West Seattle, Washington
19 Sunday
Not only does every picture tell a story, every artist tells a story. June Anderson Evanoff is one of the painters exhibiting/selling at this weekend’s Alki Art Fair, and she can tell you about the work she has at the Smithsonian — a demonstration painting she was creating on the Mall in Washington, D.C., during the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, on behalf of the Swedish-American community. She lives on Mercer Island and what you see behind her in our photo is just some of her work – she’s set up just east of the Statue of Liberty Plaza. (By the way, the Smithsonian has a West Seattle link – Patty Stonesifer, who lives part of the time in West Seattle with writer husband Michael Kinsley, chairs its board.) A little further west, you’ll find Amanda Askren and her bags:
She says she’s been told she’s the only person selling tote/handbags at the fair this year (we didn’t see any others, but forgive us if we missed someone). The one behind her is just one of many brightly printed bags she’s selling for $35, along with other items such as cardholders for $5. And just west of the last (or first, if you’re walking east) booth, around 64th, we found this sign:
It’s not an official part of the fair, but Joy Anderson, who’s continuing to pursue a legal challenge to the closure of Cooper Elementary (where the district is moving Pathfinder K-8), is tabling with kids’ crafts and free drinks, plus a donation jar for their legal fund. Meantime, as for the official part of the fair, there’s entertainment in the Bathhouse area – and it all continues till 7 tonight, and again 10 am-5 pm tomorrow.
Just talked with King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe, who says bail has just been set at $10 million for 23-year-old Isaiah Kalebu, arrested last night in connection with the South Park burglary/attack that killed 36-year-old Teresa Butz and injured her partner. We expect to get some legal documents in the case shortly and will add new information here once they’re in. ADDED 2:35 PM: A few details from those documents, including the major evidence they have against Kalebu (and added early Sunday – a link to a followup article with more on how police figured out who they were looking for):Read More
You never know what you’ll find at a rummage sale. Highland Park Improvement Club‘s parking lot is full of sale tables till 3 pm, and we noticed that box of rubber ducks at Highland Park Action Committee chair Dan Mullins‘ table. Or, you can buy some belly-dancing accessories from Dina Johnson, posing here with husband Blair Johnson:
Many outdoor events have live music, but this is the first one we’ve been to in a while that had an accordion serenade:
12th/Holden till 3 pm. Then tomorrow, HPIC’s having its annual neighborhood barbecue and kickball extravaganza, 2-6 pm at Highland Park playfield.
The Rotary Club of West Seattle is selling Skagit County-grown blueberries today till 3 pm in the south parking lot of Admiral Safeway, raising money for the Rotary Kids Holiday Shopping Spree – but without their signature canopy, shown at left in a photo from our coverage of their strawberry sale last month. Just got a note from Sue Lindblom of Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor):
Someone took the canopy that we have been using for our berry sales. We are in the parking lot behind Admiral Safeway and it went missing last night. (If you’ve seen it …) Call Sue at 300-3668.
And of course, you can alert police too (206/625-5011 is the non-emergency number).
We often publish West Seattle Crime Watch reports individually as they come in – this time, six have stacked up during the busy past day-plus, so we now have several to share, from burglary to bike theft to “casing” – all in the following roundup – read on (and p.s., sign up by Friday to strengthen your neighborhood with a Night Out block party on August 4!):Read More
ALKI ART FAIR: We’ll be heading down in a bit for an early look at who and what you’ll find there this year. On the boardwalk and by the Bathhouse, 10 am-7 pm today, 10 am-5 pm tomorrow.
OUTDOOR MOVIES ON THE WALL: Tonight, the second of six outdoor movies in this summer’s series, presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and co-sponsored by local businesses including WSB: The featured presentation is the 1933 version of “King Kong,” on the big screen in the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff. The movie starts at dusk but the preshow fun starts around 8:30 – “Save Barbie” – don’t miss it. B/Y/O chair/blanket – doors open at 7 and there was quite a crowd last week (photo above), so you might want to stake out your spot early and then go wander around The Junction for a while. Free, but bring a few $ for concessions and raffles, proceeds benefiting local nonprofits. See the full series lineup here.
BIG SALES – PLUS, YARD SALES LISTED ON WSB: Two huge rummage sales today – Community School of West Seattle till 5 pm (and again 9-5 tomorrow), Highland Park Improvement Club one day only (10 am-3 pm). And some other yard/rummage sales are listed in the WSB Forums, where you can list your sale in the Freebies, Deals, Sales category any time FREE: Here’s a moving sale; an “everything must go” sale; and a “cleaning house” sale.
