West Seattle, Washington

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  • Closure

    LOW-BRIDGE CLOSURE: Starts on Saturday

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    NEW BUSINESSES: Coffee and wine moving in

  • Sale day

    WS GARAGE SALE DAY 5/11: Register by April 25!

Update: County executive, county council make Metro/fee deal
August 12, 2011 10:41 am
|      63 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(UPDATED BELOW with details of the just-announced plan)
10:41 AM: County Executive Dow Constantine and County Council members are briefing the media downtown right now on what was billed as “a major development (regarding) transportation funding.) According to the politics website PubliCola, the word is that the council now has the “supermajority” needed to put a $20/year car-tab fee in place, without sending it to voters. This comes as a deadline loomed: After postponing a decision two weeks ago, the King County Council was scheduled to decide next Monday whether to put the proposed $20 car-tab “save Metro” fee on the ballot, just make it happen with a supermajority vote in their own ranks, or take some other action to close the Metro budget gap that had threatened huge service cuts. West Seattle’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott says via Facebook, “Pleased that my colleagues and I have come to an agreement to save Metro transit!” More to come. Our partners at the Seattle Times are updating their story here; when we get the full text of the announcement, we’ll add it here.

11:51 AM: The full announcement has just arrived from the county executive’s office, explaining the five points in the plan, including phasing out the ride-free zone and providing bus tickets to car-tab renewers:Read More

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Admiral Safeway grand-opening postscript: ‘That’s Harry!’
August 12, 2011 10:22 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

A postscript on Thursday’s Admiral Safeway grand opening: If you saw our first story in the morning, you’ll remember the bench on the stairway landing in honor of 41-year employee Barb Fuda, lost to cancer while the new store was being built. The photo shown above is one of the many historic photos now hung around the new store, and it’s right by “Barb’s bench.” Safeway’s Sara Osborne says Ms. Fuda’s husband Bob came to the new store on Thursday afternoon: “… and he looked up at this photo that is hung RIGHT NEXT to her bench and he said, ‘That’s Harry.’ We asked, ‘Who’s Harry?’. He said, ‘Barb’s dad.’ He apparently worked as the Admiral Safeway’s meat manager for years. We had no idea when we chose or hung the photo.” (Bob left a comment about this, too.)

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West Seattle Friday: Car show/concert, ‘Oliver!’, ‘Starmites’…
August 12, 2011 9:53 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Baby “blood star,” photographed by Machel Spence – circumference of a quarter, she says)
Maybe you’ll see something like that if you walk the beach around low tide (-1.1, 10:37 am). Here are more of today/tonight’s highlights:

TRAFFIC ALERT: The road-rebuild work on SW Edmunds between California and 44th in The Junction is scheduled to continue till tonight, but the eastbound direction was to have reopened by now, leaving only the westbound side closed till they’re done. As the city’s original advisory points out, the westbound bus stop isn’t expected to reopen till tomorrow.

CAR SHOW AND CONCERT AT THE MOUNT: Classic car show tonight at Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) to accompany the outdoor concert featuring Danny Vernon‘s “Illusion of Elvis.” Dinner/beer/wine available starting at 5:30 pm, live music from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. 4831 35th SW.

LIVE COFFEEHOUSE MUSIC: This Volcanic Winter plays C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW, 6-8 pm.

PACKET PICKUP FOR TOMORROW’S ‘BREATHE DEEP SEATTLE’ 5K: Signed up for this first-ever lung-cancer awareness- and fund-raising 5K in Lincoln Park? Packets will be available for pickup at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) 4-8 pm today. Registration and race details here.

WINE FOR A CURE: At South Seattle Community College‘s Northwest Wine Academy, 5-8 pm – Wine for a Cure tasting to benefit Team Tracy‘s fundraising for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Race for the Cure. $10 donation at the door; samples of a special selection of academy wines will be available, as will light appetizers.

SKATING AT ALKI: Friday Night Skate at Alki Community Center, 6:45-8:45 pm, $3 per person (includes skates if you don’t bring your own).

OLIVER! WEEKEND #2: Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) presents “Oliver!” at West Seattle High School Theater (3000 California SW), 7:30 pm. Tickets available at the theater, $18/adults, $15 students/seniors.

