West Seattle, Washington
06 Monday
Three major topics at this week’s monthly meeting of the Southwest District Council, comprised of reps from neighborhood groups and organizations, mostly around western West Seattle – Metro‘s first community discussion of its newly revised route-restructuring plan; Councilmember Sally Bagshaw talking about her priorities now that the committee she chairs is about neighborhoods as well as parks; and the first Gathering of Neighbors since 2010, with new coordinators this year. Details on all three topics, ahead:Read More
(Photos courtesy Bruno Cross)
He’s the Denny International Middle School music director, he’s the Chief Sealth International High School band director, Seattle’s All-City Band director – and he’s now officially a Golden Apple Award winner: Last night was the big event for Marcus Pimpleton, and we’ve received photos from the ceremony at the Intiman Theatre downtown. Sealth Jazz Band musicians were there:
And so were colleagues – with the honoree in the next photo, Alki Elementary principal Chanda Oatis (former Denny assistant principal) and Denny principal Jeff Clark, who notes, “Mr. Pimpleton does incredible things with our scholars every day — he richly deserves this prestigious honor”:
This is the 20th round of Golden Apple Awards presented by KCTS 9; we published first word three months ago. Here’s the official news release with the full list of statewide honorees.
The seniors playing basketball for West Seattle High School were honored last night during a busy night at the WSHS gym, with Eastside Catholic visiting. Though both varsity teams lost, it was an occasion to pay tribute to the hard work this season and the achievements of the departing players – we have the seniors’ photos, plus game recaps, ahead:Read More
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
(Refresh for latest “live” view of the eastbound WS Bridge)
*NO* BRIDGE CLOSURES SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND: Just to reiterate that! Next ones don’t start till 9 pm Monday. (P.S. This WSB report from last night contains SDOT’s report on last weekend’s informational shortcomings – and what will be done to prevent future reruns.)
KIDS’ CLOTHING AND TOY SALE: 9 am to 3 pm in the Social Hall of West Seattle Christian Church. From the announcement: “Come support our young families and find some great clothing, toys, and equipment. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Water Well Drilling Team for 2012. The Water Well Drilling Team will have an informational table at the sale.”
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF WEST SEATTLE OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-2 pm, 9450 22nd SW. More info on the CSWS home page. (CSWS is having one 10 am-2 pm next Saturday, Feb. 11, too.)
GRAND OPENING WEEKEND: Festivities today (and tomorrow!) at Pink Gorilla Games, 6053 California SW, 11 am-7 pm – snacks, raffle prizes, more. (Read about Pink Gorilla’s WS expansion here.)
CRAFT SALE #1: Freshy’s Coffee is hosting another “Homemade Brigade” craft sale from 10 am until 4 pm. From the announcement: “Local artists, with items ranging from jewelry, knits, prints, soaps, trinkets & such.”
OPEN HOUSE: Open house at Cometa Playschool, 3212 California SW, 10 am-noon – details on the Cometa website.
B & N STORYTIME: Storytime at Westwood Village Barnes and Noble bookstore on Saturdays at 11 am. From the announcement: “We usually do 2-3 stories, and offer treats for the kids. All ages are welcome!”
OCCUPY WEST SEATTLE: Per the announcement published here earlier this week, you’re invited to its meeting 2-5 pm at Alki UCC.
RAISING LANTERNS: Fundraiser at the Seattle Chinese Garden on the north side of South Seattle Community College, 3-6 pm, $20/person at the door.
POETRY WORKSHOP: “The Poetry of Place: Witness the Wise Words of White Center” with Seattle’s Poet Populist and SSCC creative writing teacher Mike Hickey, reading from his new book “A Dress Walked By With a Woman Inside,” as well as conducting a Q-&-A session and leading a workshop in which participants will create their own poetry! 2 pm at White Center Library.
(Photo courtesy Camp Fire; Wolverines members making Valentines for wounded warriors)
CAMP FIRE CANDY SALES CONTINUE: The Wolverines Camp Fire group from Westside School (WSB sponsor) will be selling candy 2-4 pm at West Seattle Thriftway. (Any other groups selling candy in WS this weekend? Let us know and we’ll add your location.)
CRAFT SALE #2: Crafts and Draughts craft/art bazaar at Skylark Café and Club, 4-7 pm, see Facebook invite here.
OWL PROWL: Look for Lincoln Park’s owls with naturalist Stewart Wechsler, 4:30 pm – full details here.
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: Free admission! “Monsters vs. Aliens” will be shown on 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Pathfinder K-8, 1901 SW Genesee. Pizza and other concessions available for purchase; proceeds go to the Pathfinder World Travel Program. Donations also accepted. Bring your own chair/blanket.
