West Seattle, Washington
14 Tuesday
Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Omsho Crysalis, whose co-owner Kate Reust says, “I’ve had the honor of treating clients from around the world. I’ve had them ask me to move closer to their homes – and always joke they should move to our corner of heaven instead. 
Welcome to our corner of heaven! It’s got to be about finding the right fit for your body’s needs and someone that you ‘mesh’ with. Finding the care providers that can truly listen to what your body is saying – and then provide you with the best course of care. Our team of care providers work to help you experience excellence. If we don’t provide something you need we’ll work to make a referral to a skilled practitioner that fits your needs. Being able to ‘listen’ is a learned, practiced and perfected skill – one that has to be experienced. My skills and years as a medical and body empath deepen my abilities to educate clients through every service that we provide.”
Also about her work at Omsho Crysalis, Kate (pictured at right with co-owner Al Reust) adds, “Often when working with a client – either with bodywork, the Biometric Surveys, or through homeopathic and nutritional intervention – I find that we’re able to ‘connect the dots’ that were being treated as separate issues by their other health-care practitioners. We believe that our job is to educate. When our clients have knowledge, they are able to make the best informed decision on their care and life changes that they need. … With 20 years as a massage practitioner in Washington, I’ve developed deep therapy techniques that allow me to facilitate deep therapeutic work, without the pain often experienced with deep tissue work. I’m also endorsed and experienced in Cranial IntraOral – working to identify and resolve such issues as TMJ, Migraine, concussion, complex whiplash and other traumas of the face, head and neck.” Omsho Crysalis is a member of the new Admiral District Business Association, located in West Seattle at 4222 SW Walker, #5 (also with a location in the Municipal Tower downtown), and online at OmshoCrysalis.com.
We thank Omsho Crysalis for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Three notes this afternoon for those interested (or already enrolled!) in Seattle Public Schools‘ new K-5 STEM at Boren, opening in West Seattle this fall:
PLAYDATE THIS SUNDAY: Families of some of the 229 students already assigned to the new school are gathering this Sunday, and those who haven’t made up their minds are invited too. Here’s the announcement we received:
If you have a child attending the new K-5 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School, or are on the fence, please join the new STEM community for the first playdate this Sunday at noon! It’s a great opportunity for the kids and parents to get to know each other. We are taking the first steps towards organizing a PTA/PTO and need active participation to making the important initial decisions!
We will meet at the Fauntleroy Children’s Center‘s playground behind the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (thank you FCC for supporting our new school!).
Also, join the online discussions and share information through the community Yahoo! group:
groups.yahoo.com/group/K5STEM/It’s not too late to apply! The district has indicated that they will add classes if they have enough additional applicants to fill them – Be the change you want to see in public education and take advantage of this unique opportunity to create the dream! (Here’s the link.)
DESIGN TEAM UPDATE: The district continues to post notes from the ongoing K-5 STEM at Boren Design Team meetings, and the report on this past Wednesday’s meeting is here; the report mentions “handouts,” regarding the curriculum discussion the team is having, and those can be seen here. The Design Team’s next meeting is at 6:15 pm May 10th at Madison Middle School.
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT LEAVING: While not directly about the K-5 STEM at Boren school, it’s the project in which West Seattleites had seen the most of assistant superintendent for teaching and learning Dr. Cathy Thompson lately, so we’re mentioning here that she announced today she’s leaving the district. Dr. Thompson is a West Seattleite, with her district background including time as principal at Roxhill Elementary, and she had been a very visible figure at early public meetings regarding the new K-5 STEM school, as well as ongoing involvement. Click ahead to read Dr. Thompson’s announcement:Read More
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, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:
*Around noon on Saturday, a male driver pursued and harassed a female driver from Avalon and 35th all the way to downtown. He employed a variety of methods: tailgating, honking, flipping her off, and swerving through traffic to first pass and then pull into her lane before slamming on the brakes. He followed her off the 4th Avenue off-ramp, toward downtown, continuing the honking, flipping, and tailgating until she was able to lose him on some side streets. He was described as a white male with brown hair. He drove a four-door black Lexus that is registered to an address in the Admiral area.
*Wednesday afternoon at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park, a Highland Park resident noticed that another park-goer’s “very large dogs” were off-leash. She asked that he leash them, especially because her own three (leashed) dogs could be aggressive. The 66-year-old responded to this request by raising his hand to her and saying “You need to be punched.” He later told an officer that the woman was a “busybody” who liked to tell people what to do. He agreed that his use of words had been threatening and was sorry about the incident. The report does not state whether the Beach Drive-area resident was cited for having his dogs off leash.
