West Seattle, Washington
27 Monday
Thanks to Jeff Hogan from Killer Whale Tales for the report: Orcas passing Alki, headed southbound. Let us know if you see them!
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Two transit reminders for today:
-No Water Taxi
–Metro is on a “reduced weekday/no UW” schedule
If you’re going downtown today – remember the road closures for this morning’s parade and tonight’s tree/star lighting; here’s info from SDOT.
The post-Thanksgiving calm is starting to settle … except for the corners of the holiday-shopping world where people are lining up for the start of “Black Friday.” 
Instead of mall-mania, West Seattle’s local independent retailers invite you to sleep in and see what they have to offer – tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and beyond. You don’t even have to wait for “Shop Small Saturday” – make it “Shop Small Every Day.” The WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide has some previews of local shopping highlights if you scroll down the page; also new this year, the West Seattle Junction Association is offering some ideas in a three-part Gift Guide (here’s where to start). Another stop for your list tomorrow – it’s the first of three days for the annual Native Holiday Gift Fair at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse – hand-crafted creations you won’t find anywhere else. (WSB photo: Garland-decked Easy Street Records, one of the local indie businesses where you’ll find deals Friday)
9:23 PM: You might have heard the sirens a little while ago – a big initial response for a crash at 21st SW and SW Myrtle. It was first called out as a “heavy rescue,” but it’s been scaled back. We don’t have details on the circumstances but are off to check.
9:54 PM: It was a one-car crash at the curve by Sanislo Elementary. The car went into the shrubs on the slope west of the corner, north of the stairs. The driver got himself out, police told us at the scene, and is unhurt, but is in custody, while they investigate the possibility of DUI.
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Online records show a 34-year-old man was cited for being under the influence.
IF you’re going downtown to see tomorrow morning’s Macy’s Holiday Parade – you’ll have locals to cheer for: The Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School marching bands are both on the lineup, per their online schedules. The parade starts at 9 am and ends when Santa Claus goes by – the route is described in SDOT’s holiday-weekend alert. You can’t take the Water Taxi over since it’s not running on Friday, but you can take Metro, which will be on a “reduced weekday” schedule. (Anybody else from WS in the parade? Please comment, or message us, so we’ll all know to look for you!)
Another group of West Seattleites putting the “giving” in Thanksgiving today – the West Seattle Eagles, serving their 7th annual “Thanksgiving to Remember” feast, free to all, until 5 pm. The first hour saw more than 60 people, they told us when we stopped by:
Among the Eagles and volunteers making everyone welcome are Armando Juarez, Christine Juarez, and Gatewood Elementary students Maddy and Ty:
The Eagles’ aerie is just south of the Junction post office, 4426 California SW.
For the 17th year, Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering is serving its legendary complimentary community Thanksgiving dinner right now at The Hall at Fauntleroy, all welcome, until 3 pm. We dropped in to photograph some of the smiling faces of the people who are spending part of their holiday making it happen:
T&TSC proprietor David Haggerty (3rd from right, above) told us that within the first 35 minutes or so, they had already served 100 diners. (What does it take for this large-scale feast to happen? See our behind-the-scenes story from 2012.) As is also a tradition, a table in the hallway also was laden with warm clothing available to anyone who needed to take some home.
(Photo by John Bartell)
Thanks to everyone who shared photos of this Thanksgiving Day’s beautiful beginning. While the full moon was getting ready to set over the Olympic Mountains this morning, the sun was climbing up from behind the Cascades:
(Photo by Bryan Hendrickson)
As beautiful as Mount Rainier can be in sunrise glow, the Olympics had it beat this morning:
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
(Photo by John Hinkey)
(Photo by Chris Frankovich)
Thanks to everyone who contributes to this community-collaborative news service day in and day out … photos, news tips, calendar listings, lost-and-found pet reports, comments, Forum posts, and so much more … here’s how and where to reach us, any time.
