki Elementary
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

A literary week at Alki Elementary – not only did one of their Global Reading Challenge teams come home from the citywide final with medals (as reported here), but Thursday was Young Authors Day. Teacher Anna Coghill shares photos and this report:

(Thursday) Alki Elementary celebrated student writing with a Young Authors Day. The day included visiting author Paul Owen Lewis. Mr. Lewis started the day off with an assembly about his personal experience with writing. Later he met with smaller groups to continue the conversation.

Students celebrated their own writing by sharing in groups throughout the school day. It was a wonderful way to recognize the hard work students have done this year.

Last month, author Lewis (a Northwestern Washington resident) spent a day at Arbor Heights Elementary, as reported here.

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West Seattle police investigate two incidents involving knives
March 30, 2012 11:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two incidents of note, with sizable police responses you might have noticed Friday afternoon/evening:

THREAT INVESTIGATED: Police were in The Junction in the 10 pm hour investigating a report that a restaurant/bar proprietor was threatened by a man with a knife. We don’t know yet what transpired in the interim, but the search for suspect(s) eventually led to Fauntleroy/Edmunds, alongside the south end of the vacant Huling property on the southwest corner. According to scanner traffic, someone at that scene reportedly had cuts and abrasions, but was not believed to be the original suspect; we were not able to talk with officers at the scene, but saw a fire crew and private ambulance. We’ll update this if/when more information becomes available.

KNIFE CONFISCATED IN SCHOOL PARKING LOT: We checked with police after a note from Gary about several police cars at Chief Sealth International High School right around the time school let out today, 3 pm. Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith says police were called by school security staffers who tried to get a group of about 40 people gathered in the parking lot, including a few who were arguing, to disperse – school security was worried a fight might break out. They told police that four people in the group were not identifiable as students from Sealth or adjacent Denny International Middle School. Police discovered that a girl who was among the four was in possession of a knife. No one was arrested, no one was hurt, but the girl was questioned and the knife, which she said she kept for protection, was confiscated.

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Merge Arbor Heights and Roxhill? Community meeting Tuesday
March 30, 2012 6:12 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Out of the WSB inbox, from Rosslyn:

Arbor Heights Community Meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 7:00 pm at Arbor Heights Elementary School Cafeteria.

Purpose: To talk about the district’s proposal to combine Arbor Heights Elementary and Roxhill.

As reported here yesterday, that proposal is part of what’s being circulated for possible inclusion in the Seattle Public Schools Building Excellence (BEX) IV levy next year – but had not been brought up for community discussion prior to turning up in a district PowerPoint at a School Board work session this past Wednesday.

ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: We had sent School Board director Marty McLaren a request for comment on this and other possible BEX IV proposals for this area, and she replied regarding this one that district-headquarters staff “is supportive because it solves the problem of two deteriorated buildings at once and results in a school with significantly reduced operating costs than two schools.” She also has the caveat regarding everything proposed so far, “none of this is set in stone.”

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West Seattle theater: ArtsWest reveals 2012-2013 season lineup
March 30, 2012 5:49 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Always a surprise in the theater world! This year, ArtsWest isn’t waiting till its big “new-season announcement” event to actually announce the lineup. Monday night is the event; the lineup just hit the inbox. Read on!Read More

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Marination delay at Seacrest: ‘Issue … between 2 government agencies’
March 30, 2012 5:05 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“Understanding the situation, we’ll do our best to review the application as quickly as possible.”

So says city Department of Planning and Development spokesperson Bryan Stevens, regarding the extra review that suddenly pushed back the plan for Marination to take over and remodel Seacrest Boathouse.

“The situation at Seacrest is still moving forward,” Marination co-owner Roz Edison told us by phone. “It’s not quite moving at the pace at which we’d like.”

We reported the snag eight days ago, when the city Parks Department, which owns the boathouse, announced it, saying DPD had unexpectedly insisted a “conditional-use permit” would be needed too. The day after that announcement, we spoke to Roz from Marination, then sought DPD comment (which took 2 1/2 business days) before putting together this followup.

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New Water Taxi boss: King County Ferry District administrator hired
March 30, 2012 3:46 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

The King County Ferry District – which oversees the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis – has a new boss. Christine Nelson is the new district administrator, as announced by County Councilmember Joe McDermott, the West Seattleite who chairs the Ferry District Board (an alter-ego of the council). Read on for the full details from his latest e-mail newsletter:Read More

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Devonshire Landscapes: Welcoming a new WSB sponsor
March 30, 2012 3:34 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gardening | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

We’re welcoming Devonshire Landscapes as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s their message for you:

You may have seen our trucks around town. Devonshire Landscapes is based near White Center. Many of our employees work and live in our neighborhood. We have been helping residents of the Seattle area since 1999, when it was founded by Will Anstey (right). Since then, we have slowly grown to a company with 15 full-time employees, and we currently service more than 155 maintenance customers, many of whom we have been serving for 10 years. We are reaching out to our neighbors in the West Seattle, Burien, and Normandy Park areas this spring and offering $25 off to new maintenance customers!