“THE LISTENING ROOM” AT ADMIRAL THEATER TONIGHT: It’s the latest installment in a unique series of performances – live music, spoken word, and art, all happening in the show. Read all about it, and sample the musicians’ work, by going here.
That’s just a sample of what’s happening … the West Seattle Weekend Lineup has lots more.
That’s the Seattle Schools All-City Band – students from all over the city, including more than a few from West Seattle (which is also home base to ACB director Marcus Pimpleton, leader of the Denny Middle School music program) – performing Friday night at Southwest Athletic Complex during the first-ever Band Jam. You could say they were warming up for tonight’s Seafair Torchlight Parade downtown, and two of the other groups joining them last night are on the parade lineup too (which we just found here) – the Rainbow City Band and the Cranbrook (BC) Girls’ Bugle Band. (For more on tonight’s parade, beyond the lineup, go here; West Seattle will have plenty of representation in addition to ACB members – there’s also the mayor, the West Seattle Hi-Yu float/royalty, West Seattle members in parade staples like the Seafair Pirates, Seafair Commodores and Seafair Clowns, and 2 princesses in the running for Miss Seafair right before the parade … if you can’t be there in person, KIRO shows it live on channel 7 and online at kirotv.com … if you are going, remember there’s an extra King County Water Taxi run at 11:30.)
3:45 AM UPDATE: Just got word via phone and e-mail that Myrna Hauck has been found safe and unharmed. Her family’s still “sorting out” what happened but wanted to share the news that she’s OK.
(Original report follows)
That’s Myrna Hauck, mother of 8 daughters, grandma to many grandchildren. Myrna is missing, so her daughter, West Seattleite Michelle Dightman, is trying to get the word out any way she can. She says her mom is 5’3” and about 150 pounds and was last seen between 3 and 3:30 Friday afternoon, dropping off a relative at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Lakewood (11751 Pacific Hwy SW; map) Michelle says Myrna “was expected in West Seattle at 5 pm and was driving a 1991 Aqua Blue Honda Accord, license number 429 SAX.” Michelle says, “We’re just so scared – this is so highly unusual.” This has been reported to police, so if you think you’ve seen her, call 911; the primary agency handling this is the police department in Lakewood, but Michelle says Seattle Police have been contacted too.
We have more details now directly from Seattle Police regarding how they found and arrested the South Park murder suspect tonight, within hours of publicly identifying him as 23-year-old Isaiah M.K. Kalebu and publicizing photos. The updated news release we just received says:
Preliminary reports indicate that a Metro Bus operator who had knowledge of the suspect description contacted the Seattle Police Communications Center with a possible suspect sighting at NE 65th Street and Sandpoint Way in North Seattle. This occurred at around 6:30 p.m. North Precinct patrol officers saturated the area and searched for the suspect. Officers located the suspect and his dog in Magnuson Park. The suspect surrendered to officers without incident. He is in custody and en route to Seattle Police Headquarters for questioning. He will ultimately be booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Murder. The suspect was with his pit bull at the time of apprehension. The dog has been released to the care of Seattle Animal Control.
These photos of the dog were also made public by police earlier:
It’s been less than a week since 39-year-old Teresa Butz was stabbed to death after a man – allegedly Kalebu – broke into her home where she and her partner were asleep and attacked them; Butz’s partner survived and is out of the hospital. Just last night, hundreds of friends and neighbors gathered for a candlelight memorial at South Park Community Center, close to Butz’s home. We do not yet know how police have tied Kalebu to the crime but we will be adding more information as we get it; we’ll be checking into court records and any other background, too. He may have West Seattle ties – commenter Cheriberri, in the comment section of our previous report, says he was a classmate at Denny Middle School in the mid-’90s. ADDED 8:47 PM: The system we use to get court documents is down for the weekend but the top-level state online records are available round the clock and we have found a King County case in which Kalebu was due in court earlier this week, on a case dating back to April, with charges listed as including domestic violence and harassment. (Update: Slog has details of that case – the victim was Kalebu’s mother.) That’s one of 13 court cases listed for him dating back as far as five years ago. There is also a Pierce County case filed this month in which a domestic-violence protection order was sought against him (by the aunt who died in this fire days later; at least one media source says Kalebu will be questioned again in that case). Most of the other cases against him listed in the top-level statewide court records were also from Pierce County. 12:22 AM UPDATE: Kalebu was booked into King County Jail at 10:35 pm. He’s being held for investigation of five potential charges, including murder and attempted murder.
