West Seattle food: Falafel Salam starts weekly visits Saturday

In case you hadn’t seen it in the comments section by now: Falafel Salam‘s West Seattle-residing proprietor Shimi Kahn, who asked for help in finding a local spot to visit regularly, has found it. This Saturday, the Middle Eastern food truck will start weekly visits at Hans VW (35th and Graham), a spot recently given up by Marination so they can focus their West Seattle attention on Marination ma kai (WSB sponsor) at Seacrest Pier. You’ll find Falafel Salam there this Saturday and beyond, 11 am-3:30 pm.

Meet the new neighbors: Westside School announces community meetings at future Arbor Heights site

February 26, 2013 11:02 am
|    Comments Off on Meet the new neighbors: Westside School announces community meetings at future Arbor Heights site
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

When we first reported in November that Westside School (WSB sponsor) is seeking to buy the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church site as its permanent home, Westside leadership promised to schedule a meeting with its prospective new neighbors in Arbor Heights. They now have plans for two. From a flyer that’s just been circulated in AH:

Westside School is planning to move to the Hillcrest Church facility in the Arbor Heights neighborhood, and we would like to share our vision and plans and hear your feedback.

Open House #1: Saturday, March 9th, 10 AM-11 AM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW [map]
Open House #2: Tuesday, March 12th, 7 PM-8 PM, Hillcrest Church, 10404 34th Avenue SW

You can see the flyer in its entirety here. Westside is in its third year of leasing the former EC Hughes Elementary campus in Sunrise Heights; Seattle Public Schools has not yet decided how to use that school after Westside vacates. Westside, meantime, has said it plans to renovate the church’s structures rather than demolish them.

West Seattle Tuesday: Free Seattle Symphony concert; Block Watch Captains vs. mail theft; more…

(Monday photo by Mark Wangerin, who says the bird is a double-crested cormorant)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

TRAFFIC REMINDER: This is day 2 of one lane southbound/two northbound on the Timber Bridge section of Highway 99, south of the West Seattle Bridge, which will be rebuilt over the next year-plus.

SEALTH TOUR: School tour this morning for prospective Chief Sealth International High School families coming from independent schools, 10-11:30 am (2600 SW Thistle)

PATHFINDER MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Pathfinder K-8‘s open house for prospective 6-8 students and their families at 6:00 pm in the library (1912 SW Genesee).

BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS VS. MAIL THEFT: How can you prevent mail theft/fraud – and what do you do if you discover/suspect it? Federal and city law enforcers will be guests at tonight’s monthly meeting of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network, and you’re invited too: 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).

SEATTLE SYMPHONY, FOR FREE, IN WEST SEATTLE! The orchestra’s series of free community concerts returns to West Seattle tonight, 7:30 pm at the auditorium of Chief Sealth IHS (2600 SW Thistle). No tickets required – just be there! Presented by the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle; details in the calendar listing.

NIGHTLIFE: Live music at Locöl and OutWest; trivia at Feedback; karaoke at Skylark; singer/songwriter night at Shadowland … individual listings for all of the above, on the calendar.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday on the move

(“Live” cam looking at the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; more cams here)
Nothing out of the ordinary reported so far this Tuesday. Remember that it’s the second day of the southbound 99 constriction south of the West Seattle Bridge, as the “Timber Bridge” rebuild gets under way – here’s what we found on yesterday’s PM commute. And looking ahead, remember we have two sets of closures this weekend – Delridge/Trenton intersection for repaving (which starts with the closure of a section of Trenton on Thursday), and two closure periods for the Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 between the WS Bridge and Battery Street Tunnel – all day Saturday, then again Sunday morning.

Another community cleanup this Saturday: North Delridge

As discussed at the most recent North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting, NDNC plans monthly beautification projects – starting this Saturday, March 2, and continuing every first Saturday of the month. NDNC’s beautification chair Lisa Taylor Whitley hopes you can help:

Our first beautification project will be cleaning the Greg Davis Park area on March 2, 2013 from 10 am to 12 pm. We will meet at the Greg Davis Park on the corner of 26th Ave SW & SW Brandon St (Map It) at the 4 large rocks in the middle of the park. Bags and pickers will be provided. Just show up in comfortable clothes! If there are any questions, comments, or suggestions about future projects you would like to see, please contact Lisa Taylor Whitley at lisataylorwhitley@gmail.com or 206-910-1425.