*Monday afternoon, an allegedly intoxicated man and his friend fled the scene of a Alaska Junction apartment building after arguing with (and head-butting) a woman for being too slow in getting off an elevator.
Five more summaries ahead, including a “Facebook flirtation” gone wrong:Read More
(WSB photo from 2011 West Seattle 5K)
Run with your dog! Run with your kids! Your parents! (You can walk too, of course …) Three weeks from Sunday, the West Seattle 5K steps up to the starting line in Alki as the first half of an always-fun day, followed by car-free Seattle Summer Streets along a few blocks of beachfront Alki Avenue SW. WSB is proud to have co-sponsored the West Seattle 5K since its very first year, and it’s always cool to cover, too, especially if YOU are there. If you haven’t already registered, the earlybird rate expires next Thursday, so you might as well sign up now – then join the fun at 9 am Sunday, May 20th.
If you’ve noticed trucks like these around the Admiral District – including around Hiawatha Community Center – no, it’s NOT a movie crew; it’s World Famous Inc., shooting a corporate video for Microsoft. Thanks to Forest for the heads-up about an alert posted at Hiawatha in advance of the shoot, which caught lots of attention this morning (thanks also to those who texted and e-mailed!). The crew told us they’ll be around till noon or so, and that they chose West Seattle for their backdrop just because it’s scenic! (P.S. According to the Seattle Office of Film and Music‘s website, corporate/commercial production like this comprises a third of the “permitted filmwork” in our city.)
ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: The crew was also at an Admiral-area home – Ted Johnson shared this photo via the WSB Facebook page:
Two notes about local restaurants joining in dine-out fundraisers:
‘DINING OUT FOR LIFE’ POSTSCRIPT: Last night we stopped by Skylark Café and Club, one of four West Seattle/White Center venues that joined in Lifelong AIDS Alliance‘s annual dine-out fundraiser, to say hi to the on-site DO4L ambassadors: Bill Wiesenbach and Lorraine Fournier.
‘DINE OUT FOR HUNGER’ NEXT WEDNESDAY: We’re seeing lots of incoming e-mail reminders about Give Big, the one-day event next Wednesday (May 2nd) to encourage people to donate to participating nonprofits via the Seattle Foundation, which promises a “stretch pool” to provide some matching funds to those nonprofits. One local participant, White Center Food Bank, is going all-out, as noted on partner site White Center Now – including an event Wednesday night called “Dine Out for Hunger”: Proletariat Pizza and Zippy’s Giant Burgers are both donating a cut of dinner proceeds that night to WC Food Bank.
(“Surfing” West Seattle! Photo by J. Patzer Photography, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
A few highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
COLLEGE AND CAREER INFO FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES: You’re invited to an event – including dinner! – at High Point Neighborhood Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW), 4:30-7 pm, to help students and families look ahead to college and careers. Details here.
GOING FOR #12: Chief Sealth International High School‘s undefeated boys-varsity soccer team (now ranked #4 in the state!) goes for hosting Bainbridge tonight at 6. Here’s how athletic director Sam Reed described the matchup via all-school e-mail (republished here with permission):
The Seahawks will host Metro Mountain division leaders and the #2 ranked team in state, the Bainbridge Spartans. Bainbridge played in the WIAA State Championship game last Spring and is currently 8-1-3 on the season. The varsity game will start at 6:00 pm (JV starts at 4:00 pm) and will be played across the street at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Admission is free.
(P.S. Sports schedules for both CSIHS and West Seattle High School are available daily via our calendar.)
SANISLO BENEFIT BASH: As previewed here earlier this week – tonight’s the Sanislo Elementary PTA‘s Annual Fund fun(draiser) at Highland Park Improvement Club, live music and more. 6:30-9 pm. Admission by donation; details here.
‘ELVIS’ AT THE SENIOR CENTER: The West Seattleite who won this year’s Elvis Invitationals (video above), Bret Wiggins, plays the Senior Center of West Seattle tonight, 7:30 pm – details here.
‘EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR’: Playwright Lauren Gunderson describes it as “part I Love Lucy, part Jacobean revenge tragedy, part feminist manifesto, part beautiful ballet, part nature special, and part 80′s power ballad,” according to the website for ArtsWest in The Junction, where its run continues with a 7:30 pm performance tonight (buy tickets online, here).
BLACK BANGS @ FEEDBACK LOUNGE: The Feedback (WSB sponsor) continues its 3rd-birthday festivities with a performance of the Black Bangs – fronted by Feedback GM Bradi Jones – at 9 tonight.