8:16 PM UPDATE: Police have issued the official announcement confirming the suspect’s arrest. We’ll be publishing a separate item next.
UPDATE: 6:57pm: We’re working to confirm a report that the South Park murder suspect has been arrested. This comes about an hour after the Seattle Police sent these photos and this press release.
Those photos and this news release just in from the Seattle Police.
SEATTLE – Seattle Police homicide detectives have identified a suspect in the July 19th South Park murder/attempted murder case. Probable cause exists for police officers to arrest Isaiah M.K. Kalebu (DOB: August 1, 1985) for Murder. Kalebu is six feet tall with a slim build. Detectives and officers are searching for him at this moment.
Kalebu is believed to be armed with knives and is considered extremely dangerous. Citizens recognizing Kalebu should call 911 immediately. He may or may not be accompanied by the dog pictured. Kalebu is the same individual captured by surveillance video that was distributed earlier today. There are no other suspects wanted in this investigation.
Here again is the video release from earlier today.
The question came up in the WSB Forums this week – when is Brickyard BBQ opening in Admiral (2310 California)? We brought you first word of the planned restaurant back in mid-April. To answer the WSBF question, we checked back with co-owner Don Kriley, who says that – like nearby Porterhouse – they’re hesitant to set an exact date, because they’ve still got some inspections to go through, but they’re hoping to open in “two, three weeks” or so. Another Forum question: What style of barbecue? Answer: Texas. Hours will be 11 am-10 pm for the restaurant, lounge open later. No website to point you to yet, but it’s “in development.”
Last February, we reported on the “burnout backlog” – thousands of Seattle City Light streetlights awaiting repair. In February, there was word of a plan to speed it up by moving up some spending. Now, a progress report – read on:Read More
(October 2008 photo of trees-in-waiting at city yard in West Seattle)
From the Department of Neighborhoods, via Junction-based Southwest District coordinator Stan Lock:
Did you know that West Seattle is one of the areas in the city with the barest residential and street tree densities? Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ (DoN) Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) is currently accepting applications for this year’s Tree Fund*. All it takes is organizing a group of your neighbors to plant street trees in your neighborhood together. You put in the volunteer time; DoN provides the trees!
Wait, there’s more! To increase local food security and expand the tree canopy on private properties, we are testing a pilot expansion this year. All NMF Tree Fund participants who plant street trees with their neighbors have the bonus option of selecting one free cherry or apple tree to plant on their private properties. You can help bring more trees to West Seattle streets and private yards!
For more information on the Tree Fund and to download an application, visit our website at: www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/treefund.htm. But act soon! DoN is accepting applications through August 21.
* NMF Tree Fund works in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation, Office of Sustainability & Environment, and local community organizations.
When WSB broke the story July 13 about hundreds of leaks in the waterproofing “membranes” atop the new concrete covers at Myrtle Reservoir in West Seattle and Beacon Hill Reservoir, Seattle Public Utilities told us they had not yet calculated the cost of redoing those membranes. They stressed that they expect the cost eventually will be someone else’s responsibility – depending on where the fault is found to lie – but in the meantime, the city has to front the money to get the work redone. The faulty membranes are being removed now, and a “hot asphalt” process will be used instead. SPU’s Andy Ryan has just sent us the information on the costs, as he had promised they would do as soon as “change orders” were complete:
We now have an estimate on the cost of removing and replacing the waterproof membranes at the Beacon and Myrtle reservoirs — about $4.1 million.
As you reported last week, once liability for the waterproofing problem has been established, Seattle Public Utilities will be seeking recovery of costs from our vendors.
We have not yet established the cause of the breaches in the waterproofing material, nor have we fixed responsibility for the problem. As we told you last week, that determination will likely be part of a lengthy legal discussion between SPU, the project designer and the contractor. To reiterate what we said last week, we do not believe SPU is responsible for any of these problems.
Overall, Seattle’s $150 million reservoir covering program is about $15 million under budget.
Please allow us to emphasize, again, that the water in the reservoirs is safe. We have a comprehensive water quality testing program, regulated by Washington State Department of Health, that confirms that there are no water quality impacts from the waterproofing problem. In fact, at Beacon and Myrtle the water is much better protected, and the water quality even higher, than in Seattle’s old, uncovered reservoirs. The state Department of Health is fully informed of these issues and believes our water is safe.
