West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
Don’t let the continued chill keep you from wandering West Seattle for tonight’s monthly Art Walk, 6-9 pm. This is the super-special late edition, including myriad chances for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, all over the peninsula. Click ahead for a few of the MANY highlights:Read More
(scroll down – we’re continuing to add elements as this story develops)
(Photo added 11:05 am – the recovered poles in Oregon)
As reported here late yesterday, police arrested a West Seattle man in connection with the theft of the 18′ totem pole from Rotary Viewpoint Park, which we first told you about last Thursday morning. When we reported that the suspect was in custody, police had just made the arrest and hadn’t yet figured out where the stolen pole was; this morning, they know. Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen tells WSB that after extensive questioning, the suspect told them where it was: The Salem, Oregon, area. And Lt. Paulsen says police there already “have it in custody on a trailer in an impound lot” – he says it’s reported to be in good shape and does not appear to be damaged. Now they’re coordinating with the Parks Department to figure out how and when to bring it back here. Plus, Lt. Paulsen says, they “recovered another totem pole but can’t figure out where the other one belongs yet.” They also will be investigating whether the suspect is in possession of any other stolen property. We’re not identifying the suspect yet because (to our knowledge) charges are not yet filed – we can tell you he is a 69-year-old North Admiral resident, and the house where the crane driver said last weekend that he’d dropped it off is in the Lake Sawyer area. We didn’t publish this last weekend because no arrest had been made, but here’s a photo we took as the two sleuthing Rotarians (left and right) and the crane-truck driver went to knock on that house’s door last Saturday – note the Santa hat, left over from the Rotary’s Christmas Shopping Spree hours earlier:
Stay tuned for more followups. The Rotary Club of West Seattle, meantime, which donated the park and the pole to the city in 1976 – and made its own inquiries to try to help track down the pole (as detailed here) – tells us they’re working on coordinating an event for the pole’s return. 11:07 AM UPDATE: Adding photos provided by police (one above, one below), showing the recovered Rotary pole (and its mystery companion) in Oregon.
12:06 PM UPDATE: Just checked with Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter to see if there’s any info yet on their side regarding plans for the pole’s return. She says, “It’s my understanding that the pole will be in police custody as evidence for some amount of time (no clue yet how long that will be). … We’re all for a celebratory event to welcome the pole back to the people when the time is right.” 12:28 PM UPDATE: For the latest on Rotary’s plans on helping that happen, we just talked to past president Josh Sutton on camera at the viewpoint park – he explains how your help will be important:
(The website he mentions is westseattlerotary.org.) He added, “Rotary’s owned this totem pole in our hearts for a long time, but West Seattle owns this totem pole and we’re committed to getting it back to the folks of West Seattle in great shape.”
1:41 PM UPDATE: Just drove by the park and spotted Rotary sleuths Duane and Kenny being interviewed by KING5 – we didn’t park in time to get the photo op but did talk to Duane, who says he’s glad that Seattle Police have gone to great lengths to find the totem pole, and he’s now hopeful that prosecutors will go the extra mile to make sure justice is served. And one more note – just talked again with Josh Sutton, who says you can NOW donate through the Rotary website to pay for getting the pole back in place, with a community event, as soon as possible – he wants to stress, this is NOT meant to be in lieu of restitution from the suspect, but if and when the time comes that they get reimbursed that way, the money people have donated “will go to do good work in the West Seattle community.”
2:25 PM UPDATE: Answers to a couple followup questions we asked Lt. Paulsen at Southwest Precinct: 1. Will the crane truck driver face charges? Nothing’s final yet, but he notes that they are being very cooperative witnesses. 2. Is there a chance the stolen Tillicum Village storefront art work on Avalon (here’s our story from two months ago) is linked to all this? Too soon to say but Lt. Paulsen indicates they are actively investigating and more “recoveries” are possible.
Out of the WSB inbox (editor@westseattleblog.com), from Erin:
My husband went out to his work van at 4 am to find the driver side window smashed and close to $8000 worth of tools and wire stolen. We live in the 5600 block of 18th Ave [map]. The scum must have gotten spooked as the left a radio, tool bags and wire sitting in front of the van. We have already made a police report, but are hoping someone may have seen something.
The officer told us it’s been quiet in our neighborhood for a while. This is devastating as the tools are how my husband makes a living, and were paid for out of our pockets. If anyone saw or heard anything, we would really like to know.
