West Seattle, Washington

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Spotlight Stories

FOLLOWUP: Seattle-bound Hanjin Scarlet finally offloading at Prince Rupert
September 7, 2016 3:24 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

3:24 PM: The Hanjin Scarlet is being offloaded at Prince Rupert. That’s news here because it was the next Hanjin ship scheduled to dock at Seattle’s Terminal 46, until its parent company filed for receivership in South Korea. Instead of docking at the British Columbia port, Hanjin Scarlet remained anchored in its harbor – until today. It docked at 6 am, according to an update from the Prince Rupert Port Authority. It had been scheduled to offload there in time to arrive here last Saturday. We’re checking with the Northwest Seaport Alliance – the combined Seattle/Tacoma port entity – to see what they’ve heard about a possible arrival here.

5:54 PM: NWSA spokesperson Tara Mattina says they have no new information yet on whether Hanjin Scarlet will head here from Prince Rupert, but hope to find out something tomorrow. Also tomorrow: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting (11:30 am, Jack Block Park) looks at “the state of the port,” with commissioner John Creighton and deputy CEO Kurt Beckett scheduled to speak.

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Alki Dental: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!
September 7, 2016 2:25 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle news

Today, we welcome Alki Dental as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what they would like you to know about who they are and what they do:

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Every now and then, you discover a hidden gem or best-kept secret in our neighborhood. Alki Dental is just that. For over 15 years, Alki Dental has served the West Seattle community with outstanding dental care from their office overlooking Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle. They have earned a reputation of caring for all patients as well as for providing a safe and relaxing experience for patients who fear dental visits.

Their staff is legendary. They are seasoned professionals who are truly concerned about the well-being of their patients. Under the new ownership of Dr. Hanbit Chi (pronounced “chee”), Alki Dental is the only dental practice in West Seattle that offers:

*A dental-health approach focused on your total well-being: body, mind and spirit

*A variety of sedation-dentistry techniques, including IV Sedation, to help patients manage pain and stress

*Panoramic and 3D digital imaging to enhance treatment diagnoses, providing patients with a clear picture of their oral health

*A spectacular view of downtown Seattle from every patient chair

*An office environment that feels like home rather than a medical institution

*Alki Dental Club, a patient-membership program designed exclusively for patients who do not have dental insurance and who want a simpler way to manage the cost of their oral health. No dental insurance? Join the Club! Modeled after managed-care dental plans, the Alki Dental Club offers patients a predictable way to obtain prompt, high-quality, cost-effective dental care. Alki Dental strengthens their patient/care-giver relationships and removes costs that add little or no value to dental health by removing third-party insurance companies from all decision-making.

Contact us for a FREE consultation with Dr. Chi to experience the Alki Dental difference. Alki Dental is located on the waterfront at 1331 Harbor Ave SW; call 206-933-9300. Online, you can learn more here.

We thank Alki Dental for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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$100 million down, $40 million to go for Lander Street project; another ‘open house’ ahead
September 7, 2016 1:50 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news


The Lander Street Bridge (ex-overpass) in SODO – seen as a key part of mobility between there and here – is now $40 million away from full funding.

That’s what the city says in this afternoon’s announcement that the feds have just finalized a grant covering about a third of the price tag of the project that’s been revived after almost a decade on the shelf. Read on for the official news release, plus news of another “open house” about the project: Read More

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BIZNOTE: New owners, name for Mission in The Admiral District
September 7, 2016 12:49 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(Photo courtesy Mission Cantina – from left, Tina Padilla, Shawn Padilla, Peter Morse)

That’s the new ownership team for what was Mission Latin Lounge and is now Mission Cantina (2325 California SW). From the announcement:

Peter Morse, an original owner and manager of the restaurant, has teamed up with new partners, husband and wife Shawn and Tina Padilla. This is the first ownership change for the West Seattle restaurant since it opened in 2005.

Mission Cantina has reason to be enthusiastic about the future, as there are numerous projects in the works, such as expanding the offering of rare and boutique tequila, mezcal, and other agave-based spirits. Peter, Shawn, and Tina will ring the bell when La Escuela Del Misión (The Mission School) is in session in late fall. You’ll never be late for class at this school for tequila, which will provide opportunities to taste the new options. Look for a new sign to reflect the updated name soon and a refreshed interior including new skylights, Mexican tiles, and agave harvesting tools, just to name a few. One much-anticipated change is the launch of a weekend brunch later in the year.