Construction work on the Beacon and Myrtle Reservoirs is expected to be completed by the end of November. Until the work is completed, the two reservoirs will remain fenced off, as has been the case with our open reservoirs.
Our first priority is getting the waterproofing done right on these projects, which will be serving Seattleites — as reservoirs and parks — for at least the next 100 years.
Our original story on the waterproofing leaks stemmed from neighbors’ e-mails to WSB, asking why the project – which they had thought to be complete – “was being dug up again.” (We also published a followup later in the week.) Earlier this week, we asked SPU why we hadn’t seen activity at the site for several days; Ryan and reservoir project manager Stephanie Murphy explained that the crews are removing the membrane material at Beacon right now and scheduled to resume work at Myrtle in early August.
The original photo of this (apparent) marmot, as identified by WSB’ers after the sighting was shared June 19th by Jennifer from a neighborhood near The Junction, was so memorable that somebody even turned it into a LOLcritter (as noted recently in the WSB Forums). She e-mailed again this morning with this new photo and words of thanks:
It was fun reading all the comments and learning what he is. Here he is again–taken this morning in about the same spot. We’ve seen him a handful of times now. He lives in our laurel hedge.
FumikoB shared that video of the Seattle Schools All-City Band in last Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade; its lineup includes West Seattle musicians and director Marcus Pimpleton, who leads the acclaimed music program at Denny Middle School. Tonight at Southwest Athletic Complex (east of Southwest Community Center) you can see ACB and four other bands outside the parade environment – in a sort of warm-up for tomorrow night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade downtown. It’s a unique event dubbed Band Jam: ACB, the Denny Marching Band, Rainbow City Band, Pacific Northwest Drumline, Cranbrook Girls’ Bugle Band (from BC). Free! Gates open at 6, performances start at 7.
Before tomorrow night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade downtown (tip from veteran parade fan, you need to stake out your spot along 4th Avenue early in the day), the new Miss Seafair will be announced, and two West Seattle women are in the running. Sivona Lingle (right) represents the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival, and Keili Geller (left) represents the Alki Community. Keili is a junior majoring in communications at the University of Hawaii Manoa (Honolulu) and attended Hope Lutheran School in West Seattle through 8th grade; in 2007 she graduated from Bellevue’s Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart High School. Sivona is currently attending the University of Arizona; she was Hi-Yu Senior Court Queen 2007-2008 (since many Miss Seafair events run concurrent with Hi-Yu commitments, the festival enters its preceding year’s queen; 2008-2009 queen Margo Femiano will represent Hi-Yu in Miss Seafair next year) . Regardless of who is coronated as Miss Seafair tomorrow night (see all the participants here), they’ll all be riding in the parade, where you also will see the West Seattle Hi-Yu float – decorated with lights, since this is an evening parade. P.S. If you’re going to the parade, note that an extra King County Water Taxi run has been added, 11:30 pm, from downtown to West Seattle.
(T-107 Park photos taken this morning by Christopher Boffoli)
Correction to a report we published about half an hour ago: The homeless encampment that calls itself Nickelsville is still at Terminal 107 Park (map) – the site from which they have finished clearing the last of their items is the 2nd SW/Highland Park Way site they started leaving last night. We’ll be checking with the Port of Seattle to see what it’s planning to do, since T-107 Park is on land owned by the port, which is reported to have sent reps last night to tell the campers they couldn’t stay. They were under orders to leave the state-owned 2nd/HP Way site by this morning.
MONDAY NOTE: Over the weekend, the Port of Seattle published its official statement, which says it expects the process of evicting the encampment to take about a week.
Children’s-clothing boutique Georgia Blu, on California next to KeyBank, has just announced it’s closing after 2 1/2 years. This is the third Junction closure announced in the past two weeks, after Swee Swee Paperie (announced July 9) and Ama Ama Oyster Bar and Grill (announced last Sunday). Thanks to Robin for sharing the note that went out to Georgia Blu’s mailing list late tonight:
It is with a mixture of sadness and relief that I send this email out to you all. Georgia Blu will be closing our doors in September. Now I know that you are all thinking that we too are just another casualty of our stressed economy. However to believe that would be a disservice to our extremely loyal customer base. It’s true that our business has slowed down, like most business right now; but thanks to many of you – we are really hanging in there. Your devotion to supporting us – even in these tough times – is something that will stay with me for a very long time.