‘WONDERLAND’: This is described as a belly-dance version of Alice In Wonderland, 7-9 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Tickets $18/door, kids 12 and under are $10, 5 and uner are free.
FOOD HANDLER’S PERMIT CLASS FOR TEENS: Need a job? Already have one, but need a food handler’s permit? Southwest Teen Life Center has you covered! Every first Saturday of the month Southwest Teen Life Center is hosting (in partnership with Power of Place Programs) food handler’s classes! Free for teens 13-19, 7 pm. For more information stop into the Southwest Teen Life Center! 2801 SW Thistle St.
LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT: Announcement we received from the folks playing Skylark Café and Club:
We get the engines runnin’ with the folksy smokey alt-country talent of STACEY UNCK (9:00)
Then we fire things up with the soulful, fiery, and eclectic styles of CHRISTA SAYS YAY (10:00)
And…just when you think you can’t take the heat, you will blast off to another world with the vibrant, mesmerizing, melodic, space-age rock of
JULIA MASSEY & THE FIVE FINGER DISCOUNT (11:00)http://www.sonicbids.com/ChristaSaysYay
http://www.sonicbids.com/JuliaMassey
http://www.sonicbids.com/StaceyUnck
LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! Monthly “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” shadow casting and all, at Admiral Theater, Saturday night/Sunday morning at midnight.
Story and photos by Randall G. Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Spirit Week at Seattle Lutheran High School came to a happy conclusion tonight as the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams celebrated “Senior Night” with comfortable victories.
Surrendering no more than a baker’s dozen points defensively will generally translate into victory for a basketball team. This was the case for the Lady Saints, who managed 13 points in the first quarter alone on their way to a 43-13 win over the Lady Eagles of Evergreen Lutheran.
If you had to leave West Seattle for points eastward during the daytime last Saturday, you probably remember the bridge backup caused by what was supposed to be a weekend-long closure of the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct. The city had put out the word in advance, but not loudly and boldly enough, and worst of all in many eyes, there were no warning signs as you approached the bridge. After a deluge of complaints – and questions from us – SDOT promised a review of what went wrong with getting the word out and how that would be fixed for future closures. They also promised us the resulting report. We received it this evening; we’ll be writing a followup story, but there’s no point in you having to wait till then to read the report if you’re interested. It identifies 7 “issues” and how they’ll be addressed. Here’s the 2 1/2-page report, in memo form (PDF).
P.S. **No West Seattle Bridge closures scheduled this weekend**, once tonight’s eastbound SSV and Fauntleroy Expressway closures end by 5 am (the nighttime closures continue next week).
(Click for larger image)
With our recent traffic woes, more than a few West Seattleites might have wondered how things are going with the new South Park Bridge. Gatewood photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen answers the question by sharing these two views from over the project. What’s left of the old bridge – closed a year and a half ago, its drawspan removed – is right next to where the new one is being built; the squares you see in the water are the “main bascule piers” for the new bridge, according to its official county webpage. It’s expected to open in mid-2013. Here’s the view from directly overhead:
P.S. If you’re interested in ground photos, King County Road Services is working with a photographer to document the progress – you’ll find plenty of photos, including some from just two weeks ago, here.
Last night, a reader sent us this Craigslist link listing Avalon, the year-old restaurant in Luna Park, for lease. We asked its owners for comment – and just received this, from co-owner Deb Breuler:
We have decided to close. We had an OK year, but it’s just not enough to warrant going further into debt. We tried to renegotiate our rent to no avail. We had awesome guests and they made it worthwhile.
She added, “Today was our last day” (added) and just confirmed in response to our followup question, the closure has already taken effect. Avalon opened in January 2011, a few months after the shutdown of Café Revo (which had been in operation a year and a half); before that, the space had been home to a furnishings store.
(Stairway at 61st/Spokane, which will connect to another one above it as a result of this project)
From SDOT: Work starts Monday on a 2-month project to build a new staircase and path in the South Alki/Beach Drive area, at 61st/60th/Spokane (map). Read on for the full announcement:Read More
3:32 PM: A worker at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island died after a 100-foot fall this afternoon, according to this KING5.com report. The Seattle Fire 911 log shows a medic “7-per response,” generally an indication of a major injury or medical situation, to Vigor’s address on 16th SW at 12:19 pm. We’re seeking more information.
ADDED 3:53 PM: Our partners at the Seattle Times say workplace-safety investigators are on the scene.
