West Seattle, Washington
01 Wednesday
If you have clothing you don’t need any more, but you don’t already have other plans for it such as a yard sale – the Neighborhood House High Point Center has a clothing drive under way and asked us to share this call for donations:
n the spirit of reducing, reusing, and recycling, we are celebrating Earth Day by holding a clothes drive for the residents of the High Point community. We are asking the wider West Seattle community to contribute any new or slightly used clothing. Please bring clothes clean and no undergarments. Clothes donations may be left with the High Point Center front desk, 9 am-5 pm Monday-Friday of this week, April 23-27. Our address is: 6400 Sylvan Way SW. We thank you in advance for your generosity! If you have any questions, please contact High Point Living Green Project Manager, Rochelle Saedi at rochelles@nhwa.org or (206) 588-4900 ext. 612
(And though it’s not related, we can’t resist a reminder that a whole variety of NON-clothing items can be recycled via the Fauntleroy Church event this Sunday.)
Approaching the first anniversary of its opt-out-of-phone-books program, the city says more than a fifth of Seattle households are using it. According to a news release this morning: “More than 75,000 residents and businesses have stopped nearly 420,000 individual unwanted phone-book deliveries – saving 375 tons of paper.” Another round of deliveries looms, so they’re getting the word out now – you can opt out online by going here – do it by May 22nd, Seattle Public Utilities says, or the next round of Dex books will be on your doorstep (you can opt out of others, too). If you don’t want to opt out online, do it via an automated phone service, (206) 504-3066. (P.S. To stop junk mail, go here – note that you’ll be asked to opt out by name of company whose mailings you get, so it’s not as streamlined a process.)
(Photo by Machel Spence – fern season!)
From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
VIADUCT/99 CLOSURE TONIGHT: Again this week, nightly through Thursday night, Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will close overnight SOUTHBOUND between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge. The closures are scheduled for 9 pm-5 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHAMBER ‘LUNCH AND LEARN’: The ongoing series focuses today on learning how to use LinkedIn “like a pro.” 12:30-1:30 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), $25 Chamber members/$35 nonmembers (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).
COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH MARTY McLAREN: Want to talk to West Seattle’s school-board rep about the BEX IV levy, the new K-5 STEM at Boren school, the superintendent finalists, anything else? She’ll be at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson) 1-2:30 pm today to meet with anybody interested in talking.
AFTERNOON PIANO MUSIC AT PARK WEST: You’re invited to come see/hear Eric “Two Scoops” Moore perform, free, 2:30 pm at Park West (1703 California SW).
UNBEATEN SOCCER TEAM BACK IN ACTION: Public high schools’ spring-sports teams are back on the field, the court, etc., this week, and today is the first game in more than a week for the Chief Sealth International High School boys-varsity soccer squad, 4 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex, vs. Ingraham. (We have ongoing sports schedules for CSIHS and WSHS throughout the week on the WSB Events Calendar.)
METRO ROUTE 120 CHANGES – AND IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BUSES: An open house 5:30-7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center tonight is meant to gather comments on, and share information about, big changes ahead along this popular route. That includes “rechannelization” for part of Delridge and changes in the spacing of stops along the route. Here’s our preview from Monday, including a link to a survey, if you can’t make it tonight.
‘CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN’ AT WSBWCN: Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn is scheduled to bring the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network an updated encore pre about multiple ways to make your home less attractive to criminals – in ways you don’t routinely hear about. 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).
SANISLO PTA: New families are invited as well as families who already have students at Sanislo Elementary, 6:30 pm tonight (1812 SW Myrtle)
FREE ‘INTRO TO REIKI’: Tonight at Highland Park Improvement Club, 7:30 pm. Details here.
More – for today/tonight, and far beyond! – on the calendar.