I know what people will say: You are never supposed to leave anything visible in your vehicle. We never leave anything visible in our personal vehicles, but it is impossible to empty the work van every day and reload it at 3:30 a.m. He parks it so the side doors face the house, but it wasn’t enough to deter the criminals this time.
The big event tonight is the holiday edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm, at venues all over the peninsula – check the official site for more, get a map here, and watch for our preview of highlights later this morning. Also happening today/tonight:
ADMIRAL CO-OP PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 9:30-10:30 am today – they have openings in the 3’s class. More info including location in this WSB Forums post.
SOUTH DELRIDGE CRIME/SAFETY MEETING: The South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition is meeting tonight at 6 pm, at a different location than usual – Wiley Center at Greenbridge, 9800 8th SW, Room 104 (map).
‘PLAID TIDINGS’ CONTINUES: The holiday musical extravaganza presented by ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) is now into its second week. This week, in addition to the evening performances tonight through Saturday at 7:30 pm, there are two weekend matinees – Saturday and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are available online.
Seems like deja vu … There’s a chance of snow in the forecast late Friday, which also happens to be the night Our Lady of Guadalupe lights “Seattle’s highest Christmas tree” (2008 photo at left, shared by Celeste), a stone’s throw from the city’s highest point (520′). And last year, exact same night, exact same forecast – though the snow didn’t arrive in earnest till the following night (here’s your 12/13/08 flashback, video and all). But never mind all that! The tree lighting is on for 7 pm Friday, right outside the church at the southeast corner of 35th/Myrtle, around the big old evergreen that’s already got about a thousand lights ready to go, with caroling immediately afterward. A bit more info from the church’s official announcement:
This event also celebrates the effort from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and School to give back to the Seattle community. Everyone is encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, a non-profit organization that provides food and support services to those in need. The food items will be distributed to our local food banks, which are busier than ever in our tight economy. Guests will be invited to warm up in our Parish Hall after the tree lighting to enjoy complimentary refreshments and participate in Christmas activities for children.
Promises to be another beautiful night to light a tree (like last Saturday in The Junction); in case you’ve never been to OLG, here’s a map.
This one’s a little too unusual to just go on the WSB Pets page with all the other lost/found critters … Jeff Jorgenson at Forest Lawn Cemetery (east edge of High Point) shared that photo, explaining, “I think it is an African pied crow. It is banded and has clipped wings and is very friendly and loves to hang out on shoulders. We found it this morning next to the flagpole nearly frozen. It’s pretty certain that it wouldn’t have made it through the night.” If you have any idea whose crow this is, 206-932-0050 is Jeff’s office number.
That sign greeted visitors at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) tonight, where they served dozens at a pasta dinner with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the families of the murdered Lakewood police officers. Dessert treats too – chef Lisa Thompson showed off the cupcakes-in-progress when we peeked into the kitchen:
Both West Seattle Merrill Gardens (the other one is at 35th SW/Snoqualmie) participated in tonight’s fundraiser – just got word that the two together raised almost $1,500 – it came with this photo snapped by MG (all other photos in this story are by us) at the 35th SW location:
A bit further south, Animals First Foundation rallied supporters at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor):
From left, that’s Jeremy, Stacy, Sara, Carina, Alysson, and Erin from AFF, which is an animal-advocacy group whose work is described here. Not far from the Feedback, we visited The Hall at Fauntleroy:
At the 34th District Democrats‘ holiday party tonight, that’s host Richard Bartlett raising a toast. We also spotted State Rep. Sharon Nelson, who finds out on Monday if she’ll get the interim County Council seat for District 8 (she sought it in case councilmembers decide to choose someone who won’t run for the permanent seat in a year, which the other 34th District legislator in the final four, State Sen. Joe McDermott, intends to do):
Other partiers included Dina Johnson, more often behind the lens, taking photos at events from Highland Park Action Committee meetings to regular 34th District Democrats gatherings:
What’s up tomorrow night? The biggest event: the West Seattle Art Walk, which includes special Shop Late festivities in The Junction. More on that coming up – and browse some of the highlighted artists on the WS Art Walk website.