(One more view from Tuesday’s king tide/north wind – photo by Monica Zaborac)
Happy Thanksgiving! Again this year, we are thankful for YOU and this beautiful neighborhood we share. Here’s info you might find useful:
WHICH GROCERY STORES ARE OPEN: Here’s the list.
WHO’S OPEN FOR COFFEE: We heard from 7 coffee shops ready to serve you for at least part of today! See the Thanksgiving section atop our West Seattle Holiday Guide.
PRE-TURKEY WORKOUTS : Also in the first section of the Holiday Guide.
3 PLACES TO FIND A FREE COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER:
The Hall at Fauntleroy, noon-3 pm (9131 California SW)
West Seattle Eagles, 2-5 pm (4426 California SW)
South Park Senior Center, 11 am-2 pm (8201 10th Ave. S.)
—-More in our preview and our Holiday Guide. And if you are looking for a way to be helpful today – dessert donations are accepted at The Hall starting at 10 am.
WHICH RESTAURANTS (AND BARS WITH FOOD) ARE OPEN TODAY AND/OR TONIGHT: Here’s the list (please note, it is a list only of who told us, when we called, that they planned to be open – always subject to last-minute change without notice to us, so please alert us if you find any discrepancies).
THANKSGIVING CHURCH SERVICES: 2 are listed in the Holiday Guide.
POST-DINNER ENTERTAINMENT:
The Admiral Theater is open this afternoon/evening – see the movies/times here (2343 California SW) … The West Seattle Lights/Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular music-synched light show starts tonight, lights on at 7 pm – bring food for the West Seattle Food Bank! (3908 SW Charlestown)
TRANSIT CHANGES:
*Metro is on a Sunday schedule
*The Water Taxi is NOT running today or tomorrow
*Sound Transit Route 560 is on a weekend schedule
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on a normal schedule.
OTHER NOTES: No solid-waste pickup today … government offices, libraries, Parks-operated facilities are closed (except for golf courses including WS, closing “around 2 pm” per the city).
(WSB photos/video)
The Learjet that just arrived in the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Aviation Maintenance Tech program hangar is a big deal in multiple ways.
For one – this program is the first in the state to get a plane like this.
For two – it’s a plane worth about $620,000 (original value $3.1 million), obtained by SSC for $10,000 (plus various one-timeexpenses, including hiring pilots to fly it here).
SSC showed off the C-21 Learjet 35A inside its Boeing Field hangar on Wednesday afternoon. Never been there? Here’s a quick look inside:
SSC is one of five schools in the state with Aviation Maintenance Tech programs, but the first to have a Learjet.
It’s government surplus that will now be put to use for hands-on training; Pat Prociv of the AMT faculty told us that they’ll be able to roll it out and run the engine.
The college explained in its acquisition announcement:
The plane was acquired from the Department of Enterprise Services that accounts for government surplus items. Formerly a plane for the Michigan State Police, the Learjet became available in 2014. Through a competitive selection process, South was selected to acquire the aircraft because of the number of potential mechanics it will serve. Each quarter the AMT program enrolls an average of 175 students.
The jet is 48 feet and 8 inches long, with a wingspan of 39 feet and 6 inches. Maximum speed, 471 knots (542 miles) per hour. As for the 8-quarter AMT program at SSC, read all about it here.
(Click image for zoomable view)
Though the City Council District 1 race isn’t officially settled yet, and won’t be until after the recount, now that the election is certified, precinct-by-precinct results are available, and that’s what you see in the map above. It was made by Ben Anderstone, a political consultant with Progressive Strategies NW, who granted our request for permission to republish it here. The tones are green for Shannon Braddock and red for Lisa Herbold, on a graded scale, so that the lightest of each is closest to the almost exactly 50-50 split that the election became on a raw numbers basis. In all, per the final results sheet from the county (page 45), 45 percent of the registered voters in District 1 – West Seattle and South Park – returned their ballots. That’s 27,757 ballots out of 60,991 registered voters; almost 10 percent of them – 2,714 of them did not include a vote in this particular race.