One week from Thursday, it’s the most fashionable fundraiser on the West Seattle calendar – “Style ’12,” the 10th annual “Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good!” fashion-show benefit for Northwest Hope and Healing. Though it’s not happening IN West Seattle – it’s not far, at Showbox SODO! – there is so much West Seattle involvement, both NWHH leadership – including executive director Shari Sewell – and local businesses (as well as participating breast-cancer survivor/models!), that you might say the peninsula honorarily stretches that far for the night. For example: West Seattleite and three-time breast-cancer survivor Tracy Dart, known even more widely as a fundraiser extraordinaire, is keynote speaker. Participating boutiques/businesses include, from West Seattle, Carmilia’s, Coastal, Ola Salon, Sweetie, and West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor). Proceeds go toward helping NWHH assist women fighting breast cancer – though diagnosis and treatment may have turned their lives upside down, everyday life must go on, and NWHH assistance is geared toward helping make that happen. Find out more – and buy tickets – online, by going here. (Photo credit: Sarah Halston)
(Click for larger image)
When Lynn Sweeney Pedersen accepted “Emerging Business of the Year” at last Wednesday’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Westsider Awards, for her family’s The Grove/West Seattle Inn (WSB coverage here), she noted its history – opened as the Mar-Lyn Motel 50 years ago for the Seattle World’s Fair. Today, The Grove shared this 50-year-old postcard view of the Mar-Lyn. While the motel’s configuration hasn’t changed much, if you look closely, you’ll see some fun details (phone booth, drink machine, cars)…
A “brush fire” call this past hour at 29th and Cambridge wasn’t major – but it did bring police to Roxhill Park along with two fire engines; officers were looking for witnesses. Here’s the damaged patch:
Nobody was hurt; the fire was called in quickly enough that the fire crews made fast work of it.
It’s no guarantee that the current state-liquor-store locations will turn into private liquor stores, but the auction for rights to liquor licenses at existing store sites is over, and the state has announced the high bids. While many bidders face the prospect of negotiating with the sites’ current landlords – since the auction was just for exclusive license-application rights, NOT for the sites themselves – that’s not the case for one in West Seattle: At Capco Plaza in The Junction, owner Leon Capelouto was the high bidder for the license rights to his building’s almost-new “premier” store location, $225,445 – and also the high bidder for an Issaquah liquor-store location’s license-application rights, $251,000. For the Westwood Village liquor store location’s license-application rights, Ankur Patel was high bidder at $300,100. Kulwinder Pabla was the high bidder for the White Center store, $130,100. There are a variety of deadlines in the process now that bidding is over – for example, a deadline of May 4th for payment (per “terms ande conditions” here), after the state finalizes its announcement of winning bidders a week from today. The state has till June 1st to get out of the liquor business, when privatization, as approved by voters last year, takes full effect. The total amount bid on the license-application rights statewide was almost $31 million, according to the state’s news release.
(Mount Rainier over the 38th/Dakota rooftops, courtesy MG)
Gratuitous shot of The Mountain just to get your attention … it’s REALLY nice out – come home! But first:
From Alki to Arbor Heights, from Genesee to Greenbridge, 160 individual, group/organization, and block sales are now ready to go for the 8th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on May 12th, and if you are planning to join them on The Map, you have 56 hours till the registration deadline. Once signups end just before midnight this Wednesday night, Team WSB puts on our Team Garage Sale Day hats to get busy map-making and taking care of other details to pave the way for a great day – six hours of person-to-person recycling, as we like to call it, and also a great chance for the rest of the region to come on over and shop (not just the garage sales, but West Seattle stores and restaurants too). Speaking of which, if you have a bulletin board nearby (your workplace? school? favorite coffee shop? store? wherever!) to put up a simple letter-sized Garage Sale Day miniposter, thanks in advance for printing it out (here’s the PDF) and posting it, or sending it around, sharing this update via Facebook (and more) with the ShareThis tool beneath it, etc.! The more shoppers, the merrier. So whether you’re shopping or selling, we’re looking forward to another glorious WSCGSD on May 12th – here’s the signup form if your sale isn’t on the list already!