STARMITES AT ARTSWEST: Through Sunday, it’s this year’s production by the teens and tweens in the ArtsWest Summer Musical Apprenticeship Program – 7:30 pm. (Details and ticket-buying link here.)

ZIPPY’S VACATION EVE: The area’s only independent burger joint goes on vacation for nine days starting tomorrow and posted on its Facebook page that tonight after 8 pm, they’ll have a “buy one/get one free” special (with caveats – read the post) till they run out.

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Coming up in Arbor Heights: Crime meeting and block party
August 12, 2011 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on Coming up in Arbor Heights: Crime meeting and block party
 |   Arbor Heights | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

Arbor Heights Community Church sends word of two upcoming neighborhood events: A crime-prevention meeting with Seattle Police is planned for 7 pm Tuesday, August 30th, at the church (4113 SW 102nd). All AH residents are welcome, as is also the case with the annual block party, happening even sooner – official announcement ahead:Read More

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Bushaw murder trial: Medical details; defendant’s friend
August 12, 2011 3:08 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

By Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

In King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque‘s courtroom, the trial of 2 men charged in the February 2009 murder of Steve Bushaw is on break until next Wednesday. Two witnesses testified Thursday morning before the jury was dismissed till then.

Once defendants Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney were brought in and seated at the defense table with their attorneys, the jurors filed in – after the bailiff’s “all rise” command, giving the jury the same sign of respect as the judge – and took their seats. Then the first witness of the day took the stand: Assistant county medical examiner Pamela Ulmer, who was working at the King County Medical Examiner’s office during the time Steve Bushaw was murdered.

With his first questions, prosecutor Jeff Baird established her training and qualification, which included her degree in chemistry, a medical degree, having completed a pathology residency program and additional certification in forensic pathology. Ulmer said that the mandate of a medical examiner is to examine or look for the cause of death if it’s not “an attended natural death.” An autopsy entails looking at the cause of death – “was it a disease, accident, injury,” facilitating the categorization of different causes into a specific cause. This enables the medical examiner to specify which of the five classified manners of death a case should be ruled as: natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined.

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From plaza to castle, Roxhill Skatespot/Playground projects’ 1st round of community discussion
August 12, 2011 2:04 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Westwood

(Photo of Roxhill Park play structure, from Seattle Parks website)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“What’s wrong with the play structure we have now?”

The plaintive question came from a man in attendance at Wednesday night’s community meeting about the two upcoming projects at Roxhill Park – $450,000 playground renovation and $600,000 “skatespot.”

The answer from Seattle Parks staffers in a moment, but first: This was the first of three community meetings on the Roxhill projects. Project manager Kelly Davidson opened the meeting, noting both are funded by money from the 2008 voter-approved Parks and Green Spaces Levy (whose Oversight Committee chair, Pigeon Point resident Pete Spalding, was in attendance).

Davidson briefly mentioned the Rob Dyrdek Foundation donation for the skatespot that led to a “no-cost design” contract with California Skateparks. She said the skatespot and playground projects are intended to be worked on simultaneously, in hopes that’ll enable both to be handled in one construction contract. Design is to be complete next January, with construction expected to take place February through September of next year. Besides the three public meetings, there will be an additional skatespot-design review with the city Skate Park Advisory Committee (open to the public).

The skatepark (technically a “skatespot”) will be in the northwest quadrant of the park, near the corner of 29th/Barton, north of the playground, which is envisioned at its current site. Here’s a roughed-out map shown at the meeting:

Though discussion of both projects kept happening throughout the meeting, it started with playground design, led by Parks’ landscape architects Frank Robinson and Shwu-jen Hwang.

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OutWest Bar opens: ‘Welcome to your gay and lesbian bar …’
August 11, 2011 8:56 pm
|      57 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

(At OutWest Bar: Holly, bartender Josh, co-owner Bob)
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Though butcher paper is still on the windows, the sign on the front door of OutWest Bar reads, “Yes, we’re open!”

By 4:00 today, patrons such as Glenn Bafia were already seated at the copper-topped bar and in the booths for OutWest’s “soft open” in the former Westside Pharmacy space at California/Brandon. He said, “I’m very excited that the gay and lesbian community has a bar in West Seattle that we can hang out in.”

Co-owner Bob Lunke greeted guests with “Welcome to your gay and lesbian bar in West Seattle!” and then proceeded to figure out how to use the cash register.

