West Seattle, Washington
14 Tuesday
Arlene Wade, instrumental in the creation of the Log House Museum and Duwamish Longhouse, has died at age 69. Here’s the remembrance we’ve received to share with you:
Arlene Hinderlie Wade (1943-2013) passed away on March 25 after a 13-year battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Arlene grew up in Port Orchard. She was the 1963 Seafair Queen during the ‘Century 21’ Seattle World’s Fair.
As President of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society in the 1990s, Arlene led the campaign to create the Log House Museum. She insisted on telling the story of the American settlers alongside that the Duwamish people, whose cause she championed for two decades. She shaped “The Spirit Returns” exhibit at the new Log House in 2000, which was the first time the story of the Duwamish and the American settlers was told side by side under one roof.
Paul Dorpat decribed her in his Seattle Then and Now column:
(Screengrab from Seattle Channel substituted when briefing ended; we’ll replace later with archived video)
10:49 AM: The formal announcement is expected within a few hours, but now several citywide news sources are reporting that Seattle Police Chief John Diaz is stepping down after almost four years (as interim and then permanent chief). Our partners at The Seattle Times 
quote City Councilmember Bruce Harrell as the source, as does KING 5; Diaz’s departure was first reported on Twitter by KIRO TV. All say that Assistant Chief Jim Pugel (at left in WSB file photo by Christopher Boffoli) will serve as interim chief.
11:15 AM: The mayor and police chief are planning an 11:30 a.m. briefing. (added) You’ll be able to watch the live webcast above.
11:49 AM: The briefing has begun – click “play” on the video window above to see it live.
12:00 PM: Chief Diaz recounted department accomplishments during his tenure and offered words of thanks. Now the mayor is speaking, and doing the same. Some of the major incidents mentioned as happening during the chief’s tenure included the murder of West Seattle High School graduate Officer Timothy Brenton and the Café Racer/downtown murders that ended with the killer’s West Seattle suicide last May.
12:08 PM: Assistant Chief Jim Pugel says he “promise(s) to continue to work … with everyone who has an interest in seeing Seattle as an even better and even safer city” while serving as interim chief. He also thanks SPD officers and community members for their role in that. After brief remarks, the mayor is asked “Why now?” and he punts the question to Chief Diaz, saying it was his decision. Diaz subsequently says that he evaluated issues such as innovation and reform, and he felt they are under control, and that things are “going extremely well,” so he decided “It was time” for him to retire. So why not wait till after this fall’s mayoral election? McGinn is asked. He replied that the search process will take so long, he doubts “any final decisions” would be made until after November.
12:28 PM: The briefing is over. Chief Diaz’s retirement is scheduled for the end of May. We’re taking down the video window but will re-add the archived version when it’s available on the city website. Meantime, the official news release has arrived via e-mail – click ahead to read it:Read More
(Sunday night’s sunset deserves one more look! Thanks to Don Brubeck for the photo)
Four highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TODDLER INDOOR GYM: Weather’s still dicey; got a little one who needs to run around someplace besides the living room? 1-4 pm, it’s drop-in time at the Delridge Community Center “indoor gym” – details in our calendar listing.
HIGH-SCHOOL SPORTS: Three ballgames are scheduled today – from our calendar listing of this week’s high-school highlights:
3:30 pm: Baseball – West Seattle HS Boys Varsity vs. O’Dea, at Hiawatha
4:00 pm: Baseball – Chief Sealth IHS Boys Varsity vs. Lakeside, at Southwest Athletic Complex, baseball field.
4:00 pm: Softball – West Seattle HS Girls Varsity vs. Holy Names Academy, at Alki Playfield
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: 6:30 tonight at Delridge Library (Brandon/Delridge), join this neighborhood council talking about topics including the future of Delridge Way itself, plus a presentation about the DIY Bikes program.
PIGEON POINT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: 7 pm tonight at Pathfinder K-8‘s cafeteria, join the northeasternmost neighborhood group in West Seattle to talk about local issues.
Lots more – including three trivia/quiz nights! – on the calendar.