Chief Sealth IHS gets post-Oscars visit from ‘Argo’ inspiration

The day after “Argo” won the Oscar for Best Picture, one of the six “house guests” whose story it tells was in West Seattle, visiting Chief Sealth International High School, at the invitation of teacher Patrice De La Ossa, Ph.D., who shares photos and a report:

“Argo,” anyone? Mark Lijek, one of the real house guests from “Argo,” visited the IB World History Seniors at Chief Sealth International High School today for Q&A after viewing the film last week. Dr. De La Ossa reached out to Mark Lijek, who resides in Washington, and got lucky!

But today, so did her students. Mark met with the seniors and told his personal story, then answered questions from the curious seniors about his ordeal, his continued career in Foreign Services, and how he felt about the film, which just won Best Picture.

Mark Lijek and his wife Cora Amburn-Lijek live in the Skagit County city of Anacortes. Our partners at The Seattle Times told their story last fall, a few weeks after they were flown to the “Argo” premiere in Hollywood. In 1979, when they were embassy employees in Tehran at the time of the hostage crisis, the two were in their mid-20s and had been married four years.

Tablet to basket, Roxhill Elementary’s PE specialist teaching with tech

Photos by Nick Adams for WSB

Roxhill Elementary PE teacher Chellie LaFayette and her students are getting national attention for unique teaching/learning techniques, and a round of one-handed basketball today was part of it.

It takes practice, as Adam Mendoza learned:

A recent New York Times story pointed to Roxhill as a school where PE class had integrated other forms of learning – like computers, with an iPad helping demonstrate the throwing technique today:

Read More

Video: First pm commute on Highway 99’s narrowed ‘Timber Bridge’

That’s the view from our 4:15 pm drive on the newly narrowed ‘Timber Bridge’ section of southbound Highway 99 south of the West Seattle Bridge. It became stop-and-go right before the WS Bridge exit and even came to a halt for a moment or two. Past the bridge, the outside lane is the through lane. (added) Right after publishing this, we got a text from Michelle that it’s backed up to Lander. Adding the “live” camera at Lander:

Refresh this page for the newest view – it does not auto-refresh. (You can find that view any time with others on the WSB Traffic page.)

Help shorten WestSide Baby’s waiting list for car seats: Take one to Rico’s

February 25, 2013 3:44 pm
|    Comments Off on Help shorten WestSide Baby’s waiting list for car seats: Take one to Rico’s
 |   How to help | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo: Stack of donated car seats from past WS Baby drive)
WestSide Baby isn’t just about diapers – in case you didn’t already know. They provide car seats through partnerships with 80 social-service providers. But right now they have a wait list for convertible and combination-style car seats, according to operations manager Maria Groen – so they are “thrilled that Rico’s Auto Buff approached us to hold a ReRide Car Seat Drive to help us meet this need.” Here’s how it works:

Take your used (or new) car seats to Rico’s Auto Buff during business hours. The goal is to collect 50 reusable car seats for WestSide Baby. Car seats will be collected at Rico’s Autobuff during normal business hours through the end of March and are always accepted at WestSide Baby and their regular drop-off sites.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the number one killer of children 1 to 12 years old in the United States. The best way to protect them in the car is to put them in the right seat, at the right time, and use it the right way.

WestSide Baby collects car seats 6 years and newer for re-use by local children in need. We refurbish used car seats and gratefully accept new car seats too. In 2012, we provided 670 car seats but had more than 400 requests that we could not fill. Any car seats that cannot be passed along to kids for safety reasons will be recycled, and a $5 donation to cover recycling costs is appreciated for car seats over 6 years old.

Rico’s is at 4623 36th SW, just north of SW Alaska, in The Triangle.

West Seattle development: 2nd Morgan rowhouse; The Blake update

Two development notes today:

AND NOW THERE ARE TWO: That 61-year-old duplex at 7018 California SW in south Morgan Junction, across from the row of businesses anchored by Caffe Ladro, will be replaced by a five-unit “rowhouse” of 3-story townhomes. It’s next to 4250 SW Myrtle, where a similar, if not identical, development is on the way (as reported here last July). (added – aerial photo by Long Bach Nguyen showing both sites, the cleared one on Myrtle and the to-be-demolished duplex facing California)

Both are being developed by Renton-based Isola Homes, which also is building a five-unit “rowhouse” in The Junction (mentioned in that same July story). The 7018 California proposal is up for the city’s streamlined Administrative Design Review process, meaning it will be reviewed, but there’s no public meeting planned. From the city website, here’s a scanned version of the design packet submitted last week. County records show this site was sold to the developers less than a month ago for $400,000.