ADDED 4:26 PM: Steve Hirsh, Vigor spokesperson, tells WSB: “A Vigor Shipyards employee was fatally injured shortly after noon today while at work on the drill rig ‘Kulluk.’ Vigor immediately instituted a safety stand-down at all of our facilities while we and safety officials thoroughly investigate the tragic accident.” The Kulluk has been at Vigor for work since midsummer.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog/White Center Now editor
White Center is where Justin Cline and Ann Magyar launched Full Tilt Ice Cream, and it’s where they’re adding an additional business space to facilitate more growth.
We were there two hours ago when Justin got the keys (from broker Mary K. Wynn, left) to the 16th SW space on the south block of downtown White Center that was briefly known as GAME Lounge, before that the Hang Around and The Wall, among other identities – like a fancy restaurant called Epicure.
But he has one other motivation besides more room to facilitate growth: Read More
The Gathering of Neighbors returns this year, with a new group of community volunteers leading the way, and, as Michael Taylor-Judd told the Southwest District Council night before last, they can use your help to make it happen! Here’s the official announcement:
Come be a part of the Gathering of Neighbors: Businesses and Community organizations from across the West Seattle Peninsula, all together, one day, one place, as “one community”.
April 21st, 2012 marks the return of the Gathering of Neighbors, this year sponsored by Visualizing Increased Engagement West Seattle(VIEWS) and SW Youth and Family Services. The combination of both community and businesses participants promises to have Chief Sealth High School bursting at the seams with booths full of information.
Attendees will experience, in one place and time, the tremendous wealth of services and goods available to them in their own neighborhoods right here in West Seattle. Entertainment and refreshments will be part of the celebration.
Part of our celebration will be appreciation for the artistic side of West Seattle, and we will be featuring a photo, logo, and essay contest. There were will be suggested topics and submission categories on the website, with prizes presented to the top selections the day of the event.
Are you part of a group or business who would want to participate? Download applications and more info at viewswestseattle.org or contact Rafael Garcia, rafa.les.gar@gmail.com , (206) 380-2066
Gathering Of Neighbors:
Date: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Chief Sealth International High School,
2600 SW Thistle St
We have multiple reports this morning of another street where parked cars were hit by prowlers/vandals – FLS reported at least two in the 37th SW/Hanford vicinity – “windows smashed in, vehicle ransacked.” Police were on their way when he e-mailed us earlier. Rena mentioned it on the WSB Facebook page, too. Earlier this week, at least half a dozen cars were vandalized on Beach Drive, according to this report from Beach Drive Blog. Even if damage wasn’t too serious and nothing was taken, police ask that you do file a report for these types of crimes, which at least helps them track trends and figure out where to focus more patrol resources.
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
(Photo courtesy WSSC)
WEST SEATTLE SOCCER CLUB REGISTRATION STARTS: It’s opening day for registration for WSSC’s “Champions League” spring soccer season. Go to westseattlesoccer.org and click the “registration” link on the left side. It’s an 8-game season, April 1-June 10, all games played Sunday afternoons (but no games on Easter, Mother’s Day, or Memorial Day weekend). Registration open for players 5-12, $50 for U-6 and U-7, $60 for U-8 to U-13, includes jersey (player gets to keep it after the season).
GRAND OPENING: Photosynthesis Massage/Boutique, home of Moving Massage, grand opening, 6-9 pm 3225 California SW. From FB: “Come to our grand opening party, to celebrate our newly-renovated, beautiful massage and skin care joint! We will have food, wine, music, art, gift certificates, and amazing jewelry by local artist Penguina Designs …”
WINE TASTING: At Bin 41, from 6-7:30 pm: Reininger, from the Walla Walla Valley. From the Bin: “Swing by to meet Justin Vajgert from the winery as we explore a line-up of Reininger wines with you including a 2000 vintage library wine available for reservation during the tasting only!”
(Photo courtesy Lisa Gluckman)
LIVE THEATER #1: West Seattle High School Drama Club presents “Year of the Duck,” student-directed by Tessa Jinneman, 7:30 pm at WSHS Theater, admission $7 at the door. (3000 California SW)
MARIONETTES: Little Pilgrim School hosts the mother-daughter team of “Puppets Please Marionettes” at 7:00 pm in Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy Church, 9140 California SW. (www.fauntleroyucc.org ). Child-sized marionettes with lots of audience interaction and participation. Everyone is welcome! As much fun for adults as they are for the kids (and a surprise ending!) $5 per family donation at the door. (206)932-5600.
LIVE THEATER, #2: At ArtsWest – “All Through the Night,” 7:30 pm. Tickets available online or at the box office, which opens today at noon.