(WSB photo from December 2, the base where the totem pole used to be)
Just confirmed with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen: Police have arrested a suspect in the theft of the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole. As first reported here Thursday morning, the pole disappeared early last week; we contacted the Parks Department on Wednesday after a WSB’er sent us a note saying her family noticed it was gone. After our inquiry, Parks did extensive checking, then verified on Thursday that no one had been authorized to take it, and so they reported the 18-foot totem pole – installed when the Rotary Club of West Seattle donated the park to the city in 1976 — as stolen. As the story unfolded, WSB commenters recalled seeing what turned out to be the actual removal Monday night of last week – the crane truck hired to take it got stuck in the grass and mud, and required help from a tow truck. We’re not identifying the suspect, a West Seattle man, as charges are not filed so far, but what we’ve been told seems to go along with the storyline reported here, after we covered Rotarians’ attempt to find out what happened. Police have not yet recovered the totem pole but are questioning the suspect and hope to be able to recover the pole soon. P.S. We had asked Parks and police earlier today if the totem pole had been assigned a dollar value, just out of curiosity – so far we don’t have a number, but Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter notes that the Belvidere story pole installed in 2006 was valued at more than $61,000. (Pre-theft totem-pole photo used with Rotary’s permission.)
The National Weather Service is just out with a new forecast – featuring multiple mentions of the word “snow,” possibly even flurries tomorrow, after one more clear, very cold night tonight, though the major mention involves the weekend. What a coincidence – it was also Christmas ship weekend LAST year when Snowpocalypse ’08 began. (P.S. – As reported earlier, there’s a burn ban in effect, so no wood fires unless they’re your main source of heat.)
Another news release to share – just in from Seattle-King County Public Health – the shortage of H1N1 vaccine has eased and now they say anyone 6 months or older is eligible – read on for the full announcement:Read More
We’ve reported on this multiple times before but it’s so big, the Parks Department wants to make sure you don’t miss it: It’s time to start working on applications for a share of the $15 million Opportunity Fund created by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy voters approved last year. While the levy itself contained money for a variety of specific projects, this fund is set up so that community-initiated projects can get a share of the $. Read on for a just-out news release about the fund and the round of informational meetings next month, including the one announced for West Seattle:Read More
There’s a followup on the “low bridge” traffic problem described and discussed in this WSB report from Nov. 22, and explained on this map made by Rob. According to an alert on SDOT‘s SODO mailing list, as of this past Monday, Seattle Police were planning to “increase enforcement of rules against stopping on the low-level Spokane Street swing bridge,” including ticketing violators if necessary. We haven’t been out there during rush hour so we’re asking any low-bridge commuters: Have you seen the extra enforcement, and have the backups eased?
Our newest sponsor says customers discovering them have been high-fiving them and saying, “It’s about time West Seattle got a full-service ski shop!” And Mountain to Sound Outfitters offers a lot more – here’s what they want you to know:
(From left: Chris Petry, Jon Steel, Ryan Basilone, Greg Whittaker)
Mountain to Sound Outfitters is a new business from the operators of Alki Kayak Tours and the Seattle Ski Shuttle. Our passion is to get people out actively enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds us. We have created customers in the ski and paddlesports world, but till now, were not able to provide the retail goods for the snow-riding and kayaking community, nor were they available to the West Seattle community or anywhere south of downtown Seattle. Now, our brand-new shop offers full-service Ski and Snowboard Service, Ski and Snowboard Rentals, and Retail Ski and Snowboard Gear.
Owner Greg Whittaker has 15 years of experience working as a ski technician and custom boot-fitter and is stoked to provide the service to Seattle – with the technical expertise and machinery to flatten, tune, repair and wax boards, mount skis, and work on any binding. We also have one of the largest rental fleets in Puget Sound, and can offer daily or seasonal ski and board rentals. One specialty that we are really excited about is our THULE dealership. We can provide vehicle racking solutions for any vehicle – you don’t have to drive to North Seattle any more – now you can support local business and get quality service for vehicle racking.
Mountain to Sound Outfitters also hopes to support the community by facilitating a non-profit West Seattle Snowsports Council to get middle-school and high-school students up into the mountains weekly. With the connections we have created with the ski areas, we can make it an affordable endeavor for local West Seattle young adults. Overall, Greg says, “Both in the kayaking world, and the snow-riding world, we are helping people discover the natural beauty in our area and giving the technical tools, instruction, and access to the Mountains and the Sound.” (The ski shuttle is in full swing, by the way, leaving at 7:30 am Monday-Friday, returning around 6:30 pm.) You’ll find Mountain to Sound Outfitters at 3602 SW Alaska (map) and online at m2soutfitters.com.
