West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
For those tracking the future of the Alki Homestead (historically known as the Fir Lodge) and owner Tom Lin‘s new plan to restore it – the project is scheduled for another review before the Landmarks Preservation Board‘s Architectural Review Committee, a required step before the full board votes on the project (their approval is required because the Homestead is an official city landmark). The agenda for the meeting has just arrived. It’s open to the public, with this item scheduled at 10 am next Friday (February 25th) on the 40th floor of the city Municipal Tower downtown. (Here’s our recent coverage – last month’s committee meeting here, a look into the city files regarding the restoration plan here; our Homestead coverage is archived here.)
Sebastian says the Delridge ramp off The Bridge was icy when he drove by this – a car on its side earlier this morning. On the 911 log, the call “closed” fairly quickly, with no medic unit dispatched, so that would tend to mean no serious injuries – no formal info available yet (we’re checking). But it provides an excuse to remind us all that winter’s not over yet. Next week, in fact, it’s supposed to get even colder.
(WSDOT graphic showing the ramp configuration when the work that starts tonight is done by 4/1/2011)
A milestone tonight in the ongoing Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project: The current stadium-area 1st Avenue South onramp to the northbound viaduct closes forever at 7 pm, with demolition beginning immediately. It’s being replaced by a new ramp from the detour zone in the stadium area as part of the south-end replacement work, which is proceeding full speed ahead, separate from the tunnel-or-no-tunnel central-section project. The state promises the new ramp will be up and running by the start of April. Other related street closures in that area this weekend that might affect you, all listed here.
(Photo by Chris Bennion, from “The New New News“)
A topic close to our hearts, the changing nature of the news business, is the topic of a play you can see this weekend at South Seattle Community College‘s Olympic Hall. It’s called “The New New News,” with performances at 7:30 tonight and tomorrow, 2 pm Sunday – you can read all about it here; tickets are available online (The photo above features cast members Jordan Williams, Brian Thomas Gould and Tammy Batey) … Need an excuse to get out in the sunshine this afternoon? Here’s the perfect opportunity: The Nature Consortium‘s free monthly guided eco-hike, 1 pm, RSVP to 206-923-0853 or lisa@naturec.org for directions … Then back indoors as the evening chill sets in, Highland Park Improvement Club begins its third-Fridays free, family-friendly movie series! Doors open at 6:30 pm, movie at 7 pm, folding chairs for seating, or feel free to bring blankets and pillows or non- floor-scratching chairs. HPIC notes: “Our movie copyright license does not allow us to advertise the movie title so here’s a hint: Classic 1982 kid and adult friendly sci-fi blockbuster starring Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore” (12th/Holden) … Friday night skating is on as usual at Alki Community Center, 6:45-8:45 pm, $3, BYO skates or borrow theirs … More on the calendar!
As declared by King County Executive Dow Constantine – as you can hear him say, in our video – this was “Christy Rowe Day” in the county. That’s in honor of the devoted volunteer honored at tonight’s second annual West Seattle High School Foundation benefit dinner/auction, held at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Rowe’s volunteerism even has her leading the WSHS Foundation as its president this year. She and the county executive, of course, are WSHS alums (’72 and ’80 respectively), and she had a few things to say too:
We’ll be checking on the fundraiser’s final totals in the morning, but we watched a spirited auction – including two bidders winning lunch for 4 with Constantine, at $400 each. Lunch with Seattle School Board President Steve Sundquist was also up for grabs – he was at the event too (winning bidder for that one was the principal of Ingraham High School!). The event included one round of “fund a need” bidding, as many such auctions do, for a new sound system to make school events more audible; between bidders and a WSHS PTSA match, they brought in almost $11,000 of the $15,000 needed for the system. (Not too late to help – there’s a donation address on the WSHSF website.)
Tonight was Choices Night at Chief Sealth International High School, a chance to show off the school to potential future students and their families. One special highlight was the performance we recorded on the video you see above, featuring four classes of ninth-graders (themselves the “potential future students” just a year ago). It’s “Page to Stage,” the culmination of a literary collaboration between Book-It Repertory Theater and the Writers in the Schools program. With the guidance of language-arts teacher James MacDonald, writer-in-residence Aaron Counts, and teaching artists Gail Sehlhorst and Naho Shioya, the students wrote poems and then performed dramatic interpretations of more than 20 of those poems. According to the program for the performance, this is the 11th year that Book-It has been at Sealth. (Before tonight’s show, the poems also were performed this afternoon at the end of the regular school day.)
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Early Monday, passersby reported an abandoned vehicle in the westbound lanes of the West Seattle Bridge. Both front airbags were deployed and the car had severe front end damage. About 15 minutes later, a Delridge man called 911 from home to say he had been carjacked downtown “by a Hispanic male.” An officer was dispatched and noticed that the “victim’s” injuries were consistent with those suffered by someone in an accident with activated airbags. The officer’s suspicions were confirmed when the man’s girlfriend (who had similar injuries) spilled the beans. The man was arrested (but taken to Harborview for treatment) for investigation of false reporting, hit and run, and negligent driving in the first degree.