(Photo by Wendy Hughes-Jelen)
Thanks to Bill and Wendy for word of a crash at 35th/Morgan. Bill says no injuries are reported; Wendy says one car is involved that went “straight into the corner, took out the street tree, and hit two U-Haul vehicles. … Antifreeze or something is hissing from the engine compartment because of the tree damage. Front bumper is on sidewalk behind vehicle now.” Both have shared photos.
(Photo by Bill Bacon)
3:19 PM: Two photos added. No SFD medic unit sent to the scene, which would be confirmation that if there were any injuries, they weren’t major.
3:31 PM UPDATE: Just drove through 35th/Morgan – no traffic impediments on 35th; the westbound lane on Morgan by U-Haul (northwest side of the intersection) should clear soon, since the tow trucks is already there to take away the car that hit the U-Haul vehicles.
Two transit-related notes:
RAPIDRIDE WORK: Work continues along West Seattle’s future RapidRide route – the bus service that starts this fall – and we just noticed while in The Junction that, though the crew has moved off the Twilight/Edie’s/Rose Nails side of SW Alaska west of California, they are now cutting up the concrete on the other side of that stretch, by KeyBank, and that is closing the north entrance to the alley. The parking lot there is still open, but your best bet for getting to it is from 44th SW.
ROUTE 120 MEETING ON TUESDAY: One more advance reminder, tomorrow is your chance to get more information, and get questions answered, about the big changes ahead for Route 120 through eastern West Seattle. Metro’s having a meeting/open house 5:30-7:30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, April 24) at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). We first brought you word of this during a briefing at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting last month (WSB coverage here). Even if you can’t be there tomorrow night, you can take an online survey – deadline is this April – find it on the right side of this Metro webpage (which has more info about the Route 120 changes – not just the buses, but also Delridge “rechannelization” related to the changes).
It seems to be an annual Alki occurrence – looking back a few years into our archives – the morning after the first major sunshine, the beach park has trash trouble. John sent the photo, taken this morning east of Alki Bathhouse, noted, “Obviously the trash wasn’t emptied during the day yesterday … the whole boardwalk area is disgusting!” We checked with Seattle Parks to find out about this year’s maintenance plan, given yet another round of city budget-belt-tightening. Spokesperson Dewey Potter says yes, John is right – trash wasn’t emptied on Sunday, because crews won’t be on the summer schedule for another month: “Our crew, because of budget reductions, is on a Monday through Friday schedule until the summer seasonals start work at the end of May. The crew should be finished cleaning up Alki Beach by now. Not all the cans were full, which means people were just discarding trash. Sad, on Earth Day weekend.”
TUESDAY MORNING: We received some new info from Parks – here – including, they’re adding cans.
Publishing this on SPD Blotter this morning, Seattle Police headlined it “Road Rage Incident on Alki.” Reading the narrative, we’re retitling it “Parking Rage.” Nobody hurt, but one man went to jail:
On April 22nd, just before 7:00 pm, a Southwest Precinct officer working as part of the Alki Emphasis was flagged down by a motorcyclist at Alki Avenue SW and Marine Avenue SW. The complainant stated that just moments earlier a man driving a white Hyundai had intentionally struck his motorcycle as he was attempting to park it in the 2300 Block of Alki. The victim stated that after intentionally striking his motorcycle, the suspect got out of his car and went to the trunk of his car, where he pulled out a backpack. As the victim was asking the suspect why he struck his motorcycle, the suspect pulled a handgun out of the backpack. The victim told officers that he asked the suspect, “Do you really want to go there with your gun?” to which the suspect replied, “Yes, I do.” The victim later told officers he was afraid he or someone else might get hurt, so he got back on his motorcycle and left southbound on Alki, until he saw the officer and reported the incident.
(Photographed at the Seattle Chinese Garden by “old desolate,” shared via the WSB Flickr group pool)
70s again! Today’s calendar highlights:
VIADUCT/99 CLOSURE TONIGHT: Again this week, Monday-Thursday nights, Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will close overnight SOUTHBOUND between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge. This week’s closures are scheduled for 9 pm-5 am.
BACK TO SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools is back in session after spring-break week. That means sports, too!