Shawn Padilla tells us there will be some other menu changes – watch for the “big reveal” around Dia de los Muertos, just after Halloween. You’ll likely see the new Mission Cantina signage before then.

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4 for your West Seattle Wednesday
September 7, 2016 11:30 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

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(Surfbird, back from Alaska – photographed by Mark Wangerin)

It’s not ALL about back-to-school today – four from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

NETWORK AT LUNCHTIME: If you see this in time and happen to be on-peninsula – working from home, from a coffee shop, etc. – you are invited to get over to West Seattle’s only coworking center Office Junction (WSB sponsor) and network at noon. Bring your lunch if you want! (6040 California SW)

HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARMSTAND: Just a few more Wednesdays left in the season! 4 pm-7 pm, see what’s fresh at the High Point Market Garden Farmstand, which sells what local residents grow on the mini-farm next door. (32nd SW/SW Juneau)

PARKS SUPERINTENDENT, STREET FUND REVIEWS @ SW DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building/Senior Center, the Southwest District Council is back in session with three major agenda items – Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre will lead off by talking about how the levy-funded Park District fits into the department’s big picture; then there’s a discussion of the state of district councils, post-mayoral announcement; and finally, ranking of Neighborhood Street Fund proposals – see here what SWDC is looking at. (California SW/SW Oregon)

JIM PAGE: Singer-songwriter performing live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm. (5612 California SW)

LOTS MORE! for today, tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month … on our full calendar.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Mayor visits Arbor Heights to welcome preschoolers
September 7, 2016 10:53 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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(Photo via Twitter: @mayoredmurray)

One day after the dedication of the all-new Arbor Heights Elementary, Mayor Ed Murray visited this morning (as previewed here yesterday) to celebrate something else that’s new there – the Seattle Preschool Program. The levy-funded program has expanded to 600 students at more than 30 schools around the city; the levy’s original goal is to enroll 2,000 students by 2018. Tuition is free to families whose income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Arbor Heights still has room for more students, according to the SPP website, which also says there’s room at two other West Seattle schools where the program operates, Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and Highland Park Elementary.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Community answers the call to ‘Be There’ for West Seattle Elementary
September 7, 2016 9:00 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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9 AM: The call went out two weeks ago: Help get West Seattle Elementary students off to a good start with a show of support, the “Be There” rally (explained here). And community members answered the call! More photos to come.

ADDED 10:30 AM: As promised, more photos. “Captain America” made an appearance:

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So did Southwest Precinct Community Police Team officers Kevin McDaniel and Jon Flores:

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And City Councilmember Lisa Herbold:

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But the students were the stars:

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This was also the first day of the first school year with new principal Pamela McCowan-Conyers, promoted from assistant principal when Vicki Sacco – who was there for today’s rally – moved to a new job at district HQ.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Back-to-school Wednesday
September 7, 2016 6:22 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Back-to-school Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:22 AM: It’s the big day – back to school for Seattle Public Schools and most of the independent schools that hadn’t yet started. First, a Metro cancellation just in:

Remember that SPS had some big schedule changes for this year, including most elementaries moving to a 7:55 am start. We list all the local schedules here.

7:22 AM: Metro also has canceled the 7:43 am run of Route 113.

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11-year-old West Seattleite Avery Berg starts middle school in midst of fight of her life
September 6, 2016 9:48 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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(Family photo of Avery Berg as her 5th-grade year concluded)

“She’s one hell of a kid.”

That’s how Kristie Berg describes her daughter Avery, who starts middle school Wednesday at Explorer West.

The move from elementary to middle school is challenge enough for any child, any family, but things got unimaginably more complicated for the Bergs just a few weeks ago, when Avery was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

We found out about it from family friend Alana, who e-mailed WSB on Labor Day weekend.

Avery’s mom has been writing online about her family’s journey. From today’s entry: “My baby girl confidently walked into her middle school orientation this morning with half her head shaved and a pair of glasses with one eye blocked with scotch tape. She hasn’t been able to take a shower for days as she had a surgery last Friday and then ended up having an emergency shunt surgery on Sunday. And yet she still walked in with her head held high and her spirit eager and ready to embark on this adventure. I have never been so impressed with someone in my life.”