*Scammers continue to call elderly people, plying them for personal and financial information under the guise that the victim is a money winner who has been “blessed by God.” Officers recommend that you never give out personal details and simply tell the caller that police will be notified. A savvy Arbor Heights woman received such a call this week and knew right away that it was a scam. The potential haul for the “lucky woman”? Nine and a half million dollars, two Mercedes Benz, and — if she were *extra* lucky — a Chrysler.
7 more summaries ahead:Read More
(January 23rd WSB photo by Deanie Schwarz)
After a vigil, and benefits, family and friends have been working to plan a true funeral for 24-year-old Jeremy Peck, the born-and-raised West Seattleite who was missing from early December 24th until his body washed up on Bainbridge Island January 19th. They announced today that the funeral will be at 4 pm February 26 – one week from this Saturday – at Alki Congregational Church (62nd/Hinds). It’ll be followed by a dinner at the Alki Masonic Hall (40th/Edmunds), according to the Facebook event page. Meantime, the King County Medical Examiner has yet to announce results of their investigation into Peck’s death.
The first seeding game for the 3A State Basketball Tournament was a matchup of two teams that were very familiar with each other’s offense. That led to a tight and low-scoring affair, but in the fourth quarter Seattle Prep built a lead that Chief Sealth was never able to completely overcome. Prep beat Sealth 51-48, and while the Seahawks went from being 10 points down to being tied with the Panthers in the last minutes of the game, Prep was able to close them out with these last second free throws by their junior forward Mitch Brewe.
(Clip is silent, to excise personal chat by people who were nearby)
Prep was effective underneath the basket only at the end of the game. Sealth managed to build a lead in the first half off long-range shots and a steady supply of free throws by senior guard Keon Lewis. Sealth moves on to play on Saturday in Bellevue at 11:30. They’ll meet the loser of tonight’s O’Dea-Bellevue game, which is under way right now.
Yet more of note that’s happening tonight (in addition to this list) – The photo above is courtesy of West Seattle photographer extraordinaire Machel Spence (still celebrating her cover story!) from the daytime run of the Pathfinder K-8 science fair. She says everybody’s invited tonight 6:30-8 pm (1901 SW Genesee). Also tonight: The Alki Community Council‘s general meeting, 7 pm, Alki Congregational Church (62nd/Hinds), with topics including the future of the Alki Art Fair (since the Alki Community Center staffers who used to oversee it fell victim to budget cuts) and the proposal for bigger signs on skyscrapers – City Council President Richard Conlin is expected to be at the meeting to discuss that.
2:47 PM: We’re at the King County Jail, where a jailhouse-courtroom judge has just ordered bail set at $500,000 for the 19-year-old who is suspected in the murder of 60-year-old entertainer Hokum W. Jeebs (aka Robert Stabile) at his Fauntleroy home early yesterday. The suspect’s lawyer waived his client’s presence, which is their prerogative this early in the case. The prosecution asked for $1 million bail, saying the suspect had just moved here from New York four weeks ago and had a criminal history (as we reported earlier – assault and burglary cases back east) and would be a danger to the community. She also said he may have mental-health issues. The judge ordered half that sum. We are not using the suspect’s name at this point as he has not been charged; the deadline for charges is tomorrow afternoon. More to come.
4:22 PM UPDATE: The probable-cause documents are just in. They indicate the suspect IS the man seen climbing out of a nearby ravine as reported by a WSB commenter hours after the murder. Transcription ahead:Read More
We had heard that a notable amount of road work was scheduled around West Seattle while (most) schools are out next week, so we checked with SDOT to see what’s on the schedule. Turns out one project is indeed on, while two others in the Morgan Junction/Gatewood area have been pushed back to a bit later this spring. Here’s the update from SDOT’s Marybeth Turner:
Next week we plan to replace two speed cushions at 59th Avenue Southwest near Alki Elementary School.
You may have heard about two upcoming pedestrian safety projects on California Avenue SW. These are now scheduled to be built late in March or early spring, depending on when our crews can fit them into their schedules and also depending on the weather.
One of the projects is at SW Othello Street and California Ave SW. We will build a curb bulb on the east side of California to shorten the crossing distance and improve visibility for pedestrians waiting to cross. A new overhead crosswalk sign with flashing beacons will also be installed.
The other project consists of building curb ramps that meet current standards at the intersection of SW Frontenac Street and California Ave SW, on the northwest, southwest and southeast corners. Also, the sidewalk will be replaced on the northwest corner.