Another patron, who followed OutWest Bar’s journey via Facebook, said he came “all the way from Magnolia” to check it out.

Neighbor Lisa Laughlin says she’s been watching it “come to life. I’m very excited that it’s now open—it’s good to have a bar I can walk home from!” while Dawn Leverett, West Seattle Windermere agent, added, “West Seattle loves to support restaurants and bars and we’re excited about new venues. In this economy it’s great to see a small business open — these are the backbone of the economy. We’re very happy to have the OutWest Bar in West Seattle.”

Co-owners Lunke and Chad Gabelein still anticipate a grand opening sometime in the next two weeks. (Per their FB page, Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Tuesdays-Fridays.) For more backstory about OutWest Bar, see our stories from May (here) and December (here).

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Happening now: West Seattle Art Walk; Alki ‘Admiral’ concert
August 11, 2011 7:44 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

A sunny summer evening in West Seattle, and there’s plenty to do. Till 9 pm, you can wander the dozens of venues participating in this month’s West Seattle Art Walk. We’ve stopped by two – above, we went to Mural Apartments (WSB sponsor) to check in on Glenn Case‘s mural, begun last month. He says it’s close to completion. (While you’re at Mural, you can also stop by Wallflower Custom Framing on the ground floor and see work by Amy Bengston and Urban Guy Allen.) On the south end of the map, we visited The Kenney (WSB sponsor), where Anita West is the featured artist:

Her Middle East-inspired work is hanging in The Kenney’s halls. This one is titled “Turkish Coffee”:

You’ll also find refreshments at The Kenney (among other stops) – while we were there, CEO Kevin McFeely was playing the role of bartender. And just before we published this, we got word of a live band outside Windermere Fauntleroy in Morgan Junction – photo to come. You can browse the Art Walk venues at the official website (and if you go to The junction, remember it’s Shop Late Thursdays night too). If you go to the beach – Alki Arts is on the Art Walk map, and not far from free live music. Yogoman Burning Band is performing at the beach courtesy of the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB), on the road for this night only.

The music continues till 8; we’ll have a clip in a bit.

ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: The video!

Next week, the concert is back on the east lawn of Hiawatha – LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends, 6:30 pm Thursday, August 18th.

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More video/photos: Admiral Safeway grand-opening day
August 11, 2011 6:09 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Our grand-opening coverage from earlier today is here and here)

The Admiral Safeway grand-opening celebration continues, with The Toucans playing till 7 pm – we went back to get them on video. The store is still crowded with shoppers/visitors. If you couldn’t make it to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30, we recorded it all on video, 19-plus minutes with a few speeches from Safeway officials and longtime Admiral neighborhood advocate Dennis Ross, who helped cut the ribbon:

Other Admiral community leaders we bumped into included Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum:

And Rev. Peter DeVeau from nearby St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church:

Rev. DeVeau told us he had toured the store earlier in the morning – and they accepted his offer of a pre-opening blessing.

Many more photos ahead, including perhaps the most famous Admiral-area resident we spotted:Read More

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West Seattle ex-school site updates: Denny demo; Boren murals
August 11, 2011 4:13 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Two notes this afternoon from sites that used to hold Seattle Public Schools middle/junior-high campuses:

That’s the northwest corner of the former Denny International Middle School site, where the last standing section of structure came down today. Lots of cleanup ahead now before the site will be transformed into fields and tennis courts; it will remain district-owned, as they have said a new elementary school might be built on the site someday. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s our report on a recent tour of the new Denny, nearby.) Meantime, at the former Louisa May Boren Junior High School along mid-Delridge:

Those are four of the volunteer-painted murals meant to deter vandals from tagging Boren’s boarded-up buildings. You’ll recall that they were completed in two recent work parties at Boren; Pete Spalding, who organized the work parties, shared the news that a district crew put them up this week. Besides the ones above, they are in other areas around the sizable campus, including the Delridge-facing courtyard. As of this writing, Boren will be empty again this school year; the district is keeping it for potential “emergency” use.