We thank Mountain to Sound Outfitters for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
(Photo by Gary Jones)
ORIGINAL 10:31 AM REPORT: Just got a call from orca expert Jeff Hogan – J-Pod is headed along the West Seattle shore – from south of Alki toward Lincoln Park. Closer in than usual, he says. Off to go have a look! 11:45 AM: No luck for your editor here but Gary Jones saw them – adding his photo in a moment. He counted at least three more in addition to the one shown in the photo. We’ve also got a Twitter report from @senorfrijole that they’re now in the Three Tree Point vicinity south of West Seattle (in addition to an 11:40 comment below that they were south of the Vashon ferry dock.) Keep an eye out later – maybe they’ll head back north. (Our past orca coverage, including stories with video and photos, is archived here, newest to oldest.) 12:23 PM: Good info in the comments, including this from “Cloudbreak“:
There are WAY more than 4 whales in this group. I would say more like 10-20. They were in several large groups circling over by Vashon when I was on the 11:30 ferry headed eastbound from Vashon.
Across the Sound from West Seattle, they were spotted in Kitsap waters over the past few days – here’s coverage of that. ADDED 1:17 PM: WSB contributing journalist Mary Sheely photographed a group of whale-watchers at Lincoln Park a bit earlier:
The woman in blue is a particularly well-known whale-watcher: Donna Sandstrom, who’s been working on The Whale Trail (explained in this WSB story from June). Mary, by the way, says they DID see the orcas — too far for a photo, but not too far for binoculars. ADDED 3:49 PM: KIRO TV has put up its helicopter video of the orcas as they swam near Vashon – see it here. 5:16 PM: As the awesome folks at Orca Network note in comments, please be sure that they get official detailed reports. Let us know fast so we can get the word out to other West Seattleites that the whales are in view again; they work with official whale-trackers for the longterm record. (And if you see orcas OUTSIDE West Seattle waters, let them know too – they track them from all over – be sure to sign up for their newsletter, which is a nightly bulletin usually full of photos and info – orcanetwork.org.)
No cozy fire in the fireplace today/tonight: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has just expanded what was a Snohomish County-only burn ban into King County too. It’s a Stage 2 ban, which the agency says means:
* No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
* Even if your fireplace, pellet stove, or wood stove is your only adequate source of heat, no visible smoke is allowed.
* No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
* Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.
WAX BAR TO THE TRIANGLE: Not every day you check the latest list of liquor-license applications and discover one for a skin-care business – but that’s what happened today, when we noted The Wax Bar has applied for a “snack bar”-class license at the storefront above in The Triangle, 37th/Fauntleroy (map), between the new shoe repair shop and West Seattle Brake Service. We called The Wax Bar’s current location in Ballard to confirm. They told us they’re hoping to open in West Seattle in February, but that depends on how permits go. So what’s the liquor license for? we asked. Answer: To serve beer, as they do in Ballard (here’s a feature our partners at the Seattle Times published last year). This is part of the Triangle’s ongoing business boom, just as its first major mixed-use project (Link) begins construction (bringing 200 residential units in 2011) – Mountain to Sound Outfitters just opened at 3602 SW Alaska (and they’ve just joined the WSB sponsor ranks – more on that tomorrow); Cycle University opened 2 months ago at 4550 Fauntleroy; the aforementioned shoe-repair store is about two months old; Lien Animal Clinic just opened a brand-new building. (Wednesday afternoon note: The Wax Bar has now announced the expansion on its own website – here’s the item.)
JUNCTION WING DOME UPDATE: “Villagegreen” asked in the WSB Forums whether Wing Dome was still coming to The Junction, as first reported here two months ago – wondering whether the “for lease” sign that’s still in the window was, so to speak, a bad sign. We checked today with Colleen O’Leary of Consolidated Restaurants (Wing Dome’s parent company) – she said they have not yet finalized the lease but still expect to; since it’s not finalized yet, they don’t have a timetable for opening the restaurant. She also said they’re not planning to take the entire ex-CAPERS space.