We also had some information on the 59th SW speed humps courtesy of Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s office; the current rubber humps will be removed and replaced with “asphalt (ones) that are similar in profile,” according to a neighborhoodleader. You’ll see some no-parking restrictions in the area during the work.
Last week, we previewed this week’s blanket drive at West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy (WSB sponsor) – the brainchild of a young WSMS student. This morning, our friends at KING 5 went to the school to talk with her, and the video clip above includes one of their reports (recorded live). Through tomorrow evening, you can take blankets (and sweaters!) to WSMS at 11215 15th SW, or to Carmilia’s in The Junction (4528 California SW).
Two items this morning involving West Seattle police. First, we checked on early-morning activity in Arbor Heights, after multiple reports from WSB’ers (thank you!) Here’s what Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Rasmussen says happened:
We responded to a call about a car prowler (again, heads-up work by the neighbors who heard the car alarm and called us). Officers were in the area and were able to respond very quickly. They spotted the suspect getting on a bus; however, he took off running as we tried to arrest him and he was able to evade us. We were out searching the area for him but weren’t able to locate him. We did recover the stolen items and returned them to the owner.
And from SPD Blotter – for the third consecutive week, a speeder crackdown on Admiral Way hill:
On February 16th at 9 a.m., seven officers from the Aggressive Driver Response Team (ADRT) conducted a speed emphasis in the 3300 block of SW Admiral Way (southbound). The speed limit on that portion of Admiral Way is 30 mph. The officers stopped 51 drivers for speeding which resulted in 61 citations. Some notable citations:
5 at 48 mph
2 at 49 mph
1 at 50 mph
1 at 51 mph
1 at 52 mph
1 at 54 mph
1 at 59 mph
5 no proof of insurance
1 No Valid Operator’s License
1 cell phone violationAggressive drivers beware! These types of operations occur frequently!
And according to a WSB Forums post – one at 42 mph. P.S. Here are the links to our reports on the past two weeks’ crackdowns – last week, here; the week before, here.
(CSIHS practice on Wednesday)
At 3 this afternoon, we’ll be covering the Chief Sealth International High School game vs. Seattle Prep in Bellevue – a game that’s technically for “seeding” purposes for the upcoming state tournament, which the Seahawks are in, regardless of whether they win. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand talked with head coach Colin Slingsby for a preview – read on:Read More
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Family YMCA)
The West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) is more than just the facilities you’re familiar with in The Triangle and at Fauntleroy Church – they are behind a wide variety of youth programs all around the area, including at local schools and community centers, helping kids of all ages. Right now, they’re in the midst of the annual Partners With Youth fundraising campaign and just got the first report last night: $53,000 toward a community-campaign goal of $200,000. Samantha Bowes from the Y adds, “Special thanks to Talarico’s Pizza for donating 100% of the food for the report night – more than 100 people dined very well thanks to their generosity! Belated thanks also goes to Husky Deli for sponsoring the food for Partners With Youth volunteer campaigner trainings in January.”
A belated reminder about a few of the major events today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
RELAY FOR LIFE WEST SEATTLE – 2011 KICKOFF: 6-8 pm at Coffee to a Tea with Sugar (more info here). Live music, food donated from local Junction merchants, raffle prizes … find out how to be part of this summer’s cancer-fighting relay.
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL SPIRIT DINNER & AUCTION: 5:30 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES NIGHT: 6-9 pm at the school – the big event for those interested in attending CSIHS.
SPINATHON FOR MAJOR TAYLOR PROJECT: Fundraiser to help more youth get involved with bicycling. 5-8 pm, Allstar Fitness, full details here
LAFAYETTE ELEMENTARY PLAYGROUND PROJECT: Update meeting at 7 pm tonight, school library.
NOT WEST SEATTLE, BUT … Next step toward planning the downtown waterfront: Seattle Aquarium, 6:30-8:30 pm (waterfrontseattle.org)
We just spoke again to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which finished its notifications this morning and is confirming that the man stabbed to death in his Fauntleroy home as 60-year-old Robert Stabile, much better known as the entertainer in the video clip above – Professor Hokum W. Jeebs.
He once told a Seattle Times interviewer (for this 2002 story) he only used his real name on his income-tax forms. As Hokum Jeebs, he co-founded West Seattle’s iconic Kenyon Hall in 1993, as Hokum Hall. It gained a reputation as a quirky vaudeville palace; you can read a bit of background here, if you weren’t around back then.
He had a 30-plus-year career of performing vaudeville, with comedy and keyboards, around the world. (There’s more biographical information here.)
As reported last night, police have arrested a suspect, who is expected in court for a bail hearing at 2:30 pm today. (Research indicates he has a juvenile record out of state including assault and burglary charges.) At and after that court appearance, more information will be released about what police believe to be the circumstances of the case. The Medical Examiner’s Office has the cause of death officially listed as “multiple stab wounds.” We have no information yet about a memorial but will report it if and when we do.