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Traffic alerts: Edmunds reminder; Spokane St. Viaduct heads-up
August 11, 2011 3:46 pm
|    Comments Off on Traffic alerts: Edmunds reminder; Spokane St. Viaduct heads-up
 |   Spokane St. Viaduct project | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

First: A reminder that until 8 tomorrow morning, SW Edmunds is completely closed for road repairs between California SW and 44th SW on the south end of The Junction:

Thanks to Karen for the “birds-eye view.” SDOT says eastbound will reopen tomorrow morning at 8, but westbound will remain closed until 8 tomorrow night.

Second: The city has just announced another round of westbound Spokane Street Viaduct closures for next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights:

The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct will close the structure’s westbound lanes just west of I-5 for three nights: August 16, 17 and 18. On August 16 and 17 crews will start work at 11:30 p.m. and on August 18 work will begin at 10 p.m. In each instance the roadway will re-open by 5 a.m. the next morning.

During this work, southbound I-5 traffic will be directed to the S Forest Street exit to access surface streets. Northbound I-5 traffic and westbound traffic from Columbian Way will be detoured to surface streets at 6th Avenue South. Motorists will still be able to access West Seattle from southbound SR-99.

Also, on August 15 the right lane of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight, from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning. The I-5 westbound ramps will remain open.

And another reminder, as previously noted here, the next Alaskan Way Viaduct partial closure is scheduled right after that – late night Friday, August 19, through early morning Monday, August 22nd.

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West Seattle scene: In pursuit of pink salmon at Lincoln Park
August 11, 2011 2:08 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Thanks to Shelley for sharing that photo from Lincoln Park early this morning – the second day in a row that she reported seeing dozens and dozens of people fishing on the beach. We asked our fellow neighborhood-news publisher and Lincoln Park fishing aficionado Justin from CapitolHillSeattle.com what’s hot right now; he explained it’s the every-two-year pink-salmon run. Turns out our partners at the Seattle Times previewed it recently.

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Steve Bushaw murder trial in recess until Wednesday
August 11, 2011 1:23 pm
|    Comments Off on Steve Bushaw murder trial in recess until Wednesday
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

gavel.jpgKatie Meyer at the King County Courthouse comes word that the Steve Bushaw murder trial is recess till next Wednesday. As noted at the end of our report on the Wednesday proceedings, Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque already had agreed to a defense lawyer’s request to end early today, – but due to witness availability, “early” moved back a few hours, and that meant at lunchtime, they were done, since the trial’s not in session on Fridays, and was already off the calendar for next Monday and Tuesday. A King County Medical Examiner staffer was on the stand this morning; we’ll have details in a full report from Katie later. WSB is the only news organization covering what is the first West Seattle murder case to go to trial in three years (it’s also a rare multiple-defendant trial); our coverage is archived, newest to oldest, here.

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‘Barb’s bench,’ & other Admiral Safeway grand-opening notes
August 11, 2011 10:57 am
|      38 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(12:15 PM UPDATE: The store’s now open. Ribboncutting video added to this story; separate full report later.)

10:57 AM: If you visit the new Admiral Safeway, which opens its doors to the public a little more than an hour from now (noon today, after an 11:30 am ribboncutting), take a moment and check out “Barb’s bench.” It’s on the landing of the stairway to/from the rooftop parking (which of course has an elevator nearby), and as noted on a it’s in honor of longtime Safeway employee Barb Fuda, a 41-year West Seattle Safeway employee who’d been looking forward to working in the new store – till cancer claimed her life two months ago. The store has other seating areas too:

This one is also on the west side of the store, to the right of the Starbucks kiosk, and includes a TV – Safeway’s Sara Osborne joked this morning (or maybe she wasn’t joking) that the Seahawks game would be on tonight. (Like other local Safeways, this one has wi-fi.) Then outside, as promised while the project went through an exhaustive series of design reviews, there’s a seating plaza at the southwest corner (California/Lander, across from Hiawatha):

We’re on our way back to the store right now – they’re offering a tour to show off the features of the store that Safeway says racked up enough points to potentially qualify for LEED silver status. Besides the 11:30 ceremony, special features today include a shopping-bag giveaway (limited quantities) and the Toucans steel-drum band playing 4-7 pm (that’s expected to be outdoors). More to come.

ADDED 12:16 PM: The ribboncutting, with longtime Admiral neighborhood leader Dennis Ross and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen wielding the scissors:

We’ll have a separate report later with more video and photos, including the entirety of the grand-opening ceremony.