More on the calendar!
(2011 Delridge Day photo by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Saturday, August 18th, is the date set for this year’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council-presented Delridge Day, and though that’s almost four months away, organizers – who put it together at the last minute as something of a rescue operation last year! – are signing up sponsors and vendors NOW, as well as musicians. Here’s an update from Holli Margell:
Last year’s 5th Annual Delridge Day was a true community success. North Delridge Neighborhood Council’s Co-Secretary, Amanda Leonard, stepped up when the previous organizing group’s lack of funds threatened to cancel the festival. The result? A community-wide celebration that included the Delridge Skatepark Grand Opening, over 40 vendors and more than 2,000 attendees. Plans for an even bigger 2012 Delridge Day Festival are currently under way.
The 2012 Delridge Day Festival is planned for August 18th from 11 AM-3 PM at the Delridge [Community Center] Park. This year’s festival will feature two new activities: the first Alki Bike and Board Skate Contest and a music stage. Interested musicians can e-mail Chas Redmond at credmond@mac.com and provide links to their music.
The planning committee is working on securing sponsors and vendors to make this year’s event happen. The sponsorship and vendor fees not only support the festival, but also give back to the community as 15% of all fees are donated to the ARC (Associated Recreational Council), which provides scholarships for Community Center classes at the Delridge Community Center.
Vendor and Sponsor packets are available online at www.ndnc.org/delridgeday – which is also where to keep up with festival plans – or by emailing the planning committee at delridgeday@ndnc.org.
You’ve probably heard that ivy, while it may look lovely and rustic climbing on old brick buildings, for example, is an enemy to trees. Steve Richmond explains why, and invites you to a removal project tomorrow:
Did you know English ivy changes leaf shape and goes to seed when it climbs vertically? And while it’s strangling our trees, that birds eat the seed and spread it throughout our forests? Ivy plus blackberry (or any food source: bird feeders, unpicked fruit) also attracts rats – not what we want for a healthy city.
What can you do? Join us this Saturday at Sanislo School wetland to remove ivy. We’re also mulching bare soil to avoid erosion and prevent polluted runoff.
When: Saturday, April 28, 2012 (every 4th Saturday)
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Join for an hour or all day)
Where: Sanislo School Wetland; 1812 SW Myrtle, Seattle, WA 98106. Meet at front of school.
What to bring: Gloves, hand tiller (we’ll have extra, but write your name on your tools), weather-appropriate gear (rain or cold), hat/eye/sun protection, food/water/bottle, sturdy shoes/boots. Snacks and water provided.For info: pugetcreekwatershedalliance.org; Steve Richmond (206) 650-9807
No need to have expired and/or unneeded prescription drugs around the house … they can be dangerous for a variety of reasons – theft, abuse, poisoning, even water pollution if someone mistakenly thinks it’s OK to flush them or throw them down the drain … Whatever you have on hand, there’s an easy way to get rid of it tomorrow via Drug Take-Back Day – drop them off at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 10 am-2 pm. Seattle Police precincts around the city are participating, and this update from their SPD Blotter website explains.
You’ve heard the basic crime-prevention advice and probably follow it – standard advice such as lock your doors, close your windows, don’t leave anything in your car. But crime prevention goes beyond that. There are other steps you can take to make your property less attractive to criminals, and there’s an entire school of thought/advice called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn is trained in it, and this week, for the third time in 13 months, he gave a CPTED presentation to the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network. Seems like advice you just can’t hear TOO often, so we covered the meeting and his presentation, in case you couldn’t be there.Read More
Shared by Alki photographer David Hutchinson, who says, “My wife and I came across this Common Loon in Elliott Bay while walking near Salty’s this evening.” (The bird may be deemed “common” by name, but its beauty is anything but!)
According to the Denny International Middle School website, this day started with a Book Fair, and wrapped up with a Science Fair. The photo is from Denny principal Jeff Clark, who reports:
We had amazing projects and a great turn-out at the Denny International Middle School Science Fair tonight. Congratulations, Dolphins! Thank you to our terrific science teachers and volunteers!
Thanks to Rob for the photos from the ex-Genesee Hill School campus, where Seattle Public Schools has just fenced off building access – as they had told us two weeks ago that they planned to do in the “near future.”
District spokesperson Tom Redman had told WSB that they planned to fence off the buildings because of increasing crime – graffiti, other vandalism, break-ins – but that garden or field use wouldn’t be affected. Rob says that with the fencing, “The buildings are still accessible from the west side (51st) and the park is only accessible from the south end (Genesee Hill).”