DINE OUT FOR ROXHILL ON TUESDAY: Tomorrow at Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) in Fauntleroy, 8 am-10 pm, 25 percent of the proceeds go to Roxhill Elementary
BADA BISTRO ADDS LUNCH: Co-owner Sharon Bang sends word that the 61st/Alki restaurant/bar is adding lunch starting today, open at 11 am weekdays and 10 am weekends.
SEATTLE RESTAURANT WEEK: This is actually a two-week promotion, Sundays through Thursdays this week and next, with “3 courses for $28” offerings at restaurants around the region, and two WSB sponsors are among the participants – La Romanza Bistro Italiano in The Junction (here’s its SRW page – note that LR is closed Mondays) and Salty’s on Alki (here’s its SRW page).
PHOENECIA ‘WHIMSICAL’ WINE DINNER: Food, wine, and – fairy tales? Phoenecia on Alki is accepting reservations for a special 6-course, $75 wine dinner tomorrow night – read about it here and then call to check if there’s room.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: The commute is on. Might be busier than last week – the independent schools that were on Easter break last week are back today. (Seattle Public Schools will be on spring break next week.) And one more reminder for boat commuters: The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s spring/summer/etc. schedule starts today. Looking ahead to tonight – it’ll be busy in the stadium zone because of the Mariners‘ home opener (vs. Houston, 7:10 pm).
ADDED 4:02 PM: A Washington State Ferries update:
Beginning Tuesday, Apr. 9, the 64-car Salish will service the F/V/SW route while the 90-car Sealth returns to the San Juan Islands to temporarily replace the Yakima. The three-boat weekday schedule will continue to be in effect. Please plan for additional wait times during the morning and afternoon commutes due to the decrease in vessel capacity.
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 that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?”:
*On the morning of Monday the 1st, a 59-year-old Admiral resident was booked into King County Jail after he pointed a handgun at three construction workers at the home next door and ordered them to “Get the “F(&*” out of there!” When questioned by an officer, he repeatedly denied having pointed a weapon. Interestingly, when he admitted he had a gun and told the officers where to retrieve it, it matched the victims’ descriptions perfectly. The police report noted that the gun had one round in the chamber and 13 rounds in the magazine. He will be investigated for harassment.
Four more summaries ahead:Read More
Reminder that the West Seattle Water Taxi starts its spring/summer/fall schedule tomorrow, which means not only 7-day-a-week operation, but also the return of midday runs, since the winter schedule only handles the morning and afternoon commutes. You can see the new schedule here. But don’t expect to see the newly acquired vessel Spirit of Kingston tomorrow; county reps told WSB earlier this week that crew members are training and other work is under way before they put it into service to replace Rachel Marie (shown above in a WSB file photo).
More than 70 sales are now on the list for the ninth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, just under five weeks away, Saturday, May 11th. Thanks to everyone who’s registered so far to help make sure it’s a big, fun day of selling and shopping, finding new treasures and meeting neighbors you never knew you had – sales all over the peninsula, usually more than 200, from Admiral to The Arroyos, Pigeon Point to Highland Park, and sometimes beyond! If you have signed up, please be sure you have a receipt from PayPal as well as the confirmation from us – our records so far show a few people have made it through the first part of the process but not the rest of the way – e-mail garagesale@westseattleblog.com if you’re not sure. Ready to sign up? Here’s the link!
If you want to participate but don’t have room for a sale or just don’t have that much stuff, the two traditional group sites (both WSB sponsors) are doing it again. The courtyard/parking lot area between Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW) and Ginomai art center is open for registration, reports Hotwire’s Lora Swift – e-mail her at info@hotwirecoffee.com to reserve a free space! Lora will then follow up as the date gets closer with a PDF map of the courtyard/lot showing where you’ll be. Meantime, C & P Coffee Company also is participating again – we don’t have details of their signup process yet, but we’d suggest inquiring at the shop. Whether you’ll be selling or shopping (or both), watch for updates on the official website and the official Facebook page., as well as here on WSB.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
With the Jumbo Fairpartner finally docking on Saturday – four days after its much-watched arrival in Elliott Bay – its cargo, the Highway 99 tunnel machine dubbed “Bertha,” is now coming ashore in its 41 pieces. Today, the most recognizable one – its “face,” aka cutterhead – was offloaded. WSDOT invited media onto the site for a quick look, and WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there.