The season of light is about to begin, and nowhere in West Seattle does it shine more brightly than in the 5600 block of Beach Drive SW, where the famous Menashe Family Christmas Lights display is going up.
After seeing the work in progress, we stopped briefly late this afternoon to find out when the lights officially go on. Josh Menashe told us this Sunday (November 29th) is the night.
The box where you can drop off letters to Santa, as you can see, is back – and you’ll find Santa himself visiting on Saturday night, December 12th, 6-10 pm – bring a nonperishable food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank.
P.S. This is featured in our West Seattle Holiday Guide along with our area’s two synched-to-music light shows.
Chalk signs pointed the way when we stopped by to see how the pre-Thanksgiving “Lunches With Love” volunteers were doing this afternoon in South Park. Steps from that sign, a garage was already filling with an estimated 400 sack lunches:
Upstairs, in organizer Lashanna Williams‘s sun-splashed kitchen, the all-ages volunteer crew continued making sandwiches and filling bags to deliver around the Sound tonight:
This is the third year for this day and night of pre-holiday giving:
You can still help – lunch-making was scheduled to continue until 6 pm, and then delivery starts around 9 – see our preview for location and other info.
More local soccer success! Thanks to Dr. Bryan Wiebe for the photo and report:
The Mukilteo Turkey Shoot Tournament this last weekend had both West Seattle teams end up in the final (and a shootout after double overtime!). Silly ‘Staches (note the socks) won this tournament, and Neon Fire won the WSSC U-11 division. Both teams had RobRoy Chalmers as head coach. Both teams are Champions.
This year in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, we have three listings for a free community Thanksgiving meal. Organizers for all three stress that everyone is welcome – no prerequisites.
(WSB photo: T&TS crew preparing 2014 Thanksgiving dinner)
HALL OF FAUNTLEROY’S FREE DINNER: Again this year, Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering will host a free, elegant Thanksgiving dinner for the community, noon-3 pm. Plenty of volunteers already are lined up but dessert donations are welcome, as noted in our preview – drop them off starting at 10 am on Thanksgiving. The Hall is on the south end of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE EAGLES’ FREE DINNER: Once again, the Eagles plan a free community Thanksgiving dinner on the holiday – follow the link for menu details. 2-5 pm. (4426 California SW)
FREE THANKSGIVING MEAL IN SOUTH PARK: The South Park Senior Center sent word that it is hosting a free Thanksgiving meal for anyone who would like to attend. It’s at the South Park Neighborhood Center, 11 am-2 pm. (8201 10th Ave S.)
(UPDATED with photo from Wednesday afternoon high tide)
(Tuesday night photo by David Hutchinson: Moonrise behind Columbia Center)
Tonight brings the official full moon – 4:50 pm moonrise (per the moon/sun times on the WSB West Seattle Weather page) – and about an hour and a half before that, another “king tide” at 3:22 pm, 12.2 feet, ALMOST as high as yesterday. Some north wind is in the forecast too. But as for whether we’ll see anything like this …
(Photo courtesy Liesbet)
… we’ll have to wait and see. We did stop by Alki this morning to see the aftermath of Tuesday’s wildness (here’s our video/photo gallery if you missed it):
That sand and driftwood at Statue of Liberty Plaza comprised most of what caught our eye, aside from a few puddles left on the promenade.
P.S. If you miss the king tides this month – next month brings three more, right around Christmas, and then there’s a round in mid-January with the highest of all. They’re all on this list.
ADDED WEDNESDAY EVENING: We did stop by the Alki promenade just after high tide, around 3:30. Some splashes, but nothing huge. Beautiful just the same:
Sunny again tomorrow, says the forecast; high tide will be at 4:04 pm.
(West Seattle Montessori & Academy [WSB sponsor] photo: What their students are thankful for)
On this day before Thanksgiving, you can give others a reason to be thankful too. From the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, two Thanksgiving Eve-specific reminders:
TURKEYS FOR WCFB: The White Center Food Bank (which also serves part of WS) needs more turkeys, and welcomes dropoffs until 7 pm tonight. (They’re OK on volunteer help, and grateful to everyone who responded to that part of the most-recent request.) Just take them over to the food bank at 10829 8th SW.
