West Seattle, Washington
12 Sunday
(Newly paved stretch of Beach Drive, Juneau to Atlas, completed Thursday)
Happy Friday! Here are highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar, on the eve of autumn (the equinox is at 7:49 am our time Saturday):
FOOD DRIVE: As part of the United Way Day of Caring, Microsoft employees will be at Westwood Village QFC 10 am-1 pm collecting food and money donations for the White Center Food Bank.
BALLROOM DANCING: 1:30-3:30 pm at Delridge Community Center (Delridge Way SW south of SW Genesee) – the monthly event with Lauren Petrie.
HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL: West Seattle High School hosts Cleveland at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), 7 pm. (The full sports schedule for WSHS and Chief Sealth, daily, is always linked from our calendar.)
WINE TASTING: 6-7:30 pm at Bin 41 in The Junction, a “Washington Wine Medley,” in conjunction with West Seattle distributor Elliott Bay, also featuring “a couple wines from our neighbors in Oregon.”
WCCDA DINNER: As previewed on partner site White Center Now last week, trailblazing King County Councilmember Larry Gossett is the featured speaker at tonight’s White Center Community Development Association‘s 10th annual dinner/auction, 6-9 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center (south end of the campus at 6000 16th SW). Ticket info here.
RESTORATIVE YOGA AT SOUNDYOGA: 6:30 tonight with Milo Minnis, “no experience needed” – a great way to follow a busy week. SoundYoga (WSB sponsor; 5639 California SW) – details in the calendar listing.
MOVIE NIGHT IN HIGHLAND PARK: At HP Improvement Club (12th/Holden) tonight, doors open at 6:30 pm, movie at 7. Here’s the rest of the announcement:
Volunteers will be selling popcorn, candy and other movie fare. Bring blankets and pillows or sit in our chairs. Movie hint: In this 1985 classic, a group of kids embark on a wild adventure to save their neighborhood from dastardly developers after finding a pirate treasure map. Free admission! Please bring your family and friends and join us!
LIVE MUSIC: Lots of it tonight! Follow the links to calendar listings with details. Sid Law at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm … Coven and Demon Dogs (CD release party) at Skylark Café and Club, 8 pm … Kimball and The Fugitives at The Cask, 8 pm … Barbie Anaka at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … NMERCER and PonyHomie at The Benbow Room, 9 pm … Flat 5 at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9:30 pm
More for today/tonight – plus a preview of the weekend! – on the calendar.
Thanks to Barry for the sunset view above, and to Chad for the one below. The spectacular-sunset streak may not last too much longer, if the newest forecast is accurate – it’s predicting a string of cloudy days, starting shortly.
P.S. The National Weather Service offers this observation re: our rainlessness (sorry, the caps are theirs):
THE RECORD FOR THE LEAST NUMBER OF DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FOR THE AUGUST 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 30TH TIME FRAME FOR SEATTLE IS 4 DAYS SET IN 1974. SO FAR THIS YEAR WE HAVE HAD ONLY 2 DAYS. THE RECORD FOR THE DRIEST AUGUST 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 30TH ON RECORD FOR SEATTLE IS 0.19 INCHES SET IN 1993. CURRENTLY THERE HAS ONLY BEEN 0.02 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE AUGUST 1ST. BOTH OF THESE RECORDS INCLUDE THE FEDERAL BUILDING RECORDS WHICH GO BACK TO 1891.
From Karen:
Sometime in the middle of the night, my 1998 Red Honda CRV was stolen from in front of my house on the 7300 block of 29th SW. Police report has been filed. CRV has older Yakima rack with roof mounted bike rack and rear tire mounted Thule 2 bike rack (silver and black). License plate 649VJZ, just in case any WSB readers see an out-of-place Red CRV matching description.
(WSB photo from last April’s Recycle Roundup)
This Sunday brings another chance for you to recycle no-longer-needed and/or no-longer-working electronics, among other things, as Fauntleroy Church hosts another of its twice-a-year Recycle Roundups with 1 Green Planet. Check the list on the official flyer – it’s a LONG list! – those are the items you’re welcome to drop off in the church parking lot, 9140 California SW, between 9 am and 3 pm on Sunday (September 23). Last time around, participants dropped off a record 16 tons of recyclables!
Six more Thursday nights till the November 6th election – which means six more chances for you to be part of a unique joint-effort phone bank in support of marriage-equality Referendum 74. We photographed the volunteers tonight in the room where they’ve been working at the building shared by Alki UCC and Kol HaNeshamah. They would love to have more volunteers – training and food are provided; you’re asked to bring a laptop and cell phone. It’s a standing listing for 5:30-8:30 pm Thursdays on the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar – see it here.
(SIDE NOTE: If you are just starting to pay attention to this fall’s issues – Referendum 74 started with the Legislature and Governor Gregoire making same-sex marriage legal; opponents gathered signatures to put the new law to voters as a referendum. If the majority of voters vote to approve R-74, the law is affirmed; if more voters reject it, it is overturned. Read the full text of the law here.)