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Infamously vacant North Delridge property now up for sale
August 11, 2011 10:03 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from April 2009)
Almost two and a half years ago, it was the first stop on the “problem properties” tour organized by then-North Delridge Neighborhood Council chair Mike Dady (at left in our 2009 photo, with City Councilmember Tim Burgess) – a long-empty, vandal- and squatter-targeted, often-reported-to-the-city house on a slope facing the northeastern end of Delridge Way. Its address is officially 3804 23rd SW, and this morning, a tipster e-mailed us to point out that it’s just gone up for sale, with its 7,700-square-foot lot, for $100,000; public records say its owner bought it for half that 22 years ago. There’s a note on the listing (see it here with a variety of related details on Redfin, though the listing is credited to ReMAX): “Tear down. Value in land. View with caution.”

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Video: MSNBC interview with Village Green’s Vera Johnson
August 11, 2011 9:33 am
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Last night, we reported that Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson had been booked for an MSNBC TV interview this morning regarding her foreclosure fight against Bank of America. MSNBC’s Veronica Delacruz interviewed her live a little over an hour ago, and we just found the clip online; it’s embedded above.

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West Seattle Thursday: Admiral Safeway opening; Art Walk; Alki concert; more
August 11, 2011 9:19 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

The largest development project in the Admiral area in years, the Safeway redevelopment, opens its first and biggest phase today – the new grocery store. (The photo above is from our sneak peek inside the store early this morning, looking toward the wine section in the store’s southeast corner.) That’s one of the highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

ADMIRAL SAFEWAY OPENING: More details ahead in a separate preview, but as announced last week, 11 months of construction are over for the store itself, and it opens to the public at noon. (2 other buildings on the site are still being completed – a small retail building, and an apartment building.) You’re also welcome at a ribboncutting at 11:30 am along the main entrance; dignitaries will include City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. And the Toucans (steel drums) play live music 4-7 pm. 2622 California SW.

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY SUMMER WINE EVENT: Noon-4 pm at South Seattle Community College (6000 16th SW), featuring wines of Spain, available for tasting and purchase.

SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA – AT ALKI, TONIGHT ONLY: Yogoman Burning Band plays by the Alki Bathhouse as the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s “Summer Concerts at Hiawatha” series takes the show on the road, just this time, to Alki Beach. 6:30 pm, free, bring your own chair/blanket.

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: It’s the second Thursday, and that means dozens of West Seattle businesses and studios are welcoming you to come enjoy art, and what should be a mild summer night. 6-9 pm – preview some of the artists on the official Art Walk website.

SHOP LATE IN THE JUNCTION: It’s also another edition of Shop Late Thursdays in The Junction, till 9 pm; participants’ list here.

SOUTHWEST SEATTLE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN MEMBERSHIP SOCIAL: Not in West Seattle, but the organization’s turf includes WS, so you’re invited! 6-8 pm, Vino Bello, 636 SW 152nd in Burien, $15/door, includes 1 glass of wine or other beverage of your choice and light appetizers. Winning raffle tickets available! Bring business cards or promotional materials for your business, a happy attitude, and meet and network with other successful women in your neighborhood. The first two people to arrive get in free, BPW says.

WINE TASTING AT C & P: C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) wine club meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Everyone is welcome to join (21+), and feel free to bring an appetizer. $5.00 tasting fee or wines by the glass or bottle. 5612 California SW, 6-8 pm.

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Update: North Admiral trailer fire was 1 of 2 ‘set fires’
August 11, 2011 6:36 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

6:36 AM: A rude, and fiery, awakening for a North Admiral neighborhood this morning. In the 3700 block of SW Grayson (map), firefighters are mopping up after a fire on a trailer parked along the street. WSB’er Meredith shares the photos.

No injuries are reported. Investigators are trying to find out how the fire started.

We’ll add an update later when the cause is determined.

8:57 AM UPDATE: According to SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, both the trailer fire and a fire in a nearby recycling bin “are being called Incendiary or set fires. A suspect or suspects set fire to a utility trailer and a recycling bin within minutes of each other. The damage estimate is $1550.”