Our landscape-maintenance service is a little different. We will not hold anyone in a service contract that does not work for them. Cancel at any time with one month’s notice, and no extra fees! We let our customers CHOOSE the level of service that fits their personal preferences and budget. Our minimum service is: 2-person crew for 30 minutes, every other week March-Nov., for $100 per month (including tax). Time spent per visit can be increased to meet client needs, as well as weekly service visits. Other optional services (i.e. fertilization, irrigation service, winter visits (Dec.-Feb., etc.) can also be added.

Devonshire Landscapes crews wear professional uniforms, and drive clearly marked vehicles with our company logo displayed. We continuously work with and train our employees, as well as sending them to classes, workshops, and certification testing. We pride ourselves in providing some of the best customer service in the industry. To that end we have earned the “Super Service Award” from AngiesList.com every year we have been advertising with them (2010, 2011), and have maintained an “A” rating with their clients. Dan Vittetoe, our maintenance manager, is always available on his cell phone and email to help answer any questions or concerns. Will, the owner, is also available to clients, and is “hands-on to ensure customer satisfaction.” Find Devonshire Landscapes online at devonshirelandscapes.com or by phone at 206-856-3360.

We thank Devonshire Landscapes for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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2 chances tomorrow to clean up and green up West Seattle spots
March 30, 2012 1:46 pm
|    Comments Off on 2 chances tomorrow to clean up and green up West Seattle spots
 |   Environment | Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

Two ways you can pitch in around West Seattle tomorrow, north or south:

NORTH: Janet Jones sends word that the community gardens at Genesee Hill School need some springtime love! 9 am-1 pm tomorrow, you can come help “spruce up the playground, tend the Nature Garden, distribute mulch, remove invasive species.” Seattle Public Schools, which still owns the shuttered-school campus, will provide tools and gloves. Meet at the north playground (along Dakota).

SOUTH: Join EarthCorps at Fauntleroy Park, 10 am-2 pm Saturday, to help with planting, invasives removal, and trail maintenance. You can sign up online – just go here. Volunteers will meet by the park entrance along SW 97th, near 39th SW.

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West Seattle Trader Joe’s: Murals, parking … and opening date!
March 30, 2012 11:26 am
|      60 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle Trader Joe's

Trader Joe’s has finally officially “announced” the opening date of its West Seattle store – the same one reported last month, April 13th, now on their store-locator webpage.

Meantime, a few more views of the new store – starting with the murals, which Diane pointed out in the WSB Forums night before last, noting that they are easily visible from the street.

We have asked TJ’s repeatedly, through both local management and corporate PR, for permission to go into the store and take pictures, and it’s been repeatedly denied; they say there will be no media previews, period. But at least we can show you what is visible from the street since their windows are huge and uncovered. Above, one mural shows the Alki Lighthouse (and check out the Water Taxi on the left!); we’ve been trying to guess the next one, mostly out of sight behind the light fixtures and sign (Fauntleroy Schoolhouse?):

Meantime, we are getting recurring questions about the parking situation. What you might not realize is that the surface lot – which has an entrance at 38th/Fauntleroy south/east of, and separate from, the exit onto Fauntleroy – is only part of it.

There’s also upstairs parking; J. Hughes Construction, Inc., is working on finishing touches this morning. This too has separate entrances and exits, both off 39th SW (south of West Seattle Bowl and across the street from “The Hole”) – here’s the entrance:

And just north is the exit:

Store hours, according to the TJ’s website, will be 8 am-9 pm. And if somehow this is the first you are hearing of all this and you don’t know where the store is – 4545 Fauntleroy Way SW. It’s been 21 months since the company announced it had leased the former Huling Brothers Buick site, P.S. We’ve added two additional photos to our “West Seattle Trader Joe’s” board on Pinterest.