Another beautiful evening. And more to come. Going to the park? Thinking about a way? Take it one step further. Or maybe 100 steps further. Longtime WSB sponsor Fitness Together (headquartered in The Junction) came up with “The Lincoln Park Workout” and put it on video, as one way to enjoy the entirety of West Seattle’s biggest park, while getting a sizable amount of exercise. (You can break it down into components, too, if you just want to do part of it.)
Thursday is when state and local transportation planners go public with updates on road-closure schedules, and we have advance warning of the next both-directions Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closure: Friday night 10/5 through Sunday afternoon 10/7, according to this roundup of all major closures/changes.
2:56 PM: If you’re in Arbor Heights and wondering about the notable police presence – there’s a search under way for a hit-run driver, according to Seattle Police. After the crash – for which we don’t have full details yet – the driver parked and ran, with a citizen in pursuit for a while.
3:03 PM: We’re in the neighborhood where it happened, 44th SW south of SW 98th. Nobody hurt. An SPD K-9 team just arrived to join the search. The driver is described as a bald Caucasian man, white T-shirt and blue jeans. He was driving a blue sedan that smashed into a parked white Suburban.
Call this a followup to a followup. As requested by Mayor McGinn last week, the FAA has scheduled a south-end meeting “in response to community concerns about air traffic issues over Seattle,” according to the mayor’s spokesperson Aaron Pickus. He says the meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23 from 6-8 pm at NewHolly Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave. South. The mayor’s letter was inspired in part by Alki Community Council president Tony Fragada bringing up concerns about the “Greener Skies” air-traffic proposal at the August 28 mayoral town hall at Southwest Teen Life Center. Tonight, in fact, the ACC’s monthly meeting includes a followup on “Greener Skies”; the public’s welcome as always, 7 pm, Alki UCC (61st and Hinds).
UPDATE: According to the Quieter Skies Task Force, the NewHolly Hall meeting is now at 6:30-8:30 pm on October 23rd.
Lots of informative but photo-less news so far today – so we’re glad this just arrived to save the day! Thanks to Relaena from Sindelar Marketing for sharing her photo of a scene from the east Alki shore. Sunny up here in Upper Fauntleroy now, after a socked-in morning; hope the sun has finally arrived where you are, too!
And just out of the WSB inbox: Next Thursday, you’re invited to come talk about community safety as part of the city’s “Safe Communities” program. 7-9 pm September 27th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). And it’s a conversation, not a meeting, as the invitation-format announcement makes clear:Read More
Diane, an avid library user, says she hadn’t heard about this till spotting a sign in a local branch, so we’re mentioning it to make sure you’re not caught by surprise: All Seattle Public Library branches are closed for staff members’ in-service day next Thursday, September 27th.
In the days leading up to the announcement of his budget proposal for next year, Mayor McGinn has been parceling out parts of the plan. Today’s announcement: 10 extra hours a week for each of seven community centers in the city, after-school and late-night, to “provid(e) at-risk youth with additional safe outlets outside school hours.” Two are in this area: Delridge and South Park. The announcement also included $1.68 million for expansion of the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative.
In West Seattle Crime Watch – four reader reports about three incidents. First, an attempted burglary as told by both the victim and the neighbor who interrupted. Read More
The city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin is out, and there are two projects potentially of note to neighbors who might want to comment:
3829 CALIFORNIA SW: We’ve reported before on this proposal for a 3-story, 30-unit, 30-parking-space apartment building. It’s been through Early Design Guidance; no date set yet for the second Design Review meeting, but the developers have officially applied for a Master Use Permit, which triggers a new comment period. The official notice has information on how to get your comment(s) to the city (deadline October 3rd).
4526 41st SW: This application would subdivide one Junction lot into four, with townhome plans already under consideration. Here’s the official notice, with a link for public comment (deadline October 3rd).
P.S. The city offers tips on making “effective public comments” – see them here.
Forecast says we’ll be fogless later. Socked in right now, though, as SDOT/WSDOT cams show (more on the WSB Traffic page). Highlights for today/tonight:
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERT: Southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closed from the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm-5 am.
ARTIST SIGN-UPS: Two events are accepting registrations right now, and both have listings on the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar – follow these links for info: Fauntleroy Fine Art and Gift Fair and the Community Art Showcase at Southwest Library.
CIRCLE OF SINGLES: Those 55 and up interested in friendship, a night out, walking/hiking, and other activities are invited to a meetup at the Heartland Café, 5 pm; details in the calendar listing.
‘GAY AND GRAY?’ So begins the invite for a meeting/social tonight at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon) for LGBT adults 50 and over, 6-8 pm.
DELRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER OPEN HOUSE: Come find out about classes, facilities, and more at your neighborhood community center (on Delridge south of Genesee)! Stop by 6:30-8 pm.
GREEN CLEANING! Learn about it at a class tonight at Chaco Canyon Organic Café, 6:30 pm – call the class leader in advance to make sure there’s room (full details here).