A few days earlier, Kristie wrote that she doesn’t know how the school year will go – after day two, on Thursday night, Avery is scheduled to start radiation therapy, which she will need five times a week for six weeks, in addition to six months of chemotherapy. The type of tumor she is fighting, AT/RT (Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor), is rare – 100 cases a year in the U.S., almost all diagnosed in infancy. But Avery was approaching her 11th birthday, on vacation with her family in August, when, Kristie recalls, she “casually mentioned she had been seeing double for a few weeks. And in that instant, our life changed.”

You can read all of Kristie’s updates – many with video of updates by Avery, who has a remarkable sense of humor (don’t miss the story of “Bob”) – by going here. She dubbed the updates “Step by Step with Awesome Avery,” and that’s the title of her mom’s website, too.

Kristie told us via e-mail, “These past three weeks have been unbelievably hard, but our community has been incredible. We should all be so lucky to live in a place with such supportive neighbors and friends. We’d love to extend this invitation to our entire West Seattle crew and have any attention we can brought to fighting pediatric brain tumors.”

The invitation to which she refers is an invitation to support friends and relatives’ team, Awesome Avery, for the Run of Hope coming up on September 25th to raise money for researching pediatric brain tumors. Avery’s dad Joe Berg has a fundraising page here. You can donate there and/or run by registering here.

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The banners are back: ‘Share the Shore’ with wildlife
September 6, 2016 9:26 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

Another sign of the season: David Hutchinson from Seal Sitters shares the photo and report on their banners’ annual arrival on Alki:

Seal Sitters would like to thank Seattle Parks & Recreation for installing our “Share the Shore” banners along Alki Avenue again this year. A special thanks to Parks’ employee, James Lohman, who has been responsible for handling this the past several years.

Harbor seal pups are born from June – September in south Puget Sound and Seal Sitters’ busiest time of year are the months of September and October when they “haul out” on our West Seattle beaches. They are protected by federal law, so if you come across one of these vulnerable pups, please remember the following: stay back, keep people and pets away, and call your local stranding network – for West Seattle beaches, that would be Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 206-905-SEAL (7325). For all other beaches, please call the NOAA Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.

Seal Sitters is a member of NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

That means they are the people to call if you spot ANY marine mammal onshore, or in potential trouble just offshore, not just seals; they were the first responders for the Fauntleroy humpback whale one month ago.

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REMINDER: You’re invited to ‘Be There’ for West Seattle Elementary students tomorrow
September 6, 2016 8:38 pm
|    Comments Off on REMINDER: You’re invited to ‘Be There’ for West Seattle Elementary students tomorrow
 |   High Point | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

If you’re not going to be busy getting your own kid(s) to school tomorrow between 7 and 8 am … you are invited to “Be There” for the students of West Seattle Elementary as they start the new school year. It’s been almost two weeks since we first previewed the plan, and invitation, for “community leaders, school supporters, family and friends to line up to cheer, clap and high-five students as they enter into the new school year,” in partnership with the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor). They’re hoping for at least 100 men and 100 women to be there, “dressed for success,” to give the students an unforgettable start to the year – just be there at 7 am to be part of it. The school is at 6760 34th SW.

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EARLY WARNING: Harbor Island offramps closing this weekend
September 6, 2016 6:38 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Heads-up from SDOT:

The off-ramps to Harbor Island from westbound West Seattle Bridge and from southbound SR99 will be closed this coming weekend beginning Friday evening, September 9, at 7 p.m. The off-ramps will be reopened Monday morning, September 12, by 5 a.m. The closures are needed in order for the replacement of three railroad crossings at the south end of Harbor Island.

• Motorists who are not in large trucks/commercial vehicles can detour by taking the high level West Seattle Bridge, using the Delridge Way exit, then taking the right onto Chelan Ave SW, another right onto SW Spokane St, and eastbound across the Duwamish River’s West Waterway and back onto Harbor Island.

• Large trucks and commercial vehicles can take “official signed” detour route because it is primarily intended for large trucks that unable to use the detour described above. The signed will direct motorists to go south on East Marginal Way S, across the First Ave S Bridge. They will be directed to take the first exit after the bridge, looping them back onto northbound 2nd Ave S, and onto W Marginal Way SW. After passing underneath the West Seattle Bridge, they will be directed to take a left turn onto SW Spokane St, which will take them eastbound back across the Duwamish River’s West Waterway and onto Harbor Island.

The railroad crossing work is part of the SDOT project currently repaving SW Spokane St from SW Klickitat Way to East Marginal Way S.

A map detailing this weekend’s detours is here.