‘LUNCHES WITH LOVE’: This annual community-powered effort to feed hungry people could use your help in several ways – drop off lunch supplies, make some sack lunches and take them over, help make sack lunches at LWL’s home-based HQ, help take the lunches around the area tonight to people who need them. Details are in our preview from Monday.
*************
We’re spotlighting other giving opportunities throughout the holiday season – you’ll find them in our guide, which also has holiday-specific information you might find useful tomorrow, including:
-Grocery-store hours
-Where to get coffee
-Restaurants that plan to be open
… and what happens AFTER Thanksgiving, too, from light shows to Santa visits to parties, concerts, special shopping events, and beyond. (We continue to update daily, so please keep sending info on your holiday events – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!)
Just a few minutes of your time can help student researchers. Last year, you answered the Gator-bots’ call; here’s what they’re up to this time:
We are the Gator-bots, a Lego Robotics team from Holy Rosary in West Seattle. Last year the West Seattle Community was extremely helpful as we researched ways to share new Technology. This led the team to come up with a creative way to share information. We used this research as part of a project that was then presented at a competition in December.
This year our challenge is to do research on TRASH! Our project focus is to choose a piece of trash and identify a problem with the way it is currently handled. We are looking for problems with the way we make, transport, store, or turn trash into something new. Then find out what is being done to solve the problem.
West Seattle is a very progressive community so we are looking for something new. As a team we discussed opportunities we each have and decided that Food Scrap management may be an opportunity. We found out that New York City developed a profitable project to reduce food scraps that were dumped into the garbage and turn that into a profit by selling it as compost. This required a lot of community work and awareness.
Our Survey is developed to find out more about our community and get some thoughts from all of you.
Thank you in advance,
The Gator-bots
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:38 AM: Cold but relatively calm out there. Transit reminders for tomorrow again: The West Seattle Water Taxi will be out of service both days; Metro buses will be on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving, “reduced weekday” on Friday; Sound Transit Route 560 will be on the “weekend” schedule on Thanksgiving, “weekday” on Friday; Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run, regular schedule.
ONE MORE FRIDAY REMINDER: The annual holiday parade in the morning and Westlake Center tree lighting in the evening bring street closures – details are in the SDOT weekend preview.
8:28 AM: And a reminder for today – school’s out one hour early (for the schools that are still in session – elementary/K-8 has been out all week for parent/teacher conferences) to get the four-day Thanksgiving break started.
Two court updates in recent West Seattle cases:
ARSON SUSPECT LOSES BAIL-CUT BID: When serial-arson suspect Jacob Kokko was arraigned on Monday, he pleaded not guilty and asked for a bail reduction. Both are fairly routine at this stage in a case. Judge Dean Lum said no to the bail-cut request, so Kokko remains held in lieu of $300,000 bail. Two weeks have passed since prosecutors charged the 22-year-old High Point resident in connection with three October fires.
ROBBERY SUSPECT NOT CHARGED: The $100,000 bail first set for an Arbor Heights man suspected in the recent holdup at the Westwood Village GameStop store is no longer in effect – prosecutors have not filed charges, saying the investigation is still ongoing. But he’s still in jail because of a $10,000 failure-to-appear warrant in a domestic-violence assault case.