Instead, there are really two other reasons we’re closing. The first one is that our lease is up in September. I’ve debated back and forth for quite a while about whether or not to renew our lease but ultimately have decided this is a good time to close the store. The second reason – and probably the more pressing reason we are closing is that as a business owner and a mother of three, I find it harder and harder to do both jobs well. I’m sure many other mothers and fathers out there can relate. When I started GB I had a 4 year old, and a 1 year old. I now have a 7 year old, a 4 year old and a 9 month old. I have found it to be an increasingly huge challenge finding the time to be the kind of mother I wish to be, as well as a devoted shop owner of an always changing business.
This was not an easy decision, nor was it free of some heartache. But I do feel that it is the right decision.
The announcement continues after the jump:Read More
(photos by Christopher Boffoli)
3 months after first word the Admiral Neighborhood Association was planning a concert series, tonight’s opening night of Summer Concerts at Hiawatha was a hit. Organizer Katy Walum “guesstimates” about 250 people on hand for the free performance by Alma Villegas on the east lawn at Hiawatha – first of six consecutive Thursday night shows this summer.
We asked Katy for her thoughts post-concert:
The Alma Villegas Quintet put on a wonderful performance – really engaging the people (the kids were out dancing like crazy – so fun to see!).
The PCC KidPicks van was really fun, with lots and lots of samples for everyone. They added a nice element for sure.
Christopher got a photo of that too – at left in this shot:
Katy adds that a face-painter is in the cards for two shows, probably next month, and also says:
I had many people come up to me and genuinely thank me for putting something like this together, they had really been wanting to see something like this in the neighborhood, etc. That felt so good. People in West Seattle have been so positive about this whole thing, and that’s what’s really made it work. They want to be out in the park, enjoying the summer weather, hanging out with family and friends and neighbors, watching their kids run around like lunatics, so free. This series just gives everyone a good reason to take time out together to enjoy the summertime.
She notes that next week’s concert features Tom Colwell and The Southbound Odyssey, “a local favorite with lots of fun old folk tunes that everyone can sing along to,” and concludes, “And thanks to everyone else for coming out tonight, and for truly bringing my vision to life. I am so, so proud of this neighborhood!” That’s 6:30 pm each of the next five Thursday nights, on the east lawn at Hiawatha, not far from the play equipment and wading pool, a big grassy space (bring your own chair/blanket) with room for hundreds more. Full schedule for the series (which is co-sponsored by WSB) is at admiralneighborhood.org.
After a cloudy day, the sun broke through just in time for several notable events tonight, including this one: The celebration of a new van for Providence Elizabeth House in High Point, donated by King County after it was “retired” from the van pool. That’s State Rep. Sharon Nelson smiling at left with the big ceremonial key to the van, which will be operated with money that Providence employees and Elizabeth House residents have raised over the past two years. (Elizabeth House has 74 one-bedroom units and is one of a dozen apartment buildings that Providence operates to offer independent living to elders and disabled people.)
More than three years after its first Design Review meeting, Golden Crest – the mixed-use (36 residential units over 4,000 square feet of retail) project at 4532 42nd SW, next to Capco Plaza – won final Southwest Design Review Board approval tonight. ADDED 2:11 AM: Some details from the review meeting – read on:Read More
(photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 9:47 pm)
8:27 PM: From WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, who’s been at the “Nickelsville” homeless encampment at 2nd SW/Highland Park Way: While law enforcers could have moved in at 7 tonight to clear out the campers, they’ve been given till 9 tomorrow morning to move. Meantime, we talked this evening with State Rep. Sharon Nelson, who said she’d been in a meeting regarding the situation, and that she’s learned the Church Council of Greater Seattle has some possible new locations for the encampment.
(photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 9:52 pm)
8:50 PM UPDATE: One-line update just in from the encampment’s spokesperson, who says: “Nickelsville has relocated to Terminal 107 Park.” That’s still in West Seattle – 4700 West Marginal Way SW – and it’s property owned by the Port of Seattle. 9:25 PM UPDATE: At the new encampment site, we just talked with one organizer who indicated this is not a site for which they obtained permission in advance – they had to leave, she told us, so they packed up and headed “down the street.” They’re still unloading property moved from the 2nd SW/Highland Park Way site, and say they’ll be totally cleared away from there within a few hours. As for where exactly they’re setting up – it’s an open area south of the parking lot.
10:31 PM UPDATE: That’s video of one of the trucks pulling up to the Terminal 107 Park site just before dusk. However, they might not be there for long. KOMO reports that “Port of Seattle officials” already have gone there to tell them they can’t stay. We’ll be heading down a little later to get an update.
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