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE … with Balorico at Kenyon Hall, starting at 6:30 pm. More on the listing page.
FLAT EARTH SOCIETY DJ SESSION AT WEST 5: It’s a Monday night tradition – 9 pm at West 5, turntable time. As they describe it, “Featuring a lineup of some luminous Seattle record junkies spinning the rarest and fairest vinyl from deep within their respective LP collections. Rare soul, garage, dirty-funk, J Pop, jazz and a smattering of world-stage psychedelia will be spinning at the popular lounge in the heart of West Seattle.” Tonight, it’s “Iron Megan” Wilson from West 5 and Easy Street.
LOOK AHEAD! Today/tonight might not have much on the schedule, but you can scroll ahead for days, weeks, months, via the all-grown-up WSB calendar.
3:30 AM: We’re checking out a fire call in the 5900 block of 39th SW (map) – crews originally were dispatched to an address on Fauntleroy Way, but scanner traffic has changed the location. Doesn’t sound big but they are calling for the investigator (Marshal 5). More when we get there.
3:42 AM UPDATE: At the scene, SFD tells us this was a small fire in some building materials behind what appears to be a construction/remodeling project. A neighbor who happened to be awake saw it and called it in to 911, and it was extinguished quickly. No injuries and no damage beyond the “building materials,” we’re told, but the investigator will have to figure out how it started. (Thanks to everybody who texted/e-mailed/tweeted about this!)
9:31 AM UPDATE: Just checked with Lt. Sue Stangl at SFD. Investigators couldn’t figure out exactly what started the fire, so the cause will remain officially “undetermined” – but she added that they found no evidence it was “suspicious.”
(Click image to see it in a larger size)
Sharing that photo (and others) taken during a Puget Soundkeeper trip along the Duwamish River, West Seattle volunteer Tom Foley wondered, “Does anyone out there know who might have numbered the animal and if they would like to know it has shown up here in Elliott Bay?” A bit of online research reveals Steller sea lions – the species we believe this to be – have been widely branded along the North Pacific so that sightings can be tracked; Stellers are on the endangered-species list. Can’t tell from this number, though, who might have placed it there…
Gayle in North Admiral sent us that photo this morning – overnight, some unwanted furniture, with a bonus traffic cone, turned up on her lawn. She says the couch had been spotted elsewhere in the neighborhood recently, so she suspects a prank, but is not amused. Illegal dumping on public property is a crime with its own city hotline, but dumping on private property is not so clearly addressed, so we suggested the time-tested advice of putting a big FREE! sign on it and hoping it attracts the attention of passing scavengers. At last report, Gayle planned to do that, and told us it could be found at 46th/College. Meantime, further searching brought us to a 2-year-old thread in the WSB Forums, in which a call to the aforementioned city hotline DID apparently lead to some help – (206-684-7587). Other advice?
7:28 PM: On our way to check out a report that the King County Sheriff’s Office just shared with Seattle Police over the radio – an armed robbery reported at the Subway shop in the 10400 block of 16th SW. The description at this point does NOT seem to have anything in common with the one from the John’s Corner Deli holdup we covered seven-plus hours ago here in West Seattle – in this case, per the scanner, the description is “black male, around 19, bald, black sweater/red stripes, carrying a backpack” in which both a gun and knife were seen.
7:43 PM UPDATE: No deputies were at the shop, so we went in to ask about the robbery report. Store staffers say it happened closer to 7 pm; nobody was hurt.
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
When we saw South Seattle Community College president Gary Oertli at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Westside Awards breakfast back on Wednesday (WSB coverage here), we asked if anything big was coming up. He mentioned that the SSCC Business Club would be out on 16th SW this morning in front of the campus for an Earth Day cleanup. He didn’t mention he’d be there too!
But there was the college president (black cap, both photos), ready to pitch in along with students from the Business Club and some faculty members. We caught them in the late-morning sunshine, post-donuts, pre-cleanup. A big thanks to them and everyone else who spent part of this Earth Day weekend taking care of the community!