The media opportunity ended before the machine’s 886-ton cutterhead was moved off the dock – but there were interesting views of the launch pit too, ahead:
Silent auctions are a bit like shopping at sales – though you’re never sure if you’re going to have the winning bid – with a bonus payoff: You know your money’s going to do good work. In the case of “Catsino,” under way at Beveridge Place Pub in Morgan Junction until 6 pm, it’s going to help those who can’t speak or fight for themselves – animals. There are so many circumstances in which the organizations behind the event – presented by Furry Faces Foundation – step in. If furry friends like Nora could say thanks, we’re sure they would:
In addition to the beneficiaries, Catsino also involves local businesses and groups who are sponsoring – and staffing! – the just-for-fun game tables, like Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), whose Anne Higuera is at right in our next photo:
Ventana’s offering a “Carpenter for a Day” item in the silent auction, we noticed, so go bid! The fun’s not even half over. The pub’s at 6413 California SW.
Though their playing season is still a ways off, Chief Sealth International High School‘s football team is keeping busy. They’re joining in Seattle’s Walk MS next weekend and asking you to support the cause on their behalf. Here’s the message Sealth head football coach Luther Carr asked us to share:
A few days left: Chief Sealth Football is participating in WALK MS this year April 14, 2013. Please donate to MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society on behalf of CSI FB Seahawks (Chief Sealth International Football).
This annual walk is a community service event organized throughout the country to increase awareness and fundraise for the research of Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). This condition affects millions worldwide. Some of the symptoms of those with this condition experience periods of numbness, loss of sensitivity, muscle spasms, loss of speech, fatigue, and blindness. Episodes can occur without warning and without any inciting factors lasting days, weeks or months. I personally decided to get involved because a friend lost his sight in one eye as a result of MS. Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for many people with Multiple Sclerosis. To learn more about MS go to nationalmssociety.org. To learn more about WALK MS Seattle 2013, go (here).
Walk MS 2013 is a great opportunity for Chief Sealth High School football players. They are fundraising for a worldwide condition that affects millions, and has no cure. They are also learning the act of service! As an added benefit, each player will also earn community service credit hours needed to graduate from Seattle Public Schools.
No donation is too small or too large, says Coach Carr – you can donate through the CSI team page by going here.
10:56 AM: California Way is blocked by a downed tree. We are here checking it out. Police are on scene turning traffic back. SDOT is here cutting up the tree.
11:26 AM: Please comment or otherwise let us know if you go through the area and it’s clear – there are no official updates on things like this and we won’t be going back to check for a while. Thanks!
3:10 PM: Commenters say it’s still closed and might not open for hours to come.
7:51 PM: Thanks to everyone who has reported the road has reopened.
10:25 AM: Rain or shine, the games must go on! Thanks to Tim McMonigle for the reminder that today is the start of West Seattle Soccer Club‘s spring Champions League – and it’s a record-setting season even at the start, with more than 1,400 players and 260+ coaches participating. As Tim explains, the league is so named because the U6-U13 players are organized into “teams representing the current participants in the UEFA Champions League over in Europe.” It’s an eight-game season of Sunday afternoon matches, through June 9th (no games on Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekends).
3:42 PM: Added photos after stopping by High Point’s Walt Hundley Playfield – one of many fields where play kicked off today.
(Black-capped chickadee with big-leaf-maple bud, by Trileigh Tucker)
Another drizzly day – but no need to stay home for the entirety of it! (Although, if you are heading south, remember the I-5 lane closures when you head back this way.) From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MASTER GARDENERS AT WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: You know it’s growing season when the Master Gardeners return to the Farmers’ Market to answer your questions! 10 am-1:45 pm most Sundays till fall – details here. (44th/Alaska)
BACKYARD COTTAGE OPEN HOUSE: Not in WS, but not too far – West Seattle’s Ncompass Cottage Company (WSB sponsor) is showing off its newest project in Seward Park, and that’s potentially of interest to anyone looking at building a backyard cottage. 1-4 pm open house. (6335 Wilson Avenue S.)