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Chief Sealth hosts 2nd annual kickoff for Unified Soccer tomorrow
March 30, 2012 9:49 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Athletes from three West Seattle schools are participating this year in the Seattle Unified Soccer League, part of the Unified Sports program in conjunction with Special Olympics Washington, and the kickoff event, with an opening ceremony, is set for tomorrow morning at Chief Sealth International High School (last year it was in Interbay). Unified Sports includes players described as being “with and without intellectual disabilities,” bringing them together to train and play. This year, there are 23 teams around the district – as listed on the official flyer – including two teams from West Seattle High School as well as one each from Sealth and adjacent Denny International Middle School. You’re invited to cheer them on as a “march to the match” heads from Sealth to the Southwest Athletic Complex at 9 am, followed by the opening ceremony at 9:15. More info about this year’s season is here.

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West Seattle Friday: Family Movie Night; music; tastings…
March 30, 2012 8:02 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: Family Movie Night; music; tastings…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

From the recently revamped WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

WINE TASTING AND FOOD PAIRING: At Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor; 2320 42nd SW), Washington wine, paired with Kurobuta ham, roasted lamb, and Columbia king salmon. Tasting 5-7 pm.

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: Little Pilgrim School hosts “Family Movie Night” tonight at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), 6-8 pm. The newest “Winnie the Pooh” movie will be shown, free (games, concessions, and a raffle are planned – details in our calendar listing).

‘BOBCAT BOB’ AT C & P COFFEE: A favorite at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) (5612 California SW), “Bobcat Bob,” performs tonight, 6-8 pm.

BIN 41’S ‘ALMOST 2ND ANNIVERSARY’: Tonight – The Bin’s own wines, two vintages of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and releasing their first-ever Cabernet Sauvignon, as they get ready to celebrate the shop’s second anniversary. 6-7:30 pm (4707 California SW), full details here.

FINAL WEEKEND FOR ‘LITTLE VOICE’: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery (4711 California SW), second-to-last performance for “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.”

JAZZ AND BLUES AT KENYON HALL: Casey MacGill and Orville Johnson play the hall (7904 35th SW) tonight at 7:30 – more info on the KH website.

LIVE MUSIC AT SALTY’S: Singer/songwriter Barbie Anaka performs at Salty’s on Alki, 8-10 pm.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT HEARTLAND: 9 pm, live music at Heartland Café/Benbow Room in the Admiral District, during the second night of a five-day second-anniversary celebration (here’s our preview story).

LATE-NIGHT TEEN PROGRAM TEMPORARILY MOVED: Since the Southwest Teen Life Center is closed for maintenance till mid-April, tonight’s programs will be at High Point Community Center.

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West Seattle businesses: Seamart store reopening after a year-plus
March 29, 2012 10:12 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Highland Park’s Seamart convenience store will reopen at 16th/Holden Friday, with new property owners, more than a year after the former building and convenience store’s owner was foreclosed on (as reported here in December 2010), which led not only to the store’s closure but also to the shutdown of JoJo’s Fine Espresso and the relocation of Zippy’s Giant Burgers.

The new owners, partners Saejin Lee and Yungie Sun [above], say they saw a “unique” opportunity in the Highland Park business property. Lee’s family sold their previous Central District store on Jackson (Seven Star) to purchase here in West Seattle. They expect to attract both new and previous customers to their store, and to the new neighboring tenants, Athena’s Gyros (their plan to take over the ex-Zippy’s space was first reported here in mid-February), and an as-yet-to-be-determined coffee stand vendor.

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Reader report: 2nd Design Team meeting for K-5 STEM at Boren
March 29, 2012 9:37 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The Design Team for the new K-5 STEM at Boren option school opening this fall in West Seattle has now met twice. We covered its first session (here’s that story) but were unable to go to the second one last night; a community member who did, Kathleen Voss, offered today to share her notes, and we took her up on that offer. Here’s her report:

The design team for the new STEM Elementary School at Boren met for the second time on Wednesday at the John Stanford Center in SODO. With the exception of the new incoming principal, Dr. Shannon McKinney, all design team members were present. Also in attendance were eight community observers who represented parents of prospective students, teachers from a local elementary school, as well as some who described themselves only as “interested community members.”

The meeting began fairly shortly after the 6:15 scheduled start time and opened with an opportunity for public testimony. It was stated that in future meetings, the public testimony portion of the meetings will occur at the end, rather than the beginning, of the allotted meeting time. Only one observer stood to offer commentsm which consisted of a reminder to the design team that there are many interested and committed individuals who are eager to assist the design team in whatever way possible. She suggested that a volunteer coordinator might be helpful in connecting skilled volunteers to some of the extraneous tasks that will emerge and lighten the load of the design team members. The team was also reminded of the fully functioning Yahoo group (groups.yahoo.com/groups/K5STEM) that currently boasts more than 70 links to local STEM resources, numerous research articles, as well as an events calendar.