MUSIC: 8-10 pm @ Salty’s on Alki, singer/songwriter Barbie Anaka with a mix of classic and contemporary jazz, in the lounge, no cover … 8:30 pm, Dirty Rice with Charlie Heinemann & The Repeat Offenders at The Benbow Room at the Heartland Café – here’s the Facebook event … At Skylark Café and Club, Nine N Out, Whiskey Radio, Skullbot at 9 pm …
BRIDGE CLOSURES CONTINUE TONIGHT: Same pattern as the last four weeknights – Fauntleroy Expressway (info here) and eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct (SDOT announcement here), both scheduled for 9 pm-5 am.
(Refresh for latest image from SDOT camera)
7:40 AM: Just getting word of this via multiple sources – multiple-car crash on the eastbound bridge, and at least one of the cars is facing the wrong way. Our most recent call says the bus lane and exit lane are blocked.
7:56 AM UPDATE: Good news – the scene has been cleared. (If there are any other traffic problems in the next hour or so of the commute, we’ll add them here.)
8:26 AM: There’s a report of a crash at 8th/Cloverdale involving a trash truck and an SUV. No word of any injuries but it’s said to be impending traffic to some degree.
Out of the WSB inbox tonight, that photo and this note:
My name is Gabriella and I am 15 years old. I wanted to share my experience because I found it touching and very sweet.
While on a bike ride to take photos today, I found a gift sitting on a bench with a note attached that read “To the finder of this gift” overlooking the Seattle skyline near Salty’s.
I sat on the bench and opened the card, which was from a woman remembering her younger sister today, which would have been her 59th birthday. The woman shared her younger sister’s interests, accomplishments and love of life, and how she died suddenly in 2001 due to a pulmonary embolism from a foot injury. The gift was left at this location because her sister’s ashes were scattered on Alki and she loved the view of the skyline.
In the letter, the writer asked the finder of the gift to please express their love to those they care about. She also said that she learned that “all our love, memories, and connections are still there as true and strong as ever” even after death. The writer expressed her deep love for her sister and that the best parts of her are still with her.
I hope the writer of this letter sees this and knows how much it touched me.
P.S. The gift was a LED head lamp for riding and was with a card that read, “May a luminous dream light the way.”
Thank you, Gabriella
FRIDAY NIGHT POSTSCRIPT: Our friends at KING 5 read this too, and asked if we could put them in touch with Gabriella. Here’s the resulting story.
Two reader reports tonight, both with messages – to neighbors, and to crooks. First one’s from Jennifer in Gatewood:
Our neighbor that lives on SW Elmgrove, just east of California had their home burglarized in broad daylight on January 31st. The thieves took electronics, higher end clothing and purses, jewelry, etc. Although neighbors were home during the day and 1 noticed the back door of the house open for several hours, no one seems to have seen or heard a thing. Fortunately, our neighbors chocolate lab did not run away, even with the door open.
I am reporting this incident in the blog for 2 reasons: 1) I think it is important for neighbors to know what is happening in our community and 2) I hope these scum bags read the blog and know that we are on alert – move on to another target!!!
This one’s from Adriana, and it also happened on Tuesday:
My husband’s Toyota Tacoma was broken into around 11 PM. We live on 37th inbetween Dakota and Genesee. My husband parks his truck in the back in our driveway off the alley behind our house. He went down into his office right around 11 PM and before he turned on the light, he noticed that his truck light was on and the door was open. Before he really thought about it, he pounded on the window in his office and then opened it and yelled at the people in his truck.
The two men ran down the alley and my husband called the police. They were very quick to respond but since it was dark my husband could not give a very detailed description of the two men. They only stole a hunting type knife he had in his console. We are unsure as to how they entered the truck, there were no windows broken or lock damage (the truck was locked). They were two men probably in their early to mid-20’s, dressed in dark clothes and of average height and weight. As of yet no one was found. We hope that this is the first and last time our neighborhood sees this kind of crime. I’m pretty sure these guys were scared out of their minds, and they must have been pretty confident if they thought 11PM was late enough to start their break-ins!. Be on the lookout and don’t forget to lock up your cars and turn on your alarms!