A year and a half ago, we published Michael Merta‘s invitation to fellow rowers to join him in getting the sport going on the Duwamish River. This weekend, he shares this report – and photos – to announce that he and others have made it happen!
After a little over a year and a half of talking, planning, and fundraising, Duwamish Rowing Club has finally become a reality.
We have established a “boathouse” (really a 45-foot shipping container) in South Park near Duwamish Waterway Park. We have a double, a single, and a four-person rowing shell so far. We hope to buy another four in the coming weeks. Its a small start, but we are happy with what we have been able to accomplish.
Thanks so much to all the people who have helped us get this far, particularly the people of South Park. We look forward to growing this into a thriving club that will become an asset to the people in the Duwamish Valley, and we are happy to bring something very positive to the Duwamish River. Our mission is to develop a rowing club that is affordable, accessible, and open to everyone. If you would like to row or get involved, please contact Mike Merta at duwamishrowingclub@gmail.com.
Another reminder, while you’re in the Earth Day” mood today – NEXT Sunday (April 29th) is the Fauntleroy Church Green Committee‘s next event with 1 Green Planet, coming to West Seattle for another “Recycle Roundup.” 9 am-3 pm in the church parking lot that day, come drop off your stuff. The church’s website has the list of what you can bring that day to be recycled – see it here. Yes, they will accept your items for free.
11:56 AM: Police are rushing to 35th/Webster where an armed robbery has just been reported. We have this description so far – white male, around 6 feet tall, in his 30s, black/gray hair, black baseball cap, black jeans, dark vest, green T shirt, unshaven (with “a little” facial hair), tinted gray sunglasses, last seen running north “and then headed back east” from the area, per the scanner. More as we get it.
12:20 PM UPDATE: At the scene (adding a photo), we have confirmed with police that the business robbed was indeed John’s Corner Deli – not the first time. No injuries reported. In addition to the robber description above, police say they are looking for an apparent accomplice driving a getaway vehicle (there was one scanner report of a possible dark SUV headed east on Holden).
12:52 PM UPDATE: No word of any luck so far finding the robber/s.
MONDAY UPDATE: We just called SPD to ask for any additional details. Aside from what’s reported above, two things – one, confirmation that the robber WAS armed; he “removed a handgun from his waistline, pointed it at the clerk, demanded money from the till, the victim handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and the (robber) fled the store,” Det. Mark Jamieson tells WSB. There’s also a different description of a POSSIBLE getaway vehicle – white early-to-mid ’90s Buick or Oldsmobile.
WSB’s informal partnership with The Seattle Times, now in its third year, is pretty low-key. In case you missed our original announcement in August 2009: It’s a casual relationship that means the Times sometimes links to WSB stories from its home page – as well as highlighted stories from some the dozens of other news websites from around the region that are in the partnership (which started in 2009 with just a few of us – including WSB, our site to the south White Center Now, Capitol Hill Seattle, and My Ballard), and we do the same if there’s a story of interest on their site, 
plus they will grant permission to use a Times photo on request if they happen to have one that would enhance our coverage. (Here’s an example.) No contract, no money, no behind-the-scenes involvement on either side. Our favorite part of it is the fact that many times, when we have a story about somebody in West Seattle doing something great, it might be linked from the region’s biggest news website, meaning even more people will hear about it beyond the 120,000+ homes/businesses/offices that read WSB anywhere from once to 100 times each month.
SO, that all said, something new: Today in the paper version of the Sunday Times, a new section called “Around the Sound” debuts, featuring quick blurbs from some of their partner sites. The first version includes one they chose from WSB, a short mention of park safety on the agenda of last Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (here’s the full story, with video, if you missed it). Just thought we’d mention it in case you read the Sunday Times but missed this (which is on page B3 – here’s a PDF version). They decide what to feature, same way we decide what – and if – to feature any Times content here, but once in a while, you just might see something from our peninsula go by.
