West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
At left is “Daisy,” the missing Boston Terrier whose photo is on almost every utility pole, store window, and bulletin board in West Seattle — she’s even the subject of a spray-painted bedsheet hung over a section of waterfront railing. We posted her photo on our Pets page, and there it stayed till we got a note Friday from a friend of Daisy’s owner Dez, saying Daisy’s still missing and by the way, not only is Dez dealing with this frantic, relentless search, she’s also 8 months pregnant. We thought you might want to hear from Dez herself, so we talked with her Friday evening at her workplace, the Forsythe Studio salon in The Junction:
As the posting on our Pets page says, Daisy got out quite by accident. A reward is offered; call 206-935-1865 or cell phone number 206-227-7090. if you’ve seen her.
That’s a look inside Puget Sound Key and Lock in Morgan Junction while owner Michael Dein was there this morning to talk to news crews about what’s happened since the firebombing 4 weeks ago. As you can see, the view hasn’t changed much. But he’s managed to keep working by going mobile — he talked about that, and about how little time he would need to get set up again, once his landlord’s insurance coverage (for the structure, not his destroyed business) comes through:
Dein will be on hand for the fundraiser/raffle event that WSB Forum Community members are having Saturday night at Admiral Pub. One more clip … in which he shows the rock he says the firebomber(s) used … plus raffle/fundraiser details (including the list of what’s up for grabs so far!) … ahead:Read More
That’s a quick look up at the steeple/bell tower at Fauntleroy Church, which is celebrating its centennial this year. As we told you two weeks ago, starting this Saturday, the church bell will be rung daily at noon for 100 days, counting down to the centennial-celebration weekend July 25-27. People are signing up in the church lobby to take turns ringing the bell during those 100 days, in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, you name it. We got a sneak preview of the bell-ringing with the help of the Fauntleroy Church parishioner who’s been a member the longest, David Galbraith — whose parents rang the bell on their wedding day in 1917! — and 4-year-old Eli Johnson, a student at the church’s Little Pilgrims School:
Pulled over at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint on Beach Drive to snag a few seconds of video shortly after the lowest tide of the month (-2.4, just after 2 pm). Tomorrow afternoon’s low tide will be almost as low: -2.1, just before 3 pm.
That’s Tom Smith of Tom’s Automotive, honored at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s annual Awards Breakfast attended by 105 people at Salty’s on Alki this morning as “Business of the Year” — as he mentions in our video, in business 37 years! (Thanks to WSB readers for contributing nominations!) Also honored this morning, Warren Lawless with the Community Service Award; he has been a businessman and community leader in West Seattle for more than 65 years. The awards were presented by deputy mayor Tim Ceis; among those in attendance were other political leaders including West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, and countless West Seattle business/community leaders. ADDED 11:52 AM: Here’s a short clip from Warren Lawless’s acceptance speech. He had many great quips drawing audience laughter, but this brief quote seemed to get to the heart of what he was honored for:
Just five nights till the April edition of the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, and the full lineup’s out. (See it here.) Every Art Walk for the past few months has made history with something new — a first-ever feature, biggest-ever participant list, etc. — and this one’s no exception: This time, the Art Walk continues to grow beyond The Junction — with five Admiral participants this time! — and the listings on the official flyer/map now geographically group the venues. More on its growth, plus a closer look at a non-business Art Walk regular, ahead:Read More
You usually know him for his party coverage (like WSU and OLG), but correspondent Rock Steele, Man About Town, has a way with wildlife video too, allowing us to call your attention to this irresistible clip he got over the weekend of baby hummingbirds in their Alki-area nest.
The latest in the thrilling new series of “weather video from outside WSB HQ’s front door” — hail that moved through about 5:30. The forecast promises sun and mid-50s within a few days; we’ll believe it when we see it.
A (good audio, bad video) clip has surfaced on YouTube from one of Eddie Vedder‘s semi-secret Kenyon Hall shows this week.
Not here in Upper Fauntleroy, but Vickie reported flakes @ 4:30 am @ California & Charlestown (in comments here). The “snow advisory” is now extended to 5 pm. 6:45 AM UPDATE: OK, we have a few flakes now. Just a few. 9:13 AM UPDATE: A fairly serious snow shower here now. As our saying goes, “send pix if it sticks.” 9:50 AM UPDATE: Shot a few seconds of the snowfall (still not sticking enough here for stills) just in case anyone is trapped in a windowless room:
That video shows West Seattle mom Antje Staudt and her kids crossing busy 16th SW at Myrtle (map), on their way to Sanislo Elementary a couple blocks west. The intersection used to have a guard – one who not only protected kids crossing the street, but made news here January 10th for helping a young crime victim. Now, that guard is fighting serious illness, and parents and pedestrian advocates say they have been told the city doesn’t plan to replace her this year. It’s the latest in the crossing-guard crisis we first told you about in this January report – and safety advocates want to make sure it’s addressed when the City Council’s Pedestrian Safety Committee hears from citizens next Tuesday – though they recommend other courses of action too:Read More
That’s Sydney Fuller, a Gatewood Elementary student who’s about to join 5 Chief Sealth High School students – and some adult chaperones – on the bicycle ride of a lifetime. Under the title “An Inconvenient Ride,” they’re going to spend three weeks bicycling across the country (here’s their route) as an “environmental-awareness project,” returning home for a triumphant arrival on Earth Day — April 22nd — at a Benaroya Hall benefit for Project Earth Care, in which students from the schools already have been cooperating:Read More
Not all public-school students in West Seattle go to Seattle Public Schools. More than 100 attend school on Vashon, which is closer than the in-city school commutes some local families make. Among them is Max Westerman, who says the student commuters have to wait a long time to get a ferry back to WS after school; instead of just griping about it, he started a petition to ask Washington State Ferries for a 2:50 pm Vashon-Fauntleroy sailing, similar to one offered during the recent 2-boat schedule:
(We talked with Max last week when he brought his petition drive to Fauntleroy Food Fest.)