They’ve helped keep thousands from going hungry — and their only reward is knowing what a difference they’ve made in all those lives. But tonight, West Seattle Food Bank volunteers got a special thanks – a dinner in their honor at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Food Bank board president Pete Spalding (honored last weekend with a West Seattle Volunteer Recognition award) says it’s important to celebrate them for “all of their hard work and dedication to helping our clients.” You can, of course, help the Food Bank even without volunteering – just go here. (PS – There are many ways to help those in need this holiday season, listed on our West Seattle Holidays page, and even if there’s not a specific holiday drive, if you’re with a nonprofit that would like to put out a specific request for ways people can help, please let us know so we can share – we often hear from people asking “what can I do to help?”.)
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Joshua:
I live in a house with three friends on SW Charlestown St near the 7-11 gas station [map] and am currently out of town on business. I just received a phone call from my roommate saying that someone has broken into our house this evening and stolen a variety of things, mostly small and valuable: digital SLR, small stereo, jewelry, and etc… We are still waiting for the police to arrive and to file an official report, but please let this be notice to other West Seattle residents that this person may choose make this a trend in the area. As far as my roommate could tell, there are no signs of forced entry, even though all the doors were locked when she came home. The intruder *may* have come in through a window and, if so, maybe locked the door behind him/her.
Thanks to Brian and Christopher for the tips – at least one car is stalled at the top of The Bridge, backing up westbound traffic all the way to I-5.
Kristina and Tamara both shared the news that after dark, a crowd gathered at Papa John’s in West Seattle, on the first of two days during which the chain is donating its Puget Sound profits to the families of the four murdered Lakewood Police officers, whose three-hour memorial service ended an hour ago. We are down there checking on it right now – the cameraphone photo (more pix to come) above confirms, there’s indeed a line for takeout, and we’re told a big wait for delivery too. Remember Papa John’s is doing this again tomorrow (and there are other fundraisers in West Seattle, including tomorrow night’s pasta dinner at both WS Merrill Gardens [WSB sponsor] communities – full details of all the fundraisers can be found here). ADDED 6:44 PM: The crowd inside:
7:22 PM: As some commenters are noting, and as Carrie Ann said via Facebook, it appears they’re no longer taking orders for tonight – but remember, this continues tomorrow.
We spotted that waterfall-turned-icefall outside a Triangle business on Monday, but we doubt it’s thawed since then, given the temperature’s stayed below freezing all day. One alert, thanks to tipster Katherine – the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library is without heat at the moment – she told us they were considering closing early if they can’t find a way to warm the place up; we’ve got messages out to Seattle Public Library‘s communications team to confirm. Meantime, the National Weather Service has just updated its detailed “forecast discussion,” noting it’s likely to be a few degrees colder tonight than last night, and mentioning again that there’s a chance of lowland snow Friday night/Saturday.
Thanks to the folks at DKA, building the new Denny Middle School and renovating Chief Sealth High School, for the latest aerial photo of the site – compare to this one from three months ago:
In the latest construction update, they say Sealth work is continuing on “insulation, doors, plumbing, HVAC, electrical and fire sprinklers” and wall-framing, while structural-steel deliveries continue for the new Denny – they’ve already completed putting up the steel for the new Denny gym as well as the Galleria that both schools will share. Sealth is scheduled to move back this fall after 2 years at the Boren interim location; we’re checking on the latest timetable for Denny occupancy. Here’s the official project-information site.
Today we’re welcoming our newest WSB sponsor, Seattle Cat Sitter. Sasha Goodwin lives in West Seattle and that’s where she started her business, offering in-home cat-sitting services to keep your cat happy and healthy while you are away. She’s offering a special discount as Seattle Cat Sitter joins the WSB sponsor team – 10 percent off for first-time clients. Sasha says she’s proud to be part of the West Seattle business community, and she’s also a West Seattle volunteer, helping out at Next To Nature in The Junction, with cats that are there from Friends of the Animals, looking for their forever homes. Seattle Cat Sitter is licensed, bonded and insured, and in addition to cat-sitting, Sasha also offers other services: She can run holiday errands and deliver cakes, flowers, etc., for special occasions. Call Sasha at (206) 409-6040, e-mail info@seattlecatsitter.com, or check the Seattle Cat Sitter website at seattlecatsitter.com.
We thank Seattle Cat Sitter for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
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