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Summer school, out of the box: West Seattle YMCA’s ‘Level 9’
August 11, 2011 6:00 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Summer school can be something to cheer about. Just ask the Z Unit, one of ten groups formed from among more than 100 students for a section of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) “Level 9” program, six weeks of academic enrichment for students going into ninth grade this fall at Chief Sealth International, West Seattle, and Franklin High Schools. We caught up with them on Wednesday at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center, where, as part of a Level 9 project, there was a trade show-style event to showcase “inventions” by the groups, which had to develop business plans and solicit “investors.” More ahead:Read More

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Steve Bushaw murder trial: Enter the cell-phone records
August 11, 2011 4:57 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It was an educational day at the Steve Bushaw murder trial on Wednesday, as testimony took a turn for the technical.

As prosecutor Jeff Baird continued to call witnesses in his case against Brandon Chaney and Bryce Huber, accused in the February 2009 West Seattle murder to which two others already have pleaded guilty, there was much for observers to learn.

Today’s witnesses were two Seattle Police homicide detectives, Paul Takimoto and James Cooper, and a state-employed expert in analyzing cell-phone records, Valentine Luu.

First, from Det. Takimoto, we learned how the SPD homicide unit is set up, as questions focused on his background and role, before moving on to his part of the Bushaw murder investigation.

Read More

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Trashed Triangle gas station finally cleaned up, but future murky
August 10, 2011 10:07 pm
|      31 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The formerly-76, once-to-be-converted-to-Arco gas station on the east side of Fauntleroy/Alaska is finally tidier tonight. We’d been looking into the site’s status for three weeks, as WSB’ers continued sending notes asking what we knew about it, as trash and junk continued to accumulate following its sudden closure months ago. We took this photo (and others showing trash/junk around the site) three weeks ago:

That was shortly after a complaint had been filed with the city. The city’s log shows that in the meantime, the site was inspected, found to be in violation, and a warning was issued – clean up by August 14th. Looks so far like they have met that deadline. But what about the station itself?

We had reported back in February that it was being converted to an Arco station. Then the work stalled – the station stopped pumping gas – and the store closed. When we inquired with Arco, a spokesperson told us that “for reasons we don’t know” the conversion never moved forward, and Arco doesn’t “anticipate it ever being converted.” However, the spokesperson made it clear that the site is not owned by Arco, but instead by an area entrepreneur, and even gave us his name and number. Took us a while to reach owner Brandon Kim, but WSB contributor Katie Meyer talked with him by phone yesterday. Asked if the station would reopen, he replied, “Not really,” and told her that he believed a bank would be taking it over. That’s all the comment he had; online records do not indicate any sort of a sale or foreclosure at this point, but we’ll keep an eye out.

SIDE NOTE: The gas station on the west side of the intersection is no longer on the market – we had reported the listing in February, and while the listing was active less than two weeks ago (here’s a cached version). So far, we can’t tell if it was sold, or just de-listed.

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Big night for stand-up paddleboarding, including a premiere!
August 10, 2011 8:17 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

That’s a preview of “Explore: Catalina,” a stand-up paddleboarding “adventure film” that’ll have its Seattle premiere next Tuesday (August 16th) as part of a big night at Seacrest. Greg Whittaker from Alki Kayak Tours says it’ll be shown outdoor at the Alki Crab and Fish lounge right next to his business, at the end of an evening that starts with SUP demos at 6 pm (first 40 people free), continues with the weekly SUP race at 7, and then the movie – free – at 8. Raffles too. (Co-sponsors for the evening include WSB sponsor Mountain to Sound Outfitters, which is celebrating the launch of its online store – discount code here; the full sponsor list is on the official flyer, which includes even more details.)

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Village Green foreclosure fight updates: MSNBC interview; benefit date change
August 10, 2011 4:16 pm
|      42 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | White Center

Two quick updates in the ongoing saga of Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson‘s fight against foreclosure, after what she says has been months of getting the runaround from Bank of America: First, WSB commenters had suggested this story deserves national attention – and it looks like some is on the way: Vera tells WSB she has been asked to do a national cable-network interview, tomorrow morning around 8 am with MSNBC, from a downtown Seattle studio. We don’t have an exact time yet when this is likely to air, but we’re working to find out. Second, the date for a community benefit/rally on Vera’s behalf has just changed to August 31st, still at 5 pm at Big Al Brewing in White Center. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s our Tuesday story about her trip downtown to get a face-to-face meeting with B of A.)

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