BENEFIT WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENSE CLASS: 1:30 pm at Seattle Integrated Martial Arts – details here. (4159 Fauntleroy Way SW)
CATSINO: A silent auction and just-for-fun casino-style games are the hallmarks of this annual fun(draiser) for animal advocacy organizations – 2-6 pm at Beveridge Place Pub; details here. (6451 California SW)
MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: Singer-songwriter Alan Ehrlich performs 3-5 pm – details here. (5612 California SW)
CANCER’S A DRAG: 5-7 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), Booze, Balls & Bingo presents a drag-bingo benefit for cancer-fighting Team Tracy – details here. (6413 California SW)
8:53 AM: We missed it, but at least a few people in West Seattle didn’t, judging by the morning inbox: There was a 3.5 earthquake in the South Sound (centered west of Key Center) just before 2 am. Here’s its infopage. Not major by any measure, but also, on the stronger side of “small” earthquakes. No reports of damage (that we can find). Those who e-mailed us about feeling it here described it as a short, sharp shake.
3:06 PM: As the day goes on, people are talking about preparedness, since a quake is always a jolting reminder – here’s a great place to start: westseattlebeprepared.org.
(Hemiptera, photographed in Lincoln Park by Machel Spence)
The Fauntleroy Community Association has been working for months to plan two “Celebrate Lincoln Park” events – and now, they’re just weeks away. As announced by FCA’s Carolyn Duncan:
Celebrate Lincoln Park, Part I on Tuesday, April 23, at The Hall at Fauntleroy will have information tables from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and presentations about the history, creatures, and ecological importance of the park from 7 to 8 pm.
Seattle Parks and Recreation Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams will be there to share management and strategic planning news in response to last year’s controversy over a staff proposal to add a commercial zip line to the park. Since dropping the proposal, he and his staff have been working collaboratively with FCA to build a better relationship with neighbors and users of the park. Alliance
Information tables will include representatives from Seal Sitters, the Whale Trail, Fauntleroy YMCA, Seattle Parks, Puget Sound Partnership, Seattle Animal Control, Friends of Lincoln Park, and the Alliance for Lincoln Park Nature. Speakers in addition to Williams will be local historian Judy Pickens, Seattle University Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Trileigh Tucker, and Friends of Lincoln Park President Sharon Baker.
Celebrate Lincoln Park, Part II on Saturday, April 27, will take advantage of a minus 2.6-foot tide to help park visitors see and learn about sea life along the beach and in the water. Volunteer beach naturalists and Seal Sitters, plus staff from the Seattle Aquarium, will be on hand. Local experts in birds, marine life, plants, ecology, nature photography, and art will lead nature walks and creative activities in the forested upper part of the park. The four-hour window for participating will be 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. All activities will start in the south part of the park. Signs and volunteers will direct visitors to activities.
All activities will be free. Watch for updates at fauntleroy.net.
Not only does 6-year-old Beckett Howard-Kuzma of Seaview play basketball, he loves to watch hoops – and has an extra incentive to be watching as the NCAA men’s tournament plays out with Final Four games today and the championship Monday. As reported last night by our partners at The Seattle Times, Beckett has such a keen eye for talent that his ESPN Tournament Challenge bracket is tied for #6 out of more than eight million entries! Beckett’s proud mom Kelly Howard contacted us to share the news with West Seattle neighbors. She says her son “actually has 3 brackets going. They are all in the top 1% of the ESPN bracket challenge. He did pick Florida Gulf Coast to advance to the 2nd round in his 2 other brackets (but not the bracket that is #6 overall).” And she says the kindergartener “loves math and numbers in general.” Plus basketball – he played this winter via the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) and even plays while visiting his grandparents in Arbor Heights, who put up a backyard hoop in his honor. You can see Beckett’s bracket here. What might he win besides bragging rights, you ask? All entries in the top 1 percent are entered in a drawing for a $10,000 Best Buy gift card.
5:57 PM UPDATE: Beckett’s pick for today’s first game was the winner – and he’s now tied for #4!