UPDATE ON THE BLAKE: When the owners of the 101-apartment development planned for 5020 California SW, just south of The Junction, announced its new identity as The Blake in December, they said work would begin in January. Since February is almost over with no sign of groundbreaking, we checked in with the company managing the project. They say the permits will be “pulled” this week, so the start is near. The site has had a land-use permit for more than a year but the construction permit is not yet finalized, according to online records.

Big boost for West Seattle Helpline: $10,000 from RealNetworks

Good news shared by West Seattle Helpline executive director Tara Luckie:

The West Seattle Helpline just received a $10,000 RealNetworks Foundation grant to go toward helping families facing emergencies in West Seattle with housing and utilities. The RealNetworks Foundation has supported us for several years now. This funding will help many of our neighbors in West Seattle who are facing difficult times.

That’s Tara on the left in the photo, with (center) RealNetworks Foundation Grant Team member Bruce Reisenauer and AmeriCorps VISTA outreach/resources director Jeremy Beliveau. You have options for helping Helpline too – find out how, here.

‘Kingdom of Hamelot’ coming to life in West Seattle (and sponsoring WSB)

Today we welcome the “Kingdom of Hamelot” to WSB as one of our newest sponsors. Its creators explain:

Did you know that an entire kingdom is coming to life right here in West Seattle? We’re Connie Watts and Jen Olson, publishers of a new eBook series for kids called the Kingdom of Hamelot, stories based in a mythical, Elizabethan-era kingdom (kind of a mixture of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey). The world is rooted in historical facts about the time period and includes tales of magic, intrigue and deception, as well as friendship, acceptance and love. Our eBooks are enhanced, meaning the words on the (digital) page are accompanied by music and narration, challenging vocabulary words, and rich illustrations—and even entertaining supplemental videos.

We have just released Series I: Menagerie of Murder and have four more series planned for this year. Series II: With Mettle and Grit is due out in March. Our eBooks and audiobooks are available on Amazon, iTunes, Audible, and Barnes and Noble.

Connie’s mom, Sharon, is the author of these amazing stories. We are going head-to-head with the big boys of the publishing world by doing all of the planning, production and publicity ourselves, right here on Alki. We are really interested in partnering with local businesses, teachers, and organizations in creative ways. (We are currently offering our Series I eBook to teachers for free.)

Have an idea about partnering or an event? Please let us know! We’ve already held some events in the area and look forward to holding many more. Visit our website at kingdomofhamelot.com or like us on Facebook at facebook.com/KingdomofHamelot. And if you have suggestions, ideas, comments or an unpublished bestseller (we are publishing other eBooks by different authors), please send us e-mail at jen@kingdomofhamelot.com. We’d love to hear from you!

We thank Kingdom of Hamelot 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.

Congratulations! Local students’ success at jazz festival

February 25, 2013 9:52 am
|    Comments Off on Congratulations! Local students’ success at jazz festival
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Dozens of young local musicians are back from a big weekend. Ethan Thomas from West Seattle High School‘s music department reports on achievements by students from 3 local schools:

The West Seattle High School, Chief Sealth International High School, and Denny Middle School Jazz Ensembles traveled together over the weekend to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho. The bands had an opportunity to perform and receive feedback from adjudicators, attend workshops and evening concerts by such internationally acclaimed musicians as Maceo Parker, Jeff Hamilton, Regina Carter, Take 6 and the Lionel Hampton Big Band. Three students from our group (Annabel Foucault from WSHS on bass, Cameron Nakatani from CSIHS and Ben Orlin from Denny IMS on trumpet) received honorable mention recognition for their performance. All three groups (WSHS under the direction of Ethan Thomas; CSIHS and Denny under the direction of Marcus Pimpleton) performed very well.

Congratulations to all!

Many questions, some answers, in SPD’s first West Seattle briefing on surveillance cameras

(Map showing West Seattle camera locations, from SPD presentation slide deck)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

One month after Seattle Police-managed, Homeland Security-funded surveillance cameras were installed, unannounced, along Alki, SPD reps came to West Seattle to talk with beach residents about the system’s intent and extent.