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HAPPENING NOW: West Seattle Chamber of Commerce cleanup
September 6, 2016 4:51 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

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(WSB photo)

Rather than go home and kick back after work, some members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce have hit the street.

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(Laura Schneider from Meeples Games [WSB sponsor] & Katie Krause from Daystar)

They’re cleaning up trash along California SW, starting at SW Charlestown and heading south to The Junction, until 6:30 or so. You’re welcome to grab a bag and join them – look for the people in the bright-blue T-shirts, as shown in our photo.

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VIDEO: Genesee Hill Elementary dedication celebrates ‘awesome’ school
September 6, 2016 2:54 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Genesee Hill | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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You don’t expect to hear “Happy Birthday” at the dedication of a new school. If you were at this afternoon’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Genesee Hill Elementary, that’s exactly what you heard, at the behest of School Board rep Leslie Harris, in honor of principal Gerrit Kischner and some of the students who joined in the ceremony.

Kischner joked that the new school is a “91,000-square-foot birthday present.” His parents were there to help celebrate.

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For Harris, there also was a personal connection, as her daughter attended Pathfinder K-8 in the old Genesee Hill Elementary on the same site.

The principal, staff, and students moved from Schmitz Park Elementary, which they had long since outgrown (as proven by a plethora of portables there), but the ties to the Schmitz family, who gave the SPES site to the district long ago, remain strong. At today’s GHES ceremony, family representative Vicki Schmitz Block was given the last flag to fly over SPE before the end of last school year:

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(As announced last week, SPE will not be vacant – it will host after-school programs for about 100 students.)

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The GH ceremony was outdoors, while the Arbor Heights Elementary dedication two hours earlier was indoors, but both were followed by tours (here’s our original look inside GH) and both shared several dignitaries who took to the podium, including third-year Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland, who declared, “These really are awesome schools.”

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(Both GH and AH were funded by the BEX IV levy passed by Seattle voters three and a half years ago.) Again, tomorrow’s the first day of school; GH is opening with about 700 students, already past official capacity, but it’s been configured so that portables will not be needed.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Mayor to greet preschoolers at Arbor Heights tomorrow morning
September 6, 2016 2:24 pm
|    Comments Off on BACK TO SCHOOL: Mayor to greet preschoolers at Arbor Heights tomorrow morning
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Announced after our visit to Arbor Heights Elementary for today’s dedication of the new building: Mayor Murray will be at AHES tomorrow morning to greet preschoolers arriving for their first day in the levy-funded Seattle Preschool Program. The announcement we received this afternoon says he’ll be joined by school district and city officials during his 7:45 am visit. (We published an announcement back in July that the city-funded program had dozens of openings in local schools including AH.)

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VIDEO: Arbor Heights Elementary dedicated as ‘not just a school – a philosophy’
September 6, 2016 12:29 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The just-concluded dedication ceremony at Arbor Heights Elementary celebrated a day that twice came close to never happening. Mentioned many times during the pre-ribbon-cutting speeches was the fact that the school community had to fight to get the rebuild – and then had to fight to get the schedule moved up in the BEX IV levy so that students could get out of deteriorating conditions as soon as possible. Not mentioned – the fact that just a few years before, during a contentious school-closing process, the Arbor Heights program was proposed for closure. That too was fought and now AH students are hours away from their first day in a $28 million building built for their eSTEM curriculum, as highlighted by principal Christy Collins:

The ceremony in the AHES Commons was attended by a crowd we estimated at more than 400 – here’s just part of it:

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The ribbon-cutting was followed by tours – here are our photos from the recent media tour, including many of the elements that Collins mentioned. She was joined onstage and at the microphone during the ceremony by 34th District State Sen. Sharon Nelson, 11th District State Rep. Zach Hudgins, Seattle PTSA Council president Sebrena Burr, Schools First president Melissa Pailthorp, West Seattle/South Park School Board rep Leslie Harris, School Board president Betty Patu, and SPS Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland.

AHES is one of 5 new schools the district is dedicating, and the next one is in West Seattle too – Genesee Hill Elementary (1 pm)!