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Happy 3rd anniversary to Lori and Tim McConnell and their business West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), celebrating with a sale through tomorrow! (That’s Hombre the greyhound with them in our photo.) When we first reported on their plan in February 2010, it was the most-commented-on new-business report ever – with WSB’ers enthusing that the area really needed this kind of shop, not just for the retail, but also for a coalescing point for the running community. Their milestones along the way have even included co-launching a brand-new event, the Float Dodger 5K preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade; the second annual FD5K is in the works for July 20th. Speaking of 5K’s, if you make it to West Seattle Runner before 4 pm today, it’s one last chance at an earlybird-discount signup for the West Seattle 5K, which is coming up May 19th:
(WS5K race director Jeff Mensing at left with WSHS PTSA president Tracy Burrows and Jim Donovan)
The WS5K is a benefit for the West Seattle High School PTSA, and will kick off a doubleheader of Alki events again this year, with Seattle Summer Streets following the run/walk. (WSB has been a proud sponsor every year since it launched in 2009.) If you can’t get to WS Runner before 4, you’ve got plenty of time to sign up online, at the regular rate
(WSDOT photo from this afternoon, added here Saturday night)
Since its arrival Tuesday, the Jumbo Fairpartner – carrying “Bertha” the tunneling machine, in 41 pieces – has been anchored off West Seattle’s northeastern shore. Today, it finally sailed the rest of the way to Terminal 46, which means the WSDOT webcam is now live – it’s a live-video camera, too. The most recent tweet from @BerthaDigsSR99 says unloading might start later today.
Five reader reports to share today in West Seattle Crime Watch: First, Stephanie‘s car was stolen overnight and she hopes you will watch for it:
I’d like to report a stolen Subaru Outback from Beach Drive SW near Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. The theft happened between 9 pm last night and 8 am this morning. It’s a dark red car, license AJT2684.
(SUNDAY UPDATE: Stephanie reports her car’s been found – in Everett.)
(back to original Saturday report) Next – two reader-report links from the WSB Forums, in case you can help but haven’t seen them yet – the search for a hit-run driver, and the search for whomever owns a most-likely-stolen bike dumped in a local yard.
Finally, two car-prowl reports from earlier this week, which got lost in our queue while Crime Watch was overtaken for several days with high-profile incidents – read on:
SATURDAY, 11:41 AM: You have lots of time left – till 3 pm! – to donate food and/or money TODAY to the West Seattle Food Bank, with the help of West Seattle Kiwanis members like Linda Cox, shown here with local Key Club members helping out. As noted in our daily highlights, dropoff spots include PCC Natural Markets (California/Stevens), where we photographed this team, West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy), Metropolitan Market (42nd/Admiral), and the Junction QFC (42nd/Alaska).
MONDAY MORNING P.S. – Via the WS Food Bank’s Facebook page, we’ve learned the drive brought in “1800 pounds of food and $773.95!”
Also leading their divisions in the Metro League this spring high-school-sports season: Chief Sealth International High School‘s softball team and soccer team, both notching wins on Friday.
Per the soccer standings in The Seattle Times (WSB partner), the Seahawks are undefeated in the Metro League’s Sound Division, after Friday’s 9-0 win over Rainier Beach. Next game is against West Seattle HS, 4 pm Tuesday at Southwest Athletic Complex.
The Seahawks softball team, meantime, are shown in The Times’ standings with one league loss; their Friday win was 14-4 over Sammamish, per the @SealthAthletics Twitter feed. Next game: 3:30 pm Wednesday vs. Nathan Hale, at Meadowbrook.
West Seattle High School‘s baseball team is atop its division and celebrating its latest win, 11-1 over Nathan Hale on Friday afternoon. Thanks again to Greg Slader for game photos and summary:
The varsity baseball team returned home for a rematch against Nathan Hale after Wednesday’s loss. Ben Wexler (#28, top photo) pitched a complete game (six innings) with five strikeouts and one earned run. Graham French (#25, photo below) added to the offense with a double and two runs scored as the team hit very well and scored 11 runs in six innings.
Next WSHS baseball game is also at home, so it’s your next chance to go cheer the team on: Monday against O’Dea, 3:30 pm at Hiawatha (next to the school).
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