Last month, the district had fenced off field access from SW Genesee, citing vandalism concerns.
Also from SDOT – heads-up for “rolling slowdowns” on the West Seattle Bridge next Monday:
The Seattle Department of Transportation will be inspecting the Fauntleroy Expressway bridge deck on April 30th between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right hand lane using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection will begin near West Seattle and move westbound. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3:00 p.m.
This is part of the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project; we took an up-close look at some of the earlier work for this story back in January.
(Photo shared by Lauren: Six of the Eturnalife scarves, modeled)
We’re all familiar with bracelets for a cause, pins for a cause … how about a brightly colored eternity scarf for a cause? West Seattle native Lauren Holman e-mailed WSB to share the news about the business she and friends at the UW have created to raise money for nonprofits:
My name is Lauren Holman and I’m a senior majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the UW. I have lived in West Seattle my whole life, attending West Seattle Montessori and living in the same house above Beach Drive for 22 years. As part of my major, I’ve been fortunate enough to take a class on creating a company and myself and three friends decided to start an eternity scarf business through it.
The name of our company is eturnalife, and we are selling seven different colors of eternity scarves. What sets our company apart is that each scarf color corresponds to a cause. When you purchase one, the profits will go to the cause associated with the scarf. Each scarf is $28. Because we are doing this business for a class, we aren’t personally profiting … and we are giving back ALL of the money that is made above cost of producing these scarves. We are aiming to raise as much money as we can for these causes. Here are the colors and the charities associated with them:
Black – American Cancer Society (Cancer Research)
White – Children’s Hospital Seattle
Pink – American Cancer Society (Breast Cancer Research)
Blue – Humane Society
Purple – Autism Speaks
Red – AIDS Prevention
Green – People for Puget Sound (Environmental Conservation).
The scarves are available via the online shop on the Eturnalife website. Lauren and friends’ company is of course on Facebook too.
Just in from SDOT:
Next week, weather permitting, from Tuesday, May 1, through Friday, May 4, a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) paving crew will be working on SW Admiral Way between SW City View Street and SW Hanford Street. The crew will be grinding down the street surface, making repairs to the base and then paving SW Admiral Way in the northwest direction – uphill – from the eastside curb to the center line. During the work, which will take place between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day, traffic will be in will be reduced to one lane in each direction until 2:30 p.m., then opened up to two lanes northwest bound (uphill) and one lane southeast bound (downhill).
A lane will be provided for bicyclists. Parking will not be allowed in the work zone. Crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open. The project is part of SDOT’s 2012 Arterial Major Maintenance program.
A Seaview family is reporting a burglary attempt – and they have video showing the person they believe responsible, so they are offering a cash reward for identification of the suspect. Their story ends with a link to the video:
A man entered our fenced yard in the area of 44th Ave SW and SW Findlay St yesterday morning on 4/25 at 2:50am. Our security camera captured him on our deck after he entered our gated and fenced yard from the alley.
Based on the video, he apparently attempted to enter our locked back door to the house, while we were asleep! You’ll see him go off screen to the left where our back door is. We have some stuff on the patio table during spring cleaning.
One followup to a report we published Wednesday afternoon: Though the proposal for “rechannelization” – changing lane configuration and parking availability – along part of the northern stretch of Delridge Way SW has been bundled into discussion of other changes along Metro Route 120, SDOT does have a separate comment process. Here’s how SDOT’s Jeff Bender, who was at the Route 120 open house at Youngstown on Tuesday, answered our followup question:
The proposed Delridge rechannelization still needs to be reviewed and approved by SDOT. We worked with Metro to support their open house last Tuesday and to help gather more community input on the proposed rechannelization and other elements of the proposal. SDOT would like to approve a final rechannelization design within about a month so it can be implemented by September.
The City is very interested in comments on all elements of the proposal, and will consider all ideas we receive as the approval process moves forward. Interested parties should feel free to send any comments to me.
He’s at jeff.bender@seattle.gov – we have also asked if they have any renderings that more clearly show the proposed changes, since the only ones we’ve seen (PDF here) are difficult to read.
Ready to garden? The Westcrest P-Patch is about to be built, and ready to build its gardener/volunteer team, too! Here’s the official announcement (along with the finalized design, shown above):
After two community garden design meetings, the Westcrest P-Patch community garden project is planning to start construction next month in Seattle’s Westcrest Park! (Located at 9000 8th Ave. SW) The plan is to create over 200 10′ x 10′ garden plots following the final design which will feature crushed rock and wood chip pathways that interact with existing park features, gathering and storage structures, an out-door “kitchen”, and lots of room for artistic elements and common spaces.