ADDED: Another view of the crowd in the commons, showing the bracing in the back, meant to be educational as well as safety-enhancing:

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The big smiles during the ribbon cutting:

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Pieces of the ribbon were offered to kids afterward – “Batman” got one:

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Both kids and parents were helping the Arbor Heights PTA make the most of the big turnout, handing out cards touting the “4th Annual Direct Drive” fundraiser – one was offered to us as we walked down the sidewalk before even getting to the school, and the PTA had a table in the lobby:

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It was a day for celebration and for gratitude – with principal Collins thanking many, including the neighbors who dealt with two years of construction, and the Louisa Boren K-8 STEM community whose Delridge building they shared the past two years (“wonderful hosts”). And now, as of Wednesday morning, Arbor Heights’ new future begins.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Westside School’s new leader
September 6, 2016 10:53 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We’ve reported already on the five Seattle Public Schools in West Seattle that are starting the new school year with new principals. We have since learned that a major local independent school has had a change at the top as well: PreK-8th Westside School (WSB sponsor) is now led by Ted Kalmus, who has a two-year appointment as interim head of school while Westside embarks on a thorough process to create a strategic plan and launch a leadership search. He took over after the departure of four-year head of school Kate Mulligan last June. Kalmus served as head of school at independent Billings Middle School from 1997 to 2015, and worked with Westside as a consultant prior to taking the leadership role. He also is on the board of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (which has its headquarters south of The Junction). By the way, tomorrow will start Westside’s second year in its permanent location in Arbor Heights.

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West Seattle Tuesday: Tour 2 new schools, and more…
September 6, 2016 9:09 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

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(Juvenile Coopers Hawk – photographed by Mark Wangerin)

After almost two years of construction, two new Seattle Public Schools elementaries will be dedicated in West Seattle today. They top our list of highlighted happenings:

ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY RIBBON-CUTTING AND TOURS: 11 am, the new school on the site of the old one will be dedicated, followed by open-to-the-public tours. (3701 SW 104th)

GENESEE HILL ELEMENTARY RIBBON-CUTTING AND TOURS: 1 pm is when you can see the ribbon-cutting ceremony here, also followed by open-to-the-public tours. (5013 SW Dakota)

Also from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: 10:30 am, bring your baby/babies to Southwest Library for story time! Free. (35th SW/SW Henderson)

TODDLER STORY TIME: Or, if your little one is toddler age, 10:30 am is when you’ll find a story time just for them at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. Free. (2306 42nd SW)

TWIN PEAKS COFFEE AND CHERRY PIE SOCIAL: Noon at Easy Street Records, celebrate the reissuance of the original “Twin Peaks” soundtrack with, well, coffee and cherry pie. If you are/were a fan, you’ll know why – details in our calendar listing. (California SW/SW Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. The WSBC website features agenda highlights. All welcome. (41st SW/SW Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE SONGWRITER SERIES: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, no cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-holiday Tuesday updates
September 6, 2016 6:57 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:57 AM: Good morning and welcome to a rainy post-holiday Tuesday. No incidents in/from West Seattle thus far.

BACK TO SCHOOL: More students return today – the Vashon Island School District, which has more than a few West Seattle students, is starting classes. But tomorrow’s the big day for Seattle Public Schools and the independent schools that follow the same calendar.

7:05 AM: Sound Transit just sent an alert that some of its buses, including West Seattle-serving Route 560, “are experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes due to heavy traffic and road conditions (rain) this morning.”

WEST SEATTLE CANCELLATION: This came in just ahead of that and we almost missed it until the mention in comments, but, for the record:

Metro has tweeted four other cancellations this morning, but this is the only one in West Seattle so far.

ROAD-WORK REMINDER: The Spokane Street repaving project east of the low bridge enters its second month this week and is expected to last two more months. This week’s plan is here.

8:34 AM: If you’re headed toward the high bridge from the Fauntleroy end, beware:

8:48 AM: And if you happen to be heading southbound on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, there’s a lane-blocking crash near the Columbia on-ramp, per WSDOT.

8:56 AM: SDOT says that incident has cleared.

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SAVING SALMON: What you need to know about the ‘nearshore,’ and what experts say is needed to fix it
September 5, 2016 8:01 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Puget Sound’s boundless beauty might be its ultimate undoing.

But it’s not too far gone – yet.

That was the message heard by and shared among more than 100 people during a recent boat tour that used the Sound’s beauty as a backdrop for a message that grows increasingly urgent: Restore more of its nearshore.

That’s the part you might not even think twice about as you gaze at the spectacle of the water, sapphire under sunshine, silver under showers.

We hear a lot about the water itself – pollution we can reduce, like combined-sewer overflows and toxic runoff. But what’s next to the water matters too. The beach, or what’s replaced it; the bluffs; those comprise the nearshore. So does what’s on the beach, the rocks, the bluffs … NOAA Fisheries Service explains it, plainly, here.