Summer in April. Almost. Another sunny day expected; thanks to Debra Salazar Herbst for the Alki overview from late Saturday (really did look summery). From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
HOLY FAMILY OPEN HOUSE: You’re invited to Holy Family Parish School (WSB sponsor; 20th/Roxbury) for an open house featuring its new Spanish-language program, 9:30 am-2 pm.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm as always, 44th/Edmunds in The Junction.
GREEN HOME TOUR, DAY 2: Four West Seattle locations – there’s a map in our coverage from Saturday, and a full list of citywide locations on the tour website, 10 am-4 pm, admission free.
ROCK AND GEM SHOW, DAY 2: The West Seattle Rock Club‘s annual show continues at the Alki Masonic Temple (40th/Edmunds), 10 am-5 pm, admission free, activities for all ages – lots of info on the club’s website.
EARTH DAY SEED SALE: Noon-6 pm, benefiting Community Orchard of West Seattle, at Alki Bike and Board (2606 California SW) – where you also can rent electric bikes, by the way!
BAMBOO FESTIVAL: At Seattle Chinese Garden (north end of South Seattle Community College campus, 6000 16th SW), 12:30-4:30 pm, schedule here.
FREE CPR/AED TRAINING: The West Seattle Eagles invite you to a free training session at their Junction HQ this afternoon, 1 pm. Details in the event-calendar listing.
EARTH DAY CLEANUP AT DAKOTA PLACE PARK: Help take care of the park at California/Dakota! 1-4 pm. More details here.
BENEFIT FOR ANIMAL ADVOCACY GROUPS: At Rocksport Bar and Grill this afternoon, a benefit for animal-advocacy organizations Friends of the Animals Foundation and Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping. As announced in the WSB Forums: “There will be lots of fantastic silent auction items, purrraffle prizes, chair massages, and for the adults, a wine pull and drink specials. Come for the whole four hours or as long as you can! Donations of wet or dry cat food are always appreciated and will gladly be accepted at the door.”
EARTH DAY AT FLEURT: WSB sponsor Fleurt continues celebrating its new location AND Earth Day – drop off your old vases and containers for “recycling” (they’ll either be “repurposed” at Fleurt or donated to the Senior Center of West Seattle), and you’ll get a mini-plant as a present. Fleurt’s new location (sneak peek here) is at 4536 California SW.
WEST SEATTLE GREENWAYS MEETING: An appropriate topic for Earth Day: Interested in “greenways” across West Seattle? Meet with local advocates! Full details on the North Delridge Neighborhood Council website. 3 pm (Pearls Coffee and Tea, 4800 Delridge Way SW)
(Photo by Gary Wigle)
FINALE FOR ‘LOVE LETTERS’: Twelfth Night Productions‘ “Love Letters” at 3 pm, featuring Mary and Rick Springer (photo above), at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
MUSIC NORTHWEST PRESENTS ‘THE LEGACY OF DEBUSSY’: 3 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Olympic Hall; more here.
LIVING-ROOM OPERA, TO BENEFIT SWYFS: Today’s the day for the unique Southwest Youth and Family Services fundraiser in a private Fauntleroy Cove home, featuring a wine and cheese reception with music by the Opera Belles. 4 pm – check to see if there’s still room!
‘CUSTOMER APPRECIATION EVENT,’ DAY 3: West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor; California/Fauntleroy/Morgan) continues its Customer Appreciation Event, with its first-ever produce tent sale, and raffle tickets on sale (for a $500 shopping spree), benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank.
ALSO BENEFITING WS FOOD BANK – BY-DONATION YOGA: Bikram Yoga Seattle is sponsoring a donation-only yoga class at 5 pm today, everyone welcome, proceeds to the West Seattle Food Bank. The studio is at 4747 California SW.
LAST ‘SUNDAY RIBS’ FOR A WHILE: Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) says its famous Sunday Ribs will take another hiatus after today. They start serving ’em at 5 pm (6451 California SW).
PIANOMANIA! FINALE AT KENYON HALL: As the announcement from KH describes it, it’s their “celebration of all things pianistic.” See who’s playing, on the Kenyon Hall website. Final show is 7:30 pm tonight (7904 35th SW).
Even more events on the calendar.
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