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: The agenda includes a discussion of the air-traffic-change proposal Greener Skies (latest WSB coverage is here and here), 7 pm at Alki UCC (6112 SW Hinds).
QUEEN, LIVE IN BUDAPEST, ON THE BIG SCREEN: Special screening at The Admiral Theater tonight, 7 pm – the only one in Seattle! Ticket info here.
NIGHTLIFE: The Deep Cuts (DJs!) at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … Kurtis Dengler at The Cask, 8 pm … Three bands at Skylark Café and Club, 8 pm … Tonight’s the twice-monthly comedy open mike and showcase at The Benbow Room, signups at 8:30 and show at 9.
Last month, we published a call for tutors from a program called Invest in Youth that helps students at four Seattle Public Schools including Roxhill Elementary. They are glad to report that some prospective tutors have stepped up – but they need three more for this school year, so they can help the maximum number of students who could benefit from the program. Orientation is coming up next week, and tutoring sessions start the first week of October; tutors in this program visit Roxhill after school on Tuesdays. To find out more and/or sign up – go here.
Night after night, brilliant colors take over the sky before, during, and after the sun’s exit behind the Olympic Mountains. Tonight, Maggie caught the view from a state ferry on the Fauntleroy-Vashon run, and shared the photo via Twitter.
We have all heard that the flip side of the vivid sunsets and sunrises is smoke from fires burning in central and eastern Washington. Here is a view of some of them, courtesy of West Seattle pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen:
(Click for larger image)
He says the photograph was taken near Cle Elum.
“I see something remarkable happening at Sanislo Elementary School,” librarian Craig Seasholes told us via e-mail. Yesterday, he continued, 
“I unloaded 12 more boxes of books to give to teachers’ classroom libraries and students for home reading donated by recently retired, former Sanislo teacher Mary Nine.” (Added – Craig’s photo of Mary, at left) “This brings a total of something like … 1200 books she’s made available at the start of this school year.” Then today, we dropped by during when Joan Abrevaya of the Friends of Seattle Public Library brought “a donation of another 300 high-quality fiction titles for teachers to add to their classroom collections.” Seasholes is in our photo, above, with her – and boxes of books. This isn’t the first gift from them, either, he says: “Last June the Friends of SPL and discoverbooks.com donated 3000 books in time for Sanislo students’ summer reading.” And they’re grateful, he says, for the gifts! Books are a very big deal at Sanislo, which always has big participation in the Global Reading Challenge, among other initiatives.
(Photo courtesy Karl Sutter)
Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s Warren Lawless received a big honor from his club tonight – commemorating his half-century of involvement. The honor was bestowed tonight during the club’s installation banquet at the Duwamish Longhouse in West Seattle. Lawless, 94, has been a community and business leader for even longer; among his more recent awards is the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s Community Service Award in 2008 (WSB coverage here).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Absolutely amazing” is how Chief Sealth International High School‘s second-year principal Chris Kinsey described the school year’s start, speaking last night to the Sealth PTSA, which is led by new president Ted Reed.
The principal’s assessment is in part thanks to the school’s continued enrollment growth. Kinsey said that as of right before the meeting, Sealth had 1,286 students enrolled – about 40 more than when he delivered the same report to the first meeting of last school year – but in a different context, “We were down to 800 a few years ago … this community has grown this school in a direction that’s pretty powerful.”
The enrollment also brings challenges. Sealth added portable classrooms this year, and announced last night that the assembly is finally complete; class sizes are still big (up to 35 students) and he said they’re waiting to find out how many additional teachers they will be able to hire, in addition to filling some openings they already had – including music, health, chemistry. The principal said he is advocating with this area’s executive director of schools Carmela Dellino to get some additional teaching resources.
Kinsey also had words of praise for the Link Crew upperclassmen-mentoring-freshmen program that Sealth is using as of this year (WSB coverage here); “We are off to an exciting start.”
Ahead, more reasons why he made that assessment – including college visits and after-school activities – as well as other information shared at the meeting:Read More
Just last week, we reported that the city’s Delridge Way SW repaving project had gone out to bid. Today, SDOT sends word that the project – Orchard to Henderson for sure, possibly also including Henderson to Roxbury on Delridge and 16th – will start in January and last up to a year, with crews working in phases, south to north. A pre-construction open house has just been scheduled for Tuesday, October 2nd, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Learning Resource Center/Library at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). As reported previously, reconfiguration/rechannelization between Myrtle and Kenyon is also part of this project – and there’s now a webpage with graphics/map, here.
(Theft victim’s car in tow-company lot, marked “NIDDLES (needles) … BIOHAZARD”)
Just in from the City Council – a news release announcing that the proposal to limit fees in cases of “involuntary towing” has passed a committee vote and is headed for the full council next week. We reported on the proposal earlier this month. We incluided the proposal with the story of a West Seattle woman who first lost her car (above) to theft and then had to sign it over to a towing company because she couldn’t afford the fees that had amassed since it was found and towed without prompt notification. Read on for the council announcement:Read More
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