Another term that mattered on the tour: WRIA 9 – a zone you’re in, but might not ever have heard mentioned.

WRIA stands for Water Resource Inventory Area. Zone 9 is the Duwamish-Green Watershed … as in, the Duwamish-Green River, which runs south from West Seattle.

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With that area of focus, those who were aboard (listed here) included elected officials from South King County as well as representatives from advocacy groups, businesses, and government agencies.

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The slate of speakers began with Jay Manning from the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council opened with the dire warning that you can’t judge Puget Sound by its beauty: Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Another stolen Prius
September 5, 2016 7:11 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fairmount Springs | West Seattle news

For the second day in a row, we’ve received a Crime Watch reader report of a Toyota Prius stolen in West Seattle. First Arbor Heights, now Fairmount Springs (Fauntleroy and Graham): “Charcoal gray Toyota Prius, Chico State sticker on rear window. WA license 474-YNG.” 2008 model, per @getyourcarback. Owner says usage of card(s) that also were stolen might suggest it is or has been in the Westwood Village vicinity. Call 911 if you see it.

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UPDATE: ‘Spontaneous combustion’ blamed for 2-alarm container fire on Alaska Marine Lines barge
September 5, 2016 3:57 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

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(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)

3:57 PM: A second major fire call is working right now, this one in the 5600 block of West Marginal Way SW [map]. In this one, we’re hearing by scanner, there is some concern about propane tanks – stay away from the area.

4:04 PM: Per scanner, this fire is reported to involve containers on a barge. The response includes at least one SFD fireboat.

4:13 PM: The response has been upgraded to include “hazmat” so you will see and hear even more units heading to it. We have just arrived in the area. West Marginal Way is NOT blocked off – the fire units are all on the east side.

4:24 PM: The additional responders are arriving now and West Marginal is filling up – not sure how long it is going to remain open. We’ve added a photo of firefighters getting water on the burning container(s).

4:28 PM: Media crews are being kept back a ways for obvious reasons. Via scanner, it’s reported that the fire is believed to have started in garbage inside the container(s).

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4:40 PM: Still an active firefight. We haven’t heard of any injuries but no one is providing official information to us or other gathered media yet, either. Meantime, the Coast Guard is helping keep vessels away from the fire zone; one of our crews is going to go see if any of this is visible from anywhere else along the river.

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(Photo courtesy Aaron)

4:51 PM: Just got a briefing from SFD’s Lt. Harold Webb (video added below), who says basically half the city’s firefighting force is here.

…including Chief Harold Scoggins.

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(Photo added: Chief Scoggins and Lt. Webb)

Even more units are arriving now. No injuries, we’ve confirmed. What they’re doing now, Lt. Webb says, is trying to cool off the burning containers so they can get a chance at taking them apart and figuring out what caught fire.

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He mentioned the same thing we had heard via scanner – they’re not entirely sure what’s in the containers but garbage is believed to be at least part of it.

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5:21 PM: Thanks to Andrea for the photo above – looking toward the fire scene from Highland Park – and Stacy for the tip that boat traffic is being kept out of the area, so if you’re looking to head south on the Duwamish River from the West Seattle Bridge vicinity, you won’t be able to, TFN. Looking toward the fire scene from the east shore of the river, Patrick Kelly shared this photo via Twitter:

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Lots of firefighting foam in the water.

5:43 PM: Some units are being dismissed as this winds down. Scanner discussion also indicates the exclusion zone on the river will be reduced.

6:53 PM: We just went over to check on how the wrapup is going. More SFD units left, including the last one (Engine 29) that was still parked along West Marginal Way. Lt. Webb, currently serving as public-information officer, was about to leave too, and told us they would still have a presence on site for a few hours. Forklifts are continuing to pull containers off the barge where the fire started:

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8:29 PM: SFD says “spontaneous combustion of garbage” is what sparked the fire.

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UPDATE: House-fire call in High Point
September 5, 2016 3:51 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

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3:51 PM: Firefighters are at a house near 34th SW and SW Findlay, with investigating unit Marshal 5 on the way to investigate a fire there.

4:12 PM: We stopped here briefly on our way to the big call on West Marginal Way (separate story). Toplines: Small fire on a deck, now out; house was undergoing remodeling; no one home when it happened; no one hurt.

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