Public comments were followed by a report from assistant superintendent Dr. Cathy Thompson regarding the Steering Committee’s recent walkthrough of the Boren site.

Thompson said all were pleasantly surprised by the current state of the building after years of hearing horror stories regarding its disrepair. As stated in earlier public meetings, all of the flooring will be replaced and walls will be freshly painted. Discussion is ongoing regarding a space that can be utilized for before- and after-school child care. The school will contain two computer labs (with one located in the library) and two science labs (most likely configured for K-2nd and 3-5th grades). The extra space in the administrative office area may lend itself to a family resource center.

The majority of the meeting was spent identifying and discussing the Key Program Features of the school. While the core values and mission statement will wait until Dr. McKinney’s arrival in early April, the design team took on the task of identifying the “Big Ideas” and big tasks to be accomplished before September.

The first priorities for the next two months are hiring faculty and choosing curriculum materials. Materials needed in September will have to be ordered in May. This timeline includes any waivers needed for non-district endorsed materials.

After hearing a multitude of ideas, Aurora Lora, the Executive Director of Schools for West Seattle, was able to identify seven key areas of focus for the team going forward:

Curriculum
Role of technology
Staff
Community/family engagement
Diverse learning community
Teaching the whole child
Becoming a leader in STEM education

Other items of discussion:

What is project-based learning? Is is the model we want to use?
Subcommittee needed to focus on grants to assure deadlines do not get forgotten.
List of questions to ask when visiting other STEM schools.

Kathleen says the district promised its notes will be up on its website by the end of the week (sometime tomorrow). She also says the team has added a Saturday meeting, 8:30-noon April 7th, and that several members will tour the state’s only currently operating STEM-focused public elementary school, in Bremerton, on April 27th.

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West Seattle traffic alert: More Spokane St. Viaduct (etc.) closures
March 29, 2012 5:47 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Spokane St. Viaduct project | West Seattle news

That’s a recent view of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project work zone, with the new 1st Avenue South on/offramp on the right, courtesy of Gatewood pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen. Tonight, we have the latest SDOT update on closures planned as part of the project:

The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed three nights next week, Monday through Wednesday, April 2-4, from 10 p.m. each night until 5 a.m. the following morning. This will close direct access to West Seattle via the Spokane Street Viaduct from both northbound and southbound I-5. (Motorists traveling southbound on SR 99 will still be able to access the off-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge.)

Southbound traffic from I-5 wishing to travel to West Seattle should detour by exiting I-5 at S Forest Street, turning right (northbound) onto Sixth Avenue S, then turning left (westbound) at S Lander Street, turning left again (southbound) at First Avenue S, turning right (westbound) at S Hanford Street, turning left (southbound) onto East Marginal Way S, and finally turning right (westbound) onto the lower S Spokane Street roadway and across the swing bridge to West Seattle. Northbound traffic from I-5 wishing to travel to West Seattle should exit the freeway at Sixth Avenue S, and then follow the same detour route outlined above.

Other upcoming closures in the immediate vicinity include:

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West Seattle businesses: Why Twilight Artist Collective is open late
March 29, 2012 5:19 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Besides the shops participating in the Spring Fashion Fling, there’s somewhere else you can shop late in The Junction tonight – Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction. Cheryl Robinson sends word they’re staying open late through the end of the week because the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference is in town,and their current group ceramics show “Chimeras” – curated by Eva Funderburgh – is linked to the conference. You can stop by Twilight till 9 tonight and 10 am-9 pm tomorrow.

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Seattle Public Schools’ BEX IV levy possibilities: Merge Roxhill and Arbor Heights? Move Schmitz Park?
March 29, 2012 3:31 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

One week from today, Seattle Public Schools will bring its touring meeting about the BEX IV levy to West Seattle. That levy is meant to generate construction money – as BEX III did (with its projects including the Denny International Middle School rebuild and Chief Sealth International High School renovations). Some of the ideas proposed for West Seattle are new, as first reported in Melissa Westbrook‘s coverage of a School Board work session yesterday on saveseattleschools.blogspot.com.

From the presentation, which you can see here, possibilities include building a new school at Arbor Heights Elementary and merging Roxhill Elementary and Arbor Heights there; building a new school for Schmitz Park Elementary on the Genesee Hill campus; reopening Fairmount Park Elementary (maybe as a permanent home for the school opening this fall as K-5 STEM at Boren); reopening E.C. Hughes (also a possible home for K-5 STEM), which is currently leased to Westside School (WSB sponsor); building an addition to West Seattle Elementary.