It can get a little confusing if you start talking about “the mural at Link,” since the new Triangle building in the Harbor Properties family is sibling to Mural in The Junction (both are WSB sponsors) … but here, the pictures tell the story.
Work has begun on the mural decorating the stairwell at Link, part of the 40-plus-work buildingwide art collection being curated by Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction. They’re putting up the other work too. And one of Twilight’s trio of proprietors is among the mural’s artists:
Twilight’s Erin Staffeld is working on the mural with Curtis Ashby and John Osgood (more of his work can be seen here).
According to Harbor’s Emi McKittrick, the first move-ins at Link are still expected to happen sometime next month.
As the Delridge District Council met tonight inside the theater at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, posters decorated the center’s walls, promoting its upcoming 5th-anniversary party. Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association runs Youngstown, and its executive director Derek Birnie announced the February 26th party to celebrate the Cultural Arts Center’s fifth anniversary, which also will be a sendoff for two longtime DNDA employees as well as an open house (all detailed here).
Also announced at tonight’s meeting – Mayor McGinn is tentatively planning a visit to tour the Westwood neighborhood, according to Delridge district coordinator Ron Angeles. The date looks like March 6th, and so far the starting point is expected to be the new P-Patch site at 34th and Barton. More to come on that.
Also discussed tonight – a new citywide project that could bring a rain garden to a Delridge business … read on for that and more:Read More
Info on two fundraisers to share – this first one is happening tomorrow (Thursday) night but just came in. From Peter:
All proceeds from food sales at the Alki Tavern (1321 Harbor Ave SW) tomorrow night, Thursday, February 17, 2011, are being donated to the West Seattle Food Bank and Family Promise of Seattle. Readers of the wsblog are already familiar with the great work being done by the WS Food Bank in our community, and they will also recognize Family Promise as the only homeless shelter in West Seattle. The Alki Tavern is well known for its Taco Thursday promotion where they sell tacos for $1.00 apiece, and the view from the tavern is the best in all of Seattle. Good food, good friends, good view, all with a view to building a stronger community. Come join us.
Family Promise, you may recall, is working to raise $90,000 so it can reopen its program housing homeless families with volunteer help from local congregations. Meantime, Jennifer is inviting you to a benefit at the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ weekend after next – and collecting auction donations now:
Event- 2nd annual Art Erhmann Cancer benefit
Where- West Seattle Eagles, 4426 California SW
When- February 25th, 530-1100 pm
Silent Auction preview starts at 330 pm.We will have pulled pork sandwiches, beer specials, silent auction, and entertainment.
I’m currently taking donations of any kind of stuff we can put into a gift basket; deadline for donations will be Thursday the 24th by 11 pm. In addition, for any business donating, we will provide a form for tax purposes.
My contact info – 206-938-4426
Jcollinsyoung@gmail.com
An announcement tonight from Jeff Clark, principal of Denny International Middle School in West Seattle’s Westwood neighborhood:
Please join me in congratulating Ms. Chanda E. Oatis as the recipient of the Principals Association of Seattle Schools Middle School/K-8 Assistant Principal of the Year award! Way to go, Ms. Oatis–we are proud of you.
She’s at left in the photo above, shared by her boss, who describes it as “Ms. Oatis and several Denny scholars enjoying a visit from local members of the prestigious Tuskegee Airmen.” (You may also have seen her on WSB, YouTube, and regional TV recently helping promote Denny’s student-sparking video “Teach Me How to Study“ – now past 18,000 YT views!)
Youngstown is throwing a party – and just sent out the invitation/announcement:
Our building is old, but we are still young! Join us in a celebration of the creative, collaborative success story that is Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. We opened to the public five years ago on February 26, and this party is for everyone who enjoys the space that exists here for artists, citizens, students, educators, activists, advocates, environmentalists, magicians, performers….you get the idea. It’s for culture building in our community.
4:30 PM-6 PM The residents of Youngstown kick off a monthly film series in our theatre with the funny and insightful Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. This movie looks at street art and legitimate art side by side, inside out, and drops it like it’s hot. Oh yes, there will be popcorn. Afterward, we’ll make our own art in the halls.
6 PM-8 PM Guests are invited on a Potluck Adventure (food provided by residents) through the upstairs floors of Youngstown, moving from place to place, floor to floor. Bring your binoculars and you might spot some artists in their native habitat.
8 PM-1 AM At the very end, we take a moment to give gratitude to founding faces Randy Engstrom and KC Corell, who guided Youngstown through its infancy, the terrible twos, the wobbly toddler years, all the way to the sturdy age of five. Now they are off to their next adventures, but not without our love. Our Open Mic and Dance Party is in the Movement Studio. There’s beer! 21+ only.
RSVP and More Info at the links below!
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