You’ve probably heard reports about more sea lions shot to death in this region, since we first reported Seal Sitters‘ 
announcement that the sea lion found at Lincoln Park was a shooting victim. (Photo is from 1/23, taken by WSB reader RyAnn as the sea lion drew onlookers.) Tonight, Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey has new information: “Radiographs show that the West Seattle sea lion was also shot in the head in addition to the left lung lobe.” Robin says that although different numbers are in circulation, as of tonight, there are EIGHT confirmed deaths of sea lions and seals from bullet wounds. She’s publishing the newest, most accurate information to the group’s “Blubberblog” site, with “the latest information from our stranding experts and biologist … (We) will keep everyone updated as information is released to the public.” See the newest update here. (P.S. As Seal Sitters mentions in their update, a $10,000 reward to solve the killings is being offered by the Sea Shepherd Society.)
Before you can see pirates and floats and royalty and classic cars and community groups strolling and rolling down the West Seattle Grand Parade route in midsummer, it takes a lot of work by West Seattle’s American Legion Post 160 parade coordinators – andm again this year, it’s going to take some monetary help from the community.
You might recall that last year was the first year that the city required organizations like Post 160 to cover the costs of no-parking signage along the parade route. It’s not cheap. This year, they’ll have to do it again. So Dave Vague asked us to share the request for your help:
The West Seattle American Legion Grand Parade is set for Saturday, July 21, 2012. Like last year, we are needing to turn to the West Seattle community to raise funds to help us put the parade on. We are trying to raise $5,000 this year to cover the expenses of putting up the street barricades, city permits, and trophies for the winning entries.
Donations can be sent to:
West Seattle American Legion Post 160
3618 SW Alaska St
Seattle, WA 98126
(206) 935-9407
or you can donate online at the parade website: thewestseattleparade.com
The parade doesn’t charge entry fees – if it did, it would have to pay a much higher price for permits, which would wipe out any benefit and any way of making a dent in this cost. They secured some community sponsorships last year, but individual donations also can make quite a difference in keeping this decades-old tradition alive. (The online-donation link goes to a page with a PayPal button; you can use PayPal without having a PP account – just scroll till you see the “pay with credit card” option.)
(Spokane Street Viaduct construction photo, from presentation at Wednesday meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Get ready for another traffic crunch on the Spokane Street Viaduct section of the West Seattle Bridge. That was one of the toplines from Wednesday’s meeting of the South Portal Working Group, an advisory group convened mostly on behalf of the ongoing Alaskan Way Viaduct/Tunnel work, but typically briefed on other major road projects affecting our side of the city, so we usually cover this group’s quarterly meetings as a place to get MEGA-EARLY heads-up.
First – if you want to cut to the chase, here’s the entire 42-page presentation given to the group, covering the north and central area progress on 99 as well as components of more interest here. Tons of information.
Now, back to that aforementioned crunch: According to SDOT, sometime next month, all Spokane Street Viaduct traffic will have to be shifted onto the new north-side structure, so that work can be done on the old south-side structure for at least six weeks. When that happens, there will be three traffic lanes – one eastbound, and two westbound.
More on that – and other toplines from the meeting, including some discussion of last week’s eastbound bridge-closure backups, ahead:Read More
Working on a couple of transportation-related stories to publish before the day’s done, we happened onto another one: February 18-19 are the dates set for repaving three blocks of SW Myrtle just south of High Point Community Center and Walt Hundley Playfield, east of the work just done on 35th itself between Myrtle and Othello. From SDOT:
Crews will be grinding and re-paving SW Myrtle St between 35th Ave SW and 32nd Ave SW through the weekend. Expect lane closures. Sidewalks will remain open. Buses will be rerouted around the area.
This is from the SDOT Seattle-Area Construction Lookahead – which has lots of other dates and locations of upcoming work, including the ongoing overnight West Seattle Bridge closures; see it here.
(UPDATED 2:51 PM with new information on injuries, circumstances)
12:19 PM: South of Morgan Junction, California SW is partly blocked near SW Myrtle (by Caffe Ladro; map) because of an incident involving a bicyclist. We’re at the scene to find out more.
12:25 PM UPDATE: Police tell us the bicyclist was heading southbound on California – uphill – south of the intersection when he collided with a car door. The rider was going to be transported by private ambulance, but then was moved to a medic unit. We don’t yet know the extent of his injuries.
12:32 PM UPDATE: The scene is clearing, and California SW is fully open again, according to our crew at the scene.
2:51 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB the bike rider is 30 years old and “was traveling approximately 25 miles an hour down the street when a car door opened in front of him causing him to flip over the door. He was not wearing a helmet. He remained conscious and responsive but could not remember the accident. He also had some facial lacerations. Our medics treated him and transported him to Harborview in stable condition.”
Thanks to Bob A. in North Admiral for photographing the destroyer USS Shoup in Elliott Bay. Our partners at the Times reported earlier this week that the Shoup is heading home to Everett this week after seven months of work at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island.
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