First, that’s a quick bit of video from tonight’s Chief Sealth Mariachi and Honor Choir fundraiser, the annual tamale dinner at which diners were serenaded by the student musicians; you can hear the CSHS mariachis in our clip. Find out more about Chief Sealth’s music program at its website.
Second, almost a month after the Denny/Sealth shared-campus vote, the School Design Team meetings — which are open to the public — are starting up again next week, 3 pm Tuesday at CSHS. Organizers say the next meeting will include a project update and “discussion of next steps.”
Not even noon yet, and so much has happened already. First, check out the throng outside West Seattle Thriftway in Morgan Junction just before its 9 am egg hunt (so big, we needed two angles – first the group on the south side of the storefront, then the north side):
We hopped quickly over to Alki to catch the crowd gathering at the start of Walk for Water – Seattle is one of two cities nationwide to host this World Water Day event:
Next stop, Delridge Community Center – one of West Seattle’s five city-run community centers, all of which had egg hunts at 10 am today – at Delridge, the crowd was broken into three age groups; here’s video of elementary-age kids on the run for their hunt:
Also at Delridge at 10 am, just yards away from the egg-hunt kids and their Easter baskets, older kids — a few dozen from Denny Middle School — were holding different types of collection containers: bright yellow bags for the Delridge Adopt-A-Street cleanup; the students joined North Delridge Neighborhood Council members in this morning’s effort:
Still more to come in West Seattle as the day continues; our West Seattle Weekend Lineup has the comprehensive list.
Updated information just in from the Fire Department: SFD investigators have finished their work on the Puget Sound Key and Lock arson (6016 California; map), and the criminal investigation is now in the hands of Seattle Police. According to SFD, damage to the structure is estimated at $50,000, damage to the business, $40,000. The arson hotline – as posted on the window in our video above and our photos in earlier coverage – is 800/55-ARSON, with a $10,000 reward offered, but you can also call 911 with any tips. In addition, the unstoppable WSB Forum members are already organizing a bank account for donations to help business owner Michael Dein (who told WSB this morning he has no fire insurance) — as well as a possible fundraising event — check here for the latest.
Yes, we know, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for all day: The arrival of last year’s “American Idol” finalist Chris Richardson at Roxbury Safeway this afternoon to promote ice cream and sign autographs. Our video clip captures the full magic of his SUV arrival, entry into the store, and initial autograph-signing, in a compact 1:15 of video goodness. (A few dozen fans were there to greet him, in case you were wondering; he’s supposed to be there till 5:30.) If you prefer YouTube video, we put this clip there too.
That’s Pat Wright of the Total Experience Gospel Choir on stage tonight at West Seattle’s Kenyon Hall, accompanied by KH proprietor Lou Magor in an impromptu-by-audience-request performance of “Amazing Grace.” This was the first of four amazing nights of Wright and her choir visiting KH somewhat as artists-in-residence, as they get ready for a major journey:Read More
We saw it in the Providence Mount St. Vincent newsletter that landed in the WSB postal-mail box one day: Wii bowling at The Mount. So much for the old image of retirees sitting around playing canasta, or maybe, just maybe, shuffleboard. They were kind enough to let us drop in to see for ourselves:
As you can see, they’re doing pretty well. Resident assistant Ken Howard told us that it’s really just a matter of, if you can’t get out to play the games, this is a new way to bring the games in to them:
By the way, if you’re not familiar with Providence Mount St. Vincent, it’s the huge complex on the west side of 35th along the big rise south of Alaska, nicknamed “The Mount,” and it’s been around longer than some of its residents – more than 80 years. It’s even home to a unique child-care program that brings together the oldest and the youngest members of the West Seattle community. As for the Wii — it’s also being used at local libraries, with occasional how-to’s for adults, and the Delridge Library is offering teens open play with Wii and Dance Dance Revolution this Wednesday, 3-5 pm.
We told you all about it ahead of time – so of course we had to go see for ourselves. Here are two clips – short and long – raw video, as we used to call it in teevee – of the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk fashion show at Twilight Art in The Junction last night, featuring creations from Clementine, Sweetie, and Carmilia’s boutiques:
The fashion showcase was part of the biggest West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk yet — 23 participants from Admiral to south of The Junction and beyond!
Thanks to the WSB’er who texted us about this — the other half of the team has just been to the scene and is returning with pix — the southbound lanes of Delridge are closed between Thistle and the Westwood Village turnoff because of some kind of spill involving a Metro bus that started leaking oil in a huge way. Avoid that area for a while. ADDED 9:38 PM: Replaced previous photo of the absorptive stuff put on the street, with video of same, showing just how far it stretched:
West Seattle moms who belong to West Side MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) — may be feeling just a tiny bit less stressed today, if they attended the group’s annual Spa Day. 33 local businesses donated goods and services for the event — from treats to trims, massage to makeup, plus gift bags and door prizes. Here’s a quick clip of just part of the busy scene Friday morning at West Side Presbyterian Church:
West Side Presbyterian is also where West Side MOPS members regularly meet – 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month, October through May. If you want to find out more, contact info is on the group’s website.
We found those two Girl Scouts selling cookies outside Thriftway this afternoon – second day of local Scouts’ sales – their West Seattle cookie-selling locations are listed here. (We got Thin Mints, $4/box, yum.) More West Seattle Saturday scenes ahead, including the rainbow-and-hail video link:Read More
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