The plots will be open to both Seattle residents as well as residents living in nearby unincorporated King County such as White Center which is two blocks from the south border of the park.
If you are interested in a plot, your probability of getting a spot will correlate to the number of hours you donate to the project. The more you volunteer the higher your chances of getting a plot. The Steering Committee is currently trying to determine what portions of the construction will be performed by contractors and what we, as a community, are willing to take on. If we can keep costs below the $90,000 budget, we can use the surplus funds to enhance the project. There are innumerable ways that you can volunteer in both outreach and construction.
Please contact Phi Huynh if you would like to explore volunteer opportunities.
E-mail: phi.huynh@seattle.gov
Phone: 206-684-4531
This is a big night for what was the Tuscan Tea Room Bistro (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – a winemaker’s dinner with Siren Song Wines and music by Pearl Django. The event is technically sold out but proprietor Aimee Pellegrini says there’s “limited seating at the bar.” But that’s not the really big news – she’s just renamed her establishment, which is now La Romanza Bistro Italiano, and expanded dinner service to another night! Here’s the announcement:
Kicking off with our sold-out wine dinner (tonight), we have finally, at the urging of our patrons and our good judgement, changed our name from ‘The Tuscan Tea Room’ to ‘La Romanza Bistro Italiano’. We are also expanding our dinner hours to add Wednesday nights. So, we will serve dinner and happy hour Wednesday through Saturday starting next week.
We are very excited about this change but also assure that these are the only changes. We offer our same dinner, lunch, brunch, and afternoon tea menus. We offer our wine list, cocktails and our 70+ fine teas and will soon have them available for purchase through our website as well.
About nine months after we opened we added dinner service as well as expanded lunch, brunch and dinner menus to include live jazz and happy hour. Our new name is more indicative of what we truly offer: a bistro experience with fine Italian cuisine.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Aimee Pellegrini and La Romanza staff
ADDED 2:34 PM: Just discovered Aimee is featured in a cooking video online via the West Seattleite-produced “Brown Lounge” site – it’s a roasted-chicken recipe:
The actual recipe and other info can be found here.
(Lincoln Park photo by “old desolate” from the WSB Flickr group pool)
Our slightly-later-than-usual daily highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar (available for direct perusal any time!):
VIADUCT/99 CLOSURE TONIGHT: Again tonight, Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed overnight SOUTHBOUND between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge. 9 pm-5 am.
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Daytime meeting today, with the discussion group about to start, followed by lunch (or dessert/coffee), West Seattle Golf Course, details here. For first word on their upcoming events, westseattledemocraticwomen.org.
DINING OUT FOR LIFE: A portion of tonight’s proceeds will be donated to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance. This year’s West Seattle/White Center participants, according to the DO4L website, are Buddha Ruksa, Company, Skylark, and Talarico’s. For the citywide list (which includes some venues participating earlier in the day), go here.
WINE TASTING: Tonight at West Seattle Cellars (WSB sponsor), it’s the Wines of Europe, 5:30-8 pm (6026 California SW).
GENESEE-SCHMITZ LOOKS AHEAD: It’s the first general meeting of the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council in a long time, and it includes a look ahead to the year 2020. What do you want to see in the neighborhood? 6:30 pm, West Side Presbyterian Church. Here’s our preview from last week.
BURLESQUE AT SKYLARK: Also tonight at Skylark Café and Club, 9 pm, it’s the Westside Burlesque Revue.
Registration closed overnight for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – coming up Saturday, May 12th! – with more than 235 sales signed up, north to south, east to west, small to big, all over the peninsula! A BIG part of making it a successful day is for us as WSCGSD’s coordinating organization to finish The Map (printable and clickable versions) so that it can be made widely available a week in advance, and the map-creation process starts now.
BUT FIRST: If you signed up, PLEASE check to be sure you have both the official confirmation note from us AND a receipt from PayPal – the form we use does NOT finalize sale listings unless both parts of the process were completed (we realize some might change their minds midway through). We already sent notes to several would-be sellers who didn’t complete the process, and it looks like we have more to send today – but if you don’t respond to our note, we can’t get you on the map. If you have any question about your sale’s status, we’d be happy to check the list to confirm; e-mail us at garagesale@westseattleblog.com. Watch for more updates between now and Sale Day here, on the official site at westseattlegaragesale.com, and on Facebook (the WSCGSD page is here, and we’ll crosspost major updates to the official WSB FB page here).
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