The Alki Community Council board requested the briefing; for those arriving at Alki UCC Thursday night, a TV crew in the lobby was the first sign the board was taking up something of citywide interest. The briefing came one day after the City Council’s Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee took a closer look at the program (WSB coverage here), offering citizens a chance to comment publicly for the first time since the cameras’ purpose was revealed in this January 29th WSB report.

You can listen to the entire meeting thanks to attendee Phil Mocek, who recorded and made the audio publicly available:

In addition to answering numerous questions, Det. Monty Moss, in charge of the program, suggested for the first time that there was at some point the intent to talk to the public first:

That came in response to an attendee’s mention of WSB being first to mention the Alki-and-beyond cameras – surprising even some City Council members (as Councilmember Nick Licata wrote here) – so, Det. Moss was asked, why weren’t public meetings planned before the installations?

Read More

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Breezy Monday edition

(“Live” cam looking at the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; more cams here)
It’s breezy, but no longer expected to be extremely windy, so the weather advisory has been lifted. Also of note as Monday morning gets going, another reminder that the traffic changes on the “Timber Bridge” section of 99 south of the West Seattle Bridge are now in place. See the map here. That’s likely to have more of an effect during the pm commute, but we’ll see soon enough.

West Seattle weekend scenes: Slacklining at Lincoln Park

Photos by Nick Adams for WSB

That’s Alan Thorne, left, and Jonathan Evans, right, tightening their slackline in Lincoln Park today, photographed by WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams. Slacklining – explained here – is legal in Seattle public parks, reports Nick; slackliners say the best practice to protect the trees from harm is to only put lines around thick trunks and also by padding the trunk. These two set up a 250-foot line. Here’s Evans, who usually practices on a shorter line, 150 feet:

And Thorne:

The sport kicked up some controversy two years ago …

Read More

West Seattle traffic update: 99 closure ends early; new traffic flow through work zone

(Aerial view of the Timber Bridge work zone this weekend, by Long Bach Nguyen)
WSDOT has just announced that Highway 99 is fully open again, earlier than planned, after a weekend of work to get ready for the “Timber Bridge”/Spokane St. Overcrossing bridge work beginning tomorrow.


(Click image for larger view)
Remember this means a new configuration for 99 south of the West Seattle Bridge, as shown above – one lane southbound, two lanes northbound, as the old wood-supported bridge is demolished rebuilt in sections.

Happening now: ‘Oscar is in the house!’ at Feedback Lounge

From Bradi Jones (pictured with Oscar himself), general manager at the fab Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), where the stars are shining tonight:

Happening now at the Feedback Lounge! Oscar is in the House! If you have your limo driver drop you off to enter through the “VIP entrance” (the back), Oscar will greet you with the red-carpet experience!! Front entrance, less paparazzi!!!

We gave the paparazzi some tips for the night, that the best photo ops were going to be coming from the back. So if you want to fly under the media radar, I’d have your driver drop you off at the front! Goooo Oscar!!!!!

Not too late to go – the opening monologue’s just under way as we write this. The Feedback’s at 6451 California SW in Morgan Junction.

West Seattle Weather Watch: Wind advisory, late tonight through tomorrow

2:55 PM: More wind is on the way – and this time there’s an official alert: The National Weather Service has announced a “wind advisory” for our area, from 11 pm tonight until noon tomorrow. Gusts could reach 50 mph after rising to 15 to 30 mph out of the southwest, according to NWS. See the full alert here. (Thanks to WSB commenter “Meteorologist Patrick” for the heads-up!)

5:24 PM: The advisory is now extended through 4 pm Monday. The revised advisory also says gusts could reach 55 mph.

Membership drive ahead for Delridge’s co-op grocery store; planning meeting Monday

February 24, 2013 2:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Membership drive ahead for Delridge’s co-op grocery store; planning meeting Monday
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

Your chance to get an early membership in Delridge’s future co-op grocery store is less than a month away. The Delridge Produce Cooperative has announced Saturday, March 23rd, as the date for its first membership-drive event (11 am-1 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center). And tomorrow (Monday, February 25) is the date for DPC’s next planning meeting (6:30 pm at Delridge Library, across from the grocery store’s expected home in the future DESC Delridge Supportive Housing complex). Even if you haven’t been previously involved, you are welcome, and DPC says it’s looking for two “specific (types of) volunteers”:

We would love to find someone with the time and inclination to manage our social media outreach (i.e. Facebook). We also need some occasional tax advice. If you are able to volunteer for either of these roles (or any other area), please e-mail us!