No one possible “scenario” includes all of the above; the district is trying to settle on a philosophical direction for the levy. Of the scenarios currently on the table, the cost range for voters would be between half a billion and $855 million dollars. We have a message out to West Seattle’s school-board director Marty McLaren to ask about the briefing.

In the meantime, if you are interested, the BEX IV feedback meeting for West Seattle is next Thursday, April 5th, 6:30 pm, at Denny International Middle School (see the original announcement in our events-calendar listing). Whatever form the levy takes, it will go to voters next year.

ADDED 11:38 PM: We haven’t heard back from Marty McLaren yet, but a WSB’er did forward us a post on her public e-mail discussion list in which she addressed the BEX IV proposals (we didn’t know about the list but we’re subscribing now – subscription info is here). Read on for the entirety of her post, which includes a little more background on the AH/Roxhill merger rationale, and dates/times for her 3 upcoming community conversations:Read More

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West Seattle 5-year-old, musicians, scenery star in music video
March 29, 2012 2:17 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

“Mor Yay” is the first video by Branden Daniel and The Chics, released in advance of their debut album “Keep ‘Em Flying,” which comes out in early May. And the video has lots of West Seattle flavor. First – if you watch it, you’ll see Alki backdrops and other West Seattle scenery (plus a few other Seattle spots). Second – five-year-old Hayes, who’s in almost every scene, is a student at Holy Rosary; his proud mom Kelly – who also happens to be married to the young star’s dad, lead singer/guitarist Brendan Daniel – e-mailed to let us know about the video. She says lifelong West Seattleite Matt Winter, The Chics’ drummer – produced and edited the video. In a news release about the video, Brendan explains, “When Hayes was 2 years old, some of his first words were ‘mor yay.’ This is what he called the music I played on my guitar, because people would clap and say ‘yay’ after a performance.” You can preorder the album online, by the way.

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What’s that $100 fee? WSB Forum members ask; Highline explains
March 29, 2012 1:17 pm
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle news

Three weeks ago, a WSB Forums member started a discussion there about a $100 fee charged by Highline Medical’s West Seattle Urgent-Care Clinic that was not covered by her insurance. Among discussion participants, much discussion and research followed. The thread was called to our attention, and we sought a response from Highline, as the questions continued to pile up. Today, we have that response from Highline Medical Group’s administrator, confirming that this is a fee charged “for the higher costs of operating an urgent care facility during weekends and evening hours, when there is irregular demand for services,” and saying they are working to get more insurance companies to cover it – with another group coming on board next month, Regence. (Highline is not the only health-care organization with an urgent-care charge, according to one post in the discussion.) Read on for the statement:Read More

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Highland Park Action Committee: Card; crime; greenways; the HP Huddle
March 29, 2012 12:38 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news

Shown off at the Highland Park Action Committee meeting last night – HPAC’s new info-card, which you’ll see at events like the upcoming Gathering of Neighbors – a quick way to find out more about the group and the neighborhood. Also from last night’s meeting, a crime-trends briefing, a “greenways” discussion, and the Highland Park Huddle – read on for the toplines!Read More

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Tracking the apps: 2 more would-be liquor sellers in West Seattle
March 29, 2012 10:41 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS beverages

Another update on something we’ve been tracking for about 2 months – the list of stores in West Seattle planning to sell hard liquor, once privatized sales start on June 1st. Two more applications have just appeared on the state Liquor Control Board‘s website, bringing the total so far to 14 prospective liquor-selling stores in West Seattle, which currently has two state-run stores.

Newest West Seattle applications: Both Rite Aid stores – Westwood Village and California SW south of The Junction.

Previously reported West Seattle applications: Metropolitan Market in Admiral (WSB sponsor), Bartell Drugs (Admiral and Jefferson Square stores), Walgreens (16th/Roxbury and High Point stores), Target (Westwood Village), West Seattle Thriftway, QFC (Junction and Westwood Village stores), Safeway (Admiral, Jefferson Square, Roxbury stores)

Remember, this is NOT the final list of who’ll be selling liquor in West Seattle – sales can’t start before June 1st, and qualifying businesses can apply at any time. (Before last week’s update, we checked with PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor), which hadn’t decided.)

Also checking in on the auction for the current state-store locations’ licenses: Bidding started at $1,000 each, as reported here March 8th – the Westwood-location license is up to $4,050, while the Junction-location license bidding is up to $7,100. Bidding is also open for all locations’ licenses together, and that’s now at $551,100, more than double what it was last week. Bidding continues into April.

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