Family and friends are mourning former Chief Sealth International High School principal Chris Kinsey, who died last weekend at just 43 years old. No details are available, and there’s no word yet of a memorial service. Mr. Kinsey was an assistant principal at Cleveland High School for three years before taking over at Sealth in the fall of 2011; he led CSIHS for two school years before announcing in June 2013 that he had decided not to return for a third year. He did not disclose his future plans at that time, and all Seattle Public Schools could tell us today was that he was not an SPS employee at the time of his death. According to biographical information from the district provided when he became Sealth’s interim principal in August 2011, Mr. Kinsey started his education career in 1999 as a teacher at Meany Middle School. (WSB photo, 2011)
(Seattle City Council photo, via Twitter)
Tonight, West Seattle resident Lorena González became the first Seattle City Councilmember to take the oath of office after the certification of the November election. As noted in the city announcement below, her election itself represented a long-overdue first:
Councilmember Lorena González received the Oath of Office, following certification of election results by King County Elections. Before her friends and colleagues and a packed-Council Chambers, González reflected on her election, plans for her forthcoming Council term, and shared what it means to be the first Latina/o to serve the Seattle City Council in a speech clocking-in at less than ten minutes.
(Added Wednesday: Seattle Channel video of ceremony and speech)
“Mayor Murray, Council President Burgess, friends and family, sisters and brothers, I stand before you today with sincere appreciation for the opportunity I have to represent our community in our state’s largest city as the first Latina sworn into the Seattle City Council.”Citing her experience as a civil rights attorney and community advocate, González also acknowledged her service as legal counsel to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and as a partner at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, representing workers in wage theft and anti-discrimination cases and representing victims of police misconduct as formative experiences. She also recognized and thanked her parents for “…(believing) the American dream was achievable.”
Born and raised in Washington’s lower Yakima Valley to a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, González – who earned her first paycheck at the age of 8 – reminded the audience “…I don’t have the background of a typical politician. Mine is a lived experience rooted in the reality of overcoming poverty and injustice. I am living proof that access to opportunity, coupled with hard work, is a recipe for success. I graduated high school in the face of overwhelming odds. I worked in a food plant, a bank, a retail store, a fast food chain, a day care, and a hotel.”
González conjured memories of picking cherries as a child, spending as many as three hours a day before the start of the school day, and “Often in an environment where I was sprayed with pesticides, or working without access to a bathroom or water…. it’s these formative moments and experiences that inspired me to want to be an advocate, a champion, for those people who I see myself in — even to this day — and especially for those who haven’t had a strong voice in government. They live in the shadows, and I did too – until I saw a path and climbed my way out.“
González went on to outline her intentions to draw on her extensive experience standing up for progressive values and the underrepresented to her work serving the people of Seattle as one of two at-large (citywide) representatives.
In her final moments in Chambers, González turned her attention to future Council colleagues. “My word is my deed,” said González. “I have dedicated my life’s work to defending workers’ rights and will continue this fight – in the name of wage theft on behalf of a cook, or defending men and women against retribution in all its forms. I’ll continue my quest to stand up for dignity in the workplace, and in my work here at city hall on behalf of workers…I will not back down from tackling tough issues or seeking solutions that build a stronger community.”
Born and raised in Central Washington in a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, Councilmember González relied on need-based grants and scholarships to attend community college and later Washington State University. She moved to Seattle in 2002 to attend Seattle University Law School. González has served on various local, regional and national non-profit boards, including OneAmerica, OneAmerica Votes, National Council of La Raza, Northwest Area Foundation, and Washington State Association for Justice.
Councilmember González won the Position 9 race with 78 percent of the vote. If you’re downtown or able to get there, Councilmember González is having an open house in her new office at City Hall tomorrow morning, 9:30 am-11:30 am
One more day to make sure hundreds of local families can celebrate the holiday with a traditional meal … First, the White Center Food Bank needs more turkeys, and you can bring them by 8:30 am-7 pm on Wednesday. If you can spare some time, they also need help distributing food Wednesday afternoon/evening:
Volunteers needed Wednesday, 4:30-8 pm. It’s holiday distribution time again at the White Center Food Bank and we are currently short volunteers for the afternoon/evening of November 25 to pass out food to clients. We get set up at 4:30 pm. We distribute food from 5:00 to 7:30 pm and then clean up. Families welcome. If you can help, please call Audrey at 206-762-2848 or e-mail audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org
WCFB is at 10829 8th SW.
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