The group’s reachable at delridgeproducecoop@gmail.com.

Want to volunteer with Seal Sitters? RSVP for March 9 training

(Seal Sitters photo by Robin Lindsey)
You’ve probably seen the familiar yellow tape and traffic cones on the shore, marking the perimeter around a resting seal or sea lion, with at least As Seal SittersRobin Lindsey mentioned at The Whale Trail‘s orca (and more) talk this past Thursday, the next volunteer-training session is scheduled for March 9th, and you are invited to RSVP ASAP if you are interested. One particular point of interest from Robin:

Unlike most marine mammal stranding networks, Seal Sitters encourages children to participate. It is very empowering for a child to learn about our fragile ecosystem and be able to do something to protect seals and other marine mammals.

The e-mail link for RSVPs is in this announcement on the Seal Sitters’ site, which also includes location/time details.

Something to say about Seattle Public Schools? Survey ends soon

Seattle Public Schools‘ current five-year strategic plan “Excellence for All” expires this year, and the district is working on a new one. An online survey that’s part of the process is ending in a few days, and the district is asking feedback from everyone – “families, students, staff, and members of the community” included, according to a reminder recently sent. It’s a quick survey, the district promises, and it starts here. Find more background – and links to take the survey in more languages – here. This Wednesday (February 27th) is the deadline.

West Seattle Sunday: Oscar parties; Relay for Life kickoff; 2 soup events; clothing swap…

Dinner will be served soon

(Great blue heron at Lowman Beach, by Flickr member “old desolate,” shared via WSB Flickr group)
Possibilities for your Sunday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

99 CLOSURE REMINDER: As crews prepare for tomorrow’s start of the “Timber Bridge” rebuilding project on Highway 99 south of the West Seattle Bridge, southbound 99 is closed from the Battery Street Tunnel to South Nevada Street, while northbound is closed only from S. Nevada to the WS Bridge (the eastbound bridge exit to northbound 99 remains open).

YES, THAT’S A CRUISE SHIP: As we write, the German cruise ship Amadea is in Elliott Bay, bound for Pier 66 downtown. Cruise ships don’t usually visit this early – but this one isn’t on the Alaska run that brings ships here throughout the summer; it’s on a worldwide cruise.

RELAY FOR LIFE-WEST SEATTLE KICKOFF: The cancer-fighting overnight event is four months away, but registration, planning, and organizing are under way, and today’s the gala kickoff for Relay of Life-West Seattle. Visit the Menashe Gym at Seattle Lutheran High School (41st/Genesee) 11 am-3 pm today to join in; details here.

SOUP-MAKING AT WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Chaco Canyon Café is scheduled to be at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market today, 11 am-1 pm (the full market runs 10 am-2 pm), to demonstrate soup-making with winter squash. 44th and Alaska.

CAMPAIGN COFFEE: City Councilmember Tim Burgess brings his mayoral campaign to Cupcake Royale (California/Alaska) 1-2 pm for a coffee event to talk with voters.

COOKING CLUB’S ‘SOUP OFF’: The West Seattle Cooking Club‘s “Soup Off” starts at 3:30 pm at Big Al Brewing – details (and map) here.

OSCAR PARTY AT THE FEEDBACK: Drink specials and “razzle dazzle” promised at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) Oscar party: “The media snarkiness over clothing begins at 4 PM with the actual awards ceremony starting at 5 PM.” 6451 California SW.

OSCAR PARTY AT OUTWEST: 4 pm, California/Brandon, per the bar’s event calendar.

OSCAR PARTY ON VASHON: When we put out an open call for Oscar parties, we also heard from Eileen Wolcott, a third-generation West Seattleite and owner of the Vashon Theatre. A short ferry ride away, her theater has a big bash too, starting at 4 pm – “… the best Oscar event ever! Hop on the 3:40 boat to Vashon and watch the Oscars on the big screen, limo rides, catered dinner, costume contests, and live entertainment replace the commercial breaks. … It is our 10-year anniversary as owners, and we are donating all the prizes!” Find more details on the theater’s website.

BENEFIT CLOTHING SWAP: This is also the big night for the women’s-clothing swap to benefit moms-of-babies support organization Early Days, 5:30-7:30 pm at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW – details in our earlier preview.